It’s been a busy summer for this educator, so my apologies for these reviews coming in a bit late. My days have been full of sun, new adventures, and friends—as well as lots of reading. What have you loved lately?

If Something Happens To Me By: Alex Finley

Dear Readers, if you’re looking for a quick thriller from a dependable author – grab this one.  The font’s big and the pace is fast; I finished it in one beach day.  It gave me Taken vibes with a little bit of Olivia Benson on the case.

Late one night, two teenage sweethearts are situated on a Lover’s Lane when Ali is dragged screaming out of the backseat while her boyfriend is assaulted and thrown to the ground.  When he comes to, he finds that Ali and the car is gone – with all eyes looking at him.  —  The book skips forward to years later when the car is found submerged with two men strapped in and Ryan is abroad in Europe.  The news reignites his determination to figure out what happened – not only to Ali, but to himself and why they were targeted.  We toggle back and forth hearing from Ryan, a new detective on the case that returns back to town with dozens of connections, an over-thinking family man who happens to be part of the mob – all of whom create a complicated web of interactions.

The whole time I was scared for Ali – girlfriend, are you still tied up in a basement somewhere?  Or did  you run away and plan this to get away from your boyfriend?  Did you put focus on Ryan on purpose?  Is he involved?  Why the heck is the mob involved?  Is this becoming too far-fetched for a quick read? Yes.. No.. I couldn’t put it down.  I found it to be quite entertaining for a day in the sun and I have no regrets.

Just for the Summer and Part of Your World  By: Abby Jiminez

As you may know, I’m not the biggest romance reader – but I want to be – and I got a lot of requests on Instagram to share a good romance read.  Well, here’s my new favorite author – Abby Jiminez and two recent reads that I absolutely LOVED.  They’re cheesy, relevant and will you both swooning over the situation while laughing out loud.

Imagine looking for love on dating apps and blind dates, then seeing every date move on from you and head straight down the aisle.  You were like the buffer, the one “before” and the one that no one recognizes the value of to only be passed on again and again.  I grabbed Just for the Summer because I thought the premise sounded relatable to how a friend was seeing her Hinge life roll out in front of her – how frustrating!   Emma and Justin find each other on an online thread realizing they both are the “buffer” dates – and decide to play the role for each other- meaning if they date each other.. Then they’ll both find the love of their life next time.. Right?  Emma switches up her travel nurse lifestyle to head to Minnesota and find themselves playing house, taking care of family members and falling head over heels when they least expected it.  I devoured this book in a few hours and immediately went to buy another book on her list.

An older read book – Part of Your World introduces us to Alexis who falls victim to a stuck car on the side of the road in the ultimate small hillbilly town.  Of course, she’s rescued by the town do-gooder who happens to be handsome, kind, available and the “mayor.”  PLUS – for some reason he takes care of a baby goat who wears baby goat pajamas, which I’m not sure why the author included it but it’s so cute to imagine.  Everything about Daniel is perfect with a capital P – except for the fact she can’t see how he’ll work with her uptight family, snobby friend group and overall opposite lifestyle.  The author did a great job drafting scenarios that I could see happening within my friend group right in front of my eyes – you’ll find yourself bonding with the characters.   The imaginary town of Wakan and all of its imaginary characters play a huge role in the book too – each adds to Daniel and Alexis’s love story, you’ll love them just as much as the mains.  It’s the perfect opposite side of the tracks love story and watching them figure out if love is all that matters.  I absolutely rooted for this love story – it was just perfect.

The Chain By: Adrian McKinty

Dear Readers,

Basically, this was my favorite thriller that I’ve read in a while.  I’m not a parent, but every parent I know says that they’d give their life for their kid.  Would that include kidnapping?  Possibly murder?  All to guarantee that your own child remains safe?  It’s like a very messed up Netflix/Criminal Minds series – that you can’t imagine a real life person would come up with… but know that there are psychopaths out there who might…

Rachel appears to be your typical mother – sending her child off to the bus stop on a regular day – with no sign that Kylie wouldn’t be returning.  Before she even notices, Rachel receives an anonymous phone announcing that she is a part of a “Chain” – similar to the chain letters you’d receive in the 80s and 90s.  The woman on the other end stresses Rachel must listen carefully if she wants to see Kylie again.  If she doesn’t complete the assignment of KIDNAPPING another child, she disrupts the chain and it is her child who will suffer.  We watch Rachel struggle to answer the question of what is right when it comes to your child – should she call the police?  Should she tell anyone else?  How much can she depend on what she hears from the mother on the chain prior to her?  How does one kidnap a child?  Knowing what your child is going through, how can you do it to someone else’s?  The whole time I was reading this, I screamed at Rachel’s choices but at the same time second-guessed what I would do in the same situation.  There’s no way this would ever be a real situation… right?

PS. Did you complete chain letters when you got them to pass on or just throw in the trash?

PPS.  Another win (?) for this thriller is that it takes place near Boston – near Plum Island and other local spots that you’ll recognize as you read.  I’m not sure if as you hear crime scenes you’ll think “Awesome! That’s by me!” but I did!

I also loved:

The Firekeeper’s Daughter (Young Adult, but a great read for ALL- highly recommend)

-I wasn’t the biggest fan of Warrior Girl Unearthed which was the follow up, but Firekeeper was a 5 star!

A Talent for Muder by Peter Swanson

My current reads:

Swan Song by Elin Hilderbrand (75% in and I’m not sure that it’s one of her best….)

Margo (Absolutely loving so far!  Hilarious!)

If you got this far, thank you!  Let us know what you’re reading via the comments on @caughtinsouthie or catch me at @glossinbossin / @josiegl on Instagram.