Nothing to See Here: A Read with Jenna Pick

New York Times Bestseller  •  A Read with Jenna Today Show Book Club Pick!

Named a Best Book of the Year by The New York Times Book ReviewThe Washington PostPeopleEntertainment WeeklyUSA TodayTIME, The A.V. Club, Buzzfeed, and PopSugar

“I can’t believe how good this book is.... It’s wholly original. It’s also perfect.... Wilson writes with such a light touch.... The brilliance of the novel [is] that it distracts you with these weirdo characters and mesmerizing and funny sentences and then hits you in a way you didn’t see coming. You’re laughing so hard you don’t even realize that you’ve suddenly caught fire.” —Taffy Brodesser-Akner, author of Fleishman is in TroubleNew York Times Book Review

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Family Fang, a moving and uproarious novel about a woman who finds meaning in her life when she begins caring for two children with a remarkable ability.

Lillian and Madison were unlikely roommates and yet inseparable friends at their elite boarding school. But then Lillian had to leave the school unexpectedly in the wake of a scandal and they’ve barely spoken since. Until now, when Lillian gets a letter from Madison pleading for her help.

Madison’s twin stepkids are moving in with her family and she wants Lillian to be their caretaker. However, there’s a catch: the twins spontaneously combust when they get agitated, flames igniting from their skin in a startling but beautiful way. Lillian is convinced Madison is pulling her leg, but it’s the truth.

Thinking of her dead-end life at home, the life that has consistently disappointed her, Lillian figures she has nothing to lose. Over the course of one humid, demanding summer, Lillian and the twins learn to trust each other—and stay cool—while also staying out of the way of Madison’s buttoned-up politician husband. Surprised by her own ingenuity yet unused to the intense feelings of protectiveness she feels for them, Lillian ultimately begins to accept that she needs these strange children as much as they need her—urgently and fiercely. Couldn’t this be the start of the amazing life she’d always hoped for?

With white-hot wit and a big, tender heart, Kevin Wilson has written his best book yet—a most unusual story of parental love.

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288 pages

Average rating: 7.46

554 RATINGS

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Community Reviews

Anonymous
Apr 19, 2025
8/10 stars
3.5 stars. A book about family, friends, politics and oh yeah kids who spontaneously catch on fire. It was a strange tale but one that was pretty entertaining.
samiwinslow
Apr 05, 2025
i love this book
Anonymous
Feb 17, 2025
8/10 stars
Bizarre and hilarious
AgentBetty
Dec 28, 2024
8/10 stars
Wonderful characters that haven’t quite figured it out yet, but redefine “found family.”
hideTurtle
Dec 21, 2024
9/10 stars
“I packed the essentials: a fire extinguisher, a change of clothes, and a half bottle of wine. The fire extinguisher felt practical. The wine felt inevitable.” While away at boarding school, priviledged Madison breaks the rules and scholarship-dependent Lillian takes the fall and is expelled. Years later, Madison is in crisis again and turns to her former room mate for help with her twin step-children. Lillian, herself awkward, brash, unpolished, and incapable of being anything or anyone else, takes on the role of governess to the two ten-year-olds. Nothing unusual. Only thing is (totally, like, whatever) these kids literally catch on fire when they're upset or stressed or scared. Meh. Nothing to see here. "Shit. I mean, shoot." I don't know what I was expecting, but what I got was treatment of trauma, loss, and isolation with the most outrageous ludacris brand of humour. The care and sensitivity given to the children's absolutely off-th-wall combustiveness as well as Lilian's feelings about not quite fitting in and being somewhat of a nuisance to her mother was a complete surprise to me. I really enjoyed Lilian's instant bonding with the twins and her frantic attempts to make the whole scenario okay for them. "They didn't want to set the world on fire. They just wanted to be less alone in it." This story is for all the kids out there who are "weird", "unlovable", or highly flamable.

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