I absolutely LOVED this book! Magic realism, a mystery with thriller elements, as well as great (heartbreaking) social commentary. Sariyah (Ri) has the ability to sense others needs and carries around her "Santa Bag" to hand out 'needs' whether it be a pencil, hair tie, etc. Five years after her best friend Tessa goes missing and the case has gone completely cold her other best friend Deja also goes missing. The teens do everything they can to get people looking for her. This book touches on how black and brown lives definitely become 'forgotten' about vs a blonde hair blue eyed white girl that goes missing. It also touches on mental health, parenting parents, and many other things teens and adults go through. I loved this book. Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC.

It too me way longer than usual to finish this book and I don’t know why! It had everything I loved. A little mystery, family drama, a teenage crush and a sprinkle of magical realism.

YA novels really have the best character arcs to me. I enjoyed learning everyone’s stories even the “bad guys”. However There was a point (during on big reveal) when I actually got pissed cause ain’t no way we did all of that for this but THEN I was whiplashed in another direction. The ending whoaaaa

Sariyah needs to get back over here and tell me what is going on !! Asap lol

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing this eARC.

Needy Little Things follows teen Sariyah, whose magical ability to discern people's needs seemingly leads to the mysterious disappearance of her friend.

Needy Little Things was an enthralling read, and the unraveling of the mystery behind Deja's disappearance had me shocked and stressed in equal measure. But better than the engaging plot was the experience of reading from our narrating character, Sariyah. Though I, as an adult, was immediately able to conclude that her filling people's needs was not cursing them to death or disappearance, the way the narrative has Sariyah engage with this idea over the course of the text was beautifully executed and still wonderfully engaging. Desamours artfully tackles the issue at the plot's core of the racial and financial disparities often at play in police investigations of missing girls while managing to keep both the external conflict -- Deja's disappearance -- and Sariyah's internal conflict -- her perceived culpability in both this disappearance and an earlier awful incident -- well-paced and in clear focus. I do think some of the supporting cast could have been fleshed out just a smidge more, and I wouldn't have turned my nose up at another 40 or so pages of this book, but that's such a small bone to pick with a book this solid (such a strong debut!).

I'll definitely be picking up Channelle Desmours's next book!

There are many things to love about this debut, from the clean writing to the candid teenage voice to the meticulously crafted mystery that includes plenty of misdirection and red herrings to set you spinning (delightedly) down the wrong path. Perhaps my favorite, however, was the way Desamours handles Sariyah's magical ability and its link to her ADHD. It always makes me nervous when an author combines disability with magic, but what I love about this novel are the ways that both magic and disability play a significant role in the main character's identity but an insignificant role in the character's ability to solve the mystery. Her ability to hear everyone's needs impacts how she approaches certain problems, but never in a contrived or deus ex machina way. Nor do her magic powers compensate for or cure her disability--quite the opposite. Add a nuanced depiction of mental illness and representation of sickle cell disease, and this disabled librarian can't help but swoon. Congratulations to Channelle on this thrilling debut! I can't wait to read her future works.

🎧I love love love this debut book for so many reasons! Personally, I love it because the author is a teacher! and it takes place in Atlanta. As a reader, I love the rep, love the plot and the characters and the character development and the magical realism aspect and the twists! Just go get this.

🎧Sariyah is a high school student with the gift of being able to hear what people need. But little things, tweezers, nail file, bubble gum, etc. She fulfills the needs when she can so she doesn’t get migraines. But she has other things to manage too: her depressed mother, her chronically ill brother, graduating from high school, and now one of her besties has disappeared. Can her gifts help find her?

🎧Thank you @wednesdaybooks for this amazing package! Thank you @netgalley for an advance digital copy. All opinions are mine.

I have some mixed feelings about this book. I enjoyed reading it for the most part. Sariyah was an amazing protagonist to follow, and I think the author did a great job incorporating the needs into her thoughts so that we know the scope of her ability without getting bogged down (though I would've liked more explanation about how she can afford to fulfill so many needs and why she has niche items on hand for some of the less obvious needs). The investigation was also done very well. There was a great pace to her search for clues, while also balancing her problems at home, and it made her even more realistic. I was very invested in finding out the truth behind Deja's disappearance. Also, there was a twist right before the climax that I didn’t see coming at all which got me super excited for the ending.

However, the ending is what brought down my reading experience. I was hoping for a much more complex conclusion. The antagonist was not compelling for me, and after all the build up, it felt like a let down. Everything wrapped up a little too easily. The climax itself was great, but revealing the villains scheme and motive was a let down.

Overall, I had a really good experience reading. I haven't read many missing person mysteries, and Sariyahs ability is done very well, making this one of the most unique mysteries I've read.

*3.5 stars rounded up

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for providing a free arc of this novel.

THE ENDING HELLO??? will come back with a real review but all I have is holy shit I loved this

UPDATE:
I devoured this book lmao it literally had me gagged from chapter 2 like to the point that I had to call my best friend and have a mini crash out because what is going ON.
Anyways, this was such a good read. We had internal conflict, mystery, magic, thriller - all wrapped up in one. As someone that doesn't consume a ton of thrillers, I can absolutely say that this kept me on the edge of my seat WITHOUT scaring me to death - a win imo lol. Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC! Can't wait to read more from this author.

3.5 stars
Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for access to this title. All opinions expressed are my own.
Book tagline: In this debut speculative YA mystery, a Black teen with premonition-like powers must solve her friend's disappearance before she finds herself in the same danger...

DO NOT LET THIS BOOK PASS YOU BY! I don't care what your age is, YOU, yes, my fellow reader, need a good dose of Channelle Desamours.

I couldn't put this book down. Thank goodness I had completed all my morning chores, and the laundry wasn't finished for a while. Because my attention was 100% on this story, Sariyah Lee Bryant was the type of protagonist that I enjoyed. She is feisty, has a good heart and is so very trusting of the people around her. Her gift of sensing what people need was interesting, and I liked that the book focuses on the issue of missing people in different demographics. I couldn't have anticipated how everything was going to play out, and that ending has me wondering if we might see Sariyah pop up again in a literary journey.

I guess we will have to wait and see.







#NeedyLittleThings #NetGalley.

Publication Date 04/02/25
Goodreads Review 16/02/25

This is a can't miss speculative mystery. I loved this book from star to finish. The main character's "power" was really unique and not one I've seen before. Our main character was headstrong and the surrounding cast was great. It felt like real friendships and the banter was on point. I loved the suspense in this book. It was engaging and well paced.

I have so many thoughts. I think a lot of them have to do with the parenting of Sariyah. When we meet her she’s just hanging on in school due to the voices in her head. Her “power” drives out the ability to think and function. If you are hearing everyone’s needs how can you possibly sit, absorb, or learn in school? Her paternal grandmother had this same gift so her father is very familiar with the life one leads when the voices don’t stop. I just don’t understand why her parents didn’t set her up for success by homeschooling or a more controlled environment for Sariyah.

Then there is the mental health of Sariyah’s mother. Sariyah says that this can go on for weeks or months. It’s bad enough that Sariyah has to struggle with her own issues, she is assisting her mother with her brother who has sickle cell enema. Life is just emotionally hard in the house. Maybe splitting the kids up would have been better, I don’t know, but it’s obvious that what is going on isn't working.

Obviously Channelle Desamours has done their job and made me care about the characters. Needy Little Things is about more than a mystery. It has so many dark emotional layers sometimes you’re not sure where you’re supposed to be drowning (chuckle). It’s a lot. I think this would have been a good book without the mystery because just dealing with everyone’s trauma is full plate.

Sometimes with the mystery I feel like I’m watching an episode of Law & Order: SVU. I don’t know why but the suspects seem like caricatures. It could be because Sariyah and Malcolm are fleshed out and dripping with trauma.

I like the story. Desamours deals with the very real issue of race priority in news stories and solving cases. Some of the red herrings work. Overall, I really like Sariyah.

This book brings to light systemic issues in a gut wrenching spiral roller coaster ride of a thriller. Strap in and hold on tight. So much thought and care went into each main character’s story and it shines through brilliantly. I love to try and predict the twist for fun but this one was a line backer I didn’t even watch out for and I would love to see the conclusion of the end (even if it’s a novella). I am grateful to be able to have received this as an ARC and I absolutely loved it.

I kinda struggled with this one, Sariyah’s ability to sense others’ needs was intriguing but didn’t feel fully fleshed out and even got a bit cheesy at times. The twist also didn’t pack the punch I was hoping for, but I did appreciate the focus on the fact that the world seems to care very little about missing girls when they’re not white. Curious to see if there will be a sequel given the way this ended!

This story is about a teenage girl named Sariyah who is very unique. She is plagued with premonition like abilities that tell her what everyone “needs” around her. Their needs can be an item they need in the moment, or an item they don’t even know they’ll need in the future. Sariyah’s ability made this book so compelling as you never really know how the items she provides will be used by the individual.

She walks around with a “Santa bag” full of random items, but one day when she fulfills the need of her friend Deja she shortly goes missing after. This isn’t the first time one of her close friends have gone missing, but this time her and her friends are determined to find Deja and bring her home.

This was surprisingly twisty & complex and tackled so many themes such as depression, dysfunctional families and friendships, Sickle Cell disease, food insecurity, and the way media bias can impact the search and investigations into missing people of color.

This wasn’t predictable & had me suspicious of every character. The needs coming off of people around her, even strangers, was incredibly insidious and anxiety inducing at times. This was a such a great book and I won’t soon be forgetting it! I highly recommend it if you are looking for a YA book to read this month by a black author in particular & want to widen your reading horizons!

Thank you NetGalley & Wednesday Books for this arc in exchange for my honest opinion!

Magical realism meets mystery could be just the thing to save a life.

Needy Little Things by Channelle Desamours is her debut novel and is filled with special abilities, things to solve, intense moments, and a wild group of friends.

This was so freaking good! I really hope it gets adapted into a show. It would be fantastic to see this played out.

I love how there’s a quad group of friends and their interesting dynamics. They are all equally friends but each has stronger relationships with certain people in the group.

Between the missing people, special gifts, and the need to save herself, this is filled with tons of intensity, drama, mystery, and kept me in the thick of it. I love her (Sariyah) brain and how she represents a special category of ADHD. The struggles that she experiences in her life and at school due to the combination of her gift and ADHD are presented in a very strong way.

I enjoy the chaos of Sariyah’s gift of hearing other’s needs and how they cause so many problems for her. It is one of those things that people would love and hate. It is relatable.

I highly recommend this for anyone who wants to dive into a teen mystery with black characters, mental health, and special abilities.

*This was an honest review for a complimentary copy of Needy Little Things from Channelle Desamours via NetGalley

4.25 stars

I can't imagine hearing everyone remotely around me and hearing there most recent need as Sariyah does. This is a great debut and really picked up in the last 20% with the Thriller and Mystery part. This is YA but I would recommend it to everyone. I look forward to seeing what else Channelle writes.

Thanks to the author Channelle Desamours, Wednesday Books, and NetGalley for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Needy Little Things took me some time to get into, but once I got a grip on the characters and the story, I was hooked. If you love YA mystery thrillers with a touch of magical realism, this one will likely pull you in just like it did me.

While at its core, this is a fun and engaging mystery thriller, it also weaves in deeper, thought-provoking themes. Our main characters face real struggles—caring for a chronically ill sibling, a mother battling depression, and the harsh reality of how race, sex, and socioeconomic status affect the way missing person cases are handled by both the police and the media. These layers added a level of relatability and depth that made this story more than just a thriller—it’s an exploration of systemic issues that many will connect with.

If you’re looking for a book that balances an intriguing mystery with emotional weight, Needy Little Things is worth picking up - I cannot believe this was a debut novel and I can't wait to see what Desamours writes in the future.

This book had kind of a lot going on from both a genre and plot-point perspective, but being that it's YA, I think it worked well and would actually be engaging and a good fit for a YA reader (which is something I can't say for all "YA" books!). I usually award bonus points for a unique premise, and the magical realism element ("need-sensing") in this book was not just unique, it actually added some intentional internal conflict for our protagonist, Sariyah. Despite the magical element, the characters and situations felt realistic (though I know I am in no way the correct person to judge of whether the author accurately captured life as a Black teenager living in Atlanta). The second half of the book had plenty of surprising twists and turns. All in all I think this was a great debut, and I think it would be perfect for a book club!

I read this book (both as an e-book and an audiobook) as a NetGalley ARC. I really liked the audiobook narrator and the way she immediately gave the readers a sense of Sariyah's personality, but would have preferred the audiobook handled the "need-sensing" differently to help them stand out a bit more, like they did in the text version.

Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin’sPress, and Channelle Desamours for the early access copy of Needy Little Things.

Needy Little Things tells the story of Sariyah, who inherited a gift from her grandmother that while around others she can hear what they need. Tangible things. The only way to ease hearing the need is to fulfill it. When Sariyah hears an odd need from her friend Deja, then she goes missing, Sariyah knows she needs to find her. She knows she needs to figure out what happened to Deja and if her gift is more of a curse.

Needy Little Things is a gripping YA thriller that shows the inequalities of missing Black girls and women. The story shows two storylines of a missing teens and the fight to get support. The story has well-developed characters, fast-paced writing, and twists that will keep readers guessing.

This book felt really clever—I loved the “magic” and the relationship between the characters, particularly the complexity between Sariyah and her mother. The issues touched upon in the pages of this book felt so timely and absolutely necessary.

The red herrings were all solved really quickly after their introduction, and I would’ve loved to have a little more suspense in the story, but the conclusion became predictable—an exciting, well written ending, with a very important message. Definitely recommend!

Thank you, Netgalley and the publisher, for an advanced copy of this book! Opinions are my own.

when i tell you that im kicking myself so hard for waiting to read this book, i truly mean it. this book gave me A Good Girls Guide to Murder vibes, but with Black main characters and it heavily goes into detail about how people don’t put as much effort into finding missing Black people as they do with white people.

this was such an amazing wake up call that i feel a lot more people need to read.

we follow a group of 3 best friends, Sariyah, Malcom and Deja. Sariyah has a sort of sixth sense to be able to pickup on things people need and she gets a bad feeling when her friend Deja thinks about needing pepper spray before going to a huge outdoor concert type of thing. then, while waiting in the bathroom line, Deja disappears from Sariyah and that creates the start of everyone trying to find her.

there were so many lies and secrets kept within their group, literally everyone was suspicious, i couldn’t tell who i thought did it, there was mental health rep with showing depression and how heavily it can impact you as well as a chronic illness.

this was so thrilling, fast paced, rooted so deeply in friendship and trauma especially in Black teenagers. it was so phenomenal!