The Fact Checker (2025) Austin Kelley "What a joy it is to follow the Fact Checker on his journey to learn the truth (in the era that launched truthiness) about suspicious activity at an organic farmer's market. Really, he's looking for a girl, and what he finds is so much more and less and deliciously other than expected. "You never know, when you are picking and poking, what will ooze and leave a stain," the Fact Checker tells us. It's one reliable truth in this darkly funny urban epic that serves up earnest innocence and clear-eyed cynicism in equal measure, and captivates to the very end."
There's Nothing Wrong with Her (2024) Kate Weinberg "This novel may delve into The Pit (of ill health, of grief, of despair), but it never feels less than buoyant. Weinberg has found a way to write about chronic illness and pain with great wit, creativity, and verve. I loved every page of this short novel and hated to leave its vibrant characters behind."
Sucker (2023) Daniel Hornsby "Wickedly astute and bitingly funny, Sucker's take on a weird true Silicon Valley story is an unputdownable, cathartic read for all of us who've been suckered by Big Tech for years."
At the End of Every Day (2023) Arianna Reiche "Arianna Reiche's At the End of Every Day takes us deep inside a dying - and sometimes deadly - theme park. Filled with richly detailed descriptions of the world her possibly unreliable protagonist, Delphi, knows best, Reiche's unique take on the epic quest - featuring creepy bots, a death cult, subterranean realms, and more - compels you to hang on for the wild genre-and-mind-bending ride."
Calling Ukraine (2023) Johannes Lichtman "In his masterful second novel, Johannes Lichtman digs down into the wonders and banal horrors of what it means to be 'free'--as a well-meaning, semi-clueless American man abroad, or as a Ukrainian woman trapped in a cycle of domestic abuse. Although written before the current Russian invasion, every situation feels freighted with the country's past and future. Slim and subtle and sharply observed, this novel gripped me from its opening pages to its chilling denouement."
The Fake (2023) Zoe Whittall "Zoe Whittall's gripping new novel, The Fake, upends the expected scammer narrative. Instead of cozying up to the fake herself, we're caught alongside the two vulnerable people who cling to her as a quick fix for psychic pain. We know this woman who weaponizes false victimhood to get what she wants will only hurt them more, but the story's irresistible momentum defies us to look away."
Five-Part Invention (2022) Andrea J Buchanan "Five-Part Invention is a sweeping yet intimate story that follows several generations of exceptional women coping with trauma and persevering despite the odds stacked against them. This debut novel by Andrea Buchanan is absolutely immersive, moving, and captivating from the first page to the last."
All the Best Liars (2022) Amelia Kahaney "Insanely addictive and gorgeously written. With vivid characters and a plot that keeps twisting, All The Best Liars took me right back to those early, intense female friendships and kept me reading through the night."
Heatwave (2021) Victor Jestin "Eerie, propulsive, sexy, and unsettling, Victor Jestin's Heatwave carries the coming-of-age novel into darkly surprising new territory. With echoes of the films of Francois Ozon, this intense, slim novel is a hot summer read that lingers long after you finish the last page."
What Could Be Saved (2021) Liese O'Halloran Schwarz "Immersive, profoundly moving, and gorgeously told, What Could Be Saved tells the story of one family's lost then rediscovered son, exploring both cause and consequence with insightful empathy. With a cast of vivid characters, a captivating story, and a fluid style, What Could Be Saved is an unforgettable reading experience, one to savor and then share with everyone you know."
A Good Man (2020) Ani Katz "Ani Katz’s debut is a gorgeously written, profound examination of contemporary masculinity and its potentially lethal side effects."
