Missing Sam (publication day January 27, 2026) by Thrity Umrigar caught my attention immediately, telling the story of a fight between married Aliyah and Samantha, that they don’t resolve before they go to sleep. In the morning, Sam goes for a run and doesn’t come back. Ali becomes the prime suspect in her disappearance. UmrigarContinue reading “Missing Sam”
Tag Archives: relationships
Is This a Cry for Help
Is This a Cry for Help? (publication day January 13, 2026) by Emily Austin was so, so good! This is the third book of Austin’s I’ve read and reviewed (Everyone In This Room Will Someday Be Dead, and We Could Be Rats), and it lived up to my already-high expectations! Darcy, a queer librarian whoContinue reading “Is This a Cry for Help”
The Measure
My book club chose The Measure (2022) by Nikki Erlick for our October 2025 read, and we had a great discussion! The premise is that one day, everyone who is older than 22 receives a box at their front door (later, you receive a box when you turn 22). On the box is an inscriptionContinue reading “The Measure”
Shark Heart
I’ve seen Shark Heart (2023) by Emily Habeck around, but didn’t think of reading it until my book group picked it. It is an unusual premise–right after getting married, Lewis and Wren face a difficult diagnosis due to a genetic abnormality he carries–Lewis will retain his consciousness and all of his memories, but over theContinue reading “Shark Heart”
All My Mother’s Lovers
I thought so highly of All My Mother’s Lovers (2020) by Ilana Masad that I recommended it to my book group, so was a bit disappointed when their reviews were much more mixed. It did spark a lengthy discussion, though. As the book opens. Maggie, a queer twentysomething, finds out that her mother, Iris, hasContinue reading “All My Mother’s Lovers”
The Mighty Red
I really enjoyed listening to The Mighty Red (2024) by Louise Erdrich. I think I’ve read nearly every novel she’s written. so my expectations were high, and I was not disappointed. Centering on a teenage love triangle, with goth Kismet Poe marrying football player Gary Geist and fooling around with homeschooled genius Hugo, right afterContinue reading “The Mighty Red”
America is Not the Heart
I thought Elaine Castillo’s How to Read Now: Essays was so important that I needed to read her first novel, America is Not the Heart (2018). It was utterly absorbing and did what my favorite novels do–immersed me in a world that I could not otherwise experience as a white person. Castillo switches perspectives, specificallyContinue reading “America is Not the Heart”
Disappoint Me
I was charmed by Disappoint Me (publication day May 27, 2025), much more so than Nicola Dinan’s first book, Bellies. Max and Vincent are the two main characters. Max is a trans woman, a lawyer who analyzes contracts as an AI, and is in between boyfriends, bored by the queer London scene. She falls downContinue reading “Disappoint Me”
Get Real, Chloe Torres
Get Real, Chloe Torres (publication day May 13, 2025) by Crystal Maldonado is young adult chick lit of the finest kind–it centers on rekindling an old friendship, through a cross-country road trip and boy-band fandom! Newly-graduated Chloe is working at her summer job as a non-Disney princess at little-kid birthday parties, when she realizes thatContinue reading “Get Real, Chloe Torres”
Dream Count
Dream Count (publication day March 4, 2025) is Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s first novel since 2013’s Americanah. Like Americanah, the setting of Dream Count goes back and forth between the United States and Nigeria, but Dream Count follows four African women, three living in the United States and one in Nigeria. Chiamaka’s story begins and endsContinue reading “Dream Count”
Reading While Fat 