Jess's Staff Picks
For her whole life, August has never let herself grow attached to any place or anyone, preferring to study people rather than actually getting to know them. Until she meets Jane, an impossibly perfect girl on the subway who she's inexplicably drawn to. A girl who inspires her to let people in again and cracks her wide open. There’s just one problem: Jane is from a different time.
With subway parties, drag shows, and a band of hilarious and sweet queer friends I would love to be adopted by, One Last Stop manages to provide laughs, queer history and love, a heist, time travel, and a feeling of belonging that is impossible to get from most other books. This book really describes the feeling of being afraid to let people know you, but also the feeling of relief when you decide to be your unapologetic self and are embraced by a community. It cured my pandemic loneliness, and filled me with bubbling laughter and heart squeezing happiness. Like August, I felt myself open up to the impossible magic that is love. This book was a love letter to the magic of New York City and the heart that its people have. And also to the queer community. This book is one that is tattooed permanently on my heart.
Evike lives a life as a half-Pagan, half-Yehuli outcast in a village, where everyone else has powers blessed by the old gods except her. Every year, the Holy Order of the Woodsmen comes to her village to claim a pagan girl for the king’s nefarious purposes, and whoever is chosen is never seen or heard from again. When Evike is betrayed and offered to the Woodsmen by her townsfolk, she finds an unlikely ally in the Captain of the Woodsmen, a disgraced prince. During their travels they form a bond and join forces to overthrow the tyrants who have contributed to their alienation and oppression their entire lives.
This book is about faith, about feeling like an outsider everywhere you go, about what you are willing to sacrifice for a country who never cared about you, and much more. This blend of Hungarian history and Jewish mythology rooted me to the pages.
Ever feel like a book has broken you open, bared your soul to the world, and made you more whole? Honey Girl is that book for me.
Grace has always been the girl with a plan: a plan her father gave her. For 13 years, Grace has stuck to her plan, working tirelessly towards her goal of a doctorate in Astronomy. But when she graduates and the real world bites and she marries a stranger in Vegas, all her plans start to unravel. And Grace realizes that maybe, just maybe, having a life plan isn't everything.
This coming of age story is perfect for the millennial dealing with the existential terror of figuring life out when all your plans crumble and you're forced to choose between the path that fulfills you and the path that you think you need to take. Filled with heart and humor and lyrical writing, this book is a glimpse into the burnout and exhaustion that comes with a plan you never wanted for yourself, but also showcases the strength of found family and intimate friendships.
Fans of Peaky Blinders and Oceans 11 will love this heist story with a dash of magic. When Kaz Brekker, criminal prodigy and leader of the Dregs, is hired to break into a high security prison, he throws together the best rag tag team of thieves, sharpshooters, and soldiers he can find. Coming to Netflix in April!
Fans of the Wife Between Us and Black Mirror will love this brutally human story of betrayal and revenge!
Evelyn is a scientist perfecting clone technology when she discovers her husband is having an affair with a cloned version of herself that he created: Martine, who has been programmed by Nathan to be a more perfect version of Evelyn. One night, Martine calls Evelyn pleading for help, and when someone ends up dead, they’ll do the unthinkable to ensure that no one uncovers the truth.
Secrets, plot twists, and lies are unearthed, one shovelful at a time, and Gailey’s words jab you like shards of bone - sharp and just as disturbing. I still feel this book burrowing into my mind like dirt shoved deep under my fingernails.
Move over Spiderman- there's a new hyper active hero in town! If you love fanfic, superheroes, and the classic friends to lovers trope, stop what you're doing and pick this book up right now!
This is the dark superhero origin story of your dreams. When two college friends begin to experiment in an effort to gain ExtraOrdinary abilities, their tests go horribly wrong. Who is the hero and who is the villain?
Two best friends use their magic to change the world. Ancient prophecies, blood magic, pirates, mercenaries, political intrigue, and romance make this series unforgettable.