Parade magazine featured The Thing About Leftovers in their “Feet in Sand, Book in Hand: 13 Summer Reads That Are Must-Haves for the Beach“ round up; it was the only children’s book included.
Southern Living featured The Thing About Leftovers in an article entitled “What We’re Reading: A New Novel About Growing Up and Cooking In the South.”
Scholastic Teacher featured The Thing About Leftovers in their back-to-school issue and said, “From snarkiness to sorrow, [Fizzy’s] is a true teen voice.”
“[The Thing About Leftovers] features a diverse cast and a large support system [who help] a young girl navigating being a part of two blended families.”—Huffington Post
“The Thing About Leftovers is an important addition to the canon of books having to do with divorce and loss. It gives kids in more traditional environments a heroine to look up to. And Fizzy is sweet enough, lovable enough, and tough enough to be that heroine.”—Common Sense Media
“Payne has written a perfect story for middle-graders…The voice of Fizzy in this first-person narrative is pitch perfect. This may capture the experience of children of divorce better than any book out there and deserves readership beyond a middle-grade audience.”—San Francisco Book Review
“Offers an empathetic view of a child adjusting to a changed family.”—The Louisville Courier-Journal
The Thing About Leftovers also appeared in The Lexington Herald-Leader, The Washington Times, The Messenger, The Roanoke Times, The News Tribune, The News & Observer, The Merced Sun-Star, The San Luis Obispo Tribune, The Clay Center Dispatch, The Herald Courier, The State, The Centre Daily, The Macon Telegraph, The Eagle and The Herald.
“There are precious few books in the world that feel blindingly, achingly, beautifully, real. This is one of them.”—Compass Book Ratings
“This story made me laugh, cry, and think. The writing was captivating and I felt like I was part of Fizzy’s world and going through her struggles right there with her. I can’t wait to read more from this author!”— YA Lit Rumblings
“A fun read about a serious topic. … Children of blended families will relate to Fizzy’s thoughts and emotions. A thought-provoking read for parents and children.”—2 Heads Together
“C.C. Payne does an awesome job showing readers what it is like to cope with the divorce of your parents and try to figure out just what it means to be a part of a family and what makes a place “home”…This is definitely a book I want to share with my students and to have in my classroom library.”—Jana the Teacher