Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this eARC copy. All thoughts are my own.


I thought this was an excellent debut novel!! What a fun and cozy story that really had it all. A somewhat grumpy detective with a half-cryptid child that eats goats, werewolves, alien technology, magic, a TARDIS-like sentient Winnebago, and a podcasting hottie who lives to debunk myths that are right under his nose!

I could not put this book down! I'm not typically looking for found family stories, but this one had me on the edge of my seat. If Mira writes a sequel, I will be the first in line to get a copy. I can't get over how fun and whimsical the journey was.

A paranormal investigator working to keep the paranormal hidden, a truly monstrous toddler, and a sentient Winnebago that's definitely bigger on the inside already had me hooked, but add into the mix queer found family, a few very strange robovacs and plenty of heart - I loved this book!

Toeing the line between kooky and creepy, the paranormal elements were really well done, and underscored a theme of connection that was so present throughout the book. My only critique was that the flashback sections felt a little slow in places, but I was eager enough to get back to the main plot that I really didn't care!

A fantastic debut from Mira González, I'll be picking up whatever she writes next!

Thanks to Bindery Books and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Queer found family, supernatural creatures, sentient vacuum cleaners, a magical Winnebago, and saving the world? I’m in.

Strange Lights was a delight to read. Despite the lighthearted tone, the storytelling really packs an emotional punch when it comes down to it. There were parts where I physically laughed out loud and, equally, parts where I was holding my breath as the stakes got a little too high!

Reggie is an excellent main character and I loved the growing ensemble cast that joined her along the way. I was also a big fan of how Strange Lights played with the question of whether we’re alone in the universe - and what (or who) else could be out there. I can’t wait to read more by Mira González.

Thank you to the publisher (and Netgalley) for the ARC!

Strange Lights by Mira Gonzalez is an unforgettable, quietly powerful book that completely exceeded my expectations. From the very first page, it establishes a tone that is intimate, unfiltered, and strangely comforting in its honesty. It feels less like reading and more like being allowed into someone’s unguarded thoughts at 2 a.m.—raw, self-aware, and piercingly real.

Gonzalez has a remarkable ability to capture complex emotional states in deceptively simple language. The writing is spare yet incredibly layered, exploring loneliness, desire, insecurity, mental health, relationships, and the surreal absurdity of modern life. There’s a dry, almost deadpan humor threaded throughout, which makes the heavier themes hit even harder. You might find yourself laughing at a line, only to feel it settle into something much deeper moments later.

What stands out most is the emotional precision. Nothing feels exaggerated or melodramatic. Instead, there’s a steady, deliberate honesty that makes every page feel authentic. Gonzalez doesn’t try to resolve the messiness of being human or (non human)—she presents it plainly, and that directness is what makes it so powerful. The vulnerability never feels performative; it feels lived-in.

It manages to feel deeply personal while also being universally relatable, which is a rare and special balance.

Strange, tender, funny, and devastating in equal measure, Strange Lights is a five-star read through and through. It’s a book I know I’ll return to again—and one I’ll be recommending to anyone who appreciates writing that is bold in its vulnerability and fearless in its truth

Thank you so much to the publisher and to NetGalley for the chance to read and review this arc copy

Going into Strange Lights by Mira Gonźalez I was expecting a light hearted funny story about a paranormal investigator who found herself caring for a chupacabra toddler named Eldi, what I got was so much more intense and detailed than that!

What really blew me away in this story was the characters relationships and their arcs throughout the book. Each character has so much life and is written in such a believable way that I found myself loving almost everyone and rooting so badly for them to all come out of the story on top. I love found family tropes and this story did not disappoint on that front.

This is such a lovey heartfelt yet fast paced story that keeps the reader guessing and on their toes, I cannot wait to recommend it to my friends when it’s published!!

Blood-sucking toddlers, an undead raccoon, aliens, werewolves, magic, a strange self-driving RV with hidden backrooms.

Going into this book I expected a light hearted, quirky book about cryptids. Although it started out that way, I am so happy it turned out to be so much more than that. In this book we follow Reggie, a paranormal investigator with an adopted toddler. Not a normal toddler, though, her daughter is a blood-sucking chupacabra (and I love her). Reggie mainly attempts to make people believe cryptids are hoaxes, while Reggie in fact knows they are as real as can be. The story quickly picks up pace and develops into a wonderfully exciting, emotional and raw story. What it means to be human, blood ties and found family ties are explored in a very intricate way. The story occasionally shifts perspective, which keeps the reader engaged and allows us to understand the perspectives and experiences of other characters. This is done in such a wonderful way that really adds to the story, rather than taking you out of the flow. This is such an exceptionally wonderful, heartfelt and hilarious story and so much more than I anticipated before picking it up. I'm so glad I got to read this!

"And what's in this bag?"
"Dead mice. From the walls."
"You hit me with a bag of dead mice?"

Strange Lights by Mira Gonzalez
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4 stars)
Thank you to @NetGalley for the advance copy of Strange Lights. I truly didn’t know what to expect when I opened this book, and that sense of uncertainty ended up being part of the charm.
This was an odd, imaginative, yet surprisingly relatable story that explores love, life, family, parenting, and the complexities of relationships. Beneath its quirky and sometimes surreal elements, the novel thoughtfully touches on mental health awareness and the emotional weight that can come with raising children and navigating adulthood.
The concept of paranormal toddlers adds a unique twist, blending the strange with the everyday in a way that feels both entertaining and meaningful. If you enjoy stories that mix the unusual with heartfelt reflections on family and connection, this one is definitely worth picking up.
A solid 4-star read for me!

a blood-sucking toddler, a sentient Winnebago, and an undead raccoon walk into a book... and somehow it works??

Strange Lights had absolutely no business being this heartfelt. I went in expecting quirky paranormal fun and got genuinely emotional about found family and what it means to be human (and, you know, not human). Mira González nailed the tone. It's funny without ever undercutting the moments that matter, which is so hard to pull off.

the characters are the real star here. Reggie is great, Eldi is an icon (she eats goats. she's a baby. I love her), and the whole cast that grows around them feels natural and earned in a way that so many found family stories just don't manage.

the worldbuilding is also just fun. cryptids and aliens and magic all sharing one story and it somehow never tips over into too much, which honestly feels like a small miracle.

my one gripe: the flashbacks. they pump the brakes on a book that otherwise clips along really nicely, and every time one popped up I was counting the pages until we got back to the main story. not a dealbreaker but definitely noticeable.

really impressive debut. if González writes a sequel I'm first in line.

4 stars.

(thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this eARC copy. all thoughts are my own.)

I don’t say this lightly, but I have never read a book that felt written just for me. If I had listed out everything that would have been in my perfect book, this would hit every single one.
- A former gifted burnt out oldest sister
- parenting a monster baby
- an intergalactic found family
- a roomba style vacuum with googley eyes
- cryptids
- a magical vehicle that’s bigger on the inside
- a villain with an actual backstory that you understand their point of view
- and queer!

This book isn’t out till September but unfortunately it’s become my full personality to spread the good word of its release.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bindery Books for giving me the opportunity to read the ARC of Strange Lights.

Stayed up past my bedtime to finish this book, which is high praise from someone who loves their sleep! It gave me Howl’s Moving Castle x The X-Files vibes.

Absolutely adored this book- quirky main characters, found family, aliens, cryptids, just plain old weirdness… Strange Lights has it all. I felt the balance between humor, action, and emotional moments was really well done. By the end I felt that it was really reflective and some of the thoughts shared around our place in the universe will continue to sit with me for a while.

As great as the plot was, the characters are where this book really shines in my opinion. There are a lot of different characters introduced throughout but every single one was interesting and multi-dimensional.

Highly recommend Strange Lights and will be on the lookout for more of Mira González in future.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC- all thoughts are completely my own

This isn't my type of book at all. but the thing that drew me in & made me want to read this book was on the synopsis where it said - Reggie has embraced her fate as parent to an adopted toddler- a blood- sucking chupacabra 👀 so I'm thankful i got approved to read this book as i was really intruiged by that sentence 😂
but overall i loved this book i loved that it had
-short chapters
-"some people collect coffee mugs, i collect tattoos"- I loved this quote so much 😆
-I loved reggie , her attitude & her personality
she had me laughing loads.
-I loved the other characters they all had their own personalities & none of them annoyed me.
It was a really interesting read & i loved the book , it had me hooked & i was finding myself wanting to know what happened next.
I've never heard of the author but after reading this i will be checking out their other stuff in the future ☺️

I love a supernatural story that doesn't take itself entirely seriously.
And that's what this was-cupacabras, sentient robots, werewolves, a magical Winnebago, and secret shady not-quite-government agencies? Every element was so deeply unserious that i got yanked right into this story, determined to find my way to the center of the mysteries this story had to offer.
I'd say the only drawback to the story was Reggie's flashback chapters. I do wish those had been broken up in a different way rather than packed together in the middle of a large plot moment between our main cast. It was also one of the darkest segments that really dug into emotional abuse, and felt rather heavy in comparison to the joke laden first half of the book. So I just wish that had been given more balance so you're not running headfirst into it when you don't quite expect it.

A story of found family, aliens and the supernatural. Honestly had no idea what to expect going into this, wasn’t anymore enlightened by the half way point BUT that is not a bad thing. A lot of twist and turns that led to a fulfilling, hopeful story.

Strange Lights questions what it is to be human, or monster (or both), and the choices you make that lead you there.

Side note:
I’m normally a full on monogamy girlie but the authenticity of the MCs relationships really worked for me and I was happy to see them all happy.

This story took me on such a wonderful adventure, it is easily in my current top 10 favorites now. This story had my up until 2AM reading; I truly loved this story. I feel like the characters had so much depth, and I felt like they were written in a way where your opinion of them changes as the story evolves, which kept me so engaged. There are many highlights with notes that I have added, some of my favorite notes being (without the highlighted quote so I do not spoil anything):
- "!!!"
- "What????"
- "I WAS RIGHT!"
- "Future me: is she?"
- Heart Emoji
- Crying emoji
- "Oof"
- "Oof, again"
- "Oof, again, again."
- Heart emoji
- over 30 heart emojis for one note
- "I love those vacuum's"
- "I'm sobbing"

And the last one was absolutely true, I was sobbing in that moment. This story was an easy 5 stars for me, and I cannot wait to hear everyone's thoughts when it releases.

Thank you to the publisher: Bindery Books, as well as author: Mira González, and NetGalley for this advanced reader copy for review consideration! Opinions are my own.

What a unique read!

So, on paper, this plot sounds insane. It’s gripping and humorous and mysterious, and I would be lying if I said I wasn’t a little worried going in.

Because I feel that sometimes, when a plot sounds this wacky, it’s easy for the execution to fall short.

However that was not the case here. We have the Chupacabras, the rogue Roombas, the UFOs and crop circles and werewolf podcasters all balanced alongside a story about finding connections and building family. It was actually really heartwarming and if you’re a fan of ‘found family’ stories, it’s hard to go wrong here.

The only real critique I have here is that (and this could be personal because I admit, I’m not a fan of flashbacks) there is a lengthy flashback in the middle of the book that I felt wasn’t entirely necessary.

Other than that, I really enjoyed this read and think it’s well worth checking out!

First, I love this cover! So many colors and so bright, it's going to look amazing on my shelves! This was also an excellent read. So much action and adventure, twists and turns. Elements of Supernatural, Dr. Who, and with a touch of Batteries Not Included. It also reminded me a little bit of Light From Uncommon Stars. YA, standalone with closed door romance. This book is more about love than lust. Found family and acceptance. It's cozy with fire and gore, if that makes any sense.

Thank you to Bindery and NetGalley for my EARC!

Thank you Netgalley, the author, and the publisher for the ARC
4.25 ⭐️
The X-files meets Doctor who meets supernatural but specifically the most insane episodes where you thought, wow that really went off the rails… but in a good way