Today, I have three very different books to review: an inventive thriller, a meh romance, and a quirky story that didn’t quite land for me. And I need to admit that I am way behind on writing my book reviews. Not that it really matters to anyone but me, but I finished the books below in September. Eeks! I’m planning on writing “What I’m Reading” posts throughout NaBloPoMo until I’m caught up, but since I decided to do a special project for the challenge, that means that some days, you’ll be getting two posts from me. Is this crazy? Yes, absolutely, but I thrive on crazy!
Time to Burn by Ellery Lloyd (★★★★☆)
Audiobook • Spotify • Thriller • 2026
Short synopsis: When a time-travel tour to London during the Blitz ends with a billionaire’s family returning bloodied and one member missing, filmmaker Phoebe Hunt recognizes the missing woman and must uncover her sinister motives before the past rewrites the future and puts those closest to her in danger.
I had heard a lot of buzz about this book, specifically from my parasocial friends at The Popcast, so I was excited to dive in, especially because the premise was so insane! The most I had heard about it was that it was a thriller involving time travel gone wrong, and I was so in. The beginning was a little confusing because there were a lot of people and I had no idea how any of it related to the original premise, but soon I got my bearings. And the majority of the story was great! I loved the time travel element, especially this idea of a billionaire who figured out the technology to make commercial time travel something that the ultra-wealthy can experience. There was so much happening behind the scenes, too, especially as Phoebe Hunt has been commissioned to create a documentary about the company and the billionaire behind it all. But then things go awry and this documentary becomes something much bigger than Phoebe had anticipated. I didn’t love the ending, however, but I think that’s more of a personal preference thing. It made sense with the rest of the story, but I just wanted something else selfishly! All in all, though, a great thriller with an intriguing premise.
If Not You by Ellen O’Clover (★★★☆☆)
Print • Owned (Book of the Month) • Contemporary Romance • 2026
Short synopsis: When an ambitious copywriter is forced to compete against her longtime rival for a coveted account, a month of travel, cutthroat competition, and unexpected vulnerability threatens to rewrite the story she’s spent years telling herself.
I love a good workplace romance, and I especially love a good enemies-to-lovers workplace romance so I was all in for this novel. Unfortunately, it didn’t live up to my expectations and left me wanting. For me, it felt a little too close to The Hating Game (one of my all-time favorite romances!) but without characters you want to root for. Honestly, I found the FMC, Mattie, to be rather obnoxious at times and honestly downright mean to the MMC, Campbell, who really didn’t do anything to deserve her ire. I actually don’t know why Campbell was attracted to Mattie because she was pretty terrible to him, and he deserved better. Once we got past the enemies part of the story and the two characters started connecting on a deeper level, I grew to like Mattie a lot more and their romance kept me turning the pages. But alas, it just didn’t give me the sort of magic I want from my romances, so meh.
Sky Daddy by Kate Folk (★★★☆☆)
Print • Owned (indie bookstore) • Contemporary Fiction • 2025
Short synopsis: Linda has a secret: she is romantically and sexually obsessed with airplanes. Her infatuation leads her to pursue a fatal union with her soulmate plane, and in doing so, she must choose between maintaining the appearance of normalcy and risking everything for the love she believes she was destined to find.
I started this book with a lot of trepidation. It didn’t really seem like my jam, but many people had raved about it and I’m always willing to give a wild premise a try. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the hit I hoped it would be. Let me be clear: I loved Linda and her obsession with planes. I don’t know if I will ever look at planes the same way. I loved how she tried so hard to fit in—online dating, vision board nights, etc.—even though none of it felt natural to her. However, the reason this book didn’t work for me is that I was missing any sort of character arc for Linda. I needed to see some sort of growth from her, and the ending left me a bit cold. I need Linda to seek a therapist who will understand the brilliant way her neurodivergent mind works, and I really need her to find a better group of friends (aside from Karina, she can stay).
What are you reading?
Leave a Reply