Fresh Reads, Honest reviews, Educator-approved
It’s a beautiful day in Newport, Rhode Island, when Phoebe Stone arrives at the grand Cornwall Inn wearing a green dress and gold heels, not a bag in sight, alone. Everyone assumes she’s part of the wedding party, but Phoebe has other plans—plans that unravel when the bride herself intervenes. In turns absurdly funny and deeply moving, The Wedding People explores how unexpected encounters can reroute even the most broken lives toward redemption and connection.
Ryan La Sala’s Beholder is a haunting exploration of obsession, mirrors, and monsters both real and imagined. Blending art, horror, and queer identity, it examines how beauty and darkness coexist. Though not for the faint of heart, it offers a chilling descent into the dangers of what looks back when we dare to stare too long.
Lisa Wingate’s Before We Were Yours is a powerful, emotionally charged story inspired by the real Tennessee Children’s Home Society scandal. Told through dual timelines, it exposes injustice, resilience, and the power of love across generations. A must-read for fans of historical fiction that lingers long after the last page.
For readers of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time and Nothing to See Here, a first novel as suspenseful and funny as it is moving, the unforgettable story of a fiercely resilient young man living with a physical disability, and his efforts to solve a mystery unfolding right outside his door.
A haunting, beautifully written novel about loss, identity, and the generational echoes of silence. The Berry Pickers intertwines two lives shaped by one disappearance, revealing the hidden costs of prejudice and the resilience of love. A powerful reflection on truth, family, and the price of secrets left buried.