Day’s YA: NEEDY LITTLE THINGS

NEEDY LITTLE THINGS by Channelle Desamours
9781250334817
Wednesday Books
2/4/2025
Ages 13-18

E-galley available on Edelweiss and NetGalley

Sariyah Bryant has a unique power that allows her to sense what item people need the most. Things like a pencil sharpener, lip balm, a phone charger. The constant needs in her head cause debilitating migraines, so she carries around a large bag filled with random items and fulfills needs whenever she can to keep them at bay. No one except Sariyah’s family and closest friends know about her ability. When she hears a need for pepper spray from her friend Deja, she fulfills the need, but has a feeling that something is wrong. Then Sariyah’s suspicions are confirmed when Deja disappears. Determined to keep Deja from becoming another forgotten missing Black girl, Sariyah and her friends dive into Deja’s disappearance, leading them down a dangerous path that could put Sariyah in the same danger as Deja.

Channelle Desamours’ brilliant debut novel is a gripping blend of speculative fiction and thriller. The magic adds a unique element to the story, and the mystery is intriguing, making for a book that I could not put down. The suspense starts out high and ramps up even more in the second half, with a final twist that left me shocked. In addition to the twisty plot, the friendships and family relationships are authentic and complex, especially between Sariyah and her best friend, Marshall. And the social commentary is woven into the story skillfully, highlighting issues of racial injustice and the ways in which missing Black girls are mistreated in the media. Readers of powerful, poignant mysteries like WHERE SLEEPING GIRLS LIE by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé, INTO THE LIGHT by Mark Oshiro, MONDAY’S NOT COMING by Tiffany D. Jackson, and SADIE by Courtney Summers will devour this addictive page-turner.

“An engaging, innovative critique of the systems that protect whiteness and rob Black girls of their innocence.” —Kirkus Reviews

Happy Reading!
<3 Emily

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