One of my goals this year is to help you spend less time wondering what to read next and more time actually reading.

This week's releases took me from a haunting island that shouldn't exist, to the forests of Denmark hunting a serial killer, to the pages of a Victorian gothic vampire novel. It was a week full of lush atmosphere, slow-building dread, and stories that couldn't have been more different from one another.

As always, these are simply my personal reactions. A book that didn't work for me may become your next five-star read, and one I couldn't stop recommending might not be the right fit for someone else.

Let's get into it.

🌊 Habits of the Sea

Read or Skip: READ

Rating: 5 stars

This was one of those rare books that I almost didn't want to finish because I wasn't ready to leave its world.

I've loved Shea Ernshaw's previous novels, but this felt like stepping into a dream I never wanted to wake from. It's lush, gothic, fairy-tale-like, and quietly devastating all at once.

At its heart, Habits of the Sea is about home, identity, grief, and the people who leave marks on our lives across impossible distances. Ernshaw blends magical realism with ecological anxiety, folklore, and an almost dreamlike melancholy so effortlessly that the impossible begins to feel completely believable.

The imagery is stunning. Every scene carries equal amounts of beauty and dread, and I found myself constantly slowing down just to appreciate the writing. Beneath all of the magic is an incredibly human story about loneliness, belonging, and finding your way back to yourself.

Final thought: Beautiful, haunting, and utterly immersive. This is easily one of my favorite books of the year and a must-read for anyone who loves lyrical speculative fiction.

🩸 Hide and Seek

Read or Skip: READ

Rating: 4.75 stars

Scandinavian crime fiction has always approached suspense differently than many American thrillers.

Rather than relying on constant twists, Hide and Seek builds tension through meticulous police work, creeping dread, and the feeling that every answer only opens the door to another question.

On paper, this is a 500-plus-page police procedural; in reality, it flies.

Every interview, every clue, and every conversation between Hess and Thulin moves something forward, whether it's the investigation itself or the unresolved tension between the two detectives. Their relationship continues to be one of my favorite parts of this series, and there were multiple moments where I wanted to force them to simply have an honest conversation already.

I also appreciated how much care Sveistrup gives to the victims and the families left behind. The investigation never becomes just a puzzle. It remains grounded in the people whose lives have been permanently changed.

Final thought: If The Chestnut Man hooked you, this is an easy recommendation. I somehow loved it even more than the first book.

🧛 The Brides

Read or Skip: SKIP

Rating: 3 stars

This was probably my most complicated read of the week because I don't actually think it failed at what it was trying to do.

I simply expected a different book.

Rather than modernizing vampire fiction, The Brides is deeply committed to recreating the experience of reading classic Victorian gothic novels. The epistolary structure, fragmented perspectives, and slow accumulation of dread all feel like an intentional homage to Dracula.

The atmosphere is genuinely phenomenal. Dark, eerie, unsettling, and beautifully written.

The problem was that I never emotionally connected with the story. I admired the craftsmanship from beginning to end, but I always felt like I was observing the novel rather than living inside it.

Final thought: If you're looking for an authentic gothic reading experience, this may absolutely work for you. If you're hoping for a faster-paced vampire novel, your expectations may need adjusting.

Also Hitting Shelves This Week

Didn't see your next read above? Here are a few other releases arriving this week that caught my attention.

🔍 Get Lost

A missing mother. A deadbeat dad who's suddenly the prime suspect. Add Russian mobsters, family dysfunction, and sharp humor, and this sounds like a mystery that's just as emotional as it is entertaining.

Pick this up if you enjoy: Carl Hiaasen, dysfunctional family stories, and fast-paced mysteries.

💍 The Wedding Week

An eight-day destination wedding in the Everglades quickly turns into a nightmare as buried family secrets resurface and someone begins sabotaging the celebration.

Pick this up if you enjoy: family drama, destination thrillers, and suspense with messy relationships.

🩸 We Will See You Bleed

A literary crime thriller set during a devastating paper mill strike in 1984 Maine, where the women of a struggling town decide they've had enough.

Pick this up if you enjoy: gritty crime fiction, morally gray characters, and atmospheric literary thrillers.

🏡 The MASH Up

A woman wakes up inside the M.A.S.H. game she played as a kid and discovers that her destined soulmate is... her brother's best friend.

Pick this up if you enjoy: magical realism, nostalgic rom-coms, and brother's best friend romance.

✨ An Education in Longing

A haunted magical university, a dangerous rival, and a magic system fueled by desire make this one of the week's most intriguing dark fantasy releases.

Pick this up if you enjoy: dark academia, enemies-to-lovers, and gothic fantasy.

🎭 Our Wicked Gifts

Succession meets House of Hollow. A cursed magical family, a deal with the devil, a masquerade murder, and a romance where love and betrayal are never far apart.

Pick this up if you enjoy: gothic fantasy, family intrigue, and dark romantic fantasy.

⚡ Ungodly Rich

The Greek gods are reimagined as a billionaire dynasty where divine powers, family rivalries, and ancient grudges collide.

Pick this up if you enjoy: mythology retellings, wealthy dysfunctional families, and high-stakes drama.

🏕️ The Roommate Rule

Two complete opposites share a cabin in Wales with one simple agreement: they're roommates, nothing more.

We all know how well that usually works.

Pick this up if you enjoy: forced proximity, opposites attract, and cozy vacation romances.

🕵️ The Spy and the Snake

A veteran MI5 agent returns to fieldwork for one last mission involving a fake marriage, Cold War espionage, and unexpected sparks in Budapest.

Pick this up if you enjoy: spy thrillers, capable heroines, historical espionage, and slow-burn romance.

Which of these is heading straight to your TBR?

If you've already picked one up this week, I'd love to hear what you're reading in the comments. And if you're looking for even more recommendations, be sure to follow along: I share new release roundups every Tuesday to help you find your next great read.