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Knives out, everyone—cheese knives, that is. Pull up a patio chair and imagine Only Murders in the Building if the Golden Girls moved in.

Out in the back garden, three old friends are meeting up for drinks—and revenge. Chrissy (in lavender), Myrna (in earth tones), and Leonie (in hibiscus print) are plotting on behalf of their friend Fern, a fellow retired professor. Many years ago now, Fern inadvertently stepped on the toes of a critics’-darling male novelist, and he and his writer friends made it their mission to bring her down. Her career—and her health—suffered for it, and now she’s taken a turn for the worse. It’s time for some poetic justice.

Margaret Atwood, with her delightfully wicked sense of humor, reminds us that friendship is about showing up for each other—even when nothing goes as planned.

—Kjersti Egerdahl, Editor

(2033)

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Elle Marr’s storytelling is always chilling and evocative, but with The Alone Time, she explores a unique tragedy between two sisters that comes back to haunt them in ways they never imagined.

Decades ago, Fiona and Violet Seng took a plane ride that claimed the lives of their parents. Crash-landing in the Washington wilderness, the sisters spent months trying to survive. Twenty-five years later, they have no interest in reliving their alone time and are unwilling to speak about the harrowing experience. Fiona uses her art as a soothing balm for her pain, and Violet has battled with her own vices. But now a documentary film crew has renewed public interest in the girls who survived…and whether or not their version of events is true.

The Alone Time is a thriller that not only delivers twist after twist but also explores the bonds of family. As the sisters are forced to relive the secrets and psychological wounds of their pasts, I couldn’t look away. It was a thought-provoking story that stuck with me long after the last page.

—Megha Parekh, Editor

(533)

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For bookish people out there, what’s more romantic than falling in love in the stacks of an old college library?

Nisha Sharma, author of Dating Dr. Dil and The Karma Map, has written a romance about a decades-old mystery that brings two people from different worlds together. Jessie is a freshman at Hartceller University’s engineering program who has, like everyone else, heard about the campus legend about two star-crossed lovers who died in a fire in a university building years ago.

Jessie is on a scholarship, and she is especially annoyed ever since she ran into Ravi Kumar, the son of a very wealthy family. Feelings grow after Jessie and Ravi discover old love letters in the library, and they are sucked into a mystery that could lead them to uncover what really happened.

I was completely charmed by this sweet story that asks whether class and money can stand in the way of two people who have fallen in love.

—Carmen Johnson, Editor

(1914)

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I love to browse summer rental homes, inspecting the decor and personality of the house, with the hope of finding the perfect fit for my next family vacation. Katie Sise’s new novel warns us that there can be a dark side to inviting strangers inside.

In The Vacation Rental, Georgia decides to list her beautiful home so she, her husband, and her preteen daughter can escape to the beach for the month, giving them a chance to reconnect. Her house is booked quickly, but unbeknownst to Georgia, chaos and tragedy will soon ensue.

Katie’s characters are beautiful and complicated, and I loved the way their lives become dangerously intertwined. I was completely drawn into the story…but after reading the book, I may think twice before booking my next summer rental.

—Carmen Johnson, Editor

(952)

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“Opposites attract,” “enemies to lovers,” “forced proximity,” and “workplace romance” are only some of the delightful tropes you’ll find in this romp of a romantic comedy! Author R.S. Grey has crafted a truly hilarious story set in an idyllic location—a luxury vacation resort in Turks and Caicos. Think The Hating Game set in a tropical paradise. Yes, please. Sign me up.

The main characters’ opposing personalities—Paige Young is all sunshine, while Cole Clark is a grumpy Clark Kent—make the perfect fodder for hilarious misunderstandings and unrelenting banter. Of course, I know that humor is subjective, but if you: (a) like romance, (b) like to laugh, and (c) don’t mind a little spice with your love story, then I truly believe this book is the one for you.

However, if you’re anything like Cole Clark’s beige-loving, more-robot-than human, order-salad-at-a-steakhouse parents, then I think you might actually want to skip this one. Maybe try something with “finance” in the title. For the rest of us, Their Last Resort might just be our next vacation destination.

—Maria Gomez, Editor

(1930)

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My favorite type of historical novel is what I like to call “women in places they shouldn’t be”–stories of women doing something groundbreaking. Set in the glamorous and dangerous world of Prohibition-era Los Angeles, against a backdrop of golden-age Hollywood, hidden speakeasys, and ruthless gangsters, The Bootlegger’s Daughter is what would happen if L.A. Confidential met Peaky Blinders…and was told from the women’s side of the story.

In the 1920s, one of the few remaining vineyards is run by Letty Hart, who had to take over the family business after her father abandoned her and her mother. She’s trying to find a way to keep the farm alive and a roof over their heads. Annabel Forman is determined to become the first female detective in the LAPD but is passed over again and again. She knows she has to do something extraordinary to get what she’s already earned. As the bootlegger builds her empire and the pioneering officer builds her case, a murder sets the two on a collision course.

I was rooting for Letty and Annabel even as they made (sometimes less-than-legal) choices and applauding as they succeeded against all odds in worlds where women so rarely find themselves. Inspired in part by the true stories of real women bootleggers (many of whom were—unsurprisingly—better at the crime than the men) and the first female police officer in the US, this page-turning mystery explores the difficult decisions necessary to survive at all—let alone in a man’s world.

—Chantelle Aimée Osman, Editor

(1842)

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I’m a fan of layered and intriguing novels like The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz or The Talented Mr. Ripley, so I wasn’t surprised that I was so taken in by Madeleine Henry’s new novel.

The novel begins when Claire Ross, a famous novelist, goes missing on the morning of her wedding day. Private detective Nina Travers, a quirky, smart, loveable oddball who caters to elites in the Hamptons, earning their trust by blending in—like a harmless version of Tom Ripley—has been hired to find out what happened to Claire. But what we discover is that Nina has plenty of her own secrets…

I found myself gasping at several points in the story, all while loving Madeleine’s crisp and elegant writing.

—Carmen Johnson, Editor

(216)

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Beth Rodden was only twenty years old—not even old enough to order a beer—on a sponsored expedition to Kyrgyzstan when she and her fellow climbers were taken hostage. The unique terror that they experienced and harrowingly escaped from followed young Beth home. Beth went from a woman who specialized in taking measured risk to molding her entire life around control, protection, and the methodical achievement of curated greatness.

In A Light through the Cracks, Beth not only brings the reader thousands of feet above the valley floor, clinging to narrow cracks and imperceptible ridges on a rock face—she also brings that same focus and vulnerability to her personal story of coping with PTSD while outwardly living the life she’d always dreamed of.

But when that life wasn’t enough—when she finally let herself step off of the prescribed path, she found a life that was beautifully, dangerously imperfect. Beth Rodden’s story is electrifying, raw, and inspiring.

—Laura Van der Veer, Editor

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