Kiss, Marry or Kill: 52

A love story gone wrong (then right? let's discuss.) Also, TikTok smut, more tips on going analog, one menopause tip you'll be eager to employ, and OMG—was this written by AI?

This is my weekly series for subscribers only, where I’ll share things that caught my eye this week in a fun and flirty way (kiss), a sustainable way (marry), or a not-so-good way (kill). And yes, this trendy game is technically “f***, marry, or kill” but we run a family-friendly-ish show around here.

Kiss (things I like right now)

📚 So Very Lucky, Caitlin Devlin (←Kindle First Reads)

First Reads are always a crapshoot. There aren’t usually many (or any) reviews, so you’re just going on the description and vibes. This one sounded very Daisy Jones in a candy-pop way. A T-Swift-level famous pop star has an accident during a concert. Her fans fear the worst, but she pops up a few days later on social media—bruised, shaken, but otherwise optimistic.

Her ex-girlfriend, Stevie, has been haunted by their relationship since they broke up a decade ago. She’s never gotten over their young love, and watching Calista skyrocket to fame from a distance leaves her depressed and more than a little obsessed. So when Calista reaches out to reconnect post-accident, Stevie blows her whole life up to rush to her side. (I won’t say more, because IMO the the official synopsis says too much. Trust me, just jump in.)

Stevie is painted far more deeply than I expected. All the characters are, in fact, thanks to a combination of diary entries, reflections, and nicely done show-don’t-tell scenes. Stevie is, in a word, a mess. Are you sympathetic? Sometimes. Are you disturbed? Often. But might you make the same choices, to reclaim a love imprinted as strongly as theirs was? This is what makes this book so good. Because you might. I might. It might even be easy, and if that makes you pause, it really should, and that’s what makes you think about a book long after you’ve turned the last page.