Like millions of you I read The Change a few years ago and it blew my little mind. Magic, menopause, female rage - it's a perfect witches brew for a fantastic book. Enter - The Women of Wild Hill. More witches than menopause, still lots of female rage and a dark destiny that ripples through a family. Kristen writes my kind of book - sharp but soft on the inside, full of women trying really hard and sometimes getting it wrong. A couple of murders and lots and lots of rage.

A witty, spectacular, and timely tale of modern-day witches waging war on the patriarchy, from fan favorite Kirsten Miller, the author of The Change and Lula Dean’s Little Library of Banned Books.

There are places on earth where nature’s powers gather. Girls raised there are bequeathed strange gifts. A few have powers so dark that they fear to use them. Such a place is Wild Hill, on the tip of Long Island. For centuries, the ghost of a witch murdered by colonists claimed the beautiful and fertile Wild Hill…until a young Scottish woman with strange gifts arrived. Sadie Duncan was allowed to stay.

Five generations of Sadie’s descendants called Wild Hill home, each generation more powerful than the last. Then, in the aftermath of a terrible tragedy, the last of the Duncans, once prophesized to be the most powerful of their kind, abandoned their ancestral home.

One of them, Brigid Laguerre moved to California and turned her dark gift into fame and fortune. Her sister, Phoebe, settled on a ranch in Texas, where women visit in secret for her tonics and cures. Phoebe’s daughter, Sybil, has become a famous chef. Seemingly powerless, Sibyl has never been told of the Duncan bloodline.

Now Brigid, Phoebe, and Sibyl have been brought to Wild Hill to discover their family legacy. The Old One, furious at the path mankind has taken, has chosen three powerful witches to turn the tide. The Duncans will fulfill their destinies—but only if they can set aside their grievances and come together as a family.

Find out more about Kristen and her books (I recommend all of them) here.

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Ruthie Knox and Annie Mare are dear friends and amazing authors so for the last interview before summer - you get a real doozie. We talk for OVER AN HOUR - so plug in those air pods and take us for a walk and then fill up your summer TBR with all of the amazing books they have out now.

In this interview we talk about the following books:

If I Told You I'd Have to Kiss You

Cosmic Love at The Multiverse Hair Salon

Homemaker

Trust me when I say you're going to want to read all of them.

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The Phoenix Pencil Company is a Reese's Bookclub Pick!!! When Allison and I chatted this had not been announced so I didn't get to ask her about that experience. :(

But we had a fantastic conversation about the idea behind his fascinating book and it's magical premise. She talks about "hand wave" magic and the very real research she did on the historical timeline of this book - the years in Shanghai between the Civil War and World War II. This book has so much to say about privacy and the way women process their lives. Absolutely riveting. Mom you would love it.

In this dazzling debut novel, a hidden and nearly forgotten magic—of Reforging pencils, bringing the memories they contain back to life—holds the power to transform a young woman’s relationship with her grandmother, and to mend long-lost connections across time and space.

Monica Tsai spends most days on her computer, journaling the details of her ordinary life and coding for a program that seeks to connect strangers online. A self-proclaimed recluse, she's always struggled to make friends and, as a college freshman, finds herself escaping into a digital world, counting the days until she can return home to her beloved grandparents. They are now in their nineties, and Monica worries about them constantly—especially her grandmother, Yun, who survived two wars in China before coming to the States, and whose memory has begun to fade.

Though Yun rarely speaks of her past, Monica is determined to find the long-lost cousin she was separated from years ago. One day, the very program Monica is helping to build connects her to a young woman, whose gift of a single pencil holds a surprising clue. Monica’s discovery of a hidden family history is exquisitely braided with Yun’s own memories as she writes of her years in Shanghai, working at the Phoenix Pencil Company. As WWII rages outside their door, Yun and her cousin, Meng, learn of a special power the women in their family possess: the ability to Reforge a pencil’s words. But when the government uncovers their secret, they are forced into a life of espionage, betraying other people’s stories to survive.

Combining the cross-generational family saga and epistolary form of A Tale for the Time Being with the uplifting, emotional magic of The Midnight Library, Allison King’s stunning debut novel asks: who owns and inherits our stories? The answers and secrets that surface on the page may have the unerasable power to reconnect a family and restore a legacy.

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Sake!? Mary Alice's secrets come out early in this interview! And what an amazing interview with one of my all-time favorite authors about a book that feels very much in the Mary Alice Monroe wheelhouse but is SO different. It's historical, it's in first person and it's a CLIFFHANGER! We talk about the challenges and joys of taking on all those variations in her process. The historical ramifications and stretching a story across a hundred years.

It's impossible to talk about a Mary Alice Monroe book and NOT talk about setting - and the setting in Where The Rivers Merge is peak Monroe. It's deeply personal and resonates on an environmental level. I loved this book, my mom is going to love this book, so will my Aunt Cherie and so will all of you - get it now. Well, listen to the podcast and then go get it.

From New York Times bestselling author Mary Alice Monroe comes her highly anticipated Where the Rivers Merge, the first of two epic and triumphant novels celebrating one intrepid woman's life across multiple generations in the American South.

1908: The Lowcountry of South Carolina is at the cusp of change. Mayfield, the grand estate held for generations by the Rivers family, is the treasured home of young Eliza. A free spirit, she refuses to be confined by societal norms and spends her days exploring the vast property, observing wildlife, and riding horses. But the Great War, coastal storms, and family turmoil bring unexpected challenges to Eliza, putting her on a collision course with the patriarchal traditions of a bygone era.

1988: At 88, Eliza is the scion of the Rivers/DeLancey family. She’s fought a lifetime to save her beloved Mayfield and is too independent and committed to quietly retire and leave the fate of the estate to her greedy son. She must make decisions that will assure the future of the land and her family—or watch them both be split apart.

Set against the evocative landscape of the twentieth-century Lowcountry, Where the Rivers Merge is a dramatic and sweeping multigenerational family story of unyielding love, lessons learned, profound sacrifices, and the indomitable spirit of a woman determined to persevere in the face of change in order to protect her family legacy and the land she loves.

Find Mary Alice Here

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Not only is an Aperol Spritz one of my favorite drinks of all time - I have not stopped talking about this book. I told my mom. My friends. I told my teenage son about this book. There is something about the world Elisabeth makes up and the world she reveals - that has completely captured my attention. Part of it, is that the books feels a little bit like a Stephanie Plum mystery but with a more heart-breaking mystery at it's center. Please - everyone read about this so I can talk about it with someone!!

A sharply funny and moving debut in which a young woman accepts a job that takes her though the Italian Dolomites and into an international mystery far greater—and more personal—than she could have ever expected.

For someone who hates secrets, Las Vegas hairdresser Lucy Rey is about to be faced with a whole bunch of them. After discovering that her fiancé has been cheating on her with someone from his improv class, she finds herself short on funds and desperate for a change of scenery. Enter a most unusual job opportunity: a Bearer of Bad News.

Sure, it’s a little weird—the job description has few details, and the bad news is more like a vaguely worded threat—but Lucy can’t say no to the perks: an all-expenses-paid trip to the Italian Dolomites, plus a generous bonus if she proves she’s delivered the message. Then she learns that her task is just the tip of the iceberg.

Launched into a world of betrayal and greed involving eighty-year-old secrets, stolen jewels, and a World War II–era mystery, Lucy is in over her head. And she’s connected to her mission in ways she never saw coming.

For fans of Gail Honeyman’s Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine and Kirstin Chen’s Counterfeit, Bearer of Bad News is an exhilarating romp that deftly explores the weight of secrets, the power of friendship, and how, by healing the wounds of the past, we can build a brighter tomorrow.

Website: http://www.elisabethdini.com

Instagram:

@elisabethdiniauthor
@simonandschuster

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This happened. This really happened. I got to talk to Jennifer Weiner about her latest release The Griffin Sisters' Greatest Hits. We talked about everything - everything. How we celebrate -or don't celebrate! Her musical inspirations for this new release, she gave me some insider knowledge on how she writes men and we talked a lot about the toxic '90's in pop culture. I managed to keep my cool...sort of. She is of course exactly as warm and smart and engaged as you think she is. Check out her latest - The Griffin Sisters' Greatest Hits.

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Weiner comes The Griffin Sisters' Greatest Hits, a deeply moving novel set against the glitz and chaos of early 2000s pop stardom. Equal parts heartfelt family saga and behind-the-scenes look at fame, this is a story about sisters, secrets, and the power of second chances.

Cassie and Zoe Grossberg were thrust into the spotlight as The Griffin Sisters, a pop duo that defined the aughts. Together, they skyrocketed to the top, gracing MTV, SNL, and the cover ofRolling Stone. Cassie, a musical genius who never felt at ease in her own skin, preferred to stay in the shadows. Zoe, full of confidence and craving fame, lived for the stage. But fame has a price, and after one turbulent year, the band abruptly broke up.

Now, two decades later, the sisters couldn’t be further apart. Zoe is a suburban mom warning her daughter Cherry to avoid the spotlight, while Cassie has disappeared from public life entirely. But when Cherry begins unearthing the truth behind their breathtaking rise and infamous breakup, long-buried secrets surface, forcing all three women to confront their choices, their desires, and their complicated bonds.

With richly developed characters, a nostalgic nod to the pop culture of the 2000s, and a resonant tale of ambition, forgiveness, and family, The Griffin Sisters' Greatest Hits will captivate readers from the first note to the final encore. Whether you’ve followed Jennifer Weiner for years or are discovering her for the first time, this book is a must-read for music lovers, fans of sisterly dramas, and anyone who cherishes a great story of second chances.

Find more about Jennifer here: https://www.jenniferweiner.com/

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I had the privilege of reading this book months before it was released and it has felt like I've been keeping an amazing secret, but now that it's out and I really want tot talk about it with someone! Anyone! MOM! read this book!!! This book has a HUGE heart, an unbelievable protagonist and absolutely show-stealing secondary characters. Holly and I talk about how Denny just arrived in her head one day and has been with her for years. We also have a really frank and interesting conversation about the challenges and worries of writing a mystery in the POV of a character like Denny. If you read and loved The Curious Incident With The Dog In The Nighttime - you will love this book.

In this poignant and funny novel, a man who is defined by his limitations sets out to fight a murder charge—and discovers unexpected truths about himself, his family, and the world at large.

On the surface, Denny Voss’s life in rural Minnesota is a quiet one. At thirty years old, he lives at home with his elderly mother and his beloved blind and deaf Saint Bernard, George. He cleans up roadkill to help pay the bills. Though his prospects are limited by a developmental delay—the result of an accident at birth—Denny has always felt that he has “a good life.”

So how did he wind up being charged with the murder of a mayoral candidate—after crashing a sled full of guns into a tree?

As Denny awaits trial, his court-appointed therapist walks him through the events of the past year. Denny’s had other scuffles with the law, the first for kidnapping a neighbor’s cantankerous goose. And then there was the time he accidentally assisted in a bank robbery. It seems like whenever Denny tries to do the right thing, chaos ensues.

Untangling the events around the murder reveals even more painful truths about his family’s past. He’s always been surrounded by people who love him, but now it’s up to Denny to set his life on a new course.

Find Holly here: https://www.hollykennedy.com/

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You know how books are often advertised as "swoony" and it's a word that gets tossed around so much that it's perhaps lost it's meaning? I couldn't tell you before reading No Ordinary Love what it meant for a book to be "swoony."

Enter - No Ordinary Love and in particular Miles. And... I get it now. Swoony, for me, has everything to do with the hero. And Miles is a hell of a hero. So, grab yourself a Jelly Pie (not a drink) #iykyk and read this gorgeous romance that straddles the line between romance and women's fictions with such grace.

Myah and I talk about how hard it is to create romance when you're going to through heartbreak and what it's like to work with legendary Editor Esi Sogah.

Follow Myah here

Buy the book here

A PR partnership between a pop superstar and a pro-athlete bad boy turns into so much more in this swoony romance from the acclaimed author of When I Think of You.

Ella Simone’s popstar life is what dreams are made of. Her eight year marriage to renowned music producer, Elliot Majors, has helped garner the hits, awards, and adoring fans to prove it. But when Ella tires of Elliot's many infidelities, she decides to fight for her independence despite the ironclad prenup that threatens her career.

To help her case, Ella is under strict orders to stick to The Plan: no headlines, no rumors, no rocking the boat. But this strategy is thrown a curveball after an awards show wardrobe snafu and quick rescue by Miles Westbrook, MLB’s most eligible player, sends the tabloids into a frenzy. Amid tricky divorce proceedings, Ella’s magnetic connection with the charismatic pitcher might just be her downfall.

Now the pressure is on to turn a scandal into an opportunity and give their teams what they want: a picture-perfect performance that will shore up both Ella and Miles' reputations. But as the lines between reality and PR begin to blur, Ella will either stick to the choreographed life she knows so well, or surrender to a love that could set her free.

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