Nikole's Reviews

This novel made me feel as if I was having a heart-to-heart talk with my own mother, a woman whom I’ve never fully understood. Cruz delivers a fully flawed and loveable character in your lap and lets you melt into her. The nuances of being a single mother, a senior citizen, and an immigrant in the wake of the Great Recession are entirely entangled in Cara Romero’s life, and you will want nothing more than to keep listening to her talk. 
—NIKOLE

This novel is a beautiful example of how different people can shape our lives, no matter how long they played a role. Kim’s book follows the story of forgein travelers Henrik and Fumiko, with sections that focus on the time before, during, and after Fumiko’s death. Although there is no linear narrative to hold the pieces of Henrik’s journey together tightly, the themes that flow from one to the next connect this novel in a surprisingly wholesome way. —Nikole

Witches is a truly captivating novel. Lozano’s story comes to life as two women, raised worlds apart, discover their true positions of power within their equally, yet incredibly different, patriarchal settings. This is a beautiful dive into rich South American culture, with a specific magnification on those who do not conform to gender norms. This is for readers who themselves are skeptics, believers, healers, psychics, or spiritualists. —Nikole

Gutierrez’s novel gave me so much more than I expected, with its beautiful and thoughtful examinations of motherhood, marriage, and the ethics of true-crime journalism, all in the setting of an intricate and thrilling mystery. As a true-crime lover and a fan of literary prose, this novel is one of my new favorites and a definite recommendation to anyone looking for a deep story to get lost in.  —Nikole

My words cannot do this novel justice. What Casey has written is lyrical beauty, discussing the deepest emotions of women institutionalized in Paris’s Salpêtrière hospital, their experiences only partially fictionalized. The various portraits Casey paints give justice to the forgotten women, their forgotten lives and forgotten emotions, who were locked away and hidden by history. Each page teems with the emotional release these women were denied; each page is brilliant ecstasy. —Nikole

The bond between three women is put to the absolute test as their weekend retreat becomes the most terrifying vacation of all time. The Long Weekend promises a twisted mystery with an unexpected conclusion, a continual tense atmosphere, psychological thrills, and complex characters with unique life experiences. —Nikole

Mayquist combines the immersive essence of medieval history, a twisted version of dark academia, and poetic Homeric references in this gothic tale. Lena, our bisexual heroine, is pulled into a world of deception and sin after she takes an odd job to help support her family. This novella is dark yet beautiful, and contains a heartwarming sapphic romance plot that irresistibly sucks you in. —Nikole

Somehow, Copenhaver has dissected the intricate and passionately dark minds of teenage girls in a manner unlike anything I’ve seen before. With a rotating perspective, this murder mystery reads like diary entries, each page unfiltered and unique. The friendship between Judy and Philippa blurs the lines between platonic love, infatuation, and blind obsession. It hooked me from the start and kept me anxiously waiting for the moment I could sit down and continue reading. —Nikole

Gaylin’s thriller shows the power of intense grief and the anger that comes along with it. Protagonist Camille Gardener struggles under the suffocating weight of grief she carries 5 years after her daughter’s death. When presented with the opportunity to channel her rage into a newfound sense of power as a member of a deadly online collective, Camille cannot resist. The Collective is an intense, raw read. —Nikole 

This one is for fans of One Of Us is Lying and the ever-juicy Gossip Girl series. Katie Zhao uses her headstrong and witty protagonist, Nancy Lou, to expose the intricate relationships between elite high school students hiding behind fake faces and big secrets. Best of all, this mystery-thriller is told with the true voice of a young Chinese-American girl attending a predominantly white, prestigious school, echoing Zhao’s own experiences growing up. —Nikole