Tender hearted and realistic, looks at the experience of growing up Muslim in America, doesn't shy away from ugly realities. 

Hilarious and upbeat take on dating, love, and marriage in the 21st century as a Muslim woman.

Thank you Atria and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader's Copy!

Available March 2025.

Longing, lust, and libations abound in Tiana Clarke's Scorched Earth. Written in the aftermath of both personal and social upheaval, the poems contend with what is left behind and tries to make sense of residual damage. Travelling as far back as the 18th Century, Clark tackles both personal and historical legacies, grappling with the complexities of living as a Black queer woman in America. I loved the tenderness with which she treated herself, the way she revealed such great vulnerabilities with the reader, the jubilant celebration of so many other authors I hold dear, and the inward progression of the book. Scorched Earth crackles with life!

Thank you to Knopf and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader's Copy!

Available April 2025

Whst I loved the most about Mary Annette Pember's Medicine River is the way she was able to tell a story that was at once a personal ancedote and the story of Native people. Pember skillfully weaves in history, science, religion, and policy to demonstrate the complex legacies of Indian boarding schools in North America, using her own mother's experiences as an anchor. Have a box of tissues ready because you will cry and maybe even want to throw up at the grotesque violence young Native children face (much of which remains unacknowledged in American history books). A necessary read for all those living on Turtle Island.

Thank you to Ecco and Netgalley for the Advanced Reader's Copy!

Now available.

Be prepared with your tissue boxes, this book is a bawler. Starting with Chung's childhood as an Asian adoptee to a white family in rural Oregon and going all the way to the present day, this is a beautiful exploration of loss, love, and family. Chung grapples with the death of her family members, never shying away from questioning the class disparities present in today's medical industry. The later half of the book is especially emotionally poignant as Chung experiences two losses back to back in the middle of the pandemic. Above all, this book will make you call your mom one more time.

Thank you to Crown Publishing and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader's Copy!

Now available.

Bitter and unrelenting, Zara Chowdhary's The Lucky Ones is a glimpse into the horrors of the 2002 Gujrat riots where many Muslims faced religious persecution and violence at the hands of their Hindu neighbors. Chowdhury is not afraid to discuss the larger political and social implications of the masacre and its cover-up today, but what really tears at the heart is her depicition of every day life under the brutal Modi regime. Even an act of taking a state exam can carry exteme mental duress as Chowdhury has to try to disguise her religious background. I enjoyed learning about this chapter of Indian history and look forward to reading more of Chowdhary's work.

Thank you to One World and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader's Copy!

Available now.

Bouyed by zingy one liners, Karla Cornejo Villavicencio's Catalina is a raucous coming of age. As she navigates class, immigration status, pop culture, and more - Catalina must find her place in the increasingly confusing world of the wealthy and powerful at Harvard. The whole story reads as one monologue and I found myself laughing out loud at parts of Catalina's experiences. I loved the family dynamics in this book, the balance of tender devotion and guilt many immigrants navigate. Sometimes, I would get thrown off by Catalina's meandering thoughts, but as a whole it was a bemusing read.

Thank you to FSG and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader's Copy!

Available February 4th 2025.

Short but substantive, Roya Marsh's "savings time" packs a mean punch. The collection explores Black liberation, police violence against Black women, and every day acts of horrific prejudice in America. Yet, as Marsh herself reminds us, no one is coming to save us but ourselves and that includes making time for joyful resistance.

Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader's Copy!

Now available.

Salacious yet addictive, Regina Porter's The Rich People Have Gone Away is a wonderful way to spend a cozy afternoon in. What stood apart to me is how Porter embodies so many different COVID experiences all at once - the chef, the musician, the teenage student, the teacher, the interior designer, disgruntled Target employee, police and more. Porter floats in and out from story line to story line, almost as quickly as changing the frequency on a radio station, in search of the elusive truth - what happened to Darla? And yet, when the mystery is finally solved, there are even more uneasy questions raised.

Thank you to FSG & NetGalley for the Advanced Reader's Copy!

Now available.

Though I typically don't read horror, there is something magnetizing in Rivers Solomon's Model Home that demanded to be followed. So much so that I read the entire book in one sitting, hiding in my closet because it was petrifying - a never ending volley of terrors. I appreciated the ending that slowed things down and helped me catch my breath, to imagine a soft landing for the siblings after all they have been through.