Book Review

Book Journal: The Breakdown by B.A. Paris

Laurel Osterkamp · November 21, 2025

The Breakdown, by B.A. Paris is a psychological, domestic thriller about a woman who can't trust anyone, not even herself. When the story begins, Cass is about to drive home from an end-of-school-year-celebration with her fellow teachers. It's about to storm, and her husband, who's home with a migraine, makes her promise not to take the country road back; he wants her to stay on the busy, well-lit streets. But the rain starts to pour, and Cass makes …

Book Journal: Doll Parts by Penny Zang

Laurel Osterkamp · November 16, 2025

Doll Parts by Penny Zang started out very promising. I was excited to discover it. One of my favorite authors, Ashley Winstead, gave it a great blurb. Once I found out it was about 90s grunge era girls who obsess over Sylvia Plath, I was on board. I was even more excited that the there was a feminist angle, and Zang was providing commentary about how we, as a society, fetishize young women who die. (That's something I wrote about earlier this year …

Book Review: The Last One to Vanish by Megan Miranda

Laurel Osterkamp · January 19, 2025

I'm a big fan of Megan Miranda's novels. They're always twisty, with a protagonist who's both hiding something and is misunderstood. She's usually an outsider recovering from some sort of trauma, but now she must also solve a mystery. In addition, a Miranda novel is often atmospheric, set in some off-the-beaten-track small town that's worth visiting. And yet, it's always a town full of secrets. The Last to Vanish employs that premise full tilt. …

Book Review: Bye, Baby by Carola Lovering

Laurel Osterkamp · January 7, 2025

Bye, Baby, by Carola Lovering, begins in a frenzied, panicked burst. Billie West stands in a New York apartment that is not her own, hearing her best friend Cassie's screams coming from the apartment above. Cassie's baby daughter is missing and understandably, she’s freaking out. For a moment, however, Billie is gratified when Cassie insists on calling Billie. Because she needs her in a time of crisis, and Cassie hasn’t needed Billie in so long. The moment is …

2024: My Year in Audiobooks

Laurel Osterkamp · December 31, 2024

So, that’s a wrap on 2024. All things considered, I can’t complain. But I can indulge myself by taking a look back—everything I did, learned, and discovered, and the audiobooks I listened to in 2024. Winter

When You Got a Good Thing by Kait Nolan. Last January, I decided I’d write a small-town romance in alternating third person POV. Why? Because I thought I’d submit to publishers like Entangled or Harlequin, who accept unsolicited submissions for such …