Hello everyone! July is really picking up following a (in my opinion), slower month of releases. Thankfully, I've been lucky to read three of the books on this list as advanced reader's copies, so be sure to look out for my reviews of those on my wrap-up post later this week! Let's dive in:
1. At the End of Every Day - Arianna Reiche (July 4)
Synopsis:
Delphi has spent years working at a vast and iconic theme park in California after fleeing her childhood
trauma in her rural hometown. But after the disturbing death of a beloved Hollywood starlet on the park
grounds, Delphi is tasked with shuttering The Park for good.
Meanwhile, two siblings with ties to
The Park exchange letters, trying to understand why people who work there have been disappearing. Before
long, they learn that there’s a reason no one is meant to see behind The Park’s curtain.
What
happens when The Park empties out? And what happens when Delphi, who seems remarkably at one with The
Park, is finally forced to leave?
Why I'm Excited: I'm lucky enough to have received an e-ARC of this book, so I've already read it! Check out my review here .
2. Ripe - Sarah Rose Etter (July 11)
Synopsis:
A year into her dream job at a cutthroat Silicon Valley startup, Cassie finds herself trapped in a
corporate nightmare. In addition to the long hours, toxic bosses, and unethical projects, she struggles
to reconcile the glittering promise of a city where obscene wealth lives alongside abject poverty. Ivy
League grads complain about the snack selection from a conference room with a view of unhoused people
bathing in the bay. Startup burnouts leap into the paths of commuter trains, and men set themselves on
fire in the streets.
Though isolated, Cassie is never alone. From her earliest memory, a
miniature black hole has been her constant companion. It feeds on her depression and anxiety, its size
changing in relation to her distress. The black hole watches, but it also waits. Its relentless pull
draws Cassie ever-closer as the world around her unravels.
When her CEO’s demands cross an
illegal threshold and she ends up unexpectedly pregnant, Cassie must decide whether the tempting fruits
of Silicon Valley are really worth it. Sharp but vulnerable, funny yet
unsettling,
Ripe
portrays one millennial woman’s journey through a late-capitalist
hellscape and offers an incisive look at the absurdities of modern life.
Why I'm Excited: I love the idea of a story about our Silicon Valley capitalist hellscape. As a woman in STEM, it presents a very real fear to me that gives me a morbid desire to read more. The black hole (??) is a weird little cherry on top.
3. Burn the Negative - Josh Winning (July 11)
Synopsis:
Arriving in L.A. to visit the set of a new streaming horror series, journalist Laura Warren witnesses a
man jumping from a bridge, landing right behind her car. Here we go, she thinks. It’s started. Because
the series she’s reporting on is a remake of a ’90s horror flick. A
cursed
’90s horror
flick, which she starred in as a child—and has been running from her whole life.
In
The
Guesthouse
, Laura played the little girl with the terrifying gift to tell people how the
Needle Man would kill them. When eight of the cast and crew died in ways that eerily mirrored the
movie’s on-screen deaths, the film became a cult classic—and ruined her life. Leaving it behind, Laura
changed her name and her accent, dyed her hair, and moved across the Atlantic. But some scripts don’t
want to stay buried.
Now, as the body count rises again, Laura finds herself on the run with her
aspiring actress sister and a jaded psychic, hoping to end the curse once and for all—and to stay out of
the Needle Man’s lethal reach.
Why I'm Excited: It's my Sleeper Pick of the Month! Gosh I just love the cursed movie trope. There's another book on this list that I've already read that touches on the same topics, but I'm hoping this one does it in a better way. Please, please scare me.
4. Boys in the Valley - Philip Fracassi (July 11)
Synopsis:
St. Vincent's Orphanage for Boys. Turn of the century, in a remote valley in Pennsylvania. Here, under
the watchful eyes of several priests, thirty boys work, learn, and worship. Peter Barlow, orphaned as a
child by a gruesome murder, has made a new life here. As he approaches adulthood, he has friends, a
future... a family.
Then, late one stormy night, a group of men arrive at their door, one of whom
is badly wounded, occult symbols carved into his flesh. His death releases an ancient evil that spreads
like sickness, infecting St. Vincent's and the children within. Soon, boys begin acting differently,
forming groups. Taking sides.
Others turn up dead.
Now Peter and those dear to him must
choose sides of their own, each of
them knowing their lives — and perhaps their eternal
souls — are at risk.
Why I'm Excited: Not going to lie, I absolutely despise this cover. I don't know how many horror books I've read that revolve around demonic possession, but it sounds pretty interesting. And the incredibly high ratings so far (4.56 with 250 reviews on Goodreads), make me feel like I need to check this one out.
5. Eight Bears: Mythic Past and Imperiled Future - Gloria Dickie (July 11)
Synopsis:
Bears have always held a central place in our collective memory, from Indigenous folklore and Greek
mythology to nineteenth-century fairytales and the modern toy shop. But as humans and bears come into
ever-closer contact, our relationship nears a tipping point.
Today, most of the eight remaining
bear species are threatened with extinction. Some, such as the panda bear and the polar bear, are icons
of the natural world; others, such as the spectacled bear and the sloth bear, are far less known. In
Eight Bears , journalist Gloria Dickie embarks on a globe-trotting journey to explore each bear’s story,
whisking readers from the cloud forests of the Andes to the ice floes of the Arctic; from the jungles of
India to the backwoods of the Rocky Mountain West. She meets with key figures on the frontlines of
modern conservation efforts―the head of a rescue center for sun and moon bears freed from bile farms, a
biologist known as Papa Panda, who has led China’s panda-breeding efforts for almost four decades, a
conservationist retraining a military radar system to detect and track polar bears near towns―to reveal
the unparalleled challenges bears face as they contend with a rapidly changing climate and encroaching
human populations.
Why I'm Excited: I've been on a nature nonfiction kick recently, so this is right up my alley. I always appreciate when these types of books have present-day implications and a call to action as well. Ready to be the first in line for the audiobook at my library!
6. Immortal Longings - Chloe Gong (July 18)
Synopsis:
Every
year, thousands in the kingdom of Talin will flock to its capital twin cities, San-Er, where the palace
hosts a set of games. For those confident enough in their ability to jump between bodies, competitors
across San-Er fight to the death to win unimaginable riches.
Princess Calla Tuoleimi lurks in
hiding. Five years ago, a massacre killed her parents and left the palace of Er empty…and she was the
one who did it. Before King Kasa’s forces in San can catch her, she plans to finish the job and bring
down the monarchy. Her reclusive uncle always greets the victor of the games, so if she wins, she gets
her opportunity at last to kill him.
Enter Anton Makusa, an exiled aristocrat. His childhood love
has lain in a coma since they were both ousted from the palace, and he’s deep in debt trying to keep her
alive. Thankfully, he’s one of the best jumpers in the kingdom, flitting from body to body at will. His
last chance at saving her is entering the games and winning.
Calla finds both an unexpected
alliance with Anton and help from King Kasa’s adopted son, August, who wants to mend Talin’s ills. But
the three of them have very different goals, even as Calla and Anton’s partnership spirals into
something all-consuming. Before the games close, Calla must decide what she’s playing for—her lover or
her kingdom.
Why I'm Excited: I'm lucky enough to have received an e-ARC of this book, so I've already read it! Check out my review here .
7. Camp Damascus - Chuck Tingle (July 18)
Synopsis:
They’ll
scare you straight to hell.
Welcome to Neverton, Montana: home to a God-fearing community
with a heart of gold.
Nestled high up in the mountains is Camp Damascus, the self-proclaimed “most
effective” gay conversion camp in the country. Here, a life free from sin awaits. But the secret behind that
success is anything but holy.
Why I'm Excited: This is such a unique concept to me that sounds absolutely terrifying. I have no idea where the plot is going to go but I'm excited to read it. Sure to have some good representation along the way.
8. The Deep Sky - Yume Kitasei (July 18)
Synopsis:
They left Earth to save humanity. They’ll have to save themselves first.
It is the eve of
Earth’s environmental collapse. A single ship carries humanity’s last hope: eighty elite graduates of a
competitive program, who will give birth to a generation of children in deep space. But halfway to a distant but
livable planet, a lethal bomb kills three of the crew and knocks The Phoenix off course. Asuka, the only
surviving witness, is an immediate suspect.
Asuka already felt like an impostor before the explosion. She
was the last picked for the mission, she struggled during training back on Earth, and she was chosen to
represent Japan, a country she only partly knows as a half-Japanese girl raised in America. But estranged from
her mother back home, The Phoenix is all she has left.
With the crew turning on each other, Asuka is
determined to find the culprit before they all lose faith in the mission—or worse, the bomber strikes again.
Why I'm Excited: I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway (my first win)! I haven't received my copy yet, but I'm hyped. This sounds like my kind of space sci-fi that touches on a lot more topics than other books in its genre. Can't wait!
9. Silver Nitrate - Silvia Moreno-Garcia (July 18)
Synopsis:
Montserrat has always been overlooked. She’s a talented sound editor, but she’s left out of the boys’ club
running the film industry in ’90s Mexico City. And she’s all but invisible to her best friend, Tristán, a
charming if faded soap opera star, though she’s been in love with him since childhood.
Then Tristán
discovers his new neighbor is the cult horror director Abel Urueta, and the legendary auteur claims he can
change their lives—even if his tale of a Nazi occultist imbuing magic into highly volatile silver nitrate stock
sounds like sheer fantasy. The magic film was never finished, which is why, Urueta swears, his career vanished
overnight. He is cursed.
Now the director wants Montserrat and Tristán to help him shoot the missing
scene and lift the curse . . . but Montserrat soon notices a dark presence following her, and Tristán begins
seeing the ghost of his ex-girlfriend.
As they work together to unravel the mystery of the film and the
obscure occultist who once roamed their city, Montserrat and Tristán may find that sorcerers and magic are not
only the stuff of movies.
Why I'm Excited: I'm lucky enough to have received an e-ARC of this book, so I've already read it! Check out my review here .
10. House of Roots and Ruin - Erin A.Craig (July 25)
Synopsis:
Despite dreams of adventures far beyond the Salann shores, seventeen-year-old Verity Thaumas has
remained at her family’s estate, Highmoor, with her older sister Camille, while their sisters have
scattered across Arcannia.
When their sister Mercy sends word that the Duchess of Bloem—wife of a
celebrated botanist—is interested in having Verity paint a portrait of her son, Alexander, Verity jumps
at the chance, but Camille won’t allow it. Forced to reveal the secret she’s kept for years, Camille
tells Verity the truth one day: Verity is still seeing ghosts, she just doesn’t know it.
Stunned,
Verity flees Highmoor that night and—with nowhere else to turn—makes her way to Bloem. At first, she is
captivated by the lush, luxurious landscape and is quickly drawn to charming, witty, and impossibly
handsome Alexander Laurent. And soon, to her surprise, a romance . . . blossoms.
But it’s not
long before Verity is plagued with nightmares, and the darker side of Bloem begins to show through its
sickly-sweet façade. . . .
Why I'm Excited: I'm lucky enough to have received an e-ARC of this book, but I haven't read it yet! Check back soon for my review, but this is the sequel to House of Salt and Sorrows, which I read this month!
11. The Sun and the Void - Gabriela Romero-Lacruz (July 25)
Synopsis:
Reina is desperate. Stuck living on the edges of society, her only salvation lies in an invitation from
a grandmother she’s never known. But the journey is dangerous, and prayer can’t always avert
disaster.
Attacked by creatures that stalk the region, Reina is on the verge of death until her
grandmother, a dark sorceress, intervenes. Now dependent on the Doña’s magic for her life, Reina will do
anything to earn—and keep—her favor. Even the bidding of an ancient god who whispers to her at
night.
Eva Kesare is unwanted. Illegitimate and of mixed heritage, Eva is her family’s shame. She
tries her best to be perfect and to hide her oddities. But Eva is hiding a secret: magic calls to
her.
Eva knows she should fight the temptation. Magic is the sign of the dark god, and using it
is punishable by death. Yet, it’s hard to deny power when it has always been denied to you. Eva is
walking a dangerous path, one that gets stranger every day. And, in the end, she’ll become something she
never imagined.
Why I'm Excited: This is the book I'm the most unsure about on this list, because it's decently long (511 pages) and the reviews aren't great for a book that hasn't been published yet (3.75 with 242 ratings). But come ON this concept is just so cool, right? I might hold off picking this up until more ratings come in, but I feel like I need it in my life.
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Hope you all had a wonderful June! Our book club read for June is Solito, so if you want to grab a copy before our meeting at the beginning of the month, please join us!
Let me know if there are any books you're looking forward to in the comments!