Serving Time

Allegedly by Tiffany D. Jackson was a wild ride. I would not recommend it for sensitive readers but I really enjoyed it.

Mary Addison was accused of killing a three month old baby, Alyssa, when she was only nine years old. There is detail surrounding the baby’s death (and other scenes of violence) that could be upsetting to some.

She was sentenced to “baby jail” and spent years locked up. It seems as though her mother may have forced her into this horrible situation in order to save herself since she was babysitting at the time.

Now Mary is sixteen and living in a group home with other female criminals. She becomes pregnant and decides she wants to keep her baby and further her education. The only way to do this is by fighting her conviction while trying to survive among girls who are out to get her.

Her mother still visits every couple weeks which adds to her psychological load. Mary’s dysfunctional upbringing is slowly revealed along with snippets from various reports and books about her.

The book’s subplot includes the potential flaws within the justice system when it comes to children and their safety. Mary has been abused emotionally or physically by most of the adults in her life.

This was a page turner because of nonstop episodes of suspense and surprises throughout the book.

Wrong Move

Kala by Colin Walsh is a suspenseful mystery taking place in Ireland.

Kala went missing as a teenager. The events leading up to her disappearance made a profound impact on her friend group. They witnessed criminal activity while hanging out together, which changed their group dynamic. Meanwhile, Kala was in the midst of her own personal revelations when she went missing.

Years later, Kala’s body is discovered at a construction site. A picture of Kala and her friends is found with her remains. Its discovery prompts her friends to reflect on their interactions leading up to her final night.

Present day and flashbacks slowly piece together these interactions from multiple perspectives. Helen, now a writer in Canada, was new to the area. She recounts first seeing Kala with her friend Aoife and being fascinated with them. Over time, she becomes close with them, especially Kala. She is back in town because her father is getting married.

Joe was Kala’s boyfriend and son of a police officer. He became a famous musician who now struggles with alcoholism and self absorption. Mush is the only one who stayed in their hometown of Kinlough. He works in his mom’s coffee shop, hiding his facial disfigurement. His aunt is marrying Helen’s dad.

There is a constant undercurrent of crime, secrets and sadness through the story which is compounded by the sudden disappearance of Mush’s twin teen-aged cousins.

The Irish terms gave me a little trouble at first, but before long I was thoroughly immersed. Walsh did an amazing job of weaving different perspectives of events through past and present in order to slowly reveal everything.

Family Secrets

The God of the Woods by Liz Moore is a twisty whodunnit.

Each chapter focuses on a different character during his or her pertinent year(s) in a timeline of events.

In the “current” year of 1975, a camper goes missing overnight. Her name is Barbara Van Laar and her family owns the land overseeing the campgrounds. She is a rebellious teen, and is often at odds with her parents. Her disappearance is even more disquieting considering her older, much-loved brother, Bear, went missing many years earlier when he was eight.

Chapters focus on Alice (Bear and Barbara’s mother), the head camp counselor, Tracy (a fellow camper) , the female investigator and other people of interest during Bear’s disappearance.

Pieces of the puzzle come together, gradually revealing the actual events surrounding both Van Laar children’s whereabouts. This book is well-written and definitely kept me guessing throughout.

Sex Ed

Not So Pure and Simple by Lamar Giles is another Nutmeg nominee.

Del has been obsessed with Kiera since they were in grade school, but she was always in a relationship- until now. Del decides to join a church group to get closer to her so he can make his move, but it turns out to be a purity pledge group.

What follows is Del’s attempts to get closer to an uninterested Kiera with help from her neighbor Jameel. Through the process is town/school drama related to a group of teen moms known as the Baby Getters and a sexuality class being taught at the school. And social media has become a platform to call out deadbeat dads and shoddy male behavior.

There are so many other nuances to this book including topics of religion, parenting, relationships and sexuality. Eventually, Del realizes that he needs to change his approach to get the girl.

To be honest, I wasn’t super into reading this book at first. But the author’s conversational, humorous style engaged me within just a few pages. I wish this was required reading for every high school student.

Learning to Listen

The Three Ordinary Voices of God by Matthew Kelly was handed to us at church so I gave it a read.

It advises against misliving one’s life. The surest way of doing so is by getting caught up in the hustle and bustle, noise and materialism in the world.

Instead we should listen to God’s voice through our needs, talents and desires. Each voice is broken down within its own chapter including more specific information and exercises. I found myself underlining many points throughout.

This book found me at a good time. It reminds readers of what is truly important in life, and the necessity to turn off the noise and clutter that diminish our growth.

Tangled Prom

The Weight of Blood by Tiffany Jackson is a solid homage to Stephen King’s Carrie. It is also another 2025 high school Nutmeg nominee.

Maddy’s dad has forced her to hide the fact that she is biracial her whole life. Her dad is white and the mother she never met is black. Maddy has always been a quiet loner, but once her secret comes out the bullying becomes ruthless. One female classmate in particular takes the lead in her humiliation. She finds some refuge in honing her newfound telekinetic powers.

Her small town of Springville begins getting a lot of attention for its racism both against Maddy specifically and the fact that it holds two proms as a means of segregation.

Wendy is one of the popular girls who decides to spearhead combining proms. Not only will it show their town is progressive but it will make her look good too. She also pushes her star athlete boyfriend Kendrick to invite Maddy to the prom.

Readers can predict how it goes from there based on news interviews from the prom’s bloody aftermath interspersed throughout the book.

Living a Lie

None of This is True by Lisa Jewell is a psychological thriller with single white female vibes.

Alix is celebrating her forty fifth birthday with family and friends when she catches Josie’s eye. It turns out that they share the same exact birthdate and were born in the same hospital. That is where their similarities end.

Alix is a successful podcaster and mother to two school-aged children while Josie is married to a much older man with two grown children. Josie offers to be Alix’s next podcast subject as she is on the brink of major life changes after enduring years of trauma. She begins recounting her life to Alix while ingratiating herself into her world.

Josie asks to live with Alix’s family after having a terrible fight with her husband. Alix grows more and more uncomfortable with Josie’s odd behaviors and with her stories that don’t quite add up.

Josie plots a way to upend Alix’s life once she is asked to move out. This sets off a chain of events revealing lies and murder. Alix’s eventual completion of the podcast shows a completely different angle to everything Josie led her to believe.

The book is written with excerpts of the podcast and scenes from the fictional Netflix documentary made as a result of the sensationalism around the case. This is a page-turning read that made me want to scream warnings to Alix.

Fear and Distrust

I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys is a historical fiction novel taking place in 1989 Romania. It’s a 2025 Nutmeg nominee.

Romania had been under Communist rule for decades. Their leader is Nicolae Ceaușescu. Cristian secretly writes about the hardships faced such as random loss of electricity, poor to no heat and food, and constant fear of being under surveillance.

Cristian is pressured to be an informant due to his friendship with the son of the U.S. ambassador. He agrees to the arrangement to get medicine for his sick grandfather.

Cristian realizes that not everyone is who they seem to be. It becomes difficult to know who to trust among family and friends.

Through it all is the constant hope that they can create the same changes that are happening to neighboring countries. This will be an extremely difficult battle with fear, loss and suffering along the way.

I knew very little about the circumstances in Romania during this time period before reading this book. It is written so well, which is clearly due to the author’s extensive research shared with her note, resources and pictures at the end of the book.

Magical Library

The Book of Doors by Gareth Brown is an intricate fantasy.

Cassie has a simple life working in a bookstore until a regular patron gifts her a magical book before he passes away. The book allows its holder to transport to any doorway anywhere at anytime.

Cassie and her roommate enjoy the book for a short while before realizing its dangers. Many people are after this book and others like it. Each book has its own unique power that could be used for good or evil.

Cassie is found by the Librarian, a man who has possession of most of these magical books. He provides more information about the books and the many unsavory people who seek them.

One of the villains manages to send and trap Cassie back ten years in time. She must figure out not only how to get back to her present time, but also how to save her best friend and others while also working through her own painful memories.

This book was a slow start for me. I wasn’t quite feeling the fantasy vibe, but I’m so glad I stuck with it. I couldn’t put it down once it got going. The conflict between good and evil, the characters, the detail and the way everything connects all make for a very unique plot.

I Don’t

The Wedding People by Alison Espach is about the aftermath of pivotal life changes.

Main character Phoebe arrives at a beautiful inn in Rhode Island. It would seem as though she’s on a solo vacation following a painful divorce from her husband Matt.

Spoilers ahead- Instead, it turns out she’s at the inn to commit suicide. The only problem is she’s the only inn guest who is not part of Lila and Gary’s wedding. She begins getting tangled up in wedding events, which fortunately changes her original goal.

Through the story, Phoebe reflects on her marriage and career while figuring out who she would like to be in her new life. She becomes an important part of the weeklong wedding celebrations while also finding her own potential love interest.

Espach’s writing includes an eye for detail, humor and an engaging plot. The relationship tension felt reminiscent of a Lifetime movie and kept me engaged until the very end!