| Women and Children First by Alina GrabowskiNarrated by ten women and girls in a small Massachusetts town, this "craftily constructed and deeply moving debut" (Booklist) covers events before and after a house party where a high schooler dies following a suspicious fall. Read-alikes: If the Ice Had Held by Wendy J. Fox; Ocean State by Stewart O'Nan. |
|
| All Fours by Miranda JulyStopping a solo cross-country road trip after 30 miles, a 45-year-old semi-famous California artist rethinks her life and marriage as she develops a connection with a younger man and remodels her motel room before heading home in this witty, weird, and sexy novel. Read-alikes: Milk Fed by Melissa Broder; The Dog of the North by Elizabeth McKenzie; Clover Hendry's Day Off by Beth Morrey. |
|
| Blue Ruin by Hari KunzruYears ago, Jay left the London art scene while on the cusp of stardom and is now an undocumented, unhoused delivery driver in upstate New York during COVID. After running into his artist ex-girlfriend (now married to his artist ex-best friend), he moves to their estate, where an art gallery owner has also taken refuge. This atmospheric, lyrical novel is for fans of Memory Piece by Lisa Ko and The Hundred Waters by Lauren Acampora. |
|
| Oye by Melissa MogollonColombian American high school senior Luciana deals with school stress, Hurricane Irma, her eccentric grandmother's cancer diagnosis, family secrets, and more. Written as Luciana's one-sided phone calls to her sister away at college, this humorous and moving coming-of-age debut presents a unique voice. Read-alikes: Olga Dies Dreaming by Xochitl Gonzalez; An American Immigrant by Johanna Rojas Vann. |
|
| One Last Word by Suzanne ParkSara Chae has put everything into making One Last Word a success. But the app, which delivers personalized messages after someone's death, mistakenly sends out Sara's missives (written while drunk). She's left picking up the pieces while trying to get funding from a venture capitalist...who happens to be her crush and one of the message recipients. Read-alikes: Ali Hazelwood's romantic comedies; Better Left Unsent by Lia Louis. |
|
| Sweetness in the Skin by Ishi RobinsonIn Kingston, Jamaica, 13-year-old Pumkin Patterson dreams of France. After her grandmother dies and her aunt moves to Paris, Pumkin lives with her neglectful mother and starts a baking business to earn money for French lessons. With authentic characters who sometimes speak in Jamaican dialect, this atmospheric first novel will please fans of If I Survive You by Jonathan Escoffery and Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson. |
|
| The Guncle Abroad by Steven RowleySitcom star Patrick O'Hara takes his 14-year-old niece and 11-year-old nephew traveling around Europe before heading to Lake Como, Italy, for their dad's wedding. But it's not all smooth sailing: the kids, whose mother died five years ago, oppose the marriage and Patrick is stressed about turning 50. Fans of The Guncle will enjoy this, but anyone who appreciates funny, upbeat family stories will also be charmed. |
|
| I Hope This Finds You Well by Natalie SueJolene deals with a soul-crushing job by venting about coworkers in white text at the end of her emails to them. After she's caught, HR makes her take a sensitivity class and restricts her communications...but she's also accidentally given access to coworkers' emails and DMs, with surprising results. If you'd like more smart, witty looks at workplaces, try Help Wanted by Adelle Waldman, The Cleaner by Brandi Wells, or Then We Came to the End by Joshua Ferris. |
|
| Long Island by Colm TóibínThough she left Ireland over 20 years ago, Ellis Lacey still feels like an outsider in 1976 Long Island...especially when she discovers her husband has impregnated another man's wife. At a loss, she returns to Ireland to visit family and friends. Readers may know Ellis from the acclaimed 2009 novel Brooklyn, but this moving tale works fine as a standalone. Read-alikes: My Coney Island Baby by Billy O'Callaghan; The Ninth Hour by Alice McDermott. |
|
| How to Read a Book by Monica WoodViolet Powell, a 22-year-old just released from prison, visits a bookstore where she encounters the husband of the woman she killed after driving drunk and the retired volunteer who ran her prison book club. If you enjoy this heartwarming, character-driven novel about second chances, try Sara Nisha Adams' The Reading List or Lucy Gilmore's The Lonely Hearts Book Club. |
|
Contact your librarian for more great books!
|
|
|