The Wedding by Dorothy West is a modern classic that deserves far more love and notoriety. The short but powerful novel is about several generations of a colored family that summers on Martha’s Vineyard in an affluent colored community known as the Oval. Ovalites are a group all their own, but the family we focus on has many secrets and hidden feelings about what it means to be light skinned in a racist world and the Black community. 

Told in the third person, we get insight into many different characters and what has led to the big wedding this summer on the island, Shelby who is colored is engaged to a white jazz musician. Each character is complex and relatable in their own ways; West is adept at quickly establishing and then continuing to build messy people and relationships. 

If you are a fan of The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois, Memphis, or The Vanishing Half, I’m almost certain you will love this book. It is not plot heavy but I don’t want to give anything away. This book made me laugh and cry and I’m certain I’ll revisit it in the future. Even if you think classics aren’t for you, this very accessible emotional story is well worth a try.  

The Night When No One Had Sex turns the prom night tropes upside down for a funny, endearing YA coming of age story that feels comforting and unique. Come for the lovable diverse friend group, stay for the antics and heartwarming vibes. 

Told from the perspectives of several friends and with hilarious chapters told entirely in group text messages, we learn about Julia’s sex pact. Julia has gotten all of her friends to vow to lose their virginity after prom at a secluded cabin. But of course, lots of things don’t go according to plan. Tensions run high but so do the laughs, and I’d expect nothing less from a book in this genre. 

I loved the use of multiple narrators in this book, it helped build connection and I related to each of them. I also loved the different experiences they were all having around the idea or experience of sex. Miller deftly balances sex as a serious choice and as something that’s not the boogeyman it’s made out to be, and she takes shame completely out of the equation. 

I loved how this book focused on individual experiences over the course of one night and then united the friends at the end, refocusing on the universal truths of growing up and keeping and changing friendships. I think this has a ton to offer to both young and older readers. 

Saving Noah is about a teenage boy who molests young girls and the ramifications for his family, mostly his mother who narrates much of this book. 

In classic Lucinda Berry style, this feels incredibly real and in this case the sadness is beyond tangible. I was devastated for this fictional family throughout the story. Also as with every book I’ve read from the author, I just couldn’t put it down. 

I did find parts of the middle repetitive and there was a new perspective in the epilogue that was not as fleshed out as I would have liked. The Perfect Child remains my favorite LB but I will continue to read more. I recommend this one for fans of Defending Jacob. 

The Magic Fish is an absolutely delightful and emotional graphic novel about Tiến.  Tiến is growing up in American with a Vietnamese mother and is hiding his queerness. The story alternates between the present day and fairy tales read by  Tiến  and his mother.  

Tiến's story is told in vivid shades of coral and the fairy tales, Cinderella and the Little Mermaid, are told in a deep periwinkle. The colors create even more magic between the real world and the parallels in these classic stories. 

The icing on the cake is the depth and love of the characters for themselves and each other. I really can't say enough about The Magic Fish. It is touching and sweet without being saccharine. It is simply a must read. 

If you've been a fan of Ian Reid in the past, or if you haven't, I think We Spread is a book that belongs on your TBR. I compulsively read I'm Thinking of Ending Things and despite my love of an open ending, I found that it just wasn't the book for me. We Spread has some of the same aspects, quick moving, lots of nuance, an open ending, but it also has more relatability in my opinion- it is about the experience of Penny, an elderly woman who has been living alone and now has to move into a long term care facility. 

The LTC is small, only four patients live there with two employees. Quickly, Penny notices strange things and perceives that Shelley and Jack (the employees) are not all that they appear to be on the surface. This is social horror light in my opinion, I was disturbed enough to continue reading quickly but not disturbed enough to feel unsettled or have nightmares- which is often the case for me. 

I really loved how this book wove together the disorienting experience of aging with the elusive questions of a vague social horror. Ian Reid is a tight, concise writer and I love that too. He lets the reader interpret rather than hitting us over the head with conclusions. If any of that sounds good to you, this is a fantastic read! 

If you've read Lucinda Berry's books before, you know that they are psychological thrillers made even more disturbing by the fact that she works in the field of childhood trauma. This book is no exception and I couldn't put it down. 

As with most thrillers and even more so in the case of this short thriller, I think you should go in blind. The plot focuses on two twins who were adopted as young children after experiencing harrowing abuse at the hands of their biological mother. The story follows one of the twins as she develops a close relationship with someone other than her twin for the first time and then the terrible consequences of how that experience merges with their past trauma. 

This is a twisty look at twin dynamics and the long lasting impact of childhood trauma, I saw the big twist coming but still loved every second. This was an engaging book from the first pages to the last. 

 

Five Survive is the newest book from Holly Jackson of A Good Girl's Guide to Murder fame. I really enjoyed that series so I was eager to jump into a stand alone by the author. Unfortunately, I found this to be a slow book lacking the character development that made AGGGTM so enjoyable. By 25% I found myself skimming and completely unengaged. 

Told over the course of one night, there are six friends traveling south to Florida for Spring Break in a 31 foot RV. Among other things that make this book annoying and boring, the fact that the RV is 31 feet and not 30 or 29 or 32 is expounded upon at least twice per chapter, sometimes more. I'm talking literal paragraphs about the size of the RV, completely irrelevant to the current plot. Was this supposed to be interesting or was it just filler to make this story that could have been a tight 250 into 400 pages? 

I can say that the story picked up a bit in the final third, but I was still skimming without missing any details of significance. I will still give Holly Jackson consideration in the future, but I will take my time and read reviews before jumping onto the bandwagon with her next publication. I really can't recommend this one.

 

I wanted to love this book, but it just didn’t connect with me. Is it me? It might be, and that’s fine. 

I have no criticism of the topic (gun violence and grief) or the way it was handled. I didn’t relate well to the main character, Lucas. I enjoyed the parts with Trey the most. The book relied on big reveals in the last forty pages, which can work but was too little too late for me this time. 

So many people are loving this book right now and I’m really happy for them. Maybe this book will be great for you; for me, the narration was stuck in the weeds and I couldn’t tune into the charm others are finding. 

An adorable, must read sequel. Garlic and the Witch has more exposition than the first book, Garlic and the Vampire. It shares the adorable characters, cozy setting, and an adventure that sends Garlic looking for things and finding even more. 

A must read for fans of cozy, cute graphic novels.