Genre: Historical fiction

Release date: October 13, 2026

Goodreads rating: 4.16

My rating: 3.5

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I was really intrigued by Peck & Peck, especially because it is written by Bonnie Garmus, author of Lessons in Chemistry. There’s a lot to admire here: the story is imaginative, quirky, and takes readers into a world I haven’t encountered before. I particularly enjoyed the unusual setting. That said, I did struggle with the pacing, and I found it difficult to fully connect with the characters.

The story follows Batter Gray, a young man who finds himself working at the prestigious and secretive Peck & Peck poetry journal in New York City. As Batter finds his place in this unusual world, I enjoyed the way the story plays with ideas of duality, identity, and opposing forces. I also loved learning about Batter’s mother’s work as a typesetter and all the fascinating details about fonts and printing. The many poets mentioned throughout the book also sent me down a few interesting rabbit holes!

I think this is perfect for readers who enjoy quirky literary fiction, imaginative worlds, poetry, and unconventional coming-of-age stories. I did struggle with the slow pacing and found it difficult to form a strong connection with the characters, which ultimately kept this at 3.5 stars for me. Still, I can see this being a very rewarding read for many.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster Canada and Netgalley for granting me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

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