Chatting with Sarah Dessen!

Auden West, an academically driven girl deprived of a normal childhood due to her parents' divorce, visits her father, his new wife, and baby in the beach town of Colby for the summer before college. Suffering from insomnia, she explores the town at night and meets Eli, a fellow insomniac with a tragic past, who guides her through nocturnal adventures. As Auden works at a boutique, makes friends, learns to ride a bike, and falls for Eli, she embarks on a quest to reclaim the experiences she missed, confronting family tensions and personal growth along the way.

Fifteen-year-old Colie Sparks, sent to spend the summer in Colby, North Carolina with her aunt Mira while her mother tours Europe, expects the worst after enduring bullying and rumors back home. There, she befriends waitresses Morgan and Isabel at the local cafe, learns the value of true friendship, embraces her quirky surroundings, and gains self-esteem through new relationships, including a romance with artist Norman. The story explores themes of self-acceptance, overcoming insecurities, and the transformative power of summer connections.

Once and for All follows Louna, the daughter of a renowned wedding planner, who has witnessed countless weddings but remains cynical about happily-ever-after endings after losing her first love, Ethan, to tragedy. During her final summer before college, she meets the charming and persistent Ambrose, who works for her mother's wedding-planning business. As Louna navigates her grief and opens herself to new love, the novel weaves together romance, humor, and the deeper question of whether it's worth loving someone if you might lose them. The story balances the excitement of wedding celebrations with the emotional complexity of healing and second chances.

From acclaimed and #1 New York Times bestselling author Sarah Dessen comes a sweet, nuanced, and reflective coming-of-age love story. Finley has always felt most comfortable in someone else’s shadow, swept along by her magnetic boyfriend Colin. But when a last-minute trip with her distant mom to a family vacation house upends her plans—especially after her relationship with Colin freefalls—she must live without a roadmap for the first time. At her aunt’s diner, The Egg, Finley discovers truths about her mother’s estrangement, bonds with new friends, and falls for charming guitarist Ben, realizing how much of herself she’s been missing.

Sixteen-year-old Macy Queen is trying to cope with the sudden death of her father while maintaining the image of the perfect daughter for her mother. When her boyfriend Jason leaves for Brain Camp for the summer, Macy's carefully controlled life begins to unravel. She takes a job with a chaotic catering company called Wish, where she meets Wes, a boy with a troubled past and a talent for art, and begins to question the perfection she has been striving for. Through her new friendships and a budding romance, Macy learns to embrace life's messiness and find her own truth.

James McBride's 'The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store' intricately weaves together the lives of Black and Jewish residents in Chicken Hill, Pennsylvania, during the 1920s and 1930s. The novel explores themes of community, identity, and the challenges faced by marginalized groups. Amidst the backdrop of a segregated society, the residents of Chicken Hill form deep bonds and navigate cultural differences. When a young deaf boy is hidden to protect him, the secrets and tensions within the community begin to unravel. McBride's storytelling celebrates the resilience and humanity of those who find solace and strength in one another.

Sixteen-year-old Macy Queen is trying to cope with the sudden death of her father while maintaining the image of the perfect daughter for her mother. When her boyfriend Jason leaves for Brain Camp for the summer, Macy's carefully controlled life begins to unravel. She takes a job with a chaotic catering company called Wish, where she meets Wes, a boy with a troubled past and a talent for art, and begins to question the perfection she has been striving for. Through her new friendships and a budding romance, Macy learns to embrace life's messiness and find her own truth.

The Displacements follows characters contending with upheaval and moral ambiguity as their lives are reshaped by unexpected events and social pressures. Bruce Holsinger crafts a narrative that interrogates how people adapt (or fail to adapt) to changing circumstances and the emotional fallout of displacement. The novel balances character-driven drama with broader societal commentary, emphasizing human resilience and ethical choices. Holsinger's prose often combines wit and seriousness to examine contemporary dilemmas. The book appeals to readers interested in stories of upheaval and moral complexity.

Set during World War II in Italy, 'Miracle at St. Anna' follows four African American soldiers from the segregated 92nd Infantry Division, known as Buffalo Soldiers, who become separated from their unit behind enemy lines. The story intertwines their struggle for survival with the plight of Italian villagers, focusing on themes of heroism, spiritual resilience, and camaraderie. Central to the narrative is Sam Train, a gentle giant soldier who rescues a mute Italian boy named Angelo during the tragic massacre at St. Anna di Stazzema. The novel blends historical events with fictional elements and magical realism to explore the harsh realities of war and the miracles of human connection and faith.

Dreamland by Sam Quinones tells the story of two powerful drug industries—that of prescription opiates and black tar heroin—driven by capitalism and greed. The book examines how the medical community's shift towards pain relief, fueled by pharmaceutical companies like Purdue Pharma, and the influx of black tar heroin from Mexico, contributed to the opiate epidemic. Quinones uses personal anecdotes, historical context, and a cast of characters including pharmaceutical pioneers, Mexican entrepreneurs, and narcotics investigators to illustrate the catastrophic impact on American communities. The book also highlights the role of community in recovery and the need for addressing the underlying social and economic issues that contributed to the epidemic.

The story follows Miles 'Pudge' Halter, a teenager fascinated by famous last words, who leaves his safe life in Florida to attend Culver Creek Preparatory High School in Alabama. There, he befriends Chip 'The Colonel' Martin, Takumi, and the enigmatic Alaska Young. The novel is divided into two parts, 'Before' and 'After,' which explore themes of life, death, and the search for meaning. An unthinkable tragedy changes the lives of the characters, prompting Miles to reflect on the deeper meanings of existence.

Bruce Holsinger's 'Culpability' explores a world shaped by AI through a car accident involving an autonomous minivan. The accident reveals secrets among family members, implicating them in the tragedy. It delves into themes of technology and artificial intelligence and guilt. The novel is a thrilling exploration into challenging and provocative non-human forces. The characters involved in the accident include Cassidy Shaw, Charlie and Noah, and Alice and Izzy with their mother Lorelai.

The Good Lord Bird is an absorbing mixture of history and imagination, told through the meticulous eye for detail and character of James McBride. The novel follows Henry Shackleford, a young slave living in the Kansas Territory in 1857, who is forced to leave town with the legendary abolitionist John Brown after a violent encounter. Believing Henry to be a girl, Brown nicknames him 'Little Onion. ' Over the ensuing months, Henry conceals his true identity as he struggles to stay alive and eventually finds himself involved in the historic raid on Harpers Ferry in 1859, a pivotal event leading to the American Civil War. The book is a rousing adventure and a moving exploration of identity, survival, and the complexities of John Brown's character, portrayed with both sympathy and realism.

The Accidental Tourist follows Macon Leary, a writer of travel guides for business people who prefer to stay at home. His life is disrupted by Muriel, a quirky dog trainer, leading him into unexpected adventures and personal growth. The novel explores themes of loneliness, comfort, and the struggle to rebuild life after tragedy.

A Prayer for Owen Meany, written by John Irving, is a novel that follows the lives of two childhood friends, Owen Meany and John Wheelwright, growing up in the fictional town of Gravesend, New Hampshire, in the 1950s and 1960s. Owen, despite his small stature and high-pitched voice, possesses extraordinary spiritual strength and wisdom. After accidentally killing John's mother with a foul ball during a Little League game, Owen becomes convinced he is God's instrument and destined for a higher purpose. The novel explores themes of faith, destiny, and the socio-political upheavals of America during the 1960s, including the Vietnam War. As the story unfolds, Owen's unwavering faith guides him through various challenges, ultimately leading to a heroic and tragic conclusion that deeply affects John and the community of Gravesend.

In *Severance*, Ling Ma tells the story of Candace Chen, a millennial who works as a Senior Product Coordinator for the Bibles Division at a Manhattan-based publishing company. The narrative shifts between Candace's life before and after the Shen Fever pandemic, which slowly obliterates global civilization. The book delves into themes of nostalgia, the monotony of modern office culture, and the complexities of intimate relationships. As Candace joins a group of survivors led by the power-hungry IT tech Bob, she must confront her own secrets and the challenges of starting anew in a post-apocalyptic world. The novel is a satire that critiques contemporary life, consumerism, and the global economic system, while also being a heartfelt tribute to the connections that drive human survival and meaning.