Old Palmetto Drive

by S.E. Reed

Teen socialite Rian Callusa’s privileged NY life is over! Following her parent’s nasty divorce, and the death of her aunt & uncle, Rian’s mom drags her kicking and screaming all the way to Everglades City. Who cares if her new home is a mansion when it’s in the middle of nowhere without a nail salon or shopping mall in sight? And friends? Hell might as well freeze over before Rian would hang out with her hillbilly cousins.

The news that her Dad won’t be returning to New York after his job abroad crushes any hope Rian had of moving back to the Big Apple. So without a plan B, Rian explores the swamp and learns her cousins aren’t as backward as they first appeared. She even falls head over heels for a cute vintage-loving local girl. Now that she thinks about it, this might turn out to be the best summer of Rian’s life! Until her cousin Travis gets drunk at a party and confesses the dark truth about what really happened on Old Palmetto Drive, sending Rian into a tailspin of fear and self-doubt.

Genres: Young Adult

Unknown Binding

First published June 18, 2024

About the author

S.E. Reed is an award-winning multi-genre author. She grew up in the Pacific Northwest, but longed to see the rest of America. After living in all five regions, she finally settled in Florida–nestled between the swampy Everglades and Atlantic Ocean. Many of her stories have a strong contemporary southern theme, but she also dabbles in the strange, bizarre, and fantastical.

Reviews

[Pines Callahan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed following 16 yo Rian as she found reasons to love south Florida after spending her entire life in New York City. The story is full of engaging wrinkles and interpersonal drama. I liked the complexity of not only Rian's emotional journey, but Tori's as well. The dynamics between both close and estranged family felt very organic. This is the sort of sweet, southern queer yarn we need more of in YA spaces.

[Adele · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fun read!

S.E. Reed has done it again. I was really looking forward to this because I love messy family drama and family secrets, and Old Palmetto Drive did not disappoint. The story alone hooked my interest, but what I really fell in love with was the main character. Rian is a spoiled rotten ball of sass but with a heart of gold. She trades in her posh 5th Avenue lifestyle (not by choice) for swamp gators, muddy roads, and a family she never knew she needed.

This is for sure my favorite YA read of the year so far, and I’ve already recommended it to a few of my students I know will devour it.

[Brittany Johnston · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book isn't my normal read. I picked up a copy to vet it for my daughter, and I'm glad that I did. It has such engaging and relatable characters. Watching them grow through the story was a profound experience, and it's what made the book a 5-star read for me. I loved seeing the full circle of Rian's character arc. It was so satisfying to see where she ends the story compared to the beginning. I wanted to smack her at times, but she kept me hooked!

[Bruce Buchanan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Old Palmetto Drive is the second novel from author S.E. Reed, whose 2023 debut, My Heart is Hurting, received honors in the 2024 Florida Book Awards and the 2024 Paterson Prize for Books for Young People competition. Reed doesn’t suffer a sophomore slump, as Old Palmetto Drive delivers the same character-driven coming-of-age drama that thrilled readers of her first novel.

However, Old Palmetto Drive takes place at the other end of the socio-economic scale. While My Heart is Hurting focused on a young girl in poverty, Rian, Old Palmetto Drive’s main character, is a teenage New York socialite used to the finest things in life. Her mom moves them to her family home in the Florida Everglades—a world away from the trendy nightclubs and upscale boutiques Rian normally frequents.

At first, Rian hates her new surroundings, and isn’t afraid to share those feelings. But over the course of the book, she grows closer to her Florida cousins and to Justine, a sharp-witted local girl who becomes Rian’s number one crush. So things are going better for Rian, but a mystery surrounding a family tragedy threatens to wreck her new life in the South.

This novel’s magic is in its characters—and there is plenty of magic to enjoy. Rian is a compelling protagonist who, while a bit spoiled at the beginning, is a relatable, likeable kid. We want her to be happy—and that keeps us engaged in her journey. The supporting characters, particularly Justine and Rian’s cousins, Travis and Sam, add to the richness of Old Palmetto Drive. It’s a clearly written, straightforward story with interesting, complex characters.

But beyond just being a great YA coming-of-age drama, Reed’s love for her home state shines through. Her Florida isn’t Disney World or South Beach—it’s the state’s rural regions, where people have generations-long ties to the land. This part of Florida feels like an additional character in Old Palmetto Drive, and makes an already wonderful novel even better.

[Dana Hawkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

S.E. Reed does it again, giving hungry readers a knock-out-of-the-park, five-star Y.A. novel. S.E. can bring characters to life in a way that I rarely experience. She perfectly captures the voice of a generation, nailing the fear of fitting in, discovering new experiences, and the tingles when falling for someone. Old Palmetto Drive has a delicious mystery woven into the story, and I read the book ridiculously fast because I was desperate to know what happened. Rain is a glorious character, a queer, sassy teen socialite who has one of the most satisfying character arcs I’ve read. This is an absolute must-read. 

[Diane Billas · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed listening to this book. The main character, Rian, felt so real and angsty. I loved seeing her growth throughout the novel and I kept wondering what was going to happen. I also enjoyed the sapphic storyline and how real issues were brought up. Great YA book for teens and adults alike. Can't wait to read more of S.E Reeds novels.

[Haddessah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not my usual genre, but I got to read an early copy and it was SO GOOD! While I wanted to smack some sense into the main character on more than one occasion (one of several reasons I usually don't read much YA), it made her arc and story development all the better in the end.

[Allyson Lilly · Rating 5 out of 5]

S.E. Reed does it again! I loved this book so much I read it in a day! It really is a “feel good” book, made me laugh, smile, and kept me engaged from cover to cover. This is a MUST read

[Ron Frampton · Rating 4 out of 5]

THE STORY OF 16 YEAR OLD RIAN THAT LIVED A PRIVILEGED NEW YORK LIFE UNTIL HER PARENTS DIVORCEE AND SHE MOVES TO FLORIDA WITH HER MOM.

[Judy · Rating 5 out of 5]

As usual Shelby scored again . Great Read, couldn’t put it down.
Can’t wait for her next book.

[Mari Bloedewedd · Rating 1 out of 5]

I guess this book might have worked if it'd had an editor or a half.

unfortunately, multiple grammatical errors and random punctuation made me drop it like 15 pages in.

[Avery Timmons · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved Rian’s arc in this. She had such an authentic voice and became such a lovable character. There were also so many fun side characters! This was a really enjoyable read

[Seth Goodman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a fun read, but with a serious side, as well. Highly recommend!

[saanvi · Rating 1 out of 5]

August 6, 2025
Read: August 2, 2025

Happy August! In the interest of full disclosure, I skimmed through a lot of the latter half of this book, so most of my thoughts are based on the parts which I actually did read.

I don't think I've seen these many luxury brand references in what is supposed to be a vaguely literary novel, it felt like I was back on Instagram with how many times the words 'Dior' and 'Louis Vuitton' would pop up. Plot-wise it was nothing too spectacular, although I liked Rian's relationship with her cousins.

Bottom line: Books like these serve as a reminder of the content I read when I was fourteen and deeply entrenched in my my Wattpad phase. I can't say this is a win for either the lesbians or the Southern novels, but I'm sure some brand executive is very happy about it.

TBR (June 15, 2025): The cover is decidedly not giving Southern Gothic Summer but the summary is, so I am taking my chances!

[Amy Nielsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my second S.E. Reed book, and WOW—they just keep getting better! Teen Rian and her friends call themselves the NYPs (New York Princesses). Rian loves everything about being a New Yorker from her posh penthouse to her name-brand clothes. So she's obviously horrified when her mother tells her they are moving to the Florida Everglades to live with her newly orphaned teenage cousins she hardly knows. Rian has no idea what awaits her deep in the swamp—mystery, friendship, family, and maybe even love. Old Palmetto Road made me laugh and cry, sometimes on the same page. But by the end, my heart was absolutely full. S.E. Reed writes about Florida and its diverse populations of people and settings with humor, heart, and deep respect. I cannot express enough how much I LOVED this story!

[Arini Vlotman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reed did not disappoint with this YA! With a typical teenager as the MC, a few plot twists, drama and a bucket load of secrets, I found myself consuming this story voraciously. Brilliantly written, intricate characters with layers of depth and an all round wonderful story that will probably stay on my mind for a while.