Diet Soda Club

Have you ever made all the wrong choices for all the right reasons?

Reed Beckett’s little sister, Beatrice, has never been awakened by the smell of breakfast or a school-day alarm clock. Instead, she wakes to hospital beeps and poking doctors. And now, their mother has gone. With no job prospects on the horizon, Reed begins making and selling fake IDs so he and Bea can survive. But the problems keep piling up, from an angry landlord demanding rent to looming medical bills. As Reed expands his business, taking increasingly bigger risks, the potential consequences for Reed’s future, Bea’s health, and Reed’s budding friendship with his classmate Helena become graver. But what choice does he have?

The joy and complexity of both caregiving and sibling relationships are at the heart of this authentic and moving novel.

©2025 Chaz Hayden (P)2025 Penguin Random House LLC