4.5* Rounded Up
I'm a mood reader, so I fall into the trap of getting books that sound good at the time but can't always read them right away. I happened to be in need of a new book to read while at a long appointment and I was offered an e-ARC of this book at that moment. I started it immediately and it was exactly what I was needing. There is nothing I love more than getting into a book quickly and downing it!

I loved that this book was set in Detroit because all of the references took me back (I grew up across the river in Canada): Lions, Tigers, Mile Roads, Wayne State University. Alas, there was no "channel 9" ;) The celebrity TV meteorologist made me smirk as there was a Detroit weatherman who was like a local celebrity when I was a kid. Years later I met someone 2,000 miles away who was from the Detroit burbs and his aunt had a huge crush on this weatherman! So this is not a far-fetched storyline in that regard. None of the characters were all that likable for me, but I realized quickly they weren't meant to be as the story was a whodunnit to solve the murder of Faith. Some might find Carol's character far-fetched, but I really do believe there are people that get a little too attached to their local news station personalities :P Maybe not to the extent they'd have a shrine in their homes...no seriously...and yet...! Knowing there was a stalker character, I assumed it was Carol until we quickly met Stalker Steve.

This book held my interest and while I had some of it figured out earlier, I certainly wasn't expecting how Jessie Garcia intricately tied it all together for a satisfying climax and conclusion. I'm looking forward to reading more Jessie Garcia books!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Faith Richards is a superstar meteorologist at Channel 9 News in Detroit. Attractive and clever, she has gathered a huge following and actually has a fan club on Facebook. But while she is popular with the masses, she’s not so well liked by some of her co-workers. When she is found dead in her automobile, a victim of strangulation, there are suspects aplenty.

The Fair-Weather Friend is the story of Faith, her fans (Carol & Jim), co-worker, (Matthew and his fiancé Tessa), executive producer (Laura and her husband Elliott), old friend from college (Kelly and her boyfriend Joel), stalker (Steve), Faith’s sister (Hope) and station intern (Olivia, who is Carol’s niece). The lives of all these characters intertwine as their respective relationships to Faith are examined.

The book consists of fairly short chapters, each named after the character whose point of view is displayed in it. The novel moves rapidly along with each chapter having its own cliff-hanger ending, keeping the reader thoroughly engaged. Prior to this work by author Garcia, I read her novel, The Business Trip which was an absolute page-turner with a surprising twist at the end. Thus, I expected the same with The Fair-Weather Friend and I wasn’t disappointed, even though the twist at the end of this book is a bit more improbable than that of her previous novel.

This was a great read and is highly recommended for thriller and who-dun-it fans.

This note is for the Publisher Only: One thing I must point out, however, is that, being from the Detroit area myself, the author’s choice of channel 9 is a strange one. Channel 9 in Detroit is not an American station. It is Canadian and its studios and offices are located in Windsor, just across the border, not in Detroit.

I want to thank NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me with a free ARC copy of The Fair-Weather Friend.

After loving The Business Trip, I had high hopes for Jessie Garcia’s The Fair Weather Friend—but it didn’t deliver. The story juggled too many perspectives, making it hard to connect with any one character. The premise, especially a fan group for a local meteorologist, felt far-fetched and cheesy.

The plot was bloated with unnecessary fluff, and most twists were predictable. By the final chapters, I was skimming. The rushed ending tied up character arcs in a few sentences, leaving things feeling incomplete and unsatisfying.

Thank you to NetGalley & St. Martin’s press for this arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

I enjoyed the pacing of the book and the multi-POV aspect; it felt very fresh. The ending was a surprise, which was nice, but I'm not sure yet about the somewhat open ending.

I was given a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book was written well and had very detailed characters. It was pretty predictable and a little long for the story.

This story follows the disappearance and murder of a local meteorologist.

I did like how small this story felt, and by that I am referring to the small cast of characters. I felt like everyone and the suspects and ideas were easy to keep track of because of that. I really appreciate that, all of the people introduced felt need-to-know. Sometimes, thrillers and mysteries can have so many characters that it can be so convoluted and difficult, but this did not have that problem at all. I think a lot of readers will appreciate that as well.

This book also gave us chapters form multiple POVs, including all of the suspects. And I thought that was a really cool touch. I want more thriller/mystery books to start doing that. It really made me think a lot more about motives and how reliable of a narrator each person may be. It really involved me more in the actual solving of the situation. A very nice touch.

Maybe because I saw all of those POVs, I didn't really connect with anyone in particular. I didn't get that invested in any one person's story, so I didn't have someone to root for as the killer or as someone I didn't want to be the killer. Everyone was kind of on an even playing field for me. Maybe that was on purpose (I can totally see that being a thing), but I really do prefer to get invested in characters, it makes me more invested in the story altogether. And that's just how I prefer to read. So that it 100% a personal preference sort of thing.

Overall, this was a super quick and entertaining read. I could tell that the author put a lot of thought into this story and the mystery, every little thing mentioned felt intentional. The intrigue stayed consistent throughout the whole story as well. I just wish I had a little more depth to the characters, maybe that would have given me someone to really root for (as a murderer or not).

Thanks to NetGalley for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review! My Goodreads review is up and my TikTok (Zoe_Lipman) review will be up at the end of the month with my monthly reading wrap-up.

After reading the business trip, I knew I needed to read the new upcoming book by Jessie Garcia! The story was engaging, it was a page turner and hard to put down.

The chapters were short and the cast was small and easy to keep track of. This was a quick and easy read but I had the hardest time finding someone to root for. There was also a lot of emotions here, we learn about Faith’s childhood trauma and how it shaped her difficulties as an adult. I would say this falls more in the dramatic mystery genre than thriller.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

If Jessie Garcia writes a book, I’m reading it! The Fair Weather Friend has the same twisty, suspenseful vein as The Business Trip!

This was a true psychological thriller that grips you from beginning to end!

Thank you to NetGalley & St. Martin’s press for allowing me read this arc, I devoured it!

Jessie Garcia’s new novel, The Fair-Weather Friend, is just as captivating as her previous work, The Business Trip. Her characters are so relatable, and the plot twists keep you on the edge of your seat. I’m a huge fan of Garcia’s writing and can’t wait to read her next book.

The Fair-Weather Friend is a fast paced thriller told from multiple POV's. It is well written and holds your attention. Despite the rather large cast of characters, they are all distinct enough that it is easy to keep everyone straight. There is A LOT going on and things move quickly! I felt a bit let down by the ending. I can't exactly put my finger on why but it just fell a little flat after the rest of the book. It is overall a very enjoyable read though!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

This was a fantastic read. About love, hate, sister, friends you think you have. The ending was shocking not what I expected at all. Loved everyone involved in the book


Thanks to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for a early release of this book

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher for the ARC of Fair-Weather Friend by Jessie Garcia. I read The Business Trip and loved it but this book is even better.

This book is about Faith, a very popular meteorologist in Detroit, who is found dead. The book is told from several perspectives including loyal fan and aunt of a station intern, a stalker who lives with his parents, coworkers at the station and former college roommate. As is sometimes the case with celebrities, the private person differs from the public. This is absolutely the case with Faith.

A very quick read, completely engaging and unputdownable.

I found this book to be enjoyable and an easy read. I was left wanting a little more from the ending but I felt like there were some loose ties. I would recommend this book to others, however, as a fun easy read.

The Fair Weather Friend is a mystery told through multiple points of view, with characters that are its strength, easy to follow, and thoughtfully developed. The short chapters lend a brisk pace, keeping the story's momentum strong as the mystery unfolds. I was fully invested in unraveling the events and enjoyed the journey until the ending, which didn’t quite land for me. Still, the solid writing and character depth made the experience worthwhile overall.

Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the advanced reader copy. This is my honest review.

Faith, a popular TV Meteorologist, leaves work on a dinner break one evening and never returns. Her fans are devastated when they learn that she was murdered!

This was a quick fun story that had so many unexpected twists! Lots of characters so you never quite knew who you could trust or who might have been responsible for Faith’s demise. A solid quick read!

Having really enjoyed The Business Trip, by this author, I was excited to read this next book! I may have enjoyed it even a bit more! Faith is a popular TV meteorologist in Detroit. Faith goes out to dinner one night and never returns. A body is found, and the questions begin. Maybe Faith wasn't the angel she appeared to be? And why did she give a list of names to an intern? We hear the story from the POV's of the many suspects, which was interesting and easier to keep straight that you'd think. There were a lot of colorful characters, and the story was a bit more warm and cozy than dark and twisty. A nice change of pace for me. Overall, I really had fun reading this one and look forward to more!

Thank you to #NetGalley, jessie Garcia and St. Martin's Press for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

I will post my review to Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Instagram and other retail and social media sites upon Publication Day of Jan 20, 2026.

Thank you NetGalley for the free ARC! This book was very cute! Instead of a cozy mystery, I would describe it as a cozy psychological thriller( if there is such a thing).

Faith Richards is an extremely famous meteorologist who seems to always be perfect. There are hard core fans who have their own fan club devoted to her and she also has a stalker who believes she is in love with him. When Faith doesn’t come back to the station one night after dinner everyone starts to worry. What happened to Faith and who would want to harm such a famous well liked meteorologist? I absolutely lovedddd this book and didn’t want to put it down. I loved the plot, the character development and the story being told from different characters points of view. The twists and turns were great and I didn’t see them coming. The ending was the biggest shocker for me and I would love a sequel to this, something along the lines of what happens now and what about her sister. This is another excellent book by Jessie Garcia and I can’t wait to read what’s next.

This book caught my eye because of how fast I read The Business Trip and I devoured this one just as fast. I love the different perspectives and fast pace. I thought the ending was a little disappointing, just missing something.