Following up from It Ends With Us, Hoover follows the interaction of Lily and Atlas, as they navigate what a new, adult relationship could be like while dealing with all the baggage of their lives without each other.
Significant life changes are sort of, kind of happening for Minnie in this one. One being the relationship with Rafe that she absolutely didn't see coming in the last book. But there is of course another mystery to solve and Rafe wants to be involved, at least to try to keep Minnie out of trouble.
It's not the ideal crime-fighting duo when Rafe is also trying to finish the house he's been building so that Minnie can move out of her houseboat before it's too cold to stay there. And Minnie is not terribly helpful at making the choices she needs to make to expedite that process. Some of her phobias are absolutely ridiculous, but they are also endearing, so I won't critique them too much.
This is the last of the series at the moment - a new one comes out in October and I'm kind of excited about it. Let's see what future mischief Minnie and Eddie can get into.
(#70-2022)
It's summer season in Chilton, and Minnie has taken in her niece for the summer. Katrina is an interesting addition to the dynamic of Minnie's life and her roommate doesn't exactly fit into the idyllic aunt/niece summer fun expectation that Minnie held for the event.
Especially when Katrina haphazardly comes across a murder victim at the 4th of July celebrations. We see how Katrina copes with trauma (and how similar she is to her aunt) while both of them try to solve the mystery and come to terms with some significant changes in their lives.
This is the novel that really turned me around on Minnie. She's been growing on me novel by novel, but this one really made her feel like a person. There are some pretty significant changes to her life here, and the way she deals with them and still keeps things stable on some level are telling. She acted like a real person, rather than just a character in a book.
The events are still a bit outlandish, but I wouldn't want to read the story if things weren't at least a little bit crazy.
(#69-2022)
Cute little book that guides you through ways to meditate or at least be more mindful while accomplishing the day-to-day tasks in your life. Washing dishes, riding the bus, sorting laundry will never be the same as you become more aware of everything that you do.
(#68-2022)
A new library Board Chair may throw a wrench into Minnie's days of spreading reading and cheer aboard the Chilton Library Bookmobile.
And then, of course, there's the murder of a Bookmobile regular. Minnie, Eddie and friends need to find out what happened, and why at the same time as they try to save the Bookmobile from whatever fate could be heading its way.
There are always a lot of conclusions that are needlessly jumped to in a cozy mystery novel, and this book is absolutely no different. Minnie is the queen of assumptions and jumping ahead to get where she wants to be. But in the safest, least athletic way possible.
In almost all cases, it turns out the right way for her and that's just part of what makes these a joy to read. You might not always be stumped by the whodunit portion, but it very rarely gets there in a way that you'd expect.
(#67-2022)
Adorable book that extols the virtues of the reader - would be an excellent gift for someone you want to be grateful for.
(#66-2022)
I read through these as a series, so I will also write this as a compilation.
I read these first when I was the target age and I think I've probably read them multiple times since then. The idea of a mouse who yearned for adventure and a different kind of life somehow spoke to me as a child. I don't relate to it the same way as an adult, but it's still incredibly endearing
(#63, 64, 65-2022)
