The Free Verse Society coming March 24th, 2026 from Peachtree Teen; 336 pages
Content Warning: Racism, sexism, bullying, death of a parent, drug use, foul language, physical abuse, verbal abuse
About the Author: “Delali Adjoa was born in Togo to Ghanaian parents but grew up in Canada where she traded sunny cottons for wool tuques and snowsuits. She has been chasing warmer weathers ever since. Delali writes fiction centered on identity, freedom, and family, and loves the American South for the stories it has buried. She is a graduate of the University of Kentucky and Georgetown University. Her debut novel is a YA Romance set to publish in 2026 with Peachtree Teen. She is represented by Lindsay Auld at Writers House” (Bio from author’s website).
Find Delali Adjoa on the following platforms:
Janelle “Jae” Aƒenyo desperately needs a fresh start, and she hopes that moving in with her Uncle Rowan in Delray will provide an escape from her truth—that she placed her baby up for adoption after an accidental teen pregnancy. Jae hopes to fly under the radar, but after accidentally running into Derek Patel, the school’s bully, she’s suddenly the topic of everyone’s conversation. Derek wasn’t always a bully, but after his dad passed away and his mom grew more absent, he tried everything he could to keep up his perfect-life act, stopping anyone who got in his way. When Derek breaks into the literature teacher Mrs. Aldana’s house, she tells him that he can join the school’s poetry club, The Free Verse Society, as punishment. Jae finds solace in the club, until she realizes that Derek has joined as well. Both Jae and Derek have walls built miles high, but will their proximity reveal the secrets they’ve spent so long trying to hide?
The Free Verse Society was a very heavy book, and one that I know will stick with me for a long time. Adjoa’s writing is incredible, and it’s easy to get lost in her words. I’m not a big poetry fan, but each of the characters’ love for the genre made me much more invested in their stories. I don’t think I’ve ever read a book where the main character was a pregnant teen who had to place the baby up for adoption, and I thought that Adjoa handled the topic really well. However, I was surprised at how many people in Jae’s life were unsupportive of her, and I spent the entire book wishing that she was real just so I could give her a hug. Both Jae and Derek’s stories were very tragic, and I was frequently frustrated with the lack of support they were receiving from their caregivers. Even though Derek was a bit rebellious at the beginning of the book, he and Jae were both very mature, and I was shocked at how they were treated because of their previous experiences—not with respect but with judgement. This made Mrs. Aldana’s character much stronger because she was able to be an outlet for the club members when they had nobody listening to them. Overall, I loved how the story progressed, and I’m so glad Jae and Derek learned to forgive themselves for their past mistakes and move towards a better future.
The Free Verse Society releases on March 24th, 2026.
Pine Reads Review would like to thank NetGalley and Peachtree Teen for sending us an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Any quotes are taken from an advanced copy and may be subject to change before final publication.
Emersen Cooper, Pine Reads Review Writer, Editor, and Website Manager