This was my 3rd or 4th book by Nova Glass. I always look forward to her soapy murder mysteries. They have the right amount of neighborhood/small town drama to keep you hooked but it isn't over the top. This one did get slow around the middle and I struggled a bit to get through it. It may also be because the multiple POVs and so many characters, it was hard to keep track and it lost me a bit. But with all that being said, Nova Glass hasn't lost me as a regular reader, she remains an autobuy/autorequest!

They say nothing ever happens in small towns, but in this Minnesota town an attack on a female citizen leads a group of well-meaning senior citizens to do a little investigating along with a podcast!

Thanks so much @htp_hive and @htpbooks for the physical copy of the book as well as the ebook and audiobook via @netgalley. After a slow moving first half, the second half picked up and accelerated the plot which kept me engaged. I found the senior squad endearing and found myself smiling as I visualized their conversations.

Do you have any past recommendations?

The beginning of this book hooked me, but unfortunately it fizzled out from there. I usually enjoy different POVs but found it hard to keep track of who was who, especially between Shelby and Mack. I enjoyed the group of seniors from the care home and their adventure into podcasting, by far the best part of this book!

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

This book was intense. It starts right off with a mystery and that mystery continues through the entire book. I really thought that I had figured out who was messing with Shelby only to be proven completely wrong. I had changed the person multiple times and not once did I even get the right one. I really enjoyed the group of senior citizens and how they were trying to solve the mystery without the help of the police. Overall a great thriller mystery. I highly recommend it if you are wanting something that hooks you right away.

Nothing Ever Happens Here
By Seraphina Nova Glass
Published: 2/11/25
Genre: popcorn thriller

This one was a little hard to figure out at the start. There were a lot of characters, and it jumps right into the thick of it from the first page. I stuck with it and found it to be fairly enjoyable. It was sort of giving “Only Murders in the Building” vibes, which is a show that I love. My overall feeling is…I liked it fine, but it wasn’t anything mind-blowing or heart-wrenching. It was a decent popcorn thriller. I’d rate it around 3.5 ⭐️…rounded it up on the apps.

2.75 stars

Nothing Ever Happens Here starts off with a bang! Shelby runs back inside her best friends restaurant to grab her daughter's stuffed animal only to interrupt a robbery. She is left for dead in the freezer while her two little girls are sleeping in the car outside. Mackenzie (Mack) owns the restaurant with her husband Leo, who goes missing that same night. Now, a year later, Shelby's attacker still hasn't been found and strange things are happening to her and her family. The police are also no where closer to finding Leo than they were last year.

I really enjoyed the beginning of this book and was drawn in quickly, wondering how things with Mack, Shelby, and Leo would play out. But it soon became apparent that this book was accuratly named - truly nothing really happened! And yet, there was too much going on. But the most confusing thing for me was that I couldn't decide if this book was trying to be a thriller or a cozy mystery? WIth the addition of the bumbling group of seniors creating a true crime podcast, this felt like it was all of a sudden trying to be a Thursday Murder Club wannabe, or something like that.

The many characters (who pretty much all sound the same - Shelby/Mack, Evan/Billie/other random dude characters...) and the lackluster police force (who need new jobs) and the senior podcasters all made the story kinda drag and didn't keep pace with the great beginning. And don't even get me started on the twist. I had to seriously suspend ALL disbelief when I got to this part. I don't want to be a part of this small town any more and I was glad this one was over. By far my least favorite Glass novels.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts.

Seraphine Nova Glass has delivered once again with Nothing Ever Happens Here, which is honestly no surprise! She's the queen of the ensemble cast - and this book is no exception. There are plenty of memorable characters to fall in love with, root for, and sometimes despise with a passion. With the plot-heavy action and edge of your seat suspense, it can be a bit difficult to keep up with all of the characters and their relationships to one another in the beginning stages of the book, but as stories start to intersect it becomes much easier to follow. Glass is a master at weaving threads throughout the story that you just know will all come together in the end to reveal a twisted web of secrets, which is exactly what she does in this novel. There's so many questions to be answered; who is the potential murderer on the loose wreaking havoc in evert corner of Shelby's life? What happened to Mack's missing husband Leo? And more importantly, why did he disappear on the same night that Shelby was assaulted and left for dead in Mack's cafe? My only qualm with this book was that the tension was so thick at times that I found myself holding my breath and silently cursing the police and any other character that was gaslighting/doubting Shelby's experiences, which is a pretty good qualm to have as it speaks to the intensity of the writing. I also personally enjoyed the banter and the antics of the Oleander's cheeky senior citizens, especially Florence! I enjoyed her character and her instinct to protect Shelby and the others. This was an overall great book, with all the ingredients you need to craft a bingeworthy thriller!

P.S.: Please let us leave half star reviews. Lol. 4 is not enough, but it's not quiiiiiiiite a 5. A solid 4.5 Stars from me!

3.5 stars.

While I enjoyed this, it definitely wasn’t my favorite by this author. She’s written some incredible thrillers but this one felt a little flat. Too many characters and a storyline that didn’t wholly interest me had me putting this book down more often than her others. I did truly love the oldies trying to solve this case with their podcast, they made my chuckle more than once so they were the saving grace for me.

I love small town books. I love hating husbands. I love wholesome cozy situations. This hit all the marks for me.

As the title suggests, nothing much is happening here…

Each chapter is narrated by a different person in the 1st person so it’s easy to forget which person is talking especially since most are unmemorable. Mack & Shelby are nearly interchangeable.

Nothing much happens in the middle of the book but there is a lot of filler with information that has no bearing on the story, Add in the most inept police force in history and the reader is forced to accept all the plot holes.

I did enjoy the older characters in the old age home and the idea they started a podcast. But the characterization is awful….really people in their 60s and 70s are more savvy than portrayed. The podcast angle is never fully explored.

This reads as a cozy but language is thrown in to prevent the book being pigeonholed into that category, which was jarring.

The beginning was promising and there were elements I enjoyed but ultimately this was a huge miss for me.

You can read all my reviews at Nerd Girl Loves Books.

This was a fun, entertaining mystery/thriller. The book is told from two POVs, Shelby the main female character and Florence, the elderly lady residing in the assisted living facility that Shelby runs. The book starts out with Shelby interrupting a burglary at her best friend Mack's business. The burglar locks Shelby in the freezer and she almost dies. On the same night, Mack's husband Leo disappears. The book then moves forward a year. Leo's disappearance is still a mystery and Mack discovered that Leo was cooking the books and the family is in serious debt. Things kick off when Shelby finds a threatening note on her car after leaving work at the assisted living facility for the day.

Mysterious things start happening to Shelby and is seems the burglar is back and threatening her friends and family. The police don't believe her so she investigates herself. The four main elderly residents of the assisted facility home are a hoot. They each have their own quirks, and bicker amongst themselves, but they love Shelby and want to help and protect her. Florence, the leader of the group, decides running a mystery/crime podcast will give her a hobby and help Shelby at the same time. Turns out, she's pretty good at it, and she starts making progress on solving the mystery.

The book is quick paced and has enough twists to keep you interested. The author does a great job making you wonder if Shelby is an unreliable narrator or not. I had two main suspects I suspected of being the culprit, and I liked that it took me awhile to figure out who it was. Shelby made several stupid decisions, some she kept repeating to her detriment, so that frustrated me, but it helped move the story along. The best part of the book was the dynamic between the four elderly residents. They added drama and comedy to the story and I could have read an entire book just about their shenanigans.

The book took a major swerve toward the end of the book that was quite the surprise. I'm still not sure how I feel about it, but I also kinda understand why it happened. It makes you think about how you and your friends would handle things if put in the same position.

This book is a quick and easy read. I read it in one afternoon. I liken the book to a cozy mystery until you get toward the end. If you're looking for a mystery to get lost in for a few hours, pick this one up.

I received a complimentary e-copy of this book from NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing/Graydon House. All opinions are my own.

Nothing Ever Happens Here is a thriller with a mix of mystery, suspense, and unexpected humor. The story follows Shelby Dawson, who survived a brutal attack, and her friend Mackenzie, whose husband vanished the same night.

The book starts strong, immediately pulling me in with the initial attack and aftermath. However, the middle drags on, making it harder to stay engaged - quite literally Nothing Happens. With multiple points of view and a large cast of characters, reading through sometimes felt confusing.

Overall, while not my favorite from this author, it was still an entertaining read. Despite some slow sections, the twists and humor kept me interested. I did find this to be more of a lighter, cozy mystery/thriller read. I will still plan to check out more of Seraphina Nova Glass’s books in the future!

Thank you to Seraphina Nova Glass, Harlequin Trade Publishing/Graydon House, and NetGalley for an eARC of Nothing Ever Happens Here!

3/5 Stars

This book took me quite a bit to get into. I think part of it was that one of the main characters referred to her 6 year old children as "babies." and the author made the kids seem so much younger than they actually were which was a small part of the story, but I had a really hard time letting it go!

Once the book got rolling, the mystery and cast of characters were actually pretty entertaining. I enjoyed that we had a group of elderly people investigating some crimes. They provided a lot of comedic relief during some of the more serious situations.

I thought the book moved at a good pace and there were enough crazy situations happening that I was hooked. I wanted to know what happened to the people who were dying and also who the culprit was. I was shocked when they were revealed, but after thinking back it did make sense.

Overall I did enjoy the book, but there were just a few things that I couldn't get past to give this a higher rating.

Seraphina Nova Glass is SUCH a great writer, and I've enjoyed every book of hers I've read, but this one may be my favorite. There were so many twists and turns wrapped up in this novel, and they unfolded so skillfully. I LOVED these characters, especially the community of older adults who stepped in to help solve the mysteries affecting those they love. I read a lot of psychological thrillers and mysteries full of twists, but this novel's characters truly made it stand out and serve as one of my favorites!

Thank you so much to netgalley and the publisher for the arc of this one in exchange for an honest review!

In a small Minnesota town during a brutal winter, a woman is attacked and her best friend’s husband goes missing. A year later, things are still going on and a group of people in the small town try to figure out what is going on.

I really enjoyed this book! I loved all of the characters in this one. We have a group of elderly who try to solve these mysteries and they’re really likeable. The rest of the characters are really likable as well.

I loved the winter setting as well. I think the cold and snow really helped to increase the stakes in this thriller. The twists were interesting and the mystery kept me engaged the whole time.

I listened to the audiobook of this one and really enjoyed it! I think the narrator was great and I would recommend.

Well, Nothing Ever Happens Here starts out with A LOT happening there. The beginning was intense involving a woman in a disturbing attack. I'm not sure I've read a book with that intense of a beginning. I was immediately intrigued but then it kind of went down hill from there. It seemed a new character was brought in each chapter making it hard to keep up with all of them. Multiple POV is great but I did have to go back and forth a few times to make the connections to the 3 FMCs. As the story progresses, you learn more about the possible suspect of the attack but it doesn't quite add up. Once the twist is revealed, I was underwhelmed and slightly confused.

This is my first book to read by Seaphina Nova Glass and I've seen it's different than her others. I will definitely give her books another shot because I enjoyed this one just enough.

If the original Scooby gang lived in a retirement home and started a podcast together to solve a small town murder mystery. Outstanding. One of my top surprise books of the year. I loved every minute.

Nothing Ever Happens Here by Seraphina Nova Glass
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Nothing ever happens in small towns. But one night a man goes missing and a woman is attacked and left to die in a small Minnesota town. Shelby survives the attack and lives in fear of her attacker finding her or her family again. Meanwhile Mackenzie cannot help to keep hoping her husband is alive out there somewhere, even though that would mean he left her.
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What I liked:
-This was a fast paced mystery that kept the secrets slowly revealing and the suspense simmering. I loved every minute of it.
-I adored our older community and their desire to help. The fact that they learned how to put together a popular podcast was applaud-worthy.
-I didn’t really see the end coming.
-I was seriously worried for one characters life multiple times! The tension was real.
-The audio was flawless, it kept me on the edge of my seat, anxious to know what happened next.
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4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ If you love fast paced and suspenseful mystery books then be sure to add Nothing Ever Happens Here to your read-list!

This was a 3.7 that I'm rounding up to 4 stars. I really like this author and that definitely influenced my thoughts on this book. I felt the first half dragged on quite a bit. It started off with a bang and then it was a bit of a slow burn till 60% where it took off again till the end. This isn't my favorite book by her, but I will still continue to read her books!! This is just my personal opinion, and I hope you will still give it a go!

NOTHING EVER HAPPENS HERE is a multi-perspective domestic thriller with a unique cast of characters, heightened tension, and fabulous twists. The author expertly weaves together the fear of the aftermath of a traumatic event and the emotions of dealing with a missing spouse, all while dealing with a group of elderly residents and their well-meaning antics.

What made this book so good was the way all three women’s stories were presented. Shelby, Mackenzie, and Florence each contributed something unique, facing their own challenges. However, when they overlapped in the timeline, this was where I was pulled in further. It is always more intriguing to me when one event is told from multiple perspectives, as it creates a richer, more complete picture.

I will tell you this. I have read a few books by the author, and none grabbed me as much as this one did. It had engaging characters that I instantly invested in, a compelling story, and a well-crafted build-up of suspense. NOTHING EVER HAPPENS HERE delivered for this reader.

Audiobook Note: Having this book narrated by three women—Brittany Pressley, Stacey Glemboski, and Petrea Burchard—allowed the listener to have a voice for the three points of view of this novel. The transition from character to character is seamless and pushes forward at a decent pace. If you are an audiobook listener and enjoy domestic thrillers, this is one to add to your to-read list.