Every single one of these books I highly recommend. That may be a first! Get you to the bookstore, friends!

The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley
Devil in Profile by Kimberly G. Giarratano
The Lilies by Quinn Diacon-Furtado
Loneliness & Company by Charlee Dyroff
In Universes by Emet North
The Brides of High Hill by Nghi Vo
Colton Gentry’s Third Act by Jeff Zentner

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The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley
Published by Avid Reader Press / Simon & Schuster on May 7, 2024
Pages: 352
Format:eARC
Source:Copy provided by publisher for review, via Netgalley

A time travel romance, a speculative spy thriller, a workplace comedy, and an ingeniously constructed exploration of the nature of truth and power and the potential for love to change it Welcome to The Ministry of Time, the exhilarating debut novel by Kaliane Bradley.

In the near future, a civil servant is offered the salary of her dreams and is, shortly afterward, told what project she’ll be working on. A recently established government ministry is gathering “expats” from across history to establish whether time travel is feasible—for the body, but also for the fabric of space-time.
She is tasked with working as a “bridge”: living with, assisting, and monitoring the expat known as “1847” or Commander Graham Gore. As far as history is concerned, Commander Gore died on Sir John Franklin’s doomed 1845 expedition to the Arctic, so he’s a little disoriented to be living with an unmarried woman who regularly shows her calves, surrounded by outlandish concepts such as “washing machine,” “Spotify,” and “the collapse of the British Empire.” But he adjusts quickly; he is, after all, an explorer by trade. Soon, what the bridge initially thought would be, at best, a seriously uncomfortable housemate dynamic, evolves into something much more. Over the course of an unprecedented year, Gore and the bridge fall haphazardly, fervently in love, with consequences they never could have imagined.

Supported by a chaotic and charming cast of characters—including a 17th-century cinephile who can’t get enough of Tinder, a painfully shy World War I captain, and a former spy with an ever-changing series of cosmetic surgery alterations and a belligerent attitude to HR—the bridge will be forced to confront the past that shaped her choices, and the choices that will shape the future.

An exquisitely original and feverishly fun fusion of genres and ideas, The Ministry of Time asks the universal What happens if you put a disaffected millennial and a Victorian polar explorer in a house together?

Gosh, I adored this fresh take on time travel! The premise is so fun: what happens if you grab a bunch of would-be-dead people from Olden Days™ and inject them into modern society? Give ’em a guide, teach them the ways of the world, what could go wrong?  Obviously, hijinks will ensue, and the possibilities are endless! Here are some of the reasons this was such a hit for me:

• I do love me a historical rabbit hole! Legit, our main character finds her own self in a rabbit hole of sorts, wanting to know all the things about Commander Graham Gore when she is tasked to be his handler. Fun fact, this is an absolutely real man, who went missing on an Arctic expedition in the mid-1800s. The author herself basically aquiences that this is a fan fiction of sorts, and I am here for it. Honestly, Graham gets a way better story here than “freezing and cannibalism” so I feel like he’d approve. Guess I’m going to have to watch The Terror now, eh?
• Just decided that time travel banter is my new favorite thing. I loved every bit of the relationships. Obviously between MC and Gore, but really just all the characters! They were all so wonderfully well developed, and then throw in different time periods and different personalities and yeah, it was an absolute riot!
• There is such a great mix of fun moments and serious/emotional moments. Look, I know it sounds kind of lighthearted, and at times it was, but there are also a lot of other emotions coming at you. I cried, I laughed, I swooned, I gasped in shock... this book has it all, friends.
• Obviously the whole premise paves the way for a lot of important discussion about racism, sexism, homophobia, misogyny, etc. I mean, in the eras that the travelers are from (basically from the 1600s-early 1900s), folks are not exactly pillars of tolerance. (If we’re being honest, people still aren’t, but it is better, anyway.) Coming from various points in history, all the characters had a lot of preconceived ideas of the world and those in it. Some were more open minded than others, but it was still a huge culture shock, obviously. Plus, the MC is a WOC, and several of her coworkers come from marginalized backgrounds, so there is just a crapton of important commentary and conversations.
• It is just plain entertaining as hell. I just wanted to keep reading and never put it down, while simultaneously not ever wanting it to end. That’s it, that is all you really need to know. Apparently the rights have been bought and seems to be moving along, and you need to read and watch this!

Bottom Line: Never knew how much I needed old timey Arctic explorer fanfic in my life.

 

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Devil in Profile by Kimberly G. Giarratano
Series: Billie Levine #2
Published by Datura Books on May 14, 2024
Pages: 336
Format:eARC
Source:Copy provided by author for review

In this sequel to 2023's Death of a Dancing Queen, New Jersey P.I. Billie Levine finds herself at the forefront of a new crime adventure... perfect for fans of Veronica Mars and Serial.

Unlicensed P.I. Billie Levine is trying to bank some extra cash, so she picks up hours working as a process server for another investigative firm. Mindless and mostly 9 to 5, Billie is content to simply hand over court documents until during a routine stakeout, she stumbles upon the corpse of an elderly man, an art collector with ties to Nazi Germany.

Compared to Billie, the dead man has it easy. Billie is feeling on edge lately. Maybe it’s because her father is insisting his estranged kids come to his wedding in Sedona, or that David is making plans to move out, or that a smug teaching assistant is getting underfoot on her latest case.

Although, it’s possible she could use the help when the cops zero in on Billie’s boyfriend, Aaron, and his connections to an international art ring. Turns out, Aaron’s stint in Israel has left him with more than just a thick scar across his neck. The woman he screwed over wants revenge, and she’s determined to leverage Billie’s murder case to get it.

With the detectives focused on Aaron, Billie sets her sights on stopping a killer who is tying up loose ends — Billie being one of them.

So happy to be hanging out with Billie again! I loved the first book in the Billie Levine series, and couldn’t wait to dive back in for another installment, and it certainly delivered. Now, this is a sequel, but the author herself even says you can read them in any order, and I mean, you kind of can. Like- you absolutely would not be lost if you picked this one up and (obviously) devoured it, but since I am a sucker for order, I definitely think you should read both. Mostly because I loved both. And also because I think even though you don’t have to, you’ll just get a better understanding of what makes Billie tick.

Billie is just… she’s freaking delightful, in her own way. She isn’t your average likeable protagonist, but rather is likable because of her flaws and her quirks. She never apologizes for who she is, which is not to say that she doesn’t try to do better. She absolutely does, but she also understands that she is who she is and people will take it or leave it. I also really adore her grandfather, who makes up for her absolute shitface of a father. She is also quite witty, which I enjoyed, especially since the humorous bits help add some levity to the darker aspects of the story.

Speaking of darker bits, please don’t think I am overlooking the mystery! Just like its predecessor, it kept me guessing the whole time. It was exciting and complex and I definitely was entertained. I just can’t talk about it too much because well, mystery! And while the mystery does wrap up nicely and in a satisfying way, I think there is a great setup for the next book, too. There are some new characters introduced, and I have a feeling some of them will be key players too. And I cannot wait!

Bottom Line: Always here for hijinks with Billie and company, need more immediately please and thank you!

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The Lilies by Quinn Diacon-Furtado
Published by HarperTeen on April 30, 2024
Pages: 336
Format:eARC
Source:Copy provided by publisher for review, via Netgalley

Perfect for fans of The Atlas Six and One of Us Is Lying, this queer dark academia mystery-thriller debut brings a Groundhog Day twist to the young adult space, as four seniors are forced to relive their darkest memories during a lockdown at their elite, all-girls school.

Archwell Academy is shaping the next generation of exceptional young women, and everyone knows that membership to the Lilies Society is the best way to secure your ticket to a successful future. But like every secret society, there is something dark at the Lilies’ heart—sometimes Lilies disappear.

When four Archwell students find themselves trapped in a mysterious time loop on the day after the most recent disappearance, they discover that every one of them holds a clue that will unlock the truth of the Lilies. But they're each harboring a secret of their own. Something they would do anything to hide.

This fast-paced and compulsively readable mystery follows multiple unreliable narrators as they relive their worst memories and try to untangle the rot at the center of the Lilies’ origin…before it destroys their futures forever.

The Lilies may require some suspension of disbelief, but has some great messages that make it quite worth it. We encounter four young people who are attending a swanky boarding school for girls. Some of them live and breathe the culture, some want out and are biding their time. Either way, these four have secrets- and as it turns out, they’re stuck in a time loop until they crack the code.

First of all, there is a ton of discussion (among the characters, and in the narrative) about diversity. The biggest problem at the school in general is their intolerance- heck, they call it a “girls'” school, and are much less than keen when someone identifies differently. There is also a lot of discussion on racial issues, class issues, LGBTQ+ issues, and the list goes on. The way the author handles it feels authentic and not forced, which I appreciated.

Obviously, the secrets and the mysteries are this story’s bread and butter, so I am going to keep this brief. The story itself is very readable, in part because of the mysteries and in part because the characters were both relatable yet flawed. I also thought the ending wrapped things up neatly, and the book as a whole contained a lot of great commentary. Looking forward to more from this author!

Bottom Line: Wonderful commentary and full of secrets, just suspend your disbelief a bit and you’ll definitely be rewarded!

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Loneliness & Company by Charlee Dyroff
Published by Bloomsbury Publishing on May 7, 2024
Pages: 288
Format:eARC
Source:Copy provided by publisher for review, via Netgalley

A timely, beautifully observed debut novel set in near future New York about a young woman who finds herself tangled in a secret government project combating loneliness.

Lee’s life is perfectly mapped out. A top student and professor favorite, everyone expects her to land one of the coveted roles at a Big Five corporation. So when, upon graduating, Lee finds herself at a company no one’s heard of in the dead city of New York instead, her goals are completely upended.

In this new role, Lee’s task is to gather research to train an AI how to be a friend. She begins online and by studying the social circle of her outgoing roommate Veronika. But when it’s revealed that the company is part of a classified mission to solve loneliness—an emotion erased from society’s lexicon decades ago— Lee's determination to prove herself kicks into overdrive and she starts chasing bolder experiences for the AI.

How far will Lee go? As loneliness continues to spread, she must decide what she’s willing to give up for success and, along the way, learn what it means to be a true friend.

Loneliness & Company is an enchanting, gorgeously written novel about finding meaning and connection in a world beset by isolation.

I really enjoyed the premise (and the execution!) of Loneliness & Company. In it, we meet Lee, who is used to being at the top of everything. She works hard, because she’s been told her whole life that it’s the key to everything. So when she finds herself getting a job not at one of the prestigious companies she’d hoped (and assumed) for, but some unknown entity, to say she’s chagrined would be an understatement. But since she is always committed to hard work and getting the job done, she grudgingly accepts her position and jumps in. What is the job, you ask? Gathering data to develop an AI to help lonely folks. Only… no one has heard of “loneliness”. It simply is not a concept people in this society know. Sure, it requires a bit of suspension of disbelief, but it is quite worth doing.

But… it is something they experience, even if they don’t have a word for the feeling. And it is very interesting to watch Lee, who has never really considered her need for people and community, to discover that maybe life is better with friends. There is a bit of a mystery undertone too, and I think I might have expected a bit more from it? In fairness, I thought that Loneliness & Company had all kinds of dark, seedy secrets that it just…. didn’t. I was too suspicious of the book, if that is a thing that is possible. I don’t have any idea if the book wanted me to think this or if I made it all up, so go ahead and place the blame on me here.

What I did absolutely adore was Lee figuring out who she was, what she wanted from life, and that there is a whole big world out there that doesn’t just involve working oneself to death. And the adventures she goes on during her journey were wonderfully entertaining! I thought the book’s messages were strong, I really enjoyed the characters and story, and ended up being quite satisfied, even though it did not quite go in the direction I expected.

Bottom Line: Doesn’t matter what we call a feeling, it can eat away at us regardless. This society is about to figure that out the hard way.

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In Universes by Emet North
Published by Harper on April 30, 2024
Pages: 240
Format:eARC
Source:Copy provided by publisher for review, via Netgalley

Raffi works in an observational cosmology lab, searching for dark matter and trying to hide how little they understand their own research. Every chance they get, they escape to see Britt, a queer sculptor who fascinates them for reasons they also don’t—or won’t—understand. As Raffi’s carefully constructed life begins to collapse, they become increasingly fixated on the multiverse and the idea that somewhere, there might be a universe where they mean as much to Britt as she does to them…and just like that, Raffi and Britt are thirteen years old, best friends and maybe something more.

In Universes is a mind-bending tour across parallel worlds, each an answer to the question of what life would be like if events had played out just a little differently. The universes grow increasingly strange: women fracture into hordes of animals, alien-infested bears prowl apocalyptic landscapes. But across them all, Raffi—alongside their sometimes-friends, sometimes-lovers Britt, Kay, and Graham—reaches for a life that feels authentically their own.

Blending realism with science fiction, In Universes explores the thirst for genius, the fluidity of gender and identity, and the pull of the past against the desire to lead a meaningful life. Part Ted Chiang, part Carmen Maria Machado, part Everything Everywhere All At Once, In Universes insists on the transgressive power of hope even in the darkest of times.

Look, In Universes did maybe confuse me a little? But I also enjoyed it quite a bit. In it, we meet Raffi, in multiple universes. Hence the title, right? Anyway. The whole book is slices of Raffi’s life in parallel worlds, and some of them are more like our world, and some are not, and I feel like that is really it. It’s a quieter book obviously, and very character driven, but it is also really entertaining to see the differences in Raffi (and others- plenty of folks in Raffi’s “first” world appear throughout) and the worlds in general. A few of them flummoxed me a bit, but it was still fun, plus I got to use the word “flummoxed” in my review, so everyone wins. And, it makes you think about who you might be in other worlds, which I always find to be a good time.

Bottom Line: Quirky but enjoyable, I loved getting to see different versions of Raffi, and of the world. 

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The Brides of High Hill by Nghi Vo
Series: The Singing Hills Cycle #5
Published by Tordotcom on May 7, 2024
Pages: 128
Format:eARC
Source:Copy provided by publisher for review, via Netgalley

The Hugo Award-Winning Series returns with its newest standalone entry: a gothic mystery involving a crumbling estate, a mysterious bride, and an extremely murderous teapot.

The Cleric Chih accompanies a beautiful young bride to her wedding to an aging lord at a crumbling estate situated at the crossroads of dead empires. But they’re forgetting things they ought to remember, and the lord’s mad young son wanders the grounds at night like a hanged ghost.

The Singing Hills Cycle has been shortlisted for the Lambda Literary Award, the Locus Award, the Ignyte Award, and has won the Hugo Award and the Crawford Award.

"A remarkable accomplishment of storytelling."―NPR on The Empress of Salt and Fortune
"Nghi Vo is one of the most original writers we have today."―Taylor Jenkins Reid on Siren Queen

How the everloving heck does Nghi Vo keep outdoing herself with this series!? Straight up every single book has, thus far, been fire, and this one was no different! Our now-beloved cleric Chih finds themself on a new adventure- this time, accompanying a bridal party to meet/marry the groom. And the story is gold as always, right? But then! Nghi Vo goes from telling a great story to telling a great story and blowing my mind. Well played, ma’am. Well played indeed. Giddy excited for the next installment!

Bottom Line: 🤯

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Colton Gentry's Third Act by Jeff Zentner
Published by Grand Central Publishing on April 30, 2024
Pages: 400
Format:eARC
Source:Copy provided by publisher for review, via Netgalley

"A story of love, healing, and second chances ” (Emily Henry) following a down on his luck country musician who, in the throes of grief after a shocking loss, moves back home and rekindles a relationship with his high school sweetheart, from award-winning author Jeff Zentner.

Colton Gentry is riding high. His first hit in nearly a decade has caught fire, he’s opening for country megastar Brant Lucas, and he’s married to one of the hottest acts in the country. But he’s hurting. Only a few weeks earlier, his best friend, Duane, was murdered onstage by a mass shooter at a country music festival. One night, with his trauma festering and Jim Beam flowing through his veins, Colton stands before a sold-out arena crowd of country music fans and offers his unfiltered opinion on guns. It goes over poorly. Immediately, his career and marriage implode. Left with few choices or funds, he retreats to his rural Kentucky hometown. He’s resigned himself to has-been-dom, until a chance encounter at his town’s new farm-to-table restaurant gives him a second shot at a job working in the kitchen with Luann, his first love, who has undergone her own reinvention. Told through perspectives alternating between his senior year of high school, his time coming up with Duane as hungry musicians in Nashville, and the present, COLTON GENTRY’S THIRD ACT is a story of coming home, undoing past heartbreaks, and navigating grief, and is a reminder that there are next acts in life, no matter how unlikely they may seem.

I feel like folks might be surprised that I wanted to read this one. I mean, it is chock full of things that I absolutely never give any fucks about. Music- and worse, country music? Check. Cooking? Yep. People having nice experiences that are not consumed by some kind of apocalypse? See what I mean!? But here is what I knew it would have when I new it would be a book for me: Jeff Zentner writing it, and providing all the feels, incredible characters, and a strong story. And readers, I was right. I often am.

From the start, I was completely invested in Colton and his story. Him standing up for what he believed in (which is something I also happen to believe in) despite the unpopularity of his anti-gun sentiment in the country music community endeared him to me immediately. I mean sure he was kiiind of inebriated when he did it, but my opinion stands. You can tell the guy is hurting, and it’s also clear that things are about to get worse before they get better.

He packs up and moves back home, finds him an old dog (with a footnote that nothing will happen to the dog, thank goodness!) and a job totally outside his comfort zone, which just so happens to be at the restaurant of an old flame.

Obviously, the theme here is Colton trying to get his life back on track. He realizes that drinking has become a problem, so he works toward sobriety. He tries to reconnect with folks from his past, and really kind of discover who he wants to be and what he wants his life to look like. It’s obviously incredibly relatable for anyone who has had to do a reset long after many of your peers seem to have their lives figured out. There’s romance, friendship, family, all kinds of great stuff packed into this book.

But my one absolute favorite part? Colton is a dude who has emotions. No one shames him for having emotions, he doesn’t feel “less of a man” for showing said emotions. Everything about this is just… healthy. Not to say that Colton is always dealing with things in a healthy way (remember the aforementioned drinking? He also has been known to push people away to “protect” them, so yeah he isn’t perfect, not by a long shot!) but the way it is all portrayed in a way that delivers really good messages.

Bottom Line: It’s charming, funny, heartwarming, emotional, and all around fabulous. You obviously need it in your life.

Have you read any of these books? Plan to? Let us chat about them!