The Golden Hour is about Manuel Soto, a teenager in rural Kansas, who witnesses gun violence at school. He uses photography to cope with his anxiety afterwards. 

Manuel makes friends with Sebastian and Caysha in art class and they become his support group and more. Manuel joins them in Ag club and they each share the passions that make them unique. 

This is an excellent look at trauma and anxiety, with a side of friendships and budding queer romance. I absolutely loved how this book built characters without heavy exposition. This is a delightful read about teenagers facing very real problems. I wouldn’t change a thing about it. 

Merci Suarez Plays it Cool is the third book in this series. In this book, Merci is starting eighth grade. She struggles with very normal middle school problems, namely feeling pulled between two friend groups. 

This story also includes a beautiful extended family living together. Lolo is a dear grandparent to Merci and he is experiencing Alzheimer’s. The author does a great job writing about how this impacts the family and how it impacts Merci. I think this will be wonderful for many middle grades readers. 

Overall this story is a slice of middle school and family life. I loved the normalization of being kind to all of your peers and standing up for yourself. I think this series is a great fit for middle grades readers

Eileen is the tale of a 24 year old woman in 1964, told in reflective from her old age. Eileen is a secretary at a prison and responsible for her ailing alcoholic father. 

The dominant portion of this book is a messy look into Eileen’s twisted inner monologue. As we draw near the end, a plot builds as a result of a magnetic friendship between Eileen and Rebecca, another employee at the prison. The events that follow are disturbing and retribution for many sins. 

This is a propulsive read, while technically slow paced. I couldn’t put it down. I highly recommend checking content warnings first before beginning this dark and fascinating book. 

Ghachar Ghochar is a translated novel from India. Told by a young man sitting in a coffee shop, he reflects on how dramatically his life has changed. 

It is about a multi-generational family who lives together on a single income. The uncle who earns the money is awarded much respect and the family does much to satisfy his wants. 

Much of this book is about the family’s life in poverty, but their circumstances change and they are suddenly with money. Arranged marriages occur as a result and soon things are very complicated. 

I greatly enjoyed all of this novella, and going in blind I was pleasantly shocked by the twist ending. It is superbly narrated and I cannot recommend it enough. 

Kat is a reporter hunting her biggest story ever. Meg is a con artist with a sad backstory. 

In this cat and mouse novel, Meg and Kat let each other into their lives and each pursues a huge goal. Kat is driven by her need to write a big story and get revenge on something Meg didn’t protect her from ten years ago, and Meg is aiming for the biggest con of her life- getting back at the man who conned her terminally ill mother. 

This story moves at a good pace and the writing is enjoyable and hard to put down. I was a little disappointed when the end felt a touch anticlimactic, but it was a satisfying ending nonetheless. If you enjoy cat and mouse or con artist stories, this is a solid read. 

I’m Glad My Mom Died is buzzing around the bookish parts of the Internet and topping the charts. While I’m sure the attention grabbing title fuels some of this, Jennette McCurdy has written a memoir worthy of the praise. McCurdy lays bare the events of her childhood and young adult years, rife with trauma, abuse, and toxic relationships. 

I will admit that I don’t find the title as upsetting as many. I think those who experience abuse have a right to heal and a right to feel, not deny, any feelings towards their abuser. Jennette went through many kinds of emotional and physical abuse, and this memoir makes it clear that the title is not a sentiment she arrived at quickly or easily. It is the result of time, hard work in and out of therapy, and an intense desire to live a healthier, happier life from now on. 

I found this memoir relatable, but that will not be the experience for every reader. I also think Jennette was matter of fact and clear, not cold and distant as some have criticized. Perception is our reality, so I think this is a memoir that will hit it out of the park for many and be a foul ball for others. If you want to hear her recount stories both harrowing and humorous and are ready for very heavy topics, I think this is a wonderful book. I commend people like Jennette McCurdy who are challenging their dysfunctional family relationships and setting the course for a healthy future. 

The perfect romcom written and narrated by the perfect Julia Whelan, Thank You for Listening delivers a beautiful love story with nuance and lovable characters. 

Swanee is an audiobook narrator whose romance days are behind her, both for work and personally. When she has to attend a romance novel convention in Las Vegas, Swan has a fantastic fling with a handsome and equally funny man named Nick. 

After the trip, she is offered a romance audiobook job that she cannot refuse. The money is too good and her grandmother desperately needs her support. It is a dual perspective story being released in one hour segments, and she begins correspondence with the male narrator. through phone calls and text messages, the sparks start to fly.

You can probably imagine where the story ends up, but the way it gets there is truly special. And Julia Whelan shows that she is onto us all the time with her insight into audiobook listeners and she lets us in on some of the grueling magic behind the scene. This is a must read, or more appropriately a must listen. 

Memphis focuses on Black women through several generations of the North family. Men are important to the story, but the women are centered and their stories truly shine here. 

The story begins with the perspective of Joan. She’s 10 years old and it’s 1995, and she’s just made it through a long road trip with her mother, sister, and their big dog Wolf. Her mother, Miriam, finally left their Marine father after many years of growing abuse. 

Joan, Miriam, Mya, and Wolf are welcome into Aunt August’s home. There would be a feeling of great relief except than Derek is there. Derek did something horrible to Joan years ago. And so their lives entwine and some traumas are traded for others. 

This is a beautiful story of the strength and resilience of Black women, how they keep going through the most difficult trials. I enjoyed some perspectives more than others, the chapters about Hazel were my favorite. I feel that one major event in the second half deserved more of a conclusion, but beyond that my only criticism is that I wanted more time in the world of the North women. 

I hope you’ll pick up this short, powerful book. 

Read this or read The Alice Network. They are essentially the same book. 

I preferred The Alice Network. 

Like a Love Story is a sprawling story of three friends, Judy, Art, and Reza. Reza is new to New York where they are in high school together. Judy and Art have been friends for as long as they can remember. 

The year is 1989.  Art is the only kid that is out of the closet at their school, but Reza is keeping a secret about his sexuality. Art and Reza share a sudden, charged connection which scares Reza into dating Judy to try to conceal his own identity and feelings. 

The glue that holds these friends together through heartaches, betrayals, and the normal challenges of the teenage years is Judy’s Uncle Stephen. And Uncle Stephen is dying of AIDS. 

This book weaves together so much poignant history of the AIDS crisis and a timeless story of young love and friendship. There is also a beautiful secondary plot about how Stephen’s family has treated him and about his truly incredible found family. 

I loved this slow paced character driven novel, although it doesn’t feel slow- it feels immersive. For fans of Tell the Wolves I’m Home and for anyone young or old who loves a story of friends, Like a Love Story is a book I will remember and recommend for a long time.