Finding true friends

 The Roommate Arrangement
By Samantha Markum

 

Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books

Publication date: January 27, 2026

Print length: 352 pages

ISBN-13: 978-1665973076

Reading age: 14 years and up

Grade level: 9 – 12

 

Publisher’s Blurb:

When Blair accidentally becomes college roommates with her brother’s best friend, sparks fly in this hilarious rom-com from bestselling author Samantha Markum, perfect for fans of Lynn Painter and Emma Lord.

Blair might be a little type-A, but she never thought of herself as completely overbearing…that is, until her two best friends drop her from their housing arrangement a week before her pre-college summer coding program is about to start.

Blair knows if she switches to an on-campus dorm, her parents will make her give up her expensive sculpture class with her dream mentor in order to pay for it. Desperate, she agrees to be the fifth roommate to four off-campus sophomores who are also in a last-minute bind. But things get complicated when one of her new roommates turns out to be her brother’s best friend, Jamie Atwater.

Blair begs Jamie not to tell her brother about the new living arrangement. Her brother would go straight to their parents, who would definitely not approve, and all her plans would fall apart. So they strike a deal: she’ll help him finish coding the app he’s building if he promises to keep her secret.

Spending more time together shouldn’t be a problem. Sure, Jamie has a new haircut, a mysterious tattoo, and a year’s worth of earned muscle, but it’s not like Blair is noticing. After all, they’re only roommates, right?

 

My Thoughts:

Blair is stuck between a rock and a hard place. Her mother and stepfather are extremely controlling and, quite frankly, snobby. They’ve chosen her future career and how she should spend her time. What she really loves is sculpture, and when her “best” friends pull out of a rooming agreement for college, she is left scrambling to find a place. Naturally, she accidentally ends up with her misfit older brother’s best friend. Whom she hates. And believes hates her. Or whatever.

 

Of course, things develop. It turns out that Jamie’s really not so bad. And Blair finds out what it really means to be accepted and supported by friends. The theme of found family is the best part of this story, because her own family is pretty awful. There is redemption, eventually, with her brother, and it’s a sweet moment.

 

Watching Blair struggle in her summer coding program is really hard. Particularly with the bully of a professor. But the support she received from her sculpture mentor makes up for a lot of that. Blair eventually learns to let go and trust herself. And Jamie.

 

Possible objectionable material:

Teens drink and party. End of a friendship. Lying to parents. Blair has been sexually active in the past. Innuendo. Swearing, including the F word. Blair has a panic attack. A character is nonbinary.

 

Who might like this book:

People who like stories of found family and overcoming difficulties. Those who like art. Blair talks about herself as “fat”, so those who like female main characters who don’t fit the usual mold.

 

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

 

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All the way to the supreme court

 Lovely One (Adapted for Young Adults)
By Ketanji Brown Jackson

 

Publisher: Bright Matter Books

Publication date: January 20, 2026

Print length: 368 pages

ISBN-13: 979-8217117772

Reading age: 12 years and up

Grade level: 7 – 9

 

Publisher’s Blurb:

The New York Times bestselling memoir now adapted for young adults! Ketanji Brown Jackson, the first Black woman to ever be appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court, chronicles her life story and her extraordinary path to becoming a jurist on America's highest court in this inspiring, intimate memoir.

Growing up, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson's parents taught her that she could achieve anything she wanted, and be whoever she wanted to be. In high school, she dreamt of being a Supreme Court judge. In 2022, her dream came true: she was sworn in as the first African American woman judge.

Lovely One is Justice Jackson's journey to making her dreams a reality, the hurdles she faced, and the lessons she learned along the way. She recalls feeling different and lonely as one of the few Black kids at her high school. At Harvard University, she was homesick and grappled with imposter syndrome. She took on the difficulties of working in the legal field as a Black woman, and the challenges of balancing a career and relationships.

But Justice Jackson persevered. She found like-minded people at her high school's speech club and Harvard's musical theatre group. With support from her family and strength from friends, she took on the world with optimism, determination, and hard work. Justice Jackson's story will resonate with dreamers everywhere, spreading hope and inspiration for generations to come.

This young adult adaptation has a brand-new preface and epilogue and includes an exclusive prize-winning speech the justice delivered as a high school student.

 

My Thoughts:

This is an accessible and interesting account of Justice Jackson’s life and development. She set her sights high from a young age and, with a very supportive family and community, was able to achieve things so many young people—and especially young people of color—do not.

 

That’s not to say that there were no struggles. In her youth, Jackson often felt a sense of isolation as the only Black woman in many of her educational endeavors. She relates her lived experiences with racism and prejudice frankly, but not in a way that is self-pitying.

 

I, of course, love the accounts of her competitive speech and debate career. We in the speech and debate world are inordinately proud of our alumni who are examples of just how far the skills learned in our activity can take you.

 

Jackson is also frank about negotiating a marriage with two intense careers and her struggles as a parent of a child who was eventually diagnosed with autism. Having my own neuro-spicy child, I was able to relate to the sense of frustration and embarrassment with having a child who doesn’t behave “normally” at school and is yet extremely bright and capable.

 

All in all, an inspiring look at someone who is a role model for all young people who want to achieve at high levels.

 

Possible objectionable material:

Honest discussions about racism and prejudice, and racial injustice. Family members die. One is imprisoned for drug-related offenses. A child struggles with autism. Jackson is from a church-going family and expresses faith in this book.

 

Who might like this book:

Those who enjoy biographies, especially of currently living people. Those who are curious about Jackson, specifically.

 

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

 

#BookReview #BookBlogger #NetGalley #Autobiography #LovelyOne #KetanjiBrownJackson