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Sometimes the Girl
Eighteen-year-old Holiday needs to sort her life out.
She's still shaken from her brother's recent suicide attempt; still pining over her ex, Maya; and still struggling to write again after a long dry spell. To earn enough money for a rebalancing trip with Maya, Holi gets a short-term job: organizing the attic of acclaimed author Elsie McAllister. It's an unglamorous gig with a difficult boss. Elsie―whose fame rests on a single novel published decades ago―is in her nineties, in failing health, and fiercely protective of her privacy. But as Holi sorts through the attic's surprising contents, she realizes there's much more to Elsie than the novel that made her a legend.
Unearthing Elsie's secrets will change how Holi sees art, life, and the way they intertwine, as she grapples with choices that will redefine her own path.
She's still shaken from her brother's recent suicide attempt; still pining over her ex, Maya; and still struggling to write again after a long dry spell. To earn enough money for a rebalancing trip with Maya, Holi gets a short-term job: organizing the attic of acclaimed author Elsie McAllister. It's an unglamorous gig with a difficult boss. Elsie―whose fame rests on a single novel published decades ago―is in her nineties, in failing health, and fiercely protective of her privacy. But as Holi sorts through the attic's surprising contents, she realizes there's much more to Elsie than the novel that made her a legend.
Unearthing Elsie's secrets will change how Holi sees art, life, and the way they intertwine, as she grapples with choices that will redefine her own path.
304 pages, Hardcover
Published May 6, 2025
10 people are currently reading
192 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
June 19, 2025
I loved this book with my entire heart. It's going on my favorites list and I will absolutely be rereading it. I'm always hungry for books with assault narratives that mirror my own experiences, and while this isn't exactly a one to one comparison, it's closer than I usually get from books. It hit hard, but not in a triggering or upsetting way. I felt so comforted and seen and understood by Holi's situation and the way she responded to what happened to her. I wanted every good thing for her and I was so satisfied with the way it all resolved.
There are so many layers here. I was deeply invested in Elsie's story and in Holi's relationship with Maya and in her relationship with her brother and in her journey toward healing. I've learned that I love a book with a story within a story, like the mystery of Elsie's novel and her childhood, like Evelyn Hugo and the past and present storylines in that book, like A Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry. When there's something that happened in the past and a character in the present trying to unravel it all. I need more of that. This one was rough, but I loved it.
I recommend this book so hard. It's everything I want in a novel. Sapphic love and grief and a beautiful and messy sibling relationship and discussions of writing and a mystery from the past and a sprinkling of trauma. Perfect, 10 out of 10, no notes.
There are so many layers here. I was deeply invested in Elsie's story and in Holi's relationship with Maya and in her relationship with her brother and in her journey toward healing. I've learned that I love a book with a story within a story, like the mystery of Elsie's novel and her childhood, like Evelyn Hugo and the past and present storylines in that book, like A Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry. When there's something that happened in the past and a character in the present trying to unravel it all. I need more of that. This one was rough, but I loved it.
I recommend this book so hard. It's everything I want in a novel. Sapphic love and grief and a beautiful and messy sibling relationship and discussions of writing and a mystery from the past and a sprinkling of trauma. Perfect, 10 out of 10, no notes.
Want to read
June 28, 2024When 18-year-old Holiday gets a summer job cleaning out a famous author's attic, she struggles to understand why the woman never wrote another novel—and discovers how art and life entwine.
Aaaaaaahhhhhhh recontra estoy
Aaaaaaahhhhhhh recontra estoy
February 13, 2025
Oh this one’s personal.
I very nearly skipped this book because of the YA genre marker but I am so glad I listened to the voice in my head that felt drawn to it!
Holi, a young writer struggling in the aftermath of a series of intensely challenging life events, takes a summer job organizing the attic of acclaimed dying author Elsie and finds herself unwrapping a mystery, taking responsibility for a legacy, and finding answers she didn’t know she was looking for.
This book is what YA should always be. It respects teenagers as full humans with complex thoughts and experiences who don’t need to be talked down to and thus is engaging for a reader of any age. I feel especially wary of YA books that include certain content warnings but the author handles these themes with great respect, care, and understanding and creates an excellent realistic portrayal of trauma and healing. Here YA doesn’t signify a lower quality of writing - simply a book that centers young adults and their experiences.
I was drawn into this book by characters that are so real I felt like I might round a corner and run into them, including a narrator I instantly loved even when she was annoying me. The mysteries in Elsie’s attic got me hooked, and each additional storyline deepened my care for the characters and for Holi’s story. The ending was difficult, satisfying, and incredibly thoughtful.
I can’t write this review without mentioning the setting. I had no idea going into it that this book would take place in a small town where I lived for over a decade, and Mason-Black captures this town and the people in it with incredible precision. This includes the good and the bad (Ex: the MC narrating about her relative poverty despite being in what is actually a quite privileged position drives me crazy but it’s incredibly accurate to my real-life experiences in this town and the very real frustration it brought up is honestly a bonus-point to the writer in my opinion). Regardless of reader familiarity with the place it is obvious that Mason-Black knows her world and characters inside and out.
Rounding up to 5 stars because YA needs more books like this. I will absolutely be reading all of this author’s work! Thank you to Net-Galley and Lerner Publishing for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I very nearly skipped this book because of the YA genre marker but I am so glad I listened to the voice in my head that felt drawn to it!
Holi, a young writer struggling in the aftermath of a series of intensely challenging life events, takes a summer job organizing the attic of acclaimed dying author Elsie and finds herself unwrapping a mystery, taking responsibility for a legacy, and finding answers she didn’t know she was looking for.
This book is what YA should always be. It respects teenagers as full humans with complex thoughts and experiences who don’t need to be talked down to and thus is engaging for a reader of any age. I feel especially wary of YA books that include certain content warnings but the author handles these themes with great respect, care, and understanding and creates an excellent realistic portrayal of trauma and healing. Here YA doesn’t signify a lower quality of writing - simply a book that centers young adults and their experiences.
I was drawn into this book by characters that are so real I felt like I might round a corner and run into them, including a narrator I instantly loved even when she was annoying me. The mysteries in Elsie’s attic got me hooked, and each additional storyline deepened my care for the characters and for Holi’s story. The ending was difficult, satisfying, and incredibly thoughtful.
I can’t write this review without mentioning the setting. I had no idea going into it that this book would take place in a small town where I lived for over a decade, and Mason-Black captures this town and the people in it with incredible precision. This includes the good and the bad (Ex: the MC narrating about her relative poverty despite being in what is actually a quite privileged position drives me crazy but it’s incredibly accurate to my real-life experiences in this town and the very real frustration it brought up is honestly a bonus-point to the writer in my opinion). Regardless of reader familiarity with the place it is obvious that Mason-Black knows her world and characters inside and out.
Rounding up to 5 stars because YA needs more books like this. I will absolutely be reading all of this author’s work! Thank you to Net-Galley and Lerner Publishing for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
February 22, 2026
Sometimes the Girl is a thoughtful and emotionally layered young adult novel that explores grief, identity, creativity, and self discovery. Eighteen-year-old Holiday is navigating the aftermath of her brother’s suicide attempt, the lingering heartbreak of her breakup with Maya, and a creative paralysis that has left her unable to write.
When Holi takes a temporary job organizing the attic of reclusive literary legend Elsie McAllister, she expects monotony. Instead, she uncovers a deeper story one that challenges her assumptions about art, fame, and personal truth. Through her growing understanding of Elsie’s hidden past, Holi begins to reassess her own choices and confront the emotional complexities shaping her future.
Jennifer Mason-Black delicately balances themes of mental health, queer identity, and artistic expression, creating a narrative that feels authentic and resonant. The novel’s character-driven approach allows readers to sit with Holi’s uncertainty and growth, making it particularly impactful for young adults navigating identity and creative ambition.
At 304 pages, Sometimes the Girl offers both emotional depth and a compelling exploration of how art and life intertwine. It is a powerful story about healing, reinvention, and learning that the truth of a person or a life is rarely confined to a single chapter.
When Holi takes a temporary job organizing the attic of reclusive literary legend Elsie McAllister, she expects monotony. Instead, she uncovers a deeper story one that challenges her assumptions about art, fame, and personal truth. Through her growing understanding of Elsie’s hidden past, Holi begins to reassess her own choices and confront the emotional complexities shaping her future.
Jennifer Mason-Black delicately balances themes of mental health, queer identity, and artistic expression, creating a narrative that feels authentic and resonant. The novel’s character-driven approach allows readers to sit with Holi’s uncertainty and growth, making it particularly impactful for young adults navigating identity and creative ambition.
At 304 pages, Sometimes the Girl offers both emotional depth and a compelling exploration of how art and life intertwine. It is a powerful story about healing, reinvention, and learning that the truth of a person or a life is rarely confined to a single chapter.
June 8, 2025
Sometimes the Girl by Jennifer Mason-Black is a quiet, poetic story about grief, identity, and finding your voice again.
After her brother’s suicide attempt and a breakup, 18-year-old Holi Burton is stuck creatively and emotionally. She takes a job sorting through the belongings of Elsie McAllister, a legendary but reclusive author known for one incredible novel. As Holi pieces together Elsie’s past, she begins to understand her own present. Their stories start to intertwine in surprising, healing ways.
This book is all about what we leave behind, what we hold onto, and how creativity and connection can pull us through the darkest times. It’s beautifully written, full of quiet moments that hit hard, especially if you've ever felt stifled or silenced on your own journey to self-discovery.
If you like character-driven stories with heart, and a slow, thoughtful pace, this one’s worth picking up. It’s a soft, soulful read that's beautifully crafted, and quietly powerful.
⚡️Thank you Carolrhoda Lab and Jennifer Mason-Black for sharing this book with me!
After her brother’s suicide attempt and a breakup, 18-year-old Holi Burton is stuck creatively and emotionally. She takes a job sorting through the belongings of Elsie McAllister, a legendary but reclusive author known for one incredible novel. As Holi pieces together Elsie’s past, she begins to understand her own present. Their stories start to intertwine in surprising, healing ways.
This book is all about what we leave behind, what we hold onto, and how creativity and connection can pull us through the darkest times. It’s beautifully written, full of quiet moments that hit hard, especially if you've ever felt stifled or silenced on your own journey to self-discovery.
If you like character-driven stories with heart, and a slow, thoughtful pace, this one’s worth picking up. It’s a soft, soulful read that's beautifully crafted, and quietly powerful.
⚡️Thank you Carolrhoda Lab and Jennifer Mason-Black for sharing this book with me!
March 29, 2026
2026 ALA Stonewall YA Honor book.
Holi, 18, still shaken by her older brother Robin’ suicide, acts as his guard dog constantly checking on him. Her hospice nurse mother gets her an interview with elderly Elsie McAllister, who wrote a Pulitzer Prize winning novel that became required high school reading and never published anything else. Fiercely protective of her privacy, she now needs help inventorying, organizing, and disposing of the contents of all the boxes filling her attic, with no prying or questions about her life or writing. Holiday, who earned her GED at 16, writes and wants to earn the money to go with her ex-girlfriend to work on a farm in New Zealand.
This is a complex look at youth and aging, privacy, loneliness, responsibility and respect. Addiction, gay relationships, friendship and doing what is right for you, not the public is explored with sensitivity and hope.
Holi, 18, still shaken by her older brother Robin’ suicide, acts as his guard dog constantly checking on him. Her hospice nurse mother gets her an interview with elderly Elsie McAllister, who wrote a Pulitzer Prize winning novel that became required high school reading and never published anything else. Fiercely protective of her privacy, she now needs help inventorying, organizing, and disposing of the contents of all the boxes filling her attic, with no prying or questions about her life or writing. Holiday, who earned her GED at 16, writes and wants to earn the money to go with her ex-girlfriend to work on a farm in New Zealand.
This is a complex look at youth and aging, privacy, loneliness, responsibility and respect. Addiction, gay relationships, friendship and doing what is right for you, not the public is explored with sensitivity and hope.
September 8, 2025
this book wasn't anything spectacular but i did have a pretty good time reading it. i strongly dislike when books mention more modern day events like the covid pandemic because it feels too recent and it makes me cringe a lot. i totally understand it as a way to cope with the results of these types of events but....
i did really love parts of this book, the descriptions of the feelings that writing evokes for Holi and the mystery parts of it were my particular favorites. overall it was a good read :)
i did really love parts of this book, the descriptions of the feelings that writing evokes for Holi and the mystery parts of it were my particular favorites. overall it was a good read :)
April 11, 2025
I loved the writing of this. The story between Holi and Elise during this whole book was off and on, but Holi was always there to help Elise with anything that she needed. It started out as a cleaning of a house, but it became more than just that.
You have the story of Elise and Holi, but you also have the Holi still trying to have a life outside of "work" and trying to keep Elise's secrets safe from her family.
Thank you NetGalley for the Arc!
You have the story of Elise and Holi, but you also have the Holi still trying to have a life outside of "work" and trying to keep Elise's secrets safe from her family.
Thank you NetGalley for the Arc!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 16, 2026
This is definitely more of a character driven story, focusing on mental health, learning to let go, and getting back to yourself after trauma. Overall, it's a slower moving story, but Holi's emotional journey throughout is a strong one, layered by the emotional journeys of the side characters as well. I don't know that it's a book that a lot of teens will gravitate towards, but I am glad that it exists.
July 28, 2025
This book is amazing!!! Jennifer Mason-Black really sees life, and writes beautifully about it. I got sucked into the story from the beginning, especially by the well developed characters. The end of the book held more twists and turns than I expected. This is a poignant story that touched me right to the core.
October 2, 2025
This was a good coming of age book. It was well written and actually sounded like an 18-20 year old.
I love the friend group Holi has. Mouse and Juliet though seemed out of place.
I still don’t know who John Allen was. Other than a guy who did bad stuff. For the longest I thought he was the mom’s boyfriend.
I love the friend group Holi has. Mouse and Juliet though seemed out of place.
I still don’t know who John Allen was. Other than a guy who did bad stuff. For the longest I thought he was the mom’s boyfriend.
May 13, 2025
Sometimes the Girl is a coming of age story about a girl named Holiday trying to navigate the summer after high school. She's got a temporary job cleaning out the attic of her favorite prolific author who also happens to be dying, and trying to decide whether or not she should move out of the country with her ex-girlfriend, all while trying to manage her brother's mental health.
I know this book is technically YA, but I hope that doesn't dissuade adults from reading it, because I think it has a wider appeal. It's well written, each character feels unique, and authentic, and the lessons woven within are raw, and relatable.
My only complaint about this book is the cover. I don't think it properly conveys the quality, or genre of the book.
I know this book is technically YA, but I hope that doesn't dissuade adults from reading it, because I think it has a wider appeal. It's well written, each character feels unique, and authentic, and the lessons woven within are raw, and relatable.
My only complaint about this book is the cover. I don't think it properly conveys the quality, or genre of the book.
June 24, 2025
I really enjoyed this book. The main character was so relatable. Her relationship with her employer was so touching. The way she cared about her brother and her friends showed that she wasn't as uncaring as she acted. Good read!
May 7, 2025
This book is beautiful. Buy it, read it, you will be so glad you did.
February 19, 2026
I really enjoyed this! It's been a bit since I've picked up something that grabbed me so immediately that I just needed to keep reading!
Give this to the anxious, writerly, queer teens in your life. They've love it.
Give this to the anxious, writerly, queer teens in your life. They've love it.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews