Westward Women (publication day March 10, 2026) by Alice Martin is completely unique–speculative fiction, but in an alternate history way. It’s 1973, and an epidemic has gripped the United States at the same time as news of Watergate has broken. Women ages 18-35 are gripped with an itch that’s impossible to satisfy–both internal and external.Continue reading “Westward Women”
Author Archives: bbwesquire
A Lady for All Seasons
A Lady for All Seasons (publication day March 10, 2026) by T.J. Alexander is so unique and cute! It’s 1820, and Verbena Montrose is in dire need of a husband of some means, as her father has done poorly in his business pursuits and an influx of cash is needed to keep the family afloat.Continue reading “A Lady for All Seasons”
Star Shipped
Star Shipped (publication day March 3, 2026) is Cat Sebastian’s first foray into contemporary queer romance, and it is like immersing yourself in the big warm hug that is two hot-mess actors doing the best they can and realizing that they fell in love despite themselves. Simon and Charlie are co-stars on a popular scienceContinue reading “Star Shipped”
Now I Surrender
Now I Surrender (English publication day March 3, 2026, original Spanish 2018) by Álvaro Enrigue, translated by Natasha Wimmer defies genre. It is historical fiction, set mostly in the 1800s during the Apache wars in the desert southwest where the borders between the United States, Mexico, and “Indian territory” changed often. But there are multipleContinue reading “Now I Surrender”
A Good Animal
A Good Animal (publication day 2/24/26) is Sara Maurer’s debut novel, and is set in the mid-1990s in the farmland around Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. It is told from the perspective of Everett Lindt, a 17-year old boy who raises show lambs with his family-his mom works at a bank, his dad at the highwayContinue reading “A Good Animal”
The Garden of Small Beginnings
The Garden of Small Beginnings (2017) is Abbi Waxman’s first novel, full of her trademark humor and heart. I’ve read her The Bookish Life of Nina Hill (2019) and I Was Told It Would Get Easier (2020) before I started reviewing books here, and Nina Hill is the source of one of my favorite descriptions–“sheContinue reading “The Garden of Small Beginnings”
The House in the Cerulean Sea
I’m a little disappointed with myself for waiting so long to read the bestselling The House in the Cerulean Sea (2020) by T.J. Klune, which was everywhere since then and nominated for many fantasy awards, but I do have a bit of a contrarian in me and sometimes resist books that become very popular. IfContinue reading “The House in the Cerulean Sea”
The Final Problem
I thought The Final Problem (English publication day February 10, 2026) by Arturo Pérez-Reverte was an interesting take on a locked-room mystery in the vein of Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None, without most of the racism, and instead focused on the actor who played Sherlock Holmes to be the sleuth. It was originallyContinue reading “The Final Problem”
A Letter to the Luminous Deep and A Letter from the Lonesome Shore (The Sunken Archive Duology)
I highly, highly recommend A Letter to the Luminous Deep (2024) and A Letter From the Lonesome Shore (2025) by Sylvie Cathrall, especially if you like epistolary novels, academic fantasy, and the idea of an underwater world created by the ancestors. I listened to them both, and recently found out that Luminous Deep was aContinue reading “A Letter to the Luminous Deep and A Letter from the Lonesome Shore (The Sunken Archive Duology)”
Get Over It, April Evans
I enjoyed Get Over It, April Evans (publication day February 3, 2026) by Ashley Herring Blake — this was an angsty romance between two ex-lovers of the same “power lesbian” who dumped each of them consecutively. I thought it was well done and loved getting to know both April, a tattoo artist with a degreeContinue reading “Get Over It, April Evans”
Reading While Fat 