Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult

In nineteen minutes, you can mow the front lawn, color your hair, watch a third of a hockey game. In nineteen minutes, you can bake scones or get a tooth filled by a dentist; you can fold laundry for a family of five....In nineteen minutes, you can stop the world, or you can just jump off it. 

In nineteen minutes, you can get revenge.

Sterling is a small, ordinary New Hampshire town where nothing ever happens -- until the day its complacency is shattered by a shocking act of violence. In the aftermath, the town's residents must not only seek justice in order to begin healing but also come to terms with the role they played in the tragedy. For them, the lines between truth and fiction, right and wrong, insider and outsider have been obscured forever. Josie Cormier, the teenage daughter of the judge sitting on the case, could be the state's best witness, but she can't remember what happened in front of her own eyes. And as the trial progresses, fault lines between the high school and the adult community begin to show, destroying the closest of friendships and families.

Nineteen Minutes is New York Times bestselling author Jodi Picoult's most raw, honest, and important novel yet. Told with the straightforward style for which she has become known, it asks simple questions that have no easy answers: Can your own child become a mystery to you? What does it mean to be different in our society? Is it ever okay for a victim to strike back? And who -- if anyone -- has the right to judge someone else?

Hardcover, 440 pages

Published March 5, 2007

 by Atria

4.5/5 stars

there are so many things you can do in 19 minutes …

This book has been on my shelf for a while, I’ve been hesitant to read it because of the subject matter but recently Mistress Mood put it front and centre and I’m glad she did. This was a gripping story that put me in a reading slump for a couple days when I finished.

With Jodi Picoult I knew it would be an emotional read, that it would have controversy and maybe a few unexpected things jumping off the pages. It comes in at 440 pages, which isn’t a small read, and at times I felt maybe it could’ve been a tad shorter. Were there times I set it aside until the next day?  Yes there were.

Nineteen Minutes is a story of a school shooting. It is seen from many angles - the shooter‘s mom, the shooter’s himself, his lawyer, the judge, investigating detective and a few more. It was a vivid insight into what they were thinking, what led up to what happened and the fallout. It tackles subjects of bullying, PTSD and friendships. It would make a great book club read though I can imagine all the different discussions which could get intense. It is realistic, which makes it all the more heartbreaking. 

I am glad that I finally read this, though I had to read something happy and sweet for a bit, talk about a book hangover.

This book was part of my 2025 reading off my shelf challenge and is book # 22.

Parents Weekend by Alex Finlay

In the glow of their children’s exciting first year of college at a small private school in Northern California, five families plan on a night of dinner and cocktails for the opening festivities of Parents Weekend. As the parents stay out way past their bedtimes, their kids—five residents of Campisi Hall—never show up at dinner.

At first, everyone thinks that they’re just being college students, irresponsibly forgetting about the gathering or skipping out to go to a party. But as the hours click by and another night falls with not so much as a text from the students, panic ensues. Soon, the campus police call in reinforcements. Search parties are formed. Reporters swarm the small enclave. Rumors swirl and questions arise.

Libby, Blane, Mark, Felix, and Stella—The Five, as the podcasters, bloggers, and TikTok sleuths call them—come from five very different families. What led them out on that fateful night? Could it be the sins of their mothers and fathers come to cause them peril or a threat to the friend group from within?

Told through multiple points of view in past and present—and marking the return of FBI Special Agent Sarah Keller from Every Last Fear and The Night Shift—Parents Weekend explores the weight of expectation, family dysfunction, and those exhilarating first days we all remember in the dorms when our friends become our family.

Kindle Edition, 384 pages

Expected publication May 6, 2025 

by Minotaur Books

3.5/5 stars

Alex Finley is an author I discovered a number of years ago and have read his last three books, enjoying them all. This his latest Parents Weekend releases on May 6.

Taking place in Northern California parents gather at their children’s private school for a dinner together. However, five kids don’t show up and what follows is a twisty road as to what happened. The book starts with introductions so as you can imagine five older teens and their parents, that is a lot of who's who, and which parents belong to which teen. Once I finally got everything straight in my brain, the story took off.

I didn’t realize that a face from past books, FBI special agent Sarah Keller was going to make an appearance (and you don’t really need to read the other books to get her story) but I do remember her and hope that I see more of her in the future. It was Sarah‘s point of view that was my favorite.

Parents Weekend is a fast paced story with many layers, red herrings, and characters that I really couldn’t connect with or even like. With Sarah being the exception.. It was a quick read as I was intrigued as to what was taking place. The mystery itself kept me guess, trying to solve it, but Sarah beat me to the punch.

All in all a quick read, with chapters leaving me wanting to read just one more .

I thanks to Saint Martin’s Press for a digital arc in exchange for a honest review

Summer in a Bottle by Annie Rains

In this tender, uplifting novel for fans of Josie Silver and Rebecca Serle, a young woman returns to her North Carolina hometown hoping to make new memories, but finds history repeating itself—literally . . .

Dumped by her fiancé, opinion columnist Lyla Dune returns to small-town Echo Cove to heal, and to help her parents prep their house for sale. When she decides to open a time capsule she buried in high school, past memories lead her to a diary filled with memorable moments from the last summer she spent at home, right before college. Some of the events feel like they happened yesterday. That’s normal. Not so normal is that they actually start happening all over again . . .

Lyla gets a flat tire in the same spot and is saved by the same person. The same movie is playing at the theater. Her house has the same leak it once had. As her current summer increasingly mirrors that last one, Lyla worries it will end just as with a category 3 hurricane—and with losing Travis, the best friend she was always secretly in love with. If only she hadn’t been too scared to admit it.

She revisits other fears too, like the fear of rejection that led her to abandon her passion for fiction writing. And when she reconnects with Travis, Lyla becomes certain that unless she does what her younger self was unable to do, she’ll suffer the same regrets. But if this time around she can gather her courage, maybe the life that was falling apart when she arrived will fall back together—even better than before.

Kindle Edition, 343 pages

Publishing date April 29, 2025 

by Kensington Books

3.5/5 stars

I have recently discovered Annie Raines, she is a refreshing, clean author.

Summer in a Bottle is a perfect summer, beach read, which is exactly what I did on a recent vacation. The story started out at a great momentum with Lyla returning home to help her parents pack up their house to sell. It is here that Lyla reflects on her past, especially as she digs up her time capsule from 10 years previous. It was a fun read as she returns to a town and friends she quite suddenly abandoned. As things start to happen that reflect her last summer home, it opens up old wounds.

Summer in a Bottle is a story of friendship, lost loves and discovering oneself. It started out great, petered out a bit in the middle with an ending that picked up the pace. There was one trope that I’m not a fan of so that didn’t help, I won’t specify which one as it will definitely be a spoiler.

All in all this was a great beach read and an author that I will be reading more of.

 

My thanks to Kensington Books for a digital arc in exchange for a honest review

Austen at Sea by Natalie Jenner

Two pairs of siblings, devotees of Jane Austen, find their lives transformed by a visit to England and Sir Francis Austen, her last surviving brother and keeper of a long-suppressed, secret legacy.

In Boston, 1865, Charlotte and Henrietta Stevenson, daughters of a Massachusetts Supreme Court Justice, have accomplished as much as women are allowed in those days. Chafing against those restrictions and inspired by the works of Jane Austen, they start a secret correspondence with Sir Francis Austen, her last surviving brother, now in his nineties. He sends them an original letter from his sister and invites them to come visit him in England.

In Philadelphia, Nicholas & Haslett Nelson—bachelor brothers, veterans of the recent Civil War, and rare book dealers—are also in correspondence with Sir Francis Austen, who lures them, too, to England, with the promise of a never-before-seen, rare Austen artifact to be evaluated.

The Stevenson sisters sneak away without a chaperone to sail to England. On their ship are the Nelson brothers, writer Louisa May Alcott, Sara-Beth Gleason—wealthy daughter of a Pennsylvania state senator with her eye on the Nelsons—and, a would-be last-minute chaperone to the Stevenson sisters, Justice Thomas Nash.

It's a voyage and trip that will dramatically change each of their lives in ways that are unforeseen, with the transformative spirit of the love of literature and that of Jane Austen herself.

Kindle Edition, 320 pages

Audiobook, 11 hours, 12 minutes

Expected publication May 6, 2025

 by St. Martin's Press and Macmillian Audio

3.5/5 stars

This is my first time reading a Natalie Jenner book, even though I do have her previous ones in my TBR.  Austen at Sea releases next month and I was given both the Kindle edition and the audiobook for review.

Taking place in 1865 from a couple different view points. There are the sisters who are two women ahead of their time. They have a on going correspondence with Sir Frances Austen, who just happens to be the brother of Jane Austen. Another is from the Nelson brothers, bookstore owners who also just happen to have a correspondence with Sir Austen. These four meet on a ship bound for England, along with familiar faces in history.

I will confess that I have not read much Jane Austen, actually Pride and Prejudice is my only one, though I am intrigued after reading this book. Austen at Sea is an interesting read, and I much preferred the e-book versus the audio. I found the voices in the audio just a bit distracting.

Austen at Sea is a story of relationships, women ahead of their time, and well, Jane Austen and her legacy. It was atmospheric as it reflected the time. How women were treated and the tension between England and America. I am intrigued enough to head over to my TBR and boost Natalie Jenner‘s books up closer to the top.

My thanks to St. Martin's Press and Macmillian Audio for advanced copies in exchange for a honest review

The Frugal Wizard's Handbook for Surviving Medieval England by Brandon Sanderson

A man awakes in a clearing in what appears to be medieval England with no memory of who he is, where he came from, or why he is there. 

Chased by a group from his own time, his sole hope for survival lies in regaining his missing memories, making allies among the locals, and perhaps even trusting in their superstitious boasts.

 His only help from the "real world" should have been a guidebook entitled The Frugal Wizard's Handbook for Surviving Medieval England, except his copy exploded during transit. The few fragments he managed to save provide clues to his situation, but can he figure them out in time to survive?

Hardcover, 366 pages

Published June 27, 2023 

by Tor Books

3.5/5 stars

This is book #2 in Brandon Sanderson’s secret project series. Each book is a standalone so no need to read in order.

Given the title I was expecting somewhat of a familiar setting in mediaeval England, but then I remember this is Brandon Sanderson and there is really nothing predicable in his writing.

An entertaining story that revolved around a portal that can send people through time.  So this man goes through the portal where his problems begin right away.  Mainly he doesn’t remember where he came from or his purpose. Plus his handbook is of little use. As he slowly begins to regain his memory, while at the same time making new friends and enemies. And of course his past slowly comes back to haunt him.

A unique plot that disperses snippets of the handbook for time travel. Though I don’t read a lot of Sanderson books, have you seen the size of some of them, what I have read I have enjoyed.

This was a hybrid read, switching between the book and audio.  I recommend both methods, the readers were great and the book not to heavy.

This was part of my 2025 Reading off my shelf challenge and it is book #16

The Undercover Book List by Colleen Nelson

Governor General’s Award Finalist Colleen Nelson’s tale of identity, unlikely friends, and a secret book club, now available in a new paperback format.

 Between her father’s posting overseas and her best friend Sienna’s move to the other side of the country, seventh grade is looking lonely for Jane MacDonald.

 But Sienna has left her with one last a hidden message in a library book—the perfect plot to start a secret club and find Jane a new book-loving friend. Tyson Flamand has problems of his own. 

Since the fourth grade he’s had a reputation as a bad kid, and there’s no point fighting it when teachers always think the worst. So when he finds an anonymous note in the library looking for a nerdy new friend, he knows he’s the last person in the world it could be meant for. 

But something makes him answer it anyway, and Tyson finds himself pulled into a secret book club where being hidden may be the first step to being truly seen. 

With the insight of a veteran middle-school teacher, Colleen Nelson, weaves together two stories of identity, expectation, and the courage to challenge both. As their paths move ever closer, Jane and Tyson both discover their own self-reliance and their ability to overcome obstacles that seemed insurmountable.

Paperback, 264 pages

Published November 15, 2022

 by Pajama Press

4/5 stars

This was such a fun read, kind of makes me wish something like this happened while I was in the seventh grade.

Jane MacDonald's best friend has moved to the other side of the country and she is lonely. But Sierra has left a hidden message in a library book that sends Jane on a journey.  A journey that includes a mystery new friend and the discovery of  many books she has never read before.

I was drawn to this book not just because of it bookish theme,  bookish cover, but also Colleen Nelson is a Canadian author that I have heard many great things about.

The Undercover Book List is a story of friendship, reading,  stepping out of one comfort zone and ultimately about being honest while under peer pressure. It was a fun read that will appeal to all readers, but beware you will be adding to your TBR with the many book recommendations. The chapters are not long and told from two perspectives really rounded out this story nicely.

This book was part of my 2025 Reading Off My Shelf Challenge and is #15

Inheritance by Nora Roberts

Inheritance is the first in The Lost Bride Trilogy by #1 New York Times bestselling author Nora Roberts―a tale of tragedies, loves found and lost, and a family haunted for generations.

1806: Astrid Poole sits in her bridal clothes, overwhelmed with happiness. But before her marriage can be consummated, she is murdered, and the circle of gold torn from her finger. Her last words are a promise to Collin never to leave him…

Graphic designer Sonya MacTavish is stunned to learn that her late father had a twin he never knew about―and that her newly discovered uncle, Collin Poole, has left her almost everything he owned, including a majestic Victorian house on the Maine coast, which the will stipulates she must live in it for at least three years. Her engagement recently broken, she sets off to find out why the boys were separated at birth―and why it was all kept secret until a genealogy website brought it to light.

Trey, the young lawyer who greets her at the sprawling clifftop manor, notes Sonya’s unease―and acknowledges that yes, the place is haunted…but just a little. Sure enough, Sonya finds objects moved and music playing out of nowhere. She sees a painting by her father inexplicably hanging in her deceased uncle’s office, and a portrait of a woman named Astrid, whom the lawyer refers to as “the first lost bride.” It’s becoming clear that Sonya has inherited far more than a house. She has inherited a centuries-old curse, and a puzzle to be solved if there is any hope of breaking it…

Audiobook, 14 hours, 27 minutes

Published November 21, 2023

 by Macmillan Audio

4/5 stars

This is my first time reading a Nora Roberts book, I guess the mood reader in me thought it was time.

I have to say I really enjoyed this book, I don't know why that should surprise me, but it does. Most of it was an audio read, but I did sit down and read a few chapters. Both methods I thoroughly enjoyed.

This was a fun ghost story with an old manor house, some history that goes back a couple centuries, and the story of seven brides who through connections to this manor or rather family lost their lives. Nothing that looks outright sinister, but the ghosts seem to differ on that opinion.

Basically, Sonya inherited a house from a relative that she did not know existed and part of the stipulation of the will is that she lives there for three years. Call it love at first sight. She connected to this house and accepted the invisible occupants. It was actually an addicting listen, it was spooky, mysterious, and with Yoda by her side, what can go wrong.

Yoda is her dog by the way, every good story needs a dog.

This is book 1 in The Lost Brides Trilogy, I’ll definitely be reading book 2, The Mirror and look forward to November when book 3 comes out.

My copy was obtained through my local library and the audio via Everand

A Sea of Unspoken Things by Adrienne Young

A woman investigates her brother's mysterious death while coming to terms with her own haunting past in this atmospheric novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Unmaking of June Farrow

The only thing James and Johnny Golden have ever had is each other. For as long as she can remember, James’s deep connection with her twin brother, Johnny, has gone beyond intuition—she can feel what he feels. So, when Johnny is killed in a tragic accident, James knows before her phone even rings that her brother is gone and that she’s alone—truly alone—for the first time in her life.

When James arrives in the rural town of Hawthorne, California to settle her brother’s affairs, she’s forced to rehash the ominous past she and Johnny shared and finally face Micah, the only person who knows about it. He’s also the only man she’s ever loved.

But James soon discovers that the strange connection she had with Johnny isn’t quite gone, and the more she immerses herself into his world, the more questions she has about the brother she thought she knew. Johnny was keeping secrets, and he’s not the only one. What she uncovers will push her to unravel what happened in the days before Johnny’s death, but in the end, she’ll have to decide which truths should come to light, and which should stay buried forever.

Hardcover, 288 pages

Published January 7, 2025

 by Delacorte Press

3.5/5 stars

This is my second Adrienne Young book, the previous being The Unmaking of June Farrow, which was a magical realism story. 

James returns home to go through your brother’s belongings after his sudden and tragic death. Johnny was killed in the bush while researching the lifestyle of a certain owl. James left many years ago after the tragic death of a friend that still brings up bitter memories of the past.

This was very slow paced story that I did a combo read and listen to the audiobook, it isn’t very long, but still managed to keep my attention with the multiple layers. It slowly unraveled the past to reveal what happened in the months previous to Johnny’s death. There were parts of the story that took me by surprise, not anticipating some things. It wasn’t the best mystery suspense story that I have read, but it was entertaining as it talks about the connection between twins, and even in your 30's this is a story of self discovery. 

I continue to read this author as I found she delivers with unique plots and likeable characters.

This book was part of my 2025 reading off my shelf challenge (#20) .

The Lost Whale by Hannah Gold

Rio has been sent to live with a grandmother he barely knows in California, while his mum is in hospital. 

All Rio wants is for Mum to get better so he can return home. But everything changes when he joins a whale-watching trip and meets White Beak, a gentle giant of the sea. 

Rio forms an instant bond with the whale, and for the first time in ages he feels a spark of hope. 

Then White Beak goes missing and Rio may be the only person who can help.

Can Rio draw on their special connection to somehow find and save his whale . . . ?

Perfect for readers of 8+, beautifully illustrated throughout by Levi Pinfold

Paperback, 336 pages 

Published February 2, 2023

 by HarperCollins

4.5/5 stars

When Rio is sent to live with his grandmother, whom he hasn’t seen for many years, the loneliness creeps in as he misses his mother back in England.

The Lost Whale is a story of family, mental health, the environment and friendship. After finding a box of his mother‘s treasures when she was a child, Rio is introduced to a whale that sent him  not just on an emotional journey, but a physical one as well. It is through the struggles that Rio grows closer to his new friend, his grandmother, and even his mother who is thousands of miles away. 

This was a well written story that will grab at the heart strings as this 12-year-old boy grows in ways he never imagined. It was an informative story to learn about the habits of whales along the western coast of Canada and the US along with the dangers they faced along the way.

This was my first time reading a Hannah Gold story. I'm excited to explore her back list and see what other adventures she takes readers on.

This book was part of my 2025 reading off my shelf challenge and is book #20, it was obtained through a book box by onceuponbookclub.

The Stolen Queen by Fiona Davis

From New York Times bestselling author Fiona Davis, an utterly addictive new novel that will transport you from New York City’s most glamorous party to the labyrinth streets of Cairo and back.

Egypt, 1936: When anthropology student Charlotte Cross is offered a coveted spot on an archaeological dig in Egypt’s Valley of the Kings, she leaps at the opportunity. But after an unbearable tragedy strikes, Charlotte knows her future will never be the same.

New York City, 1978: Eighteen-year-old Annie Jenkins is thrilled when she lands an opportunity to work for iconic former Vogue fashion editor Diana Vreeland, who’s in the midst of organizing the famous Met Gala, hosted at the museum and known across the city as the “party of the year.” Though Annie soon realizes she’ll have her work cut out for her, scrambling to meet Diana’s capricious demands and exacting standards.

Meanwhile, Charlotte, now leading a quiet life as the associate curator of the Met’s celebrated Department of Egyptian Art, wants little to do with the upcoming gala. She’s consumed with her research on Hathorkare—a rare female pharaoh dismissed by most other Egyptologists as unimportant.

That is, until the night of the gala. When one of the Egyptian art collection’s most valuable artifacts goes missing . . . and there are signs Hathorkare’s legendary curse might be reawakening.

As Annie and Charlotte team up to search for the missing antiquity, a desperate hunch leads the unlikely duo to one place Charlotte swore she’d never return: Egypt. But if they’re to have any hope of finding the artifact, Charlotte will need to confront the demons of her past—which may mean leading them both directly into danger.

Hardcover, 339 pages

Published January 7, 2025

 by Dutton

4/5 stars

It felt good to not only get back into historical Egypt and the Valley of the Kings, but also to read a Fiona Davis book. It has been a while and once I started reading, I felt the familiarity of why I enjoy her stories.

This dual time-period story alternates between Egypt 1936 and New York City 1978. I love both time periods, the historical one because I have a soft spot for Egypt having had the privilege of touring Giza once while on a cruise. In 1978 it was a refreshing change reading a time-period without the distraction of social media, cell phones, etc.

The Stolen Queen is a story of two women from vastly different backgrounds, but each connected to the Met, specifically the department of Egyptian art. I love the history lesson on Hathorkare, whom I knew nothing about. I enjoyed getting a glimpse at the agricultural digs and also the illegal activity of stolen artefacts and fakes.

The Stolen Queen is a story of women ahead of their time, it has an intricately woven mystery, there is deception, and lost treasures. Released earlier this year. I highly recommend this book to those that like historical fiction off the beaten track and strong women.

My copy was obtained through my local public library with the audio via my Spotify account.

The Impossible Thing by Belinda Bauer

From the exceptionally original mind of CWA Gold Dagger Award winner and Booker longlisted author Belinda Bauer comes this sweeping tale of obsession, greed, ambition, and a crime that has remained unsolved for a hundred years.

How do you find something that doesn’t exist?

1926. On the cliffs of Yorkshire, men are lowered on ropes to steal the eggs of the sea birds who nest there. The most beautiful are sold for large sums. A small girl—penniless and neglected by her family—retrieves one such treasure. Its discovery will forever alter the course of her life.

A century later. In a remote cottage in Wales, Patrick Fort finds his friend, Nick, and his mother tied up and robbed. The only thing missing: a carved case containing an incredible scarlet egg. Doggedly attempting to retrieve it, Patrick and Nick discover the cruel world of egg trafficking, and soon find themselves on the trail of a priceless collection of eggs lost to history. Until now.

A taut, wonderfully imagined novel brimming with skullduggery at every turn.

Kindle Edition, 336 pages

Audiobook, 8 hours, 16 minutes

Expected publication April 8, 2025

by Grove Atlantic & Dreamscape Media

4/5 stars

This is my second book by Belinda Bauer, Blacklands being my first.  This was a hybrid read, meaning I read the book while alternating with the audiobook - the reader did a read job bringing this story to life.

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I started, a book about eggs. It sounds not that interesting but I was intrigued. What I got was an entertaining and highly educational read about a subject I knew nothing about.

Beginning in 1926 as recently laid eggs are stolen from the nest of migrant birds. I did not realize how sought after these eggs are because of their colour and shell designs. An act that is illegal now and rather barbaric. A tiny hole is made to empty out the shell.

This is a dual time-period story that shows what length people will go to for these treasures.  A captivating story about greed, friendship and deceit.  It was mysterious, suspenseful and like I said educational.  And yes, I did Google it, what a fascinating subject. It gives homage to the learn something new every day saying.

My thanks to Grove Atlantic (for the kindle edition) and Dreamscape Media (for the audiobook) in exchange for a honest review.

The Ghost Woods by C.J. Cooke

In the midst of the woods stands a house called Lichen Hall.

This place is shrouded in folklore—old stories of ghosts, of witches, of a child who was not quite a child.

Now the woods are creeping closer, and something has been unleashed.

Pearl Gorham arrives in 1965, one of a string of young women sent to Lichen Hall to give birth. And she soon suspects the proprietors are hiding something.

Then she meets the mysterious mother and young boy who live in the grounds—and together they begin to unpick the secrets of this place.

As the truth comes to the surface and the darkness moves in, Pearl must rethink everything she knew—and risk what she holds most dear.

Kindle Edition, 408 pages

Published October 13, 2022

by Berkley

3/5 stars

This is my second time reading a CJ Cooke novel, The Lighthouse Witches was the first and quite enjoyable.

The Ghost Woods is a dual time period story, 1959 and then in 1965. The setting for both is the same place, a manor for unwed pregnant women, mostly in their teens. Yes it gave off YA vibes.

I was in the mood for a spooky ghost story and unfortunately, it felt flat for me. But please take that with a grain of salt so many raved about this book. I felt the two timelines were to similar, especially when the first started to catch up to the second and the characters overlapped . Though the chapter heading note a change in time period,  all of those chapters have chapters within them. If you stop reading in the middle of a section it took me a minute or so to figure out where and when I was. Which was jarring, losing some of the momentum.

This had a unique plot with a great setting, atmospheric with the gardens, woods and house along with a mystery and characters that I really struggled to connect with.  All in all and OK read.

My thanks to Berkley for a digital arc (via Netgalley) in exchange for a honest review.

Hello, Juliet by Samantha M. Bailey

In a dark thriller from USA Today bestselling author Samantha M. Bailey, a TV reunion brings costars back for the drama and betrayals their viewers once craved—and this time, the stakes are deadly.

Ivy Westcott fled LA as her acting career imploded. In a flash, she lost her first love and chosen family—her Hello, Juliet castmates. But she never discovered who turned her closest friends against her. Now the whole world knows her as #PoisonIvy.

A decade later, Ivy is horrified when a celebrity exposé thrusts the Hello, Juliet cast back into the limelight, dredging up the old scandals she hoped to escape. Desperate for a fresh start and some financial stability for her mother and manager, Ivy agrees to participate in a top-secret reunion episode.

Ivy’s poised for a comeback, but past betrayals become a present danger when she and the man who once broke her heart find their costar dead.

Determined to find justice and clear her name, Ivy must tear down the facades of cast and crew to uncover chilling secrets that have plagued the Hollywood set from day one. Or she could be the next to die.

Kindle Edition, 303 pages

Expected publication April 29, 2025

 by Thomas & Mercer

4/5 stars

Hello Juliet is Samantha Bailey’s 4th novel, she’s one author I have managed to stay current with.

Hello Juliet is told in dual time periods. Current day Ivy has discovered the body of a former friend and castmate. A decade earlier on Ivy was cast in the lead role in a teen drama that ended with her reputation ruined - social media handles that role.

Hello Juliet is a twisty story that goes into the life of a celebrity and how one wrong move can ruin a career. It's a story of friendship and what can divide them, secrets because everyone has them, and the search for new beginnings. A captivating slow burn mystery with nice short chapters, making it a perfect fit for just one more chapter (pun intended). Along with the right amount of tension amongst the many layers that revealed a satisfying ending. 

Coming in at 303 pages it didn’t take long to zip through this, but don't let the size fool you into thinking this is a cozy mystery because it isn't.

My thanks to Thomas & Mercer for a digital arc in exchange for a honest review