Author: Michelle

Romance, YA Fiction

Reggie & Delilah’s Year of Falling by Elise Bryant

Michelle

Grades 9 – 12

Delilah is quiet and hides behind a persona, and would rather sit in the audience than be up on stage, singing in her friend’s band. Reggie is a self-proclaimed nerd who loves Dungeons and Dragons. Reggie and Delilah meet for the first time on New Year’s Eve, and keep meeting on holidays throughout the year. Though the two have almost nothing in common, it seems as if a force is pushing them together for a reason. Soon they start to fall for each other, but what will happen when they realize the other has presented as a different version of themselves?  

Historical Fiction, Mystery

Symphony of Secrets by Brendan Slocumb

Michelle

Ages 18+

Slocumb’s sophomore novel is a page-turning historical thriller that musicians and non-musicians alike will devour! Told in a dual timeline, the novel follows musical prodigy Josephine Reed who begins to work with Fredrick Delaney in the jazz age. In the present day, music professor Bern and his friend Eboni in the present, a powerhouse duo determined to dredge up the secrets of the past and bring justice to those who deserve it. 

Mystery, YA Fiction

Girl Forgotten by April Henry

Michelle

Grades 9 – 12

Piper Gray starts a podcast for her high school senior project. Her goal is to find out as much information as she can about a case about a teen her age, Layla Trello who was murdered seventeen years ago. The story follows Piper as she interviews police, Layla’s family, and even a teacher who went to school with Layla. Will Piper solve the case or just make a mess of everything all over again?   

Adult Fiction, Thriller

The Housemaid by Freida McFadden

Michelle

Ages 18+

The first in a series, The Housemaid follows Millie, an ex-con who had been living in her car just as her luck changes, and she gets hired to be a live-in housekeeper for the Winchester family. Nina and her husband Andrew are well-to-do, and they have a daughter who also needs to be cared for. Nina is very hard on Millie, but Andrew seems like a nice guy. Millie just wants to keep her job, however, so is constantly apologizing to Nina for the mistakes she makes. Perfect for fans of The Woman in the Window and The Girl on the Train, this book is filled with twists that will keep readers turning the pages!   

Adult Fiction, Thriller

All the Dangerous Things by Stacy Willingham

Michelle

Ages 18+

Isabelle Drake’s toddler son Mason was taken out of his crib while Isabelle and her husband slept in the next room. That was a year ago, and she hasn’t slept a wink since. The case had gone cold quickly due to lack of evidence, but Isabelle is determined for Mason to return to her.  Isabelle agrees to be interviewed by a true crime podcaster. She is hesitant to do so, however, because of his interest in her past. Can she trust him? And worse, because of her insomnia, can she even trust herself? 

Adult Fiction, Thriller

Just the Nicest Couple by Mary Kubica

Michelle

Ages 18+

Jake and Nina Hayes are good friends with Christian and Lily Scott. The two women are teachers at the same school, and the couples socialize a lot. However, when Jake Hayes goes missing, Lily Scott confesses her fear to Christian that she may have been the last person to see Jake. Part mystery and part thriller, I couldn’t turn the book’s pages fast enough!  

Adult Fiction, LGBTQ+, Romance

The Romantic Agenda by Claire Kann

Michelle

Ages 18+

Joy is in love with her best friend Malcolm, but he doesn’t know it…yet. The two have been friends since college, and Joy almost lost him when he got engaged to Caroline, but then Caroline broke his heart. Currently, Malcolm is really interested in Summer, and is planning a trip with her, but asks Joy to come along so she can get to know Summer better. Summer’s ex Fox is also along for the ride. While trying to keep Fox at bay, Joy’s real plan is to finally tell Malcolm how she feels. What could go wrong?    

Adult Fiction, Books

The Banned Bookshop of Maggie Banks by Shauna Robinson

Michelle

Ages 18+

Maggie Banks’ best friend owns a struggling bookshop in Bell River and Maggie has been tasked with running it for a while. What she finds when she arrives, however, is not what she expects – bestsellers to be flying off the shelves. She encounters a literary society that wants to keep the bookstore stuck in the past. Maggie decides to take matters into her own hands by starting a secret book club and starts selling forbidden books. Keeping things under wraps is nearly impossible, though, and she has to decide which types of books are more important – the ones that tell the town’s history, or ones that might revive it.     

Adult Fiction, Romance

Thank You For Listening by Julia Whelan

Michelle

Ages 18+

Sewanee Chester is a former movie star whose glory days are long behind her, but being an audiobook narrator fits into her life now, and allows her to also care for her ailing grandmother. She then travels to Las Vegas for a book convention and on her way home discovers that a powerhouse romance author wants her to record one last book for her with Brock McNight, the industry’s hottest voice. However, Sewanee was burned by love and stopped narrating romance novels years ago. Ultimately, she decides to take the plunge, and work with Brock under her old romance pseudonym. She and Brock start communicating virtually, and forge a connection. Can she put her insecurities behind her and get what she really wants out of life?