by Leila Renee
First published 2026
Robin Clarke escapes her abusive parents and somehow lands a teaching position at a troubled high school in South Bend, Indiana. She has never taught before, but that doesn't stop her from setting two impossible goals: become the school's best teacher and befriend her assigned partner Naomi, who seems unnaturally perfect. Robin throws herself into both pursuits with manic intensity. Back home, her brother faces a choice between supporting Robin or staying loyal to their parents. Just as Robin starts connecting with her students and getting closer to Naomi, her brother calls with devastating news about their father's health. The information sends Robin spiraling deeper into obsession and poor decisions. She fixates even more desperately on winning Naomi's friendship while her judgment crumbles. When one of Robin's many mistakes catches up with her, she must face hard truths about forgiveness, memory, and what it really costs to cut family ties.
Genres: literary-fiction, contemporary, adult-fiction, psychological-thriller, family-drama
Vibes: character-driven, dark, emotionally-intense, introspective, thought-provoking
Tropes: estrangement, found-family, spiral-into-obsession, unreliable-narrator
Setting: South Bend, Indiana
Period: Contemporary
352 pages · Hardcover · Amistad
Content warnings: abuse, emotional-abuse