Ready for a weird, funny, affecting read? Greta lives in a crumbling, ancient farmhouse in upstate New York. She’s a bit lost in her life, from her career to her relationships — not to mention that her home is currently filled with thousands of bees, which she just isn’t up to dealing with. But then she takes a job transcribing sex therapy sessions for a guy named Om, and she soon falls in love with one of his patients — just from the recordings alone — who she calls Big Swiss. And then everything really changes on the day she meets Big Swiss in real life at the dog park and recognizes her voice.

This book’s cover says it all: it’s strange and sexy. It’s funny and tragic. It’s contemplative but a page-turner. I devoured this book, completely enamored with the setting, the characters, and the starkly original plot. The writing is sharp and smart, the protagonist is oddly relatable (I hope!), and it still manages to deal with important topics like trauma, mental health, privacy, class, sexuality, and, of course, love. There’s also a very cute dog in it. As one Goodreads review perfectly put it: “I love reading literary fiction about messed up women doing crazy sh*t.”

Well said! Go on a bizarre, unhinged, completely original journey with me to Hudson, New York, this month. Can’t wait for you to join. And if you want to talk books with scary mommies every day, join the Scary Mommy Book Club Facebook Group.

–Sarah Aswell, Senior Editor