What I’m Reading in February

I’m sharing my February stack with you.  Lots of great books are out there!  I’ve got three from the public library and two advanced reader copies of books releasing this March and April, which were sent to me by the author’s publishers.

Daisy Darker by Alice Fenney. We’ve read several of Fenney’s books in our book club, and just like the others, this book did not disappoint. Daisy Darker was born with a broken heart. After years of avoiding each other, Daisy Darker’s entire family is assembling for Nana’s 80th birthday party in her crumbling gothic house on a tiny tidal island. The family arrives, each of them harboring secrets. When the tide comes in, they will be cut off from the rest of the world for eight hours.

But at the stroke of midnight, as a storm rages, Nana is found dead. And an hour later, the next family member follows…

Trapped on an island where someone is killing them one by one, the Darkers must reckon with their present mystery and past secrets before the tide goes out and all is revealed.  Released in 2023, I’ve read three of her other books: Rock, Paper Scissors, Sometimes I Lie, and His & Hers—all her excellent page-turners.

 

The Unmaking of June Farrow by Adrienne Young. This book is recommended by a gal I follow on Instagram who has a book club. June Farrow waits for fate to find her in the small mountain town of Jasper, North Carolina. The Farrow women are known for their thriving flower farm—and the mysterious curse that has plagued their family line. The whole town remembers the madness that led to Susanna Farrow’s disappearance, leaving June to be raised by her grandmother and haunted by rumors.

It’s been a year since June started seeing and hearing things that weren’t there. Faint wind chimes, a voice calling her name, and a mysterious door appeared out of nowhere—the signs of what June always knew was coming. But June is determined to end the curse once and for all, even if she must sacrifice finding love and having a family.

After her grandmother’s death, June discovers a series of cryptic clues regarding her mother’s-decades-old disappearance, except they only lead to more questions. But could the door she once assumed was a hallucination be the answer she’d been searching for? The next time it appears, June realizes she can touch it and walk past the threshold. When she does, she embarks on a journey that will not only change both the past and the future but also uncover the lingering mysteries of her small town and entangle her heart in epic star-crossed love.

Society of Lies by Lauren Ling Brown.  This is a Reese Witherspoon book club selection. I’ve been on the waiting list for this from the library for a long time.

How far would you go to belong?

Maya has returned to Princeton for her college reunion—it’s been a decade since she graduated, and she is looking forward to seeing old faces and reminiscing about her time there. This visit is special because Maya will also be attending the graduation of her little sister, Naomi.

But what should have been a dream weekend becomes Maya’s worst nightmare when she receives the news that Naomi is dead. The police call it an accident, but Maya suspects there is more to the story than they are letting on.

As Maya pieces together what happened in the months leading up to her sister’s death, she begins to realize how much Naomi hid from her. Despite Maya’s warnings, Naomi had joined Sterling Club, the most exclusive social club on campus—the same one Maya belonged to. And if she had to guess, Naomi was likely tapped for the secret society within it.

The more Maya uncovers, the more terrified she becomes that Naomi’s decision to follow in her footsteps might have been what got her killed. Because Maya’s time at Princeton wasn’t as fabulous as she’d always made it seem—after all, her sister wasn’t the first young woman to turn up dead. Now every clue is leading Maya back to the past . . . and to the secret she’s kept all these years.

Kate & Frida: A Novel of Friendship, Food and Books by Kim Fay. I am super excited to receive an advanced reader copy of this book from Kim. We read her book Love & Saffron several years ago and it remains one of my top ten most favorite books. This is the sequel to Love & Saffron. I plan to interview Kim and share our discussion on YouTube this spring after the book releases in March.

Sometimes, a book can change your life…

Twentysomething Frida Rodriguez arrives in Paris in 1991, relishing the city’s butter-soaked cuisine and seeking her future as a war correspondent. But then she writes to a bookshop in Seattle and receives more than just the book she requests. A friendship begins that will redefine the person she wants to become.

Frida’s free spirit transforms Seattle bookseller Kate Fair, spurred to believe in herself as a writer, to kiss her handsome coworker, and to find beauty even in loss. Through the most tumultuous years of their young lives—personally and globally—Kate and Frida sustain and nourish each other as they learn the necessity of embracing joy, especially through our darkest hours.

This mouthwatering oasis of a novel is a love letter to bookshops and booksellers, to the passion we bring to life in our twenties, and to the last precious years before the internet changed everything.

The Griffin Sisters’ Greatist Hits by Jennifer Weiner. We’ve read a few of Weiner’s books in our book club, including Mrs. Everything, which I liked. Weiner’s latest book was also sent to me by her publisher and is available for purchase April 8.

Sisters Cassie and Zoe Grossberg were born just a year apart but could not have been more different. Zoe, blessed with charm and beauty, yearned for fame from the moment she could sing into a hairbrush. Cassie was a musical prodigy who never felt at home in her own skin and preferred the safety of the shadows.

On the brink of adulthood in the early 2000s, destiny intervened, catapulting the sisters into the spotlight as the pop sensation the Griffin Sisters, hitting all the touchstones of early aughts fame—SNL, MTV, Rolling Stone magazine—along the way.

But after a whirlwind year in the public eye, the band abruptly broke up.

Two decades later, Zoe’s a housewife; Cassie’s off the grid. The sisters aren’t speaking, and the real reason for the Griffin Sisters’ breakup is still a mystery. Zoe’s teenage daughter, Cherry, determined to be a star despite Zoe’s warnings, is on a quest to learn the truth about what happened to the band all those years ago.

As secrets emerge, all three women must face the consequences of their choices: the ones they made and the ones the music industry made for them. Can they forgive each other—and themselves? And will the Griffin Sisters ever make music again?

Happy reading!