It’s hard to believe that the first quarter of 2024 is officially over and we’ve moved onto the second. And while I typically feel as if the first few months of the year move so slowly, this year they seemed to fly by. We were talking just the other day how there are only 9 more weeks left in the school year before summer break… which is always the perfect time to really embrace those lazy summer evenings and weekends by the pool and engross myself in a book.

And if you’re similar to me, and love getting lost in a book, then I’ve rounded up 6 of the books I read in the first three months of the year. They ranged in genre, and for the most part were all really good. I’ve shared a brief synopsis, as well as my “rating” of them at the end of each review as well!

I hope it helps if you’re looking for a new book to read!

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VERA WONG’S UNSOLICITED ADVICE FOR MURDERERS: This book was the first book I read in 2024 and it was a really cute and fun read. It was lighthearted, a bit comical, and still had an air of mystery to it. I would consider this a great, and easy, spring break read. Sharing a quick synopsis below:

“Vera Wong is a lonely little old lady—ah, lady of a certain age—who lives above her forgotten tea shop in the middle of San Francisco’s Chinatown. Despite living alone, Vera is not needy, oh no. She likes nothing more than sipping on a good cup of Wulong and doing some healthy detective work on the Internet about what her Gen-Z son is up to.

Then one morning, Vera trudges downstairs to find a curious thing—a dead man in the middle of her tea shop. In his outstretched hand, a flash drive. Vera doesn’t know what comes over her, but after calling the cops like any good citizen would, she sort of . . . swipes the flash drive from the body and tucks it safely into the pocket of her apron. Why? Because Vera is sure she would do a better job than the police possibly could, because nobody sniffs out a wrongdoing quite like a suspicious Chinese mother with time on her hands. Vera knows the killer will be back for the flash drive; all she has to do is watch the increasing number of customers at her shop and figure out which one among them is the killer.

What Vera does not expect is to form friendships with her customers and start to care for each and every one of them. As a protective mother hen, will she end up having to give one of her newfound chicks to the police?”

I give it a 9/10 (as there were some slow parts here and there)

JUST THE NICEST COUPLE: I’ve read a couple books by this author and really enjoyed them, so I assumed this book would be no different. I definitely thought it was good, but the entire premise of the book is based on a few early decisions by the husband, and I just can’t understand/grasp how/why that would even happen in real life. **SPOILER ALERT** so that I can reveal the decision… so don’t read past this sentence if you want to read the book. BUT, basically, the wife says that she was being attached by her best friend’s husband in the woods (off of a running trail) and the husband has now been reported missing, and the wife claims she doesn’t know if she killed him or not. My mind goes to self defense if she had, and so then an entire cover-up is plotted by the husband and it just seems like the logical step would have been to go to the police. A lot more unfolds… but I couldn’t get past that, haha.

**Start reading here if you skipped over the spoiler alert for a synopsis of the book**

“Jake Hayes is missing. This much is certain. At first, his wife, Nina, thinks he is blowing off steam at a friend’s house after their heated fight the night before. But then a day goes by. Two days. Five. And Jake is still nowhere to be found.

Lily Scott, Nina’s friend and coworker, thinks she may have been the last to see Jake before he went missing. After Lily confesses everything to her husband, Christian, the two decide that nobody can find out what happened leading up to Jake’s disappearance, especially not Nina. But Nina is out there looking for her husband, and she won’t stop until the truth is discovered.”

I give it a 6.5/10 (due to what I mentioned above)

THE PUSH: This was hands down one of my favorites from the quarter. I have so many thoughts and it explores so many complex issues like generational patterns, gaslighting, motherhood expectations, and the concept of nature vs. nurture. I had so many mixed feelings about the different female characters … sadness, sympathy, hope that things would be different, etc. I highly recommend the book… and while I know a lot of people say it is disturbing, unfortunately the underlying themes and experiences written about are a reality for a lot of women and children (which I’ve seen first hand in my work as a therapist). If you want something lighthearted, this isn’t a good read for you…. But if you want something thought provoking, while at the same time an air of suspense, then I highly recommend this. Synopsis below:

“Blythe Connor is determined that she will be the warm, comforting mother to her new baby Violet that she herself never had. But in the thick of motherhood’s exhausting early days, Blythe becomes convinced that something is wrong with her daughter—she doesn’t behave like most children do.

Or is it all in Blythe’s head? Her husband, Fox, says she’s imagining things. The more Fox dismisses her fears, the more Blythe begins to question her own sanity, and the more we begin to question what Blythe is telling us about her life as well.

Then their son Sam is born—and with him, Blythe has the blissful connection she’d always imagined with her child. Even Violet seems to love her little brother. But when life as they know it is changed in an instant, the devastating fall-out forces Blythe to face the truth.”

I give it a 10/10

THE THINGS WE CANNOT SAY: This was another favorite from the past several months. If you enjoy WWII fiction, then I can’t recommend this book more. It’s so beautifully written and I had tears several times throughout the book. I love how it vacillated between the past and present, tying the two together, across generations. I absolutely loved “The Nightingale” but might have liked this one more! A quick synopsis below:

“In 1942, Europe remains in the relentless grip of war. Just beyond the tents of the refugee camp she calls home, a young woman speaks her wedding vows. It’s a decision that will alter her destiny…and it’s a lie that will remain buried until the next century.

Since she was nine years old, Alina Dziak knew she would marry her best friend, Tomasz. Now fifteen and engaged, Alina is unconcerned by reports of Nazi soldiers at the Polish border, believing her neighbors that they pose no real threat, and dreams instead of the day Tomasz returns from college in Warsaw so they can be married. But little by little, injustice by brutal injustice, the Nazi occupation takes hold, and Alina’s tiny rural village, its families, are divided by fear and hate.

Then, as the fabric of their lives is slowly picked apart, Tomasz disappears. Where Alina used to measure time between visits from her beloved, now she measures the spaces between hope and despair, waiting for word from Tomasz and avoiding the attentions of the soldiers who patrol her parents’ farm. But for now, even deafening silence is preferable to grief.

Slipping between Nazi-occupied Poland and the frenetic pace of modern life, Kelly Rimmer creates an emotional and finely wrought narrative. The Things We Cannot Say is an unshakable reminder of the devastation when truth is silenced…and how it can take a lifetime to find our voice before we learn to trust it.“

I give it a 10/10

NEVER LIE: I started, and finished, this book on the flight over to Hawaii for spring break and it was good! It definitely falls under the “psychological thriller” category, with so many dark twists (not scary). Highly recommend if you’re a fan of the psychological thriller genre…. and while you might think you have it figured out throughout the book, the end will blow your theories out of the water! A quick synopsis below:

“Newlyweds Tricia and Ethan are searching for the house of their dreams.

But when they visit the remote manor that once belonged to Dr. Adrienne Hale, a renowned psychiatrist who vanished without a trace four years earlier, a violent winter storm traps them at the estate… with no chance of escape until the blizzard comes to an end.

In search of a book to keep her entertained until the snow abates, Tricia happens upon a secret room. One that contains audio transcripts from every single patient Dr. Hale has ever interviewed. As Tricia listens to the cassette tapes, she learns about the terrifying chain of events leading up to Dr. Hale’s mysterious disappearance.

Tricia plays the tapes one by one, late into the night. With each one, another shocking piece of the puzzle falls into place, and Dr. Adrienne Hale’s web of lies slowly unravels.

And then Tricia reaches the final cassette.”

I give it an 8/10

THE TATTOOIST OF AUSCHWITZ: Another beautifully written WWII novel, based on the true love story and survival of Ludwig (Lale) Sokolov. I loved that there was additional information at the end of the book as well. There isn’t much else I can say other than I highly recommend this book. Sharing a brief synopsis below:

“This beautiful, illuminating tale of hope and courage is based on interviews that were conducted with Holocaust survivor and Auschwitz-Birkenau tattooist Ludwig (Lale) Sokolov—an unforgettable love story in the midst of atrocity.

In April 1942, Lale Sokolov, a Slovakian Jew, is forcibly transported to the concentration camps at Auschwitz-Birkenau. When his captors discover that he speaks several languages, he is put to work as a Tätowierer (the German word for tattooist), tasked with permanently marking his fellow prisoners.

Imprisoned for over two and a half years, Lale witnesses horrific atrocities and barbarism—but also incredible acts of bravery and compassion. Risking his own life, he uses his privileged position to exchange jewels and money from murdered Jews for food to keep his fellow prisoners alive.

One day in July 1942, Lale, prisoner 32407, comforts a trembling young woman waiting in line to have the number 34902 tattooed onto her arm. Her name is Gita, and in that first encounter, Lale vows to somehow survive the camp and marry her.

A vivid, harrowing, and ultimately hopeful re-creation of Lale Sokolov’s experiences as the man who tattooed the arms of thousands of prisoners with what would become one of the most potent symbols of the Holocaust, The Tattooist of Auschwitz is also a testament to the endurance of love and humanity under the darkest possible conditions.”

I give it a 10/10