Bookwild - Spring 2025 Thrillers We're Excited About

Episode Date: February 28, 2025

This week, Gare, Steph and I talk about 2025 thrillers we are excited about!Glitter in the DarkCount My LiesThis Book Will Bury MeImmaculate ConceptionThe Death of UsWhispers of Dead GirlsA Thousand Natural ShocksThe Missing HalfDon’t Tell Me How to DieThe Memory CollectorsOne in FourTheir Double Lives Get Bookwild MerchCheck Out My Stories Are My Religion SubstackCheck Out Author Social Media PackagesCheck out the Bookwild Community on PatreonCheck out the Imposter Hour Podcast with Liz and GregFollow @imbookwild on InstagramOther Co-hosts On Instagram:Gare Billings @gareindeedreadsSteph Lauer @books.in.badgerlandHalley Sutton @halleysutton25Brian Watson @readingwithbrian 

I want your sweatshirt. Me too. Thank you. So I finally got some book wild merch made. If everyone is listening, you can go look on YouTube or in a teaser or in something here soon. But yeah, and I'm kind of interested in how many people would want to do an order. So anyone is thinking about book wild sweatshirts. Let me know other than Garen Steph, who I'm with here today.

I think people, because to me, it's, it is specific to you, but also if you just love reading and had never heard of this podcast, I think people would like it. I kind of think it has universal appeal. Yeah. And I was saying I might do some, like, I'd be fine doing some, like, white if everyone doesn't want pink. So just everyone who's interested send me all of your opinions via DM. I think it's also, like, funny, too, because, like, like,

like a lot of people would pick up very quickly on like the play on buck wild. Yeah. With book wild. So like a lot of people who I mean, hopefully everyone listens to us, but like a lot of people even like don't listen to like your podcast would be like, oh, book wild. Like that's actually really cool and like still get them anyway. Yeah. I think so too.

I want to do those. And then I've been saving ones that I like that I get ads for. Like there was one that's like, this is my reading sweatshirt. and I was like, I actually kind of love that. I like that. I save a lot of them on Etsy, too. Yeah. I love, like, the embroidered letters.

Oh, I know. I have an embroidered one that says bookish. It's kind of fun. I just wanted to take off so much so you could have, like, everything, like, visors, nipple pasties. Right. Songs? Like, why not?

Mm-hmm. Ball gags. Yes. Book Wild. Yes. A little book emblem on the ball. I'm upset. They're like feeding you books, kind of.

Yeah. Does it age? I don't know if you guys think about this, but I feel like it ages me a little bit that when you said Buck Wild, all I immediately thought of was flavor of love and how that was one of the girls' names. Oh, yeah. Do you guys watch that with, like, Pumpkin and New York, obviously? and I was like that was right and get to watch but I heard everyone talk about it.

Oh, yeah, that was that was in my like crime. It was like when reality TV they could still like beat the shit out of each other. Oh, I know. It was not what it is today most of the time. Like mob wives. I used to love mob wives. I didn't watch that one. What was the one with Brett Michaels?

I watched that one. I was not there with you on that one. I didn't like him. I just for some, it was on MTV or VH1 and it just was like on, but I can't remember what that one was. But yeah, that was like my generations. Something love, wasn't it? I'm sure. Finding love.

I don't know. Someone got a tattoo of his name on the back of their neck and I was like, that's bold. There's no one I would get tattooed on my body. No. Rock of love. It was Rock of Love. Nice. God.

You wanted? I would get Jacob O'Lorty tattooed all over this body. That checks out. Jessica Nol, I would get tattooed all over just body. I want a Beyonce tattoo. Sweet. Yeah, that would be cool. Would it be like a, would you do like a subtle song reference or like very overtly Beyonce?

I would probably do like a bumblebee. Ooh, that'd be cool. Or like, I would have to like really think. of like one, like, I would probably do like one line of like a song, but I would have to like really, really think on it. You know what I mean? Um, but, I don't know, um, speaking of TV shows. Yeah. My icebreaker. He's so exciting. I love when this happens. Um, I want to ask you guys if you could say

you won a contest and you could pick to be a guest star on any TV. show, what TV show would you pick? I know. For a second, I was like, I was about to say, oh, this would be hard. I was like, no, it's not, you dumb bitch. You know what you do. It would be seven.

For sure. And then maybe the White Lotus. Oh, good one. Because I'm reminded that the empire he's built with this show is so cool. Yeah. you guys aren't watching right i haven't watched the new season yeah because i'm rewatching season one and two oh nice i'm not gonna say anything then i'm just so fucking excited for parker posey i could eat my own she's fantastic i'm obsessed with her yeah that whole family

oh they're so they are wild i love mike white's imagination yeah Yeah, the clips I've seen of her parts sound amazing. Yeah. I think mine would be something with like a mockumentary feature. So either like the office or like Abbott Elementary or something where they have like them just staring and talking at the camera or just like making a look at the camera. I love those types of shows. I could see you doing really well with like dead pan humor.

Oh, thank you. that is a high compliment thank you so much did you imagine if you were like fuck you I took it as like a complete insult no I'm not a slapsticky kind of girl or like try too hard it's usually got to be like more gym from the office kind of yeah so I think that would probably be it I do love that Kay called herself a dumb bitch when she answers She's like, no, you dump it. Mine, I, so like, I was going to say Euphoria.

Because I would love to be, like, I would love to just, like, be any, I feel like all the side characters on Euphoria have, like, really good, like, interesting dialogue and, like, stories. But, like, now that I'm thinking about it, like, I would just love to be on Tell Me Lies, and I would like to. be a character that's like even bitchier than Lucy. That would be amazing.

Like what was her name? Um, okay, so there's a character who like died in the show. Oh. And I would like love to be her brother and just like rip into somebody who like how like was, you know, aware of the details of her death. Yes. Like you have like this long game revenge plan. Mm.

plus just like a baditude. I would just like, even if it was just like one of those things where he was like in a grocery store and I just like saw him and was like, oh, like it's nice that you're, you know, walking amongst a living when you don't deserve to be. Oh, yes. Something like that. But like obviously like me. You hear that me, Maggie Oppenheimer? Megan. Megan Oppheimer.

Yeah. Oh, I think. We're, we're, she's like, you don't even know my name. I'm not putting you on the show. Corolla, if you have any pull. Yes, there we go. Get me on the show. Yeah, you would be great.

You would be great. I would love to do that. I would just love to be like something like really mean. Yeah. What if the three of us were like a group on it and we did like that slow walk. This bitchy trio. Oh my God. Like in the movie Jawbreaker.

Yeah. I love. There's something about a 90s like teen movie. where they have like the slow bitchy walk and I'm thinking like jawbreaker the craft the one in the craft is so good yeah yeah full body chills it'd be so fun me just like that was a good one hey oh my gosh imagine if I was like if you were to be a taco what kind of taco would you be I just like I'm like waiting for the day that I'm like oh my god you guys I have like such a fun icebreaker and you guys are like that fucking sucked.

I will, like, look off the camera. Yeah. And then Kate sends it to us afterwards, and I'm like, oh. I was taking it seriously there for a second. I was like, what kind of taco would I be? I would be a spicy potato taco from Taco Bell because they are so delicious and cheap. That's what you needed? I really don't know.

My brain can't find a parameter to, like, make a decision for me. Yeah. I really generally enjoy most. Good point. True. There's this really good place that's, what is it called? Texacano when it's, or Tex-Mex, that's what it is, type food. And they have trigger warning gear.

They have the best pulled pork, like, slows. smoked old pork tacos oh they're so good so good and they put their queso on top and if you come up to taco you have an issue it shouldn't eat like good no matter what

there's a restaurant by me that I like to go to and I've never indulged in these but they seem to be very popular amongst my friends is pulled pork nachos yes I've had some I haven't had those many times but they're always

so fucking good. I don't know if everyone else is hearing my dogs just launching themselves onto the futon behind me. But they just keep jumping. Like there's like six or seven feet from my door to the open futon that I have for them right now. So they'll just sleep. And they're just like launching themselves from the doors like Superman style and just landing behind me. And I'm like, good God. They're on one.

but speaking of things that Gere did well, he recommended the movie Fem to me, to us. Oh my God, I watched it on the day that I couldn't even get out of bed at all. And it just like, it made me so happy because my head was starting to hurt too much to read. And I was like, what about that movie Gere said? I am obsessed. How, like, how did it had neither of us heard of this sooner? When did it come out?

2023. Oh. I found it on TikTok. Okay. And here's the thing that I'm kind of annoyed about is that like I found it on TikTok and so I looked up where it was streaming and it said it was streaming on Hulu. But like I usually go to the movies and like the genres on the top and I go to like the LGBTQ plus options and it's not even in there. That doesn't make any sense. No.

So I was like, but then I like searched it. And I was like, oh, like, there it is. But then I bought it. Yeah, that was worth a buy. The one sentencer is that a drag queen named Jules is the target of like a really horrific hate crime, homophobic hate crime. And then a few weeks later, she sees she, no, he. I don't know. he he's a drag queen so i was saying she but he sees uh the person who attacked him in a bathhouse

and plots revenge plot's revenge yeah i'm trying not to give away too much but it's still worth knowing all of that yeah yeah it is so good my god off air i need to ask you which was which sex scene was the one that was the hottest to you because they were all lot of them. So I kept being like, is this Gare's favorite? Is this Gere's favorite? Is this Gare's favorite? I'm obsessed with this movie cover. The cover is beautiful. The cinematography is beautiful. Like all the lighting was so moody and like cool. But I was blown away by like, you know what's funny is like when you said toxic, I was even kind of like

expecting something different. And it's not that it's not toxic. It is toxic. But I love revenge. And so then some of it for me was like, fuck yeah, that's a perfectly reasonable thing to want to do. It was just insane to me how well they like portray what it's like to like be around or be with a guy who's like closeted. and like all of like the things that like you like when you're in that situation like you look back and you're like okay that was like insane to me that I like did that you know what I mean like where you're like make sure you walk 10 feet behind me so nobody thinks that we're together and like weird shit like that but there was just like so many things where I was like I don't know if I'm like am I in this for a revenge story or am I actually rooting for them as a couple

that's what was wild and I just don't want to say much because you want to watch it and go on the ride. But like what was wild to me is they make you feel, like you feel just as conflicted as like Jules does throughout the process. Like is the best way to say it. And it's just like, it's just fascinating. It's really tackle some very cool themes. The dialogue was like A plus.

Oh my God. And I guess it's like based on a short story. And Harris Dickinson is. in the short story. Oh, is he the... He plays Preston. Right. Okay. And I was like... Well, and I saw it was a short... I almost thought he looked like. He does. He looks a little bit like him for sure. They're like the same vibe. Oh, he's hot. He's so right. He's so hot. He is insanely hot. And the character who plays Jules is just like insanely attractive in multiple ways.

Like ethereal? Is that how you would say it? Yes. Yes. And then sometimes he's acting more masculine and sometimes he's more feminine and he pulls off both. And I'm just like, holy shit, you have swag that spans the spectrum. Yeah. Yeah. I was like, oh my God, there's so much like it's definitely a movie that I would watch again and again because I feel like you would pick up more, like the more you watch it. Probably. But I was just. It's fantastic. And they fit so much character growth and arc in an hour and a half. that was the other thing that impressed me. Like it was an hour and a half. It didn't feel like a long movie, but also by the end of it,

I was like, they did all of that in an hour and a half. Like, so good. Can I just say about this cover again? So I think that in another life, I would want to at least hook up with like a really like, masculine looking like neck tattoo kind of guy. Like I don't know if it would work out in the long run,

but I feel like I would have to do it at least one. experience. Yeah. But then also, like that contrast with like at least on the cover and I'm guessing throughout the movie like this gorgeous, beautiful opalescent shimmery eye shadow. Like the just look and the contrast is just like visually gorgeous. And that's only the cover. So I can't even imagine what the whole movie is. Yeah. You know, I'm like, it's beautiful. I DM's the writer-director. Because I was like, I would love to talk to you about it. And I'll let you know if he PNs back, but he has not. Oh, my God. I will definitely let you know. There's actually, I'm trying to think, I think Harris Dickinson is in it. But there's a movie called Beach Rats.

Okay. And it's like a drama romance. Harris Dickinson is in it. And it's kind of like this like teenager in the summer of like in like Brooklyn. And, like, he has a secret, obviously, which is hooking up with men. But it is such a good, like, unsettling emotional movie that, like, if you like femme, you will, I think you would love beach rats. Nice. So that's my other recommendation.

Did you ever, I don't think you did. I forgot. I pulled this up earlier. Did you ever watch the other two on HBO Max? it's like it's like a it definitely heavily parodied Justin Bieber like the younger youngest brother gets really famous and then okay there is a hilarious plot line it is so funny and awkward and confusing and just like really good for comedy of one of the main characters his roommate isn't gay but like they hook up.

So there was, it was so funny in a comedy context. Like it didn't even extend very long. But when you were talking about that, it made me think of that earlier. I think I remember. So I tried to watch it. It just, I think I kind of like fell off.

It was a comedy and I kind of like fell off from it. And then I like never picked it back up. And it also like reminds me of somebody that I like do not like. So like now I'm like, I'm not going to pick it back up. But I do think that I saw that. that in like one of the beginning episodes. Yes, it was, it was in the beginning episodes. I remember watching me like, oh my God.

Yeah, and I was like, wow, that feels. This feels like an attack. This feels like you are just thrown out all my dirty laundry. Oh, man. So it's anyone who loves comedy that that is a must watch. I will say that right now. Like, you love comedy. That show to me is like, it deals with grief every now and then, too.

So it has some, like, great, like, not like life lessons, but like that kind of vibe underneath it as well. But it is written by like all S&L writers or like previous writers. So it is just so funny. And it makes so much fun of fame, which you know I love. And it's hilarious the way they do it. There's like, for example, this is not a spoiler. It'll just help people get the vibe of it. At one point, this, so this kids literally looks like Justin Bieber.

They're giving them the swoopy hair and everything. And they're like, they were thinking he was going to need to go into a PR relationship. But instead, people started hypothesizing that he was depressed and his manager with a straight face, who I think is played by Wanda Sykes. says, this is so, he was like, she was like, are you kidding me? This is so much better than a PR relationship. You have a mental health problem you can talk about. So it's like that kind of humor about fame. Oh my God.

I love it. Yeah. So yeah, there's my little plug for it. I love like a little like a line like that about like how toxic like media can be. Like there's, um. I think it's a fourth screen movie, but there's, like, one of them where, like, Neff Campbell goes to her hometown and she has her publicist with her. Oh, yeah. And two girls are, like, killed in the beginning of the movie, obviously.

And, like, her publicist, like, finds out and she's, like, on the phone with her boss. And she's like, I know, two girls butchered. She's like, jackpot. Like, she's just, like, so, like, oh, my God, this is going to be better timing. Yes. Wow. Oh, man. That's the best.

I can't even imagine being in that world at all. Where you just like give no shit about like life? Yeah. And everything is just like a spin. And then there's all of us who just absorb it. And there are people that are like so obsessed with it. And like you, I'm just like a comments. Oh yeah.

The person who just look and I'm like, wow, these people act like they are friends with this person. That's how much they know about this person's life. And it's all like fed to us by. people like that right yeah it's just like so interesting and funny it's basically all what twitter is yeah it's like just i refuse to call it ex losers who does honestly yeah Elon you can kiss my fucking whole gay ass to call it X doge that there are so many things like we're more on other platforms like I only follow like one thing on there but I'm like I wish that it was like blue sky or something but it's not I know whatever we have bookstagram yeah yeah and

lots of books coming out that we all need to read yeah we have lots that we're excited about yeah yeah let's not go down the pole Oh boy. Yeah. Well, whatever. Anyway, we're going to talk about spring books that we're excited for. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Spring. Is that yellow? It is. I love. I love it. I love it. Just for the occasion. It's probably like the one thing in my closet that's like color. Are we going to catch us one day I was all wearing like pastel crunex or what? Could you imagine? Could you imagine we're all just like we all look like little five. fucking Easter eggs. I'd have to get a book wild brand something because I don't think I have one thing. I mean, I haven't made anything. So I don't think so. Kate, just going to make all of our clothes. Yeah, I'm just going to turn into a closer. I hate shopping. So if you can furnish my wardrobe, that'd be great. I love shopping. I'll do it if she doesn't want to.

I fucking, thank you. Like, and do you mean, we're eventually going to talk about books, people, but do you mean that you hate in-person shopping and online? Mine is like most of it. I just do online anyway? I don't like shopping much or spending money on clothes. So like if I find something I like, I will buy a bunch of things from that brand or line or whatever and then like not shop for years. Or like I'll try and find something local. Like this like Wisconsin brand I wear all the time. I'm like I bought like seven things from them because I'm like, oh, it's a local company. I wear it all the time. And then that's it.

And like, this is AJ's oldest old flannel. I'm like, okay, cool. Thanks. It doesn't fit you anymore. But I don't, I think it's also like not going to work, like working from home. You don't have to wear clothes that. Right. I rate with you there.

No hard pants and no underwires. Yeah. I'm one of those people. I'm like, okay, what are the things? I will Pinterest like, what are the closet basics that you have? And I'm like, okay, I have all those things and I can like mix and match. match them. Same.

Everything is like black jeans and like military green. Sorry. I just cracked him up, I think. Oh. With no. When we were talking about like, when we were talking about like, oh, like working from home, like obviously you don't have to buy like clothes. And when Kate said like no hard pants and no underwear, I thought she said no hard pants

and no underwear. So like I just like, Kate's like I work from home. I only wear sweatshirts. And I'm butt naked from the waist down when I work. Like Donald ducking in all day. That's amazing. I legit thought you were like, no hard pants, no underwear. And I was like, okay.

That's another good one. Which was funny as I put this sweatshirt on and then Tyler turned the heat up. And so I'm actually wearing shorts with a sweatshirt. right now is the really funny rest of that is like if I stood up it almost look like I was wearing that that is my go-to like I do not wear I do not wear long like pajama pants or sweatpants in the winter I only wear shorts even when it's like 10 degrees outside and I have to take out Murphy I'm like P-Quick before my legs fall off because like I'm not putting on real pants same no thank you I hope that we agree on this yeah I don't need my ankles to oh my god step and I saw each other

IRL for the first time last week. Oh my god. That's right. We didn't even talk about that part yet. Oh my gosh. And you read the favorites and you loved it. Oh my God. I did. The reason that Kate and I saw each other was because we saw Lane Fargo. Yeah. Was near in in Wisconsin. And then Gare read Lane Fargo's the favorites. Like what a perfect thing. I know. Oh my God. It was so much fun. And then you died. And then I died. and I haven't been able to edit this blog together that I really want to edit it together because Steph said some funny stuff too.

It was so fun. It was so cool. And getting to see Lane. She's so cool. Is there any genre she cannot do? I don't know, right? She wore all black with like this sparkly, like, over, like kind of coat mini blazer thing.

And I'm like, yes. It was like so perfectly her, but for the favorites. yeah oh my god yeah i know the world's tiniest venue but hey it was fun it was fun i think there were 35 tickets sold so it was like and it was like very full it was like a very small like distillery so she chose like a small business to support yeah yeah she's the bomb i love her i love her so much i know that buck and she like walked in like right after we did and we were all like crammed in there and she was like I like never want to assume that someone completely remembers me not that I'm assuming she would have like forgotten the podcast

but I never want to be like oh you're gonna remember me so much that in a crowd you'll notice me so I was like I'll just play cool and then she's like I can't believe you're here I was like okay she doesn't know I am oh oh and then she wanted to take a selfie to make Hallie jealous and so she said she was like Kate take a selfie with me so I can send it to Hallie I I want to make her jealous. I was like, this is adorable. Kelly needs to come to the Midwest. I know.

Or we need to go to L.A. I need to move to the Midwest, I feel like. I know. If you live in Chicago, you'll be right between Steph and I. I know. Chicago scares me. Okay. I watch all of those Chicago fire, Chicago med, Chicago PD shows.

And I'm like traumatized. I just want to live in like a little suburb, like a cul-de-sac with Murphy. Okay. And I want like a hot single like widow dad neighbor. The place where I saw Lisa Duel was like on the west side of Chicago suburbs. And it was a cool little town. Yeah. I can do that.

I mean if it's if you'd ever really consider it. Imagine like next week. I'm like got a, I bought a house. That would be so cool. Regardless where it is, we would come visit. Oh, yeah, I'll be. Totally. Oh, my gosh.

It's going to be so cool. Do you have me to go first? Yeah. Okay. Well, this one, speaking of Hallie, was one that she told me about, and I immediately requested it on that galley. It's called Glitter in the Dark by

Olessia Leuzna. I'm so sorry, Alessia. I don't know how to say your last name. Ambitious advice columnist Jenny Dugan knows she's capable of more than solving other people's beauty problems, but her boss at Photo Play Magazine thinks she's only fit for fluff pieces. When she witnesses the kidnapping of a famous singer at Harlan's hottest speakeasy, nobody takes her seriously. But Jenny knows what she saw and what she saw haunts her.

Guilt ridden over her failure to stop the kidnappers and hard-pressed for cash to finally move out of her uptight showgirl sister's apartment. it, Ginny resolves to chase down the truth that will clear her conscience and maybe win her promotion in the process. When private detective Jack Crawford starts interfering with her case, Ginny ropes him into a reluctant partnership, but soon finds herself drawn to the kind heart she glances beneath his brooding exterior. Equally as alluring is Gloria Gardner, the star dancer of the Zygfeld Follies, who treats life like one unending party. Yet as Ginny delves deeper into the criminal underworld, the sinister plot, she understands. covers seems to lead right back to the theater. Then a brutal murder strikes someone close to her,

and Ginny realizes the stakes are higher than she ever imagined. This glamorous world has a deadly edge, and Jenny must shatter her every illusion to catch the shadowy killer before they strike again. I made it. I made it through it. I just answered the giveaway on Goodreads. Oh, you're right. I just saw that too. The cover is so cool. The cover is very cool. I'm pretty sure Hallie said it was kind of like think like a Gatsby noir. And I was like I'm sold. I feel like it'll be kind of, I'm hoping it'll be similar to how I enjoyed last night at the Hollywood canteen, something like that. So I'm excited for this one. That sounds really good. I love the cover. Yeah, it looks so good.

Dang. Gere, you want to go next? Sure. I'd love to. Do the one that you don't want someone to steal really badly. I'm saving that one for last. Oh, okay. So my first one is called Count My Lies by Sophie Stava, and it comes out March 4th.

so it's actually really soon. But the publicist that sent this to me is like, oh my God, I love this so much. I'm so excited to hear what you think of it. Like, I do not care when you read this. Just like tell me what you, like, think of it when you do because, like, she loved it so much and she thinks I'm going to love it. So now I'm really excited for it. Okay. All right.

Sloan Carraway is a liar. harmless lies mostly to make her self-proclaimed sad little life a bit more interesting. When Sloan sees a young girl in tears at a park one afternoon, she can't help herself. She tells the girl's very attractive dad she's a nurse and helps him pull a bee stinger from the girl's foot. With this lie in Chance Encounter, Sloan becomes the nanny for the wealthy and privileged Jay and Violet Lockhart, the perfect New York couple with a brownstone, a daughter in private school, and summers on Block Island. But maybe Sloan isn't the only one lying. And all that picture perfect harbors is much more dangerous truth.

To say anything more is to spoil the most exciting, twisting, and bitingly smart suspense novel to come out in years. So. I've been seeing this around and it looks so good. I'm obsessed with the cover. And it says it's a read-in-one-night suspense thriller. Which, like, is just right up my alley. Yeah.

But I also apologize to, like, anybody who's ever met me after a few cocktails. but like when I encounter strangers, I love to lie to them to see like what I can get away with when I'm drinking. Like that's my little like base flag. That's hilarious. I didn't know that about you. It is fun though. I feel like. Yeah.

When my friend Nicole and I lived in Boston, like we would get a taxi and like they would be like, oh, like where are you guys coming from? And like we would just be like out of bar like having drinks or whatever. And I would be like, oh, like we were just like meeting with the wedding planner. Like we're going to get married. Like we like are going to have like a champagne. And I would be so naturally good at it when I'm drinking. Like dead sober, I cannot lie to save my life.

Like whatever. But like drunk Garrett is like Amy Donne. Yeah. Beware. So this might be the book that I'm like, I'm never lying tipsy ever again. Right. And also when I got the email about it, they said it is like a feminine talented Mr. Ripley was what they told me. So there's that.

Oh. Oh, I love that. I knew I had seen it somewhere. So I pulled it up. I was like, what was that comp that they mentioned? Yeah. Yeah. I'm just really excited for it. I think I might read it this weekend.

You should. It sounds really good. So I'm doing mostly books that I've read already that are coming out in the spring, in this spring, and that I really recommend people either pre-reliquise. ordering or putting on hold at the library. And the first one was one of my five-star reads from January when I read it. And I think it will be surprised to know one that everyone in our little trio really enjoyed. This book will bury me by Ashley Winstead. In the most famous crime in modern, oh, sorry, it's the most famous crime in modern history, but only she knows the true story.

After the unexpected death of her father, college student Jane Sharp longs for a distraction from her grief. She becomes obsessed with true crime, befriending armchair experts who teach her how to hunt killers from afar. In this morbid internet underground, Jane finds friendship, purpose, and even glory. So when news of the shocking deaths of three college girls in Delphine, Idaho takes the world by storm and sleuths everywhere race to solve the crimes, Jane and her friends are determined to beat them. But the case turns out to be stranger than anyone expected. Details don't add up. The police are cagey and there seems to be more media hype and internet theorizing than actual evidence.

When Jane and her sleuths take a step closer, they find that every answer only begs more questions. Something's not adding up and they begin to suspect their killer may be smarter and more prolific than they've ever faced before. Placing themselves in the center of the story starts to feel more and more like walking into a crap. Told one year after the astounding events that concluded the case and left the world reeling, when Jane has finally decided to break her silence about what really happened, she tells the story of the Delphine massacres. And what she has to confess will shock even the most seasoned true crime fans. So folks who love like the book within a book, I think will like this. I think it's a really intelligent and emotionally gripping story, like the beginning, talks about like why she gets into

the case of the death of her father. And it's like Ashley Winston. So she writes it in the most gorgeous, like you can feel it. And it's beautiful. And so if you like thrillers that also like tug at your heartstrings, I think it's a good fit. I second all of that. Yeah. And for folks who are like, I'm not sure how I feel about reading a book about something that like also happened in Idaho that happened not that long ago, I encourage you to visit Ashley's Instagram page because she does address that and I believe it will be an author's note in the book. And I personally hope it goes in the beginning. Yeah. Because she does address that and why she chose it and it's very personal to her.

So I recommend checking that out because I think it did like comfort a lot of people to know that that was very intentional. I also like want to say just to like stick up for Ashley. Like there are so many books that are loosely based on like Ted Bundy and the Golden State Killer and so many other. things that like even like cases that are like unsolved. So like the fact that she like has something similar in her book, which like when you read the book, you're going to find out is completely different than like the true Idaho case. But like the fact that there were like people like already like hating on it but like have like like like like those other books. It's like let's not be too hypocritical and just like read the book before you come up with your own. Even if you borrow it from the library and you don't want to buy it like it is what it is.

But like let's just like calm down a little bit on like. specifically going after a person, let alone a woman. Right. For shit that like men have done too that you've probably gobbled up their books. So like pipe down, read the book and then have an opinion. And one of the most like brilliant, well-intentioned. Yes. Thank you.

She is, if you've ever like watched any interview or like read the ask the author pieces at the back of Ashley's books. Like she's so smart. She's so intentional. Like would she ever. do anything without thinking about it. Right. Right. I was about to go on a similar soapbox as you gear because I was having, I was realizing

because I read an L.A. noir earlier this week. And like you would absolutely in describing this book, you could comp like the Harvey Weinstein case. It even mentions me too. And so even as I was reading that, I was like, why it like, no one's free. freaking out about this. No one's like, this is this and like Harvey hasn't paid for his crimes and men haven't been stopped in Hollywood so you can't write a book about it. I'm like, we just like, we don't hold the standard across the board. So it's an interesting choice to be that

worked up about. I also think like the crime in Ashley's book isn't even like the main focus. It's more about like the like toxicity of like the true crime community. The, people that do good in the true crime community, like what it can do to people that are like grieving or going through things in life or like loneliness. So like that's not even like the most like important part. Like I wouldn't even like necessarily describe this as like a who done it. You know what I mean?

But like I also just think that like you would definitely should read it before like you have an opinion because what I was reading it. Especially if you're an Ashley Winston fan. Like yeah. Yeah. Because when I was reading it, I was like, oh, like, I can see like some similarities here. And then there were other things that happened that I was like, this isn't even like, like, I can see where it's like something that she got the idea from. But it's not even like close to being, you know, what's actually going on.

Sometimes I was telling Kate, I was like sometimes I think there are folks that struggle getting beyond the surface of things. For example, with Ashley's last book, like people. that are like, oh, it's just like a Twilight fan book. And I was like, it is so much more than that. And like what Twilight represented in that book was so much deeper than that. And I'm like, is she like the Kendrick Lamar of books where people are like, I just don't get it. So I'm going to hate on it. And I was like much deeper than that. It's like art, but it's also a book, you know? Yeah. Like, okay. So anyways, I highly recommend it. Here, the Kendrick them are of thrillers.

True, true. But, like, also people, like, she even, like, said that, like, the last house life was, like, loosely based on, like, the Sarah Lauren sex scandal. And, like, people were like, oh, that's okay. Yeah. I know. That's like I saw, I hear, I think it's, uh, Nikki Glazer's joke. Nikki Glazer has a joke where she's like, it's kind of a weird thing being, uh, a comedian

these days because, like, there's certain things you can joke about and certain things. that you can't. And like, she's like, so some people will be like, it's okay. I can make jokes about that because I'm whatever. And she was like, and that's why I'm going to do a joke about rape. And everyone gets like really quiet. And she's like, don't worry, I can do it because I've been raped. And she's like, now don't you all feel so much better and feel like I can tell this joke. aren't you all like thank god she was raped yeah right I was like that's such a good clip

of explaining like that people will be like oh thank God you were raped you can talk about it then yeah you've earned it my god people and that's very sarcastic comment that I just said by the fucking same I mean so yeah just

don't freak out people it's okay and it's damn good So it's so good. It's long, but it's good. I think it has a lot of dialogue in it. So like it goes quickly. Yeah. And like the chat rooms are, yeah, that goes fast too.

Oh my God. I can't wait to read it again. It's so good. Yeah, I don't have a segue for my next one. My next one is called Immaculate Conception by Lingling Wong. I don't know if this is Anka, E-N-K-A, so I'm going to say Anka meets Matilda in art school. Matilda is a dizzingly talented yet tortured artist who stars on the rise, and Anka struggling to make art that feels original is immediately drawn to her.

The two strike up an intense bond that soon turns codependent. But when Matilda's fame reaches new heights, Anka becomes desperate to keep her best friend close no matter the cost. Anka quickly falls in love with and marries a billionaire whose family's company is funding an unconventional technology purported to heighten empathy, which would allow someone else to inhabit Matilda's mind and absorb the trauma from her brain. Soon the boundaries between Matilda and Anka begin to blur even further, setting in motion, a disturbing series of events that forever changes their lives.

blisteringly smart thought provoking and shocking immaculate conception deftly navigates big questions of art technology authorship and what makes us human wow that cover is fucking sick too yeah you guys have to go look at it it's very cool it is really cool um yeah it's like horror sci-fi and thriller and i'm like spectacular give me 14 of them essentially it kind of reminds me me of the other black girl. Oh, yeah. Like, it kind of has that, like, unsettling plot. They're doing a second season.

Are they? Yeah. Well, I haven't heard about it in a while, but they were. Dang. That's cool. They canceled it. Oh, fake news. Take that out.

Don't trust me. It was December of 2024 when they canceled it. So I'm not too far behind, but I was wrong. When was that last summer? I don't even remember when that was on. I think it was two years ago. I remember you guys listening to a podcast about you guys talking about. I loved the TV adaptation.

I think that heightening empathy is. pretty timely, hey? Mm-hmm. A little bit. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Well, my next one

comes out April 15th. I apologize. The semops is really long. But this probably sounds like the most, like, bleakest,

emotionally traumatizing book that I'm going to read in 2025. So I'm, like, so fucking pump for it. It is called The Death of Us by Abigail Dean. And let's see here. Late on a summer's evening when they are 30 years old, husband and wife, Edward and Isabel's home is invaded by a serial killer.

There's was a classic story of young love that moved into true partnership, but their solid foundation implodes at the wake of this violence. At 58, they are reunited for their tormentors trial and forced to confront their lifelong love the secrets, passions, and encounters that bind them still. Isabel has waited years for the man who nearly ended her life to be caught. As she tracked the news of his increasingly violent criminal life, she connected with other survivors and prepared for the moment that she'd get to read her victim impact statement for the court.

She assures she'll speak her truth and finally let the past go. Edward has spent the years since the break-in and the breakdown of his marriage, trying to figure out how a near miss with death killed so much else in their shared life. Unlike Isabel, he's not eager to relive these terrible memories. Even though he's moved on, he's remarried, his old life almost unrecognizable to him now. He can't resist accompanying Isabel to their intruder sentencing. What would revenge or justice feel like? Can closure set as Isabel free?

And what might that freedom mean for Edward? Oh my God. It's going to be so good, it's going to be so good, but so sad, I feel like. That cover is so, like, moody and dramatic and wonderful. Oh, my God. Oh, my God. I just... Did you guys read Girl A by her? I have not, no.

I haven't either. I thought you had, because you told me about it, but I think maybe we were just still talking about it. I think that I had heard about it. Yeah, and, like, it was, like, on my TVR, and then, like, I just didn't get to it. I actually, because I bought it after we talked about it. It was a while ago.

I just, but I just saw it in my Kindle library. So I'm like, that needs to be one of my backlist ones this year. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. But this one sounds really good. This sounds so freaking sad. Like, there's something to me about like,

obviously if something horrific happens to you and you survive, that is the ultimate goal and like, I'm happy for you. But like, there's something about like something happening to somebody at like 30 years old and like still not. being like taken care of or like you're still dealing with it 28 years later that like I just can't wait to read this one. I'm excited for you. I can't wait to be emotionally devastated.

The blurb from Stephen King is really nice. I know. Our excellence written with unobtrusive brilliance and full of sharply observed lines. The death of us lives up to the height. I love some sharply observed lines, man. My next one, I think I might have talked about it on here before, but oh well, I recommend Marley Bush's sophomore novel Whispers of Dead Girls. So she had written a book last year, and I am struggling to remember what it was called, Mother. Oh, I'm looking at my feedback.

when she was me. When she was me. So I was excited because when she was me and this book, I will get to the synopsis. But she has like a really strong like foreshadowing that you in both books were like, you know something happened in the past. And then you know that it connects to the present. And it's just like in tension. It's a lot of tension in my opinion.

So anyways, I know. You're like, what happens? What is going to happen? Like, to keep referencing it. Okay, she's right. It can never happen again. She won't let it. Ten years have passed in Ren Taylor's back at square one,

having accepted a job at her old high school. She had hoped to make peace with the past, but now she's thrust back into it. Her murdered teenage sister is still immortalized in town and Ren can't stop seeing her everywhere she goes. She's dogged by the scandal that ruined her childhood and killed her sister. Then, Ren meets physical. physics teacher, Bryson Lewis, handsome and charismatic,

all the teachers and the students seem to fall at his feet. But Wren knows men like him. She knows they can't be trusted. The more Ren watches him, the more suspicious she becomes. And when she notices his close relationship with a girl in one of his classes, a girl just like her sister, she worries history is about to repeat itself. This time she won't sit back and watch another girl be

taken before her time. This time, Ren will do what she must to save her, if it means revealing her own darkest secrets. This one's wild because, like, there's this main character that you're kind of, like, questioning her decisions, but you're also, like, understanding why she's so mad and, like, why she cares so much. But you're just like, I don't know, girl. Like, the whole time.

And that's kind of a fun feeling. I am so fucking excited that you talked about this one, because I am so, so pumped to read it and I can't wait to read it and the fact that you loved it I'm just so god damn excited oh it's I'm glad I think it'll be interesting to hear what you think about it I think the ending there will be uh some discussion available I love that oh my god I need to go request it because you guys both loved her first one right did you read her first one? I didn't read her first one. I have that. I'm looking at it right now. Okay. I can remember. I, um, I need to. I was sitting there being like, what is happening?

Like, what is the situation here? Like, you know, and there's probably some people that, like, hate that. I love it. Like, what do you keep referencing? Like, come on. Oh, I love that, too. I love it. As long as it's not done in the, like, done, done, like every. Other paragraph. Yeah. I don't think so. I mean, there is kind of a lot of like that night and sometimes they're, okay, just like, good. Yeah.

Yeah. But like still, it's just kind of like, oh, all right. Dang. You got my attention, that's for sure. Mm-hmm. Me too. I actually just got a copy of this one on Saturday. Yeah.

I thought I saw it in your post. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I got that and I got like the new Frida and a couple other goodies from them. I need to or pre-order it. I have a copy. So nice of them.

Yeah. They're like, if I could get a job working for a publisher, I would work for Poison Press. Oh my God. Yes. They, like, everything that they publish, like, always, like, lands very well with me. And, like, they're also, like, the nicest people to, like, talk to and, like, email. And, like, they always, like, share everybody's posts on social media. And I just think that they're, like, super, super kind.

And they're a mysterious bookshop, right? That's like what they're housed kind of through. That's cool. I'm going to do that one day. They have some hits. Mm-hmm. Oh, my next one is called A Thousand Natural Shocks by Omar Hussein, Hussein. I'm so sorry.

in this dazzling debut or this dazzling debut is a mesmerizing meditation on trauma, memory, and identity wrapped in a high-octane thriller. Dash, a reporter in Monterey, California is desperate to outrun his past. During the day, he investigates the re-emergence of a long-dormant serial killer. At night, he has become entangled with a criminal cult that promises a pill to erase his traumatic memory. but as dash begins to lose his memories and his sense of self he discovers a dark secret about the cult one that would horrify its members and soon he finds himself in a race against time to evade the cult unveil the killer and reconcile his past before his own memories fade away

more mystery thriller fiction sci-fi for me that sounds like something i could get into when i read it i was like this might be the perfect kind of sci-fi for Gare and I to read together, especially with the serial killer. Yeah. So how did you find out about this? Because there's like not a lot of reviews yet on. I, the cover literally grabbed my attention on that galley. Oh.

Dang. Yeah. I was like, that looks like something I'd be into. And then I read the description. Oh, yeah, it does. I feel like this could be another one for like fans of severance. Not that it's like severance, but it's like. severance coded like everything in my life.

No, that sounds like the perfect book for you. Yeah, 100%. I'm excited. And your theme so far is like fucking stunning covers. Yeah. Seriously. I mean, that's how, yeah, it is how I found out about this one. Because it literally has two ratings.

Like you're saying stuff on good reads. Yeah. Yeah. Sounds really good. I agree. We're all yawning. Step, to your turn. Not there yet, probably soon.

Well, if you're looking for a book that sounds like something that I'm going to be addicted to, and it's probably going to be majority of my personality for the rest of the year. then we are talking about the missing half by Ashley Flowers, which comes out on May 6. I'm so pumped for this one because I freaking loved all good people here. So this one is about Nicole Nick Monroe, who's in a rut. At 24, she lives alone in a dinky apartment in her hometown of Mishawaka, Indiana. I hope I said that right. You did.

Is it? Oh, okay, cool. Yeah, it's Mishawaka. She just got in a Dichawaka. EWI and she works the same dead-end job that she's been working since high school, a job that she only has because her boss is a family friend and feel sorry for her. Everyone has felt sorry for her for the last seven years since the day her older sister Casey vanished without a trace. On the night Casey went missing, her car was found over 100 miles from home.

The driver's door was open and her purse was untouched in the seat next to it. The only real clue in her disappearance was Jules Connor, another woman from the same area who disappeared in the same way two weeks earlier. With so little for the police to go on, both their cases eventually went cold. Nick wants nothing more than to move on from her sister's disappearance in the state it's left her in. But then one day, Jules' sister Jenna Connor walks into her life and offers Nick something she hasn't fell in a long time, hope. What follows is a gripping tale of two sisters who will do anything to find their missing halves, even if it means destroying everything they've ever known.

Bleak as book. It's so cool that she, I mean, I'm not saying I need more thrillers in Indiana because I get it. But it is cool because I was like when you said the Misha Waka part, I was like, because the other one, her first one took place in Waka Rusa, Indiana. And they're 18 minutes apart. So that's kind of cool. Kind of staying in the same region. I'm really excited for it. from there? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, she lives here. Oh, nice. Did she ever run into her? I want to. I love this cover. It kind of gives me like a little bit. Because I was going to try to reach out to her and be like, would you do an in-person podcast with me? Because like that, we live in the same state, that would be pretty fucking huge. I also haven't gotten the request on that galley, though, either. No, mine was sitting there forever. Yeah, mine's been there for me.

months. So we'll see. I'm still holding out hope. And I'm excited to read it. I really liked her first one. That was like, you know what? That first one, all good people here was another one where people got lit up in the cut in some of the reviews about it being close to another true crime. And I'm like, guys, we live in this world. Like art is inspired by life and like what happens? This is not that big of a deal, but people were getting all hung up on that too. Were they comparing it to John Bonnet? Yes. I was as I was, as you get it, I was like, which one is this going to get like slammed into?

Yes. Yeah. And I get it, but I also, I just loved, I loved her writing. I really enjoyed, I enjoyed the story. Yeah. I did too. Especially for somebody whose job is to literally like, right, discuss like so many true crime cases. it's kind of like how do you not have any and like nothing against it but like as much as it sucks

there are people that unfortunately kill children every day there are people that abduct children every single day there are teenage girls who are like the cheerleaders who go missing or found murdered every single day and like it is so unfortunate but like you can't compare those cases to everything fictional otherwise like i know to do you know and to your point like there's more than Jean-Binet Ramsey. That's just the one that you happen to know about. So it's like... Right. I didn't even compare the two, honestly. I didn't, while I was reading, and I didn't notice it until I saw the reviews.

And I was like, oh, I can't believe I didn't think of it, but I didn't. Yeah. And I think that there's something to be said about, like, wanting to read. And I'm not saying, like, we read thrillers. So, like, obviously, we find really, like, shitty things happening to people, entertaining and fiction. But it's like if true crime is your jam and you are so tight on the details that you're going to go into a fictional book and like nitpick at it, like maybe you shouldn't read fiction. You should just read true. Because it seems like it's not enjoyable for you. True. No.

Well, and if you want it, and I don't think this, but if you wanted to flip it, like when you're getting entertained off of true crime, that's people's actual lives. Yeah. Yeah. And like we're reading fiction like chill out, chill out. Yeah. Exactly. Exactly. It's like tricky.

And there are so many people out there who like, like, there are so many people out there who have made money. Mm-hmm. From like the real death of Jean-Beney Ramsey, the real death of the Idaho for students. So when like somebody is doing it in a fictional way and like, you. are grasping at straws to compare it. Like, I don't think that this person who wrote a fictional story is the one that you need to be coming after. Nope.

Because I guarantee you, if you were related to or knew somebody who was, like, very dear to your heart and something horrible happened to them in Hulu or somebody was, like, making a shitload of money off from a documentary about it, like, you would not be going after a fictional author who had a story that was, like, similar to whatever happened to somebody you care about. Right. So stay in your lane. That's with up, people. Sometimes I'm like, what if you put your efforts and rage into something productive?

Like, I wonder what could happen. Yeah. That's a good question. Yeah. Hot takes. Hot takes coming in hot. I just know that most of the people that are like fitching about things like this have like a little red hat on their head.

No, totally. I don't know. Tell me five things you did last. week. Oh, my God. Other than bitch on the internet. Oh, my God. But Hillary's emails were the problem.

Kate, was that yours or Gere was that yours? That was me. That was you. Mm-hmm. Okay. Indiana Gare. I know. Is it?

is it okay to talk about one we just talked about last week? Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Because I know that now I went up three weeks in a row. Which one? Because it was Megan Collins because it was Gare, Halley, and then Gare, like on different subjects. So yes.

So, yes. Kate, did you finish? Don't tell me how to die. Yes. Okay. So now we've all read it. love when that happens. I honestly, I'm waiting.

There was the one I was going to do. I just want to make sure it's not the one Gare was. So you're so scared. I just going to go with this one because it's also super good. But I will put an encore out for Don't Tell Me How to Die by Marshall Carp. It is a unique and really. It is. emotional, smart book. So, I have one thing to do before I die, and time is running out. I had it all,

a fantastic husband, two great kids, an exciting career, and then at age 43, I found out I would be dead before my next birthday. My mother also died at 43. I was 17 and she warned me that women would flock to my suddenly single father like stray cats to an overturned milk truck. They did. And one absolutely evil woman practically destroyed his life, mine and my sisters. I'm not letting that happen to my family. I have three months and I plan to spend every waking minute searching for the perfect woman to take my place as Alex's wife and mother to Kevin and Katie. You're probably thinking she'll never do it. Did I mention that in high school I was voted most likely to kill someone to get what she wants? From Thriller writer,

Marshall Carp co-creator with James Patterson, blah, blah, blah. It's Rich with Sharp's Deft Array of Three Dimensional Characters and his signature biting humor. Well, maybe I need to read more by Marshall Car. That's how I felt. And biting humor. Exactly. He's written so many books. And then I read that part that this was his signature humor.

And I was like, well, then I need all of them. I know. So I personally listen to this one. I am a, January Lovoy is my favorite narrator, probably ever. She is incredible at, like, doing different voices without it sounding, like, cheesy and weird. So she's, if you are an audiobook fan, I highly recommend that format. I know that Gare and Kate read physical copies or e-books.

Yeah, we did. did you read it or did you have a copy? We all did different things. I did you read it, you audio booked it, and Gear Physical Reddit. I don't know if that's how I should explain all of that,

but I think everyone knows what I meant. I just remember like I was so intimidated because like it's kind of a chunker. And I was like, it didn't. I was like very intimidated because I felt like it was like chunky. Like anything over 350,

I'm I could say it like a little chunky monkey. So like when I got it, I was like, oh, like that's going to be like a little bit for me to to get into. And then like I just like picked it up on like a school night. I call them. And like I could not put it down. I was like, why would I do that to myself? It was so good.

It legit got me through having to just stay in bed. Yeah. It made me want to stay in bed. Alone for once. I was like the last 20%. So usually when I'm listening to something, it's like I'm driving or I'm cleaning, like I can't do it while I'm working or emailing or whatever. So I have to be very picky about when I can do it. But I remember just like, okay, I only have 10% 20% left. And I just sat in my couch and listened. So like I think that just kind of goes to show that you're like, no, I want to sit and pay attention. And I will wait for all the other things I have to do to finish this. Uh-huh. That's amazing. Yeah.

Yeah. Because I think it's like broken up right into like three parts. Three parts. Yeah. I remember getting to part three and like physically stopping myself because I was like I'm going to read part three in one sitting. Like I'm not going to. It's like the shortest one and it is wild. Yeah.

Yeah. So good. The characters feel so real. Yeah. Everyone felt real. The town felt real. I loved it. I put this in my review, but for people who like reading like family dramas, so for example, like Tracy Lings, like what happened to the McCray, like we are the Brennan's, like it felt like a family drama for so much.

And you're like, wow, is this like a mystery? Like there's some dramatic things happening, some like juicy stuff. But you're like, this is, I think this is a thriller. And then you're like, all of a sudden, like, it all makes sense. And it's so cool. Yeah. It's kind of like, what was that term we learned? Psychological drama until the end.

And then it turns into a thriller. Yeah. There were also like very like many like little reveals that were happening that I was like, oh, okay. Like I wasn't expecting that because like we're not in like the thrillery part of the story yet. And then I was like, oh my God. Like this is, I did not see that coming. Yeah. So it was very, very cool. And his dialogue is like probably the best. Amazing.

Yeah. Ever. So good. I legit said in my review something about Gilmore Girl style dialogue, like how snappy it is. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Because it's kind of one of those things where it's like I, you get this feeling the main character, the narrator, I should say, protagonist is like kind of a goody-goody but then like I'm like oh I don't know and you're just kind of like I like I like her yes her sister reminded me of like my friendship with my friend Nicole where like the sister was like very sarcastic and like snippy and like that would be me in like my friendship with Nicole because she's like the nicer one but um I was just like dying how like they had like that relationship and I absolutely

loved. I love the sister. Yeah. I'm like he has to have like siblings or something that they like have that kind of banter together because I feel like you can't just push it up. I know. Some of the coolest women I've read recently. I know. Like a 70 year old white man. I know. What? What is happening? I mean, that's a good thing though. Yeah. Yeah. So if you, I would say if even if even if, even if you, you're like, I don't know if I'm into thrillers. Like this is a really great and like I think you even someone in that like dipping my toes in, I'm not really sure why you're listening to this podcast necessarily.

But like it would work for someone. It's really universally recommendable. I guess I should say. Yeah. I would agree with that. I would even say even if you are like on like vice versa, like if you are a thriller fan who doesn't think that you're going to like the, like family drama aspect of it. Like I think that you should still give it a chance because I'm not typically somebody that

would read like a family drama, but like I was like when the thriller aspect kicked in, I was like, oh shit, that's right. Like we're, I should have expected this. But like it was so good. Yeah. Great. Good point. Good point.

I'm not going to say anything else because I'll start spoiling stuff. Because I loved it so much. But my next. my next one is called the memory collectors by debt meserve uh D-E-E-T-E is her name and apparently I don't know how to pronounce my author's names today but I saw this I got an email about this comping it to wrong place wrong time and the paradox hotel which I happened to talk about last week when we recorded or last time we recorded and I was like well that's one of my favorite books of all time. So request. Or I guess they sent it to me, so I accepted it. What would you do

if you could spend an hour in your past? Four strangers in the beach town of Ventura, California, are about to find out. Elizabeth aches for one more precious hour with her son who died in a senseless accident. Andy is desperate to find his first love who vanished after a whirlwind romance. Logan craves the rush of surfing and mountain climbing, yearning to reclaim the freedom he lost after a misstep landed him in a wheelchair, and Brooke is looking for an hour of relief from the guilt of an unforgivable mistake. After Eon expeditions, the groundbreaking time travel invention of Mark Saunders, which allows some lucky clients the chance to spend an hour in their past. Even though Eon's technology ensures time travel can't alter the future, all four clients including Mark's ex-wife Elizabeth, yearn to revisit the hour that changed their lives forever.

But when their hour extends beyond 60 minutes, they find themselves stranded in the past. As their paths intertwine unexpectedly, they unearth shocking secrets hidden in the shadows of their shared lives. There's a typo there. Yeah, there is. Okay, all their lives were shattered the same night on a secluded highway by the beach. as they delve into the hidden truths of that pivotal hour a startling revelation emerges they were not alone someone else was present harboring deadly intentions and it says this is a heart-wrenching genre-bending novel priming with hope grief and second chances that sounds really good yeah i think i could i think i could digest that type of yeah yeah yeah i It's like a really intriguing concept. Because then what would you do if you were stuck there?

It kind of reminds me of the show. There's a show on Netflix called Maniac. It's like a relatively similar premise where it's like a company. I think it can help you remove memories you don't want to have anymore. So then it's like all of these people are meeting to do the trial. And they're all like traumatized by something. and then they all figure something out. So that's why it's reminding me of it.

That also reminds me of nine perfect strangers, the show, based on the late. And that's such an interesting concept. Like, I mean, that one, it's different with, like, microdosing and stuff like that. But, like, I think it creates really interesting conversations in real life of, like, I know people that were, like, I would totally do that. And I'm like, I don't know. I was just, like, I don't know if I would do that. So it's a really interesting conversation starter.

Yeah. Topic. Why is gear smirking? I would, fuck yeah, 100%. I would go back in time, change some shit. I would delete people out of my life. I would delete people out of my memories. I would just go back.

I would, let me tell you what. Uh-huh. Yeah. There's a lot. I think you tell. Yeah. What? I'm curious, like, so you can pick which hour you want then, right?

Like I think so. That makes sense. I think so. Yeah. Yeah. I think if I had lost someone that I really loved, I would maybe feel that way. But there's not a ton in my past that I'm like wanting to go back to. But that's personal, I guess.

Yeah, as I say, I guess that's for all kinds of reasons. Yeah. Yeah, it was interesting. Like in mine with nine perfect strangers, I was like, like, like Nicole. Kidman, the main character, I have not read the book. But I'm like, she tried so hard to get there and she couldn't get there. And so I'm like, what's the risk reward here? And I'm sure that's what this book is about too. Right. It's very fascinating. I agree. Yeah. And it reminded me of Leon Moriarty, too. That's interesting that you brought up nine perfect strangers. Because it also kind of reminded me of her,

like, I haven't read it, the new one where it's like the idea, like they find out when they're going to die. like everyone on a plane here one moment I think yeah but it was kind of reminding me of that where it's like a intriguing concept with an ensemble cast and like some like core question at the center of it so I'm intrigued I'm very intrigued to see you

how it goes for sure for sure I am too and again cover stunning the cover is very cool yeah very time traveling California boardwalk time travel yeah I love a boardwalk.

Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. I don't think I've ever been on one. Let's go. Let's all meet at the boardwalk. Let's do it. For it. Well, if you want to get a little bleak.

We know you do. So this is our fourth, right? This is the last one. Yeah. May 13th. One in four by Lucinda. Barry comes out. I am so excited for it.

It's probably Dr. Lucinda Barry sent me a message on Instagram and it was like Happy Valentine's Day or whatever and I turned my Kindle on and there was a copy of one and four in my Kindle.

So she sent to me an archivet. I'm still pre-ordering my paperback copy for the collection. But this one is about Dr. Laurel Harle. she cannot believe that she agreed to do a reality TV show. For her years, as a chemical dependency counselor and personal history with the show's director, make her the obvious choice.

Treating a mansion full of former child stores on the road to recovery is the tallest order of her career, especially when one of them turns up dead while the cameras are still rolling. In a house full of narcissists vying for the spotlight, everyone's hiding something, including Laurel. An investigation could expose a pass she'd rather keep buried. but among the attention star of patients only one of them is a predator and laurel is skilled at spotting a predator when she sees one as she hunts a killer in her present the unsettling truths of laurel's

past are forced into the light but this time she'll face her demons head on she'll stop at nothing to expose a murder even if it means risking everything she holds dear i'm so intrigued by this one because it's kind of like what was that was it called celebrity rehab Like, what was the show where they rehabbed celebrities? It made me think of that but a thriller. There's also, like, if you are, like, a lot of people in my situation that, like, found a lot of Lucinda Barry's books through TikTok this year. And you're diving into her backlist. Her book, One of Our Own, which is an audiobook original, is actually coming out on Kindle and Paperback on April 1st.

So if you're like, oh, I want to read more by Lucinda Berry, you have a new book in April and a new book in May. That's amazing. Oh, yeah, I do remember seeing this audiobook. I saw a bunch of people post about it the other day. It was like I felt like I... It's a big, freaking water tower and everything. Yeah. And it's compared to, I think it's compared to like, we need to talk about Kevin.

The push and wrong place, wrong time. and we need to talk about Kevin. Wow. Mike. Yeah. Bleakberry. Damn. Oh, the audiobook is performed by A.J. Cook from...

I was going to say that. Sounds familiar. Who is that? She's the blonde from criminal minds. She's in Final Destination, too. Okay, well, I guess crisis averted. So the reason I was wondering was because my last one, Gere has. a shout out or Gairs Up as a shout out. I know. I thought it might be that one too. I avoided it.

So I picked their double lives the newest Jamie Lynn Hendricks book, which is coming out on May 20th. And I specifically saved this for vacation because like to me she has the perfect like poolside reads and I was so into it and it was really, really good and just another one that she can like cruise through. I sometimes can be really hit or miss on like kind of con artist stories and this one was a big hit for me. Because if you, I mean, if you've read Jamie Lynn Hendricks before, which hopefully you have, she just has like the perfect amount of snark and like a really great voice in her. Yes. So a down on her luck waitress at a posh New Jersey country club, Kim Valva couldn't be living a more different life from the carefree socialites she serves. Her living boyfriend recently cheated on her.

Her social life is in shambles and her dog needs a life-saving surgery that she can't afford. Then her luck seems to change when a mysterious figure identifying identifying themselves only as the stranger connects with her with an offer she can't refuse. Put a pill in a new member's drink and when he dies she'll have enough money to fix her dog and her life. Her target turns out to be Tony Fior. Kim's bad boy ex-boyfriend from high school. Fifteen years have passed, and now he goes by Anthony Fuller. He's cleaned up, made tens of millions, and his gorgeous fiancee, 22-year-old PJ Walsh, is on his arm. PJ had her own agenda from the second she met Anthony. Find him, trick him, marry him, kill him. It was supposed to be easy. But she finds that while living her double life, the lines blur between who she is and who she's pretending to be.

Stunt to see Tony again, Kim can't bring herself to go through. with spiking his drink. Instead, it is PJ who dies horrifically at the table, just as dinner ends. Was someone else at the club, member or worker, tasked with poisoning PJ, just as she had been instructed to do to Tony, who would want them both dead? With no one to trust and the stranger to answer to, Kim must peel back the layers of deceit to reveal a deeply buried truth more shocking than she could ever imagine. I can't wait to read that.

Yeah. I did not even read the synopsis before I started it. And I personally feel like this synopsis could have been like even shorter. Yeah. Just like go in and like him struggling. I think somehow I had never read like this entire synopsis because when you said Kim Valva, I was like, Kim Valva is someone who like had just liked one of my posts in the recent hour. and I was like, wait a second.

And so then I just looked it up and Jamie Lynn Hendricks follows her. And I must be named after a friend or something. Yeah, I can't remember if she did a contest for this book is what was going through my mind where I was like, I can't remember if she did that where she was like, you could be a character. And I wonder if Kim won it. But like it has to be like she follows the Kim Valva who like I talk to sometimes. Oh. It has to be her. so like do gear and kim valva get show up in this book slash gear slash merrimon

so that's kind of cool um i have the book oh yeah maybe it's in the maybe there's something in there oh in the acknowledgments i didn't i don't know if they were on there or if it was t bk i'm not sure murphy's in the acknowledgments oh you got it then dogs are being so weird. This is definitely one where I would say people are going to be like, oh my God, all the characters are so unlikable. Not all of them, but I'm like, I love it that way. I don't know if I've ever read a likable character to be honest.

I know. Like, I'm just like, I love, like, in a con artist one where you know there's people that are like kind of seeking, like it says straight in the synopsis, like there's kind of like some revenge going on. I'm like, oh, hell yeah, make them unlikable. Yeah. It's like country club. folk. Yeah, especially with hers. Like, I don't think I've ever read a super likable Jamie Lynn Hendricks character.

Yeah. She says, thank you to Kim Valva, who generously donated to the arthritis foundation to be named a character in this book. Okay. So all of those figments were coming together in my mind as you were reading it. I'll have to look back because you could probably see it dawning on me in the video. because I was like, huh? And then I was like, okay, I need to look her up. And then I was like, that's amazing. You're in the acknowledgments.

Yeah. And honestly, good for Jamie because there are out of 79 net galley reviews, the average is five. Or the average is least rounds up to five. Wow. That's impressive.

Kate, you're in the acknowledgments. I need it to be acknowledgments. awesome well also if you guys want to at k i mv a lva is the character name inspiration that's so cool

i'm pretty sure she's the podcast listener oh that's awesome well i like she's common that she was such like she's literally like one of the main characters it's not like it's a side one or anything that's super cool i'm so excited that's cool wow Murphy really comforted Kim a lot

in this story I just can't wait to read it and compare fictional Murphy to real life Murphy who can be an emotional terrorist at times I think it's like an older I mean like if they're having I think it's like an older version of Murphy

when he grows up and matures yeah when he's like he'll be left alone like all day and it's just like oh my god I can't I can't

I believe Murphy alone for an hour one time and the entire time that I've had him and I was like beside myself because I had to go get my hair cut and I don't know how I didn't get a speeding ticket because I was like what do you do? Did he do anything naughty?

I literally put him in his crate like he probably just took a nap and it was an hour like It was literally an hour. And like when I was like driving home, I just like remember like being like, oh my God, daddy's coming. Oh. Yeah.

Now I'm at the point where it's like, oh, is it too long to go to Milwaukee for a while? They come back. Just like an hour and a half. Well, they call them like Velcro dogs and I'm like maybe I'm a Velcro dad. Could be. I'm definitely. It definitely goes both ways with me. Yeah.

I have a Velcro dog and I'm a Velcro mom. Yeah. I'm an old-hearted like get off me. But then also I'm like, oh, look at you. I know. 30 seconds of being mad. That's all I am with men. Multiple directions.

Maybe same. I don't know. It is interesting. It's my male dog that's like that because my female's like, whatever. I'll just sleep this whole day and it's fine if you don't really. talk to me. Yeah. I love that.

Well, everybody, go read because my list just grew, too. Same. Yeah, spring's going to be good. There's things to look forward to. Ayo.