★★★☆☆ Strange is an understated descriptor for the protagonist of this novel, which follows a woman as she tries to find her way to normalcy

★★★☆☆ A so-so debut that follows the exploits of a grandmother, mother, and daughter as they work to solve a mystery on the California coast

★★★★☆ A father goes missing, and his son knows what happened but cannot tell anyone due to a disability. Mostly satisfying, but with flaws.

★★★☆☆ It's not especially romantic or comedic, and it lacks any type of misdirection. Weirdly, I still sort of enjoyed it, but I wanted more

★★★★★ A story of a four tight knit girls at a small college turns dark when it seems they might have been involved with a frat boy's death.

★★★☆☆ Book 3 in the Maggie D'Arcy mystery series fizzles compared to prior books; fully set in Ireland, the story feels muddled and forced.

★★★★★ El-Arifi builds on her stellar debut The Final Strife (my #3 book of 2022), and does so both ambitiously and successfully.

★★★☆☆ Inflated expectations probably diminished my enjoyment of this river odyssey tale. It's an okay story, but Ordinary Grace it is not.