This book was the perfect spooky read! Reminded me a lot of the show Haunting of Hill House, but in the best way.
Our Gifted Hearts by Jennifer Kennedy, (List Price: $18.99, Angry Robot, 9781836730194, October 2025)
Reviewed by Elizabeth Dowdy, Baldwin & Co. in New Orleans, Louisiana
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You Weren’t Meant to Be Human by Andrew Joseph White is a rollercoaster of raw, unsettling, and yet, beautiful human emotions. This is White’s first adult horror novel and please be warned, this book is scary as hell. Crane is a mute, autistic, trans man, who has been assisting in the invasion of an alien infestation known as “the Hive”. When Crane suddenly finds out he is pregnant and the Hive demands the birth of the child at all costs, Crane’s resistance and desperation to end the pregnancy sets off a series of events that cause a whirlwind of panic, anger, and violence that no one could have anticipated. Andrew Joseph White has literally taken the rough and gritty underbelly of small town gas station, added literal piles of “worms and flies” or “the Hive” and created one of the scariest settings I’ve read in a long time. White has a natural way of writing body horror that pushes every boundary and deliberately disturbs the reader with stomach-twisting imagery. The book will have readers truly gasping and screaming all the way toward the very last page. (No joke, I had a truly visceral feeling of horror upon finishing the book.) If you are a fan of anxiety-inducing films like Hereditary (2018) and Midsommar (2019) and also love a good gory Alien (1979) movie, you have to check out “You Weren’t Meant to Be Human by Andrew Joseph White when it releases on September 9, 2025.
You Weren’t Meant to Be Human by Andrew Joseph White, (List Price: $29, S&S/Saga Press, 9781668038079, September 2025)
Reviewed by Baldwin Bookseller, Baldwin & Co. in New Orleans, Louisiana
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I really enjoyed this novel and found the themes of womanhood and motherhood intriguing. The main characters struggle with her own self-identity, and what it means to be a woman who is not interested in being a mother, which I think is something many women can relate to. It is easy to find parts of yourself in Sanjana and her struggles.
Goddess Complex by Sanjena Sathian, (List Price: $29, Penguin Press, 9780593489772, March 2025)
Reviewed by Baldwin Bookseller, Baldwin & Co. in New Orleans, Louisiana
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I loved the way this book explored the ideas of trauma, PTSD, and loss, as well as how resilience and strength can grow out of them. The changing timelines and character points of view kept me engaged and wanting to learn more about each new storyline and person that was introduced. The ending brought together the past and the present in a beautiful way and showed the power we all have to preserve and learn from our past traumas, whether they be our own or those of our ancestors.
Good Dirt by Charmaine Wilkerson, (List Price: $30, Ballantine Books, 9780593358368, January 2025)
Reviewed by Baldwin & Co. in New Orleans, Louisiana
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A Song to Drown Rivers retells ancient legend with phenomenal voice, bringing a truly worthwhile addition to the historical fiction genre. The romance in this book was also done so perfectly! There was so much tension and longing. I felt more emotions through one of their glances than I have through some entire romance books. I also appreciated how the love story never took away from the important messages in the book but it was also never overshadowed by them. This book is an absolute gem, a stunning, compelling, and emotionally charged journey that left me breathless.
A Song to Drown Rivers by Ann Liang, (List Price: $32, St. Martin’s Press, 9781250289469, October 2024)
Reviewed by Baldwin & Co. in New Orleans, Louisiana
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