Category: coming of age

Excerpt – What Was Lost by Melissa Connelly

  Synopsis Reminiscent of Hello Beautiful and The Lying Life of Adults, this powerful narrative delves into social changes from 1970 to 2000 and captures a woman’s journey in a pre-#MeToo era via the tale of a mother who returns to her hometown to face the perpetrator of her childhood abuse. When a young girl feels complicit in […]

New Release & Review – Don’t Pity the Desperate by Anna B. Moore

  Synopsis Myra is in deep trouble, exactly the sort of trouble American teens find themselves in, here in the centerless middle of endless suburbia, of late stage capitalism, driven by longings she cannot control or decipher. In a voice that rises up out of her deepest insecurities and denials, DON’T PITY THE DESPERATE tracks […]

Review – The Quince Project by Jessica Parra

  Synopsis Castillo Torres, Student Body Association event chair and serial planner could use a fairy godmother. After a disastrous mishap at her sister’s quinceañera, all of Cas’s plans are crumbling. So when a local lifestyle-guru-slash-party-planner opens up applications for the internship of her dreams, Cas sees it as the perfect opportunity to learn every […]

YA Spotlight & #Giveaway – Just A Hat by S. Khubiar

      JUST A HAT   By Shanah Khubiar       Young Adult / Coming of Age / Jewish Fiction / Small-Town Texas / 1970s Publisher: Blackstone Publishing Page Count: 254 Publication Date: July 18, 2023     Scroll down for giveaway!           Action-packed, humorous, and bittersweet, this 1970s-era […]

Excerpt – The Search by Dewayne Rahe

    Synopsis   Journey into 1910 Iowa: Where Mystery, Adventure & Destiny Collide in Fred Schmidt’s Pursuit of Life’s True Purpose in The Search. In rural Iowa, 1910, Fred Schmidt faces life’s pivotal question: How should he live his life? This compelling historical fiction transports readers into a world bursting with real and mystical […]

Review & #Giveaway – Amethyst, The Shallows by Kellye Abernathy

      Amethyst, The Shallows   by   Kellye Abernathy   YA / Magical Realism / Coming of Age Publisher: Atmosphere Press Page Count: 296 pages Publication Date: February 6, 2024 Scroll down for a giveaway!         “This is a night for being brave.” In the aftermath of a devastating sickness […]

Fantasy Spotlight – Phoenix Rising by Ephie & Celia Risho

      Synopsis   When a flying creature suddenly sets fire to their home, the villagers scramble to help. But for Amber, a twelve-year old daydreamer, it’s just the beginning. At the urging of the mischievous pixies, she decides to risk everything in search for answers. If it really was the normally-friendly phoenix who […]

Book Blitz – Amethyst, The Shallows by Kellye Abernathy

      AMETHYST, THE SHALLOWS   The Companion Novel to   The Aquamarine Surfboard   By Kelley Abernathy       Young Adult / Magical Realism / Coming of Age Atmosphere Press 296 pages February 6, 2024 NEW RELEASE!         “This is a night for being brave.” In the aftermath of […]

Review – Wild Conviction by Mary Dezember

    Synopsis 1858. Magic and danger surround Twilight Wild Adams, but she doesn’t really notice—until her 16th birthday. Upon reading her special birthday letter filled with secrets from her beloved GrandMama—abolitionist and champion of a covert mystical sisterhood—everything changes. Opening her eyes, Twilight speaks out against slavery. But almost everyone around her wants her […]

Guest Post – As Far As You Can Go by Alle C. Hall #literaryfiction #comingofage #fiction

      Synopsis   Nominated for The Pacific Northwest Booksellers Book Award, Alle C. Hall’s debut literary novel, As Far As You Can Go Before You Have to Come Back, is a-girl-and-her-backpack story with a #MeToo influence: Carlie is not merely traveling. A child sexual abuse survivor, as a teen, she steals ten thousand dollars from […]