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Month: May 2026

Published on Leave a comment on Mad Mabel
Mad Mabel Book Cover Mad Mabel
Sally Hepworth
Fiction
St. Martin's Press
April 21, 2026
Audiobook
352
Publisher via NetGalley

There are two kinds of people no one ever expects to be murderers: little girls and old ladies. Meet Mad Mabel. Elsie Mabel Fitzpatrick is eighty-one years old. She's lived on her idyllic street, Kenny Lane, for sixty years--longer than anyone else. Aside from being a curmudgeon who minds everyone else's business, few would suspect that Elsie has a past that she has worked exceedingly hard at concealing. Because when it comes to murder, no one ever suspects little girls or old ladies. And Elsie Mabel Fitzpatrick, once a little girl and now an old lady, has a strange history of people in her life coming to a foul end. When a new little girl (talkative, curious, nosy) moves into the neighborhood and stops at nothing to befriend Elsie, her carefully-constructed life threatens to come crashing down as the secrets in Elsie's past start coming to light. Who was "Mad Mabel" fifty years ago? Who is Elsie Fitzpatrick today? And if the past has a habit of repeating itself, who has the most to lose? Told with Sally Hepworth's twists, humor, charm, and heart, MAD MABEL is novel that weaves past and present together--through the power of justice and redemption, and all the way to its stunning conclusion.

My review:

My favorite of Hepworth’s books thus far (and I’ve read them all)!

I love a book with an older protagonist, and Elsie (Mabel) was perfect. One minute I was chortling with laughter and a few pages later I wanted to cry for her. The sense of found family after a childless and difficult upbringing was such a delight. All of the side characters were well constructed and filled out, especially darling Persephone. I really liked how the story was constructed, alternating between Mabel’s childhood and her present life. I never saw the ending coming (especially one part), and I may have gasped when I read it!

Such a well rounded read and one that I couldn’t put down! I listened to the audio and the narrators did a great job voicing Elsie/Mabel.

Published on Leave a comment on Summer State of Mind
Summer State of Mind Book Cover Summer State of Mind
Kristy Woodson Harvey
Fiction
Gallery Books
May 5, 2026
Advanced reader copy
384
Publisher

After the worst day in her professional life, burnt-out NICU nurse Daisy Stevens runs to Cape Carolina, North Carolina, looking for a new life—and possibly new romance. On her first day at her “simpler” job, high school baseball coach Mason Thaysden discovers an abandoned baby, sending ripples through the entire tight-knit town of Cape Carolina.

Mason is still struggling to reconcile the scars of the injury that kept him out of the big leagues, stuck in his hometown, and searching for a way out. This newcomer and the child they’ve saved together might be just the motivation he needs to stay put. Sparks fly as Mason acquaints Daisy with Cape Carolina, introducing her to his friends and family, including his batty Aunt Tilley, who is looking for relief from long-buried family secrets and her own fresh start.

But as Daisy becomes increasingly attached to this abandoned child, and begins facing her own demons in the process, a startling discovery is made that threatens to rip the entire town of Cape Carolina apart, placing Daisy, Mason, and Tilley in the center of the storm. They will each learn that with love, understanding—and a community theater production of Hello, Dolly!—sometimes life conspires to bring us just exactly where we belong.

My review:

4.5 stars

In case you think all I read is depressing books or those with sadness (from my last two reviews), fear not, I'm also drawn to feel good "beach reads". This is one that I would classify as that, but with a caveat. Sometimes when I think of a beach read, I think it's something that is kind of fluff, that you don't really have to pay attention to know where it's going. That is not this book. This book has the small town, everybody knows everyone, feel to it. However, there is a lot going on with these characters. Lots of former heartache (and not just from romantic breakups) and many secrets being kept. This author does a great job of making you feel like you are part of the town and friends with the characters. Of course this lends itself to rooting for them and wanting the best for them. While I was not a fan of one part of the ending (as an adoption mom you'll know when you read it), I did like the resolution for the characters. I could have done without the typical third act conflict (often found in romances), but that is a me thing and most readers won't have any issue with it. If you are a reader of this author's books, you'll love the Easter egg of the main character's brother 🙂

If you want to feel immersed in small town life in coastal Carolina, this would be a perfect choice. Despite the cover and title, this actually takes place mostly in the spring, so now is a great time to pick it up. This is my favorite (so far) of this author's stand-a-lone books, her Peachtree Bluff series is still tops for me (with a new book coming in the fall, so yay!).