How (Not) to Renovate a Haunted House by Jenny L. Howe is a sweet, fat positive YA paranormal romance. I reviewed three of Howe’s previous books, all adult fat-positive contemporary romances (On the Plus Side; The Make-Up Test; and How to Get a Life in Ten Dates) and I enjoyed this one as well! AsContinue reading “How (Not) to Renovate a Haunted House”
Author Archives: bbwesquire
How To Read a Book
How To Read a Book (2024) by Monica Wood was recommended by someone in my book group and I highly agree with her recommendation! The book follows three characters in and around Portland, Maine. Violet Powell is a 22-year old woman in jail because she was driving drunk, crossed the double-yellow line, and the accidentContinue reading “How To Read a Book”
How To Fake It In Society
I will always be thrilled when K.J. Charles (among many others, Death in the Spires, All of Us Murderers) publishes a new novel, which she did in April 2026 with How to Fake It in Society. It’s 1821, and watercolor paint creator Titus Pilcrow has just been told by his landlord (a former lover) thatContinue reading “How To Fake It In Society”
The Twilight Garden
I was a big fan of Sara Nisha Adams’ The Reading List (2021) and so when I saw she had a new book, The Twilight Garden (2023), I knew that I had to read it, and I was glad that I did. Sometimes you just want a book that takes you somewhere else into someoneContinue reading “The Twilight Garden”
Sex On Murder Island
Sex On Murder Island (publication day June 30, 2026) is Jo Firestone’s second Luella van Horn mystery. Luella is the private investigator alter ego of former Staten Island social worker Marie Jones. PI jobs have been slow to come by. She can’t afford her rent, so she has to move in the middle of summer,Continue reading “Sex On Murder Island”
Fat Angie
I picked up Fat Angie (2013) by e. E. Charlton-Trujillo in the YA section of my library; I hadn’t seen it before. After reading, I have very mixed feelings, though it received a Stonewall Book Award. As the book opens, Angie is involved in a fight during gym class. There’s a mean girl, Stacy, andContinue reading “Fat Angie”
Long Island Girls
Long Island Girls (publication day June 23, 2026) is Gabrielle Korn’s first foray into historical / literary fiction from her previous two novels, The Shutouts and Yours for the Taking, which were speculative, near-future, fiction. The novel primarily follows 17-year old Susan, beginning in 2005, where she and her best friend Katie live on LongContinue reading “Long Island Girls”
The Djinn Waits a Hundred Years
The Djinn Waits a Hundred Years (2024) is Shubnum Khan’s first novel published in the U.S., but she also has published an earlier novel and a memoir. Set along the coast of South Africa among the Muslim Indian community there, The Djinn Waits a Hundred Years is delicious, heartbreaking, gothic historical literary fiction that hasContinue reading “The Djinn Waits a Hundred Years”
The Keeper of Magical Things
The Keeper of Magical Things (2025) by Julie Leong is a super-sweet cozy fantasy with a sapphic romance/friendship a big part of the story. I loved it! Certainty Bulrush is a 6th-year novice mage in the Guildtower in the city of Margrave, having an ordinary sort of magic–when she touches a magical object, she canContinue reading “The Keeper of Magical Things”
Our Sister’s Keeper
Our Sister’s Keeper (publication day June 9, 2026) by historian Jasmine Holmes is a superb historical fantasy/ horror novel set in a fictional 1920s Mississippi town called East Cobb. East Cobb is the black sister to the white town of West Cobb, and it’s different than most–it’s thriving and everyone seems happy. Thea and herContinue reading “Our Sister’s Keeper”
