My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Title: The Throwaways
Author: Greta Kelly
Format: eBook (NetGalley)
Pages: 400
Publication Date: 10/20/26
Publisher: Sideways Books
Categories: Mystery, Spy Thriller, Suspense, Cozy
Disclaimer: **I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**
Thank you to Sideways Books for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!
The Calloway women are notorious for three Olympic-level banter, an inexplicable fear of dolls, and secrets.
And one of these things is going to get them killed.
Aster Calloway only sold her grandmother’s Fabergé music box on eBay to finance her mom’s mayoral campaign. It’s not like Poppy Calloway has any real business running for office, but the only other candidate is her book-banning high school nemesis—and she’s in the lead. But what Aster doesn’t realize is that selling the heirloom has toppled the house of lies her grandmother, Iris, has been living in for the past forty years.
Because hidden inside that jewel-encrusted music box was a list of names—names that protected defected KGB operative Iris, her daughter, and her granddaughter. Now the list is gone, and a creepy doll is on Poppy’s doorstep, which can only mean that the list is in play…and the three most dangerous spies in the world are on the
The one who broke Iris’s heart.
The one who gave her Poppy.
And the one who wants all the other spies, and especially those bickering Calloway women, dead.
Content Warning: violence
+ I was offered this book to read and review but it’s not usually what I would pick up to read – I tend to read more romance. But the synopsis sounded intriguing and sure enough this was a fun spy thriller read.
+ I love the three generations of women in this story. There are three POVs: Iris, Poppy and Aster. Aster is in college, Poppy is her mom and running for mayor and then there is Iris, Aster’s grandmother and we learn that she’s been hiding secrets for a very long time. Iris is an elderly woman who can kick ass – it was fun getting to know her and her secrets.
+~ Though this isn’t the type of book I usually read I enjoyed the different generations of the women and all the action. It’s rare to see an older woman actually carrying out the action in action scenes, go Iris! I did feel Poppy’s frustration with her mom though when she wasn’t being up front with her, especially with them being gunned down at every turn. I mean, imagine learning about all these secrets while being shot at and meeting all these people from your mom’s past you never knew about. There is a lot of drama between Iris and Poppy because of the secrets that are revealed throughout the book.
Final Thoughts:
This is basically a cozy spy thriller, which sounds like it won’t work and is totally out of the realm of my comfort zone, but I still think this was a fun read. Definitely check this out if you like the sound of a non-traditional spy thriller.
Read if you like:
- funny yet action packed spy thriller
- three generations of family
- secrets
Book Links:
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble
