ARC Review: A Zoom with a View by Jess Cannon

A Zoom with a View
Author: Jess Cannon
Publication: Dutton (May 5, 2026)

Description: A fiction debut filled with heart and humor, A Zoom with a View will make you want to move to Blue Oak—if only the annual Fourth of July festivities didn't end with a dead body.

Leo can't believe she's back in Blue Oak. Her small, quirky Texas hometown feels suffocating after trying to make it big as an English professor in New York—especially due to her strained relationship with her overly hair-sprayed mother, Karina. But with Leo’s career in academia in shambles, at least she's able to work as a photographer for her godmother's real estate business. And her best friend, Emily, is around to help her navigate through the mess—and maybe force her to reconnect with her old high school boyfriend, Mack.

But while at work, Leo makes a grisly discovery at one of her godmother's properties: the dead body of rival real estate agent and social media influencer Chaz. Even worse, Leo and Emily have been secretly running a snarky Reddit page making fun of Chaz’s cringe-inducing advice and duck-faced selfies. When someone she loves is accused of the murder, Leo finds herself flung headfirst into a dangerous investigation, teaming up with a local detective who is a lot more attractive than she remembered when they were both teenagers. Meanwhile, Karina has been acting stranger and stranger, as if all her hair hides a big secret. . .

My Thoughts: Leo is back in her hometown of Blue Oak, Texas, where she needs to find a new start after failing to find a tenure position in a college English Department. She'll be working for her godmother's real estate company taking photos and managing the business's social media accounts. 

Leo wasn't eager to come home. She has a very difficult relationship with her mother who runs the local beauty shop. And she isn't all that eager to catch up with her high school classmates. She's glad to be able to spend some in-person time with her best friend Emily as opposed to their online friendship as they are moderating an online group that is following a former high school acquaintance who is trying to make his name as a social media influencer. Chaz runs a fitness center, is a rival real estate broker, and runs his own church. 

When Leo and Emily go to one of their new real estate properties, they discover Chaz's body. The local sheriff is sure that Leo's godmother Kay murdered him, but his deputies including another of Leo's classmates is actually willing to investigate and is willing to have Leo help him with the ins and outs of social media. 

This was an interesting mystery with quite a few twists and turns and quite a few viewpoints too. It seems Leo's mother has a secret life of her own. And Leo has to explore her feelings about her hometown and about old friends who might be romantic interests. 

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.