The Forgotten Midwife by Laura Anthony

 

Publisher: Gallery Books

On Sale Date: May 13 2026

Pages: 360

I reviewed a digital review copy from the publisher

The Forgotten Midwife takes place in Ireland in the 1950's and New Jersey in the present time.

New Jersey, 2023; Riley Carmichael is going to marry her fianceé Sam soon. She is looking forward to join his family, as she has only her grandmother Betty, who is suffering from dementia and lives in a nursing home, as family left. When she visits Betty in the home one day, Betty has a rare moment of being clear minded and Betty shows her a birth certificate of someone born in Ireland in the 1950's and Riley truly don't know who she was to Betty, but it seems the person on the certificate is immediate family to Riley. Wanting to know more and curious about her family line, Riley goes to Ireland with Sam to find out more and to find this person on the birth certificate for Betty.

Tipperary, Ireland, 1950's and 1960's; Margaret Lannigan lives a happy and normal life with her parents, younger sister and brothers and her boyfriend Joseph, who she is planning to marry soon. Everything changes though when her younger sister dies all of a sudden of dyphteria. The next day, her parents let her know, as is tradition in her Catholic family that as the oldest Lannigan daughter now, Margaret is the one to become a Sister, and is send to a convent the same day. She has to part from Joseph and her family against her will. She arrives in the convent and is introduced to Mother Superior and Sister Tee. She soon discovers though, altough Mother Superior are friendly, that the local priest Father Michael, who is good friends with her father, is the real boss of the convent and that there are cars with wealthy looking people arrive at the doors of the convent who later walk out happily with a baby in their arms. The convent is also running a laundry and a Mother and Baby home. Because Father Michael soon is thinking that Margaret is not making enough progress at the convent to become a nun, he sends her in for another job. She is told by him to become a midwife (without any training or schooling) at the Mother and Baby home for Fallen Girls to help with the delivery of babies. There is a strict and horrific regime at the home, run by the Matron, who wants as much babies delivered as soon as possible to make more mony by stealing and selling them to wealthy American couples. Father Michael and Sister Tee, who is kind and becomes a friend of Margaret, and Margaret becomes a friend of the girls living in the home, especially with Rosie and Delia.The girls living there live under horrific and neglectfull circumstances with severe punishments for nothing, and a few girls don't survive their deliveries. After many years in this hopeless and horrific home for Fallen Girls, and with the help of the caretaker of the home, Margaret finds a way to make girls escape from the home, but this is not without danger..

The Forgotten Midwife by Laura Anthony is one of the very best books of this year. The storyline is terrific, brilliant and fast paced, with a cast of wonderful (but also not so wonderful) characters. The story of Margaret at the convent and the house for Fallen Girls was beautiful, heartbreaking and moving. Recently I have read another book about this same topic in Ireland (The Fallen by Louise Brangan) and this was a good way to understand everything that happened at many homes around Ireland in these horrific circumstances. The way the author weaved the story of Margaret with the story of Riley in the present time was absolutely fantastic, and the ending of the story was also a perfect wrap up of both storylines.

Overall I found this book outstanding and fantastic, and I highly recommend it!

The Parisian Chapter by Janet Skeslien Charles

 

Publisher: Atria Books

On Sale Date: May 5 2026

Pages: 240

I reviewed a digital review copy from the publisher

Just as in The Paris Library, The Parisian Chapter is a new novel also set in the American Library of Paris.

The story starts in the year 1995 and we meet Lily Jacobsen, who was a neighbor and friend of Odile in America, the main character in The Paris Library. She is also an American from Montana living in Paris, in a small apartment with her best friend and roommate Marie Louise, which who she shares the rent. When Marie-Louise all of a sudden breaks the news to Lily that she is moving out, Lily has to find a way to survive in Paris on her own. She  finds a job as a program manager and event coordinator at the American Library in Paris, where Odile also worked in the past. Her job is to organize author events at the library, but she founds out soon enough that its not an easy task. We also meet the other staff and trustees of the American Library, all with their own background, life stories and particular job at the librariy and dealing with things that are at stake, which in this case is the uncertain future of the library due to financial struggles and shortcomings. Told in alternating chapters of all the different people working at the library.

The story of The Parisian Chapter is a good one, altough not as strong as in The Paris Library. This book felt more like stories of the 11 people who work in or are rich trustees of the American library in Paris, with Lily who somewhat connects them all. The strongest story is hers, living together with her best friend Marie-Louise and surviving as poor girls in baquettes and brie. When Marie-Louse leaves all of a sudden, Lily's life changes but their friendship is broken for good as Marie- Louise acts distant since then. But for Lily this also means a new Parisian Chapter as she gets a new job, new friends, finds romance and can connect a staff member of the library with her long lost friend Odile from the previous book. I found the writing style of the novel just as good as the Paris Library, welll written and easy to follow.

Overall a nice and enjoyable new novel by Janet Skeslien Charles set in the American Library in Paris!

The Fallen by Louise Brangan

 

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

On Sale Date: May 5 2026

Pages: 368

I reviewed a digital review copy from the publisher

Many people nowadays have heard of the misconduct that went on for decades by the  Sisters of the Good Shepard, mistreatment of vulnerable young girls and women who where locked up in the institutions that they ran, and that happened in many countries. This book tells about the Magdalene Loundries, runned by the same sisters in Ireland. In many villages they ran closed off asylums, Mother and Bany homes, industrial school and County Homes besides their laundries for ''fallen women''. Young women who where often abused at home and punished and send away by their families to be never heard of again, mostly forgotten and abandoned. and where the women where abused with endless crueling work under bad conditions and punishments by the Sisters. Nobody new the sisters run prisons for innocent women, who didn't have much luck in their lives.

In this book, the stories of several women who where locked up in the asylums of the Magdalene Laundries tell their stories. Their personal stories why they where sent away by their families to turn off shaming them because of abuse of someone in their family. (abusers who never got any punishment) . Because of a pregnancy out of wedlock in some cases, which then was a shame in the strict Catholic Ireland. The women where locked up in the asylum to be forgotten by their families and never to be spoken off again. These women had to forgot their own name and often where given a different name or just a numer, but in this book, their are named their own names by the author, who let them tell their personal stories; Eileen, Carmel and Brigid spent a huge part of their lives in the Magdalene Laundries, and the author tells their personal stories, and shines a light on one of the darkest secrets in Ireland's history.

If you have heard of this tragic history or not, the book is very informative and easy to follow, and as a reader you also learn a lot from it and the writing style is just perfect. The author did a great job in researching this sensitive topic that has long been hidden in secrecy and silence. The stories of the women who where kept at the laundries where heartbreaking. It is hard to imagine how the Sisters could be so cruel in treating these women and how they talked it right because of their faith. It truly was horrifying at some parts and it is sad that no one could speak out of this misconduct earlier and everything was covered under the blanket of the Catholic faith. We can only have deep sympathy and support for the victims. The author also did a great job explaining how the laundries and asylums and homes run by the Sisters where created and the overlap with the history of politics in Ireland which was also interesting to read, and how eventually the asylums, homes and laundries slowly ceased to excist and how the misconduct eventually reached the media because of the victims standing up and speaking out.

I found this a very eye-opening, interesting and perfectly written book that I recommend reading!

Dogs, Boys, and Other Things I’ve Cried About: A Memoir by Isabel Klee

 

Publisher: William Morrow

On Sale Date: April 28 2026

Pages: 283

I reviewed a digital review copy from the publisher

New Jersey native Isabel Klee, who is now the social media star behind @SimonSits, always had the dream to move to New York City, and when she was 20 years old, she moved to Manhattan. Beside a true New York lover, she also loved dogs since she was little, and in New York her first job was being an assistant to a dog photographer. But there was more coming her way, a dream of helping dogs became reality for Isabel when she started to rehabilitating rescue dogs, who later got adopted, at her home. In this memoir, we meet all the dogs she fostered over the years. The dog that became her own dog is Simon. She writes about his hard life before he landed in her care and where he truly blossomed and found his forever home, and how he was a great brother to all the foster dogs. She writes about the health challenges of some of the foster dogs and the difficult moments when the new family of the foster dogs arrive at her door to pick up their new family member.

Beside fostering dogs, Isabel writes about her love life and her friendships. She writes about the heartbreak in her relationships and the relationship with Jacob that first goes out, but later leads to a marriage. This is a memoir about figuring out who you are, while changing the lives of many dogs in need.

This memoir is just a beautiful one. Isabel Klee writes in a beautiful, moving and also fun and entertaining way that keeps you interested as a reader during the whole memoir. I never heard of Isabel Klee before but wow, what an amazing good work does she do for dogs. She truly made the live of so many neglected dogs so much better and gave them their forever home in loving families which  was so inspiring and also moving to read. She gives so much love and gets so much love from the dogs in return. Her love and friendship live was also interesting to read and I loved how in the end everything fell into place for her, with the vibrant New York City that is the background and another huge part of this book. I truly enjoyed reading this  gem of a memoir and I recommend reading it!

Boring Asian Female by Canwen Xu

Publisher: Berkley

On Sale Date: April 28 2026

Pages: 336

I reviewed a digital review copy from the publisher

Elizabeth Zhang's is a Chinese-American student, originally from Dakota but studying at Columbia in New York City. Her ultimate dream is to be admitted to Harvard Law School. But after applying she gets a rejection letter which more or less tells her she is not outstanding enough, her dream is shattered. When she finds out that her classmate Laura Kim is accepted at Harvard, she truly wonders why. Is she just a boring Asian female and Laura isn't? Why was Laura accepted and why wasn't she? Apparently Laura has taken the spot that was Elizabeth's

Elizabeth tries to find out everything about Laura, to find out why she was accepted. She starts following her, to figure out what she does on a daily basis; what are her hobbies, where does she shops and what does she eat for lunch? But slowly her following of Laura turns into an obsession and even sabotaging  her online with online smearing and stealing Laura's identity online, and constantly comparing herself to Laura, which takes her mental health on a turn downwards. Slowly on, things run out of control which leads into a horrible confrontation with Laura, who is found dead in her dorm room shortly after. Was it her fault this happened? And if things are not complicated enough, Elizabeth also found out that she is expecting a baby unexpectedly..

Boring Asian Female by Canwen Xu is a novel that is anything but boring. The story truly grips you as a reader from the first page to the last and it is a storyline that is different then anything I have read in years, it is just very original and this also counts for the main character of Elizabeth. She starts of as a normal girl but slowly on, her character gets darker and darker in character. Her obsession with Laura and Harvard truly starts slowy and gets more and more bizarre and out of control, and she truly does some far fetched things to stalk and sabotage Laura. I found it a fast paced, entertaining rollercoaster of a novel about how far  an envious person can go to get what she wants . I truly enjoyed reading Boring Asian Female!

Liar's Dice by Juliet Faithfull

 

Publisher: Random House

On Sale Date: April 28 2026

Pages: 384

I reviewed a digital review copy from the publisher

Dolores and Mita grow up as identical twins in a family with a British father and Brazilian mother in Brazil in the 1970's. Mita and Dolores had their own secret language and danced together often, but everything changes for Dolores when Mita at seven years old starts to suffere from severe epileptic seizures. And all of a sudden, Mita is gone and send away to a care institution in London, without her parents telling this to Dolores, who has no clue where Mita has gone too. Shortly after that, the family moves from their small Brazillian town to Rio de Janeiro for her father's job where they lead a luxurious lifestyle, seem to forget that Mita ever existed and where Dolores will attend the British School. Her parent's don't have room for her grief and want Dolores to shut her mouth when she talks about Mita. At twelve years old, Dolores can't read or write, and she misses Mita terribly, and she can't find a way to know where she was sent to. She finds a new friend at school in Andrea, a girl from the favela's.Andrea introduces her to a complete different side of Rio unknown to Dolores, a Rio that is  shaped by danger, rebellion, and the realities of living under a dictatorship. During the following years, Dolores grows more determined to find out what happened to her sister Mita and thinks up ways to get to England to find out if Mita is still alive..

This is a rare and very original novel that is unlike every other novel so far, with the main character of Dolores being very realistic and which gains your sympathy as a reader. You could totally feel her frustration with her parents unwiling to tell her more about Mita's fate and just acting as if she was a burden that never existed afterwards just to not deal with it and move on with their luxury expat-like lifestyle where there is no room for misfits. I found the storyline interesting and entertaining, and with a very interesting backdrop of 1970's Brazil and the political climate that was also woven into the story. The story moves back and forth in time. Dolores'smission to find  out about the faith of her sister in England truly progressed during the story and it truly was moving how slowly on her parents started to understand Dolores's grief and I truly liked how this line in the story led to a travel to England. There is also a good cast of side characters in the story with Dolores's best friend Andrea and Sofia, and also somewhat questionable teachers at the British School. I really liked how the story ended as it didn't have any loose ends and Dolores could give her grief about Mita a place and move on.

Overall this is a nice and original new novel that I enjoyed reading!

Selfish by Kerry Docherty

 

Publisher: Harmony

On Sale Date: April 21 2026

Pages: 336

I reviewed a digital review copy from the publisher

Kerry Docherty is one of the co-founders, together with her husband Alex and his twin brother Mike of the Faherty fashion brand Alex was her college sweetheart and together with Mike they lived in New York City. The brand was always number one in Alex's and Mike and Kerry. Everything was done with the brand in mind, and the work was going on almost 24/7. Slowly on, she realized she was always putting herself at last in her life, and this become more a burden, also when she became a mother and almost didn't have time for herself. This memoir is about her journey to find the parts of herself that where buried under the high expectations of others, especially from Alex, who really acted horribly to her and expected her to serve him more and more. She learned to say no more often to the things in her life that where not serving her longer, and more yes to the things and aspirations she cared about. She also had an on and off side affair with a guy named Beau and the artistic and conciousness related activities she started to get active in.

Selfish is a very personal memoir with sometimes a bit too personal details. She reflects on what it really means for her personally to put yourself first in the different parts of your life, be it in marriage, in being a mother or in your career. 

A huge part in this book is about the struggles between her and her husband Alex, as she feels more like one of his staff members than his wife. Alex is someone who puts the business first and this clashes with Kerry's aspirations in life. I found Alex's behaviour really questionable at many points and I wondered why his behaviour didn't rais more red relationship flags for Kerry. Her relationship with this excentric Beau guy...I truly found it odd sometimes. I truly hoped with all the struggles Kerry went through, there was some kind of progress coming in this memoir, as she wanted to choose more for herself, that she stayed in two relationships that where not serving her, and there was no progress as it seemed. she kept talking about the changes she would liked in her life, and repeated this pattern during the book, without real changes. I truly hoped there was some kind of conclusion or that she truly chose for herself instead of the toxic relationships she found herself in. The ending also felt rushed and I trult wondered what the point of telling all of her struggles in this book as nothing changed in the end.

I think this is a type of book you will like or not, it has to be you cup of tea, I liked parts of it, but also a lot that I truly wondered why the author was not standing up for herself more, so my feelings about this memoir are mixed.

The Fish and Chip Shop Detectives by Jenny Kane

 

Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton

On Sale Date: April 2 2026

Pages: 368

I reviewed a digital review copy from the publisher

When his relationship with his girlfriend Bea goes out, Ryan Stepney finds himself without a home and also without a job, when he escapes to the small Cornish town of Mousehole. Walking trough town, he gets a fish and chips dinner at the shop where Maggie has been working for years. They start talking when Maggie finds him sitting lonely across the shop, wondering if he is ok. He explains what happened to him and Maggie offers him a job at the fish and chips shop and also offers him to live at the bedsit above the store as it has been empty for years. Ryan accepts the offer. Later on, Maggie advises him to visit the local pub to meet some new people. He meets a couple named Toby and Tania there. They have a chat and he finds out that Toby and Tania have relationship issues. He goes home later. The next day a body is found in the harbour and the police finds out it is the body of Tania. Ryan is the last one who has seen her at the pub, and is seen as a suspect immediately in the investigation. Ryan truly is devastated that he is seen as a suspect as he had nothing to do with her tragic dead, and Maggie truly knows this too. Being a detective lover, besides working frying fish and chips, she starts investigating what happened to Tania together with Ryan, they have to prove Ryan is innocent, but their investigation is not without danger for them..and it seems that in the life of Tania and Toby, there where some fishy things going on..

The Fish and Chips Shop Detectives by Jenny Kane is truly an amazing and fantastic new cozy mystery novel. The storyline and characters are both wonderfull. The story is full of fun and suspence  set against a charming background of the small town of Mousehole in Cornwall where everybody knows everybody. The characters of Maggie and Ryan are unbelievably good and portrayed very well. The characters both had heart and depth, and they both felt very realistic. This also counts for the cast of side characters. I loved that the storyline kept many secrets untill the end and that there where no real hints about who commited the murder of Tania, I really had no clue untill the end. The author truly created a good unraveling of who did it and a nice and good wrap up of the story. Just like a good serving of yummy fish and chips, this book makes you crave for more books by this author! 

I truly enjoyed this fun and fast paced cozy mystery and I recommend reading it!

 

Harmless by Miranda Shulman

 

Publisher: Dutton

On Sale Date: April 14 2026

Pages: 288

I reviewed a digital review copy from the publisher

Bea is a woman that is grieving los of her twin sister Audrey two years ago. At her memorial, which was delayed because of the pandemic, she runs into Audrey's childhood friends Tatum and Layla. They start talking again after many years, and somewhere in this Bea talks about the dream Bea and Audrey always had, to open a dog kennel or rescue. The three of them come up with the idea to do this together in their Park Slope neighborhood in Brooklyn. A lot of discussion about this kennel follows, and even more looking backs by Bea how things could run so out of hand with Audrey's heroin addiction that it led to her death. In alternating chapters the reader gets to know the three characters of Bea, Tatum and Layla better and a look into their lives, there is a lot of making plans for the kennel and a lot of talking about it, but this plan never comes to an actual kennel in this book, which was quite dissapoointing, the book was more a throwback look by Bea on Audrey's live and how she coped with it after, and also about the characters of Layla and Tatum who never became interesting characters at all. There was a lot of unneccesary talking and drama that really was much ado about nothing. I really was wondering what the point of this somewhat chaotic story was as they never opened the dog kennel/rescue at all, if they actually opened it it would have been a more interesting story and characters, but unfortunately for this book, it was missing  both an interesting storyline and characters.

Extra Sauce: The Good, the Bad, and the Onions Zahra Tangorra

 

Publisher: The Dial Press

On Sale Date: April 14 2026

Pages: 320

I reviewed a digital review copy from the publisher

The book starts with Zahra telling about her near-death experience; the tour bus she and her friends where traveling in fell of a cliff, and luckily everyone came out alive, but Zahra was severely injured and this also was a turnaround point in her life and she started to ask herself the questions; Who am I? What do I love? She writes about her childhood on Long Island. She goes back to the flavors of food of her youth, sttuffed shells and giant meatballs at J&J’s, the Italian red sauce joint on Long Island, her mother’s chocolate mousse pie and her father’s sweet and savory pea soup. Her father who passed away, and where she also writes a lot about in this memoir. How she opened her restaurant Brucie in New York City at 26 years old, but had to close it on the heights of it's popularity.

The topics Zahra writes about in this memoir are a large variety, sometimes so much that it becomes a bit chaotic and makes the memoir jumps from one point to another all of a sudden. She writes about her childhood and her sometimes dysfunctional family. The memoir is written like she is telling it you personally, and also includes a variety of recipes. I found some parts more interesting then other parts, as she sometimes seems to want to tell so much in this book that she only pinpoints a certain subject and then already is going to the next. 

Overall I found this an okay novel, not the very best or my favorite out there, but a nice in-between read.