Children’s & YA Reviews
FEBRUARY 2, 2026 PUBLISHERS WEEKLY 111
grumpy-sunshine love story set on Nantucket. Seventeen-year-old Lili Gardner is thrilled to be back on the island to fix up her late father’s house. But Lili has more on her mind than home renovations; she also hopes to solve a decades-old mystery about a distant relative accused of smuggling, which her father researched all his life. Following a tip from a neighbor, Lili visits McCleave’s Mermaid Museum, where she meets 19-year-old Wren McCleave, the museum’s cranky manager, who uses a wheelchair. While Wren’s father happily displays tourist-pleasing “mermaid” skeletons, Wren longs to exhibit their authentic historic objects. The teens’ interest in local lore—and Lili’s uncanny ability to charm Wren out of his perpetual crankiness—first sparks amiable companionship, then sunny romance, conveyed via lively prose. Alluring history about Nantucket’s maritime roots and its bustling present-day tourist scene enliven the idyllic seaside setting. Lili and Wren cue as white. Age 13–up. Agent: Kim Lionetti, BookEnds Literary. (Apr.) How the Other Half Die (How the Other Half #1) P.C. Roscoe. Little, Brown, $12.99 paper (352p) ISBN 978-0-316601-78-8 Scandalous White Lotus mystery vibes combine with teenage mean girl drama in Roscoe’s suspense- ful thriller. Affluent college student Avery Finch can’t wait to soothe herself from her breakup with Hugo Vandenburg by spending the summer on Mokani Island. It’s a favorite Caribbean destination and veritable playground for ultrawealthy families, and this year, the Finches invite Avery’s roommate Nora Miller. The girls’ plans for rest and relaxation are foiled, however, by the arrival of Hugo and his family, who own Mokani Island. Luckily for Avery, she immediately hits it off with newcomer Leo Walker, who proves a welcome distraction from Hugo’s larger-than-life presence. When a tropical storm descends on the
her ancestor—resolves to decode the pages, certain that publicizing the stories could save Raven’s Rest from foreclosure. Peterfreund deploys clever puzzles and codes across rapidly paced chapters to relay fascinating insights about the writer’s history and individual works. The protagonists read as white. Ages 13–up. (Apr.) How to Be Normal Ange Crawford. Walker Australia, $19.99 (336p) ISBN 978-1-76160-256-6 An undercurrent of hope powers a fraught plot that probes subjects sur- rounding domestic coercive control in Crawford’s gritty debut. Having been homeschooled by her mother for the majority of her life, Australian 17-year-old Astrid experiences her first day of public school six months before graduation after her control- ling father loses his job, forcing her mother to return to work. Though Astrid is excited, she’s also embar- rassed by her lack of experience socializing with people her age. While adjusting to high school life, she soon befriends a classmate who shares her passion for music and develops a crush on a free-spirited peer. But Astrid’s instinct to lie about her exces- sively strict home life keeps them at a distance. Her idle musings about living a “normal, boring” life seem poised to become reality when she discovers her mother’s covert plot to free them both from Astrid’s father’s acerbic personality and unchecked anger. Immediate-feeling first-person narration from Astrid perceptively details her profound feelings of alienation from her peers and tightly wound wariness at home, especially as the climax ramps up with thriller- like intensity. Astrid is white; sup- porting characters are racially diverse. Resources conclude. Ages 13–up. (Apr.) If You Were Here Abigail Johnson. Storytide, $19.99 (304p) ISBN 978-1-335-01410-8 Johnson ( Every Time You Go Away ) offers both summertime romance and a historical mystery in this sensorial
island, already existing fissures within the vacationers’ relationships widen; trouble intensifies with the discovery of a brutally murdered corpse. As authorities investigate, each guest must reckon with their own past transgressions, and those of their loved ones, if they hope to uncover the perpetrator and absolve themselves of suspicion. The white- cued cast’s tawdry and theatrical behavior, paired with the novel’s scenic setting—relayed in immersive, image-rich prose—make for a gratifying summertime entry into an abundant genre. Ages 14–up. (Apr.) Maybe Tomorrow I’ll Know Alex Ritany. Norton, $18.99 (384p) ISBN 978-1-324-08363-4 The consciousness of a teenage boy stuck in a girl’s body—and in a time loop—searches for a way to return to his original vessel in this fresh and clever speculative romance from Ritany ( Dead Girls Don’t Say Sorry ). Awakening in an unknown girl’s body and driving a car, Laurie panics and crashes the vehicle into a ditch. He’s helped by friendly stranger Gideon, who gives Laurie a place to stay for the night—only for Laurie to wake up driving the same car again the next morning. Shocked to find that he has few memories of his life before now, Laurie struggles to break the cycle, eventually learning that the body he’s inhabiting belongs to Calgary high school senior Valerie. One morning after multiple loops, Gideon recognizes Laurie, and the protagonist realizes that Gideon, too, has been pulled into the time loop. Simultaneously, Laurie suspects that he must find Valerie, whose consciousness is likely trapped in Laurie’s body. Ritany injects surpris- ing and satisfying twists into the well-trod Groundhog Day trope. This insightful novel, populated by honest teens with magnetic chemistry, culminates in a mind- bending reflection of identity. Laurie as Valerie reads as white; Gideon is “part Indigenous.” Ages 14–up. Agent: Jenna Sattherwait, Storm Literary. (Apr.)
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