A Bookish Pod

Book # 31
Rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy of the audiobook! 📚🎧

This was such a delightful cozy mystery with a book club trying to solve not one… but potentially two murders 👀 The story was entertaining from the start and had that classic cozy mystery charm that makes you want to curl up with a cup of tea and keep reading “just one more chapter.”

I think fans of The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman will really enjoy this one. It has a similar vibe with a lovable cast, clever amateur sleuthing, and plenty of fun banter along the way.

One thing I really enjoyed was the mix of ages within the book club. Having both younger and older members gave the story a nice balance of perspectives, personalities, and life experiences, which made the group dynamics feel very natural and entertaining.

The audiobook narration also worked really well for this type of story and made it an easy and enjoyable listen. Cozy mystery fans should definitely add this one to their TBR 🕵️‍♀️📖✨

Book 28
Rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Ending Writes Itself by Evelyn Clark really said “here’s your dream premise” and then casually refused to fully deliver it 💔

A group of writers trapped on a private island? Mysterious vibes? Secrets everywhere? Very Agatha Christie-coded and obviously I was sold! 👀✍️

The beginning was SO good. I was obsessed with the atmosphere, the creepy island setting, and the chaotic mix of characters. It had that “something bad is definitely happening here” energy that I absolutely love.

BUTTTTT… around the halfway mark I started checking how much I had left because the plot slowed down a little too much for me 😭 I was still invested and needed to know what was going on, but I also knew this was no longer heading toward 5-star territory unless the ending absolutely knocked me out.

Sadly… the ending did not, in fact, knock me out 💀

The resolution felt a bit too “oh… that’s it?” for all the build-up. And maybe part of the problem is that I loved TILOAL SO much that my expectations for this one were through the roof.

Still, I had a good time! The atmosphere was fantastic, the multiple POVs kept things interesting, and the premise alone deserves applause because honestly? Writers trapped on an island is peak entertainment 😂

Book 27
Rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

I saw someone on Instagram raving about Dissection of a Murder by Jo Murray and, for some reason, my brain immediately went: “Yep, I need this book RIGHT NOW.” 📚✨ So naturally I bought it during release week… and honestly? Zero regrets.

I’m not usually a huge legal thriller reader, so I wasn’t expecting to become this obsessed with it, but this book had me hooked from page one. Every chapter ended with me saying “okay, just one more chapter” until suddenly it was midnight and I had basically read the entire thing in one sitting 😅

What I loved most was the behind-the-scenes look at the case and courtroom process. It felt so immersive without being too heavy or overly complicated. Sometimes legal thrillers can feel a little intimidating with all the legal jargon, but this one was incredibly easy to follow while still feeling smart, tense, and gripping. 👀⚖️

Even though I guessed the main twist pretty early on, it honestly didn’t ruin the experience for me at all. I was still completely invested in seeing how everything would unfold, and there were plenty of moments that kept me questioning myself along the way. The psychological side of the story mixed with the courtroom drama made it impossible to put down.

I also listened to the audiobook while physically reading it, and having Sophie Rundle as the narrator made the experience even better 🎧 She brought so much atmosphere and intensity to the story. Highly recommend experiencing it this way if you can!

Overall, I’m giving this one a solid 4.5 stars ⭐️ For me, it just missed that full 5-star mark because I figured out the big twist pretty quickly, but honestly, for a debut novel this was SO impressive. I’ll absolutely be picking up whatever Jo Murray writes next 🙌📖