Oh my goodness, this book. My mom kept telling me to read it (it’s her fave of 2026 so far), and I kept putting it off because it’s so long (nearly 650 pages). Don’t be like me. Read this immediately, though you will not be able to put it down. Birdie is living with her mother and grandmother in rural Mississippi. They are down on their luck and behind on taxes, so she heads to Oxford, Mississippi to visit her sister Frances. Frances has married into a well-to-do Southern family and Birdie hopes to ask them for a loan. All is not what it seems. Meanwhile, Meg (a smart and feisty eleven year old) is living in an orphanage, abandoned by her mother and hated by the head of the orphanage. When Birdie and Meg’s stories intersect (Birdie helps out with bookkeeping at the orphanage), the two form an unlikely bond. And when Charlie (a young woman fresh out of prison with nothing to lose) joins the plot, they make a plan to reclaim what they’ve lost. I loved this. I had absolutely no idea where it was going, so I won’t say anything more or give spoilers, just say that the story is incredible, the characters are delightful, and I wish there could be a sequel!
Read this if you loved: The Help(obviously). To be honest, I haven’t read anything quite like this. The plot is really creative. I would say City of Girls in the slightest way (a huge compliment, I loved that one) because of the bold, brave feminist characters that jump off the page.
