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You mourn, you love, you laugh, and you grow with our dear Lady Tremaine. You can feel her desperation and anger at her situation in every chapter. She is struggling to keep her family afloat, a task that feels like it could collapse at any moment. Throughout the story, Lady Tremaine learns that supporting her family does not look the way she initially thought it would, but she is willing to forge a new path for the benefit of her daughters. I appreciated Rachel’s use of foreshadowing. Normally, I can maintain an objective perspective while reading, considering all sides, but Rachel has a way of making you deeply feel what the characters experience, including the anger she wants you to direct toward certain individuals. This is a fantastic retelling of a fairy tale that you won’t want to miss. If you love the traditional story of Cinderella being rescued by her prince, this version may not be for you. In this tale, THE GIRLS ARE SAVING THEMSELVES!

Lady Tremaine by Rachel Hochhauser, (List Price: $29, St. Martin’s Press, 9781250396341, March 2026)

Reviewed by Sarah, Cavalier House Books in Denham Springs, Louisiana

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In the week after 9/11, three vastly different people set sail on a cruise to Bermuda that was already planned, and have mixed emotions about the trip and their lives. This extremely compelling story sucked me right into the narrative and didn’t let me go until we docked back in Boston! I immediately felt immersed in the lives of these characters, eager to know what was going to happen next. Highly recommend!

All the World Can Hold by Jung Yun, (List Price: $30, 37 Ink, 9781668200599, March 2026)

Reviewed by Jennifer Jones, Bookmiser in Marietta, Georgia

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Vernice and Annie, best friends and loyal companions since infancy, leave their hometown of Honeysuckle, Louisiana, on very different life trajectories. Jones vividly describes their journeys, allowing the reader to feel deeply each of the bumps along the road as Vernice attends Spelman College in Atlanta and Annie desperately seeks to establish a relationship with her birth mother in Memphis. The powerful bond these friends maintain across the miles and the years reminds us that we don’t have to be biologically related in order to be “kin.”

Kin by Tayari Jones, (List Price: $32, Knopf, 9780525659181, February 2026)

Reviewed by Burch, Righton Books in St Simons Island, Georgia

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There is nothing better than people who love movies writing about why they love movies and how those movies impacted them!!! While I don’t have a huge connection to Night of the Living Dead I was still totally taken by this book. As a cinephile and filmmaker, I’m uber impacted by films, and seeing such a raw passion and love for a film on paper is really special. Educational and passionate, this is a great recommendation to horror/sci-fi film fans!

Partially Devoured by Daniel Kraus, (List Price: $28, Counterpoint, 9781640097155, March 2026)

Reviewed by Lily, E. Shaver, Booksellers in Savannah, Georgia

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I gobbled up this heartfelt, hilarious memoir about getting out of town and getting some perspective. I cannot wait to shove this into people’s hands. I think this whole country could use a good laugh through tears, and there is nobody more talented at facilitating that than Lindy West.

Adult Braces by Lindy West, (List Price: $29, Grand Central Publishing, 9780306831836, March 2026)

Reviewed by Chelsea Bauer, Union Avenue Books in Knoxville, Tennessee

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Between the World and Me” is an honest, raw love letter from Ta-Nehisi Coates to his fifteen-year-old son, Samori. The six-chapter letter was conceived after Coates watched his son’s heartache at the announcement that there would be no charges filed against Darren Wilson, the police officer who killed unarmed teenager Michael Brown. Coates reveals his own fears for his son and his frustrations with the world the boy is growing up in. He writes about the many senseless murders of black men; men who would still be alive if it weren’t for their black bodies. Coates tells his son, “You have every right to be you. And no one should deter you from being you. You have to be you. And you can never be afraid to be you.” Except the last sentence contradicts the world in which we live. Because Coates is afraid, both for his son and himself, but also of the world in which they live. The word body is repeated excessively in his letter. It is an insightful and persuasive argument that, first and foremost, we are a body. We are a body before any other distinguishing markers or features, and they embody a state of blackness. While this revelation isn’t new, the way Coates strings together his argument so elegantly causes one to pause and contemplate. His contrasts between human ideals and the stark realities of life rooted in racism are raw and painful. I found myself comparing this letter to Isabel Wilkerson’s masterpiece, Caste. While Coates points out the ways black bodies have been mistreated, his letter doesn’t provide the depth of contemplation and assessment that Wilkerson’s excellent work did.

Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates, (List Price: $20, One World, 9780812983814, June 2025)

Reviewed by Nichole, Bodacious Bookstore and Cafe in Pensacola, Florida

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A not-so-serious book about reading “very serious books.” Messier does a wonderful job of “explaining” to young readers how to read a “serious book” and how to look serious while doing it. There are instructions on how to look “deep in thought”, how to make sure you’ll be seen reading your serious book to impress people, and how to drink tea and “ponder” when you are finished. Because serious books have boring covers, no pictures, and lots of tiny words. Unlike this delightful book, whimsically illustrated by Kelly Collier. What a clever way to show us all that we can choose to read for fun, and it doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks!

How to Read a Very Serious Book by Mireille Messier, (List Price: $18.95, Owlkids, 9781771476584, March 2026)

Reviewed by Kelly, Fountain Bookstore in Richmond, Virginia

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“How will you ever get out of this labyrinth of suffering?” John Green’s novel Looking for Alaska unfolds in two distinct parts: before and after “the incident.” The narrative builds gradually, leading up to the event, fostering suspense and posing thought-provoking questions that keep readers engaged. Green adeptly captures authentic teenage angst, unlike Perks of Being a Wallflower and Catcher in the Rye. All three novels explore themes of teenage trauma, love, substance use, and existential questioning within a compressed timeframe. What distinguishes Looking for Alaska is its portrayal of teenagers grappling with credibility, profound existential queries, insecurities, and impulsive decision-making, often disregarding consequences. The characters in Looking for Alaska share similarities with those in John Green’s other works like The Fault in Our Stars. Despite their different genders, Augustus from “The Fault in Our Stars and Alaska from Looking for Alaska lack distinct characteristics that set them apart from each other. Suffering and the afterlife are prevalent themes in this novel. Alaska’s reckless and turbulent behavior originates from witnessing her mother’s sudden collapse and subsequent death, an event that leaves her frozen in shock, unable to intervene or seek help. John Green excels at portraying tragedy. His depiction of character demise is so vivid and poignant that it resonates with readers as if they have lost someone they intimately know. Green possesses a remarkable talent for swiftly establishing a deep and genuine connection between readers and his characters.

Looking for Alaska by John Green, (List Price: $6.99, Dutton Books for Young Reads, 9780525556541, April 2023)

Reviewed by Nichole, Bodacious Bookstore and Cafe in Pensacola, Florida

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Gregson’s final book in the Above the Black series is an incredibly satisfying ending. There’s tension, fighting, betrayals, scary creatures, and even a smidge of romance. Downfall is everything you would want in a sci-fi adventure! Conrad’s uncle, the king, has sent him down to the Below. He says it’s to conquer the colonies there, but Conrad knows it’s a suicide mission. Now it’s his plan to not only survive, but to thrive and eventually take down his uncle.

Downfall by Marc J. Gregson, (List Price: $22.99, Peachtree Teen, 9781682637081, March 2026)

Reviewed by Jennifer, Bookmiser in Marietta, Georgia