Kristin's Bookshelf

The New Girl
Juniper Springs Series
By A.J. Rivers
Narrated by Tiffany Vanlandingham
⭐⭐⭐⭐✨

This was my second installment of the Juniper Springs series and I really enjoyed it.

Gonna admit, I was a little nervous a couple pages in when NONE of the characters I had come to love from book 1 made an appearance, but I kept going and eventually they started to resurface. Yay! While this can technically be read as a standalone, I definitely think reading book 1 first makes the experience so much better because you already have that connection to the town and recurring characters.

I really liked the introduction of Carrie and her developing relationship with Ryan. Poor Carrie had the absolute worst welcome back to Juniper Springs imaginable. Flat tire, dead body in a dumpster, creepy stalker hanging around her porch… girl barely had time to unpack before chaos started knocking. The pacing kept me engaged and I enjoyed the balance between the mystery, suspense, and relationship development.

Tiffany Vanlandingham also did a lovely job with the narration. She brought a natural emotional depth to Carrie that made her easy to connect with, especially during the more tense and vulnerable moments. I also appreciated how clearly she differentiated characters without making the performances feel overdone or distracting. Her delivery flowed smoothly and kept the suspense building in all the right places.