A WORK IN PROGRESS Receives a STARRED Review from Publishers Weekly!

With A Work in Progress less than six weeks away from publication (I can hardly believe it), more reviews are rolling in, and just the other day I got a big one: a STARRED review from Publishers Weekly!

Publishers Weekly is perhaps THE go-to publication for everything BOOKS. And in case you don’t know what STARRED review means — the star is there “to denote a book of distinction or particularly high quality.” Below are a couple of my favorite portions from the review, but you can read the whole thing yourself by clicking HERE.

Using succinct and personal-feeling verse, Lerner (the Nat the Cat series) crafts an empathetic illustrated novel about one boy’s experience with body dysmorphia, disordered eating, and stigma… Lerner’s sketch-like illustrations, presented as Will’s own diary doodles, render grayscale caricatures of Will’s classmates, while his own self-portrait, depicted via stark black scribbles, slowly morphs into a monstrous version of himself that fills the page. Employing frenetic pacing and disjointed verse that conveys Will’s growing anxiety and internalized shame, Lerner cultivates a perceptive representation of recovery and self-acceptance.

Publishers Weekly review of A Work in Progress (March 20, 2023)

Thank you to Publishers Weekly for reviewing the book and for honoring it with a STAR.

And just a reminder: you can preorder A Work in Progress wherever books are sold. Click HERE to check out Simon & Schuster’s landing page about the book, where you can access links to a variety of book retailers. And click HERE to visit my local independent bookstore’s landing page for the book. If you order from the Silver Unicorn, I will sign the book, and can also personalize it if you wish.

~ Jarrett