The Younger Wife by Sally Hepworth

A special thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. 

Stephen Aston is getting married to Heather. Not only is she the same age as one of his daughters, but he is still married to his first wife, who is living in a care facility with dementia. But he'll take care of that easily by divorcing her.  

Tully and Rachel Aston look upon Heather as nothing but an interloper. She's the same age as Rachel, and even younger than Tully—clearly she's a golddigger and after their father's money. But Heather has secrets that she's keeping close, and her own reasons for wanting to marry Stephen. 

With their mother unable to speak for herself, Tully and Rachel are determined to get to the truth about their family's secrets, the new wife, and who their father really is. But will this unleash the most dangerous impulses...in all of them?

The Younger Wife is completely binge-worthy. With its dynamic plot, this twisty domestic thriller explores one family's secrets, lies, and compulsions. 

Told from multiple points of view—Tully's, Rachel's, Heather's, and another important character (no spoilers)—The Younger Wife is perfectly paced and expertly plotted. Hepworth employs her opening hook as the scene that unfolds at various points in the story. Her writing is enthralling and addictive and her characters are layered and complex. 

With an ending that will completely blindside the reader, this is Sally Hepworth at her best. And do yourself a favour and be sure to read the Author's Note.

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SALLY HEPWORTH  is the author of seven books, most notably The Mother-in-Law and The Good Sister. She has been featured in media outlets that have included USA Today, The New York Times, and The Sydney Morning Herald.

Hepworth lives in Australia with her family.

Reckless Girls by Rachel Hawkins

A special thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

When Lux McAllister and her boyfriend, Nico, are hired to sail two women to a remote island in the South Pacific, it seems like the perfect opportunity. Stuck in a dead-end job in Hawaii, and longing to travel the world after a family tragedy, Lux is eager to climb on board The Susannah and set sail for an adventure. She’s also quick to bond with their passengers, college best friends Brittany and Amma. The two women say they want to travel off the beaten path, but like Lux, they may have other reasons to be seeking an escape.

Shimmering on the horizon after days at sea, Meroe Island is every bit the paradise the foursome anticipate, despite its mysterious history of shipwrecks, cannibalism, and even rumours of murder. But what they don’t expect is to discover another boat already anchored off Meroe’s sandy beaches. The owners of the Azure Sky, Jake and Eliza, are a true golden couple: gorgeous, laidback, and if their sleek catamaran and well-stocked bar are any indication, rich. Now a party of six, the new friends settle in to experience life on an exotic island, and the serenity of being completely off the grid. Lux hasn’t felt like she truly belonged anywhere in years, yet here on Meroe, with these fellow free spirits, she finally has a sense of peace.

But with the arrival of a skeevy stranger sailing alone in pursuit of a darker kind of good time, the balance of the group is disrupted. Soon, cracks begin to emerge: it seems that Brittany and Amma haven’t been completely honest with Lux about their pasts––and perhaps not even with each other. And though Jake and Eliza seem like the perfect pair, the rocky history of their relationship begins to resurface, and their reasons for sailing to Meroe might not be as innocent as they first appeared.

When it becomes clear that the group is even more cut off from civilization than they initially thought, it starts to feel like the island itself is closing in on them. And when one person goes missing, and another turns up dead, Lux begins to wonder if any of them are going to make it off the island alive. 

Reckless Girls is a wicked gothic suspense novel set on an isolated Pacific island with a dark history. 

Primarily told from Lux's perspective, there are flashbacks with different narrators to flesh out the characters and their backstories. Hawkins also employs the use of letters, emails, and old diaries to give context to the island and its history. 

The strengths of the story lie in the compelling narration and atmospheric setting. Meroe's remote location is the perfect choice of setting—its isolation adds another layer of tension.

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RACHEL HAWKINS is the New York Times bestselling author of multiple books for young readers, and her work has been translated in over a dozen countries. She studied gender and sexuality in Victorian literature at Auburn University and The Wife Upstairs was her first adult novel.

Hawkins currently lives in Alabama. 

The Party Crasher by Sophie Kinsella

A special thank you to NetGalley and Random House/The Dial Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. 

It’s been over two years since Effie’s beloved parents got divorced, destroying the image of the happy, loving childhood she thought she had. Since then, she’s become estranged from her father and embarked on a feud with his hot (and much younger) girlfriend, Krista. And now, more earth-shattering news: Greenoaks, the rambling Victorian country house Effie called home her whole life, has been sold.

When Krista decides to throw a grand “house cooling” party, Effie is originally left off the guest list—and then receives a last-minute “anti-invitation” (maybe it’s because she called Krista a gold-digger, but Krista totally deserved it, and it was mostly a joke anyway). Effie declines, but then remembers a beloved childhood treasure is still hidden in the house. Her only chance to retrieve it is to break into Greenoaks while everyone is busy celebrating. As Effie sneaks around the house, hiding under tables and peeping through trapdoors, she realizes the secrets Greenoaks holds aren’t just in the dusty passageways and hidden attics she grew up exploring. Watching how her sister, brother, and dad behave when they think no one is looking, Effie overhears conversations, makes discoveries, and begins to see her family in a new light. Then she runs into Joe—the love of her life, who long ago broke her heart, and who’s still as handsome and funny as ever—and even more truths emerge.

 But will Effie act on these revelations? Will she stay hidden or step out into the party and take her place with her family? And truthfully, what did she really come back to Greenoaks for? Over the course of one blowout party, Effie realizes that she must be honest with herself and confront her past before she’ll ever be able to face her future.

With its light and fun premise, The Party Crasher strikes the right balance between being serious and using humour. Crashing a family party and being privy to what people are saying about you is the perfect premise for a rom-com. 

Once again, Kinsella's supporting cast is just as strong as her main characters. Effie is a bit clueless at times, but she is far from frustrating—she is endearing and enchanting. Although Effie overhears some hard truths and shocking secrets, she ultimately learns the most about herself. 

If you are looking for an adorable rom-com, look no further. The Party Crasher is a humorous and heartwarming novel about family, set against the backdrop of the most fabulous party you’ve ever snuck into. Thank you, Sophie, for another gem!

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SOPHIE KINSELLA is the author of the bestselling Shopaholic series as well as the standalone novels Can You Keep a Secret?, The Undomestic Goddess, Remember Me?, Twenties Girl, I’ve Got Your Number, Wedding Night, My Not So Perfect Life, Surprise Me, I Owe You One and Love Your Life.

She lives between London and the country.

The View Was Exhausting by Mikaella Clements and Onjuli Datta

A special thank you to Grand Central Publishing for a finished copy in exchange for an honest review.

 Faking a love story is a whole lot easier than being in love...

The world can see that international A-list actress Whitman "Win" Tagore and jet-setting playboy Leo Milanowski are made for each other. Their PDA and their fights break the internet. From red carpet appearances to Met Gala mishaps, their on-again, off-again romance has titillated the public and the press for almost a decade. But it's all a lie.

As a woman of color, Win knows the Hollywood deck is stacked against her, so she's perfected the art of controlling her public persona. Whenever she nears scandal, she calls in Leo, with his endearingly reckless attitude, for a staged date. Each public display of affection shifts the headlines back in Win's favor, and Leo uses the good press to draw attention away from his dysfunctional family. 

Pretending to be in a passionate romance is one thing, but Win knows that a real relationship would lead to nothing but trouble. So instead they settle for friendship, with a side of sky-rocketing chemistry. Except this time, on the French Riviera, something is off. A shocking secret in Leo's past sets Win's personal and professional lives on a catastrophic collision course. Behind the scenes, the world's favourite celebrity couple is at each other's throats. Now they must finally confront both the many truths and lies of their relationship. And Win is forced to consider what is more important: a rising career, or a risky shot at real love?

Clements and Datta leverage celebrity culture in this familiar trope of a faux romance. 

With an ear for dialogue that is the perfect balance of banter and flirting, the writing is both believable and beautiful. What elevates the narrative is that the tension between the characters when Leo urges Win to speak out against the issues she faces as a non-white actress. Although the author team tackle some weightier issues—racism and sexism—this slow-burn romance is swoon-worthy.  

The View Was Exhausting is a charming and modern love story that is a comment on the realities that women of colour face in a world run by men. But don't let the gorgeous exotic locales fool you, this is not a breezy beach reach, this is a story with substance.  

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MIKAELLA CLEMENTS has been featured in the New York Times, the Guardian, Hazlitt, Catapult, and more. In 2019, she was shortlisted for the Galley Beggar Press Prize and in 2018, the Bridport Short Story Prize.

Originally from Australia, she lives with her wife, Onjuli Datta, in Berlin.

ONJULI DATTA has been published in The Billfold and Daddy Magazine. 

Originally from England, she lives with her wife, Mikaella Clements, in Berlin.

The Golden Couple by Greer Hendricks & Sarah Pekkanen

A special thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. 

If Avery Chambers can’t fix you in 10 sessions, she won’t take you on as a client. Her successes are phenomenal—she helps people overcome everything from domineering parents to assault—and almost absorb the emptiness she sometimes feels since her husband’s death.

Marissa and Mathew Bishop seem like the golden couple, that is until Marissa cheats. She wants to repair the relationship not only for the sake of their 8-year-old son, but because loves her husband. After a friend forwards an article about Avery, Marissa takes a chance on this maverick therapist, who lost her license due to controversial methods.

When the Bishops glide through Avery’s door and Marissa reveals her infidelity, all three are set on a collision course. Because the biggest secrets in the room are still hidden, and it’s no longer simply a marriage that’s in danger.

From the powerhouse duo behind An Anonymous Girl, The Wife Between Us and You Are Not Alone, Pekkanen and Hendricks are back with another blockbuster. The narrative is incredibly solid. Pekkanen is a seasoned author and by extension, Hendricks' previous editing experience also makes her a great writer. 

Told from Avery and Marissa's points of view, The Golden Couple is layered and complex. Their characters are well-developed, the plot is perfectly paced, and it's completely binge worthy. The only misstep is the subplot—it isn't nearly as compelling and detracts from the original story—there should have been more attention given to the backstory of a young Marissa and Matthew. That being said, there were no loose ends and everything aligned. This team is thorough. 

With the theme of trust propelling the narrative, The Golden Couple is gripping and perfectly executed.

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GREER HENDRICKS spent two decades as an editor at Simon & Schuster. Her writing has been published in The New York Times, Allure, and Publishers Weekly.

SARAH PEKKANEN is the internationally and USA Today bestselling author of eight previous novels. A former investigative journalist and feature writer, her work has been published in The Washington Post, USA Today, and many others.

Together, they have written the New York Times bestselling novels You Are Not Alone, The Wife Between Us and An Anonymous Girl.

Fight Night by Miriam Toews

A special thank you to NetGalley and Bloomsbury Publishing for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.  

Fight Night is told in the unforgettable voice of Swiv, a nine-year-old living in Toronto with her pregnant mother, who is raising Swiv while caring for her own elderly, frail, yet extraordinarily lively mother. When Swiv is expelled from school, her Grandma takes on the role of teacher and gives her the task of writing to Swiv's absent father about life in the household during the last trimester of the pregnancy. In turn, Swiv gives Grandma an assignment: to write a letter to "Gord," her unborn grandchild (and Swiv's soon-to-be brother or sister). "You’re a small thing," Grandma writes to Gord, "and you must learn to fight."

As Swiv records her thoughts and observations, Fight Night unspools the pain, love, laughter, and above all, will to live a good life across three generations of women in a close-knit family. But it is Swiv’s exasperating, wise and irrepressible Grandma who is at the heart of this novel: someone who knows intimately what it costs to survive in this world, yet has found a way—painfully, joyously, ferociously—to love and fight to the end, on her own terms.

Although comedic, Fight Night is a touching story that shows the brilliance and versatility of Toews. Her ambitious choice in a nine-year-old narrator in epistolary form is no easy feet yet she effortlessly pulls it off. With central themes of love and survival, this novel is the perfect example of why Toews is such a beloved author.

Readers will be consumed by Fight Night; a smart, witty tribute to love that's both tender and sad. A complete knockout. 

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MIRIAM TOEWS is the bestselling author of Women Talking, All My Puny Sorrows, Irma Voth, The Flying Troutmans, A Complicated Kindness (Canada Reads 2006, Canada Reads Canadian Bestseller of the Decade 2010), A Boy of Good Breeding, Summer of My Amazing Luck, and one work of non-fiction, Swing Low: A Life. 

She is a winner of the Governor General’s Award for Fiction, the Libris Award for Fiction Book of the Year, the Rogers Writers’ Trust Fiction Prize, and the Writers Trust Marian Engel/Timothy Findley Award.

Toews lives in Toronto.