Book Review:: All You Took From Me | Lisa Kenway

You’ve got to love an unreliable narrator, and who could be more unreliable than an amnesia patient?

All You Took From Me by Lisa Kenway Book Cover

My favorite thing about All You Took From Me, was how meticulously it unfolded. We are in the story with Clare, who has awoken from a coma with no memory of what happened to get her there.

We go through it all along with her, within her psychology. Something catastrophic has happened in her life, and while she scrambles to resume what little normalcy she may, the lack of memories surrounding the accident haunt her. Things she thought she knew may not have been so true after all, and she is willing to risk more and more in order to find out the truth—no matter what.

This book gripped me from the very first pages and I was locked in through the entire thing. Twists, turns, suspicions, and rash actions…all of it. And what a ride it was! If you’re a fan of books like Beautiful Ugly by Alice Feeney and Caller Unknown by Gillian McAllister, you’re going to love this one!

Note:: I received an early copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Details

Title:: All you Took From Me
Author:: Lisa Kenway
Genre:: Psychological Thriller
Publisher:: Transit Lounge
Length:: 330 pages
Published:: August 1st, 2024
The Litertarian Rating:: 4-Stars

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Where He Left Me | Nicole Baart
Something in the Water | Catherine Steadman
Listen for the Lie | Amy Tintera

Book Review:: Won’t Back Down | Harper Jackson

Some books you read for the escape of it all. Something you can sink into, be transported, and find a satisfying plot with just enough tension (sexual, and otherwise), to keep you captivated and turning pages because you care about what happens next. If that’s you, I have to say, Won’t Back Down by Harper Jackson might be one of the best options out there. It’s romantic without being cheesy, suspenseful without being scary, and wholesome enough to keep it endearing. And man…it’s just a good daggum story!

Won't Back Down by Harper Jackson Book Cover

After losing her grandparents in quick succession, the only family she’s able to rely on anymore besides her brother, currently deployed in the Navy, Willa’s steady, reliable world is changing. Maybe once upon a time that wouldn’t have been a big deal, but now, she has enough psychological damage to deal with.

When she was a teenager, she drowned. Actually, fully drowned. But she was saved by her brother’s best friend, Sawyer. She has a lot of lost memories from around that time, and intense trauma from the years afterwards. She avoids thinking about any of that stuff at all. But now Sawyer is back on island, come home from his own stint in the Navy, and he’s there to help her cope, in any way he can. Emotionally, physically…legally.

Gosh darn it, this book got me. It is jam packed with all the good stuff, as I mentioned before. The sexual tension is present and done so well. The mystery elements are executed to perfection. There are lots of side characters I’m sure have and will pop up in other books in the same series (which I need to get my hands on immediately). It’s everything you want in this kind of book, which I like to call ‘candy’. The kind that just hits the spot. Refreshing, in many ways. Delicious!

Note:: I received an early copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Details

Title:: Won’t Back Down (Wayward Sons #2)
Author:: Harper Jackson (Kait Nolan)
Genre:: Romantic Suspense
Publisher:: Take the Leap Publishing
Length:: 331 pages
Published:: September 6th, 2024
The Litertarian Rating:: 5-Stars

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All the Missing Pieces | Catherine Cowles
Obsession Falls | Claire Kingsley
These Summer Storms | Sarah MacLean
Leave Before I Love You | Max Monroe

Book Review:: Stranger Things Have Happened | Kasie West

Kasie West’s books almost have that 90s rom-com feel. The situational, emotionally stunted but slowly falling anyway, long-story kind of feel. The kind that so many others have been struggling to tap into for decades since. I’m not saying she’s the next Nora Ephron, but there is something about her books…that x-factor sort of feeling.

Stranger Things Have Happened by Kasie West Book Cover

The concept: Sutton agrees to fake couple’s therapy with her best friend’s fiancée’s brother, because said fiancée is against it himself. They have this bet, see, that the therapist is a quack and won’t even be able to tell they don’t know each other. He wants to prove a point.

Why does she agree? Well, she needs therapy — and apparently doesn’t have anything better to do.

I adored this book. The set-up is weird, it’s fake dating without actual fake dating (the best kind, in my opinion, lol), but the characters are beautiful. I just believed it, you know? Elijah felt whole and convincing, and I was seriously rooting for them the whole time.

Beyond the romance, though, Sutton has some issues to sort out with her mother, who is a piece of work. She’s still nursing wounds from when her husband left, about a million years ago, and new wounds from being in an accident, which is why Sutton is back in her hometown.

At this point I will read anything Kasie West puts out. She knows her way around a romance, and I’m happy to recommend her books to anyone looking to step into a compelling romance that feels fresh and perfectly sophisticated.

Note:: I received an early copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Details

Title:: Stranger Things Have Happened
Author:: Kasie West
Genre:: Contemporary Romance
Publisher:: Saturday Books
Length:: 352 pages
Published:: April 14th, 2026
The Litertarian Rating:: 5-Stars

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We Met Like This | Kasie West
Where You’re Planted | Melanie Sweeney
As A Last Resort | Kristin Wollett
The Slowest Burn | Sarah Chamberlain

Book Review:: The Gray Sheep | S. M. Somerset

The Gray Sheep by S.M. Somerset is a complex fantastical world with a rich history and plenty of conflict.

The Gray Sheep by S. M. Somerset Book Cover

Cosette is doing her best to continue running her father’s jeweler shop in a war-torn country as he recovers from an illness that isn’t getting any better with her uncle in another part of town. When she gets word of his decline, she decides to risk everything to go see him, even though the space between them is occupied and extremely dangerous.

Resourceful, thoughtful, and quite stubborn, Cosette is a worthy heroine. This story is deeply political, as all the marketing materials promise. To be honest, some of it was a little too much for me, and it tended to linger in sections I felt could do with more urgency. The language was urgent in these spaces, but the actual sentences still took their time leaving a strange feeling of needing to move forward, but not being able to because there were just too many words to get through in the scene.

I really admired Cosette’s bravery and determination, and several of the characters she encounters were interesting, and at times unexpected.

Overall, I think people who enjoy the political side of fantasy will enjoy this, or even sweeping historical epics might try their hand at it and be delightfully surprised.

As a whole, it strikes me mostly as quite an accomplishment!

Note:: I received an early copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Details

Title::The Gray Sheep (The Lochsmith Book I)
Author::S. M. Somerset
Genre:: Historical Fantasy
Publisher::Indie
Length:: 582 pages
Published::May 5th, 2026
The Litertarian Rating:: 4-Stars

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The Cheesemaker’s Daughter | Kristin Vukovic
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Book Review:: The Heart of Everything | Marc Levy

The Heart of Everything is a magical tale of fathers and sons and the intricacies of families.

The Heart of Everything by Marc Levy Book Cover

Thomas’s father passed away five years ago, but he still thinks of him at every concert he plays in as a professional pianist. But when he sees his ghost, literally, in the crowd one day, he cannot believe his eyes. And when he sees him again in the dressing room afterward, he cannot believe his request.

This novel is a testament of the complexity of the human animal, but not in a deep, philosophical, brooding, way — it is packaged in a deeply moving, farewell adventure between a boy and the ghost of his dead father. There is a clear goal, and plenty to thwart the achievement of it, and the heart lives in the spaces in between.

I cannot overstate the importance of reading this as an audiobook. Simon Mattacks is incredible. The accents, the tone, the pace of it all was just — impeccable. I will remember this and it will certainly sway me toward any title with his name on it!

Everyone should read this book. I can’t think of a single fault. It’s concise, heartful, expressive, thoughtful, hopeful, and somehow melodic, in its own way. It’s lovely.

Note:: I received an early copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Details

Title:: The Heart of Everything
Author:: Marc Levy (translated from French by Maren Baudet-Lackner)
Genre:: General Fiction
Publisher:: Brilliance Audio / Amazon Crossing
Length:: 208 pages
Published::January 1st, 2026
The Litertarian Rating:: 5-Stars

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The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife | Anna Johnston
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Book Review:: Girls Our Age | Pheobe Thompson

This psychologically intense story of female friendship was kind of like a fever dream, if I’m honest. Lily, Ana, and Margot have been friends since they were roommates in college, and now ten years later, things are more complex than ever.

Girls Our Age by Pheobe Thompson Book Cover

Each of the girls is struggling in a different way. One with the resurgence of a mental illness that once consumed her. One with her relationship with her high school sweetheart and coming to terms with her social status. One with her career.

The novel lives inside each of their heads, walking through the state of their thinking and the facts of their lives. The friendship is what ties them together, but, as with many old friendships, the thing itself is hardly ever a priority, and that becomes part of the story too.

I don’t know, maybe this book deserves more than three stars. If I was judging by writing craft alone, I would certainly rate it higher, but all I can do is rate it as an experience as a whole, and there’s something holding me back there for that fourth star.

Perhaps you love reading about the complexities of female friendship and the kind of coming-of-age that comes through dodging psychological shrapnel. In that case, I can recommend this title to you whole-heartedly. But for me, there was a layer of something missing. My feelings about this book probably say more about myself than the book itself.

Note:: I received an early copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Details

Title:: Girls Our Age
Author:: Phoebe Thompson
Genre:: Literary Fiction
Publisher:: Lake Union Publishing
Length:: 340 pages
Published:: May 5th, 2026
The Litertarian Rating:: 3-Stars

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Book Review:: And Now, Back to You | B.K. Borison

I remember when B.K. Borison announced her deal for the Heartstrings series on social media: a series based on the 90s rom coms hard-coded into the DNA of all Americans of a certain age. What an incredible body of genius to work with! Though if you’re looking for retellings or something closely aligned to the classics, you may be let down.

And Now, Back to You by B.K. Borison Book Cover

And Now, Back to You is supposed to be inspired by When Harry Met Sally, one of the greatest movies of all time. But how it relates is a head scratcher.

All that aside, though, I did like this book.

The thing that sets apart a B.K. Borison book from a run-of-the-mill romance novel is something about the clean structure, lightly complex characters, and elevated prose. If you’re looking for something hot and swoony, you really can’t go wrong.

The characters in her books always have bigger problems than to typical will-they-won’t-they. This story has some meat on its bones. Jackson juggling enormous responsibility both in and out of work, and Delilah navigates a difficult situation in pursuit of her dream. Through the novel the rivals see each other in a new light and become genuine friends (and maybe a little extra).

This is the kind of book that makes people fall in love with romance. If you read a ton of it, you’ll see the scaffolding clear as day, but that doesn’t mean it’s not still a joy to read!

Note:: I received an early copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Details

Title::And Now, Back to You (Heartstrings #2)
Author:: B. K. Borison
Genre:: Romantic Comedy
Publisher:: Berkley
Length:: 464 pages
Published::February 24th, 2026
The Litertarian Rating:: 4-Stars

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First-Time Caller | B.K. Borison
Business Casual | B.K. Borison
The Ex-Vows | Jessica Joyce
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People We Meet on Vacation | Emily Henry

Book Review:: Shaolin Spirit | Shi Heng Yi

The Shaolin way is deeply philosophical and self-reflective. While there are several stances and physical practices laid out in this book, I went into it more for the philosophy and mindset discussions, and I found a treasure of value in that way. Are the ideas necessarily new and ground-breaking? No. They’re something far greater. These are ancient wisdoms, and as the author says distinctly in the book several times, they are available to all.

Shaolin Spirit by Shi Heng Yi Book Cover

If you are looking for a way to re-center yourself, look deeply and be honest with yourself, this book is an excellent resource for walking through that process. Shi Heng Yi lists so many questions to ask of ourselves, examining the whys and the hows and the shoulds — but it isn’t a lecture, not at all. It is accepting of our human natures, leaves room for our own individual natures, and encourages us to open up, redirect certain energies, challenge ourselves both mentally and physically, building resilience and personal strength in a way that is all too uncommon these days.

I took PAGES of notes on this one, as I listened to the (excellent) audiobook — little nuggets of profound little teachings that are at once obvious, but so so powerful. This is the kind of book you can return to again and again, literally daily, and it will still serve to guide you in a positive, more contemplative direction.

I recommend the audiobook. It was even calming listening to the author narrate. I think it certainly added something to the experience. Near the end it did seem to tilt toward some kind of advertisement for his establishment, which I could have done without, but overall, this is a very valuable book for anyone looking for a little self-improvement.

Note:: I received an early copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Details

Title:: Shaolin Spirit: The Way to Self-Mastery
Author:: Shi Heng Yi
Genre:: Personal Development
Publisher:: St. Martin’s Essentials
Length:: 288 pages
Published:: March 3rd, 2026
The Litertarian Rating:: 4-Stars

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Book Review:: Drive Me Crazy | Lizzy Dent

Buckle in, chappies, we’re going racing!

Drive Me Crazy by Lizzy Dent Book Review

We all know I’m a sucker for romance, and racing, so a romance with a backdrop of racing should be my holy grail of commercial romance — but it just isn’t.

I’ve read a fair few of F1 romances now, and while this ranks near the top of them, I have to say the trope as a whole hasn’t been very reliable. Apparently there is only so much trauma one can manufacture for an F1 driver. The wound is almost always the same.

That being said…this one is more successful than most, and I think the difference was Chloe. She is a badass, and constantly underestimated, and in a position that draws real scrutiny. The forced proximity in this one is real, and the conflict Matt is struggling with is very real as well.

Now I feel bad that I trashed the entire genre at the beginning of this review, but it’s a very real problem I’ve noticed, and I’ve read more than a handful at this point, so I feel pretty confident saying it. If you’re going to pick one up though, let this one be it. And if you know of another good racing romance (not just F1), send your recs my way!!

Note:: I received an early copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Details

Title:: Drive Me Crazy
Author:: Lizzy Dent
Genre:: Sports Romance
Publisher:: G. P. Putnam’s Sons
Length:: 368 pages
Published:: January 6th, 2026
The Litertarian Rating:: 3-Stars

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Book Review:: How the Story Goes | Andrew Forrester

What happens when an author dies before finishing a beloved series? *ahem, Martin* In the case of an uproariously popular children’s fantasy series by Helen Longacre, she left that monumental task to her mystery-writer husband, Whit, who, for the record, has no idea where to even start.

How the Story Goes by Andrew Forrester Book Cover

This is a story about the kind of displacement that happens when you lose something you love. Something you thought you’d have for a lot longer than you did. The publisher is on a major deadline (which, wtf fictional publisher), but they have to concede to the last wishes of Helen, who wanted her precious story to be left in the hands of the man who didn’t even really read the books. Not because he was a bad husband. Because marriage doesn’t have to be everything for every person. They shared a love for writing, not a passion for writing the same thing.

I liked the straight-forwardness of the prose and Whit’s attitude. He is who he is, and though he tells a few fibs to get the agents and editors off his back, he’s a very honest person, and that gets him far. The woman he ends up asking for help has her own story, and a past that won’t stop haunting her.

In some ways, this story felt refreshing. While it has common elements of things I’ve loved before, it felt like something entirely new. The voice was direct, with lots of personality. The characters were well formed, intelligent, and trying their best, and the premise itself lends itself to the kind of deep grief that if we haven’t felt ourselves, can at least vividly imagine and empathize with.

Through the grief is healing and the remembering of good memories and trying to live up to being the person someone once thought you could be. Through the healing, comes a different kind of new beginning. A continuation of a story after a mid-point plot twist.

I adored this book. And I will keep my eye out for more from this phenomenal debut author. Congratulations, Andrew. This book is perfectly special.

Also, the narrators were top-notch and brought this story to life in a beautiful way. James Fouhey, especially, I felt brought the exactly right voice for Whit’s character.

Note:: I received an early copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Details

Title::How the Story Goes
Author::Andrew Forrester
Genre::Contemporary Romance
Publisher::Avon
Length:: 368 pages
Published::May 5th, 2026
The Litertarian Rating:: 5-Stars

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Where You’re Planted | Melanie Sweeney
Thank You for Listening | Julia Whelan
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Promise Me Sunshine | Cara Bastone