The "Busybodies" collection is a thrilling and diverse series that captivated me from start to finish. Each book in the series brought something unique, yet they all shared a common thread of suspense, clever plotting, and unexpected twists.

The first book hooked me right away with its engaging characters, each one sharp and resourceful in solving a murder on their own. The second book, though not quite as compelling for me, still offered an interesting plot, even if the involvement of so many people in one situation felt a bit far-fetched at times. The third book was a real page-turner, with fast pacing and an intriguing villain. However, I did wish certain characters hadn’t been so easily misled.

The fourth book stood out for its wild, unpredictable nature. I didn't quite get the ending I envisioned, but I suspect it was meant to unfold that way, especially with the complexities of neighborhood relationships. The fifth book was my favorite of the series, with influencers at the center and a hide-and-seek game that turned almost into a horror experience. It was gripping and kept me hooked until the very end.

Finally, the sixth book brought a romantic thriller twist to the series, blending suspense with a touch of nostalgia through clever nods to film icons Audrey Hepburn and Cary Grant. This book offered a refreshing change of pace, with romance and mystery intertwined seamlessly.

Overall, the "Busybodies" collection was a thrilling, fast-paced ride with each book offering a different flavor of suspense and intrigue. Whether you’re into crime-solving, dark twists, or romantic thrillers, this series has something for everyone.

Book 243 of 300 ~ 2024

🌟🌟🌟💫

Cute collection with an almost equal amount of mehs and ooooos.

The narrator helps.

So the breakdown:

Book 229 of 300 ~ 2024 - book 1 Staged

🌟🌟🌟💫

I needed a cute little cosy mystery, and that's what I got.

Decent pace and ok ending.. felt a bit abrupt. Oh, wells.

Book 231 of 300 ~ 2024 - book 2 The Reunion Dinner

🌟🌟🌟🌟💫

When the village bicycle turns up at your family reunion dinner, you can be sure to expect gossip, fury, and a murder?

Trust Ms Sutanto to give it a twist. One star just because she wrote it.

Book 237 of 300 ~ 2024 book 3 Crime of Fashion

🌟🌟🌟

Meh. After book 2, this felt disappointing and just rather messy. I dragged my feet with this one and just hoped that the next one will be better.

So jewellery went missing and it becomes the assistants fault... even worse, her possible crime.

The little twist at the end made it get the extra half star.

Book 238 of 300 ~ 2024 - book 4 The Nosy Neighbour

🌟🌟🌟🌟

Nita Prose is brilliant, and this gave me some goosebumps. Be weary of who you watch and who might be watching you.

Book 239 of 300 ~ 2024 - book 5 One Lucky Subscriber

🌟🌟💫

Interesting premise. Good try. Hold my attention? No. I can barely recall it, which is rare.

Book 242 of 300 ~ 2024 - book 6 A Classic Case

🌟🌟🌟💫

The twist was so exciting, and I was squealing.. and then it went flat and meh. Should have rolled with it. Ahhh, instead of turning it into a love story. I made it more exciting by making it a what if similar to Nita Prose's book.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

#book243of300 #amreading #amlistening #busybodiesbook #instareads #readstagram #reading #bookreview #bookreviewer #booklover #booksAreLife #booksForTheWin #thisbookfairyisreading #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #goodreads #bookstagramfeature #bookshelf #booksofinstagram #bookish #bookworm #booklovers #theSGbookfairyReads #theSGtrekkiereads #bookaholic #bookaddict #bookchallenge2024 #reviews #lovebooks #booknerds

This collection of short stories was a little underwhelming to me. I had really high hopes because I have absolutely loved books in the past by Elle Cosimano and Jesse Q. Sutanto, but I think each story was too short to be well-developed and some of the "twists" turned out to be really silly and unbelievable. All in all, I still love reading short stories, especially when I'm stuck in a reading rut, but these were a bit of a miss for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Amazon Original Stories for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!

This collection of cozy mystery novellas was *such* a delight! If you love quick, easy-to-dive-into mysteries with just the right amount of intrigue and charm, this one’s for you. Each story was like a warm hug with a side of whodunit fun!

I’m already a huge fan of Elle Cosimano and Jesse Q. Sutanto, so picking this up was a no-brainer. And guess what? It did *not* disappoint! Their stories had all the clever twists, humor, and lovable characters you’d expect. If you’re looking for a cozy mystery escape, grab a blanket, a beverage of choice, and this book. It’s the perfect binge-read for a lazy afternoon. 3.8 stars

3.5 ⭐️ This was such a fun little string of novellas. I enjoyed listening to them while I was working around the house, it made my tasks a little more interesting! I love a good cozy mystery and would recommend this collection if you want some quick and easy mystery short stories, they were fun! The last one was my favorite, but the narrators were all very good.
Thank you Netgalley for sending me this collection in exchange for a review

This was an enjoyable audiobook compilation of six different stories, each by a different author. All stories have the same theme of nosey neighbors. Cozy mysterious stories that kept me engaged.

I received a copy of this audiobook from NetGalley for my honest opinion.

This was not for me personally. I started it and I just could not get into it. Some of the stories are probably great, but with the quantity of books on my TBR I did not have time to commit to getting back into this.

This collection gives you a taste of wonderful, creative storytelling combined with amateur sleuthing. The Reunion Dinner by Jesse Q. Sutanto is a standout with its twisty plot and shocking conclusion. A Classic Case by Alicia Thompson was the last story and very memorable. The main character Audrey is extremely likable with a hint of Nancy Drew making her relatable to all amateur sleuths. My favorite story without a doubt was The Nosy Neighbor by Nita Prose. The main character Marge reminded me of Mrs. Kravitz from Bewitched who was much too curious for her own good. This story is original with a final twist I never saw coming. Thank you, NetGalley for my copy.

I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. I did not care for this book right away, dnf.

These were fun, quirky short stories that felt a little over the top and unbelievable (the point, I'm sure), but were entertaining as I read them.

Staged, by Elle Cosimano: I am a huge Finlay fan, and this felt this had a similar writing style. An outlandish premise but entertaining.

The Reunion Dinner, by Jesse Q. Sutanto: I wasn't sure where this one was going but was intrigued and thought it had an interesting ending.

Crime of Fashion, by Emma Rosenblum: I thought this premise made a great short story. Rosenblum was able to make me know exactly what kind of characters everyone was in a short period of time. The ending was good too.

The Nosy Neighbor: This felt true to Prose's writing style in the Maid, albeit a little darker. I thought she did a great job of making me feel like I knew the characters and creating intrigue into what was going on in a short time.

One Lucky Subscriber, by Kellye Garrett: This premise was more unfamiliar to me so it took me a beat to understand what was going on. Due to the short nature of the book and trying to keep track of the characters by numbers and names, it felt like this was a promising premise but executed a little confusingly.

A Classic Case by Alicia Thompson: This one was more romance focused, with a side of mystery. I haven't read other works by Thompson yet, but this has solidified that I want to soon!

Thank you Amazon Original Stories for the copy through NetGalley.

These fun short mysteries are written by some of my favorite authors and they did not disappoint. I enjoyed each one and I loved listening to the audiobook compilation. Entertaining and quirky they're an interesting way to spend a little time escaping into the classic whodunnit.

I’ve really grown to enjoy Amazon’s short story collections. They’re the perfect way to read when you’re pressed for time, and I love getting to see how some of my favorite authors tackle the novella format.

The Busybodies Collection, featuring stories from Jesse Q. Sutanto, Emma Rosenblum, Nita Prose, Kellye Garrett, Alicia Thompson, and Elle Cosimano is a collection of cozy and quaint mysteries, solved by amateur sleuths. I’m generally not one for cozy mysteries, but I thought each of the stories included balanced compelling mysteries with lots of humor.

Staged ⭐️⭐️⭐️: This mystery had a similar vibe to the Finlay Donavan series. Lots of fun, but not my fave from the series.

The Reunion Dinner ⭐️⭐️⭐️: I wasn’t sold on this one until the very end. It’s a twisty story that would have been better as a full length novel.

Crime of Fashion ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️: Emma Rosenblum’s signature snarky take on rich people behaving badly also works in the short form. A succinct story that ended with a fun twist.

The Nosy Neighbor ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️: A bit darker compared to Prose’s other works but still cozy with compelling characters.

One Lucky Subscriber ⭐️⭐️⭐️: My least favorite from the collection, but it was definitely the most thrilling.

A Classic Case ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️: Would recommend this one to any romance fan, as that was the main focus in this story.

The Busybodies Collection is out now. Thanks to Amazon Original Stories and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Amazon Original Stories and NetGalley for the e-ARC of the book.

This is a collection of mystery short stories that was a perfect chance to get to know new authors or read more from beloved ones. Thanks to this collection I moved some of the authors on top of my tbr list and added new ones. I still can’t believe some of the endings of these stories.

This was a fun collection of short mystery stories from some of the biggest names in the game. As the stories are so short it would be best to go into this knowing as little as possible. But it’s fair to say there is something for everyone within this collection. The audio narrators all do a fantastic job of bringing the stories to life

I was excited to dive into The Busybodies Collection, as I love cosy mysteries and was intrigued by the concept of a collection of short stories in the genre. Unfortunately, I found this collection wasn’t for me.

I read the first four stories and found them to be average but not particularly engaging. In a few of the stories, I struggled to connect with the characters and felt the mysteries (whilst intriguing) lacked the depth and development I typically enjoy in longer works. This is likely a personal preference, as short mysteries often don't allow enough time for me to become fully invested in the story or characters.

I decided to DNF the final two stories, as I realised I’m probably not the intended audience for this format. While I appreciate the creativity and effort behind this collection, it didn’t align with my reading preferences.

If you enjoy quick, light reads with minimal setup and resolution, you might enjoy this collection more than I did. Thank you to the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I’ve included mini-reviews for the stories I did read below:

Staged
⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was a fun and lighthearted whodunnit! It had me giggling a few times — I always enjoy Elle Cosimano’s writing. I liked the characters but didn’t find the mystery aspect as intriguing as I’d have liked - that said, it is only a short read and I was keen to find out how it all ended.

The Reunion Dinner
⭐️⭐️

Not sure how to feel about this one but I think I’ll land on 2 stars. There were a lot of characters introduced very quickly, so I was slightly confused at times, and I wasn’t a fan of the ending (although I will say, it did have me gasping!).

The mystery was interesting though — the story was fast paced and I just had to keep reading to find out what happened.

Crime of Fashion
⭐️⭐️

I enjoyed moments of this one and found it fast paced and intriguing. However, it did leave me feeling frustrated due to the way that OCD was depicted.

The Nosy Neighbour
⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

This was fun! I always enjoy Nita Prose’s writing - this short story was quirky, fun, and intriguing, and the ending was definitely not what I was expecting!

This is a cozy mystery collection with quick, convenient resolutions that didn’t give enough depth or suspense for me. The last two leaned more into romance and were a bit more enjoyable. But the writing isn’t bad so if you’re a fan of cozy mysteries, you might enjoy this collection more than I did.

🐕 Howls Interesting concept but most stories felt rushed and hollow. Endings felt too convenient or incomplete. Some stories seemed to end randomly/mid-story. Other felt almost pointless or unsatisfying.

Staged 2
Real estate staging should be for showcasing life, not death.

Vacuum tracks in carpet. Mallet. Azalea bushes. BMW. Pink carpet.
• Real estate gone wrong
• Hot landscaper
• Amateur sleuth sisters
• Quippy dark comedy
• Hints of enemies to lovers romance

The Reunion Dinner 2.5
A sixty-something main character plans to upstage their sibling’s family holiday dinner when given the chance.

Chinese New Year. Roast pig. Cocktails. Yu sheng.
• Cozy holiday
• Dinner party gone wrong
• Family celebration and reunions
• Mother Knows Best
• Unhinged sabotage

Crime of Fashion 2
A missing necklace at a photo shoot. A responsible assistant in the hot seat.

Black dress. Wavy hair. Gems. Handbags. Yellow diamond.
• Photoshoot drama
• Gumshoe sleuthing
• Find the thief
• Job at risk

The Nosy Neighbour 3
Snooping while house-sitting for a neighbour.

Hobbies. Bungalow. Picture window. Hydrangeas.
• Older adult sleuthing
• House-sitting for a neighbour
• Unreliable, unhinged characters
• Flip the script twists

One Lucky Subscriber 4
Hide and seek in a mall for a YouTuber’s competition.

Shopping mall. Numbered contestants. Tesla. Rose wall. Livestream. Stuffed animal.
• Content creation hide and seek
• Attempt to sabotage the game or clumsy host?
• Cheating to win attempts
• Everyone’s a suspect attempted murder mystery

A Classic Case 5
A video rental customer worries when a usual customer doesn’t show up at his regular time.

Movie rental. Black-and-white movies. Peanut butter. Flannel.
• Missing acquaintance
• Clue hunting with a crush
• Quirky main character
• Meet-cute movie style romance


Content Heads-Up: Blood. Death. Dead body (discovery of). Drugging. Poisoning. Murder. Jealousy. Theft. Potential false accusation. Dementia (implied). Loss of spouse. Parental ambivalence (gave up custody to family).

Rep: American. Chinese. English. Cis. Hetero. Pansexual. Dark, pale, and ambiguous skin tones. Obsessive compulsive disorder. Stutter.

📚 Format: Advance Reader’s Copy from Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley

Thanks to NetGalley and the Publishing teams for this complimentary e-copy in exchange for the review.

I'm so saddened to say that the only one I got all the way through was the first story, Staged. I genuinely thought it was corny but so cute and easy but creative - - who thinks to look at the direction of vacuum cleaner marks?! Lol! And, was I the only one to be sad that the hot guy dies??! haha!
This short story was a 4 star read from me.

Sadly, I made it 60% or so into the second one and I just wanted to rip my hair out! Sad because I adore Jessie and her Aunties series. This just felt too over the top and extremely unbelievable -- at one point I remember thinking I wasn't feeling entertained but actually tortured :( So I gave up.

I tried the others and I just was not having fun like I wanted to. It felt more like homework and that's not want I want from a novel, nor would I feel right leaving individual reviews for that.

So I'm left with an average of 3 stars for this short story collab.

STAGED by Elle Cosimano 2.5~2★
“He stopped drinking long enough to wave at her, flashing a smile that could melt the panties off a penguin,…”

Lyda and Dani have parked outside the old house that Lyda is fixing up to sell. She’s hoping that handsome Sawyer, a former schoolfriend of both young women, will work as much magic on the garden as he seems to do with his ever-changing girlfriends. Either of these would be happy to be the next one.

Lyda is convinced that staging the house will help a sale. Dani encourages her and says it will be beautiful and she’ll have three offers by the end of the weekend.

“The house was not, in fact, fabulous. It was a century-old disaster with a sagging front porch, crooked walls, and dusty rose-colored carpets that still smelled like the old woman who’d died in it last month. We didn’t need three offers.”

Various friends are working in different parts of the house, so Lyda and Dani head for the shops to get what they need to stage it – set up display furniture to make it look luxurious. Meanwhile, they leave another friend, Sawyer’s ex, to finish up the cleaning and vacuum her way out, ensuring there’s a beautifully groomed carpet to welcome buyers.

When they return, instead of the spotless home-to-be, they find the body of a friend in a pool of blood! As they try to figure out what happened, and who did it, they realise something is wrong with the scene (other than there being a dead body, of course).

“I turned to Dani, certain I was right. ‘I think the killer staged the house.’”

The chapter headings about five rules for staging are written tongue-in-cheek. This example introduces the chapter where they discover their friend’s body.
“STEP TWO
DEPERSONALIZE, AND ELIMINATE
CLUTTER.

Get rid of memorabilia and personal objects. Make
the space as neutral as possible, allowing buyers to
visualize the potential within each room.”

It’s a silly story, written like a rom-com teen mystery but with absolutely no feeling. Lyda and Dani are just loving the sleuthing, and considering more flirting, and hoping to sell the house. No emotion about a dead friend at all.
===================
THE REUNION DINNER by Jesse Q. Sutanto
3★
“…last year, sick of Big Uncle boasting about his famous roast duck, she’d turned the timer back an extra twenty minutes when no one was looking. The duck had come out so dry it was like gnawing on a piece of plywood, so hard and fibrous that Second Aunt had lost a crown trying to chew it. It had done Big Uncle a world of good to be taken down a peg or two.”

Josephine Ying is finally getting her big chance to gain control of the family’s traditional Chinese New Year dinner. Big Uncle has a broken leg this year and last year’s pork was very dry (see above!), so the family is gathering at her home.

“ ‘Do you think,’ Adam, Josephine’s husband, said as he and Josephine staggered into the kitchen under the weight of a whole roast pig, ‘that perhaps you might’ve gone a bit overboard?’

Josephine grunted. Adam was an Englishman, and even after decades of CNY celebrations, it still hadn’t sunk in just how important it was to go all out for the big reunion dinner.”

As the guests arrive, they are greeted with drinks and food and more drinks and more food. Josephine’s dialogue is slightly stilted English, showing her Chinese background, which emphasises why this dinner might be more important to her than to others.

As they converse, the jealousies and frayed relations become more obvious, as they do at an American Thanksgiving dinner. The story feels as if it were turned out quickly, with a lot of phrases like “a night to remember” and “groaning under the weight of all the food”.

We know we will end with a body and a murder to be solved by an amateur sleuth – that’s what the series is about - but this sleuth has quite a different perspective, which made for an entertaining twist.
=================================
CRIME OF FASHION by Emma Rosenblum
3.5★
“ ’Where’s the Bulgari?’ A man’s groggy voice echoed in the cavernous photo studio.

‘The necklace is gone! Nellie, where is it?’ The woman sounded shrill and accusatory. ‘Did you put it somewhere? Did you ’tak‘ it? This is all your fault!’”

No, Nellie didn’t take it. She’s almost obsessively meticulous about what she does, and anyway, she was fetching someone a drink when it went missing. And why was the guard, who was supposed to be keeping an eye on it, dozing in his chair?

It’s a photo shoot for ‘ELLE’ with a glamorous star from the nineties modelling all the bright red outfits.

I enjoyed the sly reference to Taylor Swift (and may have missed many more) when Marlee is described this way.

“Marlee, a superstar of the nineties … wasn’t first choice for this shoot. Instead, she’d been called in as a backup when Lindsay Speed, the hottest singer on the planet, had pulled out last minute due to a scheduling conflict.”

Marlee’s happy to model gorgeous gowns and wear the $3 million dollar Bulgari necklace they’d borrowed for the cover shoot. There is history, as the saying goes, between some of the other people in the room, so everyone is blindly accusing everyone else, until eventually, poor Nellie, who is very much at the bottom of the pecking order, is saddled with the blame.

But she and her friend Charles, who knows she’d never steal anything, set about clearing her name. The subsequent ‘investigation’ and result make me glad I don’t work with any of these people.

No dead bodies in this part of Amazon’s #Busybodiescollection, but there was enough guilt to go around. I enjoyed this third story in the collection of six.
==========
THE NOSY NEIGHBOR by Nita Prose
3.5~4★
“The thing about Doris is she’s a busybody with her nose up in everyone else’s business. You know the type—the first to offer advice, the last to take it?”

Typical of us nosy busybodies, isn’t it? This entry in the #Busybodies collection really is about a busybody. It’s also about a lonely old lady, Marge, who watches her neighbours all day. Fifty years ago, Marge and Harold watched through their big picture window as Doris and Bob moved in across the street.

“Doris stepped out of the driver’s seat wearing a yellow poodle skirt, red pumps, Jackie O cat-eye glasses, and a checkered kerchief over her bottle blond bouffant. Bob emerged from the convertible next, wearing thick glasses, beige slacks, and a plain golf shirt.”

A live wire with a pleasant, quiet husband. All these years later, Doris is telling Marge she must get out and about, and get away from the picture window and stop watching her and Bob. Marge is not impressed.

“Doris has taken up hobby after new hobby in her dotage, claiming she’s on the hunt for “inspiration.” First, it was tai chi—private lessons in her living room with a strapping young man called Master Tim. But when she learned the master had a boyfriend, she quit tai chi instantly.”

When Doris asks Marge to water her plants while she and Bob holiday in Spain, the story takes a rather dark turn which becomes first one twist and then another.

I had read Nita Prose’s book, The Maid, and hoped I’d enjoy this too. I'm happy to say I did.

===========
ONE LUCKY SUBSCRIBER by Kellye Garrett
3.5★
“ ’What video you from, 4?’

It took me a second to realize the guy was talking to me, but only because he was competing with my internal monologue of questioning why I was standing smack-dab in the middle of the American Dream Mall in East Rutherford at eleven o’clock. It had three million square feet, one-hundred-plus stores, five floors, two mini-golf courses, one indoor theme park, and way too much white.

Then I remembered: $50,000.”

Yeah, she remembered all right. $50,000 prize money for anyone who can complete whatever the task is for the day. Video star Kidd runs and broadcasts events live to his rapt followers. There is money given away or won, and the contestants in this one have all appeared in the previous videos, except for her. How did she get here?

“Kidd was continuing with his spiel. ‘I’m extremely excited about today’s challenge. There’s nothing I love more than my subscribers.’ He paused, then: All ten million of you. That’s right. We just hit ten million subscribers on my channel! To celebrate, I wanted to do something special. Highlight how we all became one big, happy ten-million-strong family. If you’re one of the twenty-five million who viewed our most popular video, then you know where we are. Back at the American Dream Mall. And I also brought back these babies that you all loved so much in the comments.’”

He means the gold briefcases full of money. The contestants are wearing bright shirts with numbers on them, which is why the young woman narrating the story was addressed as “4”. But what’s ahead?

Hide-and-seek for 24 hours in the mall is the challenge. Anyone who is not found gets to keep the golden briefcase they’ve been carrying (and hiding) which has $50,000 in it.

During the hunt, someone is accused of attempted murder – not something Kidd had a contingency plan for.

I imagine there actually are influencers running strange competitions, so this didn’t seem too far-fetched. It was a quick, light read.
=========
A CLASSIC CASE by Alicia Thompson
4★
“Audrey always looked forward to Wednesdays. That was the day she biked to Keep It Classic, the local video rental store stocked only with old-timey film…

It was also the day she saw him.

Not that he cared at all about seeing her. She could count on one hand the number of words he’d said to her beyond the ones he had to as part of his job. That’ll be four fifty. Receipt is in the bag. Movie’s due back by the seventh, but if you think you’re going to be late, just give me a call.

Grant. That was his name, which she knew only because she’d heard Mr. Hoffman use it.”

Audrey, as in Hepburn. Grant, as in Cary. Classic videos. What could all this mean? Actually, it means a charming story about an awkward young woman who is crushing on the guy at the video store and also looking forward to her weekly interaction with the aforementioned old Mr. Hoffman who shows up every Wednesday at 2pm to renew his copy of ‘She Who Laughs Last’.

When asked, Mr Hoffman tells Audrey that routines make the world go round. If he doesn’t turn up one Wednesday, check the obituaries because he’ll be dead.

So of course, one Wednesday arrives without a visit from Mr Hoffman, and Audrey can’t seem to convince Grant that this could be serious.

“ ‘Mr. Hoffman,’ Grant said, ‘once saw me taking out the trash and said it inspired him to make me a pallbearer at his funeral. He told me to make sure they played “At Last” by Etta James because that’s what everyone in town would be thinking when he finally keeled over. He wanted ‘Get Off My Lawn’ engraved on his headstone to scare kids away from standing on his grave. He’s an eighty-six-year-old man. He jokes like that’ .”

Audrey isn’t convinced, so when Grant goes to the back room, she sneaks a look at the rental computer and finds Mr Hoffman’s address.

The rest, as the say is mystery. It’s a delightful short cosy that covered love, young and old.

Thank you to @amazonoriginalstories for the gifted copy of the busybodies short story collection! As an avid thriller reader I was ecstatic to see this collection, even more so when some of my favorite authors were featured.

This was a fun theme and I found each of these stories to be unique. It’s a tough feat to create an engaging story in such limited amount of words or pages. I found all of these intriguing, some more than others, but I appreciated how different each one was and the variety of settings and characters. My personal favorite was Alicia Thompson’s,A Classic Case. This is a fun collection that’s available now and free for Amazon prime members (you can read these on the kindle app, kindle, or listen on audible). I definitely recommend these if you want more from some of your fave authors or are looking to boost that reading goal. 😉

#busybodies #bookreview #bookrec #amazon #audible #arcreview

this was a cute little series that gave me major “only murders in the building” vibes. thank you to netgalley/the authors for an ARC of this collection!