Best Offer Wins by Marisa Kashino (★★★★☆)
Print • Owned (Book of the Month) • Thriller • 2025
Short synopsis: After losing 11 bidding wars, Margo becomes dangerously obsessed with securing her dream home before it hits the market—crossing boundaries that threaten to unravel her job, her marriage, and her life.
Unhinged is the only way to describe this book. I devoured it in a single day during my reading retreat. I have never gone through the house-buying process (nor ever wanted to own a home in the obsessive way Margo does), but I’m going to assume some people may find Margo relatable (at least in the beginning), especially those trying to buy a house in a competitive market. However, as the book progresses, Margo becomes increasingly unhinged, unlikable, and almost impossible to root for. And yet, there’s something compelling about the extreme lengths she’ll go to get her dream home. This book was full of twists and turns I didn’t see coming, so if you’re looking for a “WTF did I just read?” experience, this is the book for you!
Animal Magnetism by Jill Shalvis (★★★★☆)
E-Book • Libby • Contemporary Romance • 2011
Short synopsis: Lilah Young never expected a passing-through pilot like Brady Miller to upend her carefully guarded instincts, but their undeniable pull challenges both her roots and his resistance to staying.
This was a reread for me (I first read it in 2016), and revisiting a 2011 romance in 2026 is… interesting. And while it may not be fair to judge this book through a modern lens, some of Brady’s behavior is a bit misogynistic, and Lilah could be a bit of a pushover at times. That said, this book is a super quick, uncomplicated read (I finished it in about 24 hours post–reading retreat), and while it lacks the emotional depth you see in a lot of contemporary romances today, it’s still an easy story that delivers a good time.
The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion, Vols 1 and 2 by Beth Brower (★★★★☆)
Audiobook • Hoopla • Historical Fiction • 2020
Short synopsis: In 1883 London, Emma M. Lion chronicles her life at Lapis Lazuli House alongside her eccentric cousin, formidable aunt, and a cast of delightfully odd neighbors.
Everyone on Goodreads seems to be reading this series, so I finally had to give it a try, and I was not disappointed. The first two books in the series are written as novellas (under 150 pages), and the audio for both is under 8 hours. Since I listened to them back-to-back, I thought I would review them as one unit. These novellas are incredibly fun, with a lovable heroine in Emma. I want to be her friend! I’m so glad I have six more books in this series to read and that the author is planning on writing more. I want to stay in Emma’s charming world forever and ever.
What are you reading?
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