This was my FAVORITE Seraphina novel yet! She is already a must -read author for me and this book was different than all her others and I loved every single minute of it. MUST READ!!!

This book was just ok for me. It centers primarily on Shelby and Mack, the first who survived an attack on her life from an unknown assailant and the latter her best friend whose husband mysteriously disappears at the same time. Shelby works at an assisted care facility and we also get chapters from the residents there who want to help solve the mystery.

My primary issue with the story is that I didn’t think that Shelby’s and Mack’s characters had different voices. I constantly forgot whose chapter I was reading because they seemed the same. I wish we could’ve gotten a little more background story on both so they were more distinctive characters. While I did like the elderly residents who were trying to solve the mystery, sometimes there felt like too many to keep straight and I also had to keep reminding myself who was who. The mystery itself was good and I did not see the ending coming. I was satisfied with the ending and felt like it worked with the rest of the story.

Overall, this was an ok read for me but the sheer amount of characters and lack of distinctive voices took away from my enjoyment a bit. Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

📚 Book Review: Nothing Ever Happens Here by Seraphina Nova Glass 📚

If you're looking for a quick, twisty, and thoroughly entertaining thriller, Nothing Ever Happens Here by Seraphina Nova Glass is a must-read. Glass is an author I can always count on for fun and engaging thrillers, and this one kicks off with a bang. I was hooked from the very beginning!

The story opens with an action-packed start, pulling you right into the mystery. While there was a bit of a lull after the initial excitement, the twists kept twisting, and I found myself guessing until the very end. It’s one of those books that keeps you on your toes without feeling overly complicated—a perfect mix for a binge-worthy read.

What really stole the show for me were the "oldies-but-goodies" playing novice detectives. I absolutely adored Flo and Herb, and I’m pretty sure Millie would be the life of any girls' night out. Their dynamic brought such charm to the story, adding a lighthearted and fun element to the otherwise suspenseful plot.

Nothing Ever Happens Here feels like the love child of Only Murders in the Building and a classic cozy mystery. It’s the perfect palette cleanser when you need something quick, addictive, and just plain fun. I’d absolutely recommend it to friends, especially those who love a bit of amateur sleuthing with a side of sass and heart.

⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ (3.5/5 stars)

Many thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for providing an Advanced Reader's Copy of this book. If you like light thrillers with charming characters and unexpected twists, definitely give this one a try!

Shelby is attacked and left for dead. She survives but has no idea who her attacker is. A group of senior citizens start a podcast and attempt to help investigate.

This book hooked me immediately. And then there were too many characters and POV switches for me to follow. By the end, I didn't really care who the bad guy was. I'm disappointed because I love books set in Minnesota.

❄️𝔸ℝℂ ℝ𝕖𝕧𝕚𝕖𝕨❄️

📖: Nothing Ever Happens Here by Seraphina Nova Glass
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️{4}

I was in desperate need of a thriller palate cleanser and this one definitely scratched the itch! The old people in this book are everythingggg, they really cracked me up 🤣 definitely gave Only Murders in the Building vibes a little with them lol. This one starts with Shelby’s POV as she witnesses something nefarious in her friend’s store and then gets locked in a walk-in freezer by the mysterious culprit, but lives to tell the tale. You get multiple POV in this one, which I loved. And as more people begin dying and Shelby is continually terrorized by her mystery attacker, the gang teams up to try to figure out who is behind it all. I definitely did not guess the killer correctly and did NOT see that ending coming. Thoroughly enjoyed this fast-paced thriller.

𝓡𝓮𝓪𝓭 𝓲𝓯 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝓵𝓸𝓿𝓮:
❄️ thrillers
❄️ murder mysteries
❄️ multiple pov
❄️ only murders in the building
❄️ small town

𝚃𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚔 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚊𝚞𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚛, 𝙷𝚊𝚛𝚕𝚎𝚚𝚞𝚒𝚗 𝚃𝚛𝚊𝚍𝚎 𝙿𝚞𝚋𝚕𝚒𝚜𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐, 𝙶𝚛𝚊𝚢𝚍𝚘𝚗 𝙷𝚘𝚞𝚜𝚎, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝙽𝚎𝚝𝚐𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚎𝚢 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚊 𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝙰𝚁𝙲. 𝙰𝚕𝚕 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚘𝚙𝚒𝚗𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚛𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚎𝚠 𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚛𝚎𝚕𝚢 𝚖𝚢 𝚘𝚠𝚗.

The book opens with Shelby Dawson stopping at the cafe she owns to grab her daughter's stuffed animal. She stumbles upon a break in of sorts and is left to die. Her BFF Mackenzie (Mack) has an uneasy feeling and Shelby is saved. Mack's husband, Leo, disappears the same night and she is left wondering what happened to him. Fifteen months later, a newscaster brings up Shelby's story and someone comes forward with some video footage. Suddenly, Shelby is receiving threats and she is once again attacked. Leo is still missing and Mack doesn't know if he ran off or if something happened to him. When she finds paperwork in their basement she realizes that he was keeping a lot of secrets from her. Did he have anything to do with what happened to Shelby? Shelby and Mack are working at the Oleander Retirement Home and several of the residents want to help solve the mystery of what happened to Shelby? Who is wreaking havoc now? and What happened to Leo? Hijacking one of the residents literary podcasts, they begin to post about their search for the truth. Once this happened, the threats to Shelby heat up. Will they solve the mystery or will Shelby end up dead like someone had planned 15 months earlier?

The story is told from three POVs, Shelby, Mack and Florence, one of the residents. Although the beginning is chilling and I was expecting an edge of your seat thriller, it was more of a mystery with a few twisty attacks along the way. Detective Riley doesn't believe Shelby or Florence when they come to him with information, and that almost causes someone to die. They are fluffed off as either too old or hysterical, unfortunately a bit too real today for my liking. I loved the seniors getting involved in this story. They were smarter than they were given credit for and were able to intuit some things that helped solve the case. I have to mention Gus. Shelby found the pup in her basement and ended up giving him to one of the residents at Oleander. He was a great support when there were some difficult issues. I was sure I had it all figured out, but of course, I was wrong. The ending was a bit quick, but fit what had happened in the story, and really made me think. A bit of a moral dilemma for sure. Overall, I enjoyed this story and the characters were great.

DNF @ 55%. I absolutely love this author. The writing style is always easy to follow, the multiple POVs and the constant twists at the end of each chapters are great. This book however seemed a little too unrealistic for me and I lost interest quick about halfway through. I would recommend this book for someone new to the thriller genre, not someone who consistently reads thrillers. Again, I love this author and their books. This one just wasn’t for me.

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

A series of crimes, missing people, and murders in a small community bring the citizens together to both accuse each other and ferret out the guilty.

I really enjoyed *Nothing Ever Happens Here*. The story kept me hooked from start to finish with its twists and turns. The main character was interesting, and I liked how the secrets in her life slowly started to unfold. The writing was easy to follow, and the pacing was just right. While the twists weren’t completely shocking, they were still satisfying. It’s a solid psychological thriller with a good mix of suspense and mystery. I definitely recommend it to fans of the genre.

Seraphina Nova Glass delivers a captivating thriller where the quiet life of a small town shatters under a looming threat, pulling you into its gripping tension right from the start. Shelby Dawson, still recovering from a violent attack, tries to move on with her life, but an ominous message on her car brings back her worst fears. As danger closes in, the town once known for its peacefulness turns into a hub of uncertainty and peril. What makes this story truly engaging is its unlikely group of heroes—a band of senior citizens who become unexpected detectives. Their lighthearted but determined approach adds a refreshing and fun twist to the otherwise tense atmosphere. Their viral podcast pulls them into the center of the action, and suddenly, they are not just background characters but key players in uncovering the truth. Shelby’s bond with her best friend Mackenzie feels genuine, but it’s the seniors, especially the fearless Florence, who bring both humor and heart to the story. With plenty of twists and turns, this is a suspenseful and unpredictable tale filled with memorable characters and a plot that keeps you guessing. For anyone who enjoys thrillers packed with unexpected alliances, small-town unease, and clever surprises, this book is a must-read. Really enjoyed this one I just wish it was longer.

3.5 ⭐️for story but 5 ⭐️for characters. I wish this was a thing because while the story didn’t rock my socks, the narration and great characters made me just love it. Seraphina is always winning with her audiobooks. She writes the best group of characters every time!! I love the multi POVs and the group living setting in her books.

The makings of a good thriller (especially with there being SO many out there right now) are not to be found here. The whimsicality of the senior citizens was a great touch, but everything else just fell very flat. The other protagonists were just eh, and the end made me roll my eyes. Too slow for something that should be fast-paced.

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.