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Review: For the Rest of Us edited by Dahlia Adler

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For the Rest of Us edited by Dahlia Adler

For the Rest of Us: 13 Festive Holiday Stories to Celebrate All Seasons
edited by Dahlia Adler
HarperCollins
Published September 2, 2025

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About For the Rest of Us: 13 Festive Stories to Celebrate All Seasons

Fourteen acclaimed authors showcase the beautiful and diverse ways holidays are observed in this festive anthology. Keep the celebrations going all year long with this captivating and joyful read!

From Lunar New Year to Solstice, Día de Los Muertos to Juneteenth, and all the incredible days in between, it’s clear that Americans don’t just have one holiday. Edited by the esteemed Dahlia Adler and authored by creators who have lived these festive experiences firsthand, this joyful collection of stories shows that there isn’t one way to experience a holiday.

With stories by:

Dahlia Adler, Sydney Taylor Honor winner of Going Bicoastal.

Candace Buford, author of Good as Gold.

A. R. Capetta and Cory McCarthy, authors of the Once & Future series.

Preeti Chhibber, author of Payal Mehta’s Romance Revenge Plot.

Natasha Díaz, award-winning author of Color Me In.

Kelly Loy Gilbert, Stonewall Book Award winning author of Picture Us in the Light.

Kosoko Jackson, USA Today bestselling author of The Forest Demands Its Due.

Aditi Khorana, award-winning author of Mirror in the Sky.

Katherine Locke, award-winning author of This Rebel Heart.

Abdi Nazemian, Stonewall Book Award–winning author of Only This Beautiful Moment.

Laura Pohl, New York Times bestselling author of The Grimrose Girls.

Sonora Reyes, Pura Belpré Honor winner of The Lesbiana’s Guide to Catholic School.

Karuna Riazi, contributor to The Grimoire of Grim Fates.

My Review

At this point, I’m pretty conditioned to expect great things when I see an anthology edited by Dahlia Adler, and this one does not disappoint! I opened the book without clocking which authors had stories included, so it was a joyful experience every time I turned the page to start another story and spotted an author I love. A few of the authors included in the collection are new to me, but I’ll be on the lookout for more stories from them, too.

I love that the collection is organized as if we’re moving through the Gregorian calendar. It made me feel as if I read through an entire year upon completing the collection. The stories are well-balanced in terms of welcoming readers into the traditions and practices of each holiday while delivering an engaging story. Sometimes the stories played on the themes of the holiday, while others framed life experiences through the lens of the holiday. Some stories are funy and upbeat while others are contemplative.

One of my favorites is Sonora Reyes’ short story about Día de Los Muertos. They use the story to explore how celebrating this holiday might be challenging for families whose loved ones died in difficult circumstances. Reyes deftly brings focus to how stigmatizing people who died with mental illness can further isolate and shame people. Their story shows the power of finding ways to cherish the good things about a lost loved one, even when it’s painful or complicated.

Readers who are curious about other holiday celebrations or eager to see their own traditions celebrated on the page will enjoy this collection.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 15 up.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Strong profanity used infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing. One scene implies a sexual encounter happened in a break between scenes.

Spiritual Content
The collection includes cultural and spiritual celebrations, including Lunar New Year, Valentine’s Day, Holi, Nowruz, Eid, Passover, Juneteenth, Rosh HaShanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, Simchat Torah, Diwali, Día de Los Muertos, Winter Solstice, Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa.

Violent Content
One story contains references to death and suicide. Another includes a survivor of gun violence and a brief reference to what happened.

Drug Content
One story includes teens drinking alcohol.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Review: The Forest of a Thousand Eyes by Frances Hardinge and Emily Gravett

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The Forest of a Thousand Eyes
Frances Hardinge
Illustrated by Emily Gravett
Amulet Books
Published August 26, 2025

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About The Forest of a Thousand Eyes

Costa Award-winning Frances Hardinge’s gripping story of a young girl’s daring mission through a natural world intent on her destruction.

With stunning two-colour illustrations by superstar illustrator Emily Gravett on every page, this richly atmospheric book is perfect for fans of David Almond and Kiran Millwood Hargrave.

The hungry Forest is moving forward like an army, a green and constant threat to the humans living in and on an increasingly crumbling Wall. Feather, accompanied only by her scaled ferret, Sleek, must avoid the Forest’s tentacles, and the many dangerous creatures it shelters, to return the community’s precious spyglass to its rightful place. Along the way, she develops her resilience, and meets other people living on the Wall, whose stories and experiences open her mind, and those of her community, to new horizons.

A compelling story filled with adventure, emotional intensity and the rawness of nature.

My Review

This is totally going to date me as a reviewer, but this book reminded me of The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan, but plants instead of zombies and make it middle grade. (I tried to link to my review, but apparently I never posted a review of that one! I’m adding the whole series to my list to reread.)

This story is eerie. Feather, the main character makes a mistake that threatens her community’s survival, so she sets out on a quest to fix her error. The whole way, the Forest comes after her. The plants feel sinister as they creep along after her, sending vines to wrap her up and whispering thoughts of betrayal to her scaled ferret.

I love the community aspect of the story. Feather meets people from other settlements on her journey, and they trade ideas and learn from one another. So that she leaves behind her a trail of goodwill leading all the way home.

The story is a little dark, and definitely unusual. I’d say this would bridge upper elementary grades into middle school. It would work well as a story that has an eerie vibe for the Halloween season without being related to the holiday.

The message about caring for others and building community is well-crafted, and the quick pace of the adventure along with the evocative illustrations will make readers want to devour this book in one sitting.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 10 to 14.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. Someone tries to kill another person by pushing them off a wall. Forest elements stalk a character with ill intent. The story contains depictions of and descriptions of spiders.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Review: Wish You Were Her by Elle McNicoll

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Wish You Were Her
Elle McNicoll
Wednesday Books
Published August 26, 2025

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Wish You Were Her

Book Lovers meets Notting Hill with a slice of You’ve Got Mail in Wish You Were Her, the brand new rivals-to-lovers romance from bestselling, award-winning Elle McNicoll.

18-year-old Allegra Brooks has skyrocketed to fame after starring in a hit television show, and she’s the overnight success that everyone’s talking about. They just don’t know she’s autistic. Now, all she wants is a normal teenage summer.

Her destination for escape is the remote Lake Pristine and its annual Book Festival, organized by the dedicated but unfriendly senior bookseller, Jonah Thorne.

In small towns like Lake Pristine, misunderstandings abound, and before long the two are drawn into high-profile hostility that’s a far cry from the drama-free holiday Allegra was craving. Thank goodness for her saving the increasingly personal emails she’s been sharing with a charming and anonymous bookseller who is definitely not Jonah Thorne . . .

An unforgettable romcom about finding the one person who makes you feel yourself when the whole world is watching.

My Review

I thought the You’ve Got Mail vibes were very strong with this story– and I love that! There’s a scene in which one character waits for another at a coffee shop with a book and a rose, which will leave You’ve Got Mail fans immediately thinking of a similar scene from the movie.

Both the main characters in Wish You Were Her are autistic (they discuss this as their preferred way to be labeled in the book). I can’t think of another romance novel I’ve read where that’s true, so I was really excited to see it here. They share some similar experiences and differences, which helps remind readers that this diagnosis doesn’t appear the same way in every person.

Ally’s questions about whether or not to announce her diagnosis publicly made a lot of sense, too. I like that the story made space for her to think about that question in multiple different ways.

The bulk of the story takes place in a small town preparing for a book festival, which was lots of fun. Ally meets some new friends, and she uses her fame to disrupt some of the toxic social hierarchy among the teens she spends time with. It was another nice note in the story.

Ally and Jonah’s relationship is a bit rocky. I didn’t always expect some of their reactions to one another, but it still felt authentic. Ultimately, I had a great time reading this sweet story and loved the references to You’ve Got Mail. I love that one of the characters mentions the Jimmy Stewart original, The Shop Around the Corner.

Conclusion

If you’re looking for a bookish romance with characters who start out on the wrong foot, definitely grab this one. Bonus if you’re looking for a book with neurodivergent main characters and/or autistic representation.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 16 up.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Strong profanity used fairly infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing. Making out. A couple kiss while in their underwear. Brief references to sex. In one scene, a character kisses someone without consent. References to people making inappropriate sexual comments to someone.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
One character.

Drug Content
One teen drinks alcohol trying to forget worries.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Review: Thirsty: A Novel by Jas Hammonds

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Thirsty: A Novel
Jas Hammonds
Roaring Brook Press
Published May 14, 2024

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Thirsty: A Novel

It’s the summer before college and eighteen-year-old Blake Brenner and her girlfriend, Ella, have one goal: join the mysterious and exclusive Serena Society. The sorority promises status and lifelong connections to a network of powerful, trailblazing women of color. Ella’s acceptance is a sure thing—she’s the daughter of a Serena alum. Blake, however, has a lot more to prove.

As a former loner from a working-class background, Blake lacks Ella’s pedigree and confidence. Luckily, she finds courage at the bottom of a liquor bottle. When she drinks, she’s bold, funny, and unstoppable—and the Serenas love it. But as pledging intensifies, so does Blake’s drinking, until it’s seeping into every corner of her life. Ella assures Blake that she’s fine; partying hard is what it takes to make the cut.

But success has never felt so much like drowning. With her future hanging in the balance and her past dragging her down, Blake must decide how far she’s willing to go to achieve her glittering dreams of success—and how much of herself she’s willing to lose in the process.

My Review

What an incredible book. I felt as though I was right there with Blake, riding the high of being deeply in love and long summer days. But even from the early pages, you get this sense that something is off. Blake doesn’t see it yet, and at first I thought maybe it was just me not buying into the narrative.

(Can we pause for a sec and just appreciate the kind of writing that can do that? Draw you into a story so completely that you both root for the main character and suspect she’s lying to herself? Amazing.)

As the story progresses, it becomes crystal clear that Blake’s relationship with Ella comes at a high personal cost. Even though Blake loves her. Even though Ella loves Blake.

I don’t want to give away what happens, but I do want to say that I appreciate that Hammonds doesn’t end the story where I expected. We follow Blake into the first chapters a life she couldn’t have imagined at the start of the story. We get to see the working out of some of her choices. I love that, and I think that kind of representation is incredibly important in young adult literature.

Thirsty is the second book by Jas Hammonds that I’ve read. Their debut, We Deserve Monuments was fantastic, and yet, somehow, I think Thirsty might be even better. I’m pretty sure Hammonds is now a must-read author for me.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Strong profanity used fairly frequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing, references to sex and showering/undressing together.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
Non-consensual outing. Transphobic rhetoric. Toxic relationship elements. Racial microaggressions. Suicidal ideation and self-hate.

Drug Content
Blake and other teens drink alcohol and smoke using a vape pen. While a lot of scenes show drinking, they also show the consequences and regrets that Blake has later. The scenes explore the harm that drinking causes. The character who smokes decides to quit during the book.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Author Q&A with Isabelle Knight

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Author Q&A with Isabelle Knight

Hosting an author for a Q&A is one of the things I wish I did more on The Story Sanctuary. I love getting to know how an author comes up with ideas and brings their vision to the page. Today, I’ve got prolific young author Isabelle Knight here to talk about not one book but FOUR that make up her “Enchantria” series.

I’ve known Isabelle a bit through a weekly meme called Marvelous Middle Grade Mondays, where bloggers share bookish news and reviews of middle grade books on Always in the Middle. Her reviews are so enthusiastic, and I enjoy the way she relates her reader experience. I’m super excited to hear about her experience as a writer.

Author Q&A with Isabelle Knight

I find that a story was often inspired by a question. Was there a question that inspired you to write the Enchantria series? Or one of the novels in particular?

This is a good question, and my answer to that is sort of, but also not quite in the way you might think. I think that the Enchantria series in all does have a question at its heart (perhaps even multiple questions!), however, I never really know what question a story will have at its heart until I start writing it. Sometimes, I might not even realize what question the story has until I’m done writing it!

This was especially true for the final book in the series, The Last Hope. However, while I was writing The Last Hope, I did already have the first three books written, so I think I had the faintest idea of a question while writing book four, and that was: How do you find hope when it seems all hope is lost? However, this was a very faint question I was asking myself while writing the story, and the story evolved, and while it does ask that question, there are a lot more questions in it – questions that I never expected until I started writing it!

Are there things about your favorite character that couldn’t be included in the series?

I feel like most authors would say that there are things that couldn’t be included in the series (and while there are soooooo many worldbuilding bits that I couldn’t include because, well, then the book would balloon up to over 150K and even for me, that’s a tad extreme – especially for middle-grade). But I think that there actually weren’t that many things about my characters that couldn’t be included.

I am what is called a “pantser” meaning I write by the seat of my pants without an outline or a plan, and so I figure out the characters as I write the story, and what I figure out is just really naturally woven into the story! However, this is only true for Enchantria… It is completely the opposite for my current work-in-progress, which I can’t tell you too much about, but I will say… there are a lot of things about my main character and side characters that I just can’t include without the novel ballooning up to 150K…

You’ve created a wide-ranging story world with several different kingdoms populated with magical creatures. What did you have the most fun discovering about the setting of the series?

This is such an impossible question! I loved all of it! While there were bits that made me wish to tear out my hair in frustration (such as trying to invent/figure out twelve different kinds of creatures/beings to inhabit the twelve kingdoms. By kingdom #8, I was just desperately pulling whatever came from my mind), I had a lot of fun with everything, really! I definitely loved discovering Enchantria’s magic system, though, so if I had to narrow it down to one, this miiiight be my favorite part. Just finally discovering how everything in the magic system worked and having it all pull together smoothly was amazing (and I especially loved all the crystals in Enchantria! They’re a pretty big part of the world, as you’ll see once you’ve read the book!)

Is there a scene or moment in the Enchantria series that really sticks with you? Can you tell us a little bit about it?

There are two that come to mind right away. The first is in book one, and it is probably my favorite scene in book one, and it is when Elenora and her new friends are on the quest to find the Tribe, and they have to cross this river of literal magic that sort of runs along the northern border of Enchantria. There used to be a bridge there, but when Elenora and her friends show up, they find it in crumbling ruins because Ravena (the villain) has destroyed it. I won’t spoil anything or say exactly how they get across, but I just loved writing the scene! The descriptions of the river were just such fun to write!

The second scene that comes to mind is from The Last Hope, and it is the very last scene in the book (not counting the coronation and the prologue!), and it is, of course, when Elenora and her friends finally defeat the villain! Again, no spoilers, but this scene came out so differently than what I’d been expecting, but it was so much truer to the story and its themes of hope than my original idea of them just destroying Ravena…

What do you most hope that readers take away from the series?

This is a hard question to answer. I think every reader will take something very different away from this series, and I think that is what I really love about reading. I don’t really want to write to “teach a lesson or moral” or anything, but instead, I just really want to write to face hard questions that I myself have asked countless times before.

I think book four really does ask these two questions: “What makes a hero?” and “Where is home, truly?” I really do hope that readers will pick up on these questions and think about them, however different their answers to these questions may be from my own. The way these questions are sort of ‘answered’ in book four is really just my take/answer (though, really, I can’t promise I have one definitive answer for any of those questions) on them, and I want readers to find their own. But most of all, I just hope they will see themselves in Elenora and just have a great time reading the series!

What is one question about your books you are often asked by readers?

I get so many questions, so… (digs through mailbox and interviews to find the number one most asked question I get)

Alright, I think I found it… And it is the most common question I think every author on planet Earth gets: Where did you get the idea for the Enchantria series?

The answer is a lot, a lot, a looot of different places. Books, movies, TV shows, even a video game I once played! But I think the main original idea (which has since evolved greatly and has changed throughout the years, because I got the idea for this series when I was pretty young) came from a movie I watched as a kid. It had two kingdoms with this very clear border between the two kingdoms.

I believe one kingdom was good and the other was a dark, creepy forest… The movie’s called Strange Magic (thank you to Pinterest for helping me remember the name, because I’d forgotten the movie till I was scrolling to find inspiration for my WIP, and the movie poster for it popped up!), and Strange Magic and Enchantria are absolutely NOTHING alike… But it gave me the idea for Enchantria and Nyxria. Other ideas just came to me as I started writing the book, and I pulled inspiration from a lot of my favorite books!

About the Enchantria Series

Amazon | Goodreads

Elena Ramirez’s mother disappeared eleven year ago. On her sixteenth birthday, Elena finds her way to the magical land of Enchantria, only to find that she is the subject of a centuries old prophecy that is now being fulfilled. With the old prophecy being fulfilled, Ravena, the dark lady of the ravens, awakes and is now determined to destroy Enchantria at any cost. Elena and her new friends must fight against Ravena and undertake a series of dangerous quests to save Enchantria. If they fail, Enchantria is doomed. And Ravena is getting stronger by the minute. Will they manage to defeat Ravena and restore order to the land or will Ravena destroy Enchantria, once and for all?

About Isabelle Knight

Website | YouTube

Isabelle Knight is the middle-grade fantasy author of the Enchantria series, which she began writing at age ten and published sometime later in her life. A lifelong book and cat lover, she now resides in a book-filled apartment surrounded by countless stuffed pandas and enough books to start her own bookstore. When she’s not writing about creepy shadows, daring heroines, and magical adventures, she’s talking about books, writing, and doing writerly ramblings on her blog and YouTube channel.

Review: Sisters in the Wind by Angeline Boulley

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Sisters in the Wind
Angeline Boulley
Henry Holt & Co.
Published September 2, 2025

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Sisters in the Wind

From the instant New York Times bestselling author of Firekeeper’s Daughter and Warrior Girl Unearthed comes a daring new mystery about a foster teen claiming her heritage on her own terms.

Ever since Lucy Smith’s father died five years ago, “home” has been more of an idea than a place. She knows being on the run is better than anything waiting for her as a “ward of the state.” But when the sharp-eyed and kind Mr. Jameson with an interest in her case comes looking for her, Lucy wonders if hiding from her past will ever truly keep her safe.

Five years in the foster system has taught her to be cautious and smart. But she wants to believe Mr. Jameson and his “friend-not-friend,” a tall and fierce-looking woman who say they want to look after her.

They also tell Lucy the truth her father hid from her: She is Ojibwe; she has – had – a sister, and more siblings; a grandmother who’d look after her and a home where she would be loved.

But Lucy is being followed. The past has destroyed any chance of normal she has had, and now the secrets she’s hiding will swallow her whole and take away the future she always dreamed of.

My Review

I read a story collection recently that included a short story by Angeline Boulley. I recognized her writing immediately. She’s an amazing storyteller.

Sisters in the Wind is a standalone novel, but it has characters in it from Firekeeper’s Daughter. I loved getting to see those characters again. The only downside was that it pulled my attention away from what was happening to Lucy sometimes. (I don’t want to say anything that spoils Firekeeper’s Daughter for anyone who hasn’t read it yet. But I was on the edge of my seat watching the characters reappear in this book.)

The timeline jumps back and forth between Lucy’s past, showing scenes moving toward the present, and the present, in which Lucy knows she’s in danger but we don’t know why. As the story unfolds, the mystery of who’s following Lucy and how much danger she’s in slowly becomes clear, and the tension ratchets upward.

I liked Lucy as a character. Her relationship with her dad shows how young she is when he dies. It’s clear to the reader that her dad has some issues, but Lucy idolizes him in a way that kids do with their parents. Later in the story, she begins revisiting some of the things her dad said to her and some parts of his story that, upon reflection, don’t add up. Her growth there was nicely done and felt pretty realistic.

In terms of Boulley’s other books, this one takes place between Firekeeper’s Daughter and Warrior Girl, Unearthed. Each book explores a cultural issue and how it affects Native communities. Sisters in the Wind discusses ICWA and how foster care has been used in the past to disrupt tribal connections and culture. That’s not what the story is truly about, but because of Lucy’s experience in care, it comes up and she gets involved in an organization trying to help.

Conclusion

I keep asking myself whether I liked this book as much as or better than Angeline Boulley’s earlier books, and I think that’s the wrong question. There are some similarities between the books, and I was hooked as I read all of them. The question, for me, is whether this book expands the conversation that I think this writer has with her readers about what it’s like to be Native today in America, and how history continues to impact that experience (as it does for us all).

I like how this book builds on her earlier work. I like that it explores a foster care experience, and not totally in a negative way. (Her first placement was wonderful, but subsequent placements were awful. Her caseworker made some huge mistakes.) It also celebrates building one’s own community and learning to hold love for imperfect people.

All in all, loved it. Read this if you were a fan of her other books. If you want to read Firekeeper’s Daughter but haven’t yet, I recommend you start there, since the plot of this one will include spoilers.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 15 up.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Strong profanity used infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Lucy developed curves at a young age and feels creeped out by the unwelcome attention boys (and men) pay to her body. One boy tries to assault her. (She fights him off.) References to a child being molested (not shown on scene). A couple of scenes show kissing. Vague reference to Lucy picking up on clues that another couple is having sex. One scene includes a sexual encounter. Descriptions of pregnancy, labor, and delivery.

Spiritual Content
Lucy was raised attending church with her dad and honoring the ten commandments. She begins learning about giving thanks and praying according to her Native spiritual beliefs.

Violent Content
An explosion injures several people. Mentions of fire destroying a home or building, sometimes causing death. A teen attempts to assault a girl. She fights him, landing him in the emergency room. References to child molestation (not shown on scene). A murderer confesses to killing someone. References to a drug overdose. A man threatens others with a gun, shooting someone.

Drug Content
In one scene, teens sit around a campfire with alcohol or marijuana. An adult smokes a cigarette.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.