Murder with a Side of Shrimp and Grits – ARC Book Review

Murder with a Side of Shrimp and Grits

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Date published:- will be published on 13th May 2026

Author:- Skylar Warren

No. of pages:- 377 pages

Genre:- Cozy Mystery

Welcome to Honeybee’s diner, where the scent of butter and garlic wraps itself around you, thick and comforting. Jessie Haynes’ homestyle cooking feeds the hearts and souls of the good people of Willow Bluff. Until someone puts murder on the menu!

Y’all are invited to dig into a steamin’ plate of meatloaf. The diner’s well-worn red chairs have cradled folks from every corner of Willow Bluff—Jessie’s podcasting bestie, Tee, Old Mr Higgins, two mighty mischievous kittens, Biscuits and Gravy, and every tattling townsperson in between—so when the mayor turns blue after a bite of Jessie’s famous shrimp and grits, she finds herself in seriously hot water…

Suddenly, all eyes are swivelled toward Jessie. For fifty years her family has fed Willow Bluff, and Jessie won’t let one mouthful shatter the legacy of her grandmother’s secret recipes. The mayor’s peanut allergy was the talk of the town, so when traces are found in his food, Jessie must fight to clear her name.

An empty peanut packet in the diner’s pantry has Jessie and Tee hot on the heels of the murderer when another case of food tampering occurs at a nearby bakery. Someone is dishing out delicious death sentences—but how many locals will get served before Jessie can crack the case? Her investigation must be a recipe for success or Honeybee’s will be toast…

This unputdownable and addictive cozy mystery is full of Southern charm, a gripping whodunnit and a feisty amateur sleuth. It’s perfect for fans of Ellery Adams, R. L. Killmore and Joanne Fluke.

Murder with a Side of Shrimp and Grits is a cozy mystery novel which starts off with the apparent murder of the town’s mayor.

Jessie Haynes inherited her grandmother’s diner in Willow Buff after her unsuccessful stint as a journalist in Atlanta. She follows her grandmother’s recipes although she was slightly under pressure to live up to her grandmother’s expectations. The mayor is a frequent visitor to the diner but on one visit, after he orders his usual shrimps and grits, the mayor falls unconscious and then died along the way to the hospital. When doing autopsy, it was found that the mayor had died from peanut allergy. Jessie knows that she never used peanuts in her meals and that someone is trying to sabotage the diner and ruin its reputation. Together with Tee, Maddy, her mother Norah and new friend Dr. Bennett, they must find out who is responsible for the mayor’s death as there are several people in the town who do actually wanted the mayor to be dead.

Honestly, I actually liked and enjoyed this book. The book has an air of Southern charm with those southern accents the characters are speaking in. The food and pies descriptions are all mouthwatering and delicious. The characters, particularly Tee are all likable–maybe except Barbara. But, despite being a cozy mystery, I feel the story was way too long and could have been shorter. Maybe too much flowery descriptions and maybe if those descriptions have been reduced, then this book would have been a great book.

I am not sure if this book is going to be a series but if it was a part of the series, then I am looking forward to read more books from the series and from this author. Overall this is worth 4 stars.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC. The review is based on my honest opinion only.

The Obsession – Book Review

The Obsession

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Date published:- December 2nd 2025

Genre:- Thriller/Horror/YA

Author:- Natasha Preston

No. of pages:- 320 pages

Quick Review:- horrible ending, and could have been better.

Rating:- 2/5

ARE YOU REALLY HOME ALONE?

Sixteen-year-old Connie has been dragged into the world of vlogging – her mum Lou’s vlog is hugely popular, enough to bring in money for a new house, expensive lifestyle . . . and a lot of criticism.

While Lou and Connie’s older sister Isla are touring colleges, Connie stays home alone, where she becomes increasingly paranoid about comments on the vlog. Plus someone is turning up at her school and following her on her way home.

Then Connie’s best friend is attacked – the third teenage girl attacked in five weeks – and suspicion turns to Connie. Connie doesn’t know who she can trust any more and goes on the run. But will the killer – whoever they are – catch up with her?

Connie is dragged into the world of vlogging by her mother as her mother’s YouTube vlogs have become immensely popular, so now they could afford to live in a new mansion and live nicely. So when Lou and Isla leaves Connie home alone, to tour the colleges, Connie becomes increasingly paranoid about the comments on the vlog and thinks that someone is stalking. Connie’s best friend is attacked, which is the third attack in a matter of five weeks. Suspicions mount towards Connie and she has no idea who to trust.

On the plus side, the story kind of had a potential to be an interesting thriller. But there are lot of negative things about the book.

I couldn’t stand any of the characters in the book–found them annoying and selfish–particularly Connie’s mother and sister. Initially I liked Connie but her naivety at trusting strangers online bothered me. So fair to say, Gray is my only favorite character in the book, even though he only had a small role in the overall story.

Though this book is labelled as a thriller, 60% of the book is about the drama, with Connie fighting with her mother and sister, her being paranoid about someone stalking and the thriller starts actually towards the end. But my rating went down to two stars at the ending. I mean WTF is the ending???? Here’s the thing, I CANNOT stand cliffhangers in a standalone novel–I despise is. If it’s a series, then cliffhangers are fine but in standalone novels like this one…no, I hate that. Did not like the ending at all.

With that being said, and despite my horrible rating with this book, I am willing to read more books from this author and hopefully they are better than this book.

Overall worth 2 stars.

The Macha Maker Cafe – ARC Book Review

The Matcha Maker Cafe

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Date published:- will be published on 14th July 2026

Author:- Lily Chen

No. of pages:- 400 pages

Genre:- Romance

Quick Review:- would have been better if this book was written as a first person POV rather than using third person, then the readers could really connect with the main character, Sasha.

Rating:- 3.5/5

The only person harder to match than her clients . . . is the matchmaker herself.

The Matcha Maker Café is a sweet, small-town slow-burn romance set in a charming matcha cafe, perfect for readers who love Laurie Gilmore, B.K. Borison and the gentle magic of Before the Coffee Gets Cold.

At Matcha Moments, owner Sasha Lee is a star matchmaker, helping customers find love over a smooth cup of matcha. You’d think that as the master she’d be living her fairytale ending, but Sasha is allergic to commitment.

With a growing reputation, her successes are challenged when the ‘unmatchable’ Ben walks in – a man who believes he’s too boring for love. As Sasha tries to match him, she slowly finds herself drawn to his quiet charm.

As their daily banter becomes the highlight of her day, Sasha must confront the possibility that her own love story might be brewing. Will she embrace the unexpected romance, or let her past fears keep her from true love?

This is a cute, cozy small town romance which I did enjoy reading.

Sasha owns a matcha cafe and her cafe specializing in something unique–using matcha bubbles, she could predict and do matchmaking to her clients. Her matchmaking cases had been successful as she helped clients to find their true love. But Ben, walks in and when Ben wants her to do a matcha matchmaking service, Sasha couldn’t really intrude his thoughts. In fact, Sasha couldn’t help but has feelings towards this new handsome customer. Meanwhile Sasha despite having a huge customer base and community support, she has to extend her lease but if her lease isn’t extended then she would have to stop this matchmaking business and then close down the cafe.

This was actually cute and lovely story in my opinion. I think I like how the whole community is supporting Sasha even though she is being threatened about the lease and forced to give up on her cafe. There were not too much drama and might be a perfect read for someone who likes reading romance in cozy setting. My issue is if this book was written in the first person POV, maybe we could have gotten more feelings and shared Sasha’s thoughts and feelings.

Overall this is worth 3.5 stars.

Many thanks to Netgalley and PanMacmillan. The review is based on my honest opinion only.

The Fake Wife – ARC Book Review

The Fake Wife

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Date published:- will be published on 11th May 2026

Author:- Emily Shiner

No. of pages:- 336 pages

Genre:- Psychological Thriller

Quick Review:- a fast-paced, page turning thriller with twists and turns. The ending was unexpected.

Rating:- 4.5/5

As I watch Darren bury his wife’s body in the backyard, I know I need to act fast. I’m going to be her replacement. He’ll never know what’s coming…

The next day, I smile down at Darren in bed next to me. When he wakes up, I’m going to tell him I’m his new wife. I’ll keep this beautiful house clean and host the most fabulous dinner parties.

He’ll wonder what’s going on. He’ll wonder how I got into his house. We both know I’m not really his wife. But he will never be able to get rid of me.

Before she died, I watched Britt and Darren for longer than I care to admit. I knew her favorite white wine. I know Darren’s weekly tee time. I also know about the cheating. And the lies they told each other on their wedding day…

You might think I’m a woman in love, obsessed with someone else’s husband.

Or you might think I’m here to avenge Britt’s death.

All I know is, handsome and powerful men like Darren think they can get away with anything.

But he’s so, so wrong…

A totally gripping psychological thriller that will keep you up all night! The Fake Wife is perfect for fans of The Perfect Marriage , John Marrs and Freida McFadden.

Darren knows that he had killed his wife and had already buried her at the backyard of the house. But when he wakes up, he sees a woman who looks eerily similar to his first wife. Didn’t he just kill his wife? But the woman next to him pretends to be his wife and all she wants is Darren to pretend that she is his wife as well.

I have read Emily Shiner’s books before, but I personally think this was one of her best. The start of the book was what actually drew me into the book. Darren kills his wife and buries her in the backyard but then finds his wife back in his bed! That was such an eye-opening scene. Is it really his wife or is someone pretending to be his wife? But we know it’s someone pretending to be his wife though we don’t know the exact reason why she is pretending to be his wife and look just like his wife. The story is told in multiple POVs–we have Britt before her ultimate death; the Wife whose name is a mystery and Darren. Then of course we have the story divided between past and present. The story is fast paced, packed with twists and turns and will definitely put you on the edge. The ending was so completely unexpected and I needed to take a breather to absorb what I have just read.

This book will give you a roller-coaster ride and you wouldn’t be able to put this book down. Fast-paced filled with twists and turns and an unexpected ending. Overall worth 4.5 stars!

Many thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC. The review is based on my honest opinion only.

Hope Street – Book Review

Hope Street

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Date published:- February 6th 2025

Author:- Mike Gayle

No. of pages:- 368 pages

Genre:- Literary/Contemporary fiction

Quick Review:- an emotional heartbreaking and fun story to read, that shows how community works together.

Rating:- 4.5/5

The greatest adventure is coming back home.

Lila Metcalfe is a trainee journalist in Derby and she’s very used to being given the stories that no one else wants. So, when her editor tells her that the city’s Cossington Park development is being held up by a solitary resident on Hope Street who is refusing to leave, she knows she is going to be the one sent to find out more. And that’s how she meets Connor.

Twenty-something Connor is the sole resident of Hope Street and he is not at all what Lila is expecting. And he has a very clear reason not to move: he is waiting for his mum to come home.

The uplifting and heartfelt new novel from the author of A Song of Me and You.

Lila is a journalist working for the small newspaper organization the Echo in Derby. She has a boyfriend in London and wants to be closer to him as she applied journalism jobs in and around London. When her boss wants her to write an article about a man who refuses to leave the childhood house as the council is taking over all the houses in Hope Street to build a park, Lila goes to interview Connor. What she finds is a heartbreaking story of Connor, who is waiting for his mother to safely return back home when she disappeared two years ago. Lila decides to help Connor finds his mother and promised to find his mother.

This was an emotional and uplifting story. Particularly when reading Connor’s part. You feel so much empathy and sympathy for Connor’s character and that you actually feel overjoyed when you see there are people in the community who supports and cares for Connor–like Alan, his co-worker, his friend and Lila. I like the past memories showing Connor’s mother before she disappeared, how she took care of little Connor and how this house in Hope Street is actually a special place for Connor as that was where he grew up. I also like his profound and wavering love towards his own mother, his willingness of not leaving the house until his mother returns home.

I also like Lila the journalist as well, even though she is dealing with her own personal drama with her boyfriend, she would do anything to help Connor find his mother.

This story talks about support, friendship and loyalty and of course empathy. It’s moving and emotional, particularly the ending part. I actually enjoyed reading the story, some parts are tear-jerking and the ending to me was great. The writing was great as the author did a great job, making the reader feel sorry for Connor’s character.

Overall, this story is worth 4.5 stars.

Murder at the Black Cat Cafe – Book Review

Murder at the Black Cat Cafe

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Date Published:- August 25th 2025

No. of pages:- 224 pages

Author:- Seishi Yokomizo

Translated by:- Brian Karetnyk

Genre:- Japanese fiction/Thriller

Overall review:- there was suspense, though at the end, it kind of got a little confusing. At the end of the book is also another murder case which is not really related to the story.

Rating- 4/5

Tokyo, 1947.

The Pink Labyrinth is one of the bomb-scarred city’s most shady neighbourhoods. There, in the dead of night a patrolling policeman catches a young Buddhist monk digging in the back yard of The Black Cat Cafe, a notorious brothel. In the shallow grave at his feet lie the dead body of a woman, her face disfigured beyond recognition, and the corpse of a black cat.

Who is the murdered woman, and how was she connected to the infamous establishment? And where did the dead cat come from, given that the cafe’s feline mascot seems to be alive and well? The brilliant sleuth Kosuke Kindaichi investigates, but as he draws closer to the truth, he finds himself in grave danger…

Seishi Yokomizo is the Japanese Agatha Christie.

The story starts with a policeman patrolling around the area when he comes across monk digging what looked like a grave. When the police were brought in, they discover a half decaying corpse with the face nearly gone–thus dubbing the faceless corpse. The police get together to solve the mystery that involves the owner of the Black Cat Cafe–a couple which is actually a notorious brothel and a young mistress who is involved with the husband. The body was initially suspected of belonging to the young mistress but the police then believe that the body might belong to the wife. But then a young bright detective named Kosuke Kindaichi starts investigating the case and then brings light to the case.

This was interesting. It is actually a short story however, the story to me was a bit predictable. Otherwise, it was intriguing and interesting and the greatest twist at the end was quiet unexpected. The short murder story at the end was interesting but a bit disturbing.

Overall, this was a good thriller book and I feel like I want to read more books from this author—worth four stars.

Not Actually Yours – ARC Book Review

Not Actually Yours

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Author:- Sophie L. Henderson

Date published:- will be published on 7th May 2026

Genre:- Romance

Quick Review:- If you read Amy Lea’s Exs and Ohs, then you will definitely love this book.

Rating:- 4/5

Two weeks and two fake dates with Brock Holt—the infuriating firefighter with a savior complex, tough-guy attitude and a body as hot as his temper. And the last person single-by-choice schoolteacher Nix would ever fall for.

Nix‘s heart is on permanent lockdown after her mom walked out on her, but she needs a date to her cousin’s engagement party. Anything to put an end to the relentless single-shaming. Can she find someone—preferably smokin’—willing to spend Thanksgiving weekend with her meddling family in a tiny seaside town in the middle of nowhere?

Brock got burned falling for the wrong girl. But his potential promotion to captain hinges on him having a date for the annual firefighters’ gala. Can he convince the entire community that his short fuse is a thing of the past, that he’s ready for a serious new role as a fire hall leader?

They’ve agreed: falling in love is not an option. And soon, they’re fooling everyone. Even themselves. When Brock utterly charms Nix’s hard-to-impress aunt over a cozy breakfast of pancakes and maple syrup, and sparks fly at the fire department dance, the alarm bells start to ring…

A swoony, sweet and steamy fake-dating romance that is the perfect comfort read. If you love Laurie Gilmore, Amy Daws and Stephanie Archer, you’ll be charmed by Not Actually Yours.

If you liked reading Amy Lea’s Ex’s and Oh’s then Not Actually Yours might be for you then

Nix doesn’t really believe in love after her mother walked out of their family. She then meets Brock, a grumpy firefighter–they kind of know each other through their mutual friend and Nix who is a teacher had to work with Brock and his team at Fire Eight. Nix’s cousin’s wedding is coming up and Nix wanted to take someone for the wedding as the date and Brock seemed to be a perfect choice. Meanwhile, Brock always make bad decisions when his ex- dumped him. Brock is eying for promotion as a captain and when his captain asks him to go for this gala, he needs to bring a date. Nix and Brock both ask each other out to be their fake dates. But then their chemistry is sizzling that it is possible that they are going to fall in love.

The story is engaging, funny and relaxing. Both Nix and Brock are favorable characters and you do feel that there is a connection between the two. I completely got invested into the story and as a result was rooting for them. Nix has a complicated relationship with her mother and as a result she has trust issues and so does Brock. I like that one is a firefighter and the other is an elementary school teacher and the romance between the two is very interesting.

Overall, this is sort of emotional but fun to read and engaging. Worth four stars.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC. The review is based on my honest opinion only.

The Wizard’s Bakery – Book Review

The Wizard’s Bakery

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Date published:- Translated published in June 5th 2025

No. of pages:- 256 pages

Genre:- Asian Fiction/ Magic Realism

Quick Review:- A quick read about how life can be altered by the use of simple magic, except you have to follow the rules properly

Rating:- 3/5

-Child Abuse

-Sexual abuse

-Domestic abuse

A fantastical coming-of-age story for fans of whimsical translated fiction | The genre-defining Korean bestseller

‘Don’t we all need a little magic in our lives sometimes?’

Open twenty-four hours a day, at first glance The Wizard’s Bakery seems like any ordinary bakery where you can buy bread, cakes, and cookies, with a somewhat grumpy man behind the counter.

At first glance, that is. Because when the young boy who is our protagonist chooses it as a refuge to escape a difficult family situation, the reality he finds is quite different. Baked with the help of a mysterious blue-haired shop assistant, are sweets and pastries with immense powers, capable of changing diabolical cinnamon cookies to give to those you can’t stand, madeleines to fix broken hearts, almond bars to remember the past.

But each of these items comes with a warning, regardless of the positive or negative the power contained in the treats inevitably alters the order of the world and sometimes produces dramatic consequences for those who consume them, consequences that need to be weighed carefully.

Follow along with our protagonist as he learns about the responsibility that comes with working at this bakery . . . and most of all, how much people need a little bit magic in their lives.

To an outsider, the Wizard’s Bakery seem to be a normal bakery that sells cakes, pastries, bread etc. But when a young boy finds refuge inside the bakery, he finds that each of these pastries and cakes are made with special ingredients. These ingredients will help you in many ways from destroying your enemy to repairing your life and relationship with others. But you must follow certain rules otherwise it might get backfired.

The protagonist didn’t really grow up in a loving family and you can see the way his stepmother is treating him horribly. When a situation arises, the boy is forced to run away from the house and then finds refuge inside the bakery. He slowly befriends the grumpy baker behind the counter and the blue haired girl who was always cheerful. The chapters were all given titles of pastries with a magic word and how they are used.

This was a sad book but at the same time realistic in life sense. Worth 3 stars.

The Killer in Room Five – ARC Book Review

The Killer in Room Five

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Date published:- will be published on 21st May 2026

Author:- Sam Holland

Genre:- Psychological Thriller

Quick Review:- a fast-paced, gripping and intriguing thriller, that will keep you on the edge until the end of the book.

Rating:- 4.5/5

Some disturbing and gory murder scenes in the book.

A terrible confession
In an isolated room in Hollowpines, an infamous psychiatric hospital, Joe Sinclair is confessing to a violent murder.

An impossible crime
Locked away, Joe couldn’t possibly have killed the man, so how does he know so many of the horrifying details?

A detective at her limits
Suspended after a colleague was stabbed on her watch, DC Abby Fox has only just returned to work. But at Hollowpines, she must find out what really happened and how exactly Joe is involved.

Is he to blame, or the only one who can stop the killer?

DC Abby Fox returns back to work, after she was suspended when a colleague was stabbed on her watch. Her first assignment was to visit the infamous mental institution, Hollowpines. Joe Sinclair, one of patients at Hollowpines, had seen a dream where he saw himself killing a man. The exact description of the murder did actually happen to the point where Joe described a part of the killing where the police haven’t released to the media yet. There is no way Joe Sinclair would have committed the murder as he was locked up in the institution so was he just hallucinating or someone was trying to feed the information to him?

This was fast paced and a page turning thriller. Yet this book is not really for the faint-hearted. As a backstory, the author had provided stories of five patients locked in Ward D of Hollowpines many of those backstories are disturbing and too bloody and gory to read. Hollowpines gave an eerie atmosphere particularly when Abby was spending the night at the Hollowpines when she hears mysterious sound of someone walking across the hallway and someone playing the piano in the middle of the night. The killings and descriptions of the murder were too brutal to read. And of course there is tense atmosphere and there is so much twists and turns that everyone in the book seems to be a suspect!

The only thing was, the ending to me was predictable, which lowered my rating for a five star to a 4.5 start rating.

Overall, Sam Holland has done it again, giving us a twisty and gripping thriller that will keep you up all night.

Many thanks to Harper Collins for inviting me to review this book. Many thanks to Netgalley to providing me an ARC for this book. The review is based on my honest opinion only.

Top 10 Freida McFadden Books (in my opinion)

Freida McFadden is my go-to author guy and after reading The Housemaid, I have always wanted to read more of her books. Here is the list of my personal favorite Freida McFadden books.

1 The Housemaid

My all time favorite Freida McFadden book which actually got me into reading more of her books. Always be no. 1 of Freida McFadden best books.

2. Never Lie

I devoured this book in 24 hours–this book was SO good and I actually loved it. Hopefully, this book will be made into a movie soon.

3. Housemaid’s Secret

This is the second book of the Housemaid series and though not good as the first one, still it was gripping and really good.

4. One by One

This is my other favorite book of Freida McFadden. Kind of made me scared to sleep without lights on 😦

5. The Locked Door

This book as serial killer concept in it and again, this is one of my favorite Freida McFadden books.

6. Ward D

The fact that this was based in a mental hospital and the doctor working at the night shift made the whole story scary to read and intriguing to read.

7. Do Not Disturb

This was just a wow book, with twists and turns and the ending was super unexpected I couldn’t put the book down

8. Dear Debbie

Her latest book which was released this year. Unlike the previous books which was released the last few years, this book was better–it was funny and enjoyable to read

9. The Teacher

Kind of a disturbing thriller but twists and turns in this book was crazy

And the last but not least

10. The Housemaid Watching

The 3rd and final book of the Housemaid series. Not as good as the previous two books but still, this book kept me to the toes.

So what are your favorite Freida McFadden books?