The Ending Writes Itself by Evelyn Clarke

THE ENDING WRITES ITSELF by Evelyn Clarke is a locked room mystery of sorts, taking place on a private island where a half dozen authors have been invited for a long weekend. One of them could earn a million or two along with a contract for future books if able to complete the last manuscript of best-selling author Arthur Fletch. Each brings a unique perspective and mid-level talent to the task: Cate Newhouse (young and unpublished); Priscilla Fox (romance writer); Jaxon Knight (science fiction/fantasy); Kenzo Gray (horror); Millie Mitchell (young adult) and the married team, Sienna and Malcom, who write mystery thrillers as Penn Stonely. At first, these writers grudgingly try to get to know each other and bond over a difficult task, but then the deaths start, danger threatens, and the pace quickens. Exploring the frustrations and joys of the writing life (“The magic, and the mystery, the alchemy of it all, the way you can build something out of nothing, a shared idea that goes from living in your head to living in everyone else's”),  THE ENDING WRITES ITSELF received starred reviews from Library Journal (“a smart satire of the publishing industry”) and Publishers Weekly. It was a LibraryReads selection for April 2026. Readers would likely also enjoy titles such as The Eighth Detective, The Mystery Writer or The Magpie Murders. By the way, Evelyn Clarke is a “ghost-writer” of sorts, being the pen name for a collaboration between two well-known authors (Cat Clarke and V. E. Schwab). Have fun sleuthing!

Often, I enjoy listening to audiobooks, but this title has the difficult and complicated task of introducing several writers and their genres. The narration quality from Fiona Hardingham was fine, but I found the audiobook to be confusing and much harder to follow than reading the text.

Dear Miss Lake by AJ Pearce

DEAR MISS LAKE by AJ Pearce is the final novel in an excellent four book series which began with the award-winning Dear Mrs. Bird. These historical fiction titles should be read in order and are set primarily in London or the English countryside during WWII. Emmy Lake is a major character who becomes an active correspondent for a magazine titled Woman’s Friend.  In the latest book, she is devoting time to an advice column dealing with issues like financial worries, problems with relatives living together, unexpected pregnancies, and unfaithful husbands. In addition, Emmy works with the British government by conducting interviews and profiling the contributions that women like nurses and factory workers make to the war effort, especially on the Home Front. It is all quite upbeat even when she becomes involved in trying to obtain answers about British POWs. Throughout, there is a strong comradery amongst the team (e.g., brother-in-law Guy Collins, fashion editor Monica, young assistant Hester, and stalwarts like Mrs. Shaw and Miss Peters) at the magazine. And, happily, there’s a wedding or two to plan despite the wartime shortages impacting food and clothing. Resilience, resourcefulness, and courage combine again and again in this hopeful, inspiring read: “Tonight as I kiss the glass of the photo frame and wish Charles goodnight, I felt sure he would know I was thinking of him. … ‘whenever you think of me, I will feel it in my heart and be thinking of you too.’” 

Hazel Says No by Jessica Berger Gross

HAZEL SAYS NO by Jessica Berger Gross is certainly a roller coaster of a read. Set in Riverburg Maine, the novel features a family transplanted from Brooklyn: high school senior Hazel Greenberg Blum; her middle school brother, Wolf, who loves to act; professor and frustrated writer Dad named Gus; and Claire, fashion designer Mom. Settling in over the summer, things seem to be going well, but during the first day of school Hazel is propositioned by the high school principal and that event sets off a cascade of reactions. There’s plenty of hate mail and self-questioning; shunning of both kids; parenting crises and career angst for Gus and Claire… and then (that roller coaster) … media interest, trips to New York, local support, and new friends. The audiobook, excellently narrated by Emma Galvin, captures the shock, the sadness, the anger, the self-doubt, the creativity, the joy, the relief… This debut novel deftly explores societal themes (#MeToo; white privilege, antisemitism, small town insularity) while telling a coming-of-age story – mostly for Hazel, but for her parents and younger brother, too, as they all mature and change. In fact, Berger Gross makes the point rather obviously: “it was Wolf’s big monologue [in Charlotte’s Web] and he remembered, he FELT every word: Whatever will happen, will happen. I may not live as long as I'd like, but I've lived very well. A good life is much more important than just having a long life. So starting now, I'm going to stop worrying about myself. There are more important things than just thinking about yourself all the time.” HAZEL SAYS NO could be triggering; it contains some difficult moments and sensitive content; this title received a starred review from Booklist. 

Hazel's reading list:  “Remembering how good reading made her feel - grounded and alive. She’d read as much as she could before college. Virginia Woolf and bell hooks. Jhumpa Lahiri and Lauren Groff. Celeste Ng and Lorrie Moore, Curtis Sittenfeld and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and Elena Ferrante and Sheila Heti and Min Jin Lee and Jennifer Egan and more Zadie Smith.” 

Mrs. Porter Calling by AJ Pearce

MRS. PORTER CALLING by AJ Pearce is the third in the Emmy Lake Chronicles following Yours Cheerfully and Dear Mrs. Bird. This time, Emmy Lake, a young advice columnist at the magazine named Woman’s Friend, grapples with unwanted changes in the publication due to its recent inheritance by Mrs. Cressida (call me Egg) Porter. Mrs. Porter is totally clueless about the magazine and the value it brings to its readers who are bravely dealing with numerous personal issues while scrimping and saving in wartime. Instead, she wants to add her own poetry, fashion layouts, and society weddings – all of which necessitates cutbacks in the more established sections. Emmy and her colleagues (editor Guy Collins, Mrs. Mahoney, young Hester and more) form a solid, caring team who strive to remember the readers in all they do. So much focus on publishing had me thinking about The Lady and its niche market in the UK. The first part of MRS. PORTER CALLING, chronicling many unattractive actions by Mrs. Porter and firmly establishing that unlikeable character, is a bit of a slog. Heartwarming shenanigans by three children from a family who moves in with Emmy and her friend Bunty (who experiences a new romance) add humor. The second half turns inspirational after a personal tragedy galvanizes everyone and that is more of the caliber of Pearce’s earlier titles. MRS. PORTER CALLING and this entire series is suggested for readers who enjoyed Jennifer Ryan’s The Kitchen Front, another book about friendship and pulling together on the Homefront in England during World War II.

No Two Persons by Erica Bauermeister

NO TWO PERSONS by Erica Bauermeister is an intriguing read which begins with an introverted author, Alice Wein. Subsequent sections deal with other people who have some relationship to her writing, including a publicist and her assistants, the audio book narrator, and a variety of readers (a young, homeless girl, an angry artist, a daring free diver, etc.). Bauermeister has very cleverly, yet subtlety, linked the stories. Each person is impacted by Alice’s text in a unique way.  In fact, the title conveys the idea that we all come to books with different perspectives and therefore also have different take aways; it is from this quote: “No two persons ever read the same book, or saw the same picture” (Madame Swetchine, 1860). NO TWO PERSONS will have readers reflecting on their own lives and others. For example, Alice’s college professor gives the class a task to go to a coffee shop: “Close your eyes and listen. Write down what people around you are feeling. Not saying. Not thinking. Feeling. Ask yourself: How do you know that? Is it a dip in a sentence? A scrape of a chair?” One of my favorite parts is the description of creating an audiobook and the idea of using colored highlighters and multiple notes to be sure to convey an intended emotion, with “everything held in the voice.” I was surprised and happy to see that the author’s notes refer to Cassandra Campbell who narrates the audio book for this title as well as James Comey’s recently released Central Park West. Enjoy Bauermeister’s writing [“Picking up a book was a decision: I’m going to go away. The exciting possibility: I may not come back the same.”] plus her thoughts on the beauty of books: “They took you places you didn’t know you needed to go.”

Yellowface by R. F. Kuang

YELLOWFACE by R. F. Kuang is a new novel about a young white writer, June Hayward, who usurps a draft novel named The Last Front from a suddenly deceased friend, Athena Liu. June edits the novel and publishes it, using Juniper Song (her middle name) as a nom de plume. Eventually, Twitter and social media explode with charges of plagiarism and June struggles to deal with the consequences. She is an amazing “spin doctor” and creatively shifts the story around repeatedly, believing “The truth is fluid. There is always another way to spin the story, another wrench to throw in the narrative.” However, June is not a likeable character and it was very difficult to feel sympathy for her. Kuang’s writing, though, is excellent, particularly as she satirizes the publishing industry, which can feel disturbing. For example, June says, “‘Quirky, aloof, and erudite’ is Athena’s brand. ‘Commercial, compulsively readable, yet still exquisitely literary,’ I’ve decided, will be mine.” Or “Author efforts have nothing to do with a book’s success. Bestsellers are chosen. Nothing you do matters. You just get to enjoy the perks along the way.” YELLOWFACE appears on the LibraryReads list for May 2023 and received starred reviews (which “don’t actually mean anything … but artificial hype is still hype,” per June) from Booklist and Publishers Weekly.

Yours Cheerfully by AJ Pearce

YOURS CHEERFULLY by AJ Pearce is a much-acclaimed sequel to Dear Mrs. Bird. These gentle historical fiction novels are set in England during WWII and feature Emmy Lake, a young journalist at Woman’s Friend magazine. In this LibraryReads selection for August, Emmy is on a mission to help the British government recruit more female workers, so she travels to a munitions factory and interviews the women working there. It is all very much “all for one and one for all,” but these women do struggle – working long hours for unequal pay and facing difficult to find childcare. In fact, Pearce’s story had me reflecting on how little had changed with the recent pandemic when we saw its disproportionate impact on the female members of the workforce. Ever optimistic and hopeful, though, Emmy develops some plans to help as her friendship deepen with a young war widow, Anne (mum to mischievous 4-year-old Ruby and baby Tony). The mood in YOURS CHEERFULLY is comforting (“a bit of guidance and some sympathy, and most people will cheer up”) and inspirational (“I would be happy …. My grandmother always said that wishing was good time wasted”) - lightened further due to Emmy’s seemingly natural ability to get into a fix which often adds humor; plus, there is a parade and a wedding to organize!