Sarah Strohmeyer

Lost in the lush, comfortable world of shopping-as-sport, suburban mom, wife and interior designer Kat Griffiths is about to get one serious reality check on the world of consumerism, wants and needs. When Kat digs into her family's finances for the first time in her life, she can't believe how bad the damage has become.

Her lackadaisical attitude toward spending -- and Griff's insistence that she not touch the checking accounts herself -- has drained the family and left very little for show more their daughter Laura's college education. After Kat discovers a bank account Griff has started and kept secret from her, her fears and suspicions reach a fever pitch: it's time to take action.

At the insistence of her friend and housekeeper, Kat joins the Penny Pinchers Club -- a motley crew of folks who meet in the public library to discuss coupons, cutting down on consumption, going green and basically living more thoughtfully. The tips she gleans from her meetings help her out in all sorts of ways . . . and prompt her to take a good, hard look at her own life's needs . . . and wants. Especially where love is concerned.

There's really so much to like about Sarah Strohmeyer's The Penny Pinchers Club -- it was funny but had plenty of heart; was light-hearted without being cheesy; felt realistic but not depressing. Though I knew from the get-go that some of the "secrets" couldn't possibly be true, I didn't have too much trouble going along with it . . . though I did keep thinking Kat would wake up concerning a few matters! It took a while before that happened.

I loved so many of the auxiliary characters, especially Kat's sister Viv and Steve. The Penny Pinchers themselves were really fun, sweet people, and I loved learning about their lives and how they'd come to be so cost-effective! And the appearance of an old flame added a lot of depth to the plot.

I really felt for Kat, a realistic main character I adored rooting for. The conflict between the many spheres in which she resides -- spender and saver; wife and ex-girlfriend; mom and worker -- added depth to what might have otherwise been a pretty ordinary story. A quick and worthy read! show less

Hands up if you like to watch House reno shows. I've got both hands waving!
Well, house renovations and contests are the vehicle for Sarah Strohmeyer’s latest book. We Love to Entertain. But it’s not all fun and games - there’s murder in the mix.

Is this a cozy mystery you ask? I would say yes, to a degree it is. But, instead of a retired librarian who loves tea and scones, we have we have Kim the town clerk and her (not so often helpful) assistant Doreen. Kim’s daughter Erika is show more working on the set of the reno. We Love to Entertain is told through alternating chapters from Kim and Erika. Kim sees things as they and worries about her daughter who comes up with excuses time and time again for what's happening. There’s definitely trouble on the set. Strohmeyer plants a number of red herrings along the path to the final whodunit. And what is happening you ask? Well, I'm not going to spoil the book for you, so I'll leave it for you to find that out. Suffice to say, it's a clever plot that I think takes inspiration from Strohmeyer's own life. She too is an elected town clerk in a small Vermont town.

I really enjoyed the skewering of the whole house reno/decorate thing. The reno couple, Holly and Robert, have the funniest (and spot on) newsletters and blog post. We also get a behind the curtain look at what it takes to achieve that final reveal. And I bet Strohmyers depiction isn’t that far from the truth!

We Love to Entertain was a fun read with lots of humor, a good plot - and a few bodies. show less

Sarah Strohmeyer’s A Mother Always Knows is a tense, twisty thriller that blends small-town secrets, cultish manipulation, and the haunting pull of a buried past. The story follows Stella O’Neill, a young woman living quietly in Boston under a false identity after escaping a childhood shaped by trauma and secrecy. Her attempt at anonymity collapses when a true-crime enthusiast exposes her real name and location online—forcing her to return to the Vermont commune she fled as a child to show more confront the twisted figures of her past and uncover the truth behind her mother’s long-unsolved murder.

The novel’s premise is gripping, and Strohmeyer excels at creating a sense of claustrophobic tension as Stella retraces her steps back into the dangerous world she thought she’d left behind. The pacing is brisk, with plenty of reveals and suspenseful moments, and the atmosphere—steeped in superstition, manipulation, and buried guilt—adds a haunting tone to Stella’s journey.

However, while the setup is strong, the story’s execution sometimes falters. Certain plot turns and resolutions feel overly convenient or rushed, particularly near the end, where major revelations are tied up a bit too neatly. Several side characters have intriguing backstories but crowd the narrative, distracting from Stella’s own emotional arc. The stakes, while clearly high, never quite deliver the intensity promised early on, which dulls some of the thriller’s edge.

Still, A Mother Always Knows remains an engaging and fast-paced read—especially for fans of psychological suspense and cult-centered mysteries. It’s a story about trauma, survival, and reclaiming power from the people and forces that once took it away. While it doesn’t break new ground in the genre, it offers a compelling mix of mystery and emotional reckoning that makes it worth picking up. show less

This is told from a couple different POVs, with some blog posts sprinkled throughout. The blog posts are by the couple at the center of this book, while the POVs are Erika and her mother, Kim.

Holly and Robert are contestants on a reality show competition about house flipping. While working on their competition entry, an eco-conscious home makeover in a small Vermont town, they fell in love and are planning on getting married close to the end of the competition. It's the kind of stuff show more publicity dreams are made of. Erika is their assistant, a local pariah who desperately wants to make up for it by doing well in this job. Erika's intense loyalty to Holly and Robert is helped along by her unrequited (?) crush on Robert. It gives her a little thrill, knowing that Robert asks her help for things he doesn't always tell Holly about.

Something's had Robert on edge for a while, but the wedding goes without a hitch. That evening, though, Robert shows up at Erika's place out of the blue, asking to temporarily trade his Tesla for her much cheaper car, so that he and Holly can take a sudden honeymoon trip. Erika isn't great at saying no to Robert, something she soon has reason to regret, as Robert and Holly become suddenly unreachable during the important last days of the competition.

Meanwhile, Kim, Erika's mother and the town clerk, is experiencing some guilt over the way Holly and Robert got the house in the first place, and she's determined to set things right, even it means she's forced to resign.

This really was not the domestic thriller I expected it to be. It took ages for Holly and Robert to be declared missing, and I felt like a huge chunk of the book was hints of the overall problem/mystery (the angry former owner of the house, Holly having lots of personal details she wants to keep secret, Robert getting threatening mail, etc.) and a bunch of really boring home renovation stuff. Holly and Robert's entry sucked, by the way. Yeah, sure, it was eco-conscious and all, but not in a way that was doable without boatloads of money, which they were already spending like it'd never run out on luxuries like a kitchen table and a fancy stove they never planned to use.

I wish this had both leaned into its cozy mystery aspects more, and that it had been marketed accurately. Maybe if I'd gone into this with different expectations, I might have enjoyed it more. As it was, I just wanted it to be over.

(Original review posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.) show less