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Murder by Cheesecake: A Golden Girls Cozy Mystery by Rachel Elkstrom Courage 

US pub date - 4/15/25

4.5 stars, rated up

I watched the Golden GIrls when it first aired, despite being a child - I watched it with my grandmother, and on my own. I rewatched it when I was a mother of very young children and it was on the Hallmark channel. I love The Golden Girls, I have always loved it and now that I’m the same age as Rue McClanahan was when she first began filming as Blanche, I still love it. I will always love this show. 

The second I saw the cover of Murder by Cheesecake on NetGalley I requested it, and was absolutely thrilled to receive an early copy of it. Within the first chapter, I was transported back to sitting on the couch with my grandma. Ms Elkstrom Courage is obviously a big fan of the show, and she captured the vibe of the show, the characters and their dialogue so well. I laughed out loud and loved every page. 

Reading this made me happy 🙂, I read it one evening and I can’t wait to read more. I’m definitely looking forward to future titles of this brand new series. An absolute must read for fans of the show! 

Thank you to Hyperion Avenue and NetGalley for the DRC 

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Didn’t You Use to Be Queenie B? by Terri-Lynne DeFino

Pub date - 4/15/25

After loving Varina Pallidino’s Jersey Italian Love Story, I was thrilled to receive an invitation to read Didn’t You Use to Be Queenie B?

The richness and complexity of the characters is wonderful. Regina, Gale, and everyone come across as actual amazing and deeply flawed people De Fino has borrowed for the plot. The story is deep and layered and I loved it.

I don’t know if “enjoyed” is the right word because this story isn’t happy endings; it contains the ugly side of life intermingled with moments of beauty, but I couldn’t stop reading, so deeply invested in Gale and Regina as I was.

Recommended.

Thank you to William Morrow and NetGalley for the DRC

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Strangers in Time: A World War II Novel by David Baldacci 

Pub date - 4/15/25

When I read the synopsis for Strangers in Time it sounded so interesting that I took a chance and requested it, not having read the author before. Therefore, I went into this without any expectations and wasn’t at all disappointed.

I found the writing beautiful and immersive, the characters practically leapt off the page in their realism, and the friendships they formed all pulled me in right away, kept me fully invested, and kept me turning the pages. I didn’t want to put this down. 

Recommended! 

Thank you to Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for the DRC

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A Fellowship of Bakers and Magic (Adenashire, #1) by J. Penner

Pub date - 4/15/25

It’s early spring 2025, and outside life is full of strife, drama, and really horrible things. I practice daily gratitude, mindfulness, meditate, slow breathe, laugh, read, blast excellent music, exercise, talk to family and friends, go to concerts, tend to my sourdough starter, and have taken the first steps to starting an aerogarden, but I certainly have some intense moments of anxiety. I prefer to keep those moments as few and far between as possible, hence the schedule and my must reads of cozy fantasy/magical realism and historical romance.

*friendship

*found family

*romance

*consent

*baking, and baking competitions

Arleta was probably my least favorite character, honestly, Theo is the perfect gentleman and was fairly bland - the side characters are the ones to read for; Arleta’s adoptive dads are awesome.

I read this during early spring leisurely mornings, sipping chai tea and feeling grateful to be reading this - I enjoyed A Fellowship of Bakers and Magic and look forward to reading more of this series and the author.

A definite recommendation.

Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for the DRC

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No New Things: A Radically Simple 30-Day Guide to Saving Money, the Planet, and Your Sanity by Ashlee Piper 

Pub date - 4/15/25

I realllllly didn’t love the writing style but the book and its concept are great. 

This is a challenge I could see doing once every 18 months, as a strong reminder just to live (and spend) a bit more mindfully. Great message.  

A definite recommendation from me, even if you think you probably don’t need it.

Thank you to Celadon Books and NetGalley for the DRC

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A Lady’s Guide to London (The Lucky Ladies of London, #2) by Faye Delacour 

Pub date - 4/15/25

In the second title of the historical romance series, the plot is focused on Della, who co-owns a ladies only gaming hell with Jane (the MFC of the first book The Lady He Lost). 

Well written, with enjoyable characters, I enjoyed this - with some issues. 

*calling this an enemies to lovers story is stretching it 

*the end - I wanted more of a resolution 

All in all, this one didn’t work for me as well as the first title, but I will continue to read more of this series and more by the author.  

Thank you to Sourcebooks Casablanca and NetGalley for the DRC

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Room 100: Sid, Nancy, and the Night Punk Rock Died by Jesse P. Pollack 

Pub date - 4/15/25

3.5 stars,

Sid and Nancy were still a big part of the public lexicon when I was a teenager and obviously still are - a pair of star crossed lovers, fraught with poor parenting, mental illness, addiction, abuse, murder, and suicide. 

I read And I Don’t Want to Live this Life by Deborah Spungen in the early 90’s and DS’s and her take was so entirely blameless that it didn’t seem at all possible, if you know what I mean. After I became a parent, I revisited the biography and it struck me as two young adults, in over their heads with a colicky baby that when the pediatrician suggested a specific RX and it seemed to work, it probably seemed like a lifeline. As an adult, I view it as lazy - lazy on the doctor’s part, and on the parents’. But considering that doctors prescribed smoking cigarettes from the 1930’s to 1950’s, well, I guess we can’t really expect better. As a parent of an almost 20 year old, the life Nancy lived distresses me. 

When I saw this book on NetGalley, I was curious to see how the ultimate fates of Nancy and Sid would be addressed in a new book. While there isn’t anything brand new here, the author does a good job of bringing the story into the 21st century -  humanizing both, laying out all the known facts, theories, and presenting suspects. 

No matter how one looks at it, the stories of Sid and Nancy, individually and together, are tragedies. 

I found Room 100: Sid, Nancy, and the Night Punk Rock Died a worthwhile read and would recommend to fans, and those interested. 

Thank you to Backbeat and NetGalley for the DRC

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High Yield, Small Space Organic Gardening: Practical Tips for Growing Your Own Food by Christy Whilhelmi 

Pub date - 4/8/25

I was really impressed with this guide - I loved how each chapter went into such detail - bed types, soils, fertilizer, planning, cool season crops, warm season crops, composting, how to plant, seeds, vegetable and herb profiles including information on growing, harvesting, and common problems. Companion planting, plotting and charting. This has a bit of everything for gardeners. 

My one issue with this is there was a photo of quinoa and talking about grain growing - this was the sole time it was mentioned in the book - it wasn’t mentioned again and I don’t really understand how it ranked space in the book. 

Beyond my issue with this, I got a lot of this gardening guide and it’s one I recommend. 

Thank you to Creative Homeowner and NetGalley for the temporary PDF 

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The Griffin Sisters’ Greatest Hits by Jennifer Weiner 

US pub date - 4/8/25

Jennifer Weiner has been a favorite author of mine since I first read Good in Bed - I was a young single mother when I read that and related very much to the insecurities of Cannie. I’ve read her works since and they never fail to impress me and give me pieces that I can see myself in. 

JW’s characters are so richly written - the reality of them undeniable until you remember that you’re reading fiction (and despite that realism, I still found both Cassie and Cherry to be more elusive than I would have hoped for). 

I couldn’t stop reading The Griffin Sisters’ Greatest Hits; this was a book that I finished over two days, and it’s one that would have been a full five stars but for a few things - 

*I’m 51; I grew up in a time when fat kids and neurodivergent kids were treated terribly - I’m neurodivergent myself, and life and people have often seemed like a puzzle I just can’t quite get - but the constant “fat, fat, fat” in the story was over the top grueling and made me feel both uncomfortably bombarded as a reader and deeply sympathetic for the author - I hope she’s happier and more content than her writing has made me question at times 

*Cherry’s bio father 

*the ending was extremely abrupt and I was hoping for more resolution with family, with much - a lot was left unanswered and I was disappointed not to get those answers 

Despite my issues with this, I enjoyed it immensely and it’s a full recommendation from me. 

**also, Christine McVie and Lindsey Buckingham? Together?? 

Thank you to William Morrow and NetGalley for the DRC 

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Good Friends: Bonds That Change Us and the World by Priya Vulchi 

Pub date - 4/8/25

Expecting a book on actual friendship - the cultivating and care of, what I found was a book more on friends and identity. 

If you go into this looking for a book on friendship, you’ll likely be disappointed. However, what it is is an extremely interesting read and I would recommend for some (likely) new ways to think about friends. 

Thank you to Legacy Lit and NetGalley for the DRC

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Love, the Duke (Say I Do, #3) by Amelia Grey

Pub date - 4/1/25

I didn’t enjoy the first book of this series, but liked the second, so after being invited to read Love the Duke I was happy to give it a try.

At chapter 5, I was really disliking Hurst and as I read on I continued to dislike his character and grew to dislike Ophelia as well. With the consistent annoyances at the other, the connection between the two didn’t seem realistic to me. I had issues with Hurst’s controlling tendencies and was never able to connect with either character.

*enemies to lovers

*mystery

*banter

*closed door

*would work as a standalone

I would read more by the author, but this final installment in the Say I Do series didn’t work well for me; other readers may adore it.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Paperbacks and NetGalley for the DRC

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The Family Recipe: A Novel by Carolyn Huynh

Pub date - 4/1/25

I was fortunate enough to read an early copy of The Fortunes of Jaded Women and absolutely loved it. Therefore, I was thrilled to get an invitation to read Carolyn Huynh’s second novel.

The Family Recipe pulled me in immediately and each story kept my attention - I read this over a few days (which was a few days too many, I was so invested in this family’s story that I wished for this on audiobook so I could have listened to it while cleaning, free moments, and then getting ready for bed). A family’s life in this story, that you will read with all the emotions - this had me laughing, tearing up, laughing again, hunger (jfc the food descriptions 😍) and it kept my thoughts on it even during non-reading times.

This is only the author’s second novel; I, for one, am really looking forward to reading Huynh’s future works 📚🙂

Full recommendation from me.

”Which came first - the karaoke machine of Vietnamese fathers?

Duc had never known peace; he just accepted life for what it was - that it was difficult ad long, and in order to survive, one needed bad karaoke and snails.”

Many thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley for the DRC

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The Mysterious Bakery on Rue de Paris by Evie Woods

Pub date - 3/27/25

I loved The Lost Bookshop and The Story Collector so I went into this one really looking forward to more magical realism in historical fiction.

Unfortunately, the best part of the book (for me) was the food descriptions.

I look forward to reading Ms Woods’s future works but this one wasn’t a favorite.

Thank you to One More Chapter and NetGalley for the DRC

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Any Trope but You: A Novel by Victoria Lavine

Pub date - 4/1/25

Read if you like

*debut novels

*Alaska setting

*she’s a disgraced romance author

*he’s a doctor who’s helping his dad run their rental cabins

*grumpy and grumpier

*forced proximity

*slow burn

*laugh out loud funny

Are you ready for all the tropes? This debut novel is adorable - Forest and Margo are great MC’s. And this is so self aware and pure fun to read due to that awareness.

I didn’t love the ending (way too rushed) but I adored this debut. I will absolutely read Ms Lavine’s future works.

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for the DRC

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Your Pasta Sucks: A “Cookbook” by Matteo Lane; J.J. Goode, Antonis Achilleos (photographer) 

US pub date - 4/1/25

I’ll be honest, youtube isn’t something I watch on my own - my older teens and husband love it, andI appreciate it from that aspect in that people share their talent / creativity / knowledge and share that with viewers. Whether to learn something, to laugh, etc., but I watch it if someone in my family puts it on and I’m sitting by the television. That was my first introduction-ish to Matteo Lane.

When I first saw this cookbook cover and read the author’s name, I checked to make sure it was the same Matteo Lane and upon realizing it was, I decided to read an early copy with my family. As a New Jersey-shore Italian,  I was interested from a family and food standpoint, as a mom and wife, I was also interested because it was written by someone that they all very much like and appreciate. And having read this, I can now say that I like the author as well 🙂

The cookbook is very visually appealing - the layout, and the photos - gorgeous. The stories introducing chapters and recipes are laugh out loud funny - even if you’re not familiar or a fan. The recipes are enticing and the photos accompanying the recipes will likely easily be tempting enough to try your hand at a few or more (I’m not a great cook, my baking yields far better results, but none of the recipes seemed overly difficult, imho). You may also finish reading this book with a strong desire to visit and eat your way though Italy. 

Recommended for fans and (non-vegan) pasta lovers alike. 

Thank you to Chronicle Books and NetGalley for the PDF 

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The Duke and Lady Scandal (Princes of London, #1) by Christy Carlyle 

Pub date - 4/1/25

A romantic suspenseful mystery set in Victorian times? In my experience, this could be a hit, or just as easily be a miss…

Well, this was definitely a hit and I’m glad I had the opportunity to read an early copy of The Duke and Lady Scandal because this series starter was fun, Ben and Allie are perfect together, and this is full of swoony moments amid adventure 🙂

The mystery aspect wasn’t fully tied up but I’m hoping this will be revisited in future book. 

Aside from my issue, I really adored this one and I’m looking forward to future titles for this series!

Thank you to Avon and NetGalley for the DRC

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The Sirens: A Novel by Emilia Hart

Pub date - 4/1/25

After reading (and being really impressed with) Weyward, I was so happy to receive an invitation to read and early copy of Emilia Hart’s new novel. 

I started both reading and listening to an audiobook of The Sirens (the audiobook won out ) and Barrie Kreinik’s narration of this beautifully written novel is wonderful; she voiced each character uniquely, making them easy to differentiate and I found her performance really elevated the story. 

Listen (or read) this one for 

*well researched historical fiction

*strong female characters 

*sisters 

*secrets and mystery 

*magical realism 

*dual timeline 

Thank you to Macmillan Audio & St. Martin’s Press along with NetGalley for the ALC and DRC