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Chapel Bay Secrets
A threatened book ban.
A small town blackmailing.
And a lesbian with a broken heart.
Librarian Brenda Kato has always felt safe in idyllic Chapel Bay, California, despite being a lesbian of Japanese American descent. When a book banning threat arrives in her work email, Brenda's sense of security slips away. The anniversary of her mother's death sharpens the need to find the father she's never known.
To make matters worse, her heart still aches over the loss of her one true love. As Brenda struggles with these painful assaults on her psyche, several retirees—Harriet Conley and Joe West—insert themselves into her life uninvited. When a nefarious local author appears, the three find their fates intertwined.
Lonely and confused, Brenda joins a group that is planning a presentation in honor of Japanese Americans incarcerated during World War II. Meanwhile, she's becoming increasingly distracted by the beautiful blonde woman who seems to appear every time she goes for a run.
Will the power of love be enough to heal wounds of the past?
In Chapel Bay Secrets, the tension builds as bigotry, book bans, and the ache for community arise. Perfect for book clubs!
A small town blackmailing.
And a lesbian with a broken heart.
Librarian Brenda Kato has always felt safe in idyllic Chapel Bay, California, despite being a lesbian of Japanese American descent. When a book banning threat arrives in her work email, Brenda's sense of security slips away. The anniversary of her mother's death sharpens the need to find the father she's never known.
To make matters worse, her heart still aches over the loss of her one true love. As Brenda struggles with these painful assaults on her psyche, several retirees—Harriet Conley and Joe West—insert themselves into her life uninvited. When a nefarious local author appears, the three find their fates intertwined.
Lonely and confused, Brenda joins a group that is planning a presentation in honor of Japanese Americans incarcerated during World War II. Meanwhile, she's becoming increasingly distracted by the beautiful blonde woman who seems to appear every time she goes for a run.
Will the power of love be enough to heal wounds of the past?
In Chapel Bay Secrets, the tension builds as bigotry, book bans, and the ache for community arise. Perfect for book clubs!
- GenresLGBT
269 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 13, 2026
2 people are currently reading
8 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
December 1, 2025
Chapel Bay Secrets by Julie Snider is a slice-of-life novel that chronicles a year in the lives of some of the residents of the small town and the unexpected ways in which they intersect. It is insightful and relevant. Some issues featured include book bans, COVID-19 times, negative sentiment towards immigrants, ethical dilemmas, personal growth, the concept of family, past secrets, spiritual exploration, and social responsibility.
I agree with a previous reviewer in that this book falls into both the women's literature and LGBT+ genres. The novel does not feature a true romance, though romance is one of the elements that serves as a source of introspection for the main characters.
Older main characters reflect on their pasts, their present circumstances, and their mortality.
The writing is clean and easy to follow. The imagery is lovely. The novel’s coastal setting is immersive.
The pacing is somewhat slow, and the narrative lags in the middle portion. Some characters are more compelling than others, but the revelations concerning the intersections of their pasts and presents kept me engaged. The ending is satisfying and hopeful.
I give it 3.5 stars rounded up.
#sliceoflife #immigrant #multiracial #queer #Japaneseinternment #WWII #olderMCs #familyhistory
I received an ARC from the author. This is my honest opinion.
I agree with a previous reviewer in that this book falls into both the women's literature and LGBT+ genres. The novel does not feature a true romance, though romance is one of the elements that serves as a source of introspection for the main characters.
Older main characters reflect on their pasts, their present circumstances, and their mortality.
The writing is clean and easy to follow. The imagery is lovely. The novel’s coastal setting is immersive.
The pacing is somewhat slow, and the narrative lags in the middle portion. Some characters are more compelling than others, but the revelations concerning the intersections of their pasts and presents kept me engaged. The ending is satisfying and hopeful.
I give it 3.5 stars rounded up.
#sliceoflife #immigrant #multiracial #queer #Japaneseinternment #WWII #olderMCs #familyhistory
I received an ARC from the author. This is my honest opinion.
Read
February 1, 2026Chapel Bay Secrets features an engaging plot and complex characters against the backdrop of thought-provoking issues. The trio of main characters live in a small Northern California coastal community and are struggling to find their way personally and in their community, and reconcile their pasts. The novel is ripe with themes of found family (biological and community/friendship), intergenerational trauma, the internment of Japanese Americans during WWII, sexual identity, book banning/censorship, living an authentic life, and showing your true self and being accepted for it. And there’s a little mystery also! A very satisfying read that feels cozy, but takes on weighty issues under the surface. Well done.
Read
November 15, 2025Many thanks to Mulard Press for an ARC of Julie Snider’s debut novel, Chapel Bay Secrets. Where is this book on the shelves of books? It is a cross-genre read of women’s literary fiction and lgbtq+. It could find its place between Jodi Picoult and Elizabeth Strout. Or maybe alongside Claire Lynch’s A Family Matter and one of Caren J. Werlinger’s books.
Outside the walls of buildings and homes is a temperate warmth of seasons beseeched with the scent of a bay. People are in their day-to-day motion of movement. Individuals inflicted with their own prejudice, brave the social world with a persona, a disguise when gathering for author readings and holiday celebrations. What emerges as the story progresses is that behind each character’s hurt there exists kindness, the construction of extended boundaries for evolving friendships, whether it be offering ham and bean soup and fresh cornbread for a sick friend or offering a place to stay and care following a trip to the hospital. And like all great stories, there are leashed dogs, threats, and menu items that leave a lusty feel on the reader’s tongue. Behind the front doors, when the novel’s characters feel safe and alone, are the untold, unshared stories nudged by a veiled past that must be reckoned with in a manner that offers closure and possibility.
At its core, Chapel Bay Secrets is about indignity. Indignities that compound in both real time and a casual perceived slight. There are connections formed through words of research, of laying bare history, including one’s own heritage and origin stories. Woven through the pages are reminders of how people are similar and dissimilar from their differently lived lives with a themed reminder we might be more like one another than we believe. The truth is so many suffer in silence until, or unless, they can find a community that embraces their individuality.
This novel unfolds with a need for connection, feeling valued, represented and seen, and all the complexities of being sought. This well ties into the importance of books, the stories between the front and back covers. Books with a diversity of authors and a wide range of knowledge to share as messages of time or place or social influence. On page one, Snider steers readers the threat the main character has received via email:
… it is your responsibility to make certain that authors and books featured are of a HIGH MORAL CALIBER, in these uncertain and morally ambiguous times …
Brenda Kato, the daughter of a Japanese American Tule Lake internment camp survivor, is the novel’s lesbian protagonist. She is a librarian wrestling with identity. She micromanages and judges grammatically incorrect sentences with the same enthusiasm as the burden she carries of who she is.
Harriet is the bookish and quirky well-to-do neighbor “of a certain age” with stories of her own. In a moment of confident vulnerability, she asks Brenda to read what she has written.
And there is Joe, a kind therapist wandering from a career of stability to retirement of seeking. He might be described as an innocent suffering guilt from a past transgression.
Chapel Bay Secrets is about attitudes and perceptions. The author utilizes inner dialogue of each individual character to flush out internal feelings and frustrations in a craving quest—the search and find for acceptance and community. This compelling practice puts on full display how thoughts control response, tighten emotions, and center atrocities.
The reading pace is quick, the word choices precise. There are equal portions of sadness and humor and resolutions that feel fair, even honorable. At the end, the bay air still smells strong, breezing around the community but with relationships found, in defiance of, or maybe because of history, of treatment of a class of people and not the individual. Of narrow escapes and survival in spite of bias and intolerance.
Outside the walls of buildings and homes is a temperate warmth of seasons beseeched with the scent of a bay. People are in their day-to-day motion of movement. Individuals inflicted with their own prejudice, brave the social world with a persona, a disguise when gathering for author readings and holiday celebrations. What emerges as the story progresses is that behind each character’s hurt there exists kindness, the construction of extended boundaries for evolving friendships, whether it be offering ham and bean soup and fresh cornbread for a sick friend or offering a place to stay and care following a trip to the hospital. And like all great stories, there are leashed dogs, threats, and menu items that leave a lusty feel on the reader’s tongue. Behind the front doors, when the novel’s characters feel safe and alone, are the untold, unshared stories nudged by a veiled past that must be reckoned with in a manner that offers closure and possibility.
At its core, Chapel Bay Secrets is about indignity. Indignities that compound in both real time and a casual perceived slight. There are connections formed through words of research, of laying bare history, including one’s own heritage and origin stories. Woven through the pages are reminders of how people are similar and dissimilar from their differently lived lives with a themed reminder we might be more like one another than we believe. The truth is so many suffer in silence until, or unless, they can find a community that embraces their individuality.
This novel unfolds with a need for connection, feeling valued, represented and seen, and all the complexities of being sought. This well ties into the importance of books, the stories between the front and back covers. Books with a diversity of authors and a wide range of knowledge to share as messages of time or place or social influence. On page one, Snider steers readers the threat the main character has received via email:
… it is your responsibility to make certain that authors and books featured are of a HIGH MORAL CALIBER, in these uncertain and morally ambiguous times …
Brenda Kato, the daughter of a Japanese American Tule Lake internment camp survivor, is the novel’s lesbian protagonist. She is a librarian wrestling with identity. She micromanages and judges grammatically incorrect sentences with the same enthusiasm as the burden she carries of who she is.
Harriet is the bookish and quirky well-to-do neighbor “of a certain age” with stories of her own. In a moment of confident vulnerability, she asks Brenda to read what she has written.
And there is Joe, a kind therapist wandering from a career of stability to retirement of seeking. He might be described as an innocent suffering guilt from a past transgression.
Chapel Bay Secrets is about attitudes and perceptions. The author utilizes inner dialogue of each individual character to flush out internal feelings and frustrations in a craving quest—the search and find for acceptance and community. This compelling practice puts on full display how thoughts control response, tighten emotions, and center atrocities.
The reading pace is quick, the word choices precise. There are equal portions of sadness and humor and resolutions that feel fair, even honorable. At the end, the bay air still smells strong, breezing around the community but with relationships found, in defiance of, or maybe because of history, of treatment of a class of people and not the individual. Of narrow escapes and survival in spite of bias and intolerance.
December 29, 2025
Chapel Bay Secrets by Julie Snider is a cozy mystery that not only keeps you entertained with its engaging characters and interesting plot, but also shines a light on an underwritten aspect of American history, the: internment of Japanese Americans during World War II.
Through the lens of a cast of characters in the middle and later stages of their lives (thank you Julie for focusing on older generations and the issues affecting them) the book explores themes of intergenerational trauma, prejudice, found-family and loneliness.
It was a book I’d look forward to picking up before bed, the narrative and storyline wrapping around me like a warm blanket.
It reminded me very much of Richard Osman’s Thursday Murder Club with its comforting character-driven mystery and ensemble cast, but with much more diversity.
I’d highly recommend this to book clubs looking for a conversation starting novel or readers looking for an LGBTQ+ friendly novel with heart and soul.
Through the lens of a cast of characters in the middle and later stages of their lives (thank you Julie for focusing on older generations and the issues affecting them) the book explores themes of intergenerational trauma, prejudice, found-family and loneliness.
It was a book I’d look forward to picking up before bed, the narrative and storyline wrapping around me like a warm blanket.
It reminded me very much of Richard Osman’s Thursday Murder Club with its comforting character-driven mystery and ensemble cast, but with much more diversity.
I’d highly recommend this to book clubs looking for a conversation starting novel or readers looking for an LGBTQ+ friendly novel with heart and soul.
November 24, 2025
I just finished 'Chapel Bay Secrets' and wow, what a captivating read! This book really gets you thinking about how we perceive the world and each other.
Don't go into this expecting a traditional crime novel! The real mystery here is more about peeling back the layers and discovering the very essence of these characters' souls. You'll fly through the pages; the writing is so precise and perfectly chosen.
I received an ARC of this novel and am leaving this review voluntarily.
Don't go into this expecting a traditional crime novel! The real mystery here is more about peeling back the layers and discovering the very essence of these characters' souls. You'll fly through the pages; the writing is so precise and perfectly chosen.
I received an ARC of this novel and am leaving this review voluntarily.
November 19, 2025
It's hard to believe Chapel Bay Secrets is a debut novel for author Julie Snider. She drops clues (and red herrings) like Sir Arthur Conan Doyle while painting pictures with her words like Louise Penny. The mystery here is not so much about a crime as it is about discovering the geography of the souls of her characters.
When the main character, Brenda Kato, a Japanese American, lesbian librarian, goes for a run, the reader goes with her, huffing and puffing, smelling the atmosphere, and seeing the sights.
Brenda, in her 50s, has entered a time of hesitancy in her life. Emotionally, she's still reeling from loss. First, the loss of her significant partner. Second, the loss of her mother, magnifying the absence of a father she never knew. Third, the loss of her sense of safety, once such a given in the small, secure town of Chapel Bay. That crack in her well-being arrives via a threatening email from an anonymous group of book banners, who promise retribution against her library events and book selections. They target not only her Asian heritage but her gender identity.
Facing multiple dilemmas, Brenda is initially annoyed by intrusion from members of the community. Harriet, the nosey busybody, who somehow turns up at the worst times, keeps needling her. Joe West, the retired psychologist with his own demons, has big dogs which seem destined to literally trip Brenda whenever she runs. She tries to stay optimistic by giving piano lessons to a mini version of herself, a 10-year-old with her own difficulties. Brenda’s dreams seem to reflect her quandaries.
It's surprising how Brenda’s life proceeds and how outsiders influence and even support her. Anyone reading this book will discover themselves in Brenda’s journey. In truth, we are all "others." Our uniqueness comes from embracing our otherness. In the end, our strength, like Brenda’s, comes from sharing it.
I received an advanced reader's copy of this book and am delighted to leave a heartfelt review.
When the main character, Brenda Kato, a Japanese American, lesbian librarian, goes for a run, the reader goes with her, huffing and puffing, smelling the atmosphere, and seeing the sights.
”At mile five, Brenda paused for a swig of water and gazed across the expanse of sun-splashed water. Boats out on the bay with their multi-colored sails moving in concert with the western gusts of wind; white cruise boats full of tourists hoping to see humpback whales, sea lions, otters—all formed a lovely matrix of life above the waves. Fully warmed up, she was impervious to the wind coming in off the water. She took a deep, cleansing breath. Life is good.”
Brenda, in her 50s, has entered a time of hesitancy in her life. Emotionally, she's still reeling from loss. First, the loss of her significant partner. Second, the loss of her mother, magnifying the absence of a father she never knew. Third, the loss of her sense of safety, once such a given in the small, secure town of Chapel Bay. That crack in her well-being arrives via a threatening email from an anonymous group of book banners, who promise retribution against her library events and book selections. They target not only her Asian heritage but her gender identity.
Facing multiple dilemmas, Brenda is initially annoyed by intrusion from members of the community. Harriet, the nosey busybody, who somehow turns up at the worst times, keeps needling her. Joe West, the retired psychologist with his own demons, has big dogs which seem destined to literally trip Brenda whenever she runs. She tries to stay optimistic by giving piano lessons to a mini version of herself, a 10-year-old with her own difficulties. Brenda’s dreams seem to reflect her quandaries.
“Darkness all around. A Bento box packed with steamed rice, sashimi, sweet potato cakes, and shibazuke loaded into a small brown backpack. Walking slowly up a steep hill; it’s so very cold. The wind whips through the towering pines. Twigs and leaves flutter noiselessly to the ground. Cresting the hill, the sharp briny smell of the sea mixes with the scent of evergreens. The wind stops, and through the trees, a full moon is now visible.”
It's surprising how Brenda’s life proceeds and how outsiders influence and even support her. Anyone reading this book will discover themselves in Brenda’s journey. In truth, we are all "others." Our uniqueness comes from embracing our otherness. In the end, our strength, like Brenda’s, comes from sharing it.
I received an advanced reader's copy of this book and am delighted to leave a heartfelt review.
January 16, 2026
It was such an honor to be asked to become an early reader of Chapter Bay Secrets. In a time when my life is filled with so much stress this book literally kept me calm and comfortable in the evenings before bed. The story flows nicely and the characters are so well developed that I was drawn right into their stories from the first chapter. In particular, I love the choice to have three main characters to follow as they live life in their small, coastal town in California.
The town itself also has its own character which draws you in and makes you wish you could move into the house down the road. The way Snider weaves these three characters' lives together into the fabric of Chapel Bay is so compelling. I found myself frustrated with Brenda for not giving people the benefit of the doubt. I felt bad for Harriet, who just wants to help and be a part of something. And Joe is so lonely, I can feel it in my bones. In fact, they are all three lonely in a way everyone can relate to.
This book became so much a part of my evenings, that I looked forward to being done for the day so I could curl up under a blanket and return to Chapel Bay. I even postponed finishing reading it to savor it just a bit longer. The true sign of a good book, in my humble opinion, is that it makes you think about it long after the reading is done. This book will remain with me for a long time. It contains profound themes around diversity, inclusion, and just plain loving kindness. I recommend it to anyone who is looking for a comforting book to lose themselves in while they sip tea and relax.
The town itself also has its own character which draws you in and makes you wish you could move into the house down the road. The way Snider weaves these three characters' lives together into the fabric of Chapel Bay is so compelling. I found myself frustrated with Brenda for not giving people the benefit of the doubt. I felt bad for Harriet, who just wants to help and be a part of something. And Joe is so lonely, I can feel it in my bones. In fact, they are all three lonely in a way everyone can relate to.
This book became so much a part of my evenings, that I looked forward to being done for the day so I could curl up under a blanket and return to Chapel Bay. I even postponed finishing reading it to savor it just a bit longer. The true sign of a good book, in my humble opinion, is that it makes you think about it long after the reading is done. This book will remain with me for a long time. It contains profound themes around diversity, inclusion, and just plain loving kindness. I recommend it to anyone who is looking for a comforting book to lose themselves in while they sip tea and relax.
November 21, 2025
This book follows Brenda Kato, 50ish, Japanese-American lesbian librarian through several incidents which test her mettle. She lives in Chapel Bay, CA, in what she perceives to be a progressive and inclusive community. That opinion is dashed at the beginning of the book with a hateful email exhorting her to only choose “moderate and sensible” writings to feature in her Meet the Author series she coordinates at the library she works at. In other words the sender is racist, bigoted and homophobic, to name a few. The sender seems to hint at book bans to come. Brenda is stunned and filled with disquiet. Then Brenda’s life begins to spiral in several ways as she faces emotional and physical challenges. Other characters are woven into Brenda’s story and face their own issues and challenges. She does rise above her travails, and her journey is insightful and sobering.
As I neared the end of the book I started thinking about one of the “literary conflicts” I was taught in school way back when: Man’s inhumanity to man. To me Brenda’s journey illustrated that conflict in the effects of those actions on later generations. For example, Brenda’s mother and her family had been interned in a camp during World War 2. The families were fractured in many ways, and Toshi, Brenda’s mother, was greatly affected by the experience. She wouldn’t talk about it to Brenda and Brenda always wondered. I can understand this phenomenon because my father would never talk about his experiences as an army soldier during WW2.
This is an interesting book, intricate and sobering.
As I neared the end of the book I started thinking about one of the “literary conflicts” I was taught in school way back when: Man’s inhumanity to man. To me Brenda’s journey illustrated that conflict in the effects of those actions on later generations. For example, Brenda’s mother and her family had been interned in a camp during World War 2. The families were fractured in many ways, and Toshi, Brenda’s mother, was greatly affected by the experience. She wouldn’t talk about it to Brenda and Brenda always wondered. I can understand this phenomenon because my father would never talk about his experiences as an army soldier during WW2.
This is an interesting book, intricate and sobering.
Review of advance copy received from Author
3.5 stars rounded up to 4. This was billed as an LGBQT+ book and has characters that are queer but it is really more a small town women’s lit kind of book. There are a host of personalities that find themselves caught up with each other. The main woman in the book, Brenda, is an Asian American lesbian. Her mother was in the Japanese Internment Camps in California and stemming for that fact Brenda has a host of phobias and fears about a myriad of things that almost consume her. I found it very distracting in the book and found myself saying out loud, go get counseling- you need it desperately. Still, I kept rooting for her. She is a librarian and the story really centers around the library and their programs. Best Small Library in California. The tangled webs woven include Harriet and her now deceased Mom, best friend Jonathan, Joe and his dogs, Sally, Franklin, and the Morimoto family. It is a pleasant read, covers a lot of ground in the social arena today, and comes to a satisfying conclusion. Very good debut novel from the first time author.
I received an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review
I received an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review
February 4, 2026
Chapel Bay Secrets is an absorbing read with a strong sense of place and a steadily unfolding mystery. I especially liked how the book weaves together issues of bigotry, immigration, and book bans with the complexity of everyday relationships.
The twists involving the main character’s family of origin, along with her exploration of the legacy of Japanese internment during World War II, add both intrigue and historical depth. I also appreciated how the author handled relationships among such disparate characters—from the story’s central figure, a lesbian librarian with Japanese American roots, to the malevolent famous author and the obnoxious but well-meaning community member.
If you enjoy small-town mysteries grounded in both history and contemporary issues, this is one worth picking up.
The twists involving the main character’s family of origin, along with her exploration of the legacy of Japanese internment during World War II, add both intrigue and historical depth. I also appreciated how the author handled relationships among such disparate characters—from the story’s central figure, a lesbian librarian with Japanese American roots, to the malevolent famous author and the obnoxious but well-meaning community member.
If you enjoy small-town mysteries grounded in both history and contemporary issues, this is one worth picking up.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews