Book Review: Kin by Tayari Jones

Pages: 368

Genre: Adult Historical Fiction

Pub. Date: February 24, 2026

Publisher: Knopf Doubleday

Source: Personal Copy

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

 

Goodreads says, "Vernice and Annie, two motherless daughters raised in Honeysuckle, Louisiana, have been best friends and neighbors since earliest childhood, but are fated to live starkly different lives. Raised by a fierce aunt determined to give her a stable home in the wake of her mother’s death, Vernice leaves Atlanta at eighteen for Spelman College, where she joins a sisterhood of powerfully connected Black women and marries into an affluent family. Annie, abandoned by her dissolute mother as a child, and fixated on the idea of finding her and filling the bottomless hole left by her absence, sets off on a journey that will take her into a world of peril and adversity, as well as love and adventure, and culminate in a battle for her life.

A novel about mothers and daughters, about friendship and sisterhood, and the complexities of being a woman in the American South, Kin is an exuberant, emotionally rich, unforgettable work from one of the brightest and most irresistible voices in contemporary fiction.

 

It's the 1950s in Honeysuckle, Louisiana, where Vernice (Nicey) and Annie have bonded over their trauma. Both young women are without mothers. Nicey is being raised by her aunt Irene, as her mother was murdered, and Annie's mother left her as an infant, so she is being raised by her grandmother. As they navigate their teens and adult life together, their bonds are forged even more strongly. Nicey, who is a little more subdued, has the opportunity to go to Spelman College and make something of herself. There, she meets a lot of different black women who inspire her to change her life and leave Honeysuckle behind. Annie, meanwhile, always searching for her mother, Hattie, decides to embark on an adventure of sorts with friends to Memphis, where her mother was last spotted. Annie's journey is anything but calm, with a lot of ups and downs along the way in the Jim Crow South. No matter what obstacles are thrown their way, Nicey and Annie still find one another, even if their paths take them in opposite directions. Kin by Tayari Jones is a brilliant novel that almost reads like a modern classic; it's vivid, compelling, and a master class in character development.
 
From the beginning of Kin, I was struck by the strong friendship between Nicey and Annie. Although they have very different personalities, they complement each other well. Nicey’s life takes her to an affluent Black community in Atlanta, where she is focused on finding a advantageous marriage. In contrast, Annie embarks on a road trip to Memphis, navigating through the turbulent South. This journey brings attention to Southern culture as well as the realities of the Jim Crow era.

I was truly impressed by Jones's character development; it was brilliant! The characters and the Southern setting came alive on the page. Whether Nicey was mingling with the wealthy in Atlanta or Annie was walking along a sweltering dirt road in the Deep South, I felt as though I were there. Additionally, the alternating points of view between Annie and Nicey further developed their characters. Despite their geographical distance, the story intricately tied both women together, as their friendship and shared childhood strongly drew them back to one another.
 
This is my first novel by Jones, but it won't certainly be my last. I adored Kin and thought it was written beautifully. It reminded me of a classic in the best way possible. Have you read Kin? Are you a fan of Tayari Jones? Let me know in the comments below.  

 

Can't Wait Wednesday: When You Loved Me

Can't Wait Wednesday is hosted by Wishful Endings and helps us spotlight upcoming releases we're eagerly anticipating.   

 

When You Loved Me by Beatriz Williams

Pub. Date: June 23, 2026

 

 

 

Goodreads says, "Local history insists that a legendary pirate buried his treasure somewhere beneath Windward, the decayed Cooper estate on Winthrop Island, but Lucy Cooper never trusted the fable that broke her family apart. When a widowed Lucy returns with her young daughter to grieve her estranged father, she discovers the property’s buried under a mountain of debt, and Ben Ressler has just turned up on her doorstep.

Thirteen summers ago, a teenaged Lucy never meant to fall in love with Ben, a Dartmouth football star vacationing next door at the Peabody estate, and the object of an all-consuming crush by Laura Peabody, Lucy’s best friend. Those two weeks with Ben were the best and worst of Lucy’s life, dooming her friendship with Laura. Now Ben’s returned to live quietly in the Peabodys’ caretaker lodge, after a fatal accident ended his dazzling NFL career. He’s also the last person who saw Lucy’s father alive.

As Lucy reconstructs her father’s troubling final days, she uncovers his research on the frozen winter of 1717, when a desperately wounded pirate sought refuge on Winthrop Island with an enigmatic healer. To Lucy, this history points the way to a different kind of how to forgive yourself for the mistakes of the past and earn a second chance at love. But just as Lucy’s long-buried emotions sear to the surface, a shocking turn of events reveals that someone else on the island will do whatever it takes to claim the fabled plunder.

A timeless story of love and atonement, When You Loved Me maps both a centuries-old treasure hunt and the intimate territory of the human heart, weaving together past and present as only Beatriz Williams can."

 

I will read anything Beatriz Williams writes. Her "historical" beach reads are some of my favorites and I can't wait to read this one. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below and if you are a fan of Beatriz Williams.  

 

Book Review: Meet Me Under the Lights by Cassie Miller

Pages: 384

Genre: YA Realistic Fiction

Pub. Date: March 3, 2026 

Publisher: Viking for Young Readers 

 Source: Publisher for review

My Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

 

 

Goodreads says, "High school junior Eliza Crowley is known as the Princess of Fairfield, a farm town in North Carolina that loves two things—tradition and baseball. Although Eliza loves “the game,” her life goal is to become a lighting designer on Broadway. Shaking off her reputation as the rich girl and focusing on her town's community theater production are what she’s set her sights on this summer, and nothing will stand in her way. That is until Reed Fulton, the grandson of a struggling Fairfield farmer, and ace pitcher of the Fulton Hawks, returns to town.

Reed dreams of putting the catastrophe of last season behind him and leading the Hawks to a championship victory against the Crowley Cardinals. But when his childhood friend turned stranger, Eliza, strolls back into his life, she makes his heart accelerate quicker than his fastball, and he’s not sure he can stay away from the girl he’s supposed to despise.

Small-town summers and baseball draw Reed and Eliza together, even though the Crowleys and the Fultons are determined to run each other out of town. When the families make a deal to settle their thirty-year-long dispute once and for all, Eliza and Reed are stuck in the middle during the most important summer of their lives.

Heartwarming, captivating, and full of emotion, Meet Me Under the Lights is a pitch-perfect romance that will have readers hooked right off the bat."

 

 

The Crowleys and the Fultons have been feuding for years. Years ago, they co-owned the town's stadium, and the Fultons, a farming family, poured their blood, sweat, and tears into maintaining it. The Crowleys, who are wealthier, have always had a leg up on the Fultons. They leveraged their finances to take over ownership of the stadium. This is when the feud began, and combined with some "friendly" betting on their baseball teams, it only added fuel to the fire. Eliza Crowley, a senior, is a theater lover and the town's sweetheart. She has always been friends with Reed Fulton, an ace pitcher, since they were children, but the friendship faded when he moved away. At his grandfather's request for summer baseball, Reed is back and in town. Due to their family's tension, things between Eliza and Reed are shaky at best until they start to have feelings for one another. When their families make a bet to end their feud once and for all, Eliza and Reed find themselves stuck in the middle. Meet Me Under the Lights is a cute YA romance perfect for summer, as it captures small-town baseball and summer romance very well.
 
I really enjoyed the Romeo and Juliet-inspired drama in Meet Me Under the Lights. The Crowleys and the Fultons have been in conflict for years, which places Eliza and Reed in a challenging position. However, as they spend more time together, they begin to realize their feelings for one another. This enemies-to-lovers romance is executed beautifully in Meet Me Under the Lightss, especially since Miller provides alternate points of view that effectively highlight the characters' emotions and the strain caused by class differences.

Miller effectively captures the joy of summer baseball in her writing. She begins each chapter about Reed with a baseball quote, which enhances the baseball elements of the story. This will certainly resonate with baseball fans. Additionally, she beautifully showcases Cassie's love for theater by detailing the intricacies of lighting a play, and she includes intriguing quotes about theater before each of Eliza's chapters. Remarkably, Miller successfully intertwines the themes of theater and baseball, making it all come together seamlessly!
 
I love a small-town romance, and if it includes baseball, even better! So, I was pleasantly surprised by Meet Me Under the Lights. It's the perfect YA romance for spring.  

Blog Tour: The Paris Match by Kate Clayborn

 

I adored Kate Clayborn’s Georgie, All Along, so I’m especially excited to get my hands on her latest novel, The Paris Match, which just came out this week. And honestly, doesn’t the cover just scream springtime?

Today I’m thrilled to be part of Berkley’s blog tour for The Paris Match, which seems like the perfect romance to kick off the spring season. The story follows a woman who flies to Paris for the destination wedding of her former sister-in-law, only to find herself butting heads with the deliciously gruff best man. I absolutely love the sound of it!

 

Learn More About the Book:

 

The Paris Match by Kate Clayborn

Pub. Date: April 7, 2026

 

  

Goodreads says, "Physician Layla Bailey has spent over a year telling herself she's moved on from a painful but amicable divorce from her college sweetheart. Staying friends with her ex seemed like the mature thing to do, but when Layla is invited to her former sister-in-law’s destination wedding in Paris—where Layla once spent her own romantic honeymoon—she knows her commitment to maturity might be her worst enemy…especially since her ex isn’t attending alone.

The only thing that could make the week more difficult is getting through it without the distraction of the wedding.... But when what Layla thought was a harmless conversation about the choices of her younger self leads to the bride getting cold feet, Layla finds herself facing down the groom’s mysterious, taciturn best man, Griffin, who will do anything to make sure this wedding happens.

Since she broke it, Griff demands she help him fix it. Going along with his plan to alleviate the engaged couple's doubts seems like Layla’s best chance at maintaining a good relationship with a family she once called her own. But as she learns more about the past heartbreak that’s driving Griff to help his friend, she gets closer and closer to confronting the true depth of her own pain…while finding herself more and more willing to risk it all again for Griff."

 

You can purchase your own copy of The Paris Match at Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Bookshop, and Books A Million. To learn more about Kate Clayborn, visit her website or connect with her on Instagram.  

Let me know in the comments if The Paris Match is on your spring TBR list and if you are a fan of Kate Clayborn.  

   

Blog Tour and Giveaway: Danny Can Read

 

I love discovering picture books that are perfect for early elementary classrooms, and Danny Can Read by Diana Paola Navarro Gomez is one of them. This charming title works beautifully as a read-aloud and is also bilingual, making it an excellent resource for English language learners and students curious about Spanish. Best of all, Danny Can Read celebrates the joy of reading, which is a message that will resonate with every reader.

 

 

Learn More About the Book:

 

Danny sabe leer / Danny can read

Written by Diana Paola Navarro Gómez

Illustrated by Carmen Blanco

Ages: 4–8 | 38 Pages

Publisher: Mr Momo (2025) | ISBN: 979-138-752-3121

 

Publisher's Book Summary: "Danny Can Read is a bilingual (English–Spanish) picture book that celebrates the magic of reading and the power of learning at your own pace. Dinosaur siblings Danny and Lily discover that their talents shine in different ways — and that they shine the most when they work together. Through a warm, engaging story designed for read-alouds, children explore big feelings like frustration and comparison, practice empathy, and build confidence as they see that differences aren't obstacles — they're strengths. Perfect for ages 4–8, ideal for bilingual families and for readers learning English or Spanish."

 

Readers can purchase their own copy of Danny Can Read at Amazon and learn more about Diana Paola Navarro Gomez by visiting her website and connecting with her on Instagram and as well as here. 

 

 

The Giveaway:

 

 

I've partnered with Diana Paola Navarro Gomez by hosting a giveaway to celebrate the publication of Danny Can Read. Enter for a chance to win one of three signed paperback copies of Danny Can Read. One grand prize winner will also receive a 36-piece puzzle inspired by the book along with their signed copy. The giveaway ends April 20, 2026 at 11:30 PM Mountain Time. Enter the giveaway here or by clicking the graphic above. Good luck!