My Dear Watson Books

by Jonny Garza Villa

I am so mad at myself for not reading this when I was supposed to. This is such a beautiful book, filled with humor, hope, despair, love…I really dropped the ball with this one.

Ander is a young non-binary person living in San Antonio. While working at their family’s restaurant, they run into Santi, a young man who is interviewing to work there. This meeting changes the course of Ander’s life. Ander is a mural artist planning on going to a Chicago art school in a year, and Santi is along for the adventure. Everything they deal with is something that no teenager, much less an adult, should have to deal with.

This book was written only a few years ago and is still so relevant today. The plot line deals with immigration and ICE, which was bad then but is even worse now. Villa deals with this subject excellently, filling the story with hope in moments where everything goes wrong.

Please read this, I’m begging you.

by Poppy Alexander

Super cute little book! It was marketed as a romance, but the romance seemed more like an afterthought. There wasn’t a lot of chemistry between the main couple. I did really enjoy, though, the friendships Jess made in this small English town. And a library inside a telephone booth? Sign me up.

by L.S. Stratton

Naomi is on a vacation with her family when she somehow ends up in the middle of two missing person investigations.

Naomi was kidnapped as an infant but in the last couple years has been living with her biological family. It has been a rough adjustment. The parents decide to take the family to Sparksburg on a vacation to spend time together as a family and spend some time out in nature. Blake, the younger brother, is very in to his video games; Maya, the older sister, is an influencer and wants to be on her phone constantly, either posting or talking to her boyfriend. Dawn and Andre are fiercely protective of all their children; they try so hard to give Naomi her freedom but also keep her close.

Naomi is the only one in her family who can smell a certain stench when she gets to town. She is also the only one who can see a ghostly little girl that is often by their cabin at night. She soon discovers the horribly history of this small town. She becomes convinced the ghostly little girl wants to help her find a recently missing person, and from there, everything starts going awry.

This is such a great introduction to thrillers (and even horror novels) for younger readers. A huge part of the book, as you can probably tell from the title, discusses sundown towns and how some sundown towns may not have altogether stopped being such. If you have not heard of these before, please do some research on them.

Publishing date: January 27th, 2026

by Jayce Lee

Lizzy is a lawyer at a prestigious law firm. She faints at her first trial but manages to make it through. She is aiming to be a partner in the firm. Her best friend, Jack, is from a small town but wants to move to LA. He is madly in love with Lizzy and wants to be close to her. When Lizzy unexpectedly takes a three-week vacation in Jack’s hometown, sparks fly, and they decide to see if they can become more than friends.

A lot of this novel takes place in a bookstore, which I love, of course. This romantic comedy is sweet with a little spice (not too much) and is a part of a trilogy of sorts (you do not have to have read the other two books to understand this one). It feels like a Hallmark movie but with a slightly different ending. When I first started reading it years ago (sorry, I got distracted), I wasn’t a big fan, but when I started re-reading it this year, I loved it and definitely recommend it.

by Rivers Solomon

This book was crazy but in the best way. At first you think it’s going to be an interesting escape-from-a-cult story, but it’s so much more than that. It’s a horror novel, to me, but parts of it seem like general fiction with this…suspenseful air hanging about it the whole time. Rivers Solomon does an excellent job of marrying a whole bunch of genres together for this, and I highly recommend reading this.

by Steven Rowley

An uncle has charge of his niece and nephew over the summer, and it changes his life for good.

Patrick’s niece and nephew are staying with him for the summer. Their mom has just died, and the dad is in rehab for addiction. At first it bothered me that Patrick didn’t really talk to them like young kids, but then I realized he was not used to being around kids, AND THAT’S OKAY. Patrick starts to grow and heal from being with the kids (he has suffered his own loss), and the kid start to grow and heal from staying with Patrick.

Don’t let the cover fool you…it’s cute but NOT cutesy. This was a wonderful, funny book, and I definitely recommend it.

by amanda lovelace

I have loved nearly everything I have read by this author, and this is no different. This one is more angry than the others, which is fine with me. The author said it would be less empowering, but I don’t know…I don’t want to disagree with the author, but I find relatable poetry pretty empowering. Thank you, amanda lovelace, for sharing your story.

Please consider reading this author’s work if you have not already.

Publishing date: March 3, 2026

by Sophie Gonzales and Cale Dietrich

As a lifelong boy band fan, I enjoyed this “inside peak” into the lives of boy band members. Not everything is as it seems. As an ally, I was heartbroken at the treatment Ruben and Zach had to suffer. These poor kids should never have to feel this boxed in. And Ruben’s parents are certainly no help. I love how Angel and John are so supportive. None of these four boys are ever allowed to be themselves, especially Ruben and Zach, and I hated that so much for them.

That being said, read this if you love boy bands and you’re supportive of the LGBTQIA+ community.

by Erin Hahn

A high school graduate moves towns after some family controversy and finds a new home in a new town.

I really enjoyed this one! It does sound a little “preachy”, but it does offer a different look in to the lives of Christian teenagers. These teenagers curse, explore their sexuality, and experiment with adulthood; they still have a strongly rooted faith. It doesn’t make them not Christians; it makes them themselves, and it’s nice to not see cookie cutter characters in this type of novel.

by Angela Henry

A documentary filmmaker comes to town and sets off a series of events that rock Elmhurst.
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Y’all, this one was so much fun. There were a lot of twists and turns, especially near the end. The author introduced little connections between the characters throughout the novel; it took me a minute to catch on to some, but once I did, I loved it. It is not the most unpredictable of novels, but it did keep me on my toes. I thought it was going to be too convoluted, given the amount of characters and random events, but it wasn’t. Everything ties up pretty nicely, and the ending is pretty satisfying.
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Publishing date: January 30, 2026