Hazel Says No - by Jessica Berger Gross (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

When a tight-knit family moves from Brooklyn to Maine, their lives are upended by an event that will alter their new community forever in this bighearted, sparkling debut for fans of Now Is Not the Time to Panic, Pineapple Street, and Schitt's Creek

Hazel Blum, please report to the principal's office. Hazel Blum.

When Hazel Blum's father gets a tenured job at a prestigious college, she and her family relocate from the hustle and bustle of Brooklyn to a middle-of-nowhere college town in Maine. With her mother, Claire, a clothing designer, and her father, Gus, an American Studies professor, Hazel and her eleven-year-old brother, Wolf, spend the summer at the town pool, where they acclimate to their new lives and connect with the town's sprawling community. That is, until a dramatic fallout on the very first day of her senior year tips the fickle balance of idyllic Riverburg and impacts everyone in her family.

Tracking through the perspectives of each member of the Blum family, this relatable fish-out-of-water story handles big issues with great empathy and humor, capturing the love that unites one unforgettable family and the essence of life in small-town Maine. Emotionally deft, authentic, and compulsively readable, Hazel Says No is a debut novel not to be missed.

Review Quotes

"How could I not fall in love with Jessica Berger Gross' Hazel Says No when it's set in both Brooklyn and Maine, two places I love--and it features a feisty young woman who dreams of being a writer? Filled with spiky humor (I was grinning every time I turned a page) and characters so real, you expect them to show up for lunch, Gross' book is the irresistible story of a big city Brooklyn family relocating to a small rural town in Maine. But when high school daughter Hazel is propositioned by her principal, her family and her community erupt. This is an absolutely wonderful novel about figuring out who and what we want to be, and who we truly are."--Caroline Leavitt, New York Times bestselling author of Pictures of You and Days of Wonder

"Jessica Berger Gross has written an exuberant and big-hearted novel that encompasses an entire transplanted Brooklyn-to-Maine family. This book manages the neat trick of being both timely and timeless, and is a powerful and witty exploration of what it's like to find and claim your spot in a confusing world."--Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney, New York Times bestselling author of The Nest and Good Company


"I absolutely adored this book! It brought me on a rollercoaster ride of emotions in all the best ways and in the end had me cheering on every member of this lovely family. It was a joy to go along with them... I can't wait to share this one with my customers!" --Renee Cunningham, Oliver & Friends Bookshop, Waterville, ME


"Hazel Says No pulled me in from the first witty page, and I invented an imaginary book group to read along with me and discuss all the issues raised and choices made by the Blum family and other characters in a well-drawn small town in Maine. Will Hazel's actions pull the family together or break them apart? This twisty story kept me guessing until the end. I am astonished that this is Jessica Berger Gross's first novel--it's great, skillful, and funny. Fans of Catherine Newman will love it!"--Alice Elliott Dark, national bestselling author of Fellowship Point

"Fewer books I've read are more local to my psyche...The characters are richly portrayed; the book is really tight and compelling. I... truly enjoyed the book." --Rich Boulet, director, Blue Hill Public Library, Blue Hill, Maine

"Hazel Says No is a smart, fun and thoroughly engaging novel about a family's move to a small town in Maine, where they are pulled apart then brought back together. The setting is vivid and colorful, the themes are timely and thought-provoking and the characters are all brimming with life."--Tova Mirvis, national bestselling author of The Ladies Auxiliary and We Would Never

"I wolfed down Hazel Says No in two giddy sittings. With the Blums, Jessica Berger Gross has created one of contemporary fiction's great new families--a cast of characters whose struggles are resonant, hilarious, and poignant as they struggle to assimilate to their new lives. It's a big hearted and expertly crafted debut, one that celebrates the beauty of home, no matter where you happen to find it, and the power that comes with finding your voice."--Grant Ginder, author of The People We Hate at the Wedding