About Book Marks
Recent Reviews
Sarah Smith
Positive Booklist Smith is back with another fun and steamy—both in the kitchen and out—rom com. This multicultural romance, which combines heartfelt cuisine with a love story, will be a treat for readers.
Tessa Bailey
Positive Booklist Bailey brings the heat back in her third installment of the Hot & Hammered series ... Though it’s full of steamy scenes, the book is more than a romp, as Wes reveals himself to Bethany and vice versa, with emotions that will pull on readers’ heartstrings. Excellent as both a stand-alone and part of the series.
Elizabeth Kay
Positive Booklist ane is a creepy, unreliable narrator who speaks directly to the reader in this chilling, hypnotic book. An alibi, a journalist in hot pursuit of the truth, and two women being torn apart as they attempt to differentiate their friendship from the romantic love of their husbands: these are all pieces that haunt those looking for the truth. This novel turns female friendship on its head as its obsessive narrator builds her story one lie at a time.
Laura Hankin
Positive Library Journal With deeply drawn and relatable characters, this is an excellent read for those wanting to escape into a world of how the other half lives.
Laura Zigman
Positive Booklist ...Zigman’s...is a world where motherhood, wifely duties, and career aspirations take hard twists and turns. With plenty of snark and a dash of humor, she shows just how real the struggle bus is, perfect for readers who like a heroine with a messy life.
Lauren Layne
Positive Booklist ... can be read as a stand-alone since enough holes are filled to bring readers who missed the other titles up to speed. As in the best friends-to-lovers story, sparks start to fly with each staged kiss, touch, or handhold. This light read will keep readers engaged as they follow Audrey as she tries to keep her feelings under wraps while being in the internet spotlight. Perfect for fans of Hannah Orenstein’s Love at First Like (2019).
Julie Valerie
Positive Library Journal Debut author Valerie’s excellent take on modern motherhood illustrates a mother’s attempts to keep up with the Joneses. Full of humor, including a bout with one too many detox cookies, an online psychic, and a cat doula, Valerie plays out the drama of being a wife and a mother ... Perfect for fans of Laurie Gelman’s Class Mom series and the TV show Desperate Housewives.
Mhairi McFarlane
Positive Booklist McFarlane delivers a novel with heart and humor, comprised of laugh-out-loud one liners, outrageous comedic scenes, and a Nana who deserves a medal for her non-filtered tongue. Meanwhile, she isn’t afraid to explore the grief process as Georgina processes her father’s death, and a mixture of emotions are evoked as Georgina goes on a journey of self-discovery, complete with her hot pink fur coat.
Liza Palmer
Positive Library Journal Palmer takes the Gen X vs. millennials story to another level in this fun novel ... While some suspension of disbelief is needed, the point comes across that following your passion, regardless of the risks involved, isn’t always easy, but worth it in the end. A solid read for the new adult crowd, among others.
Kristan Higgins
Rave Booklist Higgins...is back with a beautiful story that eloquently captures the raw emotions of abandonment and grief ... Higgins makes each voice distinct, using language that clearly illustrates each character’s age and intellect. There are some intense scenes that will break readers’ hearts. This work is a perfect example of the ways a multi-generational family copes with loss on a variety of levels. Excellent for those who enjoyed Bev Thomas’ A Good Enough Mother.
Elizabeth Ames
Positive Booklist Debut author Ames delicately weaves together a story dedicated to the intensity of friendship ... this literary work illustrates the strength it takes to maintain closeness despite moral and ethical setbacks. Dealing with issues of guilt, pain, and the realistic, ruthless hardships of life, The Other’s Gold shows that friends will stay by your side, if you let them fully in. Excellent for fans of Celeste Ng and Kristan Higgins.
Alisha Rai
Positive Booklist Rai turns up the heat and finds the funny in modern dating, from almost-dick pics to glitter grams and ghosting ... Taking the dating app business to another level, with a dose of girl power, sexual politics, and one eccentric red-headed aunt, Rai scores a touchdown. Perfect for fans of Tessa Bailey’s Fix Her Up (2019) and Alexa Martin’s Playbook series.
Jonathan Vatner
Positive Library Journal Debut author Vatner brings to light how the other half lives, and, contrary to popular belief, how money does not buy happiness but can certainly give that impression. He highlights marriages in varying states of disarray owing to depression, health issues leading to alienation, and dishonesty. The story is anything but light, as issues of race, class, sexual preference, secrecy, and prejudice are attacked head on ... An excellent read for those seeking an exploration of marriage in all of its various stages.
Erin Kelly
Rave Booklist Kelly’s latest...is a fast-paced, thrilling, and extremely clever novel ... Full of blackmail and lies, this novel grows in intensity as each character’s story is told. Utterly engaging, terrifying, and unputdownable, this novel will haunt readers and have them wanting more from Kelly.
Tessa Bailey
Positive Booklist Bailey creates fireworks in this steamy novel as Georgie and Travis quickly break their own rules about their fake relationship. The story moves fluidly from one situation to the next, with lots of hot sex in between, and Bailey will keep readers on their toes as the \'couple\' starts to realize this might be the real thing. Perfect for fans of Christina Lauren and Helena Hunting.
Beth O'Leary
Positive Booklist ... a sweet, quirky novel about two complete opposites falling for one another under the cutest of circumstances. [O\'Leary\'s] storytelling includes fiery hot love scenes and then dives deep into the effects of emotional abuse. Accompanied by a cast of well-developed side characters—like a brother in prison and an oversharing best friend—Tiffy and Leon’s (sexual) tension-filled ride to their eventual meeting is perfect for fans of Helen Hoang’s The Kiss Quotient (2018) and Sally Thorne’s The Hating Game (2016).
Bev Thomas
Rave Booklist Clinical psychologist Thomas’ debut is a compelling, ingenious novel about grief, love, the healing process, and what it means to mother. Realistic characters and a dynamic family relationship will have readers mourning with Ruth along her journey. The whole book is absolutely engrossing, but with the final unexpected twist, Thomas brings it home with a boom.
Erin Somers
Positive Booklist Somers’ debut is full of insider details on the world of late-night television—Hugo feels modeled on David Letterman—and a timely comment on sex and power in the entertainment industry. Though not a comedy per se, there are some great laugh-out-loud moments and one-liners, and the pace is steady throughout. Suggest this book to readers who enjoy fiction with a strong sense of misanthropy, and who like their unlikable characters well drawn.
Andrea Bartz
Rave Library Journal Debut author Bartz pens a captivating psychological suspense novel full of moving pieces and is expertly paced. The tension is unmatched as the pieces fall into place, but not without the protagonist second-guessing herself ... This whip-smart and mysterious read is perfect for fans of Gillian Flynn and Paula Hawkins.
Alex Michaelides
Positive Booklist With a nod to Greek mythology, art, and love, debut novelist Michaelides effectively blurs the lines between psychosis and sanity. Multiple story lines are told with a writing style that combines past diary entries with present-day prose, becoming more tangled as they weave together, keeping readers on edge, guessing and second-guessing. The Silent Patient is unputdownable, emotionally chilling, and intense, with a twist that will make even the most seasoned suspense reader break out in a cold sweat.
Lindsey Palmer
Positive Booklist Combining relationship woes and female friendship, [Palmer] creates a humorous take on what happens when a woman is scorned. Secondary characters, including Molly’s best friends and her sister-in-law, are well developed, and their own story lines give the novel even more depth. Molly’s relationship with her Type A mother will have readers laughing, as will her inner monologues as she’s reading Gabe’s novel. An excellent read, best enjoyed with a good glass of wine.
Christina Lauren
Positive Booklist From double blind dates gone all kinds of wrong to Hazel and Josh missing what is happening right before each others’ eyes, this book will have readers laughing at Hazel’s crass, inappropriate comments coupled with Josh’s secret enjoyment of her just as she is. There’s a twist in the usual romcom plot, and the story is sure to please readers looking for a fun-filled novel to escape everyday life with.
Elyssa Friedland
Rave Booklist Online Cass and Jonathan Coyne have been married for five years. Seemingly the perfect couple, they even make bets with each other on how long their friends will stay married. So it comes as a shock to Jonathan when, on the night they have earmarked to start trying for a baby, Cass declares a break, or intermission, from their marriage in order to truly know if they are meant to be together before expanding their family ... Expertly paced and eerily realistic, this novel will make readers think twice about the line between deception and mystery in any relationship.
Amy Poeppel
Rave Booklist Online Glitz and glam meet bullheaded, spoiled, drunk, high, and hormone-crazed teenage celebrity pop star in Poeppel’s outstanding sophomore work (after Small Admissions, 2016) ...A tribute to Broadway, teen celebrity life, and a mother who has now seen it all, this work is tough love at its finest and a great read for those wanting a ride on the wild side.