Smith, Sarah

Fans of Sally Thorne’s The Hating Game will find that this delightful debut from #ownvoices author Smith has great potential, as long as they can overlook a few missteps.

Unexpectedly hard-edged, this engrossing story from first novelist Smith feels lived-in and real. In the end, what happens to both Jude and Cindy comes as a surprise, teaching us what we can and can’t escape and what it means to remake ourselves despite the past. [See Prepub Alert 1/23/19.]

There is little new here, but potty training is of perennial interest to parents, and newbies may find this a solid starter manual.