Thank you St. Martin’s Press #partner, for the advanced copy of The Fair Weather Friend in exchange for my honest review. I borrowed the audiobook from the library.
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press / Macmillan Audio
Published: January 20, 2026
Summary:
SHE HAD NO ENEMIES; ONLY ADORING FANS. AT LEAST, THAT’S WHAT THE HEADLINES READ.
It’s always sunny for Faith Richards. The popular TV meteorologist, endearingly referred to as “The Fair Weather Friend” by her viewers, has the world in the palm of her hand. But one night, Faith leaves work while on a dinner break and never returns. Her body is found the next morning.
The town is reeling, suspects emerge, and long-buried secrets are uncovered. One young intern, who idolized Faith, is doggedly after what could be the story of a lifetime. Who was Faith Richards, really? How could someone so beloved by so many end up murdered…and why? While her fans rally, her list of adversaries grows. A producer. A fellow anchor. An old frenemy. An obsessed viewer. As the investigation goes deeper, the eye of the storm threatens to drag everyone into its relentless grip. There was more to Faith Richards than anyone could have known. And her death is just the beginning.
My thoughts:
I loved Jessie Garcia’s debut novel, The Business Trip, and how wild and unexpected it was, and I just knew her sophomore novel would be more of the same and boy was it ever! This author has most definitely become a must-read author for me.
There is something about this author’s writing style that immediately pulls me into her books. It happened with her first book and it happened again here and I love it. She has clearly mastered writing with multiple POVs and the short chapters just add to the frenetic pace of the book. I loved the mix of characters here, all who seem suspicious in their own right. There are a lot of characters, again, but they all have their role to play, and I loved seeing how it all came together.
This book is full of twists, some quite shocking, but I think that is what I loved most! This book is definitely not at all what I thought it would be – nothing is what it seems. The suspense builds and while the ending felt like a huge bombshell, if you were really paying attention along the way, there were some clues. I didn’t figure it out, but as I think back, I can see the trail of breadcrumbs leading us there…and I get it. It works and knowing some of the overall themes of the book, which to say might be a spoiler, it definitely tracks.
As I already said, this author has now become a must-read for me and I cannot wait to get my hands on her next book. If you like unpredictable, twisty reads, definitely pick this one up!
Audio thoughts:
This was the perfect book to listen to and the narrator, a new-to-me narrator, Gail Shalan, did a fantastic job keeping all the characters straight and giving them their own personalities and voice. I flew through this one, unable to put it down and in large part that was because the narration kept me as engaged as the story!
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