Pool House

by Mary H.K. Choi

Bestselling young adult author Mary H.K. Choi debuts a brilliantly observed adult novel about mothers, daughters and the complexity of family set against the backdrop of Hollywood.

Stevie Moon cannot escape her mother. Abandoning college plans to work a dead-end job, her days are a purgatorial bore. Many dream of moving to L.A. and into the spotlight, but Stevie can’t wait to move away from it, and her mother’s orbit, to start over.

Delilah (not her real name) or “Moon” (as everyone calls her) is many an out-of-work actress, a former alcoholic, whatever a mistress becomes when she’s widowed, and a mother. Reeling in the aftermath of her lover and TV husband’s death, Moon struggles to process her grief. And the last thing she expects is for Stevie to leave her too.

Unable to afford their home, Moon and Stevie rent it out and live in their glass pool house. But when Adam, Moon’s former TV son and Stevie’s forever crush, arrives for the funeral, the three are pulled into a messy orbit, moving back into the ‘Big House’ and playacting a picture-perfect family even as tensions rise and relationships unravel.

POOL HOUSE is a course charted through the wilderness of motherhood, a story about the challenges of navigating class, fame, burgeoning sexuality, and grief as two women grapple with what it means to grow up and grow older in Tinseltown.

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary, Literary Fiction, Adult Fiction, Adult, Grief, Drama

336 pages, Hardcover

Expected publication June 9, 2026

About the author

Mary H.K. Choi is a Korean-American author, editor, television and print journalist. She is the author of young adult novel Emergency Contact (2018). She is the culture correspondent on Vice News Tonight on HBO and was previously a columnist at Wired and Allure magazines as well as a freelance writer. She attended a large public high school in a suburb of San Antonio, then college at the University of Texas at Austin, where she majored in Textile and Apparel.

Reviews

[Melanie (meltotheany)]

and just like that... my most anticipated 2026 publication is here <3

♡ Emergency Contact ★★★★★
♡ Permanent Record ★★★★★
♡ Yolk ★★★★★

[Maëlys]

i have been YEARNING for a new Mary H.K. Choi !!!

Emergency Contact: 5/5
Permanent Record: 4/5

[dorian ❂ ☾]

Yolk killed me (positive) so I can't wait for this one. It's been wayy too long since I've read a Mary H.K Choi book. I even remember when this was called Milk Teeth.

[pearl]

new mary hk choi in 2026…life is worth living

[Chelsea Knowles · Rating 4 out of 5]

*Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance reader copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.*

Pool House follows Stevie who doesn’t have the best relationship with her mother. Her mother is an out-of-work actress and a recovering addict who hasn’t always shown up for Stevie in the ways she should have. Stevie wants to get away from her mother but for now, Stevie and Moon are stuck together, living in their glass pool house in their backyard as they rent their home to pay the bills. Adam arrives for the funeral of Moon’s lover and TV husband as he played Moon’s son on TV. Stevie had a crush on him as a child and the three of them end up living together and acting as a family. Moon needs some acting work and tensions arise with Moon and Stevie as Stevie makes plans to move away and spends more time with Adam.

I enjoyed reading this novel and I easily connected to Stevie. This novel is told from the perspective of Stevie, Moon and Adam but I easily related to Stevie as she wants to make a life for herself away from her mother and family legacy. I liked that each POV of each character was shown and I found it easy to understand Moon and Adam’s motivations. Each character is complex and this had a lot to say on fame, aging and relationships. The writing of this book is good and I had a really enjoyable time reading this. I didn’t love the ending though and it kind of left a sour taste in my mouth so this is a four star read for me.

[Lucy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredibly daring and articulate and visceral. Mary HK Choi remains one of my favorite writers because of the depth she gives to characters and the richness she builds into their internal worlds / desires. A particularly apt tension beautifully written about the enmeshment of family (chosen or otherwise) and how that gets created from perpetuated cyclical familial experiences. Cannot wait to have everyone else read this!

A book that shows you freedom is only possible once you confront your worst fears.

[Audrey · Rating 3 out of 5]

So much dysfunction in this real family and tv family dynamics. Mothers and daughters are always complicated but throw in a star, who is more child then mother, a kid, who is more mother then child, and add in unrequited crushes, as well as unusual living situations, it becomes even more complex. Choi has a way of writing characters that are so multidimensional and this is no different.

I received an arc from the publisher but all opinions are my own.

[Sydney]

i didn't know this was happening

love the cover