Review: Too Close to Home by Seraphina Nova Glass

 

Too Close to Home by Seraphina Nova Glass

Publication Date: April 14th 2026 by Park Row Books & Harlequin Audio

Pages: 304

Audio Book Length: 7hrs 53 min

Narrator: Brittany Pressley, Rebecca Lowman, Karissa Vacker

Source: Publishers

Rating: ★★★★½

Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Libro.fm | Audible | Goodreads

My Thoughts:

Three friends, Regan, Sasha, and Andi, live in the affluent, picture-perfect community of Cloverhill Lakes. On the surface, it’s all charm and privilege, until Regan’s car explodes during the neighborhood’s annual Labor Day party. Thankfully, she isn’t inside, but the blast shatters the illusion of safety, and from that moment on, everything spirals.

 

Regan is already barely holding it together, numbing her grief over her husband’s death with prescription pills. When she spots him alive, just for a moment, from a distance, her world tilts again. Sasha is juggling her own troubles, including her son Drew’s increasingly unsettling behavior and secrets she’d rather keep buried. And Andi is forced to deal with her ex-husband’s new wife, Tia, who is such a nightmare I wanted to strangle her myself!

 

Too Close to Home opens with a bang, literally, and never lets up! The short, cliffhanger chapters rotate between Andi, Regan, and Sasha. I was riveted as each new thread was revealed, on edge for what it meant for each of the women!  It all builds to a danger-packed, thrilling conclusion that delivers!

 

I alternated between reading and listening to the audiobook, and the narration elevated my experience. Rebecca Lowman (Andi), Brittany Pressley (Regan), and Karissa Vacker (Sasha) each bring a distinct voice and emotional tone to their characters. All three narrators shine, making the women, and secondary characters, feel fully alive.

4.5 Stars

Book Description:

The two-time Edgar Award–nominated author of ON A QUIET STREET and THE VACANCY IN ROOM 10, Seraphina Nova Glass, is back with TOO CLOSE TO HOME

Nothing in this idyllic community is quite what it seems…

Those lucky enough to live in the elite lakefront community of Cloverhill Lakes are drawn to it for its safety and top-notch school district. The moms meet for coffee at the park while their kids play, they’re heavily involved in the PTA, and the summers are filled with chardonnay, brunch, sundresses, and backyard bonfires.

But everything changes when Regan Hoffman’s car explodes at the annual Labor Day party. The wrong person is killed, but it was meant for her. As the carefully crafted walls of her community begin to crumble, Regan tries to keep it together—something made infinitely harder when she sees her dead husband…alive.

When a Cloverhill Lakes resident suddenly goes missing, dark secrets begin to surface from underneath the idyllic veneer of their beautiful community—and the truth threatens to destroy them all as Regan finds herself in a fight for her life.

Audiobook Review: The Swamps by Seraphina Nova Glass

 

The Swamps by Seraphina Nova Glass

Publication Date: January 27th 2026 by Podium Audio

Pages: 200

Audio Book Length: 3hrs 54min

Narrators: Brittany Pressley & Karissa Vacker

Source: Publisher

Rating: ★★★★

Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Libro.fm | Audible | Goodreads

My Thoughts:

Macy and Ethan are covering the disappearances of two women who went missing in the swamps of Louisiana. Their YouTube channel is gaining traction, and they have a meeting with execs to possibly turn their show into a Netflix series, so the pressure is on. However, as soon as they arrive at their rental cabin things seem off. First of all, the cabin is nothing like the listing pictured and saying the rental owners are on the strange side is an understatement. Macy wants to leave, but Ethan thinks the whole thing works for the vibe they’re going for in the show.

Tasha and Max, Macy’s best friend, and her husband who takes care of the sound production, are along for the trip, as well. There’s some tension there.

The Swamps with a fast, fun thriller with an atmospheric, creepy setting! Things go off the rails quickly! I was hooked from the start and enjoyed how it all played out. I did not see that twist last coming!

Two of my favorite narrators Brittany Pressley as Macy and Karissa Vacker as Tasha performed their parts brilliantly, as usual!

4 Stars

Book Description:

Some disappearances are tragedies. Others are warnings.

Macy and Ethan built their careers chasing the unknown, turning their YouTube channel, Ghost Patrol, into a viral sensation as they investigated the paranormal. But when they venture into the murky depths of the Louisiana bayou to investigate the disappearances of Emily Tremblay and Elizabeth Brockton alongside team members Tasha and Max, their latest case takes a lethal turn.

What begins as a routine hunt for answers quickly spirals into something far more sinister. Shadows move where they shouldn't. Secrets surface where none should exist. And when Macy stumbles upon a horrifying truth, she realizes they were never just hunting a story; they were lured here for a reason. As the swamp closes in and the line between hunter and hunted blurs, one thing becomes terrifyingly some secrets are better left buried.

Review: Nothing Ever Happens Here by Seraphina Nova Glass

 

Nothing Every Happens Here by Seraphina Nova Glass

Publication Date: February 11th 2025 by Graydon House & Harlequin Audio

Pages: 304

Audio Book Length: 9 hrs 33 min

Narrator: Brittany Pressley, Stacey Glemboski, Petrea Buchard

Source: Publishers

Rating: ★★★★

Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Harper Collins | Libro.fm | Audible | Bookshop.org

My Thoughts:

Shelby comes back to Mackenzie’s diner at the wrong time and interrupts a theft in progress. She ends up narrowly surviving the night. Things are relatively quiet for the next fifteen months, and Shelby tries to move on with her life. However, it seems the attacker isn’t finished with her.

 

The night of the attack, Mackenzie’s husband, Leo, goes missing, too leading some to theorize Leo was the attacker. As if his disappearance isn’t enough to deal with, Mackenzie finds out that Leo spent all the savings and was in debt, devastating her finances. She doesn’t know what to think.

 

Florance is a resident at the senior center Shelby manages. When a friend claims her husband didn’t die of natural causes, but was murdered, Florance decides to look into it which ends up being connected to Shelby’s case.

 

I did find Shelby’s actions to be a little frustrating in places. After being attacked and all the things going on, she plowed on without thinking things through. I also wondered why Mackenzie and Shelby weren’t a little more forthcoming with each other, especially since they were close friends.

 

Still, it was an entertaining mystery, fast paced and kept me guessing!

I alternately read and listened to an audio and can recommend either version. Stacey Glemboski is a new to me narrator, but I’ve listened to both Brittany Pressley and Petrea Buchard in that past and enjoyed all three narrators. It was nice to have a different voice for each of the POVs. They fit the personality of each character and sounded age appropriate. 

4 Stars

Book Description:

“A charming cast of characters, a twisty mystery, and a diabolical killer make Nothing Ever Happens Here impossible to put down. A riveting page-turner with a sly sense of humor.” —Robyn Harding, internationally bestselling author of The Haters

Nothing ever happens in small towns…

When Shelby Dawson survives a harrowing attack that should have left her dead, she tries to move past it—for herself, and for her family. Fifteen months later, with the help of her best friend, Mackenzie, she finally feels safe again in the snowy Minnesota town she calls home. But when an anonymous note appears on her windshield bearing the same threats her attacker made, Shelby realizes that her nightmare has only just begun.

As new evidence surfaces, and a group of well-meaning senior citizens accidentally makes the case go viral online, the situation quickly goes from bad to worse. And with suspicious accidents targeting those closest to her happening all over town, Shelby can’t shake the feeling that she’s being watched. Fighting to stay one step ahead of disaster, she finds herself asking the question on everyone’s lips: Who attacked her that night?

But Shelby isn’t the only one with questions. Mackenzie’s husband, Leo, vanished without a trace on that terrible night, and over a year later, no one knows why. Until a deep dive into his finances reveals a history of debts, mismanaged funds, and hidden accounts—one of which is still active. Their suspicion that Leo is still alive only complicates things further, though, and when another person connected to Shelby goes missing, she’s caught in a race against time before her attacker becomes a killer.

Photo credit: Bryan Chatlein

About the Author: 

Seraphina Nova Glass is an assistant professor of instruction and playwright in residence at the University of Texas, Arlington, where she teaches film studies and playwriting. Her novel On A Quiet Street was nominated for an Edgar Award, was a New York Times Summer Read, an Amazon Bestseller and Editor’s Pick, and also featured in the Boston Globe and Bustle. Publishers Weekly has named her “a writer to watch.” She’s also an award-winning playwright and holds an MFA degree in dramatic writing from Smith College and a second MFA in directing from the University of Idaho. She is a proud dog mom and loves to travel the world with her husband. She resides in Dallas, Texas.

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