Wondering which book to read next? In this month’s Books On Your Radar, BookSparks’ founder Crystal Patriarche raves about the books (shows and movies, too) that she loved this month. As an ultimate bookworm who reads across all genres, and devours all kinds of content across platforms, she definitely knows how to spot a great story. Here are the newest books (and shows) she says should definitely be on your radar.
Feature Image Credit: @thebohobookblogger
BOOKS:
The Husbands by Chandler Baker
When the Spanglers go house hunting in Dynasty Ranch, Nora meets a group of high-powered women with enviably supportive husbands. When she agrees to help with a resident’s wrongful death case, she is pulled into the lives of the women there. But as the case unravels, Nora uncovers a plot that may explain the secret to having-it-all—one that’s worth killing for. Calling to mind a Stepford Wives gender-swap, The Husbands imagines a world where the burden of the “second shift” is equally shared―and what it may take to get there. It makes the reader wonder: what lengths will a woman go for a little more help from her husband?
So We Meet Again by Suzanne Park
Jessie Kim was just laid off in a virtual meeting and when she overhears that it’s because she’s a woman and Asian, she gives the best “eff you” speech and walks out. She moves back home to live with her very loving, but meddling, parents in Tennessee, where she runs into her childhood nemesis: Daniel Choi. The golden child is now a lawyer who seems to have everything, while Jessie has nothing. When she finally accepts his offer to help her restart her Korean cooking Youtube channel, she realizes that maybe Daniel doesn’t have it all. Just as she thinks she’s in for a turnaround, Daniel shows up for a career-changing opportunity and their childhood rivalry is sparked again.
The Turnout by Megan Abbott
Dara and Marie have been dancers since birth due to their glamorous mother’s studio. When their parents tragically die, the two girls take over the dance studio, along with favorite student Charlie. The three have perfected managing the business—until a suspicious accident occurs right before the performance of The Nutcracker. Will the three dancers be able to balance it all? Or will their poise and perfection finally be cracked?
Rock The Boat by Beck Dorey-Stein
Kate Campbell never thought she’d return to Sea Point, her childhood home full of quirky people, bungalows, and beautiful beaches. However, when her life in Manhattan comes to a very quick and unfortunate close, she finds herself back home with a plan to win back everything she thinks she lost. Coincidentally, “The Prince of Sea Point,” Miles Hoffman, has also returned home in order to prove to his mother that he can take over the family business, and help his childhood best friend, Ziggy. The three friends reunite as their hometown faces an identity crisis when a developer tries to cash in on its potential. As the summer gets hotter, so do the secrets and lies that threaten not only the bonds of friendship, but the place they call home.
These Toxic Things by Rachel Howzell Hall
When her latest client dies from an apparent suicide, Mickie honors Nadia’s dying wish by working on a digital scrapbook of the most prized possessions she has collected in her travels across the country. As Mickie begins Nadia’s project, she starts receiving threatening messages from a serial killer urging her to leave the dead woman’s past alone. Between the peculiar choice of souvenirs and the mystery behind the killer’s identity, Mickie soon begins to investigate Nadia’s past—and quickly realizes she may be in way over her head.
Once There Were Wolves by Charlotte McConaghy
Inti Flynn and her sister Aggie are hoping to find peace and healing in Scotland; both sisters needed to get out of Alaska to escape their harm-stricken past. Their goal? To lead a team of biologists to reintroduce fourteen gray wolves to the dying landscape of the Highlands. However, when Inti begins to let her guard down, a farmer is found dead. She knows she must protect the wolves, as they have thrived in their environment, but if the wolves didn’t kill the farmer … what, or who did?
We Were Never Here by Andrea Bartz
Emily is having the time of her life: she’s in the mountains of Chile with her best friend, Kristen, on their annual reunion trip, and the women are feeling closer than ever. But then Emily enters their hotel suite to find blood and broken glass on the floor. Kristen says the cute backpacker she brought back to their room attacked her, and she had no choice but to kill him in self-defense. Even more shocking: the scene is horrifyingly similar to last year’s trip when another backpacker wound up dead. Back home in Wisconsin, Emily struggles to bury her trauma, but when Kristen shows up for a surprise visit, Emily is forced to confront their violent past. As Emily feels the walls closing in on their cover-ups, she must reckon with the truth about her closest friend. Can Emily outrun the secrets she shares with Kristen, or will they destroy her relationship, her freedom—even her life?
The Dating Playbook by Farrah Rochen
Software engineer Daisy Patel has her life figured out and that does not include finding love or getting married—much to the dismay of her family members. To get her family off her back, Daisy asks her old childhood crush, Liam Murphy, to pose as her fiancé. Liam, who needs to be married in order to get his inheritance, agrees. However, after a series of fake dates sparks fly, but the duo soon realizes that their arrangement isn’t convenient for either of them.
How Moon Fuentez Fell in Love with the Universe by Raquel Vasquez Gilliland
Moon Fuentez is living in her twin sister’s shadow, but when she takes a summer gig as the “merch girl” on a tour bus full of influencers, everything changes. She works with her new archenemy, who unfortunately and fortunately happens to be the hottest guy she’s ever met. Moon even starts to change her destiny as the wallflower. It’s a summer full of new for Moon and she might just fall in love with the universe … and maybe the hot nemesis, too.
Shows:
Outer Banks (Season 2)
The pogues are back for another haunting and suspenseful adventure. This season picks up right where season 1 ended. John B., and everyone else who is trying to kill him, is still looking for the $400 million treasure, but it’s a little harder than before, since he and Sarah are on the run in the Bahamas. While John B. and Sarah are trying to find the silver linings of being in paradise, their friends are back in the Outerbanks trying to figure out their lives in the drama and chaos that has ensued. This season is promised to bring even more mystery and romance, and they’re turning up the heat—and the stakes. This season is for anyone who is ready to buckle up, because this action-packed show will have you going for a wild ride.
Dr. Death (Streaming on Peacock)
Based on a true story and Wondery’s hit podcast, the young, charming, brilliant sociopathic Dr. Christopher Duntsch is starting to get attention, and not just for his rise in the medical community: his patients leave his operating room, either severely and permanently maimed, or dead. Dr. Robert Henderson, a neurosurgeon, and Dr. Randall Kirby, a vascular surgeon, are out to stop him. Will they be able to stop the victims from piling up?
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