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THE INFLUENCERS by Anna-Marie McLemore

April 18, 2025

From the publisher:

A social media influencer’s empire is burned to the ground—literally. The top suspects? The five daughters who made her famous.

What do you really know about the people you’ve made famous?

“Mother May I” Iverson has spent the past twenty-five years building a massively successful influencer empire with endearing videos featuring her five mixed-race daughters. But the girls are all grown up now, and the ramifications of having their entire childhoods commodified start to spill over into public view, especially in light of the pivotal question: Who killed May’s newlywed husband and then torched her mansion to cover it up?

April is a businesswoman feuding with her mother over intellectual property; twins June and July are influencers themselves, threatening to overtake May’s spotlight; January is a theater tech who steers clear of her mother and the limelight; and the youngest . . . well, March has somehow completely disappeared. As the days pass post-murder, everyone has an opinion—the sisters, May, a mysterious “friend of the family,” and the collective voice of the online audience watching the family’s every move—with suspicion flying every direction.

A campy and escapist exploration of race, gender, sexuality, and class, The Influencers is an evisceration of influencer culture and how alienating traditional expectations can be, ripe for the current moment when the first generation of children made famous by their parents are, now, all grown up—and looking for retribution.
https://amzn.to/4feobEH

Anna-Marie McLemore, an award-winning young adult author (Flawless Girls,) pens The Influencers, their stellar debut novel for adults. May Iverson has been a social media influencer since her five children were babies, and they all grew up on camera. This dysfunctional family lives a life of extreme wealth and privilege, but that doesn’t seem to be enough for May. Her children are of mixed race and decidedly mixed feelings about living their lives in public. All are grown, the youngest has disappeared, and May has remarried. Told through various points of view, including each of the family members and their followers, the story opens with May’s husband found dead and a fire raging through the enormous house. This is a gimlet-eyed look at how social media has infiltrated our culture and society, with the murder mystery as the fulcrum. Everyone is a suspect, everyone has a theory, and May’s life will never be the same again.

Verdict: A compelling read, rather like watching a train wreck. Recommend to fans of the Kardashians and books like Kevin Wilson’s The Family Fang.

©Library Journal, 2025

4/2025 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

THE INFLUENCERS by Anna-Marie McLemore. The Dial Press (April 15, 2025). ISBN: 978-0593729175. 448p.

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Spotlight Review: THE GRIFFIN SISTERS’ GREATEST HITS by Jennifer Weiner

April 15, 2025

From the publisher:

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Weiner comes The Griffin Sisters’ Greatest Hits, a deeply moving novel set against the glitz and chaos of early 2000s pop stardom. Equal parts heartfelt family saga and behind-the-scenes look at fame, this is a story about sisters, secrets, and the power of second chances.

Cassie and Zoe Grossberg were thrust into the spotlight as The Griffin Sisters, a pop duo that defined the aughts. Together, they skyrocketed to the top, gracing MTV, SNL, and the cover of Rolling Stone. Cassie, a musical genius who never felt at ease in her own skin, preferred to stay in the shadows. Zoe, full of confidence and craving fame, lived for the stage. But fame has a price, and after one turbulent year, the band abruptly broke up.

Now, two decades later, the sisters couldn’t be further apart. Zoe is a suburban mom warning her daughter Cherry to avoid the spotlight, while Cassie has disappeared from public life entirely. But when Cherry begins unearthing the truth behind their breathtaking rise and infamous breakup, long-buried secrets surface, forcing all three women to confront their choices, their desires, and their complicated bonds.

With richly developed characters, a nostalgic nod to the pop culture of the 2000s, and a resonant tale of ambition, forgiveness, and family, The Griffin Sisters’ Greatest Hits will captivate readers from the first note to the final encore. Whether you’ve followed Jennifer Weiner for years or are discovering her for the first time, this book is a must-read for music lovers, fans of sisterly dramas, and anyone who cherishes a great story of second chances.

“Weiner is at her best when she’s writing about sisters, and her latest (after The Breakaway, 2023) features a memorable pair. A story about the ways those closest to us can hurt us the most deeply, the destructive power of guilt, and the rough road to forgiveness. This is an irresistible, multigenerational tale from a master of her craft. A compelling family drama [that] fans will gobble up.” — Booklist (starred review)

“Irresistible. [Weiner] breathes new life into the love triangle trope and offers a nuanced view of sisterhood’s complexities. [Her] fans will be delighted.” — Publishers Weekly

“Weiner excels at capturing the complex relationships among sisters, mothers, and daughters, and the novel’s nonlinear structure and multiple viewpoints add both nuance and interest. An excellent addition to the current crop of Y2K pop culture–themed novels; this will satisfy Weiner’s many fans.” — Library Journal

“Weiner deftly explores the pop landscape of the early 2000s. Zoe and Cassie are both realistic and flawed characters, each with their own challenges. There’s a compelling and dramatic love triangle here, too, but the true love story is between two sisters and their music. A heartfelt look at sisterhood, forgiveness, and the courage it takes to follow your dreams.” — Kirkus Reviews

Pre-order now to receive the stunning DELUXE LIMITED EDITION—only available on the first printing while supplies last! This collector’s hardcover features unique stenciled edges, specially illustrated endpapers, and a shiny stamped case.

https://amzn.to/4i91h31

I love Jennifer Weiner! I would read her grocery list should she choose to share it. She has this way of drawing the reader into her stories, her worlds, and it’s just magical.

This is ostensibly a story about two sisters who join a band, reach the pinnacle of success, and have a falling out, each going their own way. But it is about so much more than that.

Cassie is a musical prodigy, born to a lower-middle-class family who just doesn’t know what to do with her. She has the voice of an angel and can play anything on the piano. But she’s also painfully shy, and understands that she is different from everyone else, especially her younger sister. Zoe is the pretty one, the “normal” child, but the sisters are close and Zoe makes sure Cassie is included and berates anyone who offends her.

As they get older, Zoe longs for attention and joins a band despite not having much in the way of musical talent. When the band kicks her out on the eve of a “battle of the bands” competition, she is incensed and wants to get even. She persuades Cassie to join her on stage, and with her piano skills and her unbearably beautiful voice, they win the competition. Someone in the audience that night has a relative in the music business, and the next thing you know, they are signed to a record label and are in the studio. The record label hooks them up with a songwriter/guitarist, Russell, and they form a new band. Russell and Cassie are a perfect match, creating beautiful songs together, but Zoe thinks he’s cute and seduces him. Russell is torn between the beautiful Zoe and the immensely talented Cassie, and they all make some bad decisions along the way.

The band breaks up, and Cassie takes off, leaving her family and her career behind. She goes into hiding in the wilds of Alaska, living the spartan life she feels she deserves. Zoe tries to make a solo career with her music, but eventually ends up married and living the suburban mom life. The two sisters don’t talk for twenty years or more. Zoe’s eldest daughter, Cherry, inherited some musical talent and wants to pursue it as a career, but Zoe is adamantly against it. Eventually, Cherry runs away to California and lands a spot on a musical competition reality show. She decides to try to find the aunt she’s never met and manipulate her into helping with her music career.

The story moves back and forth in time and alternates viewpoints between the characters, so we really get to know them and can’t help but root for them. The family dynamics between sisters, then mother and daughter, a love triangle, the music business, and dealing with fame all make for a truly compelling read, and I couldn’t put it down. If you love family sagas, pop culture, or Daisy Jones and the Six, you won’t want to miss this book. I loved it.

4/2025 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

THE GRIFFIN SISTERS’ GREATEST HITS by Jennifer Weiner. William Morrow (April 8, 2025). ISBN: 978-0063342446. 384p.

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Spotlight Review: THE LIFE CYCLE OF THE COMMON OCTOPUS by Emma Knight

March 4, 2025

From the publisher:

A witty, atmospheric, and brilliantly told novel that offers compelling portraits of womanhood, motherhood and female friendship, along with the irresistible intrigue surrounding an extraordinary British family

Arriving at the University of Edinburgh for her first term, Pen knows her divorced parents back in Canada are hiding something from her. She believes she’ll find the answer here in Scotland, where an old friend of her father’s—now a famous writer known as Lord Lennox—lives. When she is invited to spend the weekend at Lord Lennox’s centuries-old estate with his enveloping, fascinating family, Pen begins to unravel her parents’ secret, just as she’s falling in love for the first time . . .

As Pen experiences the sharp shock of adulthood, she comes to rely on herself for the first time in her life. A rich and rewarding novel of campus life, of sexual awakening, and ultimately, of the many ways women can become mothers in this world, The Life Cycle of the Common Octopus asks to what extent we need to look back in order to move forward.

READ WITH JENNA BOOK CLUB PICK AS FEATURED ON TODAY

“Knight’s gorgeously intimate, cleverly insightful wordsmithing will certainly impress and entertain.”—Booklist

https://amzn.to/42fXg8H

Two friends from Toronto, Pen and Alice, begin their first year at the University of Edinburgh. Over the course of the year, the novel explores their journey as they grow both together and apart, forming new friendships and navigating romantic relationships. Pen also delves into her family’s past by tracing one of her father’s old university friends in Scotland from the 1980s, seeking answers about her parents’ divorce and her unusual middle name.

This book is a nostalgic read, filled with themes of female friendship, empowerment, first love, and family secrets. Both Pen and Alice’s storylines showcase their development as young women in the early 2000s. The author tackles complex issues such as sexual misconduct through a student-professor affair, infidelity, single motherhood, and more, weaving these narratives into a rich tapestry of life and relationships.

Unfortunately, the book really dragged for me. I kept picking it up and putting it down, and that’s never a good sign. It was very slow, but because it was a book recommended by Jenna Bush and was published by Pamela Dorman, whose books I usually adore, I plodded on, but it wasn’t worth it.

Finally, the title kinda pissed me off – it made me think of the fabulous Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt, which I’m sure was a deliberate choice, and trust me, it had nothing in common with that book. The octopus doesn’t even show up until almost the end, and it is no Marcellus! The octopus is used as a metaphor over the course of a page or two, and that’s it. So, if you are looking for charm, look elsewhere.

Normally, I wouldn’t even have finished this book and I should have trusted my instincts. I really hate to pan a first novel, but with all the marketing and buzz this book has gotten, I’m going to live with it. I know some people love it, but I am not one of them.

1/2025 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

THE LIFE CYCLE OF THE COMMON OCTOPUS by Emma Knight. Pamela Dorman Books (January 7, 2025). ISBN: 978-0593830451. 384p.

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Spotlight Review: WHAT IT’S LIKE IN WORDS by Eliza Moss

December 3, 2024

From the publisher:

Eliza Moss’s intoxicating debut novel is a dark, intense, and compelling account of what happens when a young woman falls in love with the wrong kind of man.

Enola is approaching 30 and everything feels like a lot. The boxes aren’t ticked and she feels adrift in a way she thought she would have beaten by now. She wants to be a writer but can’t finish a first draft; she romanticizes her childhood but won’t speak to her mother; she has never been in a serious relationship but yearns to be one half of a couple that DIYs together at the weekends.

Enter: enigmatic writer. Enola falls in love and starts to dream about their perfect future: the wedding, the publishing deals, the house in Stoke Newington. But the reality is far from perfect. He’s distant. But she’s a Cool Girl, she doesn’t need to hear from him every day. He hangs out with his ex. But she’s a Cool Girl, she’s not insecure. Is she? He has dark moods. But he’s a creative, that’s part of his ‘process’. Her best friend begs her to end it, but Enola can’t. She’s a Cool Girl.

She might feel like she’s going crazy at times, but she wants him. She needs him. She would die without him…That’s what love is, isn’t it? Over the next twenty-four hours (and two years), everything that Enola thinks she knows is about to unravel, and she has to think again about how she sees love, family, and friendship and―most importantly―herself.

With notes of Fleabag & I May Destroy You but with the sparseness and emotional accuracy of writers like Ali Smith and Lily King, What It’s Like in Words is a close examination of what it means to experience the intense emotional uncertainty of first love.

“It’s an arresting portrait of manipulation.” ―Publishers Weekly

“Dynamic debut … A searing novel about why we love people who are bad for us.”―Kirkus
https://amzn.to/3Au1PAD

This debut novel is about a young woman so desperate for love that she falls into a dysfunctional relationship. Enola works as a barista by day with her best friend, Sarah, and is an aspiring writer by night. She is having difficulty with the actual writing process, and when she meets B at her writer’s group, there is an instant attraction. Enola becomes obsessed with him, but what she doesn’t realize is that B is a master manipulator. Enola lost her father when she was young, and her relationship with her mother is fragile at best. B’s constant cutting remarks cut deep and while Sarah tries to be supportive, she can’t help reminding Enola that she deserves more. Eventually, Enola manages to extricate herself and immediately falls for someone else. But B isn’t letting her go that easily, and it takes more courage than Enola thinks she has to move on.

Verdict: Obsessive love is at the heart of this compulsively readable debut novel, and should appeal to fans of Colleen Hoover.

©Library Journal, 2024

12/2024 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

WHAT IT’S LIKE IN WORDS by Eliza Moss. Henry Holt and Co. (December 3, 2024). ISBN: 978-1250355058. 320p.

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Spotlight Review: PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS by Sophie Brickman

August 6, 2024

From the publisher:

In the vein of Where’d You Go, Bernadette and Fleishman Is in Trouble, a wickedly funny and incisive debut novel following a mother trapped in the rat race of NYC parenting as her life unravels.

“Heavenly hilarity for readers.”—Good Housekeeping

It takes a village…just not this one.

Annie Lewin is at the end of her rope. She’s a mother of three young children, her workaholic husband is never around, and the vicious competition for spots in New York City’s kindergartens is heating up. A New York Times journalist-turned-parenting-advice-columnist for an internet start-up, Annie can’t help but judge the insanity of it all—even as she finds herself going to impossible lengths to secure the best spot for her own son.

As Annie comes to terms with the infinitesimal odds of success, her intensifying rivalry with hotshot lawyer Belinda Brenner—a deliciously hateful nemesis, what with her perfectly curated bento box lunches and effortless Instagram chic—pushes her to the brink. Of course, this newly raw and unhinged version of Annie is great for the advice column: the more she spins out, the more clicks and comments she gets.

But when she commits a ghastly social faux pas that goes viral, she’s forced to confront the question: is she really any better than the cutthroat parents she always judged?

A shimmering epistolary novel incorporating emails, group texts, advice columns, newspaper profiles, and more, Plays Well with Others is a whip-smart, genuinely funny romp through the minefield of modern motherhood. But beneath its fast-paced, satirical veneer, Brickman gives us a fresh, open-hearted, all-too-real take on what it means to be a parent—fierce love, craziness, and all.

“This biting commentary on the travails of modern parenthood is perfect for fans of Laurie Gelman and Laura Zigman, and for those who appreciate funny portraits of imperfect women.” — Booklist

“Heavenly hilarity for readers.”—Good Housekeeping
https://amzn.to/3SkMQPi

Brickman’s first novel after Baby, Unplugged: One Mother’s Search for Balance, Reason, and Sanity in the Digital Age, also centers on parenting and mental health, but in epistolary fiction full of the warmth, emotions, and humor necessary for any family to thrive.

Annie was an arts writer for the New York Times, but three kids in four years means taking a job writing a parenting column for a new internet startup. Her “editress” is obsessing about clicks, and Annie’s anxiety about her own parenting skills are sending her into occasional panic attacks. Living on the Upper East Side of Manhattan brings its own special kind of pressure, and now that her eldest is four, that means getting him into the right school for kindergarten, and life! Her nemesis is Belinda, a fierce divorce lawyer who regularly gets her digs in as their kids compete for entry into the top schools.

Annie’s husband is busy making money and figures he can start parenting in about a decade, leaving Annie to wonder if she’ll make it until then. Told through her parenting columns, text chains replete with emojis, school newsletters, and more, eventually, everything comes to a head and implodes into a glorious, satisfying ending.

Verdict: You don’t have to be a young mom to appreciate this hilarious look at family life in an elite city. Should appeal to readers who enjoy Taffy Brodesser-Akner, Lauri Gelman, or Laura Zigman.

©Library Journal, 2024

8/2024 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS by Sophie Brickman. William Morrow (August 6, 2024). ISBN: 978-0063371200. 320p.

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Spotlight Review: THE WEDDING PEOPLE by Alison Espach

July 30, 2024

From the publisher:

A propulsive and uncommonly wise novel about one unexpected wedding guest and the surprising people who help us start anew.

It’s a beautiful day in Newport, Rhode Island, when Phoebe Stone arrives at the grand Cornwall Inn wearing a green dress and gold heels, not a bag in sight, alone. She’s immediately mistaken by everyone in the lobby for one of the wedding people, but she’s actually the only guest at the Cornwall who isn’t here for the big event. Phoebe is here because she’s dreamt of coming for years―she hoped to shuck oysters and take sunset sails with her husband, only now she’s here without him. Meanwhile, the bride has accounted for every detail and every possible disaster the weekend might yield except for, well, Phoebe―which makes it that much more surprising when the women can’t stop confiding in each other.

In turns uproariously, absurdly funny and devastatingly tender, Alison Espach’s The Wedding People is a look at the winding paths we can take to places we never imagined―and the chance encounters it sometimes takes to reroute us.
https://amzn.to/48RZhry

Espach’s latest (after Notes on Your Sudden Disappearance,) brings Phoebe Stone to an exclusive small hotel in Newport, Rhode Island, where she quickly discovers everyone else is there for a six-day, million-dollar wedding extravaganza. Phoebe is there to kill herself. She has had several unsuccessful rounds of IVF, lost her husband to another woman, her cat has died, and she hates her job; her solution to all her problems is to give up on life, but in style at this dream vacation spot.

Phoebe has no qualms about telling the bride, Lila, why she is there, and Lila is as incensed as only a bride could be – a suicide during her wedding week is not on the agenda! Lila is a strong-willed young woman who recently lost her father; his dying wish was for her to get married, and he left her enough money to pay for the wedding of her dreams. Lila harangues Phoebe into joining the wedding festivities, and they spend quite a bit of time together. Sometimes, it is easier to confide in a relative stranger, and both women learn quite a bit about one another during the wedding week.

The witty dialogue is just a bonus in this engrossing read that centers on complex women making life-changing decisions. Recommend to readers who enjoy Sally Rooney, Curtis Sittenfeld, or Elizabeth Berg.

©Library Journal, 2024

7/2024 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

THE WEDDING PEOPLE by Alison Espach. Henry Holt and Co. (July 30, 2024). ISBN: 978-1250899576. 384p.

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Spotlight Review: HEY, ZOEY by Sarah Crossan

June 25, 2024

From the publisher:

Dolores O’Shea’s marriage collapses when she discovers her husband’s AI sex doll in the garage. When she moves “Zoey” into the house, they become oddly bonded, opening the door to a lifetime of repressed feelings and memories. “Brilliant, provocative, and darkly funny, Sarah Crossan’s Hey, Zoey explores the impossibility of connection, and the things we hide from ourselves and the people we love.” (Sarah Dunn)

43-year-old Dolores O’Shea is logical, organized, and prepared to handle whatever comes her way. She keeps up with her job and housework, takes care of her mentally declining mother, and remains close with her old friends and her younger sister who’s moved to New York. Though her marriage with David, an anesthesiologist, isn’t what is used to be, nothing can quite prepare her for Zoey, the $8,000 AI sex doll that David has secretly purchased and stuffed away in the garage. At first, Zoey sparks an uncharacteristically strong violence in Dolores, whose entire life is suddenly cast in doubt.

But then, Dolores and Zoey start to talk…and what surfaces runs deeper than Dolores could have ever expected, with consequences for all of the relationships in her life, especially her relationship to herself. Provocative, brilliant, and tender, Hey, Zoey is an electrifying new novel about the painful truths of modern-day connection and the complicated and unexpected forms that love can take in a lifetime.
https://amzn.to/40Ioy4r

Sarah Crossan (Here Is the Beehive) delivers a darkly comic, wholly original novel steeped in artificial intelligence, in this case, a sexbot named Zoey, who communicates using AI. David and Delores have been married for several years, but this is not a marriage of passion; their relationship seems more like two friends who are living together, but things come to a head when Delores finds the sexbot in their garage. David refuses to discuss it when she confronts him, and he moves out, leaving Zoey behind. More frustrated than heartbroken, Delores drags the doll into the house and sets up the app, making Zoey her new roommate and confidante. Delores’s mother is suffering from dementia, and she misses her sister, who has moved across the pond to New York City. As we learn more about Delores and all her relationships, it is easy to understand her fascination with Zoey; Zoey is a good listener and can hold her own in a conversation. What once seemed like science fiction is now reality.

Verdict: In light of the proliferation of AI into all aspects of life, this is a timely read, sure to appeal to book groups who enjoy Gary Shteyngart, Ottessa Moshfegh, or Dave Eggers.

©Library Journal, 2024

6/2024 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

HEY, ZOEY by Sarah Crossan. Little, Brown and Company (June 25, 2024). ISBN: 978-0316428606. 304p.

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Spotlight Review: WE WERE THE UNIVERSE by Kimberly King Parsons

May 14, 2024

From the publisher:

A young mother, in denial after the death of her sister, navigates the dizzying landscapes of desire, guilt, and grief in this darkly comic, highly anticipated debut novel from Kimberly King Parsons, author of the story collection, Black Light (long-listed for the National Book Award).

The trip was supposed to be fun. When Kit’s best friend gets dumped by his boyfriend, he begs her to ditch her family responsibilities for an idyllic weekend in the Montana mountains. They’ll soak in hot springs, then sneak a vape into a dive bar and drink too much, like old times. Instead, their getaway only reminds Kit of everything she’s lost lately: her wildness, her independence, and—most heartbreaking of all—her sister, Julie, who died a few years ago.

When she returns home to the Dallas suburbs, Kit tries to settle in to her routine—long afternoons spent caring for her irrepressible daughter, going on therapist-advised dates with her concerned husband, and reluctantly taking her mother’s phone calls. But in the secret recesses of Kit’s mind, she’s reminiscing about the band she used to be in—and how they’d go out to the desert after shows and drop acid. She’s imagining an impossible threesome with her kid’s pretty gymnastics teacher and the cool playground mom. Keyed into everything that might distract from her surfacing pain, Kit spirals. As her already thin boundaries between reality and fantasy blur, she begins to wonder: Is Julie really gone?

Neon bright in its insight, both devastating and laugh-out-loud funny, We Were the Universe is an ambitious, inventive novel from a revelatory new voice in American fiction—a fearless exploration of sisterhood, motherhood, friendship, marriage, psychedelics, and the many strange, transcendent shapes love can take.
https://amzn.to/48RZhry

Kimberly King Parsons’s Black Light: Stories was longlisted for the National Book Award, so there were high expectations for her debut novel, a story about sex, psychedelics, parenting, and grief told through a long look into the mind of the narrator, Kitty, a young mother living in a Texas suburb. Kitty’s younger sister died a few years earlier, and she is still trying to come to terms with that. Her mother has always had hoarder tendencies, but since she lost her daughter, those tendencies have risen to the extreme. Her daughter is a precocious four-year-old who is still breastfeeding and sleeping in the family bed, and her husband is a good guy who is just worried about his wife. All of this is told from Kitty’s point of view in a meandering, unfiltered way, but because of that, we don’t really get to know any of the other characters. It is a bit of a slog to get through, with occasional insights and humor amid the pathos.

Verdict: Stream of consciousness is a literary device that will not appeal to all readers, so buy for demand only. Steer toward readers who loved Melissa Broder’s Death Valley, Jonathan Safran Foer’s Everything is Illuminated, or The Bird Hotel by Joyce Maynard.

5/2024 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

WE WERE THE UNIVERSE by Kimberly King Parsons. Knopf (May 14, 2024). ISBN: 978-0525521853. 288p.

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Spotlight Review: THE HUSBANDS by Holly Gramazio

May 7, 2024

From the publisher:

The Husbands delights in asking: how do we navigate life, love, and choice in a world of never-ending options?

When Lauren returns home to her flat in London late one night, she is greeted at the door by her husband, Michael. There’s only one problem—she’s not married. She’s never seen this man before in her life. But according to her friends, her much-improved decor, and the photos on her phone, they’ve been together for years.

As Lauren tries to puzzle out how she could be married to someone she can’t remember meeting, Michael goes to the attic to change a lightbulb and abruptly disappears. In his place, a new man emerges, and a new, slightly altered life re-forms around her. Realizing that her attic is creating an infinite supply of husbands, Lauren confronts the question: If swapping lives is as easy as changing a lightbulb, how do you know you’ve taken the right path? When do you stop trying to do better and start actually living?

INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • READ WITH JENNA’S APRIL BOOK CLUB PICK • NAMED A MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK OF THE YEAR FROM THE WASHINGTON POST AND THE STAR TRIBUNE

“Delightfully addictive. . . a bottomless champagne flute of a novel” —The Washington Post

“A charming speculative novel about a woman’s difficulty settling on a mate. . . there’s plenty of intelligence and candor in the author’s creative spin on the conundrum of commitment.” —Publishers Weekly

“The plot allows the author to explore current attitudes and approaches to dating and mating from a fresh perspective… A fun take on a big question.” —Kirkus
https://amzn.to/44s8rdu

Cue the Twilight Zone music…

Lauren meets her husband Michael for the first time when she gets home late one night. He’s there, in her apartment. Except she’s not married. Never been married. And not surprisingly, she freaks out a bit.

Luckily, we all have records of our lives that we hold in our hands – our phones. Sure enough, there are lots of pictures with Michael and their wedding and their friends. Her apartment looks better, too. But still, Lauren just doesn’t know what to think about this. Or how to get out of it.

Then she figures out that there is something going on in her attic. When Michael goes up to the attic, a different husband comes down. She tries it again and again and again – one husband goes up, and a new husband comes down. And different aspects of her life also change. She’s usually in the same apartment, but the decor and level of tidiness changes from husband to husband. Once she marries rich and finds out her apartment is now an Airbnb and she lives in an enormous mansion in the English countryside. Her jobs also change – she works for the town council, but sometimes she has other occupations. Once she’s been promoted at her original job. Sometimes there’s more money and sometimes there’s less. Some husbands are better looking, some are kinder or more interesting. She keeps some for only a minute or two, some for a day or two, and a few make it for a few weeks here and there.

Lauren experiences a couple of hundred husbands before the realization hits that she needs to end this endless parade somehow. The ending was unexpected yet not, but this book is really about the journey. It was an interesting read but not really a quick read for me. It took me a few days to get through it, but interestingly, I found myself telling my husband and daughter about it every night at dinner. I don’t usually talk about the books I’m reading unless I either think one or both of them would find it interesting or I just need to bounce my thoughts off someone. They were interested enough to ask questions and engage in conversation, even though neither had read it. This is a book that begs discussion for a lot of reasons, so if your book group is in need of something different, something hopeful instead of depressing (as I find most discussion books,) this is a great option. This compelling read had the most unusual premise and was completely thought provoking, and it topped the Library Reads April book list. Highly recommend!

5/2024 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

THE HUSBANDS by Holly Gramazio. Doubleday (April 2, 2024). ISBN: 978-0385550611. 352p.

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Spotlight Review: EFFIE OLSEN’S SUMMER SPECIAL by Rochelle Bilow

April 30, 2024

From the publisher:

These childhood best friends swore they’d never speak again. But a surprise summer reunion changes everything when it gives them the chance to turn up the heat.

Effie Olsen thought she’d never live on the tiny Maine island where she grew up, but she’s returning from sixteen years as a professional chef in far-flung countries for one summer and one summer only. Her hometown boasts one of the best restaurants in the US, and lucky for her, Brown Butter needs a sous chef. Effie’s eager for a chance at redemption after her last job went up in flames, but reluctant to set down roots in a place that reminds her of the ghosts of her past.

Until, that is, she runs into Ernie Callahan, her onetime best friend who now works in the very same restaurant. Early morning swims and late-night games of truth or dare with Ernie remind her of what she’s been missing while traveling the world. He knows her better than anyone, and it doesn’t hurt that his smile lights her up brighter than the lighthouses dotting the craggy coastline.

But their restaurant has a secret that’s bursting at the seams, and if Effie doesn’t keep it, her job will vanish into the foggy Maine air. As summer draws to a close, her dream job and the perfect guy are both within reach. Her salty seaside hometown might be the key to Effie’s sweet ending…if she can learn to let her heart lead the way in time.

“A much less intense version of The Bear, but with all the same familial bonds and restaurant drama. Bilow, a classically trained chef and food writer, serves up a full dish of romance, humor, and meaty plot, with a perfect portion of sexiness on the side.”—Library Journal (starred review)

“Bilow’s sweet and summery sophomore outing delivers a tender second-chance romance…Bilow slowly turns up the heat on the central romance as the protagonists try and fail to stifle their feelings. Readers will have no trouble seeing that these two belong together.”—Publisher’s Weekly
https://amzn.to/3UrJj1U

The Brown Butter restaurant on a tiny island off the Maine Coast has earned one Michelin star. It’s a completely local, farm to table type restaurant, with all the ingredients sourced from the island and Maine itself. Or is it?

Effie left the tiny island as soon as she graduated high school, then went to culinary school and traveled the world, working in a variety of restaurants. She finally landed her dream job as head chef at a fine dining restaurant in San Francisco, but she is completely overwhelmed by all her new responsibilities. Six months in, she gets fired. Completely broke, her father buys her a ticket home, and she moves back into her childhood bedroom. She gets a lucky break when the Brown Butter is in need of a sous chef. She applies and gets the job. After the interview, she goes drinking with Jarrod, the head chef who hired her, and wakes up the next morning half-naked with no memory of the previous night. Jarrod reassures her that nothing happened. Wandering his apartment above the restaurant, she is surprised to see he has a deep freezer. When she opens it, it is full of monkfish. That was my first inkling that trouble was afoot.

Turns out that Jarrod is a nightmare of a boss. He is rude, condescending, and misogynistic, and those are his better qualities. Screaming at the staff is his favorite pastime, or maybe it’s hitting on the wait staff. Effie had only planned to stay for the summer and get back on her feet, so she tries not to get involved. But she can’t help herself. She then gains more insight into what is really happening in the restaurant when Jarrod shows off some Italian truffles. When she questions how they are going to serve a product from Italy in their 100% locally sourced restaurant, he bites her head off and she backs down. That is just the beginning of that issue, however.

One of her co-workers is Ernie, whom she grew up with. They were best friends for most of her life, but as high school graduation approaches, Ernie tells Effie that he loves her, and she freaks out. The friendship is ruined, and they don’t speak for the next sixteen years until Effie moves back. To her surprise, Ernie is as kind to her as he ever was, and he’s grown up to be a really good-looking man. Her attraction surprises her, but as they learn to be friends again, she keeps that in check. They decide to spend their Mondays off together, revisiting many of the places they loved in their youth. Things start getting a bit flirtatious, but Ernie knows she is leaving at the end of the summer. It took him years to get over her when she left the first time, and he has no desire to revisit that kind of pain again.

This is a second chance, small-town, friends-to-lovers romance, and the restaurant setting was just a bonus for me. Apparently, the author is a trained chef and food writer, so the kitchen stuff really rings true. Fans of the TV series, The Bear, will love that aspect; I know I did. This was a compelling romance with great characters I couldn’t help but root for. I missed this author’s first couple of books, but I will be hunting them down. Don’t miss this one!

4/2024 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

EFFIE OLSEN’S SUMMER SPECIAL by Rochelle Bilow. Berkley (April 30, 2024). ISBN: 978-0593547908. 384p.

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