KIN by Tayari Jones, Alfred A. Knopf, 2026 Soulmates don't always come in the form of romantic partners. Sometimes they are cradle friends who will travel hundreds of miles just to hold your hand while your heart is breaking. Niecy and Annie are just those soulmates. The first thing you need to know is: KIN by Tayari Jones is more than a story about two Black girls from Honeysuckle, Louisiana. It’s a story of sacrifice, the invisible work women do, subtle love, holding on, an

Notes on Surviving the Fire by Christine Murphy. Knopf, February 25, 2025 TW: Rape, Drug use, suicide, animal death Sarah Common is a PhD candidate in Southern California. She spends her time teaching, working on the dissertation her mentor may never approve, getting high with her best friend (and anchor) Nathan, and obsessing over the man who raped her two years ago. It doesn't help that her rapist is in the same program as her. The only thing keeping her remotely grounded i