Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin for the advanced reader copy.

When Hazel Blum's family moves from New York to a small town in Maine, where her father is to become the American Studies department chair at a small liberal arts college, Hazel is less than enthused. She's about to start her senior year of high school and would prefer to be with her friends and the place she's known as home. She tries to make the best of it, but when a traumatic interaction with an adult happens on the first day of school, a series of events is set off that makes her family even more outsiders than they were before. Hazel, her mother, father, and younger brother must all make decisions in response to the event and deal with the consequences of those decisions. By the end of the school year many things will have changed for the family; will one of those things be that they are no longer the family unit they were when they moved to Maine?

The beginning of this book certainly starts with a bang (no spoilers here!) and the ripple effects of what happens to Hazel and the responses each of her family members make created enough tension to keep me moving through the story. HAZEL SAYS NO is a deftly written debut novel and Berger Gross did a nice job of creating fairly equal interest in each of the main characters (though I will say, while Wolf, the younger brother, is interesting, his story felt thinner than the others) and she walked the line of literary writing with commercial plotting quite well.

This is a great beach read for those who like family stories with multiple points of view.

Hazel Says No came out June 17, 2025.

A well written, entertaining and emotional novel.
An enthralling family drama that had me hooked from the start.
I loved that this story touches tough topics. Was a thought-provoking read.
I honestly can’t believe this is her debut title. Because it was incredible.

Hazel Says No by Jessica Berger Gross was timely, relatable and had you cheering for 18 year old Hazel. As the book begins she decides in the moment of vulnerability and uncomfortable circumstances to say No. Many young girls would not get themselves out of that situation unscathed. The book the follows the repercussions of that No and how the choices of each person in the family change their bond, the town and futures. This book was a quick read and great reminder of the effect the decisions we make have all around us.

Hazel Says No, will be released on Jun 17 2025. Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing and Net Galley for the advance reader copy.

I really, really enjoyed this lit fic debut about a Jewish family from New York who move to a small town in Maine thinking it will mean better things for everyone only to have a shocking incident involving their eldest daughter, Hazel rock everyone's world with ripple effects throughout the community. Thought-provoking and told from bold, unforgettable characters, this is one of those stories that will stick with you and had the perfect combination of humor, heart and human insight. It was also great on audio and I can't wait to see what the author writes next. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital and audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

HAZEL SAYS NO by Jessica Berger Gross starts off with a major bang that made my jaw drop and eyebrows shoot to the sky. Hazel Blum’s family is new to town, so she’s a bit surprised when she gets called to the principal’s office on the first day of school. The high school senior has a conversation with her principal that instantly changes the trajectory of her final year. It throws Hazel and her entire family for a huge loop.

The characters in this debut were absolutely EVERYTHING to me! Gah! I seriously loved them all. Hazel, Wolf, Claire, and Gus will live rent-free in my heart and mind forever. The author crafted this family impeccably. The character development was top-notch and extremely impressive. What a realistic, relatable, and lovable family!

This novel explores some heavier themes that the author handles with heart and humor. You can’t help but root for and sympathize with the Blums. I kept asking myself what I would do if my family was in a similar situation. (Especially with my daughter entering high school in the fall.)

READ THIS IF YOU ENJOY:

- Family drama and dynamics
- Multiple POVs
- Maine setting
- Small town vibes
- Feminist activism
- Marriage and parenting
- High school life
- Teenage angst
- Witty dialogue
- Jewish representation
- Well-developed characters

I HIGHLY recommend the audio version of this novel as Emma Galvin knocks the narration completely out of the park! She brings the entire Blum family to life with plenty of emotion and enthusiasm. I couldn’t stop listening.

Overall, I absolutely LOVED this debut and have zero complaints. I will be the first in line to read whatever Jessica Berger Gross writes next! 5/5 glowing stars for HAZEL SAYS NO!

Hazel Says No is a powerful story of a young woman in her senior year of high school whose family has recently moved to a small town in Maine. Hazel, the FMC, is a strong, resilient student who has her sights set on attending Vassar for college. She has plans to make her senior year of high school academically perfect as she prepares to apply to the college of her dreams. Until one event and its rippling effects change everything.

This story, with its diverse cast of characters, is well written and carefully curated. It addresses several current and generational societal issues that can tend to turn controversial. I am impressed that this is the author's debut novel. Although it is a work of fiction, it was very informative but balances these heavy topics with empathy and humor. I really enjoyed reading the Blum family’s story and the use of multimedia to help drive the story. I loved how strong, resilient, but still empathetic, and forgiving Hazel was. I absolutely adored Hazel’s brother, Wolf, and all his funny shenanigans.

I highly suggest listening to the audio book. It made for a great immersive experience. The narrator, Emma Galvin, is very energetic and did a great job with giving each character their own unique voice. The tone and pacing were spot on and helped bring the characters and story to life.

It's Hazel's senior year of high school and her family has moved from NYC to a small town in Maine. She’s barely had time to settle into a new routine when she suffers an unwanted sexual advance. What follows is a powerful and important exploration of what happens when a woman says NO. Who is to be believed? What is the cost and who pays the price?

Jessica Berger Gross artfully navigates a serious topic with grace, compelling characters and a propulsive plot. There were moments that twisted my insides in a knot because I felt so deeply for Hazel and everything she was going through. I had to put the book aside and pause a few times because it was all so real. But the novel is never graphic and Gross has imbued it with humor so that it doesn't become overwhelmingly heavy.

Hazel Says No is an excellent novel that should be on everyone's reading list. It is a perfect choice for book clubs.

I listened to the final few chapters via the audiobook and the narration is fantastic. There is a great interview with the author and the narrator at the end!

Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC. Hazels Says No is out TODAY!

The Blum family relocates from bustling Brooklyn to rural Maine after Hazel’s father Gus lands a professor/department head job at a small but prestigious liberal arts college. On the first day of her senior year of high school, Hazel is summoned to the principal’s office, where he informs her that each year, he chooses a female student to have sex with, and this year, he’s chosen Hazel. You can probably guess from the title what Hazel’s response is. The story that follows is a post-#MeToo examination of how the fallout from that one brave little word affects each of the four members of the Blum family and the entire community of Riverburg, Maine.

Told from four perspectives, this is a smart, nuanced story that straddles the line between commercial fiction and literary fiction. Really well-written, it doesn’t shy away from heavy, meaningful topics but there are also moments of lightness, tenderness, and humor too. The characters feel authentic and relatable as they try to come to grips with the ripple effects. There are so many themes that would make for a great book club discussion, including, power, privilege, victim blaming, antisemitism, and cancel culture.

Thank you to NetGalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing, and Hanover Square Press for providing me an advance copy of this book.

Thank you Hanover Square Press, HTP, The Hive, and Harper Audio for the gifted copies!

Hazel Says No
Jessica Berger Gross
Publishing Date: June 17, 2025
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

🎧 Narrator: Emma Galvin 🎧

What a special book this was. Hazel and her family have moved from NYC to Maine and are definitely fish out of water. As if a move your senior year of high school isn’t traumatic enough, on Hazel’s first day of school she is propositioned by her principal, who she had met over the summer at the town pool. And Hazel says NO.

This book takes a look at the consequences of Hazel saying no, not only for her, but for her entire family and community. We all know that the statistics regarding sexual assault and harassment are inaccurate due to the amount of women who don’t report. This book shines a light on at least some of the reasons why that is. Power differentials, stigma, not being believed, victim blaming.. the list goes on and on.

While Hazel is the shining star of this book, the author does an amazing job creating well developed side characters who you are fully invested in. A mother who has lost herself, her career, her friends, and her identity to do what she feels is best for her children. A father who is struggling in similar ways as he tries to provide for his family. A neurodivergent little brother who in many ways gets pushed aside as the trauma of this situation dominates their world.

This book tackles heavy themes, but there is such beautiful levity provided throughout as well as inspiring shows of strength. The balance is absolute perfection.

🎧 I read this one primarily with my ears and Emma Galvin did an amazing job. She conveyed the emotions of the characters so well, but where her narration really stood out was in how it helped provide levity and showed the unique quirks and personalities of each character.

Wow - this was such a powerful book and would be the perfect one for book clubs this year. It was so incredibly thoughtful, thought provoking and nuanced about the difficult subject of sexual harassment. A book I will be thinking about for a long time.

I really enjoyed this book! I actually switched between a couple different formats and while I enjoyed them all, I think the audiobook might have been my favorite. I was so into the story that I really couldn’t stop listening once I switched to audio. The narrator was amazing!

This book was told from third person in multiple POVs following one family. It’s basically about what happens when someone is propositioned by their school principal to have sex with them and they stand up and say “no.” It goes through ups and downs of how the town reacts, telling the characters story, as well as how it affects the entire family. I thought this was a very well written book and I look forward to reading more by this author. If you like contemporary fiction then give this one a try!

I absolutely loved this! 😁

Okay in the little blurb for this book, it says it’s perfect for fans of Schitt’s Creek. And I’m a huge fan of that show, so it was no surprise that I loved this book, too. While it doesn’t have a similar plot, it has the same humor and heart. And it had me smiling or laughing throughout (except for the scenes I was enraged, but it still made me laugh soon after). There has to be something special said for a book that can handle heavy topics in a lighthearted way without diminishing their significance.
This one thoroughly surprised me with how much I loved it, how much I was rooting for the whole family, and how I couldn’t put it down. I’ll be thinking about this one for a while!

𝑾𝒉𝒐 𝑰'𝒅 𝑹𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒐:
Everyone! I think it’d be a great one to read and discuss with others, too.

firstly, thank you to the publisher for an arc and an alc!

wow, i cannot believe this is a debut — this was such a powerful punch of a novel that had perfect satirical humor to balance out the multiple depressing and exhaustingly urgent real life issues, but ends on an encouraging and realistically hopeful note.

as for the audiobook, the narrator did a fantastic job!

Another fantastic debut novel! This is a great book for families with young women to discuss and a great one for book groups!

Hazel's family moved from Brooklyn to a small college town in Maine and Hazel is ready to coast in her senior year, thinking she's a shoe-in at Vassar., her dream school. They have an idyllic summer and then something happens on her first day of high school that turns the family upside down. The chapters are told in alternating narration from each family member and how the situation affects them.

It's a realistic, honest, raw book. Hazel and the rest of her family are well-written, complex and interesting characters. I think my favorite character was Wolf, the middle-school kid whose own issues kind of get pushed to the side and he navigates his world largely by himself.

This is a stunning debut. I hope to read many more by this author.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the chance to read and review a digital copy of this book. All opinions expressed are mine and freely given.

I loved this book! The characters were all well developed, and the storyline although told from multiple POVs it was easy to follow. I was never confused as to which POV it was. I loved that the POVs were: Hazel, her brother, her mother, and her father. Hazel and her family move from NYC to a small town in Maine for a better life and for her father’s job. At the beginning of the school year, Hazel is propositioned by her school principal. When Hazel says NO, the aftermath begins. The town doesn’t believe her. They do not believe that this principal, who has done good for their community, could do wrong. The town is against her father, who is a professor at the local college. Even her younger brother, Wolf, is getting some of the backlash. The story itself felt realistic and it could happen anywhere. Even though the topic was heavy, it was a very enjoyable read. This was a wonderful debut and I cannot wait to see what Berger writes next.

After moving from Brooklyn to Maine for her father's new profoessorship, Hazel is living in a small town in Maine for her senior year of high school. On the first day of school, Hazel is called to the principal's office. Unsure of what she could have done by third period, Hazel walks in to meet with Principal White, who she had met and spoken to a few times during the summer at the town pool. She is shocked by what he says to her - it not only impacts her senior year, but her life, her family's life and the town as well. How Hazel deals with the fallout will determine how she feels about the world and herself.

I walked into this book totally blind and I am so happy I did. It took on difficult topics and laid them out in a way that made them digestible with humor and tenderness. I liked the different POVs (Hazel, her parents, and her brother) and think it created a fuller story. The novel touched on many sensitive topics (e.g. cancel culture, "me too", antisemitism and celebrity to name a few) and I think it did it quite well and in a way that didn't require me to close the book to take a break from it, which sometimes happens when you read about these kind of hard issues. I listened to about three quarters and I hate to say it but I just didn't love the narrator for this particular novel, her voice didn't seem like the right fit to me (and that could be a me thing, I had already put a voice on Hazel and it just didn't match).

Thank you to NetGalley and HTP for the ARC to review

What a well done debut. It was beautifully written, well developed and the characters were incredible. It is at times an emotional and difficult read (not because of the writing, but because of the topic) - and explores the  ripple effect the #metoo movement has on an entire family and town. It will make you think, be impossible to put down and you will become invested in the lives of the family. The characters were well developed, the storyline flowed smoothly and despite a deeper topic, it was a quick and wonderful read.  Hazel's dad got a tenured job at a university in Maine and moved the entire family from Brooklyn. Hazel is a senior in high school, her brother with ADHD in middle school, and mom is starting a clothing designing business. When on the first day of school, a #metoo movement issue impacts Hazel, the course of life is changed. The book follows how Hazel's personal life impacts her entire family and the small town they now live in. This was a wonderfully written book that I think everyone should read.
Thank you netgalley for my advanced reader copy.

Hazel, her parents, and brother move from the city to small town Maine expecting quieter lives. That all changes on the first day of school when Hazel is propositioned by her principal.

This was an interesting story based on a pretty heavy and serious topic. The main point of view is Hazel for the majority of the book but we also hear from a few others as well. The ending slowed a little for me when it veered more towards Hazel’s possible writing career but it quickly came back to the family and grabbed me again. It was a great coming of age debut.

“Sometimes, it wasn’t about right or wrong. You just had to be on the side of the person you love. No matter what.”

Hazel Says No comes out 6/17.

Jessica Berger Gross has written an amazing debut novel. It's wonderful and heartbreaking and hopeful and funny and so very real.

Coming of age isn't just for the 18 year olds. In Hazel Says No, all four Greenburg Blums face those pivotal, monumental moments as they adjust to a new life in upstate Maine. New schools, new jobs, new house, new people. The upheaval and chaos of starting over defines their summer.

Then on the first day of her senior year, Hazel is propositioned by her principal. That one event sends her anticipated life trajectory along with her family, and the town of Riverburg into a whole new orbit.

The reader gets a glimpse through the eyes of Hazel, her parents, Gus and Claire, and her 12-year old brother Wolf. This type of storytelling, to me, is always so effective when multiple characters are involved. The second half of the book is a whirlwind all the different moving parts spinning and changing and while the Greenburg Blums grow and advocate and support and cajole and resdicover each other. This family is flawed and human and wonderful.

Thank you Harlequin Trade Publishing | Hanover Square Press and NetGalley for the advance reader copy.
#HazelSaysNo #NetGalley

A story of how one moment in time can shape EVERYTHING that happens after. When Hazel says NO it sets off a cascade that affects her, her family, her future, and the future of others too.