If you’re looking for a book that draws you in right from the beginning, this is it. As a teacher, this book really pulled at my heart strings.

3/5 stars ★★★☆☆

Read about it: https://amzn.to/40h4CXk

Published on: June 17th, 2025

From The Publisher:

“When a tight-knit family moves from Brooklyn to Maine, their lives are upended by an event that will alter their new community forever in this bighearted, sparkling debut for fans of Now Is Not the Time to Panic, Pineapple Street, and Schitt’s Creek.”

My Thoughts on Hazel Says No:

With so much hope of moving to a new town in order to succeed in life, the characters’ POV showed that it isn’t always roses.

Hazel was my favorite character, along with her little brother, Wolf. This story is written in third person, and I always enjoyed the point of view from those two characters. I felt like the parent’s problems were just an add-on, and to be honest, they detracted from the story line.

The book made me a little sad for the world. It’s hard to be the person that no one believes. It’s also hard to be the teacher, like Gus, who is doing his best to not offend anyone in his lessons. It’s hard to be the daughter of a father that ruins your family.

I really enjoyed the first half of the book. Then it went sideways for me. It was a little too much lecturing about the wrongs in the world. It moved too slowly for me, especially when it wasn’t about Hazel or Wolf. This is the reason I gave it three stars.

That being said, you will probably enjoy this book if you like to read about:
*family dramas
*feminism
*antisemitism
*teaching
*Maine
*Me Too

It is a well-written book. It just moved too slowly for me.

Extras:

You can buy Hazel Says No: https://amzn.to/4kRpU6e

*If you want to read more of my book reviews, you can find them at: https://judiholst.com/book-reviews/

*If you missed my post about my Top Books of 2024, you can find it at: https://judiholst.com/top-20-books-that-i-loved-in-2024/

Thank you to NetGalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing, and Jessica Berger Gross for sharing this book with me. This is my honest opinion.