A swoony romance with a perfect touch of self acceptance!
Last First Kiss by Julian Winters, (List Price: $19, St. Martin’s Griffin, 9781250326263, January 2026)
Reviewed by Cameron, Quail Ridge Books in Raleigh, NC
Last First Kiss by Julian Winters Read More »
Julian Winters writes another romance that is as funny as it is tender and sweet. I really enjoyed I Think They Love You, so I was really excited to read this, and it did not disappoint. With all of the same heart as the first book, we dive right back into this family that is, while nosy and opinionated, loving in their own way. Jordan and Jaime are a couple you will have you yelling at the pages sometimes, but only because you are rooting for them so hard. A second chance romance with more heat than the first book, this is a great read to enjoy as the weather warms up too.
Last First Kiss by Julian Winters, (List Price: $19, St. Martin’s Griffin, 9781250326263, January 20267)
Reviewed by Brianna, Epilogue: Books Chocolate Brews in Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Last First Kiss by Julian Winters Read More »
Once again, Julian Winters gets right to the heart of learning to love and be loved exactly as you are. I also love seeing such beautiful demisexual representation on page in a romance novel and appreciate the care with which Julian wrote Jordan’s journey with his sexuality. This story was an absolute delight and I can’t wait to recommend it to everyone that I can!
Last First Kiss by Julian, (List Price: $19, St. Martin’s Griffin, 9781250326263, January 2026)
Reviewed by Jonlyn Scrogham, A Novel Romance in Louisville, KY
Last First Kiss by Julian Winters Read More »
In Kathryn Stockett’s latest, The Calamity Club, set in the early 1930s in Oxford, Mississippi, we follow the lives of several women and one young girl as they hope, dream, and work to build a better life and future for themselves from the scraps of the Depression. Birdie comes to town to borrow money from her sister, Frances, who recently married a rich boy but didn’t invite her family to the wedding. Frances is busy climbing the social ladder and doesn’t want anyone to know that her family is poor. Charlie moves to town for a job but disappears one evening, leaving her young daughter, Meg, alone. Meg is then forced into a new chapter of her life at the local orphanage, where the Chairwoman despises her and the wealthy white ladies of Oxford volunteer, including Frances. When Birdie is asked to help with the bookkeeping, she meets Meg and becomes involved in helping her get adopted. Then Charlie returns to town, looking for Meg and with a story to tell. When Frances’s new family, the Tartts, face severe financial hardship, the women join together on a money-making scheme, hoping that it will solve all their problems. But it may or may not work out the way they think. An entertaining story about the hardships and difficulties women faced as they tried to work and achieve some level of financial and personal freedom during the Depression.
The Calamity Club by Kathryn Stockett, (List Price: $35, Spiegel & Grau, 9781954118812, May 2026)
Reviewed by Mary, The Little Bookshop in Midlothian, VA
The Calamity Club by Kathryn Stockett Read More »
A new novel by Kathryn Stockett? Set in the town where I live (Oxford, MS)? About a group of independent, underestimated women? Yes, please! This big-hearted, often funny novel about a group of down-on-their-luck women who come up with an audacious plan to turn their lives around absolutely swept me off my feet. Despite its heft – over 600 pages – I raced through it in a matter of days. It would be a calamity to miss out on this wonderful novel.
The Calamity Club by Kathryn Stockett, (List Price: $35, Spiegel & Grau, 9781954118812, May 2026)
Reviewed by Jude, Square Books in Oxford, MS
The Calamity Club by Kathryn Stockett Read More »
As a Savannah local who loves everything ghost-related and was absolutely obsessed with the paranormal and ghosts tours as a kid (… and now), this book was a total delight from beginning to end! I loved our perceptive, clever, and imaginative narrator, Mony, and how she honored her authentic self with a level of confidence and self-assuredness I wish I saw in more female-led middle grade. It was a joy seeing Savannah through her eyes as a newcomer, a curious mind, and a girl experiencing liminality of all sorts: life and death, grief and celebration, childhood and adolescence, loss and discovery. Jackson, as always, writes a young voice with a sure, surgical hand, both validating the experience of young people and encouraging self-reflection and growth. I also adored Mony’s ghost-hunting pals: her skeptical pseudo-brother, Robby, and the fearless (but potentially untrustworthy) Myah. The three friends played off of each other’s strengths and weaknesses so beautifully, and even weathered a fight and uncovered secrets, while remaining whole individuals. The mystery itself provided historical facts about the city that will intrigue any young history buff, and kept the pace quick and the stakes high. The last few chapters absolutely flew by as tensions rose and the reveal was imminent. On the note of history, I particularly enjoyed the focus on Black and African ancestral history that this city is quite literally built on, and it’s a section of America’s past that is often ignored even now. I’d happily recommend this to any ghost story fan, history enthusiast, mystery devotee, or tween just looking to feel seen, heard, and understood.
Ghost in the Night by Tiffany D. Jackson, (List Price: $18.99, Scholastic Press, 9798225017477, August 2026)
Reviewed by Abigail, E. Shaver Bookseller in Savannah, GA
Ghost in the Night by Tiffany D. Jackson Read More »
Connect with your inner wildflower in this richly textured, inspirational new novel by Terah Shelton Harris. The novel’s vivid imagery will transport you to a hidden refuge where flowers and people grow wild. Drawing on the healing power of nature, Harris explores how strength and hope can bloom even after intense tragedy. Leigh Wilde is a survivor. Running from her tragic past, she finds herself an escaped fugitive on a flower farm in rural Gee’s Bend, Alabama. On the farm, she meets others who, like her, are survivors of past trauma. As she gradually learns to trust those around her and, most importantly, herself, she realizes that to live, she must do more than merely survive. Like the Cahaba Lily that blooms fearlessly along the riverbank, Leigh too begins to flourish despite the fears that have held her back. Yet as the secrets of her past rush in to reclaim her, what will it take to stay true to herself? Freedom may be as simple as letting go. Leigh’s story will break your heart and rebuild it petal by fragrant petal. At the end, Leigh’s love reveals the most radiant flower. Like the gift of a rare lily, this is a novel you will cherish.
Where the Wildflowers Grow by Terah Shelton Harris, (List Price: $29.99, Sourcebooks Landmark, 9781464229220, February 2026)
Reviewed by Laura, Bookmiser in Marietta, GA
Where the Wildflowers Grow by Terah Shelton Harris Read More »
“But living is a run-on sentence never ending, a collection of experiences that strengthen you along the way…Even under the worst conditions, flowers will bloom where they are planted…Joy is simple, and it comes back if you let it”. My heart breaks for Leigh….but at the same time it as on fire to read her story a watch her bloom. A wildflower, a survivor! Wow I’m just in awe of her and her resilience even in fear she pushed to find and hold on to this new life an opportunity. She found peace and made peace with the troubles of her past.
Where the Wildflowers Grow by Terah Shelton Harris, (List Price: $29.99, Sourcebooks Landmark, 9781464229220, February 2026)
Reviewed by Morgan, The Book Worm in Powder Springs, GA
Where the Wildflowers Grow by Terah Shelton Harris Read More »
I’m going to go ahead and call it right now—Phoenix will be one of my favorite books of 2026. Bradley is one of the best children’s authors writing today. She doesn’t shy away from the hard situations that kids sometimes face. She clearly has great respect for her young readers. I’m so excited to read more from this new series!
Phoenix by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley, (List Price: $17.99, Dial Books, 9780593859865, March 2026
Reviewed by Amanda, Pearl’s Books in Fayetteville, AR
Phoenix by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley Read More »
Vignettes on middle age, aging parents, motherhood, grief, and acceptance. A touching and poignant yet breezy read. So obviously crafted with immense care.
The Irish Goodbye by Beth Ann Fennelly, (List Price: $22.99, W. W. Norton & Company, 9781324117407, February 2026)
Reviewed by Hannah, M. Judson Booksellers in Greenville, South Carolina
The Irish Goodbye by Beth Ann Fennelly Read More »
Oh, this is brilliant. The humor is delightfully absurd, there is earth science cleverly woven into the mystery, and I’d argue that there are great ELA tie-ins (common core writing standards for grades 2 and 3, maybe others). Plus there is a drawing guide and a search-and-find at the end for added value and inspiration. I love this so much!
Squirrel Lock Holmes #1: The Pet Rock Mystery by Ashley Belote, (List Price: $10.99, Random House Graphic, 9780593897829, March 2026)
Reviewed by Adah, Main Street Books in Davidson, NC
Squirrel Lock Holmes #1: The Pet Rock Mystery by Ashley Belote Read More »
Jackson is as good as ever in this spooky upper-middle-grade book! Harmony is still mourning the loss of her grandmother when her father moves her from Harlem to Savannah, GA, with no notice. She’s been using ghost tours to assuage her grief, hoping to discover that there’s more to life than what we see. The ghosts of Savannah are louder and darker than others she’s come across, so she teams up with Robby, her new surrogate brother, and Myah, a new friend, to investigate the goings-on at an abandoned mansion in Calhoun Square. Nothing is as it seems, and the danger becomes all too real as the kids learn lessons about what may – or may not – be out there.
Ghost in the Night by Tiffany D. Jackson, (List Price: $18.99, Scholastic Press, 9798225017477, August 2026)
Reviewed by Andrea, Fountain Bookstore in Richmond, VA
Ghost in the Night by Tiffany D. Jackson Read More »
It is a difficult and rare thing for any of us to try to fully know our parents as the entire, whole, often complicated, sometimes messy, humans that they were. Tom Junod elegantly shows us the man who was his father with an impressive honesty and vulnerability, digging through the layers of his legacy and its impact on him and those around him — a beautiful and powerful read.
In the Days of My Youth I Was Told What It Means to Be a Man by Tom Junod, (List Price: $32, Doubleday, 9780375400391, March 2026)
Reviewed by Nicole, novel. in Memphis, Tennessee
In the Days of My Youth I Was Told What It Means to Be a Man by Tom Junod Read More »
Bonded by grief in the wake of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, a medium and an art forger team up to get revenge against the man responsible. Centering a heist perfect for fans of Gilded Wolves, Tubbs’ YA debut offers both a touching found-family story and an immersive high-stakes tale.
The Spiritualists by Kristin O’Donnell Tubb, (List Price: $19.99, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 9781665985734, June 2026)
Reviewed by Matilda, Little Shop of Stories in Decatur, Georgia
The Spiritualists by Kristin O’Donnell Tubb Read More »
This family memoir was insightful, sensitive, and impossible to put down. Tom Junod’s father was instantly familiar and fascinating to me, with his charm and swagger, his casually devastating secrets. I harbor a long-held affection for men of Lou’s generation, and it’s clear Tom does too. But as a writer, he also explores how his complex legacy shaped the man he is today. I loved it.
In the Days of My Youth I Was Told What It Means to Be a Man by Tom Junod, (List Price: $32, Doubleday, 9780375400391, March 2026)
Reviewed by Ashley, M. Judson Booksellers in Greenville, South Carolina
In the Days of My Youth I Was Told What It Means to Be a Man by Tom Junod Read More »
