Jessica Rao is everywhere we want to be...plus a book giveaway

We're excited to welcome Jessica Rao to CLC today to talk about her debut novel, Nowhere to Go but Everywhere. If you were around in the 1990s, it will make you feel nostalgic. If you weren't, it will give you a taste of what life was like back then. We had fun chatting with Jessica and hope you will enjoy our interview. Thanks to BookSparks, we have one copy to give away!

Jessica Rao is an award-winning journalist and media professional who has held contributor roles at CNBC and Gannett and overseen communications for Fortune 500 companies. 

In addition to her media career, she is the Vice President of the White Plains Library Foundation and she hosts and produces literary events. She lives outside of New York City with her family. Visit Jessica at her website and on Instagram.

Synopsis:
Helena Vinci might like grunge and Camel Lights, but she's not a fan of frat boys or anything else about Albany college life. When she drops out and takes a job waiting tables near the Capitol, her plan is to save up to see "the real world" out west. But soon she finds herself trapped in a new way, torn between two men - a sexy DJ and a fellow slacker with wanderlust - and a third, a politician who promises financial security, but at a price. When and how will Helena learn that you don't have to go on the road to find yourself?

Nowhere to Go but Everywhere is a piercing coming-of-age novel about the perils and pleasures of learning to chart your own path. (Courtesy of Amazon.)

"With echoes of The Catcher in the Rye and a distinctly retro sensibility... this stunning debut is not to be missed!"
- Jacqueline Friedland, USA Today bestselling author of Breathing Under Water

"Among the most satisfying coming-of-age novels I've read."
- Art Bell, author of What She's Hiding

"Jessica Rao is the real deal. This book captures the tumult and boundlessness of late adolescent rebellion. I tore through this absolutely winning debut."
- Karen Dukess, USA Today bestselling author of The Last Book Party

In one sentence, what was the road to publishing like for you?
It was long and windy -- it took a while to feel that my manuscript was ready and then getting myself organized to send queries another whole challenge.

How is Helena similar to or different from you?
On the surface, we’re pretty similar. We both went to the University at Albany, worked as waitresses, have red hair, wore berets. But our paths diverge on page one. I didn’t drop out, live with two relative-strangers or make the dubious decisions she makes. 

If Nowhere to Go but Here was made into a movie, who would you cast in the leading roles?
I love this question but I have to admit, I had to defer to my 19-year-old daughter and her friends to answer. 
The best answers I got: 
Sadie Sink as Helena
Florence Pugh as Sonya
Drew Starkey as Henry
Jake Gyllenhaal as Charlie
I suggested Jacob Elordi for Thomas, but they thought he was a little too hot. I thought he’d be good!

Which book made you fall in love with reading?
My favorite books as a kid in no particular order: Charlotte’s Web. The Cricket in Times Square. All the Beverly Clearly books. The Peanuts comic books. In middle and early high school, I loved The Catcher in the Rye, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and A Separate Peace.
 
What is your favorite thing about the 1990s?
I liked that we had more head space, more quiet. We weren’t always in touch, always with a device in our hands.

If your life was a TV series, which celebrity would you want to narrate it? 
This is a tough one, but I think Drew Barrymore would do a great job. 

Thanks to Jessica for visiting with us and to BookSparks for sharing her book with our readers.

How to win: Use KingSumo to enter the giveaway. If you have trouble using KingSumo on our blog, enter the giveaway here. If you are still having issues, please contact us.

Giveaway ends October 6th at midnight EST.

Enjoyed this post? Never miss out on future posts by following us.

Listen to this book on Speechify!

Book Review: Class Reunion

By Sara Steven

A phone call from jail pulls attorney Lennon Gallagher back into a past she's spent years trying to escape. Complicated doesn't begin to describe the bond between Lennon and the caller, a former law school classmate. Now, Erin stands accused of the very violence Lennon has spent her career fighting against. It's a conflict of interest, but isn't everyone entitled to competent and effective legal defense?

What starts as a plea for help spirals into a murder trial that threatens to incinerate Lennon's professional reputation as well as her upcoming marriage. Guided by her best friend, seasoned lawyer Miranda Quinn, Lennon digs for the truth, only to find a mountain of evidence that points to Erin's guilt. The cost of loyalty is high, and the stakes are even higher as Lennon questions if Erin was ever truly her friend.

But does that make her guilty of murder? (Synopsis courtesy of Goodreads.)

I’ve thoroughly enjoyed both books that delved into Lennon Gallagher’s life; first with Class Action (reviewed here), and now with Class Reunion. Lennon has a very complicated relationship with Erin, someone who she had once thought of as a good friend, but there has been too much water under the bridge for Lennon to ever fully trust Erin again. Yet given Lennon’s familial past, not to mention the legal issues Erin faces, Lennon feels it is her duty to do whatever she can to help Erin, even if it might mean putting her own career in harm’s way.

The way Lennon’s story is written is easy to follow and kept me interested and focused on the situation at hand. What should be a straight shot into figuring out how to defend Erin, becomes extremely messy and chaotic. It gets to the point that Lennon really isn’t sure if Erin is innocent or not, particularly when Erin brings in a former classmate of theirs who is very antagonistic and a big threat to Lennon. And then when Lennon gets put on trial, the lines become severely blurred. The moments where Lennon had a choice in whether she wanted to engage more with Erin or not, I kept hoping she would make the right choice and back away, but she kept getting deeper and deeper into the mess.

I first learned about Lennon through Olmstead’s Miranda books, and it was really nice to see Miranda make appearances in Class Reunion, along with her husband, and Lennon’s mother, too. It’s my understanding that Miranda has a lot of legal experience and is a mentor for Lennon, so it made sense for Lennon to go to her for assistance and guidance, even if Lennon chooses not to always take Miranda’s advice. Maybe things would have gone differently if she had. But we might not have had as much suspense and intrigue leading up to whether Erin truly is innocent or not, and whether Lennon can climb herself out of the drama and get back to what sustains her the most: helping those who can’t help themselves.

I felt like Class Reunion was a great follow-up to Class Action, a worthy five-star experience!   

Thanks to Gail Ward Olmsted for the book in exchange for an honest review.

More by Gail Ward Olmsted:
Miranda Writes
Driving on the Left
Landscape of a Marriage

Enjoyed this post? Never miss out on future posts by following us.

Listen to this book on Speechify!

Reviews at Amazon: July - September 2026

We're posting some reviews at our Amazon (or Goodreads) accounts, as either they've been sitting in our queue for a while and deserve their time in the sun, fall under our featuring policy, or they're new reads that we couldn't wait to post at the blog. You can check them out at the links below. Hope we can help you find your next favorite book!

Sara:
The Barbie Killer by Julia McDermott
Painting Over Cracks by Lee Bukowski
Gutted by Maida Korte
The Model Patient by Lucy Ashe
The Death Row Club by V.A. Vazquez

Melissa:
Love You More by Emily Giffin
Meet Me in Paris by Kristin Harmel
This Book Made Me Think of You by Libby Page
Isola by Allegra Goodman
Well Versed by Jen DeLuca
Romantic Hero by Kirsty Greenwood
Bump, Set, Sparks by Jennifer Moffatt
Summer Husband by Amy Lorowitz
Twenty Something Else by Stephanie Mack

Enjoyed this post? Never miss out on future posts by following us.

Listen to these books on Speechify!

We're over the moon for Kate Robb...plus a book giveaway

Credit: Christina Dallimore

We're excited to have Kate Robb visiting today to talk about her upcoming rom-com, Solar Eclipse of the Heart, which will be available next week. The premise sounds fascinating and we enjoyed learning more about this novel, as well as other fun facts about Kate. Thanks to Random House, we have one copy to give away!

Kate Robb is the author of This Spells Love, Prime Time Romance, and Kitty St. Clair’s Last Dance. She dated a lot of duds in her twenties (amongst a few gems) all providing excellent fodder to write weird and wild romantic comedies. She lives just outside of Toronto, Canada, where she spends her free time pretending she’s not a hockey mom while whispering “hustle” under her breath from the bleachers, a Pinot Grigio concealed in her YETI mug. She hates owls, the word “whilst,” and wearing shorts and aspires to one day be able to wear four-inch heels again. Visit Kate at her website and on Instagram.

Synopsis:

Annalise Harris lives by facts and figures. Raised by her uncle after her mother’s death, she’s always relied on logic to avoid the unexpected. So when her uncle passes away, Annalise is left reeling.

Luckily, she has an escape plan: a PhD program abroad to leave her grief behind. Unluckily, Mackenzie Smith, her new roommate, is not the woman she was expecting but a leather jacket–wearing, wannabe rock star, extremely attractive man. At least they’ll only be sharing space for a few months. Then she’ll be gone.

Except Mackenzie is more than he appears—and so is his jacket. When Annalise slips it on one afternoon, she’s struck by inexplicable visions that defy every law of logic. As Annalise scrambles to explain the impossible, she and Mackenzie grow closer.

There’s no rational reason a leather jacket should unlock visions—or for Annalise to fall in love just as she’s preparing to leave. But for the first time since losing her uncle, she feels something she thought was gone for good: happiness.

But can she trust it? And can she follow her heart—even if it means letting go of sense? (Courtesy of Amazon.)

“As always, Kate Robb delivers a gorgeously written, wonderfully romantic, and deeply heartfelt exploration of two characters finding themselves and fighting for what they want and deserve from life.”

—Lily Chu, author of The Stand-In

“Solar Eclipse of the Heart is fun, lighthearted, and a reminder of the magic that can happen when we take a chance and step out of our comfort zone. This is a must-read for anyone who loves a sweet romance with a little bit of heat.”

—Nisha J. Tuli, New York Times bestselling author of Not Safe for Work

“Robb puts a gentle speculative spin on this cute . . . forced proximity romance. . . . Their dynamic shifts into something straight out of one of the Hallmark Christmas movies they bond over watching together. . . . Add in a backdrop of holiday cheer, and readers are sure to find this endearing.”

—Publishers Weekly

What is a favorite compliment you've received on your writing?
I think the compliment I love the most is when people tell me they read one of my books in a single night because I know that feeling of being so into a book that I don’t want to put it down, and for someone to feel that way about mine is such an honour. However, the most memorable email I ever got about one of my books was when THIS SPELLS LOVE first came out, a woman wrote me in the middle of the night telling me that her new baby was in the NICU and she had to wake up every few hours to pump, and that listening to my book on audiobook brought her joy in the middle of the night. I am a mom as well and I know how rough those nights can be and to know my stories helped someone get through those hard nights makes me so happy. I still think about them often. 
 
How is Annalise similar to or different from you?
Annalise is probably the character I’ve written that is the furthest from my own personality (I am much more of a Mackenzie.) I make wishes on stars and turkey bones and hold my breath when I pass a cemetery (unlike my very practical MC who has scientific reasons why I shouldn't care about those things.) Funny enough, the most whimsical thing about her (her deep love of Christmas Hallmark movies) is not something I’m into either. I actually love watching dark crime/mystery shows in December.
 
If Solar Eclipse of the Heart was made into a movie, who would you cast in the leading roles?
Anya Taylor Joy has the perfect personality (and face for bangs) to play Annalise. For Mackenzie, I could see Glenn Powell playing him perfectly (he’s got the golden retriever act down.)
 
Which book made you fall in love with reading?
I was in love with reading as a kid. I could take down an entire set of Baby-Sitters Club books in a week. My first “romance” was a  YA fantasy book called Crown Duel by Sherwood Smith (I still love it to this day.) Sophie Kinsella, specifically The Undomestic Goddess, made me fall in love with rom-coms. 
 
If your life was a TV series, which celebrity would you want to narrate it? 
Comedian Kathryn Ryan. She is funny and a bit of an asshole (in the best way) and I think she could relate to my life. She inspired Kirsten (Gemma’s older sister in THIS SPELLS LOVE), who is the character who is probably the most like me. 
 
If we were to visit you right now, what are some places you would take us to see?
I would take you on a book tour! We could head downtown Toronto’s Queen St. and see Annalise & Mackenzie's apartment. Maybe grab some lunch at La Tambour (where they filmed Heated Rivalry.) Then we could drive to St. Jacob for the Christmas Market (another scene from Solar Eclipse.) Then maybe up to Muskoka/Baysville where we could see the lakeside setting of Hannah Bonam-Young’s People Watching/ People Pleasing. 

Thanks to Kate for chatting with us and to Random House for sharing her book with our readers.

How to win: Use KingSumo to enter the giveaway. If you have trouble using KingSumo on our blog, enter the giveaway here. If you are still having issues, please contact us.

Giveaway ends October 5th at midnight EST.

Enjoyed this post? Never miss out on future posts by following us.

Listen to this book on Speechify!

Book Review: I Think We Should Kill Other People

By Jami Denison

Artificial Intelligence has been credited and blamed for many things: Revolutionizing medicine. Easing business communications. Hallucinating events. Destroying new author’s careers. The whole Skynet thing. Would you trust it to find your true love?

L.M. Chilton seems to have his fingers on the pulse of the zeitgeist in his writing, and his third book, I Think We Should Kill Other People, is no exception. Hazel and Marc met as part of a reality show that used AI to find a soulmate. But Hazel dumped Marc at the altar, and now she’s stranded with his obnoxious rich family at a small, deserted, snowed-in airport in Norway. When the show’s producer is murdered in the bathroom after threatening to use his footage to expose the family, Hazel realizes she’s locked in with a murderer. Can the AI help Hazel unmask the killer, or will she become the next victim?

I Think We Should Kill Other People is written in first-person, present tense, and goes back and forth between the fraught airport scenes and Hazel and Marc’s courtship. A bottle hostess with a convict father, Hazel seems an unlikely match for Marc, and their dates are a little awkward. Even worse, a person in a red coat seems to be stalking and threatening Hazel when she’s with Marc. 

Chilton does a great job describing the eerie, cold, deserted Norwegian airport, and I will never look at a baggage claim conveyer belt the same way again. The book is fast-paced and funny, delivering the goods that readers expect from sarcastic thrillers about serial murders. He sneaks in commentary about rich people getting away with everything while taking over the world, which is always appreciated. He holds a mirror to AI. There’s a fun twist at the end. However, I was disappointed by the reveal of the killer. While thematically the motive made sense, the degrees of separation made it emotionally unfulfilling. 

Since dating apps seem to have destroyed romance in the real world (more choices are not always better), and younger generations are uncoupled as never before, maybe AI is the answer. It can give Gen Z their soulmates while it steals our jobs, our homes, and our hopes for the future. In the meantime, we have authors like Chilton to keep us entertained. 

Thanks to Gallery for the book in exchange for an honest review.

More by L.M. Chilton:
Don't Swipe Right
Everyone in the Group Chat Dies

Enjoyed this post? Never miss out on future posts by following us.

Listen to this book on Speechify!

Book Review: Something About Julia

By Melissa Amster

One murder. Three women. And the therapist who knows all their secrets.

Julia Teller’s perfect life shatters the day she finds her husband stabbed to death in their hilltop San Diego home. Blair Banks, a high-powered pharma exec and Julia’s neighbor, may know more than she lets on when detectives ask her what she saw. Sixteen-year-old Isabel Hartley remembers Julia acting strangely that morning when she ran into her at the library, but she doesn’t believe that her neighborhood friend could be so violent. Inconsistent stories leave detectives wondering if the three women are conspiring to hide the truth—especially when they learn that they share more than just an elite zip code. They also share a therapist.

Dr. Kate Cooper finds herself torn between acting in her patients’ interests and seeking justice for a brutal crime. Julia’s marital problems always surface during therapy sessions; obsessive Blair might be overly invested in her neighbor’s life; and lonely Isabel clings to anyone who shows her affection. Intimate knowledge of each woman’s life positions Dr. Cooper to help detectives unravel the crime, but pulling the thread puts her on a dark path to a truth she may not want to find. (Synopsis courtesy of Amazon.)

I've enjoyed all the rom-coms I've read from Holly James and was interested in checking out her first thriller, Something About Julia. I'm pleased to share that Holly is as skilled at thriller writing as she is at rom-com writing!

This story kept me on my toes and had me turning the pages quickly. There were surprises around every corner. I was only able to guess at one aspect but nothing else was what it seemed. I liked how the story unfolded and was told from different perspectives. Something About Julia was so gripping and suspenseful! It was also easy to visualize everything, thanks to the attention to detail throughout. I don't want to say too much more to avoid spoiling the story. 

I hope Holly will write more thrillers in the future as she definitely has a knack for them. Check this one out on Kindle Unlimited!

(Trigger warnings below, aside from the obvious. May contain spoilers.)

Movie casting suggestions:

Julia: Maika Monroe

Dr. Kate Cooper: Lucy Hale

Detective Mercer: Alan Ritchson

Detective Ramirez: Lorenza Izzo

Chris (Kate's husband): Patrick Ball

Jacob: Colin Woodell

Blair: Elizabeth Gillies

Isabel: Juliet Donenfeld

More by Holly James:

The Alias Agenda

Nothing But the Truth

In Between Forever

Enjoyed this post? Never miss out on future posts by following us.

Listen to this book on Speechify!

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

TW: Sexual assault, suicidal ideation, bullying, death of parents, loss of money, toxic relationship.

Tara Badstubner is making herself at home with us...plus a book giveaway

We're pleased to introduce Tara Badstubner, whose debut, Every Room Remembers, will be available from Sibylline Press starting tomorrow. It's giving similar vibes to the eighties film Always. And a ghost story is perfect for this time of year. Thanks to Books Forward, we have one copy to give away!

Tara Badstubner lives in Pennsylvania and is busy creating her next novel surrounded by her husband, children, grandbabies, and several silly dogs. A former Artist-In-Residence for Bookgardan, Tara can be found at her website and on Instagram.

Synopsis:

After losing her husband Wyatt to a sudden accident, interior designer SJ Monroe believes she is alone with her crushing grief. But nothing is further from the truth. Wyatt, a ghost trapped in a liminal state, must watch in silence, unable to help, as the woman he loves rattles around their unfinished farmhouse in Sleepy Hollow, New York. He mourns all that remained unresolved in their marriage – the children they never had, the depression that stalked him, and the fractures in their relationship.

Over the following months, SJ survives, aided by the company of Wyatt’s dog, Hawk, and nightly drives to Wendy’s for her habitual fry and chocolate shake. She marshals the courage to take a restoration job for the historic Osprey House in her hometown of Beaufort, South Carolina. A vigilant Wyatt follows as she reconnects with family and finds new friends. Signs from the natural world urge her forward. But not everyone wishes her well. 

While trouble looms, an ever-watchful Wyatt resolves to find a way to speak to SJ from beyond the grave – to tell her to abandon the grief and guilt consuming her, and to claim her happiness. Will she hear him? (Courtesy of Amazon.)

“Badstubner has created the most beautiful space: a novel we can sink into, that we don’t want to leave. This luminous debut is masterfully built and beautifully detailed, echoing with the fullness of life—the dark moments as well as the glorious light.”
—Stacey Swann, author of Olympus, Texas

“In prose as sure and subtle as a steadying hand on one’s shoulder, Badstubner’s characters find a way to walk into their unimagined futures, where love and memory, the author reminds us, have the power to outlast us all.”
—Kate Moses, author of Cakewalk: A Memoir

In one sentence, what was the road to publishing like for you?
The road to publishing this book required a high degree of tenacity, patience and blind optimism.

How is SJ similar to or different from you?
SJ’s affinity for interior design is one point of similarity. I’ve always been intrigued by architecture and by what makes a home welcoming and beautiful. My own home has been a refuge for me many times over.

If Every Room Remembers was made into a movie, who would you cast in the leading roles?
I think Emily Blunt or Carey Mulligan would be interesting picks for the protagonist, SJ. As Wyatt, SJ’s husband, now a ghost, Michael Fassbender or Andrew Garfield would do a great job of capturing his reflective regret.

Which book made you fall in love with reading?
The very first book that completely captivated me as a child was Eloise. I have vivid memories of sitting on my bedroom floor with the book open in my lap, studying those detailed black-and-pink illustrations, especially the one of her bedroom. To me, Eloise was living the high life: a home at the Plaza, an elevator ready to take her anywhere and a pet turtle!

If your life was a TV series, which celebrity would you want to narrate it? 
First, I’d be amazed that anyone was interested, but I suppose I’d go with Rachel Weisz. She has a fabulous husky voice.

If we were to visit you right now, what are some places you would take us to see?
I would take you to a beautiful gem of a garden called Chanticleer. We’d ramble along the paths and take our sweet time, and then I’d take you to a nearby French café for lunch.

Thanks to Tara for chatting with us and to Books Forward for sharing her book with our readers!

How to win: Use KingSumo to enter the giveaway. If you have trouble using KingSumo on our blog, enter the giveaway here. If you are still having issues, please contact us.

Giveaway ends September 29th at midnight EST.

Enjoyed this post? Never miss out on future posts by following us.

Listen to this book on Speechify!