This book was quite a slow burn, with things ramping up more in the last third of the book.
We follow 17 year old Sariyah, who can hear what other people need and needs to act on it or she feels bad.
Her bff Malcom’s sister goes missing 5 years before, and during a festival her other bff, Deja goes missing.
The book does an impressive job highlighting that missing people (in USA), have a higher chance of being found if they are Caucasian. Which is inherently disgusting.
Reading the story from a POC, already disappointed with the system and justice at 17 is heartbreaking.
Ri is fleshed out very well, as are the people in the story.
Most of the book, could have used a slightly higher pace, but what took me most out of it at times was conversation Ri, Malcom and Jude seem way more mature and in depth than an average 17-year old. Might have made more sense to have this story set with them a little older in college. Still it was an interesting and profound book.

Sariyah has an unusual ‘gift’: she can sense people’s needs and therefore carries round her Santa bag full of those items and will often hand out items before people even know they need them. However, this can cause problems both for her and the recipients. When her friend goes missing from a music festival, Sariyah feels guilty that she wasn’t looking out for her and so starts to investigate.

This is a fantastic YA novel for fans of crime/murder mystery but it also brings other issues to the fore. A great read and I’ll certainly be buying it for my school library.

What a fantastic debut!! I wish I had gotten a physical proof of this so bad for my shelves!!

17 year old Sariyah is no stranger to the heartbreak of losing a friend even at her young age. So when another of her best friends goes missing she knows she has to do everything possible to find her. And she has her own gift to aid her in her search.

This book has everything! I don't think it was lacking in any area! Teen angst, the difficulties of navigating friendships and school. Mental health issues both within the young adults but also parents and how that impacts children.

This book is also a sad reflection of the world today in how social and economic dynamics effect how visual someone's plight is made by the media and shared by the general public.

I found I really resonated not only with Sariyah but also Malcolm, Sariyah's mother & several other characters.

I was constantly kept guessing through and didn't have this figured out at all even though I thought I did!!

I can't wait to read what Channelle writes next!!

I really enjoyed the bulk of this YA mystery with a fascinating premise and interesting use of speculative elements in a tense and layered mystery. However, the ending was a slight disappointment for me – feeling a bit rushed and muddled.

Needy Little Things by Channelle Desamours is a compelling blend of mystery, heartfelt emotion, and social commentary. At its core is Sariyah Lee Bryant, a teenager with a unique ability: she can sense what people need—specific, tangible items like a pencil or a phone charger. While this gift might seem trivial at first glance, it carries heavy implications, especially when one of her friends, Deja, vanishes shortly after Sariyah fulfils a need for her.

This isn’t Sariyah’s first encounter with tragedy. She’s painfully aware of how often missing Black girls are overlooked, their stories forgotten by the authorities and media. Determined to break this cycle, Sariyah rallies her friends to investigate Deja’s disappearance themselves. But as her personal life spirals—her mother loses her job, her younger brother’s sickle cell disease worsens—Sariyah is stretched to breaking point.

Desperate for cash and answers, she turns to hustling her ability, a choice that not only sharpens her focus on Deja’s fate but places her directly in harm’s way. Sariyah’s journey is fraught with twists and turns, blending tension-filled moments with deeply emotional ones.

Channelle Desamours crafts a story that delivers everything—edge-of-your-seat suspense, moments of levity, heartbreak, and a cast of unforgettable characters. Sariyah is a brilliantly nuanced protagonist, navigating the pressures of adolescence, systemic injustice, and the burdens of her extraordinary ability. The narrative shines a stark light on societal neglect and systemic inequities, offering a haunting yet vital commentary on the value placed on certain lives over others.

The book’s pacing is expertly handled, keeping readers hooked with its mystery while leaving space for tender, human moments. By the end, the characters feel like friends, and the story’s poignant message will stay with you long after the final page.

Needy Little Things is a rare gem—a gripping mystery wrapped in a deeply moving narrative that refuses to shy away from tough realities. Channelle Desamours has delivered a must-read that’s as thought-provoking as it is entertaining.

Read more at The Secret Book Review.

Sariyah is plagued by 'hearing' the needs of everyone she encounters except for those people closest to her. When her best friend, Tessa, went missing 5 years previously there was nothing she could do so when Deja goes missing too, she is determined to find her. A great YA debut.

As well as dealing with a missing girl, the story also explores aspects of racism, family relationships and friendships in ways that carry a strong message. The characters were easy to warm to, especially Sariyah who puts others before herself, even when her own world feels like it is collapsing around her.

This was a great read - I would like to meet Sariyah again!

Needy Little Things is a YA mystery/thriller, which follows a teenage girl named Sariyah, who has the ability to telepathically hear exactly what a person needs, even before they know they need it. Familiar with fulfilling basic needs like chewing gum or pens, things take a dark turn when strangers’ needs start becoming a little more violent, and one of her closest friends goes missing at a music festival after sending out a telepathic need for pepper spray.

Struggling to come to terms with her intense family life, the disappearance of her friend, and the sudden overwhelming guilt that her gift may actually become a curse, Sariyah throws herself into solving Deja’s disappearance, and it becomes quickly obvious that she can trust nobody at all, not even her own ability.

This is one of the best YA thrillers I’ve read in a long time! It has major Good-Girl’s-Guide-to-Murder vibes, but sensitively tackles a few more serious issues as well, like media & race, mental illness and drug abuse.

Sariyah is a really strong protagonist, and I liked quite a few of the side characters too, particularly when their own secrets started to be revealed. The added element of a psychic ability made this feel really fresh and unique, and I found myself picking it up at every opportunity, and unable to put it down when I did.

I would absolutely recommend to anyone who likes high-school mysteries like One of Us is Lying and AGGTM, and am SO excited to pick up whatever the author writes next.

This was a quick read. Perfect for a lazy reading evening.
While this had some moments showing important topics, that I wish was done a little deeper. The overall story didn't wow me.

I couldn't get on with this at all. May be I am not the correct audience for this novel. A DNF for me.

Thanks for the opportunity to review

This is a wonderful book for children and adults. I’m going to say read the book just so you understand the last few paragraphs. They had me in tears. The bit before that is exciting and well worth reading too! Needs are not easy to understand. All Sariyah knows is that she senses other’s needs, and her brain won’t settle until she gives that needed item. She doesn’t know why they are needed, and right now she finds herself in an emotional mess because the ripples of consequential fallout of her gifted items is emotionally draining. And her best friend has disappeared too. What a mess. Thank you to Bloomsbury Publishing Plc (Uk & ANZ) and NetGalley for the ARC. The views expressed are all mine, freely given.

A slow start, strong middle and a slightly disappointing end. Needy Little Things was a good read overall, but I was frustrated by the reveal.

I loved this book. It felt like an optimal young adult read, for me. It was adult enough without being too much and the story and characters held their own. A real twist on a missing kid story that could have held its own but was elevated with the addition of a character with a very unusual special ability. A great read. Thank you for my ARC copy.

Our main character is seventeen year old Sariyah (Ri) who has a very special gift. She can hear the needs of people in her head. From everyday items like gum and phone chargers to more important items. . Since she was a little girl, she has been best friends with twins, Malcolm and Tessa until Tessa vanishes one day.

When preparing to attend a music festival with her friends, Ri picks up that Deja is in need of pepper spray. Ri ensures that Deja has some and does her best to keep an eye on Deja at all times - but whilst queueing for the toilet, Deja disappears.

Ri utilises all of the social media platforms available to her to raise awareness of Deja's disappearance. Ri recalls that Deja had been acting differently just before she went missing and who was she secretly texting? Ri discovers a lock on Deja's bedroom door and is getting some really weird vibes from her step-father. Did Deja run away? Was she in trouble and could her disappearance have anything to do with Tessa's too?

There are some really good points made by the author on many social issues that are very important. This is a very well written book that I enjoyed.

This thriller was unique in its setup as it's not often you read thrillers where the MC has a sort of superpower. The setup is done well and the characters are differentiated enough that you can tell them apart (which is often a problem when writing a large cast). There were quite a few red herrings as well which kept the reader on the toes.

I will say though that the ending disappointed me - but that might just be me! Even so, it was a captivating read and one I'd recommend if you're looking for a heavier thriller looking into important themes.

This YA thriller follows Sariyah, a teenager with ADHD and a talent for knowing what people need before they need it. The downside is she gets a massive headache if she doesn’t fulfil those needs. She begins to question this skill when her friend goes missing after having a need fulfilled.

While this book highlights the difference in treatment of missing person’s cases according to race, I found that the focus was more on the impact of the messy intricacies of adult relationships and family dynamics, with problematic mothers and generational trauma playing a central role to the story.

Mental health and neurodiversity are explored with care, showing how shutting down and privatising pain can leave loved ones helpless or even resentful. It shows how consuming conditions can be, and how hyper-individualism can push people further apart. For Riya, the compulsion to hide her struggles clearly stems from her grandmother, tracing a painful line through the family. There was a poignant message around the importance of connection and community in this digital age.

I would have loved a deeper exploration of the missing people themselves and more specific examples of how the difference in treatment looks in the media.

I didn’t guess the twist which was suitably strange but led to a satisfying climax. The ending left me like this: 😲. That’s all I think I can say besides sequel? Please?

Overall I would recommend this to everyone. I flew through it in a couple of days because I couldn’t put it down. I found the characters relatable and authentic and Sariyah’s relationship with her mother and how it progressed broke me and healed me at the same time. Definitely one to add to the wish list!

I haven’t read many YA books but I adored this one. I was kindly provided a copy from the publishers at NetGalley and I thank you for this opportunity.
Needy Little Things is a YA mystery following the young black and beautifully unique Sariyah (Ri), who has the psychic abilities to hear the immediate needs of anyone around her. But while attending a music festival with three of her friends one goes missing and Ri takes matters into her own hands in finding out what really happened to her friend. The author highlights on important messages of race and privilege when a black woman goes missing compared to a white woman, with the police coverage for both cases being completely different to the other, will this time be different? Thought-provoking, compelling and incredibly well-written. I was hooked from the first page. With twists you won’t see coming and a jaw dropping ending, you will be glued to this read. I wouldn’t recommend anyone under the age of 16 years old reading it as there was times I forgot it was a YA and some readers could find it triggering but I am excited to read Desamours future work.

Loved this!!

I really liked the uniqueness of Sariyah’s special skill and how her perspective on it changed and developed over the course of the novel.

I thought mystery was really good, although I did guess the twist with the characters. That didn’t ruin the book, I thought it was cleverly set up and tied the book together. However, I was a bit disappointed with the lack of fallout from the decisions made. I’m not saying I wanted it exposed or anyone put in jail, but I feel like the characters moved on too quickly from something that big and life changing.

I really liked how Desamours explored and highlighted the disparities and racism in what happens when Black girls go missing compared to white girls. The lack of police effort, the lack of social media trends and vitality, the way Black girls are spoken about vs whites girls. It’s very timely, unfortunately, and I think bringing it to the forefront is important.

I was stressed at the ending!!!! Such an OMG moment and then it ended!!!!

A deft examination of race and privilege through a compelling mystery, Needy Little Things follows Sariyah, burdened with the psychic talent of knowing someone's immediate, fated need, as she struggles with a turbulent home life and the disappearance of a close friend at a music festival.

Nuanced and compulsively readable, it scratches the YA mystery itch well, and is nothing if not enjoyable as a result.

Five years before the story started Malcolm’s twin sister had gone missing and has never been found. She had been Sariyah’s best friend, so it hit both of them hard. A few years later another girl went missing. The difference in the police coverage of both incidents was striking. The first girl was black, the second white.
Sariyah possesses a skill or a curse of being able to read people’s minds and feeling their need for items before they even realise. Having been persuaded to go to a festival to celebrate Malcom’s birthday, Sariyah becomes worried when another friend Deja’s need is pepper spray. Four friends agree not to get separated, yet still Deja goes missing.
Both Sariyah and Malcolm are determined not to allow Deja to become a statistic that is allowed to die and conduct a poster campaign to raise awareness. But Sariyah is also digging into other leads, knowing the police can’t be relied upon. She uncovers various clues which she follows up, endangering her own life.
But the truth is far stranger.

Many thanks to NetGalley & Bloomsbury for this ARC, what a fantastic & insightful debut mystery YA novel from Channelle Desamours - I loved it and couldn’t put it down!

This is such a well executed mystery with some incredibly important messages about a multitude of social issues, and although parts of the solution to the mystery stretched credulity a little, it was both thought-provoking and entertaining. The writing style is nicely balanced throughout to help soften the mood at times before suddenly picking the intensity back up, and along those same lines, the pacing is perfect!

My heart broke for the FMC so many times, she is brought to life really well, even just in the first few chapters, and I really enjoyed her arc - it was a powerful portrayal of the dangers of being expected to always shoulder emotional burdens for other people and the guilt that comes with that for ‘never doing enough’. I also felt that the supporting characters (at least those who featured more than a handful of times) were well developed and thought through.

This is a wonderful book, I highly recommend it to all mystery and/or YA fans, and am very much looking forward to reading whatever Desamours writes next!

As this book deals with a large number of potentially sensitive topics, I will now cover a list of Content Warnings - so STOP READING HERE TO AVOID MINOR SPOILERS…

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Content Warnings:

- Child abduction
- Child neglect, potentially triggering for child emotional/physical abuse
- Chronic health/pain condition (a child and a teenager), including sickle cell anaemia, and hospitalisation
- Drug use/abuse
- Grief over a missing child/sibling/friend (teenagers)
- Mental heath difficulties, including depression
- Racism, including systemic police/media/societal racism; racially-motivated forced evictions (mentioned as past event, not depicted in detail)
- Relationship breakdown/divorce
- Violence/assault, blood & murder