The Answer Is No by Fredrik Backman Publisher: Amazon Pub Date: 12/1/2024
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Lucas enjoys his quiet and solitary life, but everything changes when his apartment board insists on investigating a misplaced frying pan. Their relentless meddling turns his peaceful existence upside down in this witty, laugh-out-loud short story.
Overall, I really liked The Answer Is No! It’s a bit silly, but I love how Backman weaves heartfelt and resonant quotes about finding happiness, the importance of community, and protecting your inner peace. I truly felt for Lucas as he was dragged into a situation he never asked for and that had nothing to do with him. That said, I loved his interactions with everyone. I was amazed at how Backman managed to infuse so much depth into his characters in such a short story.
The Fall Risk by Abby Jimenez Publisher: Amazon Pub Date: 3/1/2025
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Fall Risk was my February Amazon First Reads pick.
Charlotte, wary from a past stalker, and Seth, freshly divorced, have no interest in romance this Valentine’s Day. But when they get trapped together, their guarded hearts start to soften, leading to an unexpected and humorous connection.
The Fall Risk was such a cute and sweet romance short story. I was amazed at how Abby managed to pack so much depth into a short format while keeping it light and heartwarming even while tackling serious topics. Charlotte and Seth’s backstories were a bit wild, but they made for an entertaining read. I also loved how she tied in John and Holly from The Worst Wingman Ever which was a fun touch. The found family/friend group was endearing. The banter between Charlotte and Seth was a highlight. The ending felt a little too neatly wrapped up and sappy for my taste. Overall, it was a fun and enjoyable read!
Almost Surely Dead by Amina Akhtar Publisher: Mindy’s Book Studio (Amazon Publishing) Pub Date: 2/1/2024
This was my January Amazon First Reads pick
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Almost Surely Dead by Amina Akhtar tells the story of Dunia Ahmed, a New York pharmacist coping with personal tragedies, who becomes the center of a true crime podcast after her mysterious disappearance. As she deals with murder attempts on her life and police suspicion of those close to her, Dunia’s reality blurs with childhood superstitions, leading her to believe that a malevolent force is targeting her.
Having enjoyed Amina Akhtar’s previous works, #fashionvictim and Kissmet, I was thrilled to discover her latest thriller, Almost Surely Dead, released under Mindy’s Book Studios. The narrative is told through three distinct perspectives: Dunia’s experiences from a year or two prior, the podcast’s viewpoint, and Dunia’s memories from when she was five years old. A highlight of the book is its exploration of jinn and Pakistani culture, offering insightful perspectives on these beliefs. The podcast hosts, intriguingly flawed, exhibit subtle racism and a penchant for gaslighting their guests, embodying the antithesis of ideal hosts with their overt commercial focus. Dunia’s character and her interactions with those around her are fascinating along with the extremely horrifying methods at attempts on her life. Though the culprits were easily predictable which had me reduce a star, the integration of jinn into the storyline was chillingly effective which added a haunting and terrifying layer that resonated deeply. Overall, I highly recommend picking this one if you’re looking for an entertaining and spine-tingling thriller!
If you’re looking for price drops on the best Kindle books, head over to Amazon now for their Cyber Monday Kindle Deals! Down below are the two books I decided to buy:
The Ticket by Heather Grace Stewart Kindle Price: $4.99 This was more of a last-minute buy on my end. The plot sounded like a cute romantic comedy and a great mood lifter that I could use after all the intense novels that I’ve been reading lately. This story is about a guy who buys two tickets to travel around the world with his girlfriend, but they split up shortly before the trip and can’t get a refund. Then he goes on social media asking women with his girlfriend’s exact name to apply to go to the trip with him. He ends up choosing one woman out of 21 potential choices. So will it be a vacation of their dreams or fiery hell in paradise? Though I know this may be a predictable read, I’m hoping that it’ll be a fun and enjoyable.
The Sisters Chase by Sarah Healy Kindle Price: $2.99
This book has been on my TBR list for quite a while. I originally discovered it on Book of the Month. I was super excited to see the price drop on this. The thrilling story is about two sisters who go homeless after their mother dies in a car accident and the unbelievable lengths that the older sister has to go through in order to protect her younger sister. I heard great reviews about this novel and can’t wait to read it!
Amazon has some great Black Friday Kindle book deals going on right now that I couldn’t resist. I ended up buying three books under $10 which was an awesome bargain. Here are the books I bought:
Irresistible? by Stephanie Bond Kindle Price: $0.99 This was an impulse buy. I never heard of the author before, but the premise of the story looked funny and light-hearted. Also there were positive reviews from Amazon readers so I thought why not? This romantic comedy is about Elle participating in a four-week clinical study which involves taking a pill that makes the taker more attractive to the opposite sex. Based on the plot, this could either be really cheesy and bad which then I would have wasted a dollar or it could be really intriguing and laugh out loud funny so then it would be totally worth every cent. I guess I’ll need to read to find out.
The Sun Is Also A Star by Nicola Yoon Kindle Price: $1.99
I was so excited to see that this book was part of the Kindle Deals on Amazon. I’ve been wanting to read this book for a while, but it’s on a long hold list at the library and before then, I was on the fence of whether to buy or not since it’s a YA novel. This book is about two teens with completely different lives and backgrounds falling in love. I heard such great reviews about this book and originally found it on Book of the Month so when I saw the price drop on this then I knew I had to get this.
Pachinko by Min Jin Lee
Price: $3.99
This book has been on my TBR list for a while as well. I read Free Food for Millionaires by Min Jin Lee and fell in love with her writing so I was excited to hear about her newest book. The book is about four generations of a poor Korean immigrant family living in Japan in the 20th century. Pachinko has been on the best seller’s list for Amazon for quite a while and it is a National Award Finalist as well. So seeing the price drop on this was definitely a treat and I can’t wait to pick this up.
Asha Reads 