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Give Me Everything You’ve Got
By Imogen Crimp
Henry Holt & Co., July 2026, 304 pp.

The Short of It:

Mind games. Who will win?

The Rest of It:

Ruby, an up-and-coming filmmaker, finds herself in an enviable position. Ellen, her idol and mentor, invites her to her palatial country home for a bit of respite, and the opportunity to focus on the script she’s working on. It’s a beautiful, hot summer, and the idea of lounging by the pool with nothing but her writing to focus on is exactly what Ruby needs.

So she thinks.

Enter Lara, Ellen’s twenty-year-old wayward daughter, who glides around the property without a care in the world. Sent home from school and pressured by Ellen to get her life together, Lara is rebellious at best.

Ruby is instantly caught off guard. How will it work having another person in the house, someone wandering around aimlessly, drinking, smoking, and tempting Ruby to do the same?

Ruby quietly observes the interactions between Ellen and her daughter, and their tension immediately puts her on edge. But as soon as Ruby settles in, Ellen leaves on a business trip, leaving the two of them alone in the house.

What follows is a seductive story about temptation, desire, and need. Hopes and dreams? Possibly, but mostly, it’s about mind games of the push-and-pull variety. Ruby is lured in, only to be pushed away. The relationships in this story are complicated and twisted.

I found the story extremely readable, even though the dialogue is presented without punctuation and reads like a stream of consciousness.

Everyone has a motive for being in that house. It’s human nature to take what we can from a situation, but are we better off afterward? Was the experience enough to satisfy?

This story has a lot to say about art, power, friendship, and the definition of love.

Highly recommend.

Source: Review copy provided by the publisher.
Disclosure: This post contains Bookshop.org affiliate links.

Enormous Wings
By Laurie Frankel
Henry Holt & Co., May 2026, 304pp.

The Short of It

Funny, sharp, and unexpectedly moving, this novel tackles a deeply divisive issue with both humor and emotional weight.

The Rest of It

At seventy-seven, Pepper Mills is preparing for a new chapter at Vista View, a retirement community in Austin. She still has her health, a devoted family, and plenty of spirit, but even she has started to wonder if it is finally time for a safer, more supportive place to live.

What Pepper never expects is love.

When she meets Timothy, affectionately known as Moth, she finds herself swept into a romance that feels as surprising as it is genuine. After spending decades building a life centered around everyone else, Pepper suddenly has the chance to focus on her own happiness. Her adult children support her. Even her ex-husband, who also lives at Vista View, seems encouraging.

For once, life feels wide open.

Then everything changes.

A sudden curveball forces Pepper into a decision she is absolutely certain about, but one that is illegal in the state of Texas. What follows is both deeply personal and politically charged, especially given the risks her age already places on her. Still, Pepper is not the type to back down quietly. She is bold, funny, stubborn, and more than willing to fight for what she believes is right.

The novel shines in its quieter moments at Vista View, where Pepper’s friendships and late-in-life romance add warmth and humor. But Frankel does not let the story remain light for long. What begins as a charming and witty tale quickly transforms into something far more urgent as themes of women’s rights and bodily autonomy take center stage.

Pepper is an unforgettable protagonist: empathetic, outspoken, vulnerable, and fiercely determined. Frankel balances the sweetness of the romance with the seriousness of the larger issue, creating a story that feels both entertaining and important.

While I wish the ending had taken a slightly different direction, this is still a book I would strongly recommend. Its message is timely, thought-provoking, and impossible to ignore.

Source: Review copy sent to me by the publisher.
Disclosure: This post contains Bookshop.org affiliate links.

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