Kelly's Reviews

Phoebe Robinson’s new collection of essays will make you laugh out loud and is a great tutorial on being trash but forgiving yourself for it while still being able to name the things that are #serioustrash. These essays get real about the sitch of our union—calling out nonintersectional feminists, internalized sexism, our workaholic culture, and toxic sosh meeds (social media). Written in classic Phoebe stream-of-consciousness style, this is the perfect antidote to the garbage fire of 2018. - Kelly

Abbi Jacobson (of Broad City fame) set off on a solo road trip from New York City to Los Angeles in an impulsive attempt to shake off heartache from a breakup. This quietly introspective and sweetly self-deprecating essay collection brings readers along on Jacobson’s cross-country trek and shows us that we’re never too old to figure out who we are. The raw honesty and startling vulnerability of this book took me by surprise, inspiring me to take stock of my own path. - Kelly

This deliciously nuanced and layered mystery is a terrific book for Lou Berney fans and thrill-seekers. Set days after JFK’s assassination, November Road follows two people who are on the run from a diabolically evil hitman and have no choice but to do what comes unnaturally for both: trust each other. Berney’s latest masterpiece will have you clutching the pages and your pearls as he takes you on a white-knuckle road trip from the sticky heat of the French Quarter to the dusty skies of Nevada. - Kelly

Gothic and atmospheric, this book is a terrifying fever dream, an extended waking nightmare. It follows Goody, our unreliable narrator, as she gets lost in the woods and discovers what lies beyond the veil. Lurking behind Laird Hunt’s lush and evocative prose is a sense of dread that creeps up your spine as the story twists and writhes. It’s a haunted-woods tale full of wolves and witches—the brutal kind who eat children and steal your very soul. A perfect and easy-to-devour book to usher in Halloween or give you a fright any time of the year. Just be sure to read it with all the lights on. - Kelly

This compulsively readable book is as much about NYC as it is about the two toxic friends who roam the city in pursuit of the next Thing -- party, selfie, gala, boy. It’s a wild and heart-pounding ride through private clubs and penthouses as Lavinia introduces Louise to a lifestyle any girl would kill for. A delicious blend of The Talented Mr. Ripley and Gossip Girl, you won't be able to put this down until the last bloody page. - Kelly

There are two sides to every story, and this unique take on Cinderella offers an empathetic version of Agnes, the evil stepmother who looms so large in the fairy tale. Agnes recounts her own life of hardship and misfortune long before meeting Ella, and shows how their destructive relationship is rooted in more than just spite. Lushly written and so much more than a simple retelling, this will surely delight fans of Wicked and Uprooted. - Kelly

Justy Flanagan is a young Irish lawyer returning to his adopted home of New York City (still in its post-Revolution infancy) with the hope of solving his father’s suspicious death. Wall Street is a cutthroat and sinister part of town, and more bodies quickly pile up. In Justy’s campaign for truth, he comes up against a secret so terrible it may cost him his own life to uncover it. You’ll be gripped to the page until the stunning—and satisfying—conclusion. - Kelly

Fans of Mike Mignola (Hellboy) will no doubt devour his latest book, illustrated by the incomparable Troy Nixey and colored by Eisner winner Dave Stewart. With such talents at work, Jenny Finn is sure to be beautifully crafted and promises a generous dose of Mignola’s trademark Lovecraftian horror: a plague that leaves bodies covered in tentacles, a serial killer slashing women at night, and a séance that reveals a horrible curse… - Kelly

Reading this novel is truly a visceral experience. The story is about (of course) loss—of a parent, of a cultural identity, of innocence, of love—but even though it focuses on such palpable grief, you are never left hopeless. Each vignette of our narrator Thandi’s life is so raw and so real that I initially assumed it was a memoir! This debut is surely just the beginning of Clemmons’ literary stardom. - Kelly

This comic is completely bonkers and has everything you could want: old-timey hobos, hobo slang, tramps, bums, magical maps, sidekicks, regular kicks, and a heavy dose of hilarity that doesn't quit. It's like O Brother, Where Art Thou? meets Deadly Class. On trains. Trust me—it’s amazing. - Kelly