Month: June 2026

Kate’s Review: “What Happened to Those Girls?”

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Book: “What Happened to Those Girls” by Carlyn Greenwald

Publishing Info: Sourcebooks Fire, June 2026

Where Did I Get This Book: I received an eARC from the publisher

Where You Can Get This Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | Indiebound

Book Description: Pretty Little Liars meets The Blair Witch Project in this harrowing thriller from the author of Murder Land, brimming with betrayal, unsettling town secrets, and a killer lurking in the woods.

Emma knows her friends all lie to her. And everyone knows Emma is the outcast of their group. She’s usually fine with that, until her friends go on a camping trip that she planned…without her. The next morning, she wakes up to the news that all three of them died at the campsite.

When Emma starts receiving unnerving videos of the girls the night they died from an anonymous source, it becomes clear their deaths weren’t an accident. And if this becomes a murder case, Emma will be suspect number one. Because while everyone knows she had been excluded from the plans, what they don’t know is that she went to the campsite that night after all, and someone has proof.

Emma teams up with Beck, one of the victims’ sisters, to return to the woods and figure out what really happened the night her friends died, uncover who is behind the mysterious videos she is receiving, and make sure that nobody can pin their murders on her. But stranded in an eerie town that doesn’t welcome outsiders with a murderer on their heels, Emma and Beck just might be next…

Review: Thank you to Sourcebooks for sending me an eARC of this novel!

While Summer is probably my least favorite season (it’s just too hot, guys), I do like a nice scary story that is set in a time that just has Summer vibes. I also love a weird and spooky forest thriller, especially when there are perhaps supernatural things afoot. So “What Happened to Those Girls?” by Carlyn Greenwald was absolutely a book that I was totally on board with. A story were an odd one out girl is left out of her friend group on a camping trip and is hurt and angry, only for her friends to be murdered on said trip, and then being pulled into the mystery of what happened to them is already golden. But then you tell me that there is maybe a witch in the woods responsible?

Please, DO go on. (source)

The main plot just feels like it was written with me in mind. It’s pretty straight forward: Emma is the outsider in her friend group of Paisley, Opal, and Harlow, never really fitting in even though she is constantly trying. Her friends ditch her on a camping trip that was her idea, but then they ended up murdered and Emma is pulled into trying to figure out what happened to them. Not only do we have a mysterious murder mystery and a spooky woods, we also have a witch urban legend that some people believe is the cause of the mysterious deaths in the state park. We all know how much I love a witch story, and any story that sounds a bit like “The Blair Witch Project” at its heart is going to appeal. And overall I did enjoy this mystery with a spooky undercurrent. Greenwald balances the thriller elements with the ‘what if it’s a witch tho?’ elements really well, and I enjoyed seeing Emma and Beck, the older sister of one of the victims, Paisley, go into the woods looking for answers after Emma starts getting weird and creepy text messages from a mysterious sender. It’s suspenseful and well plotted, and while I kind of figured out a lot of the reveals and solutions pretty early on, the journey was well done enough that I didn’t mind and I enjoyed the ride. I also love a creepy wood setting and this book delivers that and then some.

But what really struck me most in this book was Emma as a main character. Emma is an engaging and easy to root for narrator from the very start, as I’m sure there have been PLENTY of people who have felt like the odd one out in social groups and friendships, especially in high school. But what made her even more interesting is that she is autistic, which brings in even more challenges for her when it comes to her friend group because she never QUITE clicks with them due to their inability to fully understand her. She is the kind of autistic representation that we don’t see as much in literature and other kinds of media. For one, she is a girl (as autistic woman characters in media lately I can count on one hand, the most recent being Quinni from “Heartbreak High” and Mel King on “The Pitt”). And two, her traits aren’t the stereotypical cold and savant-like that is so often seen to portray autistic people (though both Quinni and Mel also buck this; maybe because they are women? I’ll have to ponder this), as she definitely feels things incredibly deeply and is more inclined to anxiety and a lack of social graces as opposed to robotic indifference. I found Emma to be so incredibly relatable and nuanced (as someone who herself is on a wait list to be evaluated for autism), I just loved her from the jump. I also loved her relationship with Beck, as they are not only united to solve the mystery of what happened to Paisley, Opal, and Harlow, Beck also sees Emma for who she is and holds very little judgement or contempt for her. Any obvious relationship bumps other authors may have taken with these two kinds of characters are not taken here, and I found it refreshing.

“What Happened To Those Girls?” is a really entertaining YA thriller. It’s a great summer mystery and I definitely recommend getting it for any summer reading you are looking for.

Rating 8: A propulsive mystery with some spooky undertones, not only is “What Happened to Those Girls?” a good YA thriller, it’s some of the best autistm representation I’ve seen in a book this year.

Reader’s Advisory:

“What Happened to Those Girls?” is included on the Goodreads lists “Neurodivergent YA Novels”, and “Queer Horror”.

ALA Annual Convention 2026: Highlights!

While we are both currently out of the library field, one way that we like to stay in contact with the field is to attend the annual convention for the American Library Association. This year’s convention for the 150th Anniversary was in its home city of Chicago, Illinois, so we road tripped across a couple of states and spent a long weekend immersing ourselves in all things libraries and books! Here are a few highlights from our time!

Exhibition Hall

Always so many things to see and do in the exhibition hall itself! From snagging some of our most anticipated titles, to meeting beloved authors, to attending even more panels, the day feels packed without even leaving this massive area! Per the usual, it was a manic time! But we both managed to grab quite a few ARCs from favorite authors, many of which we’ll surely be reviewing here in the coming months.

We also spent way too much time waiting in lines for various authors, but sacrifices must be made! Serena was particularly excited to get yet another book signed by Veronica Roth, to meet Allison Saft and get “A Fragile Enchantment” signed by her, and, of course, the most exciting of all, Lois Lowry herself! As for Kate, she was able to get a signed copy of Shannon Hale’s newest “Princess in Black” book for her kid, and was able to attend a panel that ended up with a signing by Cynthia Pelayo as well as other thriller and horror authors.

Panels

We often joke that we feel like two ships passing in the night at this convention: we meet up in the morning, but once the exhibition hall opens, it’s rare that we see each other again before we meet up for dinner at the end of the day! Well, this year we accomplished the truly unexpected and ended up at the same panel together! The panel was titled “Leading the Way with Speculative Fiction: Leadership Lessons from Imaginary Worlds” and included three authors speaking to this topic in relation to their latest books. We got to hear from Veronica Roth (“Seek the Traitor’s Son”), TJ Klune (“We Burned Bright”) and Terry J. Benton-Walker (“The Drakon King”). It was wonderful hearing all of their thoughts on what makes up a good leader, and, more importantly, a bad one.

Kate also had to opportunity to hear LeVar Burton speak about his upcoming memoir “Take My Word For It” in the main hall, where he ruminated about his time in “Roots” and on “Star Trek” and “Reading Rainbow”, and how much reading has meant to him and how it shaped his life from such a young age (she may have started bawling the moment he walked on stage because he was such an important figure in her early reading life due to “Reading Rainbow”). She was also able to attend a few horror and thriller themed panels.

Chicago

It is always so fun to go to Chicago for this convention. Not only can we drive, as we live just two states over in Minnesota, there is always so much to explore in the city itself. This year we went to the Field Museum as our pre-Conference adventure. The Field has such an outstanding collection of exhibits, from Sue the T-Rex and other impressive prehistoric creatures, to some taxidermied notorious man eating lions and other animals, to fantastic artifacts from around the world. We spent a solid amount of time just wandering and learning.

And Kate also insisted on going to the Pokémon exhibit that they have that compares Pokémon ‘fossils’ to the actual fossils that are their real life equivalents. It’s charming and cute, and Kate DID leave with some Pokémon swag for her kid…. And also for herself. Throw in deep dish pizza, a stop to a Tiki Bar we have been visiting since our first Chicago ALA back in 2017, a Great Lake, and some charming walking neighborhoods and it makes for a memorable trip every time.

It is always such an educational and gratifying experience to go to ALA. We have once again left the conference with some really exciting books, some new information from the library world, and great memories. Next year ALA will be in New Orleans, and hopefully we will be able to attend and report back from the Big Easy, but until then, thank you ALAAC26 and Chicago!

Serena’s Review: “These Immortal Truths”

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Book: “These Immortal Truths” by Rachelle Raeta

Publishing Info: Tor Books, Jun 2026

Where Did I Get this Book: ARC from the publisher!

Where Can You Get this Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | IndieBound

Book Description: A shapeshifting god,
an immortality granting peach,
and a woman gifted with forever.

England, 1184: Anna is used to hunger and hardship. Ever since she was seventeen, when the pale shadows of her vitiligo were spotted, she has spent more than a decade struggling to survive alone and in exile. Then a single act of kindness towards a beautiful stranger and the taste of a divine peach changes Anna’s life forever.

Suddenly, her body is as untouched by Time as it by harm. As she watches the world change around her, knowing every human connection is only temporary, there is only one person she trusts to always return no matter the years or distance…

The shapeshifting god who gifted her with immortality.

Review: This had been on my radar for a while as an indie book to get around to checking out. So I was very excited to see that the duology had been picked up by a traditional publisher, giving me the perfect excuse to slot it in for review here on the blog!

Reading through this one, it’s easy to see why it is beloved in the indie romantasy world. For one thing, this book is very different than most of the romantasy titles you see trending currently. For one thing, it almost reads more like a historical fiction novel than it does romantasy at all, as the romance itself is incredibly slow burn and takes a back burner to the rest of the story for much of the book. Instead, much of the focus is on almost brief vignettes of Anna’s experiences throughout history, jumping forward by centuries at a time. Given the nature of her ability to not die, but without any other advantages afforded her, her experiences are of the quiet, more served type, quietly observing history as it happens while also slipping silently away whenever notice snags her way.

The style of writing and Anna’s characterization are also very different from the sort so often seen. This is a very lyrical, beautifully written book, devoting hefty amounts of page time to descriptions and emotional legwork. No high-octane action scenes here or fast-moving plot developments. Anna is also a much more quiet leading character. She’s not snappy or sassy or spunky. Her inner strength is hard-earned and her “super power,” such as it is, is simple kindness and empathy, traits that often break her own heart in the process.

The romance is also incredibly slow burn, so much so that by the middle point of the book I almost wondered if there would be a romance at all. That said, I think the love story was stronger for this cautious approach. Not only does Anna have more pressing concerns in her day-to-day life, but adjusting to living forever is no small thing, and I appreciated the careful consideration the author took with regards to Anna’s sentiments toward this development and the being who foisted it upon her, unasked. Further, the godlike individual behind this all is practically ageless, and I liked the fact that the author only slowly built up the change in the relationship towards romance. No “immortal man immediately falls for first attractive 20-something woman he’s ever seen” here.

That said, I did struggle with a few points. Anna is almost too perfect. While the slower approach to the pacing succeeds in showing the incremental adjustments she makes to now being an immortal, I think an opportunity was lost when dealing with historical societal issues. Anna simply, magically, already has the correct views on all problematic historical events. I don’t need her to be a terrible bigot or anything. But it would have been nice to see her start as a simple peasant woman in the 1100s with the limited views that this would bring and then, through exposure to different people and the long view of history afforded her by living through the cycles of humanity at its worst and best, have her mature into a more nuanced individual. As it stands, the book can come across as a bit preachy, even in its more beautiful moments, simply because Anna starts out in a place of perfection and has nothing to really add other than rather trite statements.

The book also became a bit predictable and repetitive in its format. For all that the writing is beautiful and it’s fun to see these different moments in history through Anna’s eyes, it did quickly fall into a pattern of checking in with Anna every few centuries, watching her witness an important moment in history, and then see her need to move on. Rinse and repeat.

Overall, however, I enjoyed this read. It’s definitely a unique and fresh feeling title, stepping away from much of the overtrodden ground currently making up the romantasy genre. Really, time travel and immortality aside, this is more of a historical romance than anything, and even then, with a heavier dose of history than romance. If you enjoy lyrical writing and slower-paced storytelling, this is definitely one to check out!

Rating 8: Full of lovely writing and some truly heartbreaking moments, this book hit my emotions much harder than I was expecting!

Reader’s Advisory:

“These Immortal Truths” can be found on this Goodreads list: All the New Fantasy Books Arriving in June 2026

Fire’s Catching: “The Hunger Games” (2012)

It’s been eighteen years since Suzanne Collins wrote “The Hunger Games”, the smash hit literary sensation that continues to feel relevant and capture the attention of readers. This ongoing series will be a review series of both the Suzanne Collins books, as well as the film adaptations of the novels. I will post my review on the last Thursday of the month as we revisit the totalitarian world of Panem and the hope of the Mockingjay.

Film: “The Hunger Games”

I remember when this film came out back in 2012. I mostly remember it because I asked my husband if he would like to go with me, and he was, admittedly, a bit skeptical. I think that his main frame of reference for popular YA books turned into movies was the “Twilight” franchise. But I told him that I really enjoyed this book, and that I thought he would probably enjoy it too. And I distinctly remember coming home after the movie and him asking me if he had the series, and then him reading all of them in about a week. It’s been one of our old reliables for awhile. “The Hunger Games” film is a great adaptation of the book, and it holds up very well.

First and foremost, the casting is great. Jennifer Lawrence is such a fantastic Katniss, able to channel the sullenness, the fear, the desperation, and the exasperation all in equal measure. She has so many moments with her line deliveries, but also her facial expressions and body language. I also really love Woody Harrelson as Haymitch, as the man knows how to play not only for sardonic laughs, but also quiet vulnerability that we get to see here and there in the first film as he has to try and bolster Katniss and Peeta up wholly expecting to lose them like he’s lost all other tributes on his watch. Donald Sutherland’s President Snow is smarmy and cold and incredibly intimidating, even though he has the least amount of screen time in this movie than his time in the other movies, and he packs a punch. And who can forget both Elizabeth Banks as Effie and Stanley Tucci as Caesar Flickerman, both people who go over the top but do it in a way that never feels cheesy (and I mean COME ON, Banks makes Effie a completely new character in the best way possible). The casting is fantastic.

But I also really love how this film is able to take a first person perspective POV from the book, which can sometimes be limiting in a page to screen adaptation, and finds ways to explain the lore and the world without feeling like it’s being spoonfed, and without relying on Katniss to do it all like she does in the book. Whether it’s seeing bits and pieces of the broadcast of the Games, which can explain things like Tracker Jackers or other in game events, or seeing the actual Game Makers making decisions on how to manipulate the arena and how that affects the Tributes from the outside, there are many great devices that adapt the material incredibly well.

I also think that most of the changes work, though there are admittedly some things that I was sad about seeing removed after my re-read. In particular I now definitely feel the loss of Katniss’s friend Madge, who gives her the Mockingjay pin in the books (and whose Mom Merilee is the twin sister of Maysilee Donner, one of the Tributes from 12 during Haymitch’s Games). While I understand cutting that for time, it’s kind of a shame to lose her because her friendship with Katniss shows that Katniss does have connections to her community beyond her Mom, Prim, and Gale. Especially since Madge has that connection to Haymitch and the Mockinjay pin. But outside of that change standing out, I feel like most of the other changes were pretty well informed and worked out.

“The Hunger Games” is a really solid adaptation and is the start of a solid series as a whole. Up next I will take on “Catching Fire”!

Serena’s Review: “Endless Blue Beneath”

This post may contain affiliate links for books we recommend.  Read the full disclosure here.

Book: “Endless Blue Beneath” by Shannon K. English

Publishing Info: Orbit, June 2026

Where Did I Get this Book: ARC from the publisher!

Where Can You Get this Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | IndieBound

Book Description: On land, Eppie will never be anything more than the outcast girl who kissed the grocer’s daughter. But beneath the water’s surface lies a future and a society she could never imagine. Stolen from the shore, she is transformed. Eppie is stronger, swifter—and hungrier. Human flesh smells like heaven on earth, and Eppie is ravenous.

Despite the horror of her new appetites, Eppie learns to love this strange second life. The mermaid colony is mesmerizing, and Eppie’s new sisters are fiercely loyal. When she meets Marie, a stunningly beautiful mermaid with a past as shadowed as her raven-black scales, Eppie finds she no longer needs to resist her deepest desires.

But dark sails are on the horizon. The mermaid hunters are coming, and Eppie must decide whether to protect her new, monstrous family or leave it all behind for a chance to live above the waves once again.

Review: This was an odd reading experience. At times, I was really loving it. At other times, I was a bit tugged down by the pacing. And at other times, I was actively frustrated. I guess the definite thing you could take away is that the book will elicit some sort of emotion from you! But if ever there was a time to describe a reading experience as “uneven,” this was it.

To start with what I enjoyed, the writing style was very lyrical and lovely. The author managed to capture that fairytale quality that I look for, nicely blending beautiful imagery with darker elements and themes. That said, the book was very character-focused, something I typically enjoy, so it was almost an odd case where I wish there had been more opportunity for the writing itself to come to the forefront with world-building, descriptions, and plotting.

The downsides of the writing come down to the character work. There is a lot of telling going on here, with very little showing of anything. And as much of the main character’s experiences in this book are negative, it’s a lot of telling the reader just how bad she has it, over and over again. I think the general premise of escaping human bigotry for a land of mermaids was stronger as an idea than in its execution, and part of this came down to this limitation in writing characters who were anything more than fairly one-dimensional.

I’ll also say that this book is much darker than expected. The book description is actively misleading, but I do think more should have been done to properly set expectations for what this book is actually like. This is not a romantasy read and instead is very much a dark fantasy. Eppie’s experiences are pretty traumatic throughout. The mermaids are by no means some sort of utopian alternative to the humans, and Eppie’s experiences there are just as dark in some ways. What’s more, the “romance,” such that it is, is not a healthy love story, and I was conflicted by the entire experience, including the end.

Overall, as a dark fairytale, I think this book has some interesting things to say and lovely world-building (what we got of it). But the pacing was rather uneven, and it did wear on me a bit to read of negative experience after negative experience. Readers who enjoy dark fantasy will likely enjoy this more than romantasy readers.

Rating 7: Darker than I think many readers will expect, but with some interesting explorations of themes like otherness and what makes a monster.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Endless Blue Beneath” can be found on these Goodreads lists: Romantasy books that have to do with the oceans and Sapphic Fiction 2026.

Kate’s Review: “Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow”

This post may contain affiliate links for books we recommend.  Read the full disclosure here.

Book: “Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow” by Tom King & Bilquis Evely (Ill.)

Publishing Info: DC, July 2022

Where Did I Get This Book: I own it

Where You Can Get This Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | Indiebound

Book Description: It’s Supergirl like you’ve never seen her before, in a character-defining sci-fi/fantasy masterpiece from Mister Miracle writer Tom King and Wonder Woman artist Bilquis Evely!

Kara Zor-El has seen some epic adventures over the years, but she now finds her life without meaning or purpose. Here she is, a young woman who saw her planet destroyed and was sent to Earth to protect a baby cousin who ended up not needing her. What was it all for? Wherever she goes, people only see her through the lens of Superman’s fame.

Just when Supergirl thinks she’s had enough, everything changes. An alien girl seeks her out for a vicious mission. Her world has been destroyed, and the bad guys responsible are still out there. She wants revenge, and if Supergirl doesn’t help her, she’ll do it herself, whatever the cost. Now a Kryptonian, a dog, and an angry, heartbroken child head out into space on a journey that will shake them to their very core.

Review: With the new “Supergirl” movie coming out this week I thought it would be fun to read and review the story that inspired the upcoming film/the DCU’s iteration of Supergirl. After all, when she showed up at the end of “Superman” drunk, disheveled, and a hot mess, I was like ‘okay, WHAT is going on with this version of Kara and WHY do I love it so much?’. And it’s probably pretty clear to most people who have seen my reviews/the characters that I really love that I probably love this version of Kara because she is such a mess. I LOVE a messy character with a traumatic backstory and unhealthy coping mechanisms. So that is why I decided to take on Tom King’s “Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow”, because the concept of a Kara Zor-El so ravaged with trauma and PTSD she is a walking disaster is so uniquely human, and I had to dive in before seeing it on the big screen.

While this is certainly a Supergirl tale, and while King absolutely nails this take on Kara, this story feels like it goes above and beyond and creates a story that is not only about Supergirl unpacking her trauma, but also about the way that trauma drives us for better or for worse. But the center of the tale is a girl named Ruthye Marye Knoll, a girl living on a distant planet who is seeking out vengeance for her father’s murder at the hands of the violent Krem of the Yellow Hills. While on her search she meets Kara, who is going from planet to planet, dimension to dimension, trying to cope with her own inner demons, and the two of them team up to hunt Krem across the universe. It’s such an interesting take on Supergirl because it doesn’ really center her, but I also feel like King really understands the inherent tragedy of Kara and brings it to a poignant hero’s journey while trying to help a girl who is driven by despair and rage. As they hop across plants and dimensions and universes they learn a lot from each other, and start to find commonalities and the beginnings of healing and growth. It is such a charming and lovely coming of age tale for Ruthye, while also being such an emotional tale for Kara, who feels like her purpose is gone and who feels incredibly alone. I loved the friendship that Ruthye and Kara build as they go on their journey, and how much King draws from both of them to create a narrative that needs them both to work.

I also just enjoyed the world jumping in this story, whether it’s in bars and dives that would feel right at home on Earth, or on a planet with strife between warring factions, or on a planet with a green sun that renders Kara basically down and out due to the pain and puts Ruthye in a fighting position she has ached for but hasn’t really understood. King has so many interesting worlds to explore as the two women chase Krem, and it almost feels like a series of vignettes sometimes because of the attention and diligence that each story within the story gets.

And finally the artwork. Bilquis Evely is an artist that I was unfamiliar with when I picked this up, but I really liked the art design of this series. It just sets a tone that is frenetic and busy, but always feels grounded somehow.

(source)

I now feel ready to go see “Supergirl” when it hits theaters, because “Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow” is a thrilling and somewhat emotional story that gives Kara a unique path. Definitely a must read for any Supergirl fan!

Rating 8: A unique and vibrant take on Supergirl and the weight of being super.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow” is included on the Goodreads list “Ladies of DC”.

Not Just Books: June 2026


While we do love us some books, believe it not, we do have a life outside of reading. So to highlight our other pop culture interests, on the last Monday of each month, we each will highlight three other “happenings” from the last month. Big events on favorite TV shows, new movies we’ve watched, old movies we’ve “discovered,” etc. Pretty much whatever we found of particular interest outside of the book world during the last month. Share your own favorite things in the comments!

(We’re posting this one a week early since next week we are devoting our Monday post to a re-cap of ALA 2026!)

Serena’s Picks

TV Show: “Daredevil: Born Again” Season 2

I haven’t finished the complete season yet, but so far this has been another great Daredevil entry! I was happy to see the return of Karen at the end of the first season, so I was pleased to see she had more to do here. The series also continues to benefit from the masterful performances of both Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio. Plus, of course, the return of Krystin Ritter as Jessica Jones! Now there’s a show that I wish would also get a “reborn” type of treatment on Disney+. We’ll see how this season wraps up, but so far, it’s been a fun, violent ride!

YouTuber: Welonz

I feel like I’m a pretty versatile gamer, from tactical, to cozy, to classic RPG, to roguelilke. But the one area where I really don’t think I’d do well is horror. However, I’m always hearing great things bout horror games, like “Silent Hill F” and the more recent “Resident Evil: Requiem.” So what’s to be done, other than watching a favorite YouTuber play those games in my place? This way I can experience the thrills with the extra layer of distance between me and the actual jump scares! Welonz has been a great find for this, as she plays a lot of games like this and also has a nice, solid presence without being overly quirky or gimmicky. Definitely check her out if you enjoy watching video game playthroughs!

Video Game: “Civilization 7”

This came out over a year ago, but like a good consumer, I held off on purchasing until I had read some reviews. And it’s a good thing I did! With all the improvements in visuals and such, the game did away with one of the core elements of the series: building and maintaining one civilization from start to finish. Instead, it introduced a mechanic where you’d change civilizations from age to age. I’m sure there are creative options that this opens up, my my “Civilization”-loving heart just couldn’t handle a massive change like that. Luckily, I wasn’t alone in this, and after a year of complaints, the game finally released an update that now allows you to play as the same civilization throughout. So I went ahead and purchased, and that’s what I’ll be doing for the next, oh, six months.

Kate’s Picks

TV Show: “The Vampire Lestat”

My favorite queer vampire show is back, and it is now Lestat’s turn to tell HIS side of the story! Yep, “Interview With the Vampire” is back for season three, but to reflect the book timeline and shift in perspective it is now rebranded as “The Vampire Lestat”. Because after Daniel published Louis’s reflection and it became a bestseller, an angry (and incredibly hurt) Lestat copes by…. joining a rock band and becoming a coveted and messy rock superstar. Yeah, that sounds like him. The show is unhinged and wild, and Sam Reid continues to portray the PERFECT Lestat (as someone who named one of her cats after this character I know a perfect Lestat when I see one) , channeling his egoism, charisma, passion, and despair. I love how this show continues to tinker with the ideas of perspective and unreliable narrators, and now that we have Lestat’s POV it’s that much richer. I’m also holding out hope that we get some Armand/Daniel stuff along with my hope for Lestat/Louis (though I know we’re going to get some info on Nicky as well and oh no I’m not ready). I’m so happy my horrible toxic terrible queer vampires are back because I LOVE ALL OF THEM.

“Band”: The Vampire Lestat/Satan’s Night Out

Yep, it’s a double whammy of all things Lestat this month, but we all knew I was going to be wholly insufferable about all of it so this shouldn’t be surprising. Not only did the show premiere this month, I also started listening to the music that goes with the show in anticipation and then to keep riding the high. Lestat’s music has a rock edge, sometimes being cheeky and sassy and other times brimming with nostalgia (the cover of “Dancing with Myself” was perfection on so many levels, it’s SO SPIKE CODED to me). But I also love how the songs can stand on their own, but also have meanings about what is going on on the show and what has happened in Lestat’s life, and in some cases act as a coping mechanism. My favorite of the bunch is hands down “Your Biggest Fan”, which sounds like a Hedwig and the Angry Inch/John Cameron Mitchell love ballad, but if you know the story behind it it’s….. something else. I had it on a loop for days even though it was filling me with emotional agony (my husband said ‘this is not going to be the song of the summer, Kate’ and I said ‘IT IS MY SONG OF THE SUMMER!’). I just love that the show went the extra mile to make great music, and Sam Reid kills it.

TV Show: “Criminal Minds: Evolution”

Yeah, it’s still really milking the Elias Voit storyline probably beyond its expiration date, but I don’t even care because I am still fully on board with this show and all of the characters at the BCU as they try and solve really messed up crimes. While the team tries to hunt down more killers by using profiles and psychology, Voit is still in prison and dealing with the fallout of his crimes, while still giving his insight to the team. And it’s being teased that this season has a new aspiring killer that wants to impress Voit. And then there is also the fact that Conner Storrie from “Heated Rivalry” is in the show for a little bit? Regardless, I’m still invested and this show remains relentless but also very addictive.

Serena’s Review and Blog Tour: “The Fatal Unpleasantness at Netherfield”

This post may contain affiliate links for books we recommend.  Read the full disclosure here.

Book: “The Fatal Unpleasantness at Netherfield” by Claudia Gray

Publishing Info: Vintage, June 2026

Where Did I Get this Book: Netgalley!

Where Can You Get this Book: Amazon | IndieBound | WorldCat

Book Description: After a disastrous London Season and a (somewhat) successful investigation, Jonathan Darcy has recovered from the wound he received in his most recent investigations. But his parents aren’t over the shock, and insist that Jonathan must stop these dangerous adventures with Miss Juliet Tilney—particularly now that she is a young lady of ruined reputation.

Jonathan still hopes for some opportunity to be with her again, and then it comes—unfortunately, in the form of his uncle Charles Bingley’s brother-in-law, Mr. Hurst, being found murdered at Netherfield Park. His Aunt Jane is desperate for answers, and in the end, Jonathan’s family must ask Miss Tilney to Netherfield to help solve the mystery!

Juliet, still reeling from her ruination, is happy to be back in the thick of an investigation—and in the company of Jonathan. But the scheming Caroline Bingley Allerdyce and her daughter Priscilla feel the same, leaving the young pair to not only look for clues but also dodge their machinations. When Mr. Hurst proves to be only the first victim, casting a pall of danger—and worse, scandal—over the Bingleys’ household, Jonathan and Juliet are under fierce pressure to find the culprit—and perhaps even more momentously, to make a final choice between respectability…and love.

Previously Reviewed: “The Murder of Mr. Wickham” and “The Late Mrs. Willoughby” and “The Perils of Lady Catherine de Bourgh” and “The Rushworth Family Plot”

Review: These reviews are almost getting boring in how predictable my feelings are: all the books have been great, and yes, this one lives up to the standards set before! But really, who is going to complain about too much of a good thing? Not me!

Let’s start with the mystery! As usual, Gray does an excellent job of setting up both the murder(s) and a vast number of potential suspects. I don’t think it gets mentioned enough just how much of an extra challenge Gray has taken on in writing these mysteries featuring so many known entities from Austen’s original novels. For one thing, the list of murder victims and suspects is greatly reduced by the simple fact that readers are familiar with these characters and will know, largely, who has the potential for villainy and who can be easily lost as a victim. This is dealt with by both introducing a select few new characters (here we meet Kitty’s husband, a friend of Jonathan’s from childhood, a new sibling of Bingley, and a few servants) as well as carefully selecting side characters from the original books who, while not murderers in Austen’s books, are easy enough to hate here! I was able to piece together just the right amount to feel like I was solving it myself, while there also remained a few surprises at the end as well.

I especially enjoyed the Bingley family dynamics we explored here, from the relationship of Charles to his handful of sisters, to the relationships between the sisters themselves, to Jane’s ability to deal with in-laws like this! Gray deftly takes the small tidbits we see from the Hursts and expands on them cleverly. And while both of them remain incredibly unlikable, the work done with Caroline is even more impressive. She’s both hateable (especially after the events of the previous book and some continuing actions here), but her arc is also more complicated by the inclusion of a loving husband and a kind daughter.

It was also fun seeing the other “Pride and Prejudice” characters included here, especially getting to see Mr. and Mrs. Bennet on the page, along with Kitty. But what I most enjoyed was getting to spend more time with Mr. Bingley and Jane. Especially Jane. Jane is such a lovely character in her own right, and it’s always a bit sad that we truly get so little of her in the original novel. Well, that is rectified here. Gray perfectly captures Jane’s kindness, her gentleness, but also her strong sense of right and wrong and the fact that, when pushed, those doing wrong will run headlong into a steel wall of morality, one that will present its case with kindness but will not give. Jane and Mr. Bingley are the perfect characters to deliver smacks upside the head to their sister and friend, respectively. Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth have had several books of various levels of ridiculousness about Miss Tilney and their son, but Jane and Charles are there to set them straight. There was one particularly great scene between Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy that had me re-reading it a few times, just to revel in the perfectly balanced, perfectly kind, perfectly pointed zingers Charles was slinging Darcy’s way.

And, of course, the burgeoning romance between Jonathan and Miss Tilney was as lovely as ever. After the events of the previous book, this one didn’t waste much time in getting to the heart of their feelings, though that didn’t leave them without a hefty set of obstacles before them. It was lovely getting to see some of the romantic bits finally coming together, but there was a bit of a cliffhanger at the end for how things will progress going forward.

Overall, I really loved this book! It was a solid mystery, and Jonathan and Miss Tilney remain a great detective duo, both in their investigative skills as well as in the development of their romantic relationship. But looking back on my read, I think my favorite parts of this book came down to the time spent with the Bingleys, characters I loved from the original novel and whom we finally get to spend more time with here. If you’re a fan of the series up to this point, this is a must-read!

Rating 8: A wonderful mystery, a heartfelt romance, and a return to Netherfield at last!

Reader’s Advisory:

“The Fatal Unpleasantness at Netherfield” isn’t on any Goodreads lists but it should be on: Austen Retellings.

Kate’s Review: “The Break-Up Retreat”

This post may contain affiliate links for books we recommend.  Read the full disclosure here.

Book: “The Break-Up Retreat” by Camilla Sten

Publishing Info: Minotaur Books, June 2026

Where Did I Get This Book: I received an eARC from NetGalley

Where You Can Get This Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | Indiebound

Book Description: An undercover journalist goes to expose an exclusive psychological wellness clinic where women go to recover from heartbreak, with dire consequences, in this creepy thriller from The Bachelorette Party author Camilla Sten.

Welcome to Himlafall Clinic, where we use revolutionary therapy techniques to heal you from heartbreak. Whether you are going through a devastating breakup, or can’t seem to stop picking the wrong partners, we are here to help you change your life, once and for all…

Isobel Anderssen has heard rumors. Nestled deep in the Swedish woods, there is a clinic. Primarily aimed at helping women who have gone through devastating break-ups, the Himlafall Clinic is meant to heal your mind and help you move on.

Sometimes people are never heard from again.

Armed with a fake story and a contraband phone to record interviews, Isobel is ready to expose Himlafall’s founder and get closure for the families of missing loved ones. But when she gets there, nothing goes to plan. Her contact is missing. The founder, Dr. Martina Hastings, knows how to get under Isobel’s skin in ways she didn’t anticipate. And all the while, the ghosts of the missing haunt her at every turn. It is clear something is going wrong and Himlafall, and Isobel must uncover the truth, before she disappears once and for all.

Review: Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this novel!

After my previous therapist retired at the beginning of the year, I have started with a new person this summer and I am finding it to be incredibly gratifying and cathartic. I’ve been in therapy on and off basically since I was a teenager (of SO many different types), and this new one has been really challenging me to look inside myself and reflect on a lot, which has been great. Whenever I read a book that has some kind of therapy as a focal point, especially a thriller, I thank my lucky stars that I’ve only had good experiences with my mental health counselors, and I was thinking about that as I read Camilla Sten’s new thriller “The Break-Up Retreat”. No weaponized therapising in my life, I’m happy to report! But it does make for a solid thriller premise, and if you throw in an undercover reporter posing as a patient it makes me all the more intrigued.

“The Break-Up Retreat” has a lot of positives going for it! By having our protagonist Isobel being an undercover reporter checking into a trendy but potentially sinister mental health retreat, we hit the ground running and the tension starts right away. Himlafall Clinic has a lot of hype around it for women who are going through rough relationship fallout, with its founder Dr. Martina Hastings being a media darling and a beaming advocate for helping women work through their despair. But at least one person has disappeared after going to Himlafall, and whispers online have made Isobel think that there is something dark going on, which could be a great story to break out with. I love that concept and have loved it since reading up on good ol’ Nelly Bly, and Sten makes things go weird from the jump which builds the tension almost immediately. Isobel’s contact has gone missing, the other patients are offputting, and the staff seem strange and like they are hiding things, all while Martina is doing unconventional methods in therapy while isolating her patients from the outside world. I love this kind of thing, and I loved the questions about Martina’s motives as she psychologically picks at people she is supposed to be helping. Sten keeps a lot of her cards close to her vest and lets suspense go tauter and tauter until it’s about to snap.

I also enjoyed how we got this from not only Isobel’s POV, but also through found media like message boards, interviews, Internet comments, and news articles. I absolutely love supplemental clues that give us perspectives outside of the protagonist, and these are all pretty subtle at first until things start clicking into place. It broke up the chapters pretty well too, and given that sometimes I did find myself lagging behind at times when the chapters could feel a little repetitive as Isobel investigates these parts did a good job of getting me back on task and back into it.

“The Break-Up Retreat” is a perfect summer read for the beach or the pool, with a solid mystery and a promising premise rising to the top.

Rating 7: A really enjoyed the tension and the entire concept of this one, with a potentially sinister therapist and a plucky undercover reporter trying to expose it all.

Reader’s Advisory:

“The Break-Up Retreat” is included in the Goodreads post “A Month-By-Month Guide to Summer’s Biggest Mysteries and Thrillers”.

Serena’s Review: “The Winged Game”

This post may contain affiliate links for books we recommend.  Read the full disclosure here.

Book: “The Winged Game” by Sophie Kim

Publishing Info: Del Rey, June 2026

Where Did I Get this Book: ARC from the publisher!

Where Can You Get this Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | IndieBound

Book Description: Carriwitchet, the violent, rugby-esque game played atop winged beasts, was once Taissa Cho’s whole life, and she was once the United Kingdom’s most promising player. Until her nemesis, rival player Kion Locke, destroyed her career in a single moment. Expelled from the sport in disgrace, Taissa has spent the last two years dreaming of nothing but revenge and relishing watching Kion’s team plummet to the bottom of the league.

So when Taissa is offered the chance to redeem herself and her career, she can’t refuse—even if the offer is coming from the very man who ruined everything in the first place. It’s close to a dream come true . . . except for that pesky clause in her contract that demands she and Kion enter a fake relationship in order to garner some much-needed positive PR for the team. This could not be a worse match. Taissa and Kion only have two things in their love of the game, and their undying hatred for each other.

Yet as a mysterious illness befalls the winged creatures of the entire league—putting both the beasts’ lives and the very sport itself at stake—the athletes find themselves partnering up in other ways, determined to crack the case of the eerie sickness. As their investigation takes them on a whirlwind adventure, Kion and Taissa are prepared for anything . . .

Anything, that is, but their fake-for-the-cameras relationship to maybe, just maybe, become something real after all.

Review: I know that sports romances have been having a bit of a moment recently, but as a romance reader who almost always avoids contemporary romance, I’ve missed most, if not all, of the big hits. That being the case, I was excited to see that Sophie Kim was coming out with her own fantasy twist on the subgenre!

Ultimately, this wasn’t my favorite read ever, but I think much of that comes down to my own preferences and the fact that I think this will sit much more comfortably alongside the “sports” romances than the “fantasy” romances. Kim’s writing is still quite approachable and fun, and I largely enjoy her style, which reads quickly but isn’t dumbed down in any way. The banter and dialogue were by far the best parts of the book and had me chuckling out loud at times. I also think that the enemies-to-lovers aspects, most exemplified in said banter, were done quite well. Due to the lower stakes of the book (they aren’t mortal enemies or anything), this sort of progression from “enemies/rivals” to eventual lovers makes more sense. And the snappy, quirky banter also fits better than it does in some of the enemy-to-lovers romantasies we see, where the love interests are quipping away in the middle of a life-or-death situation.

Oddly, the book had both too much sport and not enough, I think. For readers who really enjoy sports romances, there isn’t as much of that here as I think they’d expect. Aside from a few scenes, we don’t see a lot of it. But, again, I’m not a reader of that subgenre, so maybe that’s the convention there too, and I just assumed more actual sports-playing happened on the page.

On the other side, the sports scenes we did get didn’t really work for me, mostly because I was way too caught up on exactly how this whole sport/league worked. Call me a fantasy snob, but I do need something to hold my wild fantasy concepts together. Other than this being a sort of Quidditch spinoff where the players ride mythical beasts rather than brooms, I’d be hard-pressed to explain the rules. I also thought the general setup was rather odd. The riders form a deep connection with their steeds, and each team only plays on one sort of creature. So if you start with one team/steed, that’s what you’re stuck with forever. Even though there were only a few sports scenes, these persistent questions about rules and practicalities did distract me from the book itself.

I also didn’t love the romance. The MMC was your typical grumpy hero and really didn’t have anything new to offer to the standard version of this character you’ve probably read a million times before. The fake dating also felt rather silly at times. Again, this is probably more of a me issue, as fake dating isn’t my favorite trope. There were moments that I thought worked, but then others that had me rolling my eyes a bit. A certain marketing photo shoot comes to mind.

Overall, this was just ok. I got through it quickly and did genuinely find it funny at times. However, the sports aspect didn’t work for me, as I felt it was too underdeveloped for me to become invested. And while I enjoyed the “enemies to lovers” aspect, the fake dating trope didn’t work as well. Fans of Kim and sports romances, however, are much more likely to enjoy this and should definitely give it a shot!

Rating 7: For a sports romance where the players ride mystical beasts, I found the actual “sports” of it all rather underwhelming.

Reader’s Advisory:

“The Winged Game” can be found on this Goodreads list: 2026 Most Anticipated Romantasy & Fantasy Romance Releases