Road Trip by Mary Kay Andrews... A Review

Road Trip by Mary Kay Andrews

When two estranged sisters—complete opposites in every way—reunite after their mother’s death, they have one shared goal: sell the house and use the money to climb out of debt. But their plans unravel quickly. Instead of a tidy inheritance, they discover a $325,000 mortgage their mother secretly took out to send money to a televangelist in Texas. Worse still, her remaining savings sit in a tin can held by their Uncle Keith, the executor of the estate.

But that money isn’t meant to pay off bills.

Their mother’s dying wish was for the sisters to use it to travel to Ireland—to reconnect with each other and uncover their family’s roots. What follows is a journey filled with mystery and intrigue, a touch of romance, and even a bit of murder. Determined to piece together their family history, the sisters head to Ireland for what becomes the adventure of a lifetime. Long-buried secrets begin to slip through the veil of time—and not everyone is pleased about it. 

Part of those family secrets is the painting that hangs over their Mother’s fireplace. A painting supposedly brought over from Ireland by their great grandmother when she immigrated from Ireland. A painting of Lady Geraldine Fitzhugh. A painting worth millions... maybe. Could this be their real inheritance?

From the first pages of Road Trip, I was hooked. The writing drew me in immediately, and the unfolding family mystery kept me turning the pages. I became so invested that I actually sketched out a family tree as I read. As someone who has done my own genealogy research, I felt especially connected to the story. The Irish setting was vivid and inviting, filled with quirky characters—and yes, a hunky Irishman.

The sisters’ gradual reconnection felt natural and satisfying. I also loved the flashbacks to their great-grandmother’s immigration to the United States. The letters she wrote to her brother added depth and emotion, and for a while the story took on a dual-timeline feel as past and present intertwined beautifully.

Believe it or not, this was my first Mary Kay Andrews novel and it definitely will not be my last! I really enjoyed this book and want to thank St. Martin’s Press for the advanced copy of Road Trip to read and review! I truly loved it! 

Add this to your TBR list now! 

Release date is June 2, 2026

Memoir Monday... and a Tale of Survival at Sea!

Marriage at Sea by Sophie Elmhirst... 

From Goodreads... Maurice and Maralyn make an odd couple. He’s a loner, awkward and obsessive; she’s charismatic and ambitious. But they share a horror of wasting their lives. And they dream – as we all dream – of running away from it all. What if they quit their jobs, sold their house, bought a boat, and sailed away?

Most of us begin and end with the daydream. But in June 1972, Maurice and Maralyn set sail. For nearly a year all went well, until deep in the Pacific, a breaching whale knocked a hole in their boat and it sank beneath the waves.

What ensues is a jaw-dropping fight to survive in the wild ocean, with little hope of rescue. Alone together for months in a tiny rubber raft, starving and exhausted, Maurice and Maralyn have to find not only ways to stay alive but ways to get along, as their inner demons emerge and their marriage is put to the greatest of tests. Although they could run away from the world, they can’t run away from themselves.

Taut, propulsive, and dazzling, A Marriage at Sea pairs an adrenaline-fueled high seas adventure with a gutting love story that asks why we love difficult people, and who we become under the most extreme conditions imaginable.

This book is not your "traditional memoir", it's actually what is called narrative nonfiction... written like a story using all true facts of the story, but not written by the actual couple who experienced it. Sophie Elmhirst won a NERO award for this book and the book has gotten great press. There was an "original book" that was published by Maurice and Maralyn Bailey, the couple who the book is about, called 117 Days Adrift, written in 1988 and under 200 pages. A Marriage at Sea expands the story to 256 pages and written by Sophie Elmhirst who is an award winning journalist. 

Which book to read to learn what happened to Maurice and Bailey? Being published in 2025, A Marriage at Sea is a bit more accessible, written and the only choice for an ebook. The original book by Maurice and Maralyn Bailey got great reviews all around and can still be found. I've been doing a lot of eBooks lately, so I'm putting A Marriage at Sea on my TBR list! 

Published in 2025 by Riverhead Books and at your favorite bookstore!

The Sunday Salon... with Books to Add to Your TBR List NOW!

Welcome to The Sunday Salon! It's the place where Book Bloggers from around the world share their bookish finds with one another in a virtual place called The Sunday Salon. Thank you to for Deb at ReaderBuzz keeping us all together on Sundays and hosting The Sunday Salon now! I also visited with Kim at The Caffeinated Reader, another Sunday gathering place for us bookish people called The Sunday Post!

It's been a crazy couple of weeks in South Carolina. 2 weeks ago, we had unbelievable cold weather AND lost our power for a few days because of the freezing rain we had. Freezing rain means ice on power lines and that means power lines coming down, along with trees. Dressing in lots of layers and under plenty of blankets got us through that, but it was not fun. And then a week later the temps got up into the 30's and this past week we saw 65! So, I have had enough of winter... Let's talk books.

For the past two weeks I have gotten some great books from some of my favorite publishers! Two of these books are from favorite authors and two are publishing their debut novels...

The Final Target by Nora Roberts... from the publisher: He showed up at Arden Bowie’s debut author appearance with a copy of her novel and an eager smile. He showered her with compliments and got her autograph. Then he came to her next event. And the one after that. Dustin was just an aspiring writer who wanted advice, Arden reassured herself. But after giving in to one of his incessant invitations and chatting with him over coffee, she discovered that ignoring her inner alarm bell had been a terrible mistake… An introvert at heart, Arden had long craved solitude—but now, after a harrowing assault, she finds herself hiding behind locked doors and startling at every sound. And her relief at his imprisonment is tempered by anxiety when Dustin’s wealthy mother helps to get him a paltry five-year sentence at a psychiatric facility. Arden decides to write a new story for herself, moving to a tiny Oregon town and befriending Gideon, an ex-LAPD detective. But while she learns to thrive, Dustin remains his delusional, twisted self, as fixated as ever and now seething with anger. He still believes Arden's purpose on earth is to serve and please him. And his job is to protect her. But who will protect her from him?

Nora Roberts never, and I mean never, fails to draw me into her stories. From the first few pages I knew this was going to be a great read! If you are a Nora Roberts fan, add this to your TBR list! St. Martin's Press will be releasing this on May 26th! And look for my full review in the next few weeks! (BTW, Did you know that Nora Roberts has written 225 novels!?!) Thank you St. Martin's Press for the ebook of The Final Target to read and review!

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Road Trip by Mary Kay Andrews... from the publisher: Maeve and Therese Dunigan are sisters--but the two have been estranged for years. They could not be more opposite: Maeve is the rule-follower and Therese is the rebel. But when their mother's death brings the family back together, the two find that they have inherited a painting--one that could be worth millions and could save each of them from the wolves at their door. The only issue is whether it’s real or a fake --and the only way they can prove that theirs is the real McCoy is to solve the mystery of how this portrait of an Anglo-Irish aristocrat made its way to their childhood home in Savannah, GA. This means a road trip--to Ireland, to their family roots, and to a mysterious crime that occurred generations ago. With tensions simmering, the two hit the road and find themselves on twisty lanes, in colorful villages, at local pubs, and with handsome men whose gift of the gab is surpassed only by their charm. Can Maeve and Therese actually survive the journey without killing each other? 

Believe it or not, this is my first Mary Kay Andrews book! And after reading over half this book in the last few days, she is now one of my favorite writers! OMG, this book is just great! I love the story, the characters the setting. Why haven't I read her before?! Another book coming from publisher St. Martin's Press on June 2nd. So after you finish reading The Final Target by Nora Roberts, you need to read Road Trip by Mary Kay Andrews. And then I need to start reading the Mary Kay Andrews backlist. Thank you again St. Martin's press for the eBook to read and review!

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A Fate Worse that Drowning by Sarah L. Hawthorn... from the publisher: A year ago, Elle made a deal with the devil to save her sister. Now, they live on a desolate spit of land beyond Halifax harbor. Elle, as lighthouse keeper, steers unsuspecting sailors to their destruction; those are the terms of her bargain. Liney need never know the cost. Her safety is worth every drop of blood. But a sinner's pact is not so simple. When the devil returns, demanding more – more shipwrecks, no survivors – Elle knows what she must do to keep Liney safe... Another ship. Another crew killed in the devil's name. Then a woman washes ashore. Is she a soul to be sacrificed, or part of a darker design? As Liney and the stranger grow closer, Elle faces an impossible choice: kill, and break Liney's heart, or forfeit her own soul.  Danger arises from all sides: the merciless sea, ruthless men on the mainland, and the infernal bargain itself…

Wow, talk about atmospheric and eery. Like a gothic ghost story, the author really captures the mood of the story and pulls you in. The writing is so fluid. Hard to believe this is a debut novel. I'm almost finished with this and can't believe how quickly I was turning those pages. This book will be published by Poisened Pen Press , a division of Sourcebooks, on July 21st. Review coming soon... Thank you Poisened Pen Press for a copy of the ebook to read and review!

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Dear Missing Friend by Susan McGuirk... from the publisher: Through letters exchanged across oceans and Manhattan streets, Irish immigrant Catherine McGuirk navigates love, ambition, and heartbreak. Torn between her seafaring husband, the suitor she once refused, and her own dreams, Catherine’s fate unfolds in an intimate, epistolary saga of passion, resilience, and 19th-century life.

Epistolary novels seem all the rage these days. I've always loved that style of book. AND this book is wonderful! Omg, the writing, the story, and the characters and all so well written, you feel as though you are taken back in time and living life thru the eyes of Catherine. If you love historical fiction, this book is for you. More about the book, and writer Susan McGuirk, when I review it (coming soon too!) Dear Missing Friend will be published by Sea Cow Press on May 19th! Thank you, Sea Cow Press, for the ebook to read and review!

I was reading a post on substack about reading more than one novel at a time. Different books for different moods. With all these books finding their way into my Kindle this past week, I was reading more than one book, alternating between Kindle and Kobo (I had to buy the later because I had an epub book I wanted to read). I'm finishing up Road Trip right now, and then I'll move on to finish the other books this week too. It was kind of interesting having more than one book going at a time.

 Do you have more than one book going at a time?

Weekly Wrap-up... (really 2 weeks!)

January 19th... Memoir Monday... It's a bit unusual to call a book of poetry a memoir, but in Billy Collins' case, his book of poetry Water, Water feels that way to me. Read about it by following this link to Memoir Monday.

January 21st...Review of Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burk.

January 29th... Review of Sisterhood: A Hydde St. Story by Maytal Zchut

Feb. 4th... Review of A Guardian and a Thief by Megha Majumbar

Feb. 6th... First Lines Friday (follow the link to read the first lines of a Romantasy the has all the word abuzz!)

Feb. 13th... First Lines Friday (follow the link to a Romantasy with a enemies to lover twist!)

What new books have you picked up lately?

Lots of great reading the last few weeks and it isn't even Spring yet! . I Hope you found something that piqued your interest! All of these books today have piqued mine. Come back this week for some reviews, First Lines and a great Monday Memoir!

Happy reading... Suzanne

First Lines Friday... Romantasy with an enemies to lovers twist

 

"What if I jumped?

Balance on the edge of a sheer cliff, I stood at the mercy of this realm, wiggling my bare toes in the dirt beneath my feet. A strong gust of wind could tip me forward or backward. The slightest tremor in the earth, and I'd either fall.

or fly.

What if I jumped? Would anyone care? No. Not for me. Not for the wrong princess of Quentin."

                        ...Shield of Sparrows by Devney Perry

This book has received so much praise from the book industry and readers that I just had to finally check it out. Devney Perry's writing is addictive... and I just had to buy this and start reading! Romantasy with an enemies to lovers twist and a powerful female lead player, this book should also be a fun read. You can find this at your favorite bookstore. Published by Entangled Publishing in May of last year. It's sequel, Rites of the Starling will be published April 7th! Stay tuned for my review!

First Lines Friday... a Romantasy to swoon over

 

I NEVER WOULD HAVE ENTERED the tunnels if I'd known what was going to happen. But that's the thing about making stupid decisions, they never seem that way at the time.

    ...Creatures of Chaos by Julie Hall

And with those two simple yet ominous lines, starts the story of Creatures of Chaos by Julie Hall, said to be "Perfect for fans of forbidden love, high-stakes games and everything supernatural". And I picked it up because the special edition hardcover is absolutely gorgeous! This is book one of a three book series. The 2nd book is available now, and the third book will be published on May 20th, 2026. So if you do read these and get totally addicted, book 3 isn't far behind. This isn't my typical read, but I really have been doing a lot of reading about these "Romantasy" books and they sound like so much fun. This is on top of my TBR pile and will be next in the reading cue. What's even better... if you want to try the genre, or if you are a fan already and want to read Creatures of Chaos, right now the Kindle version is only $3.99! 

BTW, Julie Hall writes these books and self publishes at Julie Hall Author! (so you are directly supporting the author!)

A Guardian and a Thief by Megha Majumdar... A Review

It took me a surprisingly long time to finish this 200(ish)-page novel, and at several points I almost set it aside. I found myself losing interest in the story, even as I was consistently struck by the beauty of Megha Majumdar’s writing. Words arranged so gracefully they seem to float off the page, like music meant to be heard rather than read.

Set in a future India ravaged by brutal heat and widespread food shortages, the novel follows two people and the families they are desperately trying to protect. Ma lives with her aging father and two-year-old daughter while volunteering at a shelter. Her husband has already made it to Michigan, where he has found work as an engineer, and the story unfolds during the tense final week before Ma and her family are scheduled to leave India and join him in the United States.

Then there is Boomba, whom we first meet as the thief who breaks into Ma’s home one night. He steals her carefully hoarded food—and, more devastatingly, her purse containing the immigration documents she needs to escape. From this moment begins the story of the “guardian” and the “thief,” though as the novel progresses, those labels become increasingly unstable. The lines blur until you are left asking yourself a deeply uncomfortable question: what would you do to save your family?

Majumdar’s depiction of the city is stunning. The streets of Kolkata feel vividly alive—the heat, the noise, the relentless pressures of living in that environment. But alongside that beauty is an overwhelming sense of desperation. The suffering of the people is rendered equally vivid, leaving the reader weighed down by sadness.

The plot unfolds as a chain of escalating catastrophes, each one pulling Ma’s family and Boomba’s deeper into crisis. By the time the novel reaches its final pages, everything converges in a way I didn’t expect.

When I closed the book, I was left unsettled and unsure how to feel. I found myself wondering what the novel ultimately wanted to say. Is it that morality collapses under extreme pressure? That “thief” and “guardian” are roles defined by perspective? That desperate times demand desperate—and unforgivable—choices?

This is a beautifully written book that left me emotionally drained and deeply conflicted, asking questions it refuses to answer neatly.

A Guardian and a Thief by Megha Mejumdar was Published by Alfred A. Knopf in 2025. It was a finalist for the National Book Award and was an Oprah's Book Club Pick. 

I'm wavering between 3 stars and 4 stars. So, I think 3.5 stars is the final decision. It's a short read, but not a quick read. An incredibly written book, but a depressing read. I would recommend it, but be prepared...

 

Sisterhood: A Hyde Street Story by Maytal Zchut... A Review

It’s a friendship to die for… or at least everyone else will.

Writer Maytal Zchut delivers a beautifully dark, atmospheric story about toxic friendships, revenge, and pure evil. Add in horror and the supernatural, and you get Sisterhood: A Hyde Street Story. The artwork by Leila Leiz is absolutely gorgeous and perfectly complements the haunting tale of Sophie and Violet—lifelong friends, closer than sisters—until a tragic accident leaves Violet dead.

Sophie is devastated beyond measure. Her life unravels… until she stumbles into the hands of the Sisterhood, who promise to help her heal. But as always, be careful what you wish for.

That’s when the story truly takes off. I was flying through the pages, completely hooked. I loved these girls and their story—dark, tragic, and yes, violent. It begs the question: how far would you go for your BFF?

Sisterhood: A Hyde Street Story collects all five original comics in the series and includes a chilling bonus story, It Happened on Hyde Street: Devour, where it’s “get fit or die trying.” It’s an equally twisted tale that tackles body shaming taken to horrifying extremes.

Put this on your TBR list! You'll have to wait a few months though... Image Comics will be releasing this on April 28th, 2026! 

I want to thank Image Comics for the eGalley of Sisterhood: A Hyde Street Story! I really loved it.

Yesteryear by ..... a Review

Wow, my head is spinning a bit after reading the final pages of Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke. Here's the dirt (Literally)...

Meet snarky Natalie Heller Mills, pioneer woman/tradwife, and social media influencer who shows her millions of followers how life is so much better on Yesteryear Ranch, with traditional values, hard work (those cows aren't going to milk themselves) and farm fresh produce. No one need know that the kitchen is actually a top of the line kitchen with all the modern conveniences a girl could want, that she has two nannies for her "perfect" children, and that the crops aren't quite organic. And to top it off, she hires a producer to make all her content absolutely perfect... then one day, Natalie wakes up to find herself pulled back in time to the 1850's, where Yesteryear Ranch is an honest to goodness working farm, with no electricity, no modern plumbing and no modern conveniences. Plus, she has children that call her Mama, but she has no idea who they are. But she remembers children, just not these children. The one constant in all this, is her husband Caleb... who seems the same, but doesn't seem "right". What the heck is going on?! Is this a bad dream? Is she going crazy? You'll be desperate to find out.

Yesteryear is dark, funny at times, and it's also very sad. Want to know the price of fame and an Instagram account with a zillion followers? Ask Natalie. The story goes back and forth between both "worlds", with Natalie as our narrator. As she navigates both stories, we see the struggle she has with being perfect for the camera and for the people around her. As the reader, we get to see the persona behind her mask... and it's a doozy! I found her snarky, judgmental, and conniving. I didn't like her at first because of all those things, but eventually she drew me into her world and I couldn't stop turning the pages. She is a really interesting character! What a story! (BTW, we also get to learn about Natalie before all the fame, and that's a story in itself.)

This is definitely a must read for 2026. The way the story played out, in what seemed like two parallel worlds, was so interesting. And you're going to want to meet Natalie for sure... P.S. Lots of great discussion for any book club. 

Put this on your TBR list! You'll have to wait a few months... 

Yesteryear will be published on April 7th, 2026 by Penguin Random House

Thank you Penguin Random House for the early access and eBook! I really enjoyed it!

#Yesteryear #Netgalley

Memoir Monday... Billy Collins Shares Memories... and I Share a Review for Water, Water

Water, Water poems by Billy Collins

 

Memoirs are basically the memories of someone's life. For Billy Collins, his poems are snippets of observations and memories, which makes me conclude that each one of his books of poetry are like small memoirs. We find him casually looking at a girl at a bus stop, experiencing a spring afternoon, observing that a crow has a birthday. What makes Billy Collins a brilliant poet is that he writes about everyday things. He is accessible... we can read one of his poems and smile at how he points out to us something we've never thought about or seen before. 

In the poem Fire, he reflects on how he's "enjoying reading Lonesome Dove", but he wouldn't be grabbing it if he were running out of the house during a fire. In Ode to Joy, he points out how "she visits him on a regular basis", how it doesn't take much for that to happen, and tells us of some of the simple things that make him happy, like "just eating a banana". And these simple comparisons, and even the not so simple comparisons, will make you think about these things in your life.

In Water, Water, Billy Collins is definitely at his best. His wry humor (about not having any Grannies to write about) or his casual observances (how it takes two hours for a snowflake to fall to the ground and see all the things you can do in that time) make this collection of poems wonderful. I don't want to ruin the experience of reading these poems for the first time and the little surprises you get by doing so, by talking too much about them individually. You'll have to trust me that Billy Collins is brilliant and knows how to take pen to paper.  

If you're not a "poetry person", a person who has been turned off in the past by poetry (Maybe you burned out on Robert Frost?), please ignore all of that and open Water, Water by Billy Collins. You will smile and you will change your mind about poetry too. It's not a book you'll want to rush thru, it's the kind of book where you'll enjoy a poem or two every day, when you first get up in the morning or in the quiet of the evening when the world stands still just for a moment while you read. 

Here is a link to the preview of the book and the poem, Winter Trivia...

Published November 19, 2024 by Random House Publishing. I want to thank the publishers for sending along the eBook of Water, Water! I loved it! 

#NetGalley