A review by nzlisam
Needy Little Things by Channelle Desamours

dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Human beings are Needy Little Things!

‘Paper clip. Crayon. Shoelace. Chewing gum’

Just like her grandmother before her 17 year-old Sariyah Bryant has inherited a unique ability. She senses peoples needs, even before they do. To placate the voices in her head Sariyah carries a red duffel (dubbed ‘Santa bag’ by her little brother) wherever she goes, crammed with everyday items. Need a stick of gum, hair brush, or nail file, Sariyah’s got you covered. Her Santa bag doesn’t contain an EpiPen, but Sariyah will go racing to her high school’s nurses office to check the stock upon hearing someone’s need for one. 

‘Pepper spray. Pepper spray. Pepper spray’.

When her friend Deja Nelson’s urgent silent plea penetrate Sariyah’s brain on their way to a music festival to celebrate their friend Malcolm Hawkin’s eighteenth birthday, Sariyah is filled with dread. Why would Deja need pepper spray? And she’s right to be worried – because hours later Deja disappears from the festival. And this isn’t the first time something like this has happened. Five years ago, her best friend and Malcolm’s twin sister Tessa vanished without a trace two days before her thirteenth birthday. Tessa’s still missing, presumed dead. Sariyah, Malcolm, and their new friend Jude Abrams are determined to find Deja before history can repeat itself.

Needy Little Things was a haunting YA mystery, with a supernatural undertone. A slow burn but a sense of unease permeated the pages right from the beginning. The twists were heart-pounding, and the last sentence sent a cold shiver down my spine. The writing was beautiful, impacting, powerful, and immersive. I could have highlighted every sentence on my Kindle. Every line of dialogue counted conveying emotion, subtext, and conflict in every scene. All the characters were given clear motivations, vulnerabilities, personality quirks, external and internal pressures, backstories, and relationships to one another.

Sariyah’s premonitions blended seamlessly into the story, both helped and hindered her investigation, and were viewed by her as both a gift and a curse. Only family and friends, or people who’d experienced it first hand, believed in her ability, and aside from Deja (who was a newish friend) Sariyah was unable to read the needs of those closest to her. Sariyah was often overwhelmed physically, mentally, and emotionally by how much her psychic power invaded and impacted her life, as well as the morality, ethical use, and sense of duty associated with it. Other serious themes included police, media, and the publics bias applicable to the race of missing children and teenagers, the powerlessness, uncertainty, blame, suspicion, and devastation of not knowing what has happened to a loved one, mental health, physical illness, financial strain, and academic struggles.

Needy Little Things completely worked as a standalone, but I’m crossing my fingers it’s the start of a series, as I feel there’s more to explore, and I’m not ready to say goodbye to these characters. I can’t believe this was Channelle Desamours’ debut. I’m awestruck!