Tombolo Books

Sisters in Yellow by Mieko Kawakami

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Sisters in Yellow by Mieko Kawakami
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Is there any better feeling than falling immediately into the familiar cadence and rhythm of a book from an author you love? I have read and loved Mieko Kawakami’s work for many years now, and her ability to delve into the minds of her narrators and shift through human emotion, insecurity, quiet joy, and the small moments of life continues to captivate me. But she does not do all the work for the reader. Her gift is crafting dialogue, both internal and external, that allows the reader to dig deeper. Sisters in Yellow delivers on all of these fronts. Hana, our young narrator whose anxiety surrounding her financial instability and drive for security permeates the novel, is one of my favorites of Kawakami’s leads yet. Kawakami probes poverty, vulnerability, and the deep longing to belong to a family and community. The action really ramps up in the second half of the book where the stakes are raised, and I couldn’t stop turning the pages. Fans of Kawakami will not be disappointed, and this book will be a great entry point for new readers!

Sisters in Yellow by Mieko Kawakami, (List Price: $30, Knopf, 9780593537732, March 2026)

Reviewed by Kelsey, Tombolo Books in St. Petersburg, FL

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Dèy by Edwidge Danticat

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Dèy by Edwidge Danticat
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Edwidge Danticat is brilliant – again. In Dèy she explores the impacts of violence on families in Miami and Haiti, the evolution and changeable meaning of home, and the grounding and healing power of family. I am stunned and moved by her ability to powerfully describe moments of beautiful stillness in the middle of swirling chaos.

Dèy by Edwidge Danticat, (List Price: $30, Knopf, 9780593803523, August 2026)

Reviewed by Candice, Tombolo Books in St. Petersburg, FL

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Should the Waters Take Us by Stephanie Soileau

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Should the Waters Take Us by Stephanie Soileau
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There are not many stories about the people and the place I am from, but Stephanie Soileau delivers a novel so close to home that I had to put it down multiple times to catch my breath. Should the Waters Take Us captures such a particular experience growing up in the forgotten places of rural South Louisiana. That is, until a disaster strikes–be it a devastating oil spill or a catastrophic hurricane. But in between these headlines, life moves on in these places. Families plant generational roots and are tied to the land and water for their livelihoods because it’s all they know. It’s hard to talk about this book without getting personal. Soileau has given me a book that is three o’clock coffee milk at my grandparents’ house; it’s trying to eavesdrop on their conversations but they keep slipping into French so that I can’t understand; it’s Zydeco and SwampPop on the radio in the backyard during a crawfish boil; it’s 14 on and 7 off of so many people I knew on oil rigs in the Gulf; it’s blue tarps and days of clean up after another hurricane; it’s gumbo and fishing camps and family and all the beautiful, messy bits of our culture. It is a brilliant novel!

Should the Waters Take Us by Stephanie Soileau, (List Price: $30, Doubleday, 9780385551786, July 2026)

Reviewed by Kelsey, Tombolo Books in St. Petersburg, FL

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It’s Only Drowning by David Litt

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It's Only Drowning by David Litt
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I don’t know anything really about surfing, but I super loved this memoir by former Obama speechwriter David Litt. In the throes of pandemic-lockdown-induced doomscrolling, Litt found himself desperately in need of something to pull him out of his slump, and that something was surfing. Join him on his journey from foamy-riding newbie to surviving Hawaii’s infamous North Shore. Along for the ride – perhaps begrudgingly at first – is his brother-in-law, with whom Litt has next to nothing in common, except the hunt for the perfect break. The joy and mental growth that comes from learning a hard new thing – and finding common ground with someone at polar opposites – is inspiring and so very funny.

It’s Only Drowning by David Litt, (List Price: $19, Gallery Books, 9781668035368, June 2026)

Reviewed by Amanda, Tombolo Books in St. Petersburg, FL

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The Reaper and The Waiting by January Sun

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The Reaper and The Waiting by January Sun
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Beautiful. From the art to the story , I was amazed by how much I was falling in love with the characters. It was tragic, heartwarming, and so freaking lovely. I was sucked in with how much Reaper and Waiting yearned for that something more. The story slowly gives you hints on their relationship and really I could read 20 more just about them. And it was illustrated so beautifully! The Reaper and The Waiting checks off the boxes for best queer graphic novel for me.

The Reaper and The Waiting by January Sun, (List Price: $19.99, WEBTOON Unscrolled, 9781834110080, May 2026)

Reviewed by Mekhala, Tombolo Books in St. Petersburg, FL

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Anywhere Else by Rachel Knox

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Anywhere Else by Rachel Knox
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With this essay collection, Rachel Knox invites us to her reunion – a family reunion where our warmest childhood memories pass a beer to freshly unearthed secrets; a high school reunion where the fragile but brave new identity of an escapee seeks the glance of an old crush. These essays are by turns inquisitive, piercing, and funny – but you don’t have to be from Florida, or even want to go there, to be moved by this book. You just have to have a hometown and know what it feels like to leave it, only to discover it’ll never leave you.

Anywhere Else by Rachel Knox, (List Price: $28, University Press of Florida, 9780813081519, March 2026)

Reviewed by Candice, Tombolo Books in St. Petersburg, Florida

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Aicha by Soraya Bouazzaoui

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Aicha by Soraya Bouazzaoui
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What a fantastic fantasy debut. This book pulled out my heart and left me in a pool of my own anger, disbelief, and pure enjoyment. Rage, passion, and love are the core of this book. We follow Aicha and her loved ones and get to see how far she is willing to go for what she believes to be right. Rebel forces, family bonds, colonialism, and demons lurking in corners. Aicha will be a book that they talk about for years to come.

Aicha by Soraya Bouazzaoui, (List Price: $18.99, Orbit, 9780316582018, March 2026)

Reviewed by Mekhala, Tombolo Books in St. Petersburg, FL

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Murder Bimbo by Rebecca Novack

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Murder Bimbo by Rebecca Novack
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Murder Bimbo gave me just what I needed – a messy, unreliable narrator, a political-ish point of view that’s long on wit and style, and a Rashomon-style form that propelled the plot through to its final resting place (maybe?). Everyone is comparing it to Gone Girl, but I think it’s more One Battle After Another if Perfidia was in charge. Hell yea, brother.

Murder Bimbo by Rebecca Novack, (List Price: $28.99, Avid Reader Press, Simon & Schuster, 9781668214619, February 2026)

Reviewed by Rachel, Tombolo Books in St. Petersburg, Florida

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The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai

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The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai
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I’m now on the last 100 pages, and I find myself slowing down because I do not want it to end and dogearing nearly every other page because the writing is so astounding. The characters, the worlds they inhabit in Vermont, New York, and India, and the cultural and family dynamics are written with such depth and humanity. Kiran Desai has created another masterpiece!

The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai, (List Price: $32, Hogarth, 9780307700155, September 2025)

Reviewed by Alsace Walentine, Tombolo Books in St Petersburg, Florida

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I Want to Burn This Place Down by Maris Kreizman

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I Want to Burn This Place Down by Maris Kreizman
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Maris is your favorite book recommender’s favorite book recommender, and I’ve been excited for her debut essay collection for months. Happy to report it’s everything I wanted – a funny, relatable, and insightful exploration of the institutions that fail us. I felt her hope and rage deep in my bones, as someone who once believed that if I was “good” enough, things would work out. This book couldn’t come at a better time, as we reckon with the impact of our collective choices and failing empires. Must read!!! <3

I Want to Burn This Place Down by Maris Kreizman, (List Price: $26.99, Ecco, 9780063305823, July 2025)

Reviewed by Rachel Knox, Tombolo Books in St Petersburg, Florida

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The White Hot by Quiara Alegría Hudes

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The White Hot by Quiara Alegría Hudes
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Wow! This novel was absolutely beautiful! Quiara Alegria Hudes gives us a perfectly flawed narrator who I found myself in equal measures horrified by and empathizing with throughout the novel. April’s rage screams from the pages at times and quietly seethes at others. Abandonment is at the heart of this novel but also reclamation of the self and the hope that by leaving a mother can break the cycle of pain that has persisted for generations.

The White Hot by Quiara Alegría Hudes, (List Price: $26, One World, 9780593732335, November 2025)

Reviewed by Kelsey Jagneaux, Tombolo Books in St Petersburg, Florida

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Overruled by Lana Ferguson

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Overruled by Lana Ferguson
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She just keeps getting better. Oh my word! This book was exquisite. Listen, we can talk about how Dani is a wonderful female main character, strong but still fragile. We can talk about the hilarious banter and sizzling chemistry. But what makes this book amazing is the one and only Ezra freaking Hart. He has stolen my heart with his charm, his sensitivity, and just overall deliciousness. He is one of the best main male characters I have ever read, and at this point in time no one will take his crown. In true Lana Ferguson style, this book had me laughing, blushing and screaming from literally page one.

Overruled by Lana Ferguson, (List Price: $19, Berkley, 9780593549391, July 2025)

Reviewed by Mekhala Villegas-Rogers, Tombolo Books in St Petersburg, Florida

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Zomromcom by Olivia Dade

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Zomromcom by Olivia Dade
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What a crazy ride! I mean, we were running into the arms of danger on page one! This book was hilarious, but also had me on edge because of the freaking zombies! Edie is amazing, and if I had the confidence to try to save someone with a burrito and pure determination, I think I would be considered a superhero. Max is prickly and a bit of a pessimist, but he treats Edie with such care, ahh, it is scrumptious. I mean if I could fall in love with a grumpy, flawless, not afraid to wear a thong vampire in the middle of an apocalypse, I would! Here for the adventure, staying for the romance, NO ONE….. does paranormal romance like ZOMROMCOM.!

Zomromcom by Olivia Dade, (List Price: $19, Berkley, 9780593818206, 2025-08-05)

Reviewed by Mekhala Villegas-Rogers, Tombolo Books in St Petersburg, Florida

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Mayra by Nicky Gonzalez

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Mayra by Nicky Gonzalez
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What’s scarier: a haunted house in the Everglades or a toxic female friendship? Por que no los dos? Lush, eerie, and intense, Mayra is Shirley Jackson by way of I-95. I loved Gonzalez’s writing, which manages to be funny and wry while also pressing on the tender bruises of adolescence and insecurity. More Florida horror by women, please!

Mayra by Nicky Gonzalez, (List Price: $28, Random House, 9780593731550, July 2025)

Reviewed by Rachel Knox, Tombolo Books in St Petersburg, Florida

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The Dry Season by Melissa Febos

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The Dry Season by Melissa Febos
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Truly, everyone should read this book. I’m happy that it found me in this moment of my life. As Melissa Febos travels back through an inventory of her past relationships, each section imparted so much on me as I considered my own relationship to sex and love. There is a delicious sort of ache in each chapter as she reflects on personal desire and the things we deny ourselves for the sake of those we love. In the same way that you shouldn’t scarf down a decadent meal, I could not push myself to read this book quickly. I savored and reflected on each chapter. She teaches the reader so much, using her own story as a guide to pull me in and point me towards histories of powerful women (beguines, mystics, writers) I hadn’t yet considered. I am left satisfied and inspired.

The Dry Season by Melissa Febos, (List Price: $29, Knopf, 9780593537237, June 2025)

Reviewed by Alyssa Sotelo, Tombolo Books in St Petersburg, Florida

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