Starred Reviews for Ruta Sepetys, Elizabeth Lim, Maggie O’Farrell, Caroline Hallemann, and More!

“Sepetys steps into adult fiction and delves into the history of her native Detroit to create a richly detailed portrait of the glittering city and its dark underbelly.” —Booklist, starred review

“In this exquisitely tailored collection of five stories, Ruskovich plumbs the depths of mystery, memory, and the quiet grief of intimacy … Like Idaho, this book has a compelling slipperiness, both in time and reality. Ruskovich’s characters are often in two places in time at once, and she expertly weaves memory and observation to fuse the past and present together … A portal to a haunting, liminal Pacific Northwest.” —Kirkus Reviews, starred review

“YA author Lim’s (A Forgery of Fate) heart-wrenching and magical first adult novel is a multigenerational story that adapts a foundational fairy tale and creates a story of mothers, daughters, and a past that haunts their futures.” —Library Journal, starred review

“…Ackerman and Stavridis stage a harrowing global conflict that pits military might against an appetite for justice. As always, the authors spin geopolitical anxiety into exciting, discomfiting genre fiction.”
—Publishers Weekly, starred review

“O’Farrell’s latest is highly recommended for all fiction collections. This lyrical and moving historical novel about Ireland and one family within its larger history will enchant her fans and anyone who likes family sagas.” —Library Journal, starred review

“Readers will get swept up in Frances’s fantastic debut.”
—Library Journal, starred review

“This is a warmhearted, lively novel of found family finding one another again amidst a fast, fun caper. Will appeal to fans of Richard Osman’s Thursday Murder Club books and Fannie Flagg’s Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe.” —Library Journal, starred review

“Smalls shares his personal narrative and provides prospective union leaders with a step-by-step, easy-to-follow handbook on forming a union.” —Library Journal, starred review

“Hallemann’s book will hook a wide audience of American history enthusiasts, royal watchers, and scholars, unpacking dynastic drama, tragedy, and resilience with profound, resonant value.” —Library Journal, starred review

“Benkabbou shares Moroccan cuisine through clear, flavorful, and modern recipes. A great acquisition for most libraries.” —Library Journal, starred review

“Anyone who fell under the spell of Tom Colicchio’s Why I Cook or Marco Pierre White’s Marco Made Easy will be equally smitten with Baxtrom’s deliciously acerbic, bracingly authentic take on the intersection of cooking and life.” —Library Journal, starred review

“Stray musings and recollections reveal a writer’s restless mind in this scintillating memoir… Ruminations and insights…coalesce to illuminate his endlessly curious, mordantly funny worldview. It adds up to an engrossing and beguiling trip through the consciousness of a budding wordsmith.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review

“Fitzgerald’s elegant prose, restless curiosity, and deep compassion leap off the page. The result is a stirring, singular entry in the American road trip genre.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review

“This supremely useful historical analysis not only explains past events but also, with its unsettling parallels to current economic woes, offers readers and policymakers clear directions for present and future paths to avoid.” —Library Journal, starred review