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One of Our Kind

One of Our Kind (2024) is bestselling YA author Nicola Yoon’s adult fiction debut, so I was very much looking forward to it, and I was not disappointed. That being said, a quick scan of some of the Goodreads reviews told me my opinion was in no way universal–many people did not like it atContinue reading “One of Our Kind”

The Deep Sky

The Deep Sky (2023) is Yume Kitasei’s first novel, and a nominee for Best Science Fiction that year on Goodreads. It’s a fascinating blend of true science fiction, with the exploration of space, and locked-room mystery/thriller–I was completely hooked! Told from the perspective of Asuka, daughter of a Japanese woman and an American man, whoContinue reading “The Deep Sky”

West With Giraffes

West With Giraffes (2021) by Lynda Rutledge was a book club pick, and I’m so glad that it was. It’s based on the true story of two giraffes that arrived in New York City in 1939 after a hurricane, and were driven by truck across the United States, before interstate highways, to the San DiegoContinue reading “West With Giraffes”

A Tropical Rebel Gets the Duke

Don’t let the fact that A Tropical Rebel Gets the Duke (publication date February 4, 2025) by Adrianna Herrera is the third in a trilogy stop you from reading it! Herrera has written a nearly perfect historical romance, featuring Afro-Latinx characters, set in Paris in 1889, with a female doctor who runs underground women’s healthContinue reading “A Tropical Rebel Gets the Duke”

We Could Be Rats

We Could Be Rats (publication date January 28, 2025) by Emily R. Austin (Everyone In This Room Will Someday Be Dead) is a uniquely-told literary novel about two sisters, Sigrid and Margit, who still both have significant trauma and mental health issues from growing up in a conflict-ridden home. The title comes from a storyContinue reading “We Could Be Rats”

I Think They Love You

I Think They Love You (pub. date January 28, 2025) is Julian Winters’ adult rom-com debut, and it’s lovely. Winters has written many YA novels, including Right Where I Left You, which I thoroughly enjoyed, and several others that I need to get to. Told from the perspective of Denz, whose Instagram is “notthatdenzel” andContinue reading “I Think They Love You”

Call Her Freedom

Call Her Freedom (publication day January 21, 2025) by Tara Dorabji is an intense and powerful multi-generational story of a family in the village of Poshkarbal in Kashmir, starting when Aisha is sent to school by her mother, Noorhajan, though few girls attend school. Her mother is the village midwife and herbalist, and is raisingContinue reading “Call Her Freedom”

My Broken Language

My Broken Language (2021) by Quiara Alegría Hudes had been on my list for a while, and I’m so glad that I finally listened to this memoir. Hudes, a Pulitzer award-winning playwright, co-authored In the Heights with Lin Manuel-Miranda, and she narrates the audiobook, which I think enhances the listening experience. Hudes’ mixed Puerto RicanContinue reading “My Broken Language”

All the Water in the World

I absolutely loved All the Water in the World (pub. date January 7, 2024) by Eiren Caffall! This literary climate story is told from the perspective of Nonie, a 13-year old girl who has lived on the roof of the American Museum of Natural History for eight years, with her father, and older sister Bix,Continue reading “All the Water in the World”

The Last Bookstore on Earth

In The Last Bookstore on Earth (pub. date January 7, 2024), by Lily Braun-Arnold, the immaturity and poor choices made by the narrator indicated that it was clearly for a young adult audience. Nevertheless, I enjoyed this queer post-apocalyptic climate fiction, Narrated by Liz, a teenager who is living alone in the bookstore where sheContinue reading “The Last Bookstore on Earth”