May, 2026
May 8th, 2026, 6:22 p.m. - Come home
19. A Box Full of Darkness (Simone St. James)
Up next: The Natural Mother of the Child (Krys Malcolm Belc)
May 14th, 2026, 4:53 p.m. - There's no wrong way to make a family
20. The Natural Mother of the Child (Krys Malcolm Belc)
Up next: It Should Have Been You (Andrea Mara)
May 21st, 2026, 6:01 p.m. - Gives new meaning to the phrase "the other woman"
21. It Should Have Been You (Andrea Mara)
Up next: Read Between the Lies (Jesse Q. Sutanto)
May 26th, 2026, 5:52 p.m. - Dear Fern, you are exhausting
22. Read Between the Lies (Jesse Q. Sutanto)
Up next: Missing Me (Ayana Lage)
May 31st, 2026, 4:31 p.m. - A real-life horror story
23. Missing Me (Ayana Lage)
Up next: The Anniversary (Alex Finlay)
This is the first of St. James' books that has appealed to me, but it made me want to read more from her. The atmosphere was perfect for a haunted house story, and I thought the relationships between the Esmie siblings were realistic. Good, spooky stuff.
This has been on my radar for a while, but I've just now gotten around to reading it. I wish I hadn't waited so long. I love Belc's writing. I'm glad he has a new book coming out next month, because I'd love to read more about his family.
This was a little messy and had too many characters (the teens were really unnecessary in the story), but I liked the pacing and the twists. None of Mara's previous books look that appealing to me right now, but I'd read more from her in the future.
This reminded me a little of Yellowface, and not just because they're both by Asian American writers and about Asian American writers. It's because both had frustrating main characters I lost patience with halfway through.
Part of me wishes this had been longer, but I also think that Lage did a great job covering everything in less than 200 pages. I admire her for being so open in talking about her experience with postpartum psychosis. I wouldn't have blamed her if she'd wanted to keep it quiet from everyone for the rest of her life.