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INTERMEDIATE FICTION
Melleby, Nicole

Brady Mason's Perfect Fit

336 pp. | Little | January, 2026 | Trade ISBN 9781523529360 $17.99
(2) 4-6 Brady, twelve, lives in a New Jersey group home. She knows that she was adopted as a baby and that her adoptive parents died soon after, and she’s been moving around the foster system ever since. When famous fashion-magazine editor Elena Lavigne reveals in her memoir that she put a baby up for adoption twelve years ago, Brady’s friends, who notice a resemblance between her and Elena, auggest on social media that Brady was that baby. Many viral posts later, a DNA test ordered by Elena’s lawyers to put a stop to the claim reveals that Brady is her biological daughter, and Brady is whisked away to live in Elena’s Manhattan townhouse. Melleby (Winnie Nash Is Not Your Sunshine, rev. 5/24) sensitively portrays her protagonist as overwhelmed by the new situation. Brady has also realized that she’s attracted to other girls, which affects her relationships with peers—a friendship at the group home is left in an awkward state—and makes her feel unsure of whether she fits into Elena’s high-fashion world. Elena at first seems over-the-top out of touch, apparently viewing Brady’s presence only in terms of PR and logistics. However, she gains more depth as readers come to understand what her past choices have meant to her and as she and Brady both evolve to become part of each other’s lives.
Reviewer: Shoshana Flax | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2026

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