Tag: 5 stars

Book Review | Replay by Ken Grimwood

Posted April 1, 2026 by Haze in Book Reviews / 5 Comments

Replay by Ken Grimwood

Jeff Winston was 43 and trapped in a tepid marriage and a dead-end job, waiting for that time when he could be truly happy, when he died.

And when he woke and he was 18 again, with all his memories of the next 25 years intact. He could live his life again, avoiding the mistakes, making money from his knowledge of the future, seeking happiness.

Until he dies at 43 and wakes up back in college again…

For the Reading Challenge(s):
2026 52 Book Club Reading Challenge (Prompt #11: Requires suspension of disbelief)

The Reason

It was my bookclub’s BOTM for March.

The Quotes

“Only the products of your work will disappear. The struggle, the devotion you put into your endeavors … That’s where the value truly lies, and will remain: within you.”

“Each lifetime had been different, as each choice is always different, unpredictable in its outcome or effect. Yet those choices had to be made, Jeff thought. He’d learned to accept the potential losses, in the hope that they would be outweighed by the gains. The only certain failure, he knew, and the most grievous, would be never to risk at all.”

“All life includes loss. It’s taken me many, many years to learn to deal with that, and I don’t expect I’ll ever be fully resigned to it. But that doesn’t mean we have to turn away from the world, or stop striving for the best that we can do and be. We owe that much to ourselves, at least, and we deserve whatever measure of good may come of it.”

The Narrator(s)

William Dufris. It was okay, no complaints.

My Thoughts

I tried reading this book some years ago and DNF’d at about 20% in, and I probably wouldn’t have picked it up again if it wasn’t because my bookclub chose this for our March BOTM. I decided to try again, and I’m so glad I did because it got more and more interesting the deeper I got into it. It got me thinking a lot, and asking a lot of questions about how I would live my own life/lives if I had to live it over and over again. I would definitely memorize all the lottery numbers, that’s a given! But once money is taken care of, what would I do of importance?

It’s so interesting to see how the author navigates this thought experiment with Jeff and Pamela and the choices they make each time they relive their lives. I don’t feel like we get any real answers in the end, but I think that’s sort of the point, we never really ever get a real answer to the meaning of life. This book made me think, but it also made me feel deeply. I imagine that even though they were able to relive their lives, there must be some grief for everything they lose each time they do. I’m glad I tried again because this was a great book and I think it will be one I’ll likely reread.

My Rating

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 stars.

Have you read this book? Would you read this book? Did you like the book or do you think you would like it?

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Book Review | Sherlock Holmes: The Definitive Audio Collection

Posted April 1, 2026 by Haze in Book Reviews / 0 Comments

Sherlock Holmes: The Definitive Audio Collection by Arthur Conan Doyle, narrated by Stephen Fry

Ever since he made his first appearance in A Study In Scarlet, Sherlock Holmes has enthralled and delighted millions of fans throughout the world. Now Audible is proud to present Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes: The Definitive Collection, read by Stephen Fry. A lifelong fan of Doyle’s detective fiction, Fry has narrated the complete works of Sherlock Holmes – four novels and five collections of short stories. And, exclusively for Audible, Stephen has written and narrated nine insightful, intimate and deeply personal introductions to each title.

He writes: “Popular fiction offers different kinds of superheroes to save the world by restoring order to the chaos, confusion and criminality of our times. Heroes with remarkable gifts are as in vogue now as they have been since they first appeared, perhaps even more in vogue. But although the very first one was launched in serial published form just like his masked and body-suited successors, it was not in DC or Marvel comic books that he made his appearance; rather it was in the sedate and respectable pages of Mrs Beeton’s Christmas Annual in the mid-Victorian year 1887.”

Stephen Fry is an English actor, screenwriter, author, playwright, journalist, comedian, television presenter, film director and all round national treasure. He is the acclaimed narrator of J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter audiobooks and most recently recorded The Tales of Max Carrados for Audible Studios. Stephen has contributed columns and articles to newspapers and magazines, appears frequently on radio and has written four novels and three volumes of autobiography.

For the Reading Challenge(s):
I am assigning multiple prompts to this book because it’s technically nine books in one, and it’s my challenge to play with anyway!
2026 52 Book Club Reading Challenge 
(Prompt #12: A genre-defining read)
(Prompt #21: Written in the 1800s)
(Prompt #22: Spotted in a TV series or movie)

The Reason

Because I wanted to!

The Quotes

“You have a grand gift for silence, Watson. It makes you quite invaluable as a companion.”

“I abhor the dull routine of existence. I crave for mental exaltation.”

“I confess that I have been as blind as a mole, but it is better to learn wisdom late than never to learn it at all.”

“To the logician all things should be seen exactly as they are, and to underestimate one’s self is as much a departure from truth as to exaggerate one’s own powers.”

The Narrator(s)

Stephen Fry. It was the most wonderful experience listening to this man narrate Sherlock Holmes!

My Thoughts

I love Sherlock Holmes and have consumed so much media featuring him over the years. There have been so many different film adaptations, retellings, both on screen and in books, and I have loved so many of them. Imagine my chagrin when I realized that I have never read any of the original Sherlock Holmes stories, until now that is.

This audiobook was on sale in Audible and I decided to get it on a whim. It’s a 72-hour commitment so it sat on my shelf for a while but I finally got started on it, and oh, what a journey! I took my time, but I listened a little every day, and how I loved coming back to it each time. Sherlock Holmes and Watson are such familiar characters, and it was so comforting to relax at the end of the day and come back to them.

Stephen Fry as the narrator was incredible as well, and I cannot recommend this audiobook enough. Reading all of the books can feel daunting if you want to do the complete collection at once, but listening to Stephen Fry narrate all of them is the best experience I could’ve asked for. I was honestly so sad when I got to the end and was seriously considering restarting from the beginning immediately after. I’m quite sure I would’ve done so, if I didn’t have other time-sensitive books I had to get to!

In any case, I loved everything about this experience. I loved Sherlock Holmes and Watson, I loved the stories and cases they got into, I loved Stephen Fry’s narration, I loved the immersion into the times and the mysteries, I loved that it was such a long audiobook that I could escape into… I loved it all!

My Rating

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 stars.

Have you read this book? Would you read this book? Did you like the book or do you think you would like it?

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Book Review | The Hummingbird by Stephen P. Kiernan

Posted March 16, 2026 by Haze in Book Reviews / 0 Comments

The Hummingbird by Stephen P. Kiernan

From the author of the acclaimed The Curiosity comes a compelling and moving story of compassion, courage, and redemption

Deborah Birch is a seasoned hospice nurse whose daily work requires courage and compassion. But her skills and experience are tested in new and dramatic ways when her easygoing husband, Michael, returns from his third deployment to Iraq haunted by nightmares, anxiety, and rage. She is determined to help him heal, and to restore the tender, loving marriage they once had.

At the same time, Deborahs primary patient is Barclay Reed, a retired history professor and expert in the Pacific Theater of World War II whose career ended in academic scandal. Alone in the world, the embittered professor is dying. As Barclay begrudgingly comes to trust Deborah, he tells her stories from that long-ago war, which help her find a way to help her husband battle his demons.

Told with piercing empathy and heartbreaking realism, The Hummingbird is a masterful story of loving commitment, service to country, and absolution through wisdom and forgiveness.

For the Reading Challenge(s):
2026 52 Book Club Reading Challenge (Prompt #49: From the 800s of the Dewey Decimal System)

The Reason

This is a reread and the BOTM for my bookclub, but I would’ve reread it anyway because it’s one of the most beautiful books I’ve ever read.

The Quotes

“I believe the measure of a vow does not lie in saying it, or in upholding it when things are easy. The power of a promise is proven in times of difficulty, when keeping that pledge is hard.”

“No one dies alone. If every life has value, so does every death.”

“What a notion. The main thing that giving a big gift required was courage.”

“I stayed with him, nothing greater than that, but essential because I stood between Barclay Reed and his being alone.”

My Thoughts

I read this book for the first time eight years ago and loved it then. Reading it again now; I love it still but it also hits a little different for me. Eight years ago isn’t really that long ago, but I was a different person then. I was younger, more hopeful about the future, and seeing things from the caregiver POV. I have since suffered some medical issues and I feel older and more tired in general. I’m not giving up by any means and of course I’m doing my best to take better care of myself, but it’s hard not to think of my own mortality when reading this book about a hospice nurse taking care of a dying patient.

I think it is important that I share my thoughts when I read it all those years ago:

The Hummingbird really speaks to my heart and to my sense of humanity. What makes us human, why do we suffer, why is life so fleeting… and yet so beautiful, so precious, so meaningful? Why do we live, only to die? This book doesn’t answer all of these questions necessarily, but it does make me stop and think of my own approach to life and relationships.

One of the things I loved most about the book is how death is portrayed in such a beautiful way. Tarot readers often spend a lot of time explaining the death card and how it doesn’t have to be a scary card. Most of the time we talk about rebirth, transitions, and new beginnings, and all of that is true. Sometimes it means a physical death, and despite how naturally death is a part of life, many people are still afraid of it. I feel like this book shows how death can be just as beautiful and as precious as birth of a newborn, and such a privilege to witness.

The most important thing for me though, is seeing how the protagonist navigates her world and in the end, how she grows. She is a hospice nurse who cares for those in their final days, and her dedication to her patients, her devotion, compassion, and understanding of their needs, is so humbling to see.

Throughout the book even as she struggles to provide care, she reminds herself that it’s not about her, it is about her patients and their families, and how she can best serve them. This is something that speaks to me as a tarot reader; it is never about my ego or how accurate my interpretation of the cards is, it is always about my clients and how I can best serve my them.

I still feel the same awe and beauty reading it this time, and it feels more meaningful to me now because I feel like I appreciate life and how fleeting it can be now more than ever. I don’t know if I can put into words all the feelings I have about this book.

My Rating

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 stars.

Have you read this book? Would you read this book? Did you like the book or do you think you would like it?

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Book Review | The Good Sister by Sally Hepworth

Posted February 13, 2026 by Haze in Book Reviews / 1 Comment

The Good Sister by Sally Hepworth

Sally Hepworth, the author of The Mother-In-Law delivers a knock-out of a novel about the lies that bind two sisters in The Good Sister.

There’s only been one time that Rose couldn’t stop me from doing the wrong thing and that was a mistake that will haunt me for the rest of my life.

Fern Castle works in her local library. She has dinner with her twin sister Rose three nights a week. And she avoids crowds, bright lights and loud noises as much as possible. Fern has a carefully structured life and disrupting her routine can be…dangerous.

When Rose discovers that she cannot get pregnant, Fern sees her chance to pay her sister back for everything Rose has done for her. Fern can have a baby for Rose. She just needs to find a father. Simple.

Fern’s mission will shake the foundations of the life she has carefully built for herself and stir up dark secrets from the past, in this quirky, rich and shocking story of what families keep hidden.

For the Reading Challenge(s):
2026 52 Book Club Reading Challenge (Prompt #19: A nosy neighbor character)

The Reason

I have enjoyed Sally Hepworth’s books in the past and this one sounded good.

The Quotes

“The library belongs to everyone. The library, Janet used to say, is one of only a few places in the world that one doesn’t need to believe anything or buy anything to come inside.”

“I’d always found there was something agreeable about people who liked dogs and something untrustworthy about those who didn’t.”

“If it were up to me, every child would have a year in the library before they went to school.”

“Sisterly relationships are so strange in this way. The way I can be mad at Rose but still want to please her. Be terrified of her and also want to run to her. Hate her and love her, both at the same time. Maybe when it comes to sisters, boundaries are always a little bit blurry. Blurred boundaries, I think, are what sisters do best.”

The Narrator(s)

Barrie Kreinik. She was overall good, but there were times when her voices for each character was inconsistent and I wasn’t sure who was talking.

My Thoughts

This is one of the best mystery thrillers I’ve read in a while. I was so incredibly invested in the story and it really felt like I had my heart in my throat for most of the second half of the book. The first half was also very interesting because Fern’s POV read like a wholesome romance, while Rose’s POV was so sad and difficult to read at times.

I did figure out early on what was happening, but it didn’t ruin the story for me because the journey from beginning to the end was just so good. These are some of the most interesting characters I’ve come across and I especially love Wally/Rocco’s character. To be clear, some of these characters aren’t necessarily good people and I do question some of their actions, but they are so interesting to read about and get to know as we move through the book.

It’s early in the year and I already feel like this may be one of my favorite books this year. I would be very happy to be proven wrong because that only means that I’ll have many more great books to look forward to, but this one was just incredible.

My Rating

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 stars.

Have you read this book? Would you read this book? Did you like the book or do you think you would like it?

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Book Review | Dolores Claiborne by Stephen King

Posted February 9, 2026 by Haze in Book Reviews / 0 Comments

Dolores Claiborne by Stephen King

“An unforgettable, unflinching glimpse into a mind driven to murder” (San Francisco Chronicle)—the #1 national bestseller from Stephen King about a housekeeper with a long-hidden secret from her past…one that tests her own will to survive.

Dolores Claiborne is suspected of killing Vera Donovan, her wealthy employer, and when the police question her, she tells the story of her life, harkening back to her disintegrating marriage and the suspicious death of her violent husband thirty years earlier. Dolores also tells of Vera’s physical and mental decline and how she became emotionally demanding in recent years.

Given a voice as compelling as any in contemporary fiction, the strange intimacy between Dolores and Vera—and the link that binds them—unfolds in Dolores’s account. It shows, finally, how fierce love can be, and how dreadful its consequences. And how the soul, harrowed by the hardest life, can achieve a kind of grace.

For the Reading Challenge(s):
The Stephen King Constant Reader Challenge
2026 52 Book Club Reading Challenge (Prompt #51: Includes a map)

The Reason

For my Stephen King challenge, and also because I heard this was one of the really good depictions of women King has written.

The Quotes

“Sometimes you have to be a high riding bitch to survive, sometimes, being a bitch is all a woman has to hang on to.”

“There ain’t no power in heaven or on earth that can stop people from thinkin the worst when they want to.”

“…the love a natural mother feels for her children. That’s the strongest love there is in this world, and it’s the deadliest. There’s no bitch on earth like a mother frightened for her kids.”

The Narrator(s)

Frances Sternhagen. She is absolutely perfect! Just perfect! I love her voice for this book.

My Thoughts

This was actually one of the first Stephen King books I bought but I wasn’t able to read it at the time because the format was difficult to get into and I ended up not finishing it. My original copy has long since been lost, but that’s okay as it turned out to be amazing to listen to on audiobook! The narrator is just so perfect, I cannot express just how amazing it was to listen to her, and I was so pulled into the story.

I watched the movie just last year, and of course, I love Kathy Bates in it and now that I’ve read the book, I think the movie was very faithfully and well done, but I have to say it; the book is better! Having Dolores pretty much narrating her whole life story in an interview format may or may not have worked for me when I tried to read it as a teenager, but listening to it on audio made it feel so much like she was talking to me personally. I love seeing the person Dolores is, as a mother, as a caregiver, as a woman just trying to do the best she can for the people she cares about. How many favorite Stephen King books can a reader have? Because this has become another one of my favorites!

My Rating

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 stars.

Have you read this book? Would you read this book? Did you like the book or do you think you would like it?

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Book Review | Better Than Revenge by Kasie West

Posted February 2, 2026 by Haze in Book Reviews / 1 Comment

Better Than Revenge by Kasie West

A swoony new romance from the author of Sunkissed! When her football-player boyfriend and now ex lands the podcast job she’s been dreaming of, a girl takes matters into her own hands by enlisting the help of his nemesis to get revenge.

Seventeen-year-old Finley has only ever had one to become a famous podcaster. This includes coming up with the perfect pitch to land her on her school’s podcast team. But when her football-obsessed boyfriend, Jensen, decides to also try out—and uses her idea—she’s left confused and betrayed. 

Determined to get back at him, Finley and her friends try to find the perfect revenge scheme, but quickly discover that Jensen is almost-impossible to best. Keyword, almost. 

By chance, Finley discovers a knack for kicking and decides to take Jensen’s spot on the football team. To help her train, she recruits Jensen’s cute but conceited nemeses, Theo. Soon the two discover that their connection runs deeper than football. But Finley can’t let herself get distracted, and Theo has secrets of his own. Is true love really better than the perfect revenge?

For the Reading Challenge(s):
2026 52 Book Club Reading Challenge (Prompt #48: Related to the word “nemesis”)

The Reason

Still in the romance binge-read mood.

The Quotes

“We all make mistakes. It’s how we deal with our mistakes that really define our character.”

“When are you going to realize that I just want to be near you, Finley? All the time.”

“I came here for you,” Theo said suddenly, an intensity in his voice. He pointed to the picture. “Your grandma’s story is interesting and I know how much it means to you, but…I came here for you.”

My Thoughts

Finley may be a high-school student, but her feelings and issues are so relatable, and I was feeling them all with her. I was incensed with Jensen, bittersweet about her grandmother, grateful for her amazing friendships, excited about her podcast, determined with her training, and fluttery about her closeness with Theo. It was such a journey going through all of it with her, and I especially loved her grandmother’s stories.

I loved Kasie West and she was an automatic read for me at one point, but it’s been a while since I read her books and I thought it might be because I aged out of her target audience. And I have, sort of. I’m no longer a teen or young adult, but I have realized that good books transcends age, era, and any kind of demographic people box them into, and so I’m just reading whatever I want and loving the good books.

Also, I believe stories are important for the purpose of allowing us to see from other people’s points of view and learning empathy. I never want to forget what it was like to be a young adult or dismiss a young person’s feelings about what’s important to them. I think this story is a great reminder of that because of the parallels of Finley’s story along with her grandmother’s. I loved it!

My Rating

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 stars.

Have you read this book? Would you read this book? Did you like the book or do you think you would like it?

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Book Review | The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston

Posted February 2, 2026 by Haze in Book Reviews / 2 Comments

The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston

Florence Day is the ghostwriter for one of the most prolific romance authors in the industry, and she has a problem—after a terrible breakup, she no longer believes in love. It’s as good as dead.

When her new editor, a too-handsome mountain of a man, won’t give her an extension on her book deadline, Florence prepares to kiss her career goodbye. But then she gets a phone call she never wanted to receive, and she must return home for the first time in a decade to help her family bury her beloved father.

For ten years, she’s run from the town that never understood her, and even though she misses the sound of a warm Southern night and her eccentric, loving family and their funeral parlor, she can’t bring herself to stay. Even with her father gone, it feels like nothing in this town has changed. And she hates it.

Until she finds a ghost standing at the funeral parlor’s front door, just as broad and infuriatingly handsome as ever, and he’s just as confused about why he’s there as she is.

Romance is most certainly dead… but so is her new editor, and his unfinished business will have her second-guessing everything she’s ever known about love stories.

A disillusioned millennial ghostwriter who, quite literally, has some ghosts of her own, has to find her way back home in this sparkling adult debut from national bestselling author Ashley Poston.

For the Reading Challenge(s):
TBD

The Reason

I was in the mood to binge-read some romance after finishing The Seven Year Slip by the same author.

The Quotes

“I began to realize that love wasn’t dead, but it wasn’t forever, either. It was something in between, a moment in time where two people existed at the exact same moment in the exact same place in the universe.”

“There is no happy ending, theres just. . . happily living. As best you can.”

“I hope you find yourself in a book someday. And I hope that book lives forever.”

“He hoped I asked for help because asking was not a weakness – but a strength. He hoped that I would ask more often because I would be surprised by who would come into my life if I let them.”

My Thoughts

It’s so funny because I read this book immediately after The Seven Year Slip, and one of the things I was thinking about while reading The Seven Year Slip was how it had such ethereal vibes and reminded me of the movie, Just Like Heaven, which stars Reese Witherspoon and Mark Ruffalo (yes, I know it’s based on a book too!), and now reading this book reminds me even more of that movie!

I loved this story between Florence Day and Benji Andor; their chemistry, their banter… I’m a conversation kind of girl, I fall in love through conversations, and I fell in love with them! A lot of Florence’s story was bittersweet, but also quite relatable, and I think that’s what makes these stories great. Just a touch of the extraordinary in otherwise ordinary people’s lives. I’ve read Ashley Poston’s books before but these two book have made me sit up and pay attention and I think I am now a wholely devoted fan. I need more!

My Rating

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 stars.

Have you read this book? Would you read this book? Did you like the book or do you think you would like it?

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Book Review | The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston

Posted January 28, 2026 by Haze in Book Reviews / 2 Comments

The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston

An overworked book publicist with a perfectly planned future hits a snag when she falls in love with her temporary roommate…only to discover he lives seven years in the past, in this witty and wise new novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Dead Romantics.

Sometimes, the worst day of your life happens, and you have to figure out how to live after it.

So Clementine forms a plan to keep her heart safe: work hard, find someone decent to love, and try to remember to chase the moon. The last one is silly and obviously metaphorical, but her aunt always told her that you needed at least one big dream to keep going. And for the last year, that plan has gone off without a hitch. Mostly. The love part is hard because she doesn’t want to get too close to anyone—she isn’t sure her heart can take it.

And then she finds a strange man standing in the kitchen of her late aunt’s apartment. A man with kind eyes and a Southern drawl and a taste for lemon pies. The kind of man that, before it all, she would’ve fallen head-over-heels for. And she might again.

Except, he exists in the past. Seven years ago, to be exact. And she, quite literally, lives seven years in his future.

Her aunt always said the apartment was a pinch in time, a place where moments blended together like watercolors. And Clementine knows that if she lets her heart fall, she’ll be doomed.

After all, love is never a matter of time—but a matter of timing.

For the Reading Challenge(s):
TBD

The Reason

This book has been on my TBR for-freaking-ever! I finally read it! Woot!

The Quotes

“I didn’t find out who I wanted to be until I was almost 40. You have to try on a lot of shoes until you find some you like walking in. Never apologize for that.”

“Nothing lasts forever. Not the good things, not the bad. So just find what makes you happy, and do it for as long as you can.”

“Isn’t it strange how the world works sometimes? It’s never a matter of time, but a matter of timing.”

“Because the things that mattered most never really left. The love stays. The love always stays, and so do we.”

My Thoughts

I have heard so much praise for this book and had this book on my TBR for so long, but for some reason, never got around to reading it because I was so mired in buddy reads and deadlines. I finally started and got hooked immediately, and basically finished reading it in a single day because I just couldn’t put it down!

I love the idea the moment I heard it but I was worried about the execution because seven years is a long time and I hoped we wouldn’t get a whole middle part of the story where nothing was happening but ah, I of little faith was wrong and I apologize. The pacing of the story, the execution of it, the timing of it (hah, see what I did there!) was absolutely perfect. The chemistry between the two MCs, Clementine and Iwan, was *chef’s kiss* (hah, see what I did there again!). The backstories, the connection with their friends, all of it made the characters feel so real. I just absolutely loved this book!

My Rating

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 stars.

Have you read this book? Would you read this book? Did you like the book or do you think you would like it?

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Book Review | Cover Story by Mhairi McFarlane

Posted January 22, 2026 by Haze in Book Reviews / 2 Comments

Cover Story by Mhairi McFarlane

Bel’s joined the tiny Manchester office of a national paper from her indie podcast.

Thirty-something Connor is going to back to the start as the new intern.

The latest office news? They can’t stand each other.

So of course Bel bumps into Connor when she’s working undercover on the biggest scoop of her career. And of course she’s forced to improvise, pretending they’re a couple. A couple deeply in love.

Two rivals. One fake romance. The headline writes itself…

For the Reading Challenge(s):
2026 52 Book Club Reading Challenge (Prompt #40: Author’s first and last name start with same letter)

The Reason

I have loved many of the author’s other works and would read anything by her.

The Narrator(s)

Kristin Atherton. I really like her narration! Her male voices were a little funny, but not funny enough to be an issue. It was quite a pleasure.

My Thoughts

I loved this book and it reminds me why I love McFarlane’s works so much! Her books are always thoughtful, sensitive to real life issues, and yet still feeds the romantic need in my soul. I love the chemistry between Bel and Connor, and I love how their relationship builds as we move forward in the story and they continue working together. I also love the premise of the story itself; the undercover story that they work on together, the other issues that they face individually and as a team, their personal backstories, and their professional lives at stake. McFarlane’s books always hit, and I am very strongly tempted to binge read and reread all of McFarlane’s books right now.

My Rating

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 stars.

Have you read this book? Would you read this book? Did you like the book or do you think you would like it?

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Book Review | Lady Astronaut Universe series (Books 1-4) by Mary Robinette Kowal

Posted January 9, 2026 by Haze in Book Reviews / 0 Comments

Lady Astronaut Universe series by Mary Robinette Kowal

On a cold spring night in 1952, a huge meteorite fell to earth and obliterated much of the east coast of the United States, including Washington D.C. The ensuing climate cataclysm will soon render the earth inhospitable for humanity, as the last such meteorite did for the dinosaurs. This looming threat calls for a radically accelerated effort to colonize space, and requires a much larger share of humanity to take part in the process.

Elma York’s experience as a WASP pilot and mathematician earns her a place in the International Aerospace Coalition’s attempts to put man on the moon, as a calculator. But with so many skilled and experienced women pilots and scientists involved with the program, it doesn’t take long before Elma begins to wonder why they can’t go into space, too.

Elma’s drive to become the first Lady Astronaut is so strong that even the most dearly held conventions of society may not stand a chance against her.

The Reason

I’ve been eyeing this series for a while and was able to get the books on an Audible deal.

The Quotes

“It’s hard to convince people that catastrophic weather changes are coming on a nice day.”

“Even geniuses can be stupid when they’re scared.”

“There is something magic about takeoffs. I know people who are afraid of flying who say that the takeoffs and landings are the only hard parts, perhaps because that’s when the act of flying is most apparent. I love the way you get pushed back into your seat. The weight and the sense of momentum press against you and the vibrations from the tarmac hum through the yoke and into your palms and legs. Then, suddenly, everything stops and the ground drops away.”

The Narrator(s)

Mary Robinette Kowal herself. I loved it. I love the story, I love her narration, I loved it.

My Thoughts

Book 1 – The Calculating Stars
It wasn’t what I expected but it was very good, very nuanced, and I love that the FMC, Elma York, was introverted and flawed and yet had to step up and take charge. It’s set in the past so all the prejudices of the time was intact, but they had to adapt to new developments for the sake of survival. I love how racism and sexism was addressed and worked on. I love that things were difficult for the FMC, and she didn’t always know to do the right thing. It was really good!

Book 2 – The Fated Sky
I liked this one more than the first book. The characters became more developed for me, and I love that they are actually in outer space this time. One of the highlights for me was also the platonic relationships developing between the characters. I hated Parker in the first book, but he was so much more nuanced in this book, and the way his and Elma’s friendship developed was really beautiful to see. This might be my favorite of the series. Maybe.

Book 3 – The Relentless Moon
This one follows Nicole instead of Elma, and I really enjoyed the story itself, but it was incredibly painful when something difficult happens near the end. I had to stop reading for a moment and take a break with another book because it was really painful to feel all that emotion “on the page” and in the narrator’s voice. I think it really shows how amazing the author is, both for the storytelling and for the narration of those intense emotions.

Book 4 – The Martian Contingency
We come back to Elma for this story, and it was also another great story. She and her husband and other people are now on Mars and starting a new chapter. There was some very interesting subplots and backstories that we find out about, and there were also some Parker and Elma interactions, not many, but they were fun for me. I’m not sure I like the ending but it makes sense in a way, the stories from the first book until this one span many years, and goals and priorities change. It’s a good series and I loved it all.

My Rating

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 stars for all of them!

Have you read this series? Would you read this series? Did you like it or do you think you would like it?

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