Book Chatter

Pinky Swear
By Danielle Girard
Atria, February 24, 2026, 288pp.

The Short of It:

Compelling story.

The Rest of It:

Lexi thought she knew everything about Mara Vannatta. Best friends since middle school, they drifted apart after a tragedy derailed their senior year. But when Mara shows up on Lexi’s doorstep sixteen years later fleeing an abusive husband, Lexi takes her in without question. Lexi’s own marriage has been strained by her desire to have a baby, and when Mara offers to become her surrogate, their friendship feels stronger than ever.

But four days before the due date, Mara disappears. ~ the publisher

What drew me into this story is the childhood friendship. I am a sucker for these stories. Mari, Lexi and Cate are best buds, but buds with a ton of secrets. Years go by, and they are never quite right after the death of Cate. It was an accident, or was it? Lexi honestly doesn’t know anymore. She thought she new Mari, but as the search for Mari deepens, she’s learning all sorts of things about her and none of it good.

Of course, the search for Mari is amplified by the fact that the baby is due any minute and Lexi has no idea if she will ever see either of them again. What’s coming out about Mari is not looking good. She had a dark side and was hanging with a rough crowd but it’s Mari, her dear friend Mari. In her mind, Lexi is convinced that Mari’s life is on the line and of course, that means her own baby too.

This story offers enough twists to keep you guessing and adds a few endearing characters that I really enjoyed getting to know. I found Pinky Swear to be a good distraction from the world I am currently living in.

Recommend. It comes out February 24, 2026.

Source: Review copy provided by the publisher.
Disclosure: This post contains Bookshop.org affiliate links.

More Than Enough

More Than Enough
By Anna Quindlen
Random House, February 24, 2026, 256pp.

The Short of It:

Wholesome and sweet but with depth.

The Rest of It:

High school English teacher Polly Goodman tells her book club everything. The women are her closest friends, the ones who know about her students, her strained relationship with her mother, and her painful struggle with IVF.

When they give her an ancestry test kit as a joke, Polly expects nothing from it. Instead, the results link her to a stranger. Certain it must be a mistake, she tries to move on, but curiosity pulls her into her family’s past and toward a truth she never expected.

A well meaning gift, but what it uncovers for Polly is a yearning to know her true origins. Surprising and slightly alarming since she never questioned this before. Honestly, had no reason to. With her struggles to start a family though, her thoughts are centered on family and what it means so naturally when the results come back with a big question mark, she’s forced to look into it.

Polly is surrounded by a very supportive group of ladies. But they are also cautiously guarded over these test results. Are they accurate? Do they need to be repeated? Polly doesn’t know but in her heart she feels there is some truth so what the results say and isn’t it important to know when trying to start a family of her own?

There are some tender moments as Polly navigates this new landscape. In addition to infertility she is dealing with her father’s descent into dementia; a very dark place where loving memories surface one day, only to be forgotten that she exists the next. Painful.

I found this novel to be sweet in the telling but it lacks plot. If you are a plot driven reader, you might find it a little too safe but still enjoyable nonetheless.

Recommend.

Source: Review copy provided by the publisher.
Disclosure: This post contains Bookshop.org affiliate links.

Chatting with friends about books and life…