The Housemaid (The Housemaid Book 1) | By Freida McFadden

 

Millie is working for the Winchesters. They have a beautiful home and Mille cleans, cooks and picks up the Winchesters daughter. Mille is a live in housemaid and is given a tiny room on the top floor of the home. The room is plain but for Millie it is like paradise because up until she got this job she had been living in her car. 

Millie quickly learns that something is amiss in the Winchester home. Nina the wife only wears white (and so does the young daughter). Nina makes messes on purpose and takes pleasure in watching Millie clean them up. Nina also does and says things to make Millie doubt herself. Nina goes from friendly to unfriendly back and forth causing much confusion.

Andrew the husband is handsome, rich and kind. Him and Nina don't quite seem to fit together. The daughter is peculiar, spoiled and a bit spooky. Despite misgivings, Millie continues to work for the Winchesters because the pay is good and she is a recently released convict which makes finding a job difficult. 

Mille discovers a huge secret that Nina is keeping and that mixed with warnings from the landscaper has her questioning more than the door to her room that only locks from the outside. 

The Housemaid is told in a diary type form and the audiobook keeps you captivated and makes you feel personally involved in the story. This story is binge worthy and I am excited to read more books in the series. I was entertained the ending was satisfying. 

Love Me Tomorrow by Emiko Jean

Publication Date: February 3, 2026

Emma Nakamura-Thatcher is only 17 years old.  Her parents are divorced and this has left her jaded and not believing in love. When she receives a love note from someone claiming to be from the future. She dismisses it as a joke but then she receives another note. Emma is intrigued and writes back to the sender. They exchange note after note but the writer refuses to disclose his identity. 

Emma makes is her mission to discover the identify of the writer and by doing so she opens herself up to others leading her to discover things about herself and others. 

Emiko Jean knows how to write. She creates a realistic world with characters that are relatable to (even if you aren't a teen or young adult). There is a lot of character growth. Jean's writing keeps you guessing and wanting everyone to be the secret letter writer. 

This is my first read by Jean and I feel as though I just discovered a writer I will be revisiting again an again.

** I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. 

16 Forever | By Lance Rubin

 

Publication Date: January 6, 2026

Carter Cohen has been reliving his 16th birthday for 6 years. Every year on his birthday his memory of the previous year is erased. He goes back to looking 16 and his family has to explain his situation. He is stuck in a loop and despite trying over and over again he can't seem to break out of it. 

The friends he grew up with are in college and living the lives of 22 year olds. Carter has to go back to high school, make new friends and live with the knowledge that everyone is aware of his condition and works around it. 

His previous girlfriend, Maggie who he has no memory of has decided to sit this loop out. She is leaving for college next year and doesn't want to go through the pain of losing him again. Carter finds himself drawn to her but she is doing everything she can to pretend she doesn't know who he is and has asked others to not remind him of their previous relationship.

Lincoln who is Carters brother is away at college and is now older than his older brother. Lincoln feels like he is to blame for the loop and is living with guilt.

This time loop book is a different take creating a fun and exciting story.  The characters are well developed and the plot flows with ease. 

I was given the opportunity to listen to a free copy of the audio book and the narrators are amazing. They bring the story to life. I was able to visualize it and felt as though I was watching a series on tv. 

This is  a time loop book you don't want to miss out on.

** I received a free copy of this audiobook from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 

Most Eligible by Isabelle Engel

 

Georgia Rose is going undercover to do an expose on a hit reality show called,  Love Shack.  It's an important piece for her because it will make her dream job as a journalist possible. She plans to expose the show, producers and give backstage secrets on what it's like to be a contestant. Georgia is ready go integrate herself but when Rhett Auburn is introduced as this years host Georgia knows her life just got complicated.

Rhett was previously on the show and about a year ago Georgia had a passionate one night stand with him.  Rhett recognizes her but her knows her under a different name.  They will need to keep their one night stand a secret and pretend they don't know one another in order to both keep their part on the show.

This season's bachelor is Roland Marchetti. He is a tennis pro who has secrets of his own. The producer's of the game play a larger role in the selection process and his forced to play by there rules. There is a lot of manipulation going on behind the camera and in front of it. 

Engle's writing pulls you in as she captures the real feel of emotions and complicated relationships. You feel like you're experiencing a tell all in real time. This is a fun and charming book. You don't have to be a fan of reality shows to like this book (I am not). 

Anatomy of an Alibi | by Ashley Elston

 

Ben Bayliss is dead. He has been found murdered in his home office. He is a successful lawyer and married to Camille Bayliss. They appeared to have the picture perfect life but Camille had a gut feeling that Ben had been hiding something very important for years. 

Aubrey Price's life was changed over a decade ago. She is convinced Ben Bayliss had something to do with it and she wants to find out exactly how she was involved. 

Aubrey and Camille team up in order to spy on Ben but the day Ben is murdered only one of them has an alibi.

This book will hook you in however at times it's unbelievable and there are a lot of characters. It takes a bit to keep track  and sort them all out but once you do it's easy to understand why there are so many. There are lots of suspects.

The story is told from various points of view and in present and past form. It's a fun book with lots of action. I strongly suggest that you pay attention to dates in order to keep stories straight. It will save you some frustration. 

Best Offer Wins | by Marisa Kashino

 

Margo Miyake is tired of house hunting. Her and her husband have lost bidding war after bidding war. Eleven in fact. Margo is tired of living in her cramped apartment and when she gets a tip on a house that's going to hit the market she becomes obsessed. 

The house is perfect and is in the most perfect neighborhood. Margo wants to purchase the house before it hits the market and her path to making this happens includes stalking, trespassing and befriending the owners! Margo will do anything to make her dream come possible but some lines shouldn't be crossed.

This is Kashino's debut novel. It's dark, funny and if you have ever been house hunting you will relate to a degree.  It starts off strong and then slows and build up again. You can sense where the book is going but it's still a satisfying read. 

Served Him Right | By Lisa Unger

 

Expected Publication Date: March 10, 2026

Ana Blacksmith is celebrating the end of her relationship with, Paul. She is having an Ex-orcisim. It entails removing Paul from their social media accounts but the celebration is cut short when they receive news that Paul is dead. Ana is suspect number one.

Then one of the women (Iggy) from the friend group falls deathly ill. It is suspicious. 

Ana and Vera (Ana's sister) team up to prove Ana's innocent. Despite the amount of enemies Paul has finding who is responsible for his death is proving to be difficult.

Served Him Right is told through multiple points of view. The characters are well developed and the drama is at an all time high. Fans of Unger will love this book.

** I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. 

Never Lie | by Freida McFadden

Tricia and Ethan marry shortly after meeting - now they are on the hunt for their dream home. They head out during a snowstorm to view a manor in a remote area. The snow storm turns into a blizzard and they are trapped in the manor belonging to renowned psychiatrist named Dr. Adrienne Hale.  

Dr. Hale vanished without a trace four years ago and the answer to her disappearance may lay in cassette tapes from her recorded sessions that Tricia finds. Tricia finds herself engrossed in the tapes but then one of the tape chills her to the core.

Never Lie is told via different points of views and mainly takes place in the manor adding to the isolation and psychological thrill of the book. The twists, turns and hinted reveals deliver a good read. 

Yellowface | by R.F. Kuang

 

Athena and Juniper are both young authors. Athena is much more successful as a writer and loved by many. Juniper's debut book is a flop and she's struggling to write her next novel. Athena and Juniper occasionally get together and on their last get together, Juniper witnesses Athena's accidental death. 

Juniper snatches Athen's manuscript. She edits the the story and makes it her own. She submits it to her publisher and the book finds success but soon Juniper is living under the fear that her secret will be exposed.

This book has me on the edge of my seat. The story essentially tells itself. This is the first book I have read from Kuang and her writing is phenomenal. Yellowface is a brilliant book that also gives insight into how book publishing and the book release process goes. 

This Is Ear Hustle Book | by Nigel Poor & Earlonne Woods

Have you ever listened to the podcast, Ear Hustle? If not I highly recommend it. 

I chose to listen to the audiobook rather than read the book of This is Ear Hustle because I was familiar with the voices of Nigel and Earlonne and was hoping to recreate the feeling of them on the podcast together. 

They have great chemistry, storytelling skills and know how to make a story come to life.

This book is written by the creators of Ear Hustle. It explores untold stories. digs deeper into other stories and gives a look into their own personal circumstances. We learn more about Earlonne which is absolutely amazing. 

This is an important read that explores the justice system, incarceration and life after prison.

The River Is Waiting | by Wally Lamb

 

Lambs book, I Know this Much is true left me broken and this one did too but in a different way.

Corby is a father and a husband. He is also unemployed and struggling with an addiction. His addiction lands him behind bars. 

His life is filled with guilt and pain. Lamb paints what I can only imagine a true and bleak look into life in prison. Corby is trying to keep his marriage together, fight against his addiction and find his place. 

Luckily, Corby find friendship and acts of kindness in prison which help him find some degree of peace and in return he extends the same.

Corby's journey is harsh, often ugly and breaks you. This book is a difficult read in that it drains you emotionally. The characters struggles feel real and raw. You feel for multiple characters and question what you would do and feel. 

The ending ... you see it coming but you keep turning those pages and punishing yourself.  It's only January but this might be my favorite book of 2026.