Review: Doubles by Nora Gold

There are novels that tell a story, and then there are novels that quietly unsettle you—Doubles by Nora Gold although a novella is firmly in the latter category. This novella packs a punch and lingers long after you’ve finished it. It centers around a young math-obsessed girl stuck in an institution. It is creative, dark, disturbing and clever.  

One can appreciate how this novella resists a clean resolution. If you’re looking for a tidy ending, this isn’t that. But if you’re willing to sit with ambiguity—and perhaps even discomfort—there’s something deeply satisfying in how the story unfolds. It trusts the reader to draw their conclusions.

If I had to place Doubles within a reading mood, I’d call it a quiet psychological study with literary edges—perfect for when you want something thoughtful, slightly unsettling, looking in on someone else's life and experiences that is intellectually engaging without being overwhelming.

Thank you to #NetGalley, the author Nora Gold and Literary Press Group of Canada|Guernica Editions for a digital copy (eBook) of #Doubles in exchange for my honest opinion. #Doubles will be published on May 1, 2026. 

REVIEW: The Merge by Grace Walker

Grace Walker’s The Merge left me both unsettled and deeply moved. Set in a near-future Britain where two minds can be merged into one body, it explores what happens when love and desperation blur the line between salvation and surrender. Through Laurie, a mother fading into Alzheimer’s, and her daughter Amelia, who risks everything to preserve her, Walker asks haunting questions about memory, identity, and how far we’ll go to hold on to those we love. At its heart this is a story about a mother-daughter bond under extreme strain.

Quietly dystopian yet achingly human, The Merge balances speculative intrigue with emotional truth. It’s less about technology than about what it means to be known — and what we lose when we merge too much of ourselves for someone else’s sake.

A powerful, provocative debut that lingers long after the final page. Interestingly, I can't stop thinking about what fragrance Amelia and her mother would be wearing. The Merge embodies the fading memory and speak to Narciso Rodriguez for Her for its nostalgia and Juliette Has a Gun for its minimalism like consciousness pared down. 

Thank you to #NetGalley, the author Grace Walker and Mariner Books for a digital copy of #TheMerge in exchange for my honest opinion. The Merge will be published on November 11, 2025. 

REVIEW: Good Intentions by Marisa Walz

 

Marisa Walz’s debut Good Intentions is a gripping tale that lingers in the uneasy space between love, loss, and the moral blur of “helping” someone too much.

Cady, an event planner with a seemingly perfect life, loses her twin sister, Dana, in a sudden accident. While grieving she meets a grieving mother in the hospital, Morgan. Cady convinces herself that helping this stranger will somehow heal them both. What follows is a quiet, unnerving unraveling of identity and obsession. Walz pens this mystery-thriller with emotional precision, crafting the somewhat perfect unreliable narrator who we cannot help but be sympathetic towards.  She captures grief’s claustrophobic effect, and the lengths people are willing to go to in order to make sense of loss. 

This isn’t a fast-paced thriller; it’s a psychological portrait that poses uncomfortable questions about boundaries, intention, and the things we tell ourselves about being “good" and having "good intentions". It’s haunting, humane, and deeply unsettling in a pretty good way.

If this novel was a perfume it would be either Imaginary Authors - A City on Fire for its smoky sweetness and emotional unease or Le Labo – Iris 39 for its elegant, intimate, but unsettlingly detached feel.

Thank you to #NetGalley and #StMartinsPress and the author Marisa Walz for a digital copy of #GoodIntentions exchange for my honest opinion. Good Intentions will be published tomorrow February 3, 2026.

REVIEW: Sonora by Jenni L. Walsh

 

A fantastic historical fiction about one of the original women horse "daredevil" divers in a circus or amusement show.  She answers an ad in her late teens at the urgence of her mother. She goes to see the show and is enamored. Sonora loved horses. Now, she loved horses even more, and her death-defying act bolstered this love. She became a main attraction and loved every minute of it. However, after years of doing the act, she had an accident during a performance. Literally in the blink of an eye, she went blind in an instance. This would crush some but Sonora, but as soon as she was able to get up and "heal," she was back at it. She made a stellar comeback and continued her act while blind. This is not only an interesting story about Sonora Webster but one of endurance, self-sufficiency, independence, and perseverance. She found her calling in life, loved it, and did it on her terms. It's such a great novel. 

Thank you to #NetGalley, Harper Muse Audiobooks, and the author Jenni L. Walsh for a digital (audio) copy of #Sonora exchange for my honest opinion. Sonora will be published on Tuesday, October 28, 2025.

REVIEW: BOOM TOWN by Nic Stone

 

Debut adult thriller from young adult and middle grade author Nic Stone. Boom Town is her first adult novel. 

Boom Town is a fast pace intense urban thriller set in one of Atlant's infamous gentlemens club. We find two employees, Charm a newbie and Lucky, a seasoned [former] headliner have gone missing without a trace. The only person that notices this and how similar the two disappearances are is Lucky's former partner and co- headliner, Lyriq. 

Lyriq is on a mission to find out what happened and where these women are. This thriller is a mix of Player’s Club and P-Valley. It is gritty, raw, sharp, suspenseful and thought provoking. The latter is evident in the novel's social commentary on power, abuse, race, class, misogyny and the lack of attention and resources dedicated to finding missing women and girls.

Thank you to #NetGalley and #SimonSchuster, the author Nic Stone for a digital copy of #BoomTown exchange for my honest opinion. Boom Town will be published tomorrow October 14, 2025.

REVIEW: Orange Wine by Esperanza Hope Snyder

 

Orange Wine is a quiet, lyrical family saga about betrayal, endurance, and survival. Inés’s story—losing her husband to her sister just weeks after giving birth—unfolds with a kind of fated inevitability, more whispered family secret than melodrama.  Esperanza Hope Snyder's novel is tender, evocative, and beautifully penned, suffused with themes of feminine resilience, artistic freedom, and emotional rebirth. Snyder’s prose is gorgeous and precise, and the atmosphere reminded me of Isabel Allende and Elena Ferrante.

This is not a fast read—the pacing is slow, and Inés herself can be frustrating—but the language and emotional weight make it worth sitting with. Like the lingering scent of citrus, this one will stay with you long after the last page.

Thank you to #NetGalley, the author Esperanza Hope Snyder and Bindery Books | Mareas for a digital copy of #OrangeWine in exchange for my honest opinion. Orange Wine will be published on September 30, 2025. 

REVIEW: Black Woman Grief by Natasha Smith

Black Woman Grief: A Guide to Hope and Wholeness would be ideal for Christian women on a similar spiritual journey as the author. If would be difficult for non-Black women or perhaps non-African American women to appreciate this messages shares in the book. If it is not your lived or shared experience than it will be hard for you to relate. 

Part memoir, part self-help guide Black Woman Grief explores the different stages and types of grief Black women experience throughout their lives whether it is loss or trauma. I see this guide evolving into a workbook or devotional and being used either in Black women's bible study or religious based [grief] counseling. 

Thank you to #NetGalley, the author Natasha Smith and IVP Audiobooks | IVP for an audio copy of #BlackWomanGrief in exchange for my honest opinion. Black Woman Grief will be published on February 25, 2025. 

REVIEW: Real Life and Other Fictions by Susan Coll

Pleasantly surprised that  "Real Life and Other Fictions” was an enjoyable read. Susan Coll’s weaves an interesting We are introduced to Cassie, a woman in her 50s who finds herself at a crossroads. Orphaned as a toddler, she has spent her life tortured by the mysterious circumstances that caused her parents’ demise. She is also haunted by a “mythical creature” that she blames for her situation, her parents' demise, blurring the boundaries between reality and myth. It makes one question Cassie’s actions and thought processes. She almost seems to be unhinged. Her search for answers has consumed her five decades on earth and leads her from a failed career as a journalist to a community college lecturer. 

One day with her patience exhausted, not only from the past but also her present - her somewhat unstable, meme famous, cheating husband Cassie seizes the opportunity, takes her teething puppy, and embarks on a spontaneous road trip in search of the truth. She’s determined to start at the beginning and uncover the secrets of her past. This irrational spontaneity occurs a few times throughout the novel and leaves one to think that Cassie may actually be unstable. One of the very few issues I have with her. Cassie's journey unfolds as a surreal, comedic adventure infused with chaos, warmth and unraveled secrets. As she moves through this surreal landscape she encounters a colorful cast of characters, including an odd somewhat cold cryptozoologist who joins her quest. There may or may not be hints of a buddy romance here. This novel is definitely worth a read. 

Thank you to #NetGalley, the author Susan Coll and HarperCollins for a digital copy of #RealLifeandOtherFictions in exchange for my honest opinion.

REVIEW: Push, Then Breathe by Luissa Kiprono, MD

Push, Then Breathe: Trauma, Triumph, and the Making of an American Doctor by Luissa Kiprono, MD. 

Luissa Kiprono's memoir, "Push, Then Breathe" describes her remarkable journey from cherished childhood memories in Romania under Ceausescu's regime to enduring harrowing captivity and abuse by her father. She was able to escaped that marked the start of her path toward freedom, independence, and success. Steered by a resolved determination, hope and a positive outlook, Dr. Kiprono overcame her unimaginable circumstances. This memoir conveys a message of hope and empowerment to women, emphasizing one’s built-in worth.  It also shows the importance of pursuing one’s goals without self-imposed beliefs or limitations. Achieving her lifelong dream of becoming a Maternal-Fetal Medicine (MFM) specialist, a doctor that specializes in high-risk pregnancies. Dr. Kiprono now shares her experiences in a memoir that promises to enthrall and motivate readers.

Thank you to #NetGalley and the author Luissa Kiprono, MD for a digital copy of  #PushThenBreathe in exchange for my honest opinion. Disclaimer: Image courtesy of NetGalley.com.