Lilypad Reviews – Page 4

Two Bodies Are Better Than One by Erica Ruth Neubauer (2026) – BR00301 (R2026) – 🐸⚪⚪⚪⚪

February 15 2026

Plot or Premise

A former mob enforcer and cleaner has a new identity and no worries, until an unknown body turns up on her lawn.

What I Liked

The initial premise was kind of interesting — a former mob assassin / cleaner who has (mostly) retired finds a dead body on her lawn. A young female detective looks into the murder, and also thinks there is something off about the retired woman too. After that, it is all downhill.

What I Didn’t Like

I hated just about everything in this book. I was going to quit, but the author is an Agatha winner and an Edgar nominee. It can’t be THAT bad, can it? It has to get better? Nope. I was going to quit at the 30% mark.

At that point, we had Lorraine (the retired mobster) running around trying to investigate the crime. Everybody she meets, literally everybody, the first words out of her mouth are insults. Not just men…the family of the dead guy, witnesses she wants info from, the cops. It’s supposedly “wit” according to the promo copy, because she’s old and saying things that turn people off and surprise, they won’t help her. Really? How strange. Despite the fact that she’s supposed to be street wise, really good with planning murders and body disposals, skating by in life unseen and under the radar.

Oh, and every man she meets, they’re obviously sexist pigs who deserve to die. Oh, and did I mention she has a dead husband that seems like she misses him in the first half of the book and the second half she’s joking that he’s dead. Okaaaay. Did I also mention that she’s trying to figure out the case, but she abruptly kills the ONLY PERSON WHO KNOWS ANYTHING before finding anything out?

I had some hopes for the female detective. Some, not much. But the dead guy was a PI who was following a shady guy who was a drug dealer just before the PI ends up dead. It’s possible the drug dealer is into shady dealings with two other guys from high school. But other than Lorraine, the drug dealer is the ONLY real suspect. Yet at the 50% mark, Detective Mike has been investigating the case for several days and pauses to think, “What if the drug dealer killed him?”. Like, seriously? What the heck? He is the ONLY suspect at the time. There is virtually NOBODY else with any known motive. Yet she’s super smart and just figured out maybe he was involved? OMG.

I didn’t think this train wreck could get worse until Detective Mike accidentally finds some bad guys by random luck, there’s a farcical series of scenes moving a body, and Lorraine cracks part of the mystery with amazing deductive skills that make NO SENSE AT ALL. She makes a random guess that has nothing to do with any evidence, just “oh, it must be these two people”, one of whom WE HAVE NEVER MET. Oh, and a second mystery? It’s resolved by the person revealing themselves for fun and giggles.

Disclosure

I received a free copy of this book through Amazon First Reads. I am not friends with the author, nor have I interacted with them on social media.

The Bottom Line

An absolute train wreck of a book

A new milestone…300 book reviews!

February 14 2026

I know, I know, I still have a backlog of over 300 more to do. But I remember when I was writing the first few almost 30 years ago (my first that I have a copy of, at least, was in 1998).

Over the years, I always plan to write one for every book I read, but I didn’t…hence the backlog. 🙂 I need to complete the backlog to update my other stats (read, reviewed, etc.).

I show 39 up until 1999;
From 2000-2007, I added only another 56, and then nothing for 2008-2010…or at least not that I have copies of, still;
From 2011-2019, I only have some for 6 of those years, with 25 more up until 2018 before I added a whopping 53 in 2019;
I added another 84 from 2020-2024; and,
Then only 27 last year.

I’m at 18 already written for this year, of which 6 or 7 are read this year. Shh, I am secretly trying to do 200ish for the year although my official target is much less.

I’m now posting them on my website, Amazon, Indigo, Book Notification and GoodReads, as well as sharing them on social media for X/Twitter, Threads, BlueSky and Meta/FB.

I don’t get a lot of feedback, but I’m hoping to build some interest in book club links over the next five years. Maybe it will, maybe it won’t. But I’m going to write and post them even if nobody but me reads them.

Cheers to me! When I retire, I’m going to try to post a new BR every day until I’m all caught up. I just have to get to retirement. 🙂

This Book Made Me Think of You (2026) – BR00300 (R2026) – 🐸🐸🐸🐸🐸

February 14 2026

Plot or Premise

A woman is surprised to find out that a local bookstore has a gift for her from her husband, who passed away six months before. He arranged for “A year of books” to help her heal.

What I Liked

The author had me at the initial premise of twelve books to help the surviving spouse heal and live again. Throughout the months, you see her reluctantly start to read again, try new things, and develop a life without him. Their life together is told through flashbacks and you see her come out of her shell with the help of family and new or old friends. She even travels to exotic locales that she always wanted to visit.

While contemporary or romance is not my usual jam, I picked it from an online book club list based on the wonderful premise, and it didn’t disappoint. I read through it in one sitting which let me escape into the book, except for the need for refreshing the tissue box every chapter. There is an intentional small plot hole that gets filled near the end, and I never saw it coming. I might have if I had read it over several days or weeks, but straight-through worked perfectly.

What I Didn’t Like

It is a bit schmaltzy at the end, with the typical rom-com-style “let’s avoid talking about something and just make huge assumptions instead” plot device, but it isn’t egregious. I was expecting a different “solution” at the end, actually 2 or 3 different ones, but mostly liked the one that showed up.

The Bottom Line

Come for the backstory and bring your tissue box

Reading challenge checkin for 2026.01: January’s reads

February 9 2026

My reading challenge for 2026 is 63 books, which would be a little over five a month. So far, I’m on track, at least for fiction. In January, I reviewed 17 books, but only 5 of those were new reads this past month.

On the other hand, my TBR pile exploded with book suggestions from 40 different book clubs, so my pile didn’t exactly go down. 🙂 Against my reading challenge “bingo” card (see the link below), I’m going to code:

All Systems Red as “Rebel” for the Murderbot hacking his governance module;
Newbie Werewolf as “Fantasy creatures”, for obvious reasons;
The Last Starfighter as a “childhood favourite”, I loved that movie back in ’84 when it was released, a long time treasured movie, and the book holds up well;
The Compound as “Infrequent genre”, as it is a little too contemporary or pop-culture for my normal tastes; and,
The Games Gods Play as “Fantasy Adventure”, although the setting is relatively modern.

I’ve updated the reading challenge with my latest TBR list, although it’s getting out of control. I have over 800 books on my Kindle. Say what? How is that possible? Oh, right, I’m a Book Goblin (credit: Elizabeth Wheatley) and I’m hoarding!

Oh well, on with February’s reads!

PolyWogg’s Reading Challenge 2026

Book clubs 2026-02: Options for February

February 7 2026

I ended up tracking 40 book clubs for February, and 92 titles, although there are some repeats. As of one week into the month, Library Science, Native American, Oprah, PBS Book Readers, Richard and Judy, and Sunnie Reads (6 clubs) have not yet chosen a book.

For the good news, looking at the clubs for February and last year did generate some great clubs and books. For the bad news? I generated 30 titles just in February! I can’t READ 30 books in a month. Sigh. I know, I know, it’s a #FirstWorldReaderProblem.

I have no idea how I’m going to choose from the following 30 books. Oh, wait, One & Only and This Book Made Me Think of You appear twice each, so I’m down to 28.

Chain-Gang All-Stars, Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah
The Curious Case of the Poisoned Professor, Lucy Connelly
Discipline, Larissa Pham
Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead, Olga Tokarczuk
Fallen Gods, Rachel Van Dyken
First Witches Club, Maisey Yates
The Harvey Girl, Dana Stabenow
It’s Not Her, Mary Kubica
The Once and Future Queen, Paula Lafferty
One & Only, Maureen Goo
The Poisoner, I.V. Ophelia
Read Between The Lies, Jesse Q. Sutanto
Return of the Maltese Falcon, Max Allan Collins
Sibylline, Mellissa de la Cruz
So Old, So Young, Grant Ginder
A Sociopath’s Guide to a Successful Marriage
Stolen Midnights, Katherine Quinn
The Storm, Rachel Hawkins
The Ten Thousand Doors of January, Alix E. Harrow
Theo of Golden, Allen Levi
The Things We Leave Unfinished, Rebecca Yarros
This Book Made Me Think of You, Libby Page
This Is How You Lose the Time War, Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone
Two Bodies Are Better Than One, Erica Ruth Neubauer
The Unwedding, Allyson Braithwaite Condie
Vigil, George Saunders
The Widow, John Grisham
The Winter Witch, Jennifer Chevalier

I started with one of the Amazon First Reads — Two Bodies Are Better Than One. I managed to get 20% in, and while it is okay, it’s not really grabbing me. It’s about an aging woman who is semi-retired from being a hitwoman for the mob, and a body turns up on her lawn. She’s investigating, along with a dumb sheriff, and a smart but new detective who is as interested in the older lady as she is in the body. Just not resonating with me, so it will be a DNF. Maybe when I was younger I would have finished it, it’s not bad, just not good enough to continue.

Next up will be This Book Made Me Think of You.

Here’s the list of all the bookclub picks I considered for the month.

Book Club	Book title & author	Brief Description	Yes/no for me
Amazon First Reads	Leave It Up To Love, Kristy Woodson Harvey	Shortstory, Barista as ghostwriter	Repetitive theme, NO
	I Came Back For You, Kate White	10y cold case, mother investigates daughter’s murder	Not compelling, NO
	The Water Women, Bonnie Blaylock	Sardinia, WWII, romance	Not compelling, NO
	First Witches Club, Maisey Yates	Magic cures dead marriages	Intriguing, YES
	No One Is Safe, Ellie Marney	Serial killer with amnesia (Bourne Identity-like)	Mixed result, NO
	So Very Lucky, Caitlin Devlin	Singer seems to die, comes back with memory gaps	Not compelling, NO
	Otherworldly, Dwain Worrell	Addict astronaut on planet with things that go bump in the night	Not compelling, NO
	Two Bodies Are Better Than One, Erica Ruth Neubauer	Bodies on the lawn, but the cozy sleuth is part of the mob	Intriguing, YES
	Kissing the Sky, Lisa Patton	Trip to Woodstock concert	Not compelling, NO
	Sight Unseen, Alexis Marie	Privilege, magic, curses, and serial killers?	Just not, NO
Audacious	The Age of Calamities, Senaa Ahmad	Speculative shortstories	Not compelling, NO
Barnes & Noble	Good People, Patmeena Sabit	Multiple PoVs for immigrant family tragedy	Not compelling, NO
BBC Radio 2	This Book Made Me Think of You, Libby Page	Husband died, left behind 12 books with notes for wife	Already in my list, YES
Belletrist	Strangers, Belle Burden	Memoir of surprise divorce	Not compelling, NO
Black Men Read	Black Moses, Caleb Gayle	Biography, Edward McCabe, wanted to create Black US state	Interesting, NO
Book of the Month	Stolen Midnights, Katherine Quinn	Stolen magical locket	Intriguing, YES
	One & Only, Maureen Goo	Matchmaker family	Fascinating, YES
	The Exes, Leodora Darlington	A series of dead exes? How many before you say huh?	Too unrealistic, NO
	Good People, Patmeena Sabit	Multiple PoVs for immigrant family tragedy	Not compelling, NO
	A Good Animal, Sara Maurer	Farm life or move away	Not compelling, NO
	It’s Not Her, Mary Kubica	Murder in a cabin, missing kid	Compelling, YES
	The Natural Way of Things, Charlotte Wood	Two women are drugged and left in a desert property	Not compelling, NO
	All Quiet on the Western Front, Erich Maria Remarque	German soldier learns to hate war	Classic, NO
Everyday Reading Book Club	Reconnected, Carlos Whittaker	7 weeks screen-free with Amish	Interesting, NO
Good Housekeeping	So Old, So Young, Grant Ginder	Big Chill, 6 friends, 20y, 5 parties	Intriguing, YES
Good Morning America	The Exes, Leodora Darlington	A series of dead exes? How many before you say huh?	Too unrealistic, NO
Good Morning America: YA	Sibylline, Mellissa de la Cruz	Three teens working at magic school steal an education	Intriguing, YES
Good Reads (Mystery, Crime, Thriller Group)	The Spy Coast, Tess Gerritsen	Retired spy in Maine	Already read, NO
	The Widow, John Grisham	Lawyer has secret rich client, but ends up looking guilty	Always, YES
I Care About Books	The Bittlemores, Jann Arden	Chicken Run meets Enola Holmes? I have no idea	Simply not, NO
Jack Carr	Once an Eagle, Anton Myrer	Two types of military leaders over decades	Not compelling, NO
	Atlas Shrugged, Ayn Rand	Philosophical revolution disguised as an action thriller	Classic, not right now, NO
	The Fountainhead, Ayn Rand	Hero architect	Classic, not right now, NO
	The Winds of War, Herman Wouk	WW II Part 1	Classic, not right now, NO
	War and Remembrance, Herman Wouk	WW II Part 2	Classic, not right now, NO
Anthony Jeselnik	Paradais, Fernanda Melchor	Mexican housing complex, teenager plot	Not compelling, NO
Jewish Book Council: NF	Always Carry Salt, Samantha Ellis	Loss of culture and language	Interesting, but NO
Jewish Book Council: F	At Last, Marisa Silver	Grandmothers fighting for their granddaughters’ love	Trauma much? NO
Katie Couric	Theo of Golden, Allen Levi	Stranger buys drawings, gives them to citizens	Fascinating, YES
Late Show	Vigil, George Saunders	A Christmas Carol redux	Intriguing, YES
Library Science	Nothing posted for February
Main Street Reads – Fab Fantasy	Fallen Gods, Rachel Van Dyken	Gods are sleeping in mortal bodies	Intriguing, YES
MSR – Thrill in the ‘ville	The Storm, Rachel Hawkins	Writer in small town to clear local’s name during storm	Intriguing, YES
MSR – Kids	Hattie Mae Begins Again, Sharon G. Flake	Black country girl attends boarding school in Philly	Not compelling, NO
MSR – Kiss & Tell Romance	The Things We Leave Unfinished, Rebecca Yarros	Woman and writer try to finish grandmother’s last book	Compelling, YES
MSR – Books & Banter	The Poisoner, I.V. Ophelia	Poisoner of men	Compelling, YES
Mindy’s Book Studio	Read Between The Lies, Jesse Q. Sutanto	Two authors competing and dueling	Intriguing, YES
Mocha Girls Read	Rhythm & Design, Long Temple	Romance between ex-pastor and architect	Not compelling, NO
Natalie Portman (not followed)	The Son of Man, Jean-Baptiste Del Amo	Estranged husband takes wife and son to remote cabin	Yawn, NO
	Mother Mary Comes to Me, Arundhati Roy	Memoir about her relationship with her mother	Not compelling, NO
Native American	Small Ceremonies, Kyle Edwards	Coming of age, Winnipeg, Indigenous youth * not posted until mid-February	Unsure, NO for now
Oprah 2.0	Nothing posted for February		n/a
PBS Book Readers	Nothing posted for February
Poisoned Pen – Cozy Crimes	The Curious Case of the Poisoned Professor, Lucy Connelly	Journalism professor suspected of murder	Compelling, YES
PP – British Crime	A Sociopath’s Guide to a Successful Marriage	Arsenic and young lace? Murderous housewife	Compelling, YES
PP – First Mystery	Rifle Season, Pat Kelly	Hunter in Colorado plus warlords	Simply no, NO
PP – Crime Collectors	Murder at 30,000 Feet, Susan Walter	Murder on a plane, locked room	Derivative, NO
PP – Historical	The Harvey Girl, Dana Stabenow	Female Pinkerton in 1890 New Mexico	Compelling, YES
PP – Notable new fiction	The Once and Future Queen, Paula Lafferty	Queen Guinevere via Vere, a waitress in present time	Compelling, YES
PP – Hardboiled/noir	Return of the Maltese Falcon, Max Allan Collins	If the original bird was a fake, who has the real one?	Compelling, YES
PP – Romance	And The Crowd Went Wild, Susan Elizabeth Phillips	Book 11 of the Chicago Stars	Maybe later, NO
PP – Historical	The Winter Witch, Jennifer Chevalier	Witches in 17th Century Montreal	Compelling, YES
Read with Jenna	One & Only, Maureen Goo	Matchmaker family	Fascinating, YES
Reader’s Digest	This Book Made Me Think of You, Libby Page	Already on list	Above, YES
Reddit /BookClub	Chain-Gang All-Stars, Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah	Gladiators from prisons	Compelling, YES
	This Is How You Lose the Time War, Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone	Time travel and romance	Compelling, YES
	Independent People, Halldor Laxness	Father / daughter battle of wills	Not compelling, NO
	The Picture of Dorian Gray, Oscar Wilde	Faustian bargains	Classic, but not right now, NO
	Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead, Olga Tokarczuk	Whodunnit, in Polish village	Compelling, YES
	Remarkably Bright Creatures, Shelby Van Pelt	Missing son, detective octopus	Too weird, NO
	The Ten Thousand Doors of January, Alix E. Harrow	A magical book, many doors	Compelling, YES
	A Desolation Called Peace, Arkady Martine	Space opera, battle, invasion	Maybe later, NO
	The Silver Chair, CS Lewis	Book 6 of Narnia	Already read, NO
	Hollow City, Ransom Riggs	Book 2 of Miss Peregrine	Maybe later, NO
	La Belle Sauvage, Philip Pullman	Book 1 of Book of dust	Maybe later, NO
	Heretics of Dune, Frank Herbert	Book 5 of Dune	Maybe later, NO
	Sharp Ends, Joe Abercrombie	Dark sci-fi	Too weird, NO
	System Collapse, Martha Wells	Book 7 of Murderbot Diaries	Maybe later, NO
	The Magician’s Land, Lev Grossman	Book 3 of The Magicians	Maybe later, NO
	Rocannon’s World, Ursula K. Le Guin	Part of Hainish Cycle	Maybe later, NO
	The Eye of the Bedlam Bride, Matt Dinniman	Book 6 of the Dungeon Crawler Carl	Maybe later, NO
	Galactic Empire, GP Hudson	Pike Chronicles, sci-fi	Not compelling, NO
Reese	In Her Defence, Philippa Malicka	Celebrity TV star, estranged daughter, repressed memories…find the truth	Not compelling, NO
Richard and Judy	Nothing posted for February ** Spring picks will be in March
Secret Chapter Mystery (Cumberland)	The Unwedding, Allyson Braithwaite Condie	Murder at resort, guest steps up to solve case	Compelling, YES
Service 95	The Son of Man, Jean-Baptiste Del Amo	Already above	Yawn, NO
Stacks Book Club	Indigo, Beverly Jenkins	Romance in the Underground Railroad	Intriguing, but NO
Sunnie Reads	Nothing posted for February
Sunriver – Fiction	The Lion Women of Tehran, Marian Kamali	Class issues in 1950s Tehran	Not compelling, NO
Sunriver – Mystery	The Impossible Fortune, Richard Osman	Book 5 of Thurday Murder Club	Maybe later, NO
TeaTime	Discipline, Larissa Pham	Revenge narrative come undone	Regretfully compelling, YES
Zibby’s Book Club	Strangers, Belle Burden	Memoir of surprise divorce	Not compelling, NO

FYI: Yellow code: #FFFFE0

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Category Archives: Lilypad Reviews

Two Bodies Are Better Than One by Erica Ruth Neubauer (2026) – BR00301 (R2026) – 🐸⚪⚪⚪⚪

Plot or Premise

What I Liked

What I Didn’t Like

Disclosure

The Bottom Line

A new milestone…300 book reviews!

This Book Made Me Think of You (2026) – BR00300 (R2026) – 🐸🐸🐸🐸🐸

Plot or Premise

What I Liked

What I Didn’t Like

The Bottom Line

Reading challenge checkin for 2026.01: January’s reads

Book clubs 2026-02: Options for February