Today’s post covers the second half of the books I read in September 2026. I shared what I read in the first half of the month here. I shared my five star reads here. I read an additional 5 star book after that post, so it is included here! It’s also time for the Share Your Shelf Link Up! I hope you will join Joanne and I to share what you read this month. The Amazon links to the books I’ve read are affiliate links and if you use them and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission. If you’ve read any of these books or are interested in them, I’d love to hear about it in the comments!
You can find these linked directly at my Amazon Storefront.
Title: Left On Read
Author: Marissa Eller
Genre: YA Rom Com
Publisher: Holiday House, 8/11/26
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 4 Stars
Left on Read by Marissa Eller is about Nova, who appears to be neurodiverse. She is taking a literature class in a high school / college program with Hayes, her academic rival. When the class turns out to not be what Nova expected due to the teacher’s apathy, she ends up practically teaching the class herself, with Hayes’s encouragement.
“School is everything to Nova—literally everything, since she’s missed out on all of the Traditional High School Things in pursuit of academic success. Her senior year is going to be perfect, and so is she… because she’s pushing herself to her physical and mental limit. All she needs to do is ignore her mounting anxiety! Which is probably clinical! La la la! But Hayes—her ultrasmart, ultra-annoying rival for valedictorian—is making her year far less perfect than she imagined. He’s after that top spot, and he doesn’t care who he has to shove outside. But when Nova and Hayes are paired up for a group project on student mental health, Nova discovers that he might be the only one who understands what she’s going through. The burnout. The self-doubt. The unrelenting grind. Together, they can stand up to the pressures of academia, family, and the way most traveled… if they partner up in more ways than one.”
This was cute, and I loved Hayes’s nickname for Nova – Novella. I liked the way their relationship evolved.
Title: Kingdom Unraveled
Author: Mariana DiMercurio
Genre: Middle Grade Graphic Novel
Publisher: Andrew McMeel, 7/28/26
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 4 Stars
Kingdom Unraveled is a middle grade graphic novel by Mariana DiMercurio. It is about a 70 year old knitter named Jo who has been chosen as her village’s Champion and sets out on a quest to save the kingdom.
“Jo is a 70-year-old woman living a quiet village life, with just her knitting needles and the natural world for company. But when a mystical guardian knocks on her door, Jo is named the new Champion—tasked with doing what no Champion before her could: saving the Kingdom, and her family, from certain demise. With help from her snarky friend Roy, whose goals seem to align suspiciously well with hers, Jo sets off on a quest unlike any other. Packed with humor and heart, this original graphic novel includes the exclusive, never-before-published ending to the beloved webcomic Closely Knit.”
I enjoyed this adventure story with an unlikely hero who gathered friends to join her on her way. With colorful pages and fun stories, graphic novel fans should enjoy this one!
Title: Building 903
Author: Lois Lowry
Genre: Middle Grade Dystopian
Publisher: Clarion Books, 9/29/26
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 4 Stars
Building 903 by Lois Lowry takes place in the year 2099 where under a long time ruler, much is consider illegal, including books. Tessa’s twin brother Theo has disappeared and it turns out he has gotten stuck inside a book. With the help of Tessa’s 135 year old neighbor, Tessa and her parents head to Building 903 to free Theo.
“Twins Tessa and Theo live in a world ruled by a tyrannical leader, where there are no dangers or rebels… or so they’ve been told. In this world, citizens live long lives, and while many hate their leader, they are comfortable and safe. So, when Tessa’s brother disappears, nobody wants to discuss it. But then Miriam, their 135-year-old neighbor bound for the retirement community, slips Tessa a key—not only to her brother’s disappearance, but to the source of all real magic . . . books. As Tessa and her parents begin their search for Theo, Tessa learns that books not only tell us stories—they open portals and unlock our humanity through our most powerful tool: the imagination. Once that truth has been revealed, Tessa won’t be able to rest until she has retrieved her twin and society itself has been transformed.”
This had a lot of potential but I wasn’t sure about the way that Theo was eventually freed from where he was trapped. It seemed a bit out of place in the story. I did like the way books were shown to have magic within!
Title: I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter
Author: Erika L. Sanchez
Genre: YA Contemporary
Publisher: Penguin Random House Audio, 10/17/17
Source: Publisher – Print, Library – Audio
Why I Read It: Backlist
My Rating: 4 Stars
For my YA bonus pick on my 26 in ’26 list, I listened to I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika L. Sanchez. This is about Julia, whose sister Olga dies, leaving Julia behind to live up to her sister’s perfect image. Julia begins to look into who Olga actually was and ends up finding more than she bargained for.
“Perfect Mexican daughters do not go away to college. And they do not move out of their parents’ house after high school graduation. Perfect Mexican daughters never abandon their family. But Julia is not your perfect Mexican daughter. That was Olga’s role. Then a tragic accident on the busiest street in Chicago leaves Olga dead and Julia left behind to reassemble the shattered pieces of her family. And no one seems to acknowledge that Julia is broken, too. Instead, her mother seems to channel her grief into pointing out every possible way Julia has failed. But it’s not long before Julia discovers that Olga might not have been as perfect as everyone thought. With the help of her best friend Lorena, and her first love, first everything boyfriend Connor, Julia is determined to find out. Was Olga really what she seemed? Or was there more to her sister’s story? And either way, how can Julia even attempt to live up to a seemingly impossible ideal?”
I really liked Julia’s voice and personality. She was a little bit rebellious and angry, which made her feel real. She was also a writer who had an encouraging teacher. She does fall into depression and a suicide attempt. Some own voices reviews felt that the Mexican stereotypes included were too much. Overall, I enjoyed this one and thought the audio was well done as well.
Title: Thighs Wide Shut
Author: Hayley Fleming
Genre: Rom Com
Publisher: Dial Press, 7/21/26
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 4 Stars
Thighs Wide Shut by Hayley Fleming was about Emma, who is dealing with a health condition that makes sex painful. She is reunited with her college love interest, Harrison, who she has never been honest with about their break up.
“Emma thought her late twenties couldn’t get more complicated. But then she quit her teaching job and moved across the country—only to find herself living right below the man she tried for years to avoid. Emma hasn’t seen Harrison since an explosive fight ended their college friendship and eliminated the possibility of anything more ever happening between them. Now that his apartment is right above hers, Emma is privy to every detail of his active (and noisy) dating life. She knows she has only herself to blame for their estrangement: her inability to be honest with Harrison drove him away. It’s clear he’s moved on; why can’t she? Presented with an opportunity to reignite the long-smoldering flames of their relationship, Emma realizes that to seize the moment, she will have to finally face the women’s health condition holding her back from intimacy and truly open up. But can she let her desires overcome the resistance in her mind and body?”
I didn’t really believe in Emma and Harrison as a couple and her communication skills were quite bad, which didn’t help. Apparently she had outdated views on sex due to sex education in Florida, where she grew up, but nothing anyone told her could change those views. I appreciated that this book talked about women’s sexual health and education, and I liked how Emma talked to teens about banned books, but I didn’t love the romance part of this one.
Title: Call Me Maybe, Sweet Talk, and Seatmate
Author: Cara Bastone
Genre: Rom Com Novellas
Publisher: Dial Press, 7/14/26
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 4 Stars
The Love Lines series by Cara Bastone was originally audio only, but I was pleased to receive the paperback copies of these three novellas, which I read together and pretended they were one book. In Call Me Maybe, Vera calls a website support line and reaches Cal. They start talking to each other and get to know each other. But Cal has a secret that he doesn’t want to tell Vera before they meet in person. In Sweet Talk, Eliot accidentally texts Jessie and they start talking. She knows who he is, but he isn’t sure who she is. She is afraid to reveal her identity. In Seatmate, Gwen sits next to Sam on a bus from Boston to NYC. He is supposed to be heading to a date set up by his mom and she is heading to a job opportunity. They fight traffic and the bus breaking down to get where they are going.
I liked these three novellas. The first two are connected and should be read in order. The third is only somewhat connected with Sam being friends with Vera. The themes in the first two also sort of go together while the third is less so. I think these books could have been made into full novels by adding more descriptions and it was interesting to read the stories which were mainly made up of dialogue which would have been narrated by individual actors if I had listened to the audio versions.
Title: Life Out of Order
Author: Audrey Niffenegger
Genre: Literary
Publisher: Hanover Square Press, 10/6/26
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 5 Stars
You probably know by now that The Time Traveler’s Wife is my favorite book and I was nervous to read this sequel due to some bad reviews. Life Out of Order is definitely the sequel to The Time Traveler’s Wife, but it is not a continuation of the story in that book as much as it is an expansion of that world. In part one, you are thrown in with Alba (Clare and Henry’s daughter) as a young adult. You meet her friends and learn about her world. You might feel confused. In part two, we reunite with Clare, pick up where book one left off, and meet Alba as a child. In part three, you get to know a new character, Oliver. and part four tells about the future of all of the characters as well as the world.
“Alba DeTamble has never lived a life in order. Born with the same rare Chrono-Displacement Disorder as her father Henry, she slips unpredictably through decades, haunted by the secrets of a future she can witness but cannot change. As Alba strives to maintain a normal life with Zach, her safe, supportive anchor, she forms a tight-knit community of artists and activists who fight to take care of each other in an increasingly unstable world. At once intimate and expansive, Life Out of Order plunges readers into a world of Niffenegger’s dazzling imagination: from the riot-torn streets of a dystopian Chicago, to a digital museum for forgotten memories and lost artifacts. Curating this ever-expanding museum is Isadora, Alba’s mysterious stepsister and an unsettling presence in their family – whose fate may be intertwined with Alba’s in more dangerous ways than she knows. Told through a kaleidoscope of perspectives, the story moves through a boundless, unfolding universe of virtual reality, skimming the wildest reaches of technology and our natural world. The result is a testament to the power of art and community to sustain us in these fractured times—and an epic tale that’s set to define an entirely new genre in a way only Niffenegger can.”
I think you need to be open minded to enjoy this story, as it goes to a lot of new and different places. It is similar to the first book as it moves around in time, placing the time travelers in different scenes, and perhaps confusing the reader as to what the connections are. It is all explained. It was interesting that Alba plays a huge role in leading the characters to where they are meant to go, connecting people and almost determining their fates. After Clare felt like her life was per-determined, Alba almost does the same thing to her friends that Henry did to Clare. Their world is more open to this manipulation, it seems. The future in this book is scary, war torn, AI infested, and climate ravaged. I felt the ending was a little sudden, but it did provide some hope. There are pages designated for bonus material which was missing from the advanced copy, so I look forward to my pre-ordered final copy to read that content!
Title: Ship Wrecked
Author: Olivia Dade
Genre: Rom Com
Publisher: Avon, 10/6/26
Source: Publisher – Print, Library – Review
Why I Read It: Backlist
My Rating: 3.5 Stars, Rounded up to 4 Stars
From my 26 in ’26 list, I listened to Ship Wrecked by Olivia Dade. I really enjoyed the first book in this series and liked the second, but I wasn’t a huge fan of how this one was set up. Peter and Maria have a one night stand and then find out they are both cast in a show where they are together on an island for 6 years of filming. The 6 years are covered very quickly in the book, and we are told they are pining for each other but never touch until filming is over. Then, they are together and have to figure out how they will stay together when they are both working on separate projects. It seemed that the book would have been better off focusing on the 6 years, rather than the time afterwards.
“Maria’s one-night-stand—the thick-thighed, sexy Viking of a man she left without a word or a note—just reappeared. Apparently, Peter’s her surly Gods of the Gates co-star, and they’re about to spend the next six years filming on a desolate Irish island together. She still wants him…but he now wants nothing to do with her. Peter knows this role could finally transform him from a forgettable character actor into a leading man. He also knows a failed relationship with Maria could poison the set, and he won’t sabotage his career for a woman who’s already walked away from him once. Given time, maybe they can be cooperative colleagues or friends—possibly even best friends—but not lovers again. No matter how much he aches for her. For years, they don’t touch off-camera. But on their last night of filming, their mutual restraint finally shatters, and all their pent-up desire explodes into renewed passion. Too bad they still don’t have a future together, since Peter’s going back to Hollywood, while Maria’s returning to her native Sweden. She thinks she needs more than he can give her, but he’s determined to change her mind, and he’s spent the last six years waiting. Watching. Wanting.”
This is a very spicy book with a good deal of descriptive language. I found it a bit too long. Also, Maria constantly said “Gods above!” It got to be annoying! I did appreciate the body size positivity as seen in the author’s other books as well.
This post includes eight of the books I read this month. Six were print books and two were audio. Five of these were adult books, one was YA, and two were middle grade. Genres included rom com, graphic novel, dystopian, contemporary, and literary.
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Have you read any of these books or do you want to? What have you been reading lately?
