Category: Debut novel

  • Nine Dolls

    Nine Dolls

    Author: Rupa MahadevanPublisher: Joffe BooksTo Be Published: September 25, 2025 I loved learning about the Hindu Festival of Dolls, or Navaratri, where traditionally, nine dolls are displayed on handmade tiers.  The higher tiers represent gods and goddesses, characters from mythology, or scenes from weddings. Everyday scenes are displayed on the lower tiers.  However, Leela’s version is…

  • Julie Tudor is Not a Psychopath

    Julie Tudor is Not a Psychopath

    Author: Jennifer HoldichPublisher: Sourcebooks LandmarkDate Published: June 24, 2025 Julie Tudor is obsessed. You know how you fangirl over a new TV show, obsess over a new lipstick color, or what to wear tomorrow? Yeah, no. Julie is not obsessed like that. She is OBSESSED! And by that I mean <cough> stalker <cough>. We’ve all been…

  • The Butcher and the Wren

    The Butcher and the Wren

    Author: Alaina UrquhartPublisher: ZandoDate Published: July 25, 2023 I am late to the party on this one, but it’s been sitting on my TBR shelf long enough that I decided to do a buddy read to motivate me. And I’m glad I did – I finished this in one day! First of all, I might be…

  • You Are Fatally Invited

    You Are Fatally Invited

    Author: Ande PliegoPublisher: Random House Publishing – BallantineDate Published: February 11, 2025 Six prominent mystery writers are invited to a private island by an anonymous author, J. R. Alastor, whose works are well known even if he isn’t. And each writer is hiding a secret. This book is a wonderful debut by author Ande Pliego. It’s…

  • The Business Trip

    The Business Trip

    Author: Jessie GarciaPublisher: St. Martin’s PressDate Published: January 14, 2025 The Business Trip by Jessie Garcia Holy cow! This is a debut author? Bravo!! I really wish I could reveal spoilers, because I feel like I need to talk about parts of this book in more detail. But let’s just start with the idea of meeting…

  • The Woods Are Waiting

    The Woods Are Waiting

    Author: Katherine GreenePublisher: Crooked Lane BooksDate Published: May 16, 2023 This was an atmospheric story from a debut author. Greene did a good job of capturing the feeling of Appalachian woods haunted by generations of stories about a mysterious being from “the town that eats children”. I would have preferred the story without the supernatural…

  • What the Neighbors Saw

    What the Neighbors Saw

    Author: Melissa AdelmanPublisher: St. Martin’s PressDate Published: June 20, 2023 When Sam and Alexis move into the “perfect” neighborhood, the disappointments are mounting up and the activity in this quiet cul-de-sac is anything but perfect. Alexis’s poor self-confidence is compounded by what she sees as her post-partum body, the money trap that is her new…

  • Make Me Disappear

    Make Me Disappear

    Author: Jessica PaynePublisher: BookoutureDate Published: May 16, 2022 This debut novel was such a fun read! Noelle is in a relationship with Daniel, a doctor at the same hospital where she is a nurse. At first, she can’t believe her luck in finding someone who is handsome, charming, and treats her like a queen. But…