https://www.barlinsbooks.com/ A running ranking of the year's best books. en-us Mon, 03 Aug 2026 03:46:11 GMT https://www.barlinsbooks.com/post/the-things-we-never-say-elizabeth-strout-review https://www.barlinsbooks.com/post/the-things-we-never-say-elizabeth-strout-review Sun, 26 Jul 2026 07:00:00 GMT A brief, introspective read in which themes of free will, identity, and interpersonal relationships are explored through a teacher's midlife crisis. https://www.barlinsbooks.com/post/when-lemons-give-you-life-anna-johnston-review https://www.barlinsbooks.com/post/when-lemons-give-you-life-anna-johnston-review Fri, 24 Jul 2026 07:00:00 GMT A former chef fakes dementia in a nursing home before finding redemption and a new reason to live in this latest from the author of The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife. https://www.barlinsbooks.com/post/the-shampoo-effect-jenny-jackson-review https://www.barlinsbooks.com/post/the-shampoo-effect-jenny-jackson-review Wed, 22 Jul 2026 07:00:00 GMT A writer joins a tight-knit coastal town only to feel isolated by decades of shared history in this slice-of-life character study full of people I couldn't care less about. https://www.barlinsbooks.com/post/mad-mabel-sally-hepworth-review https://www.barlinsbooks.com/post/mad-mabel-sally-hepworth-review Sat, 18 Jul 2026 07:00:00 GMT A funny, heartwarming character study of a sardonic 81-year-old former convict whose quiet life unravels when a neighbor turns up dead. https://www.barlinsbooks.com/post/into-the-blue-emma-brodie-review https://www.barlinsbooks.com/post/into-the-blue-emma-brodie-review Fri, 17 Jul 2026 07:00:00 GMT Two actors with an undeniable connection explore a relentless on-again, off-again romance in this spicy, love-it-or-hate-it read built for the theater crowd. https://www.barlinsbooks.com/post/the-infinite-state-richard-swan-review https://www.barlinsbooks.com/post/the-infinite-state-richard-swan-review Thu, 16 Jul 2026 07:00:00 GMT A woman attempts to found a fledgling nation to escape the suffocating control of a totalitarian empire in this interesting sci-fi space opera. https://www.barlinsbooks.com/post/the-one-day-you-were-my-husband-rosie-walsh-review https://www.barlinsbooks.com/post/the-one-day-you-were-my-husband-rosie-walsh-review Wed, 08 Jul 2026 07:00:00 GMT Years after her husband was captured by armed men on their wedding day, a woman discovers that he's alive. She's happily remarried, but compelled to seek him out. https://www.barlinsbooks.com/post/the-night-hunter-natalie-moss-review https://www.barlinsbooks.com/post/the-night-hunter-natalie-moss-review Mon, 06 Jul 2026 07:00:00 GMT A stranded group faces predators—both animal and human—in a South African game reserve in this twisty thriller that falls short on execution. https://www.barlinsbooks.com/post/night-objects-eli-raphael-review https://www.barlinsbooks.com/post/night-objects-eli-raphael-review Mon, 29 Jun 2026 07:00:00 GMT A coming-of-age novel set at an elite boarding that focuses as much on class, race, and outsider status as it does on the central murder mystery. https://www.barlinsbooks.com/post/meredith-alone-claire-alexander-review https://www.barlinsbooks.com/post/meredith-alone-claire-alexander-review Sat, 27 Jun 2026 07:00:00 GMT A depressing, poignant look at agoraphobia and abuse in many forms, focused on a woman who hasn't left her home in over three years. https://www.barlinsbooks.com/post/broken-dove-dani-francis-review https://www.barlinsbooks.com/post/broken-dove-dani-francis-review Wed, 24 Jun 2026 07:00:00 GMT Wren Darlington's journey picks up immediately where Silver Elite ended, continuing to explore the conflict between the Uprising and Command. https://www.barlinsbooks.com/post/habits-of-the-sea-shea-ernshaw-review https://www.barlinsbooks.com/post/habits-of-the-sea-shea-ernshaw-review Wed, 24 Jun 2026 04:48:53 GMT A woman returns to a mythical floating island she once visited as a child, only to become stranded with the ageless man who is living there. https://www.barlinsbooks.com/post/phoebe-bermans-gonna-lose-it-brooke-averick-review https://www.barlinsbooks.com/post/phoebe-bermans-gonna-lose-it-brooke-averick-review Tue, 16 Jun 2026 05:00:00 GMT One month shy of her thirtieth birthday, Phoebe Berman is determined to conquer her neuroses and finally lose her virginity in this laugh-out-loud rom-com. https://www.barlinsbooks.com/post/lady-tremaine-rachel-hochhauser-review https://www.barlinsbooks.com/post/lady-tremaine-rachel-hochhauser-review Tue, 09 Jun 2026 07:00:00 GMT A brilliant retelling of Cinderella from the "wicked" stepmother's perspective, this witty, inventive historical drama completely reimagines a classic villain. https://www.barlinsbooks.com/post/whisper-creek-allison-brennan-review https://www.barlinsbooks.com/post/whisper-creek-allison-brennan-review Sat, 06 Jun 2026 07:00:00 GMT A Texas farm family faces a massive storm, corporate threats, and a string of burglaries in this multi-layered, yet muddled, thriller. https://www.barlinsbooks.com/post/the-midnight-train-matt-haig-review https://www.barlinsbooks.com/post/the-midnight-train-matt-haig-review Sat, 30 May 2026 07:00:00 GMT While not exactly a sequel, Matt Haig revisits the premise of 2020's The Midnight Library with another examination of the different paths our lives can take. https://www.barlinsbooks.com/post/the-calamity-club-kathryn-stockett-review https://www.barlinsbooks.com/post/the-calamity-club-kathryn-stockett-review Fri, 29 May 2026 07:00:00 GMT In her first book since The Help, Kathryn Stockett transports us to 1933 Mississippi where a female-driven cast exposes the misogynistic society of the time. https://www.barlinsbooks.com/post/cherry-baby-rainbow-rowell-review https://www.barlinsbooks.com/post/cherry-baby-rainbow-rowell-review Tue, 26 May 2026 07:00:00 GMT A 36-year-old woman navigates divorce and reclaims her identity from a comic character based on her in this latest adult novel from Rainbow Rowell. https://www.barlinsbooks.com/post/homebound-portia-elan-review https://www.barlinsbooks.com/post/homebound-portia-elan-review Mon, 25 May 2026 07:00:00 GMT A multi-timeline story that had me hopeful for something akin to Cloud Cuckoo Land unfortunately sputters to a disjointed and wholly unsatisfying conclusion. https://www.barlinsbooks.com/post/the-children-melissa-albert-review https://www.barlinsbooks.com/post/the-children-melissa-albert-review Wed, 20 May 2026 07:00:00 GMT A haunting, dual-timeline tale of estranged siblings reckoning with a traumatic childhood serves up a unique blend of family drama and dark fairy tale. https://www.barlinsbooks.com/post/the-ending-writes-itself-evelyn-clarke-review https://www.barlinsbooks.com/post/the-ending-writes-itself-evelyn-clarke-review Sun, 17 May 2026 07:00:00 GMT Six authors compete on a remote Scottish island to finish a dead writer's final novel in this middling Clue-like send-up of the publishing industry. https://www.barlinsbooks.com/post/our-perfect-storm-carley-fortune-review https://www.barlinsbooks.com/post/our-perfect-storm-carley-fortune-review Mon, 11 May 2026 07:00:00 GMT When a woman's fiancé leaves her on their wedding day, she ends up taking her lifelong (gorgeous, heterosexual) male best friend on her honeymoon. What could happen? https://www.barlinsbooks.com/post/five-ilona-bannister-review https://www.barlinsbooks.com/post/five-ilona-bannister-review Mon, 11 May 2026 07:00:00 GMT Jaw-dropping dialogue and moral judgement set the tone for this dark exploration of five neurodiverse characters, one of which we're told will die by the end of the book. https://www.barlinsbooks.com/post/sublimation-isabel-j-kim-review https://www.barlinsbooks.com/post/sublimation-isabel-j-kim-review Fri, 08 May 2026 07:00:00 GMT A thought-provoking sci-fi debut exploring identity and immigration through "instances" where a copy of a person is created when they immigrate to a new country. https://www.barlinsbooks.com/post/you-with-the-sad-eyes-christina-applegate-review https://www.barlinsbooks.com/post/you-with-the-sad-eyes-christina-applegate-review Thu, 07 May 2026 07:00:00 GMT In this unflinchingly honest memoir, Christina Applegate lays bare her life in Hollywood and her private battles with breast cancer, MS, and self-loathing. https://www.barlinsbooks.com/post/one-and-only-maurene-goo-review https://www.barlinsbooks.com/post/one-and-only-maurene-goo-review Sat, 02 May 2026 07:00:00 GMT When a professional matchmaker meets her "fated" match, she must choose between her prophesied destiny and an undeniable connection she has with someone else. https://www.barlinsbooks.com/post/london-falling-patrick-radden-keefe-review https://www.barlinsbooks.com/post/london-falling-patrick-radden-keefe-review Wed, 29 Apr 2026 07:00:00 GMT A gripping and fascinating piece of investigative journalism that seeks to uncover the truth behind the mysterious death of a young London man in 2019. https://www.barlinsbooks.com/post/last-one-out-jane-harper-review https://www.barlinsbooks.com/post/last-one-out-jane-harper-review Mon, 27 Apr 2026 07:00:00 GMT Set in a dying Australian mining town, Harper's latest centers around a couple trying to solve the mystery of their son's disappearance five years prior. https://www.barlinsbooks.com/post/emperor-of-gladness-ocean-vuong-review https://www.barlinsbooks.com/post/emperor-of-gladness-ocean-vuong-review Sat, 25 Apr 2026 07:00:00 GMT A young Vietnamese-American man and an elderly Lithuanian woman form a bond in this bleak book which should have be titled "The Emperor of Sadness". https://www.barlinsbooks.com/post/the-wayfinder-adam-johnson-review https://www.barlinsbooks.com/post/the-wayfinder-adam-johnson-review Wed, 22 Apr 2026 05:00:00 GMT An immense and dense epic literary journey through the South Pacific of 1000 years ago that explores the struggle for power on Tonga. https://www.barlinsbooks.com/post/american-fantasy-emma-straub-review https://www.barlinsbooks.com/post/american-fantasy-emma-straub-review Mon, 20 Apr 2026 07:00:00 GMT A boy band cruise tries to offer nostalgia but fails to set sail in this disappointing look at fame and aging that lacks the heart and romance expected. https://www.barlinsbooks.com/post/this-book-made-me-think-of-you-libby-page-review https://www.barlinsbooks.com/post/this-book-made-me-think-of-you-libby-page-review Wed, 15 Apr 2026 07:00:00 GMT Six months after her husband dies, a woman finds out he left her a year of books, one per month, to help her heal and move forward. https://www.barlinsbooks.com/post/starside-alex-aster-review https://www.barlinsbooks.com/post/starside-alex-aster-review Sat, 11 Apr 2026 07:00:00 GMT A young woman enters a deadly competition to retrieve a goblet of magic in this romantasy that feels like the love child of The Hunger Games and Silver Elite. https://www.barlinsbooks.com/post/lake-effect-cynthia-daprix-sweeney-review https://www.barlinsbooks.com/post/lake-effect-cynthia-daprix-sweeney-review Mon, 06 Apr 2026 07:00:00 GMT An exploration of the fallout of a 1977 affair and divorce over several decades. Despite nuanced characters, this family drama mostly missed the mark for me. https://www.barlinsbooks.com/post/a-far-flung-life-ml-stedman-review https://www.barlinsbooks.com/post/a-far-flung-life-ml-stedman-review Fri, 03 Apr 2026 07:00:00 GMT A tragic accident on a remote sheep station eventually leads to a dark family secret in this character-driven exploration of duty and psyche in the Australian Outback. https://www.barlinsbooks.com/post/crux-gabriel-tallent-review https://www.barlinsbooks.com/post/crux-gabriel-tallent-review Sat, 28 Mar 2026 07:00:00 GMT Two high school friends use rock climbing to try to escape a seemingly predetermined future in this emotionally heavy character study from Gabriel Tallent. https://www.barlinsbooks.com/post/dolly-all-the-time-annabel-monaghan-review https://www.barlinsbooks.com/post/dolly-all-the-time-annabel-monaghan-review Wed, 25 Mar 2026 07:00:00 GMT When a $50k debt meets a fake-dating scheme with a wealthy heir, love blooms in Annabel Monaghan's modern retelling of Pretty Woman. https://www.barlinsbooks.com/post/a-violent-masterpiece https://www.barlinsbooks.com/post/a-violent-masterpiece Sat, 21 Mar 2026 07:00:00 GMT A grisly dive into the dark underbelly of Los Angeles that blends the hunt for a serial killer with commentary on the corrupt world of the ultra-wealthy. https://www.barlinsbooks.com/post/king-sorrow https://www.barlinsbooks.com/post/king-sorrow Fri, 20 Mar 2026 07:00:00 GMT An epic story about friendship and betrayal, this behemoth of a novel follows six college friends who make a Faustian deal with a dragon. https://www.barlinsbooks.com/post/this-story-might-save-your-life https://www.barlinsbooks.com/post/this-story-might-save-your-life Thu, 12 Mar 2026 07:00:00 GMT One half of a famous podcasting duo goes missing in this unique debut that artfully blends mystery with a will-they-or-won't-they romance. https://www.barlinsbooks.com/post/the-burning-side https://www.barlinsbooks.com/post/the-burning-side Fri, 06 Mar 2026 08:00:00 GMT A house fire is the jumping off point for this novel less about the partial loss of a home and more about the fractured relationship in it. https://www.barlinsbooks.com/post/the-book-witch https://www.barlinsbooks.com/post/the-book-witch Sun, 01 Mar 2026 08:00:00 GMT A "Book Witch" must use her ability to teleport into books to solve a mystery in her own life when her grandfather and most prized possession go missing. https://www.barlinsbooks.com/post/read-your-mind https://www.barlinsbooks.com/post/read-your-mind Thu, 26 Feb 2026 08:00:00 GMT A self-help book from the "World's Greatest Mentalist" in which he shares advice for how best to connect with people based on how the human mind works. https://www.barlinsbooks.com/post/a-court-of-mist-and-fury https://www.barlinsbooks.com/post/a-court-of-mist-and-fury Wed, 25 Feb 2026 08:00:00 GMT Following the events of A Court of Thorns and Roses, the story continues in a longer and more polished follow-up that's a step up from Book 1. https://www.barlinsbooks.com/post/we-burned-so-bright https://www.barlinsbooks.com/post/we-burned-so-bright Mon, 23 Feb 2026 08:00:00 GMT When an encroaching "rogue black hole" gives Earth less than a month before annihilation, two men travel by RV from Maine to Washington to complete one final task. https://www.barlinsbooks.com/post/people-we-meet-on-vacation https://www.barlinsbooks.com/post/people-we-meet-on-vacation Sun, 22 Feb 2026 08:00:00 GMT An homage to When Harry Met Sally in which two opposites form a deep platonic friendship before eventually wondering if it could be more. https://www.barlinsbooks.com/post/the-castaways https://www.barlinsbooks.com/post/the-castaways Sat, 21 Feb 2026 08:00:00 GMT After a flight to a remote island goes missing, a dual-timeline thriller follows two sisters—one who was on the flight and one who missed it. https://www.barlinsbooks.com/post/we-are-all-guilty-here https://www.barlinsbooks.com/post/we-are-all-guilty-here Sun, 15 Feb 2026 08:00:00 GMT Two teenage girls are abducted in a small Georgia town in this mystery filled with twists and family dynamics that will keep readers guessing. https://www.barlinsbooks.com/post/the-strength-of-the-few https://www.barlinsbooks.com/post/the-strength-of-the-few Thu, 12 Feb 2026 08:00:00 GMT The sequel to The Will of the Many sees the footprint expand from a single world into three, an ambitious choice that is impressively executed. https://www.barlinsbooks.com/post/when-the-cranes-fly-south https://www.barlinsbooks.com/post/when-the-cranes-fly-south Wed, 11 Feb 2026 08:00:00 GMT An 89-year-old Swedish man narrates as we sail along this sad journey focused on the challenges and indignities encountered at the end of life.