Published by Lake Union on September 15, 2026
Age/Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Fiction
Rating:
Goodreads
At a high school reunion, old secrets and heartbreaking truths come to light for four estranged friends in a poignant, humorous and bittersweet novel by a New York Times bestselling author.
Audrey, Micah, Jasmine and Beck—the lucky one, the beautiful one, the smart one, the sporty one—are called the Core Four. Full of promise, laughter and loyalty, they promise to be best friends forever. But the night after graduation, they’re in a devastating accident, and the friendship that seemed unbreakable is shattered.
Twenty-five years later, the four women agree to reunite for their high school reunion. None of them is where they hoped to be way back when, and all have scars and secrets. But for one, the diagnosis of early-onset dementia means this is the last chance to revisit their once-golden friendship.
Over the weekend, they’ll come to terms with that tragic accident, as well as the dreams and realities of their lives. Can they forgive each other and peel away those secrets? Is there anything left of that old friendship? After all these years, it’s time to see if the Core Four can come together once more.
It had been 25 years since an accident severed the ties between the "Core Four" when Audrey invited the other three to her home for reunion weekend where they discover each other's painful secrets and the unwavering love and support they have for one another.
I went into this book blind because it's Higgins, I know it will be good. Needless to say, I was unprepared for this story. One of the hardest things was watching dementia take my grandmother from me and reading about it brings all those feelings back. Needless to say, this was an emotional story for me, but Higgins did a wonderful job balancing the hefty storylines with warmth, humor, and joy.
With a female friendship at the center of the story, this was my catnip. The story was primarily told from the perspective of the Core Four flipping between then and now. What happened was heartbreaking and the ramifications of that event seemed to be lasting. It was kind of sad that it took 25 years and a health crisis to reunite these friends, but the results were wonderful.
There were times during this story where I wasn't sure about the choices being made, but I simply had to trust Higgins. In the end, I was pleased with the way things played out. I appreciated the paths each woman took and that other characters were able to redeem themselves.
All I can say is, get ready to cry and smile and cheer, but cry a lot. This was a beautiful story of friendship, love, and loss. It was heartbreaking and heartwarming, and something that made me think and reflect on things.
Published by October 6, 2026 on Forever
Age/Genres: Adult, Paranormal, Romance
Rating:
Goodreads
A cookbook ghostwriter accidentally summons a spirit and must help with her unfinished business in this charming and cozy paranormal novel—full of small-town charm and a delightful cast of characters!
Cam Parker likes being invisible. As a cookbook ghostwriter, she lives a quiet, orderly life well behind the scenes. But when a storm smashes into her beloved grandmother’s house, she’ll do anything to pay for the repairs, even taking on a nightmare celebrity client and returning from Brooklyn to her coastal-Virginia hometown of Silver Cove and all its small-town drama.
Before she can say boo, Cam’s predictable world collapses like an underbaked souffle. For starters, she’s developing inconvenient feelings for carpenter Ian McCabe, who’s equal parts charm and complication. And then there’s the actual ghost Cam accidentally summons from an old cookbook, who apparently needs her help to right a century-old wrong. Cam can barely keep all these plates in the air. But the chaos just might push her to question her cautious approach to life—and finally write her own recipe for happiness.
A ghostwriter is pushed on a path of self-discovery when she conjures a ghost from a cookbook.
I wasn't sure what to expect from this book, but it was fun and heartwarming. I was even so moved towards the end that I shed a few tears. I thought it was going to be a romance, and there was a romantic subplot, but this was Cam's story.
Cam had been trying to be the opposite of her mother. She chose a career where she was in the background, turned down bigger clients to ghostwrite for, and kept her life small. When she returned to her hometown to help her grandmother, she began to grow and change with the help of the ghost of a woman who was ahead of her time.
It was very satisfying to see the changes in Cam. They were slow but meaningful, and I was proud of her for dealing with the past that was holding her back from great things. It was beautiful to see her building new memories in Silver Cove, assembling a wonderful found family, finding love, and even putting herself first a few times.
Highlights include:
- Hallmarkie small town
- Literary mystery
- Sassy ghost
- Found family
- Charming love interest
- Delicious food descriptions
- Meaningful personal journey
- Cute canine sidekick
Overall, A Pinch of Magic was a sweet and cozy story filled with food, family, and some "spirited" fun.
*ARCS PROVIDED BY THE PUBLISHER
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