title: Last Kiss of Summer author: Jessica M. Felleman publisher: GP Putman’s Sons Books for Young Readers publication date: April 28, 2026 pages: 320 peppers: 2-3 (on this scale) warnings: illness/medical scenes/blood/surgery death alcohol summary: When Sera and Luke were infants, they were part of a three-way heart transplant, with Sera getting a donor heart…
“Why”…Wednesdays
381. Why Betting is Entertainment
I’ve probably used the photo above with another post at some point AND it has nothing to do with today’s topic, but it looks so pretty that it makes me happy. I hope you have the same reaction to this stunning sugar magnolia we have on campus. If you’re reading this post in the United…
NetGalley Review of Mad Mabel
title: Mad Mabel author: Sally Hepworth publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin publication date: January 27, 2026 pages: 352 peppers: 1 (on this scale) warnings: death, murder summary: After the death of her elderly neighbor and another neighbor’s figuring out her former name and identity, Mad Mabel, who now goes by Elsie, decides to tell her story…
NetGalley Review of While You Were Seething
title: While You Were Seething author: Charlotte Stein publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin publication date: January 27, 2026 pages: 320 peppers: 3 (on this scale) warnings: alcohol, violence (in past) summary: When she was in a college writing program, Daisy Emmett’s classroom nemesis was Caleb Miller. Now, years later, he is a notoriously misanthropic romance writer…
380. Why Jumbled (GUEST POST)
A few notes before the actual post: I took the image above from Dyslexia.com. If you’d like to visit the site to learn more, click on the photo above. Earlier this year, all ninth graders at my school participated in a month-long writing workshop. The culminating project was to create a short essay with certain…
NetGalley Review of Don’t Tell Me How This Ends
Title: Don’t Tell Me How This Ends Author: Adrienne Thurman Publisher: Dial Press Trade Paperback publication date: April 14, 2026 pages: 320 peppers: 3 (on this scale) warnings: birth, parental abandonment, heartache, alcohol, early onset dimentia summary: Kaia Harper knows that men always leave, so she’s perfectly happy getting what she needs from one-night stands on…
NetGalley Review of Stranger Things Have Happened
title: Stranger Things Have Happened author: Kasie West publisher: Saturday Books publication date: April 14, 2026 pages: 352 peppers: 3 (on this scale) warnings: lying injury illness parental abandonment (past) and manipulation (present) hospital scenes summary: While Sutton is staying in her hometown to help her mother recover from a car accident, she’s also trying…
379. Why Prank
I say to you, whether you believe in today’s holiday or not, Happy April Fool’s Day! You might see the photo above and think, “Wowza, that’s a lot of balloons!” or you might think, “Oh no, that’s a horrible fire hazard!” Either way, you make a fair point. Of course, when the 2025s (Hi, 2025s,…
Not Only a NetGalley Review of Into the Blue
This post is not only a NetGalley review (though it’s that, too), so I hope everyone will read it, whether you follow my NetGalley reviews or not. I was lucky enough to teach Emma Brodie during her last two years at Hotchkiss. She was then and remains a total delight, both as a writer and…
378. Why Dragonflies
I was recently at an appointment and saw the above-pictured metal dragonfly, a decoration on the waiting-room table. I took a photo of it because dragonflies always remind me of my bonus mom. When I sent her the photo with a note saying that this made me think of her, she replied that dragonflies always…