Others: Positive A propulsive, heartfelt, and utterly original debut about a young chef trying to find her way in a world that’s not built for her to succeed—and the pro wrestler she idolizes who derails everything How far will you go to feed your ambitions? Zarina, a prep cook at a fancy New Haven restaurant, is underpaid, overworked, and might as well be invisible. The only upside? She gets to take home leftover ingredients and whip up modern spins on the Bangladeshi dishes she grew up eating—all while enjoying her second greatest passion, professional wrestling: namely, her hero Sierra Myst, the massively successful, high-flying heel who’s built like a superhero and is every bit as daring. One night, Zarina posts about Sierra Myst, and the impossible happens: Sierra responds. Zarina is elated at the chance to become closer with her idol. At first, their friendship is everything she’s ever dreamed of. But as the weeks fly by, Zarina starts to feel more like Sierra’s unpaid personal assistant and relationship counselor—and her desire to make Sierra happy soon threatens everything she’s worked for. Deliciously unsettling and ultimately uplifting, Appetite is about the unique torture of being a twenty-something who’s torn between the person someone else wants you to be and the person you really are.
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C Pam Zhang
2023 · 240 pages · 4 reviews
Others: Leaning positiveThe award-winning author of How Much of These Hills Is Gold returns with a rapturous and revelatory novel about a young chef whose discovery of pleasure alters her life and, indirectly, the world A smog has spread. Food crops are rapidly disappearing. A chef escapes her dying career in a dreary city to take a job at a decadent mountaintop colony seemingly free of the world’s troubles. There, the sky is clear again. Rare ingredients abound. Her enigmatic employer and his visionary daughter have built a lush new life for the global elite, one that reawakens the chef to the pleasures of taste, touch, and her own body. In this atmosphere of hidden wonders and cool, seductive violence, the chef’s boundaries undergo a thrilling erosion. Soon she is pushed to the center of a startling attempt to reshape the world far beyond the plate. Sensuous and surprising, joyous and bitingly sharp, told in language as alluring as it is original, Land of Milk and Honey lays provocatively bare the ethics of seeking pleasure in a dying world. It is a daringly imaginative exploration of desire and deception, privilege and faith, and the roles we play to survive. Most of all, it is a love letter to food, to wild delight, and to the transformative power of a woman embracing her own appetite.
What made the match, strongest first
Cara Bastone
2025 · 416 pages · 15 reviews
Others: Leaning positiveGrieving the loss of her best friend, a young woman’s life is turned upside down when she meets a grumpy stranger who swears he can help her live again, in this heartwarming, slow-burn romance by the author of Ready or Not Lenny’s a bit of a mess at the moment. Her best friend, Lou, recently passed away after a battle with cancer, and her death has left Lenny feeling completely lost. She’s avoiding her concerned parents, the apartment she shared with Lou, and the list of things she’s supposed to do to help her live again. The only thing she can do is temporary babysitting gigs, and luckily, she just landed a great one, helping overworked, single mom Reese and her precocious daughter, Ainsley. It’s not perfect: Ainsley’s uncle, Miles, always seems to be around, and is kind of... a huge jerk. But if Lenny acts like she has it all together, maybe no one will notice she’s falling apart. Miles sees right through her though. Turns out, he knows a lot about grief and, surprisingly, he offers her a proposition. He’ll help her complete everything on her “live again” list if she’ll help him connect with Ainsley and overcome his complicated relationship with Reese. Lenny doubts anything can fill the Lou has left behind, but she begins to spend more time with Miles, Lenny is surprised to discover that, sometimes, losing everything is only the first step to finding yourself, and love, again.
What made the match, strongest first
Ling Ling Huang
2025 · 312 pages · 8 reviews
Others: Positive'Huang's Immaculate Conception is unlike anything else I've read this year... a heartfelt love letter to art, and a superb work of fiction' New York Times A portrait of companionship achingly tender and twisted that captures the tenuous line between love and possession. Mathilde is a dizzyingly talented, tortured artist whose star is on the rise and Enka, struggling to create art that feels original, is immediately drawn to her. The two strike up a close friendship, but when Mathilde's fame reaches new heights, her work becoming more and more extreme, Enka becomes desperate to keep her close no matter the cost. Enka falls in love with and marries a billionaire whose family's company is funding new technology purported to enhance empathy, and which could allow someone else to inhabit Mathilde's mind and absorb the trauma infecting her brain. But as their codependency deepens, the boundaries between Mathilde and Enka begin to blur, setting in motion a haunting series of events that will forever change their lives. Blisteringly smart, thought-provoking, and eerily timely, Immaculate Conception deftly navigates big questions of art, technology, authorship, and what makes us human. Its answers will haunt you long after you turn the final page. Special Collector's Edition WHILE STOCKS LAST. First UK print run features stunning paperback design, demy with flaps, with soft touch cover. Praise for Immaculate Conception 'Huang's brilliant, imaginative, and ambitious novel gripped me from beginning to end. I loved every moment of it' Monika Kim, author of The Eyes Are the Best Part 'Huang, the real-life genius holding the palette, deftly weaves competition, longing, fantastical technology, and gobsmacking imagery into an unforgettable tale... utterly an immersive, transformative read' Sierra Greer, author of Annie Bot 'Immaculate Conception radiates with imagination. A thrilling tale about art's awesome power, about profound friendship, and how both destroy as well as build. Surprising at every turn, Ling Ling Huang has created an unforgettable novel' Gerardo Smano Crdova, author of Monstrillo 'Huang's latest is a hit' Elle
What made the match, strongest first
Natalie Messier
2026 · 3 reviews
Others: PositiveFor fans of The Love of My Afterlife and The Seven Year Slip, Reese’s LitUp Fellow Natalie Messier’s debut following a woman who gets a chance to relive her college years—with the opportunity to win back the one that got away—is “full of surprises and sneakily perceptive” (Yulin Kuang, USA TODAY bestselling author of How to End a Love Story). Joey Vasquez’s life is the definition of good on paper. At thirty-two, she’s a Los Angeles lawyer on the cusp of making partner, but while she’s a professional success, she’s a personal disaster. Her social life mostly consists of nights spent watching TV with her elderly cat. Life isn’t quite what she dreamed when she was younger, but really, whose life is? But a dinner party with the best friend she’s secretly pined after for years and its aftermath changes everything. When Joey is given a second chance at life, she finds herself in college again. Armed with memories from her first life, Joey is certain she’s come back to finally convince the one man she ever loved to love her back—so why does she find herself strangely drawn to the man she thought she hated?
What made the match, strongest first
Aisling Rawle
2025 · 336 pages · 8 reviews
Others: PositiveLily—a bored, beautiful twenty-something—wakes up on a remote desert compound, alongside nineteen other contestants competing on a massively popular reality show. To win, she must outlast her housemates to stay in the Compound the longest, while competing in challenges for luxury rewards like champagne and lipstick, plus communal necessities to outfit their new home, like food, appliances, and a front door. Cameras are catching all her angles, good and bad, but Lily has no desire to leave: why would she, when the world outside is falling apart? As the competition intensifies, intimacy between the players deepens, and it becomes increasingly difficult to distinguish between desire and desperation. When the unseen producers raise the stakes, forcing contestants into upsetting, even dangerous situations, the line between playing the game and surviving it begins to blur. If Lily makes it to the end, she’ll receive prizes beyond her wildest dreams—but what will she have to do to win? Addictive and prescient, The Compound is an explosive debut from a major new voice in fiction and will linger in your mind long after the game ends.
What made the match, strongest first
Abby Jimenez
2022 · 400 pages · 22 reviews
Others: Overwhelmingly positiveAfter a wild bet, gourmet grilled-cheese sandwich, and cuddle with a baby goat, Alexis Montgomery has had her world turned upside down. The cause: Daniel Grant, a ridiculously hot carpenter who’s ten years younger than her and as casual as they come—the complete opposite of sophisticated city-girl Alexis. And yet their chemistry is undeniable. While her ultra-wealthy parents want her to carry on the family legacy of world-renowned surgeons, Alexis doesn’t need glory or fame. She’s fine with being a “mere” ER doctor. And every minute she spends with Daniel and the tight-knit town where he lives, she’s discovering just what’s really important. Yet letting their relationship become anything more than a short-term fling would mean turning her back on her family and giving up the opportunity to help thousands of people. Bringing Daniel into her world is impossible, and yet she can’t just give up the joy she’s found with him either. With so many differences between them, how can Alexis possibly choose between her world and his?
What made the match, strongest first
Loved itMy favorite of all of the episodes was Appetite by P. Pramoedya. So, this one is about a woman who works in a kitchen and is just trying to figure out their life and their passions and their ambition... it's just this kind of feel-good journey, especially with a career focus, and I really liked it.
