Book Nerds Across America

When an heiress disappears from her superyacht and security footage shows her getting pushed, the main suspect has to prove her innocence in this thrilling mystery at sea told in reverse chronological order, perfect for fans of Karen McManus and Genuine Fraud.

It was supposed to be the best-ever girls’ trip: five days, four friends, one luxury yacht, no parents. But on the final night, as the yacht cruised the deep and dark waters between Florida and Grand Cayman, eighteen-year-old heiress Giselle vanished. She’s nowhere to be found the next morning even after a frantic search, until security footage surfaces . . . showing Maggie pushing her overboard.

But Maggie has no memory of what happened. All she knows is that she woke up with a throbbing headache, thousands of dollars in cash in her safe, a passport that isn’t hers, and Giselle’s diary. And while Maggie had her own reasons to want Giselle dead, so did everyone else on board: jealous Viv, calculating Emi, even some members of the staff.

What really went down on the top deck that night? Maggie will have to work her way backward to uncover the secrets that everyone—even Giselle—kept below deck or she’s dead in the water.

Jan Gangsei crafts a compulsively readable tale of privilege, family, and identity wrapped in a wholly original mystery that will keep readers on the edges of their seats until the final twist.

On the last night of her luxurious yacht trip with three friends, teen heiress Giselle Haverford went overboard, and security footage shows Maggie pushed her. Maggie doesn't remember a single thing about that night. Her odd, tenuous friendship with Giselle doesn't help her case, either. But Giselle wasn't universally beloved and Maggie wasn't the only person who might have wanted her dead. There's the best friends with secret grudges and jealous streaks, the father who sees Giselle as a liability to his political aspirations, the much younger influencer stepmom who wants her out of the way, and the ex whose life she tipped upside down for her own gain, for starters. Not that any of that matters if Maggie can't find a way to prove she's innocent… IF she actually is.

Dead Below Deck pulls readers in with a truly enticing narrative structure: Maggie's POV is told in reverse chronological order from the moment she's detained and accused of murder on Giselle's superyacht. This is interspersed with diary entries from Giselle in chronological order starting from the day she and Maggie met. Combined, the truth lies somewhere in the middle (but still mostly toward the end, because this is a mystery novel, after all!) We're able to see red herrings and slivers of reveals come together from both the present and past simultaneously. The only downside is that there's just no effort to make the voice of Giselle's diary entries actually sound like a diary entries— They're just narrative fiction that we're told is part of a diary and it really pulled me out of the story.

Dead Below Deck does a solid job of maintaining its mystery. You may suspect a vague version of the true ending, but there will also be many, many other suspects. Everyone has their own problems with Giselle, and many of those wounds were deep enough for someone to seek revenge. It felt like a new possibility was introduced every few chapters and that really kept me glued to the pages! Gangesi has some tricks up her sleeve, plot-wise, particularly toward the end of the novel. That being said, not every little twist lands super effectively.

Unfortunately, the character development wasn't fully there. The novel felt like it wanted to say something about the ultra-privileged with Giselle, but never fully committed. Separately, there are so many hints at Maggie's dark, scandalous past. It was constantly teased, yet ultimately was revealed to be pretty underwhelming. I liked but didn't feel super strongly about either narrator, both of whom had the potential to be the good guy or a deliciously cunning unreliable narrator, but never felt that way despite some inevitable scheming. The novel still had lots of merit besides, but I do wish the characters were a little more fleshed out.

If you like mysteries and twisty storytelling, there's plenty in Dead Below Deck to keep you on board. There may be some rough seas when it comes to character relationships, but the mystery element is all smooth sailing. Okay, okay… I'm done with the puns now! Seriously, this one's an enjoyable mystery!

GOODREADS SUMMARY

A missing student. A singular investigation. A new romance. Every bit of it is a mystery in a delightful novel of cosmic twists by the author of How to Win a Breakup.

East House is the oldest and least desirable dorm on campus, but it has a draw for lonely university freshman Aleeza Kassam: Jay Hoque, the hot and broody student who vanished from East House five months ago without a trace. It’s irresistible to an aspiring investigative journalist like Aleeza.

But when she starts receiving texts from Jay, the mystery takes an unexpected turn. To put it mildly. His messages are coming not only from Aleeza’s own dorm room but from the past—only weeks before he disappeared. Sharing space, if not time, Aleeza and Jay are living the impossible, and they start working together to prevent his inevitable disappearance. Causing a temporal paradox that could blow up the universe is a risk they’re going to have to take.

Aleeza digs through Jay’s suspicious friends, enemies, and exes, determined to find out what happened to him. Or what will happen to him. But it’s becoming more than a mystery. Aleeza is catching feelings for her charming new roommate. Wherever, and whenever, he may be.

KAIT'S REVIEW

When Aleeza Kassam leaves her former roommate situation at top speed, she doesn't expect her NEW dorm room to cause much trouble. But Aleeza's single room most recently belonged to Jay Hoque, a student who's been missing for 5 months, and her new dorm mates think she's the pinnacle of a true crime fanatic come to stake out the room as part of a campus-wide obsession with Jay vanishing.

Then something even stranger occurs: Through the roommate-based ResConnect app, Aleeza starts receiving messages from Jay. He's frustrated that he now somehow has a new female roommate in his single. Aleeza brushes it off as a prank, but the pair eventually realize the disturbing truth: Jay is writing to her from the past, a handful of weeks before his disappearance. Together, through the temporal anomaly that only exists on a university app when in their “shared” room, the two team up to discover exactly what happened to Jay and why before it happens to past Jay again.

Remember Me Tomorrow is part enigma, part time warp, and part simmering romance steeped in wealth, envy, and corruption. Aleeza is a bright, relatable MC who's willing to risk her quiet life to save someone else's. Jay is a bit broody and mysterious, but also very charming. The chemistry between the two is felt right from the get-go and maintains its shine throughout the novel. I do think the characters went from “let's help each other out” to “I'm madly in love with you” a little too suddenly, but anyone who reads the description knows that the book was going there anyway.

The secondary characters are memorable and help propel the personal narratives for each MC, from Aleeza's ex-best friend Mia to her new neighbor and biggest skeptic, Grace. I especially loved Jay's friend Jack, a party boy socialite who surprised me a lot, and in a good way! I did think a few character points needed more dimension, like Aleeza and Mia's pretty flimsy reason for falling out that felt very middle school, followed by Mia going full mean girl for no particularly good reason. While I loved Jack's character, there was a plot point specifically involving him that felt really superfluous and took away from the main premise. I liked (or appropriately disliked) all of the characters all the same.

The mystery itself is a fun one. I was able to predict an integral part of the mystery very early on, but I certainly didn't figure out the full breakdown before it came to light. Some hints were a little heavy-handed, but it didn't some me from enjoying the big reveal.

If you enjoy romance with a side of mystery, Remember Me Tomorrow will scratch the itch with charming characters and a side of the supernatural!

College...the best time, the worst time, and something in between. 

What do you do when orientation isn't going according to your (sister's) detailed plans? Where do you go when you're searching for community in faith? How do you figure out what it means that you're suddenly attracted to your RA? What happens when your partner for your last film project is also your crush and graduation is quickly approaching? 

Told over the course of one academic year, this collection of stories set on the same fictional campus features students from different cultures, genders, and interests learning more about who they are and who they want to be. From new careers to community to (almost) missed connections — and more — these interconnected tales explore the ways university life can be stressful and confusing and exciting and fulfilling. 

Gen Z contributors include Jake Maia Arlow, Arushi Avachat, Boon Carmen, Ananya Devarajan, Camryn Garrett, Christina Li, Racquel Marie, Oyin, Laila Sabreen, Michael Waters, and Joelle Wellington.

Flo's Mini Review

Full disclosure: I am still reading this. But I'm enjoying it! The great thing about anthologies is that at the end of a busy day, you can read one story and feel like you've really made a dent in the book. My favorite story so far has been the one by Aashna, actually -- it's so cute and right up my alley! Cute, awkward boy falling first, a set time frame, all the stuff I love in my romance stories. But one cool thing about this anthology is that it runs the range of protagonists and topics. I love the diversity of characters and story lines. It's definitely giving me all the nostalgia for my college days, which really were such a formative and fun time for me. All the stories I've read so far have ended with possibility and hope and anticipation, and I just love that. What a good overall feeling to capture. It's the one constant in these different stories and I'm here for it. I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the stories.

Just for fun: comment with a favorite college memory. Or, if you haven't been to college, comment with a favorite college movie.

I'm so happy to be a part of the official blog tour for this delightful book! It's been a while since I've done a blog tour and I've forgotten how much fun they are. Today, I'm going to share a review. First things first, here is the summary:

Book Summary
When Thalia, Kalliope, and Charis set off to Regency London for their first Season, they each have clear goals—few of which include matrimony. Thalia means to make her mark among the intelligentsia and publish her poetry, Charis hopes to earn her place among the scientific elite, and Kalliope aims to take the fashionable ton by storm. But this Season, it doesn't take long for things to fall apart. Kalli finds herself embroiled in scandal and reliant upon an arranged marriage to redeem her reputation, Thalia's dreams of publication are threatened by her attraction to a charming rake, and Charis finds herself an unexpected social hit—and the source of a family scandal that her heart might not survive. Can this roller-coaster Season find its happily ever after?

Flo's Review
I'm going to be honest -- historical fiction is not really my jam. Usually. So it's pretty crazy that this is the second Regency romance I've read this year, and the second one that I've loved.

The book started off a little slow for me. With 3 POVs, I found it hard to keep track of which girl was which (like, "Thalia, that's right, she's the poet) and travel to then the first few weeks in London were pretty rushed.

But then it hit its stride.

I was so sad for Kalli! I think, with her big heart, she was my favorite character. Even though the outcome of two of the storylines was pretty evident, it was still a fun journey to get there. The third one actually surprised me! I think there could have been some more clues and some more buildup to it so that it didn't seem to be a sudden thing at the end. I also wished that the sisters, who have a falling out pretty early in the book, resolved their right more quickly.

By the end of the book, I literally could not put it down. Did I stay up past my bedtime because I legit could not stop reading? I sure did! Do I have regrets? Well, 10:30 a.m. lull at work Flo did, but current Flo who is remembering how much fun she had with this book does not. I love, love, love it when a book is unputdownable and I'm so happy that was the case here.

I also really enjoy that in a world of duologies, trilogies, and series that this was a standalone. That being said, if Rosalyn wanted to revisit the world -- say, some of Thalia's and Kalli's younger sisters Seasons, with these three making cameos, I would 100% read it.

In conclusion, this book is a fun escape that kept me wanting to turn pages. Recommended!

GOODREADS SUMMARY:

A Sliding Doors -Esque novel reveals how our choices define us and how love can find its way no matter the road.

Stevie Rosenstein has never made a true friend. Never fallen in love. Moved from city to city by her father’s unrelenting job, it’s too hard to care for someone. Trust in anything. The pain of leaving always hurts too much. But she’ll soon learn to trust, to love.

Twice.

Drew and Shane have been best friends through everything. The painful death of Shane's dad. The bitter separation of Drew's parents. Through sleepaway camps and family heartache, basketball games, and immeasurable loss, they've always been there for each other.

When Stevie meets Drew and Shane, life should go on as normal.

But a simple coin toss alters the course of their year in profound and unexpected ways.

Told in dual timelines, debut author Jennie Wexler delivers a heartbreaking and hopeful novel about missed opportunities, second chances, and all the paths that lead us to where we are

TEE'S REVIEW:

Drew, a popular boy at school, and Shane, a quieter and a music prodigy, have been best friends for years. Stevie, the new girl in school, has trouble connecting with friends due to consent moving high schools due to her father’s coaching career. But she meets up with the two boys and they all connect over their love of music.

Both of the boys find themselves crushing on Stevie, and instead of fighting over her and ruining their friendship, they allow fate to make the decision on who will date her…by flipping a coin.

The story is told in a parallel timeline, almost like two stories with Stevie possibly dating each boy. Stevie and her relationship with Drew in the first half of the book and Shane in the second half. It plays out showing us that just one change can alter things tremendously. Seeing both sides of the story was interesting and kept you reading, the characters felt real and their emotions played well into the story.

The one thing I really disliked about the story was the instalove of the boys and Stevie. I really feel a relationship should grow, but this did not happen here. One of my favorite things about the book was the music of course, which plays a big part in the story.

There were triggering points in the book…infidelity, divorce, death of a character, etc. so if those bother you, take heed, they are in the story.

Where It All Lands is Jennie Wexler’s debut book and will certainly make you think. It is about first love, second chances, and friendship. If you take anything from this story, let it be that the choices we make matter in so many lives, so make good ones.

Book Summary

Seventeen-year-old Mia, an American girl at an elite summer ballet program, has six weeks to achieve her dreams: to snag an audition with one of the world’s best ballet companies. But there’s more to Paris than ballet—especially when a charming French boy, Louis, wants to be her tour guide—and the pair discover the city has a few mysteries up its sleeve.

In the vein of romances like Love and Gelato, this is the perfect summer adventure for anyone looking to get swept away in the City of Love.

Flo's Review

This was such fun! Through and through, it was a love story to Paris. I loved seeing the city through Mia's eyes. It was so romantic, so beautiful, so exciting, so fresh, so unique. She loved it and I think it would be hard for the reader of this book not to love it as well. Next to the Paris love, my favorite thing about the book was the fun, happy tone. It wasn't a big, dramatic all this stuff happens, there's drama between ruthless girls and backstabbing and melodrama -- none of that. Mia's friends were fun and supportive and I loved reading the friendships. Toward the end I couldn't put it down, but then the climax...I don't know...didn't sit well with me? I definitely understand why it happened as far as the story, but I also feel like it didn't quite fit in with the light, happy tone that the rest of the book had. But that was my only complaint. All in all, this book was a perfect escape. I truly enjoyed getting to spend time with Mia falling in love with Paris and in Paris, and I can't wait to see what else Anne-Sophie writes.