There are a lot of layers in this story, characters who have a lot going on, and "The Gang" is a fun group of seniors with a podcast. I liked most of the mystery. It's a bit of a slow burn because there are actually two mysteries -- Leo's disappearance and Shelby's attack -- and despite people close to Shelby also being attacked, there isn't a lot going on, so you have to be patient.

My biggest problem with the story was the offensive way the author wrote her bumbling, inept police. (I have a close loved one who is a cop.) If she'd done it with humor, it would've been a decent plot for a cozy and been much less irritating. But because there were so many crimes happening and multiple mystery angles, it was quite disparaging that they couldn't handle a single aspect of any of them.

The twist is decent, which I didn't see coming, and there is some humor peppered throughout. The strong female characters are also good, but I think it could've benefitted from more editing.

Nothing ever happens here

Nothing ever happens in small towns…

Shelby Dawson survives a harrowing attack that should have left her dead and Mackenzie’s husband, Leo, vanished without a trace on the same terrible night. As new evidence surfaces, a group of well-meaning senior citizens accidentally makes the case go viral online people start to die. At the beginning of the book, I wasn’t so sure. I didn’t love the intro, but I enjoyed this author in the past and was intrigued by the story line. I wanted to know what happened to Leo and who attached Shelby and how it was all connected. The story is told in 3 POV: Shelby, Mac and Flora and the audio book narrators did a fantastic job making the story come alive. The gang was my favorite part of the story. Florence was the star of the show in my opinion. I always enjoy a story that has a podcast, and the senior citizens show is something I would listen to in real life. They brought some humor to this book which I felt helped balance it out. This dark, cold ambiance is a perfect setting for this tense and twisty suspense. I had no idea who to trust, what to look for, and I was surprised with the whodunit! This would be a great snow day read.

Thank you, Net Galley, the author, and the publisher, for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you so much to @htp_hive and @harlequin_audio for the gifted copy/ALC!

𝗧𝗶𝘁𝗹𝗲: Nothing Ever Happens Here
𝗔𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿: Seraphina Nova Glass
𝗡𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀: Brittany Pressley; Stacey Glemboski; Petrea Burchard
𝗣𝘂𝗯 𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗲: February 11, 2025
4⭐️

🔹 𝙈𝙮 𝙏𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙨 🔹
This was my first read of Seraphina Nova Glass and it won’t be my last! This was a solid suspenseful small town mystery, that keeps things interesting with the multiple POVs, and interesting side characters. One of my favorite side characters is a group of senior citizens who have no filter!

Shelby survives an attack on the same night that her best friend Mack’s husband Leo disappears. The story’s present takes place 15 months after this, when a mysterious note appears and the threats to Shelby seem to come back.

Set in a small town, the characters all have connections to each other going back a while. The mysterious disappearance of Leo gives a questionable vibe throughout the story of if he had something to do with Shelby’s attack, or if it’s all a coincidence.

I did not guess the ending to the book or the bad guy! I look forward to reading more books by this author!

🎧 𝙉𝙖𝙧𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 🎧
Brittany Pressley, Stacey Glemboski, and Petrea Burchard did a great job narrating this suspenseful small town mystery! I enjoyed the narrator change for Florence, as she was the main senior citizen determined to solve the local mystery! The audio was easy to understand and speed up as needed!

🎧 𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙞𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚:
🔹 Mysterious Attacks
🔹 Missing Person
🔹 Elderly Crime Sleuths
🔹 Unexpected Twists

3.5⭐

This was my first Seraphina Nova Glass book and I really enjoyed it.. There were three different narrators used for this audiobook which was nice, but it took me a while to figure out who was who due to the different voices.

Thank you Netgalley for letting me listen to this Audio ARC.

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.

Florence is a resident at the senior center Shelby manages. When a friend claims her husband didn’t die of natural causes, but was murdered, Florence 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.

Shelby and Mackenzie are long-time friends who are changed forever when Shelby is attacked inside Mackenzie's coffee shop and left for dead. Neither woman can figure out who was behind the attack. Mackenzie's husband Leo goes missing, leaving Mackenzie to wonder if she really knows the man she married. Later, as new evidence emerges pertaining to Shelby's attack, a group of well-meaning senior citizens take the initiative to do some of their own investigating. But when suspicious accidents begin happening to Shelby's loved ones, she can't help but feel she's being watched as she looks for answers.

This is definitely more of a cozy mystery versus a high stakes dark mystery, which isn't necessarily a negative, just wasn't my cup of tea. There was some humor and some ditsy characters that had silly lines of dialogue. I enjoyed the switching POVs in this book. I think it added some depth to the story. Though I sometimes had trouble keeping the characters straight. The writing style overall was fairly simple and straightforward and the pacing was pretty good. There were twists and nuggets of information sprinkled throughout so I didn't feel bored. Overall, a solid book if you're into more of a relaxed cozy mystery with a hint of darkness.

Thank you Harlequin Audio for providing this audiobook for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

My first Seraphina Nova Glass book. It caught my attention right off with that opening scene. There wasn’t a lot of down time and the characters seemed well and realistically written. There were a lot of great reveals that didn’t just fly up out of nowhere.

I loved Saraphina Nova Glass' prior books and was so excited to get my hands on this one. It did not let me down. It was dark, twisty perfection!

Shelby and MacKenzie are close friends. One night Shelby is leaving Mac's cafe/coffee shop with her twins and Mac is closing up. Shelby realizes one of the twins left their stuffy inside and Mac sends her back in, asks her just to lock up and she leaves. Shelby ends up encountering an intruder inside, is attacked and left for dead.

Mac helps her to work toward moving past it. Shelby finally starts to feel somewhat safe again when she finds a note on her car. It contains the same threat her attacker made that night. Her nightmare isn't over.

Oddly, Mac's husband Leo went missing the night Shelby was attacked. Many believe him to be the attacker. Mac doesn't want to believe it. But as money starts to become an issue and she starts loking deeper into their finances, she realizes Leo had not been truthful with her about their finances, and possibly so much more.

The stars of this book, however, were the senior citizens who reside in the center run by Shelby and owned by Leo. Their podcast and investigation were so entertaining. I adored every single one of them.

Narration by Brittany Pressley, Stacey Glemboski and Petrea Burchard was spot on. You become a part of the story through their narration and it makes you so invested!

This one will have you on the edge of your seat until the end.

Thanks to NetGalley, Harlequin Audio for an ALC and Graydon House for the eARC

It's been over a year since Shelbi almost died at the hands of a man she didn't know, and Mack's husband Leo disappeared. They're trying to put their lives back together in their small Minnesota town. Then, a letter threatens Shelbi, and Mack realizes that Leo may not be dead after all.

This was a wonderful popcorn thriller with a great cast of characters and a lot of action. The audio was especially good.

The beginning of this book was extremely captivating. I absolutely loved the first couple of chapters and was really intrigued to how the story would play out for Mack, Shelby, and Leo. Then the senior living facility characters were introduced, and that is where I got lost. Which, was kind of strange because the seniors were by far the most likeable characters in this book, but their whole plot line was just a little unbelievable and a bit silly for me. The podcast element just didn't really make sense for an older man to host a podcast via a failing senior living facility, to be honest. And then for it to garner attention just like that for a small town mystery after being a literary podcast? I'm not sure about that. Had they just gotten real intrigued about this mystery and wanting to help their friend, Shelby, that would have made sense. Kind of like Thursday Murder Club vibes.

This book was not satisfying for me and did not keep the pace that the beginning had set. I felt like there were a lot of plot holes, the twist was not my favorite, the ending was just silly and also didn't make sense to the small amount of character development we got, and for taking place in a small town, nothing added up.

What a fun thriller! I loved it. It kept me riveted and the audio was so good! The best surprise! A group of senior citizens, led by the fantastic Florence, help solve the mystery and the murders.
It begins with Shelby violently attacked and left for dead. Mac wakes up to a missing husband, who may or may not be connected to Shelby’s attack. A year later, the murders begin again.
Shelby, Mac and the senior citizens play detectives and get into a lot of risky situations! The bonds that they formed with each other felt so real and the writing made the memorable characters come to life!
There were a ton of twists that I did not figure out at all!
Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for this fantastic thriller!

The beginning immediately pulled me in and had me intrigued and I love Brittany Presley as a narrator so I was excited when I heard her. But the story really fell flat. I just couldn’t stay invested. Not much happened. Also there were just too many characters and they all blended to me. I wanted more character development and more plot. The narration was well done and they tried to act out each parts well. But I just didn’t love the story.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the opportunity to listen to this ARC audiobook. 4.5 stars rounded up. I loved this story - the elderly characters were endearing and funny, the mystery kept me captivated to the very end, and I loved the ending! I’d definitely recommend this one to others. Give it a try!

Nothing Ever Happens Here
Seraphina Nova Glass
Pub: 2/11/25
4☆

I love stories set in MN and this cozy mystery/twisty tale was just what I was in the mood for. It drew me in right away, kept me thoroughly entertained, and had me guessing to the very end. I’m a sucker for feisty senior characters and I loved that it was their determination that caused the case to go viral. I thought I figured out who the villain was, and will happily admit I was totally wrong. This was my first read by Seraphina and I look forward to more.

What I enjoyed;
✨ MN Setting
✨ Popcorn Thriller
✨ Cozy Mystery
✨ Domestic Suspense
✨ Multiple POV
✨ The Oleander Gang

I alternated between reading with my eyes and ears (mostly listening). When I saw this was a full cast audio AND Brittany Pressley was a one of the narrators, I was all in for the listen and it did not disappoint. Pressley, Stacey Glemboski, and Petrea Burchard did an amzing job bringing Shelby, Mackenzie, and Florence’s characters to life.

Thank you so much to HTP Books and Harlequin Audio for the gifted copies.

Nothing Ever Happens Here by Seraphina Nova Glass is a fast paced mystery that keeps hooked until the end. I thoroughly enjoyed the book even though I am not sure it completely realistic. But, I wasn’t reading the book for its realism. I was reading the book for the mystery and it did not disappoint. I loved the ending and was so happy it was not the perosn I suspected. My only complaint would be that there was a lot of cussing. If that doesn’t bother you, then I highly recommend it!

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Audio for an audio ARC! This does not impact my review. I was hooked on the book from the very beginning and it kept me engaged and invested until the end

I liked this one. I actually really enjoyed the senior citizen aspect to the book because their characters were making me laugh left and right! I absolutely didn’t see the ending coming either. And once I was in the midst of the conflict, I really wasn’t sure what was going to happen. A lot of things from the beginning wrapped back around really seamlessly.

The pacing was a little slow at times and the multitude of characters was hard to keep up with sometimes, but I did really enjoy the characters in this book and the narrators did an amazing job.

This book was so anticipated but there was something about the author's writing style that just didn't connect with me. It was very intense but also sometimes slow. It just seemed to be a strange mix of writing to me.

Thanks to Netgally and the publisher for an advanced copy of the audio book in exchange for an honest review!
Shelby Dawson survives an attack on the sane day her best friend's husband goes missing. Waa Leo the one that attacked Shelby? Is he still somehow trying to kill her and her family without being seen in the town he disappeared from?
I really enjoyed this audio book. I loved that there were 3 different narrators (Shelby, Florence and Mac). It always helps me keep the story straight when an audio book has a different voice for each perspective that tells the story. I loved Florence and her gang of detectives/Podcasters trying to solve the crimes. This wasn't an edge of your sear thriller for me, but I thoroughly enjoyed the story and would definitely recommend it!

While I absolutely loved the narrators the book fell way short for me. I did not enjoy it at all. I do think the two narrators did an exceptional job. The story was just not for me.

I found the main character/characters to be boring. The plot was awful and the use of language in parts was atrocious. It just didn't do anything for me. I'm so so sorry.

Thank you NetGalley for this arc.

I did a spotlight on my blog and on Instagram for this book.