One of my goals this year is to help you spend less time wondering what to read next and more time actually reading.

Every Tuesday on Instagram, I share a roundup of books hitting shelves that day. But over here, we get to answer the real question: Should you read it or skip it?

This week's stack was a reminder of just how many directions speculative fiction, horror, and thrillers can take you. We’ve got a wellness retreat that feels one bad decision away from becoming a cult documentary, a Peter Pan retelling that may permanently ruin Neverland for you, a time-travel story that had me both crying and questioning the nature of existence, and a thriller-horror that absolutely steamrolled its way onto my list of favorite books of the year.

As always, these are just my personal reactions. A book that didn't work for me might end up being your next five-star read, and a book I loved may not land the same way for everyone else. That's the fun part of reading.

So let's sort through this week's new releases and figure out which books earned a spot on your TBR and which ones deserve a pass.

🩺 Obstetrix

Read or Skip: SKIP

Rating: 3 stars

This is one of those books where I loved the premise more than the execution.

The story follows an OB-GYN who has recently stood trial for performing an abortion in a state with an abortion ban. Just as she's beginning to put her life back together, she's kidnapped by a religious community and forced to provide medical care to the women living there.

That's an incredible setup, and the subject matter feels especially relevant right now.

What worked for me was the tension. Once Liz arrives at the compound, the story becomes genuinely stressful. The pacing moves quickly, the stakes are clear, and there was never a point where I felt bored. This is a relatively short novel, and it keeps the pressure on throughout.

Where it lost me was the emotional depth.

Liz has been through two incredibly traumatic experiences: a highly publicized trial and a kidnapping. Yet she felt surprisingly well-adjusted throughout much of the story. I kept wanting the book to spend more time exploring the psychological aftermath of everything she'd endured.

I also would have loved to see the political and social commentary pushed further. The novel touches on some fascinating ideas surrounding reproductive healthcare, bodily autonomy, and religious extremism, but never digs quite as deeply as I wanted it to.

Final thought: The premise is timely, the pacing is strong, and the tension absolutely works. But if you're hoping for a deeper exploration of the themes it raises, you may find yourself wanting a little more by the end.

🌲 The Break-Up Retreat

Read or Skip: READ

Rating: 4.5 stars

An isolated wellness retreat in the Swedish woods. A founder who feels equal parts therapist and cult leader. An undercover journalist trying to uncover the truth behind a string of disappearances.

Say less.

Camilla Sten took a premise I already love and somehow made it feel fresh. The atmosphere is doing a lot of heavy lifting here. The entire book feels claustrophobic despite being set in the middle of a forest, and there’s a constant sense that something is wrong long before anyone can prove it.

The first half leans heavily into psychological suspense. The second half shifts into full popcorn-thriller territory with twists, reveals, and plenty of "just one more chapter" energy. I flew through the final hundred pages.

I also loved the mixed-media elements, the suspicious cast of characters, and Isobel as a narrator. She's complicated, messy, and exactly the kind of character I enjoy spending a few hundred pages with.

Final thought: If you love isolated settings, cult vibes, suspicious characters, and thrillers that steadily crank up the paranoia, this is an easy recommendation.

🪝 It Came From Neverland

Read or Skip: READ

Rating: 4.5 stars

The moment I saw "Peter Pan meets Stephen King's IT," I knew I was going to read this book.

The good news? It absolutely delivers on that promise.

Set against the backdrop of World War I London, this horror retelling takes everything familiar about Peter Pan and twists it into something genuinely unsettling. The wonder is still there, but it's layered beneath grief, trauma, and a growing sense of dread.

Wendy was easily my favorite part of the story. Years after escaping Peter's grasp, she's still carrying the scars of what happened to her, and now she's forced to confront the nightmare all over again. Her emotional journey gives the story real weight beyond the horror elements.

What I loved most, though, was how the book forces you to reconsider a character we've spent generations viewing as magical and innocent. This version of Peter Pan is something else entirely.

Final thought: If you enjoy dark fairy-tale retellings, atmospheric horror, and stories that take beloved childhood classics and break them in fascinating ways, put this one on your summer reading list.

⏳ The Traveler

Read or Skip: READ

Rating: 4 stars

Every once in a while, I finish a book and immediately struggle to explain it.

The Traveler is one of those books.

At its core, it's the story of a father who begins involuntarily jumping forward through time. One day. Then two. Then four. Then years. While Scott is losing pieces of his life in an instant, his son Lyle is growing up without him and dedicating his life to understanding what's happening.

Yes, this is science fiction, but it's also a family saga, a meditation on time, and one of the more thought-provoking books I've read this year.

What impressed me most was how seamlessly it blended deeply personal stakes with massive existential questions. One chapter had me emotional over a father-son relationship. The next had me contemplating humanity's future and our place in the universe.

The second half becomes much more abstract and philosophical, which I suspect will be divisive. For me, it worked. I found it moving, ambitious, and surprisingly emotional.

Final thought: If you loved the emotional heart of The Time Traveler's Wife, the scope of Interstellar, or the high-concept ideas of Dark Matter, this one is worth your attention.

🚔 Headlights

Read or Skip: READ IMMEDIATELY

Rating: 5 stars

This is one of my favorite books of 2026.

I went into Headlights expecting a thriller-horror. What I got was part police procedural, part supernatural mystery, part meditation on grief, and one of the most memorable reading experiences I've had all year.

The story follows a deeply traumatized FBI agent pulled back into a horrific case that turns out to be far bigger than anyone realizes. The less you know going in, the better, because this book takes several turns I never saw coming.

What starts as an addictive mystery eventually evolves into something much larger. It's a story about grief. About survival. About the darkness people carry with them. About the things we refuse to let go.

Colorado itself feels like a character. The Stephen King influences are obvious in the best possible way. And there are scenes from this book that I genuinely don't think I'll forget anytime soon.

Final thought: If you love Later, Odd Thomas, Red Dragon, or thriller-horror novels that have something meaningful to say beneath the scares, put this at the top of your TBR immediately.

And that's a wrap on this week's new releases.

If you're looking for my biggest recommendation, it's Headlights without question. If horror isn't your thing, I'd point you toward The Traveler for a thoughtful, emotional science fiction story that will leave you staring into space for a while after you finish it. And if you're in the mood for a page-turner, both The Break-Up Retreat and It Came From Neverland deliver plenty of tension and late-night "just one more chapter" energy.

There are also several other releases hitting shelves this week that I'm excited to get to, including Harvest Season and Light Wielder, two sequels I've been eagerly anticipating.

As always, I'd love to hear from you: Which new release is at the top of your TBR this week?