Most readers have heard of tiger moms and “daddyballs”—those hyper-competitive parents who live vicariously through their children’s achievements. In What’s Yours Is Mine (Lake Union, 2025), Jennifer Jabaley dives into the intense world of Atlanta’s pre-professional ballet, where one mother takes that rivalry to a chilling—and dangerous—extreme. Fans of Celeste Ng’s Little Fires Everywhere and […]
August Books of Note: “Damn English!” and “When Time Was Suspended”
Damn English! by Gary Sherbell Damn English! (Black Rose Writing 2025) by Gary Sherbell is a witty exploration of why your high school English papers were always covered in red ink. With humor and insight, Sherbell compiles a collection of homonyms, tricky spellings, and the many illogical quirks of the English language—all in one entertaining […]
“The Game” by Brandon Keller
In his gripping debut novel The Game: A High-Stakes Conspiracy of Power, Poker, and Profit (Black Rose Writing, 2025), Brandon Keller explores the ruthless race to control artificial intelligence—an innovation powerful enough to reshape the future. With its fast-paced plot and financial intrigue, The Game will appeal to fans of Stephen Frey’s financial thrillers and […]
“The Wars Between Us and Them” by P. V. LeForge
The setting for The Wars Between Us and Them (Back Bay Books, 2025) by P. V. LeForge is Detroit, Michigan—his birthplace. So why is a Southern publication reviewing a novel set so far north? Because LeForge’s parents moved to Florida when he was just an infant and he remained there most of his life. He […]
“The Medici Curse” by Daco S. Auffenorde
A novel set in a Tuscan villa might seem like an odd choice for Southern Literary Review. Obviously, the setting completely misses our locale. Yet The Medici Curse (Scarlet Books 2025) hits the mark because it was penned by a talented Huntsville, Alabama, author Daco S. Auffenorde. The story contains a heavy dose of gothic horror and supernatural […]





