I’ve been reading at a fast pace the last few days, too fast to remember to do “currently reading” posts for all of the books. Here are short recaps of what I started and finished between January 2nd and 5th.

Everything We Didn’t Say by Nicole Baart

Genre: Mystery/Suspense

Originally Published: November 2, 2021

Rating: ★★★☆☆

I liked that it was not clear throughout the story who had killed the Murphy’s, but the adult conflict between main character June and her former BFF Ashley seemed very overdone and blown out of proportion. I thought it might be a set up for a later payoff as the story reached its conclusion, but it was just super dramatic hate from 20+ years before. The other thing missing from this story for me was more development of, and interaction between, June and her daughter Willa. This relationship felt like it should have been more central to the storyline, instead of a byproduct of one last summer at home before college.

The Pilot’s Daughter by Audrey J. Cole

Genre: Thriller/Suspense

Originally Published: June 8, 2021

Rating: ★★★★☆

I honestly thought I wasn’t going to like this book. It was a suggestion from Kindle Unlimited that I downloaded on a whim, and decided to read last night because it wasn’t too long. I ended up reading the whole thing it one sitting. The plot moves quickly, which I appreciated, but the ending seemed to happen suddenly, and I think more details would have kept the interest level that I had during the beginning and middle of the story high as I reached the conclusion.

Going Rouge (Rise and Shine Twenty-Nine) by Janet Evanovich

Genre: Mystery/Humor

Originally Published: November 2022

Rating: ★★★☆☆

You could say that if you’ve read one Stephanie Plum novel, you’ve read them all, and you wouldn’t be far off. The storylines follow the same pattern; new cases, ridiculous situations, Plum always coming out on top with the help of Lula (my favorite character), Connie, Morelli, and Ranger. The latest entry in the series is no different, but I like the easy read and I find some of the dialogue laugh out loud funny, which I always appreciate.

The Resemblance by Lauren Nosett

Genre: Mystery/Police Procedural

Originally Published: October 25, 2022

Rating: ★★☆☆☆

I found the author’s debut novel hard to get into, especially in the first half. I contemplated just letting it go to my DNF pile, but decided to plow through. It did get a bit better in the second half, but I found the characters very underdeveloped and unlikeable. There was no one I was rooting for (or even against) in this story, and the main character in particular was just too much (and not in a good way, ala Stephanie Plum). I doubt I would read another book by the author in the future, and it is not a story I would recommend to others.