1. The Girls Are All So Nice Here – Meh. It starts off like it will be an interesting mystery, but it was just ok for me. Ambrosia and Sloane are old college friends who have dark secrets that they want to forget. But when their 10 year college reunion comes up, they both receive anonymous messages threatening that their secrets will be revealed. Rating: 6.5

2. The Music of Bees – This story was very predictable but I don’t care because I absolutely loved it and it made me feel all the warm fuzzies inside! Alice is a middle aged widow feeling lost in her new life after the death of her husband. Jake is a rebellious teen boy who suffers a horrific accident that leaves him paralyzed. Jake and Alice have an unexpected encounter that brings them together and they forge a bond over caring for the thousands of bees Alice tends to on her farm. The entire story is heartwarming and I loved the entire story. Rating: 8.5

3. Who is Maud Dixon – This book really took me on a journey that I was not expecting. Florence is an assistant to an editor at a major publishing house. But when she has an affair with her boss’ boss and then threatens him to gain leverage, she finds herself unemployed with no prospects. Then she receives the opportunity of a lifetime – to become the assistant to Maud Dixon, a psedounymn for the elusive and anonymous writer with a best selling novel that took the literary world by storm. No one knows who Maud Dixon really is but Florence is about to find out. When “Maud” invites Florence on a trip to Morrocco to research her next novel, Florence thinks she has truly landed the opportunity of a lifetime. Until Florence wakes up in a hospital room in Morrocco with no memory of what happened the night before, and a possible crime on her hands. Rating: 8

4. The Butcher and the Wren – I am a HUGE fan of the Morbid podcast and have been a loyal listener for years. This novel is one of the Morbid podcast host’s debut novel which I was interested to read. To be honest, it was good but not great and found it was not as developed as I would have liked. Wren Muller is a medical examiner that finds herself in the middle of serial killer investigation. Bodies keep turning up but Wren is unable to piece it all together. Then some evidence comes to light that makes Wren think she knows who the killer could be and she could be his next victim. Rating: 7

5. My Sunshine Away – This book has a ton of depth to it and would be great to analyze for a literary class but I found it a bit tedious at times. A sleepy suburban neighborhood in Baton Rouge is rocked by the rape of a young teenage girl right outside her home. There is no suspect and the ripple effect that this crime has on the entire neighborhood is devastating. Neighbors suspect each other and secrets are revealed that could possibly ruin some people’s lives. I was a bit frustrated because you don’t find out who really committed the crime until the last pages of the book, but at least there is some closure. Rating: 6

6. Mad Honey – I was hooked from the very beginning of this book and it captivated me through the entire story! Olivia is a single mom living with her teenage son after escaping an abusive relationship with her successful cardiothoracic surgeon husband. Olivia’s son Asher seems to be adjusting well after all these years and is in a loving relationship with his girlfriend Lily. Unfortunately Lily is found dead at her home and Asher becomes the prime suspect and is put on trial for first degree murder. Olivia must do everything she can to save her son but is terrified that maybe he is more like his father than she wants to admit. Rating: 9