Friends and Family

"The problem isn't that Black people are always thinking about race, it's that white people refuse to." ~ 79%

From the author of Queen Sugar, comes a new novel of family dynamics, friendship and loyalty. Babs and Nora became friends through their kids. For over a decade, they've taken morning walks, shared family secrets and gossip. Most of all, Babs (a Black woman) has given suggestions to Nora (a white woman) on how to raise Nathan, her adopted Black son.

Their worlds are turned upside down and the dynamics of their friendship change when the kids have an unfortunate interaction with the police. The aftermath pushes Nathan closer to Babs' family where race, identity and culture is always a conversation. But Nora's boundaries are being pushed. The events that unfold makes readers' question what it means to be a loyal friend and ally.

"White people aren't free either." ~45%

Friends and Family explores themes on themes on themes: race, loyalty, perception, stereotypes, transracial adoption, police brutality, trust and friendship. It may sound overwhelming but the story was surprisingly not all over the place. In fact, it took a while to reach the climax. But when it does, the intensity of the plot builds and holds readers' tight until the end. Well done, Baszile.

I recommend Friends and Family to allies, parents and book clubs. It will spark good conversation on the themes referenced above.

Happy Pub Day to Natalie Baszile! Friends and Family is officially on shelves.

Disclaimer: An advance copy was received directly from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions are my own and would be the same if I spent my hard-earned coins. ~LiteraryMarie

Title: Friends and Family
Author: Natalie Baszile
Published: October 2026
Pages: 384
Edition: Galley
Genre: Grown Woman Fiction
Rating: 🖤 🖤 🖤

Anger Is Only a Shadow

"Going whole days not having a single person in the world look at you with sugar in their smile is a worse sentence than what any judge can give you." ~ 7%

Lil is a rebellious teen caught in the juvenile detention system. More than anything, she wants to be free. With an ankle monitor weighing heavily on her, along with guilt and trauma, she cannot shake that pinned-down feeling. The only person who might understand is her big brother, Aldwin. But he's miles away in college and something's been off with him. He doesn't respond like usual, seems distant and manic. After receiving strange texts, Lil puts her own freedom at risk to save her brother's.

Mental health is a sensitive topic to tackle. It is close to my heart and I feel very passionate about mental health awareness. I'm also very judgy of how it is represented in literature—fiction or otherwise. So when I saw this story going down the path, my interest piqued and I was all in. 

Acevedo wrote Anger Is Only a Shadow with so much care. I appreciate how she tackled the realities of the juvenile detention system, probation and schizophrenia episodes. Through the author's prose, she expressed the emotions and decisions that loved ones face. At one point, onions entered the chat and I felt tears running down my face. The writing is simply beautiful!

"For the ways book pages pull out a chair for us and tell us to sit for a while." ~ 63%

Now I usually don't like difficult teens with attitudes. But I knew immediately there was more to Lil's story. Although after finishing, I still don't know what triggered her behavior. It seemed she was troubled before the events surrounding her brother but it was never explicitly stated why. She's battling all this internal anger but what was the original trauma? Maybe I missed it or the implication went over my head. For this reason alone, it did not feel like a complete read. However, I still rate it 4 hearts and recommend it to Bookhearts. 

Happy Pub Day to Elizabeth Acevedo! Anger Is Only a Shadow is officially on shelves.

Disclaimer: An advance copy was received directly from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions are my own and would be the same if I spent my hard-earned coins. ~LiteraryMarie

Title: Anger Is Only a Shadow
Author: Elizabeth Acevedo
Published: September 2026
Pages: 336
Edition: Galley
Genre: Young Adult; Family Drama
Rating: 🖤 🖤 🖤 🖤

Dear Dealer

"How long have you been cutting heroin with fentanyl? You sucker-punch people, you know. My sister didn't see it coming." ~ 31%

Dear Dealer is a love letter, hate mail, a ransom note, a monologue, a diary of obsession addressed to the dealer Nadia Bowers is on a mission to find. It's the guy she holds accountable for the fentanyl overdose death of her sister, Sasha. Through processing her grief, she uncovers the truth of how Sasha died alone in her car in 2015. It was a crime the police won't seriously investigate so Nadia makes it her life's purpose, her sisterly duty to find the one responsible.

"The choice to love isn't weak. It's not a surrender. It's the strongest thing." ~ 97%

This memoir is an expansion on her viral 2018 This American Life piece. I heard the buzz surrounding it back then but now it is even more powerful and relevant given the massive number of fentanyl overdoses today. While reading I felt empathy, rage, confusion, and understanding. It is poetic. It is raw honesty. It is confronting. It is a sister's deep thoughts fueled by grief and pain, written so beautifully. Whew—I had to take a deep breath after finishing because it's such an intense read.

I recommend Dear Dealer with caution. Bookhearts, be prepared to feel the words through the page. 

Happy Early Pub Day to Nadia Bowers! Dear Dealer will be available Tuesday, September 15.

Disclaimer: An advance copy was received directly from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions are my own and would be the same if I spent my hard-earned coins. ~LiteraryMarie

Title: Dear Dealer
Author: Nadia Bowers
Published: September 2026
Pages: 256
Edition: Galley
Genre: Memoir
Rating: 🖤 🖤 🖤 🖤

Plot Twist: Life, Craft, and the Messy First Draft

"You can always fix bad pages. You can't fix no pages. Write. Just write." ~ 56%

Plot Twist is the book I didn't know I needed. Bestselling author Harlan Coben pulls the curtain back for a look into his own writing process. If anyone has the expertise to teach us the art of storytelling, it is Harlan Coben with 100 million books in print and over a dozen TV and film adaptations. Plot Twist is layered with writing tips, humor and anecdotes of his real life, from his suburban childhood to early years of publishing to present day.

There are so many books on the market full of classic writing tips. But Coben's is different...for real. He does not focus on the traditional categories of characters, plot, setting, outlines, etc. He breaks down ways to produce pages. Yes, there are contradictions but you'll understand why while reading. And yes, there are moments that made me literally LOL. It's really a Masterclass.

Every aspiring writer should add Plot Twist to their personal library right alongside Stephen King's On Writing. I will reference the many highlights and writing tips when I finally pick up the pen to draft my own memoir. I feel inspired to do as Coben instructed: "go forth and create." Thank you to one of the best to ever do it! 

Happy Pub Day to Harlan Coben! Plot Twist: Life, Craft, and the Messy First Draft: A Memoir on Writing is officially on shelves.

Disclaimer: An advance copy was received directly from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions are my own and would be the same if I spent my hard-earned coins. ~LiteraryMarie

Title: Plot Twist
Author: Harlan Coben
Published: September 2026
Pages: 320
Edition: Galley
Genre: Memoir on Writing
Rating: 🖤 🖤 🖤 🖤 

Dèy

"Dèy pa kon jou fèt. Grief takes no holidays." ~ 94%

Dèy is a slow burn with themes of fear, grief, and surviving trauma. It is an exploration of Haitian culture, mass shootings in America, and events that shape our before/after. I resonated with the duty of daughters to take care of their parents. Summer reads don't have to be light and beachy. Step away from the chick lit and get into this literary fiction.

Magnolia is a successful Haitian American real estate agent in Miami, Florida. When shopping at the mall for her daughter's birthday present, she is caught in a random act of violence. She hears gunfire and takes shelter in a nearby restaurant with fellow shoppers and diners. The minutes are tense. Once she's safely home, Magnolia keeps the traumatic event to herself. Instead she is hyperfocused on her life: the bond with her daughter Zoë, her recent relationship break with Zoë's father, the challenges of her mentally ill mother, being a sister to the result of her father's affair, and the threat of gangs where her parents live in Haiti. 

Edwidge Danticat is an author on my watch list. I see her name and it's an automatic read. Her writing is impressive, inspiring, vivid and deep. Danticat took it a step further in Dèy and introduced me to a different language, culture and customs. The story transports us to Florida and Haiti with fresh eyes. It gives us something to think about. Beautifully written!

Happy Pub Day to Edwidge Danticat! Dèy is officially on shelves.

Disclaimer: An advance copy was received directly from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions are my own and would be the same if I spent my hard-earned coins. ~LiteraryMarie

Title: Dèy
Author: Edwidge Danticat
Published: August 2026
Pages: 256
Edition: Galley
Genre: Lit Fiction
Rating: 🖤 🖤 🖤

Just as Long as We're Together / Here's to You, Rachel Robinson

"You mean you never had more than one best friend at a time?" ~ 29%

Bookhearts far and wide know that I grew up on Judy Blume. Her books contributed to my love of reading. No matter the stage of adolescence, there is a Judy Blume book that covers it. I vividly remember reading Just as Long as We're Together for the first time. I was in the 4th grade starting a new school for the gifted and talented. I was among other math nerds and kids with their nose stuck in a book. I was welcomed into a friendship clique, connected with more than one best friend, and immediately knew this is where I belonged. 

Just as Long as We're Together was the Judy Blume book for this stage of my life. And here I am 39 years after it's original publication re-reading it for a new release. It has a new look for middle grade readers. The new cover is simple with a bright teal background and a friendship bracelet. Remember those?! But the story within is the same. Stephanie and Rachel have been inseparable. But everything changes when Alison moves in next door. Stephanie clicks with her instantly and wants to form the perfect trio. But Rachel drifts away not wanting to make room for someone new. The story answers a common question: can you have more than one best friend?

Re-reading this book proved why it was a childhood favorite. Blume knows how to reel young girls in, teach a lesson and apply it to real life.

"Life is an obstacle course." ~ 42%

The companion book titled Here's to You, Rachel Robinson is a heartfelt story about shifting friendships, messy families and perfectionism. From the outside, Rachel is perfect. She is a straight-A student, excels at music, and is the best friend everyone counts on. But the pressure to be perfect builds while life at home is a disaster. It's hard to hold it together. Again, Judy Blume writes with her trademark way of connecting with young readers at the right time in their lives. Even though I did not enjoy Here's to You, Rachel Robinson as much back then, I now appreciate the deep message it provides: check on your strong friend.

Just as Long as We're Together and Here's to You, Rachel Robinson are best read as companion novels. I recommend it as a buddy read with the young reader(s) in your life. It will spark conversations, open dialogue and strengthen friendships. I am so delighted they are being re-released and celebrated!

Happy Early Pub Day to Judy Blume! Just as Long as We're Together and Here's to You, Rachel Robinson will be re-published next Tuesday, August 25.

Disclaimer: An advance copy was received directly from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions are my own and would be the same if I spent my hard-earned coins. ~LiteraryMarie

Title: Just as Long as We're Together

Author: Judy Blume
Re-Published: August 2026
Pages: 272
Edition: Galley
Genre: Children's Fiction
Rating: 🖤 🖤 🖤 🖤 🖤

Title: Here's to You, Rachel Robinson
Author: Judy Blume
Re-Published: August 2026
Pages: 272
Edition: Galley
Genre: Children's Fiction
Rating: 🖤 🖤 🖤

You'll Love It Here

"Of course, I normally avoid my neighbors. I'm not about to engage in small talk with the people stuck living here alongside me." ~ 6%

It only takes one day for Mona's life to implode. After years of climbing the corporate ladder, she is expecting a promotion and finally moving out of her crumbling apartment building. Instead, she is jobless and stuck in a space barely big enough for a yoga mat. To make matters worse, her landlady takes a tumble and asks Mona to be the substitute super. She gets pulled deeper into the building's chaos and closer to her neighbors: a shouting couple, mysterious shut-ins, panty thief and more. Sometimes life gives us what we don't expect!

Was it heartfelt? You bet. Was it LOL-funny? A couple times. Was it fun to read? Oh yeah. Do I recommend it? Sure. If you like reading eccentric characters and was a fan of the TV show Good Trouble, then add You'll Love It Here to your TBR. It is predictable but entertaining with a heavy dose of character growth.

Happy Pub Day to Natalie Sue! You'll Love It Here is officially on shelves.

Disclaimer: An advance copy was received directly from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions are my own and would be the same if I spent my hard-earned coins. ~LiteraryMarie

Title: You'll Love It Here
Author: Natalie Sue
Published: August 2026
Pages: 320
Edition: Galley
Genre: Humor Fiction
Rating: 🖤 🖤 🖤