Hazel Says No: A Novel

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 big-hearted, 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 11-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 coming-of-age tale not to be missed.

About the Author

Jessica Berger Gross is the author of the memoir Estranged: Leaving Family and Finding Home. Her essays have appeared in The New York Times Magazine, The Cut, Longreads, and many other publications. She lives in Maine with her husband and teenage son. Hazel Says No is her first novel.