Today’s guest Samantha Downing had a blockbuster debut last year with MY LOVELY WIFE, which was praised by People Magazine, Entertainment Weekly, Cosmopolitan, the Washington Post, and countless other channels. Now not only is it available in paperback, it’s also headed for the silver screen — with none other than Nicole Kidman in the starring role. Not bad for a debut, right?

Her follow-up HE STARTED IT is also getting early raves, with Booklist calling it “virtually impossible to put down” in a starred review, and notoriously difficult-to-please Kirkus saying “Buckle up and settle in for one diabolically fun road trip.” It’s due out in July, and there’s no time like the present to pre-order. (You can get a signed copy from Garden District Book Shop in New Orleans, even!)

Samantha’s recommendation is YOU ALL GROW UP AND LEAVE ME by Piper Weiss, which she calls “One of the most polarizing memoirs I have read. Piper Weiss grew up in the Manhattan of the 90's, the daughter of an elite, wealthy family. She was also the tennis student of a child predator...only she wasn't chosen as the victim…. A pre-MeToo era story worth reading, if only to remember how dangerous self-conscious teenage girls can be to themselves.”

Read the full review here.