SUN KEEP RISING by Kristen R. Lee is an insightful young adult novel that interrogates the double-standard between (teen) mothers and (teen) fathers while also having the levity of following a teenage girl trying to make it through life and grow up a little bit at a time. B’Once feels like a real teenager; she’s being confronted with the injustices of the adult world way too early and knows certain decisions are wrong, yet still makes these poor decisions impulsively without thinking it through or thinking to ask for help. This quick novel paints an insightful look at how systemic poverty is often cyclical and impacts everyone involved, perhaps in vastly different ways.

THE SURVIVALISTS by Kashana Cauley is a masterclass in sarcastic writing that’s both poignant but doesn’t take itself too seriously. This is one of those books you have to sit with for a bit after you finish to truly digest what the heck you just read. It moves so quickly and it’s easy to get swept up in Aretha’s tumble through life, but in those moments of calm, you gain pristine clarity. In terms of characterization, it’s easy to look down on how easily Aretha falls into a wayward hobby and loses herself until you realize, with sadness, that obsession can happen to any of us when any number of circumstances align. THE SURVIVALISTS is a commentary on the caustic fatality of capitalism and a workaholic culture consumed with the idea of productivity. Thank you to the publisher for a finished copy!