My lust for a good new release grows ever stronger by the day. Proof? I already own two of the books on this list and it's still February. No more needs to be said. Let's dive in:
1. Weyward - Emilia Hart (Mar. 7)
Synopsis:
Three women. Five centuries. One secret.
‘I had nature in my heart, she said. Like she did, and
her mother before her. There was something about us – the Weyward women – that bonded us more tightly
with the natural world. We can feel it, she said, the same way we feel rage, sorrow or joy.’
In
2019, Kate flees an abusive relationship in London for Crows Beck, a remote Cumbrian village. Her
destination is Weyward Cottage, inherited from her great Aunt Violet, an eccentric entomologist. As Kate
struggles with the trauma of her past, she uncovers a secret about the women in her family. A secret
dating back to 1619, when her ancestor Altha Weyward was put on trial for witchcraft…
Why I'm Excited: Soooo I already have this book and I will say that the cover is one of the most beautiful of any book I own. Even though that's what piqued my interested in this title, the synopsis seems dope too. Witchcraft spanning generations? Yes please!
2. The God of Endings - Jacqueline Holland (Mar. 7)
Synopsis:
By turns suspenseful and enchanting, this breathtaking first novel weaves a story of love, family,
history, and myth as seen through the eyes of one immortal woman
Collette LeSange is a lonely
artist who heads an elite fine arts school for children in upstate New York. Her youthful beauty masks
the dark truth of her life: she has endured centuries of turmoil and heartache in the wake of her
grandfather’s long-ago decision to make her immortal like himself. Now in 1984, Collette finds her life
upended by the arrival of a gifted child from a troubled home, the return of a stalking presence from
her past, and her own mysteriously growing hunger.
Why I'm Excited: Yeah I already bought this one too. Any story with a school setting and stalking (don't judge my favorite plot elements!) automatically gets bonus points from me. I'm always down with a good literary thriller, and I don't think I've read many with a magical twist to them, so I'm looking forward to seeing what this will be like!
3. Go as a River - Shelley Read (Mar. 7)
Synopsis:
Victoria Nash is just a teenager in the 1940s, but she runs the household on her family's peach farm in
the ranch town of Iola, Colorado--the sole surviving female in a family of troubled men. Wilson Moon is
a young drifter with a mysterious past, displaced from his tribal land in the Four Corners region, who
wants to believe one place is just like another.
When Victoria encounters Wil on a street corner, their unexpected connection
ignites as much passion as danger and as many revelations as secrets. Victoria flees into the beautiful
but harsh wilderness of the nearby mountains when tragedy strikes. Living in a small hut, she struggles
to survive in the unforgiving conditions with no clear notion of what her future will be.
What happens afterward is her quest to regain all that she has lost, even as
the Gunnison River rises to submerge her homeland and the only life she has ever known.
Go as a River
is a story of love and loss but also of finding home, family, resilience--and
love--where least expected.
Why I'm Excited: This book has an absolutely killer rating right now on Goodreads (4.55 with 360 ratings), and the plot sounds super interesting. It sound a little Literary with a capital L, but the synopses that include a line about "tragedy striking" always get me. Reviews say this book is beautifully written, and after some of the total flops I've read this month, it's calling to me.
4. Hello Beautiful - Ann Napolitano (Mar. 14)
Synopsis:
William Waters grew up in a house silenced by tragedy, where his parents could hardly bear to look at
him, much less love him. So it's a relief when his skill on the basketball court earns him a scholarship
to college, far away from his childhood home. He soon meets Julia Padavano, a spirited and ambitious
young woman who surprises William with her appreciation of his quiet steadiness. With Julia comes her
family; she is inseparable from her three younger sisters: Sylvie, the dreamer, is happiest with her
nose in a book and imagines a future different from the expected path of wife and mother; Cecelia, the
family's artist; and Emeline, who patiently takes care of all of them. Happily, the Padavanos fold
Julia's new boyfriend into their loving, chaotic household.
But then darkness from William's past
surfaces, jeopardizing not only Julia's carefully orchestrated plans for their future, but the sisters'
unshakeable loyalty to one another. The result is a catastrophic family rift that changes their lives
for generations. Will the loyalty that once rooted them be strong enough to draw them back together when
it matters most?
Why I'm Excited: I found this one on NetGalley and added it to my watch list a while ago, which means I've had some time to get excited about it. I don't read a lot of books that delve into family dynamics like this, but this one sounds especially interesting. It's sort of giving me Night Road vibes and that was a wonderful, heart-wrenching five star read for me, so I can't wait to pick this one up.
5. Y/N - Esther Yi(Mar. 21)
Synopsis:
Y/N
a novel about a Korean American woman living in Berlin whose obsession with a K-pop idol sends
her to Seoul on a journey of literary self-destruction.
It’s as if her life only began once Moon
appeared in it. The desultory copywriting work, the boyfriend, and the want of anything not-Moon quickly
fall away when she beholds the idol in concert, where Moon dances as if his movements are creating their
own gravitational field; on live streams, as fans from around the world comment in dozens of languages;
even on skincare products endorsed by the wildly popular Korean boyband, of which Moon is the youngest,
most luminous member. Seized by ineffable desire, our unnamed narrator begins writing Y/N fanfic—in
which you, the reader, insert [Your/Name] and play out an intimate relationship with the unattainable
star.
Then Moon suddenly retires, vanishing from the public eye. As Y/N flies from Berlin to
Seoul to be with Moon, our narrator, too, journeys to Korea in search of the object of her love. An
escalating series of mistranslations and misidentifications lands her at the headquarters of the
Kafkaesque entertainment company that manages the boyband until, at a secret location, together with
Moon at last, art and real life approach their final convergence.
Why I'm Excited: This book has a premise unlike any I've read recently and it sounds absolutely unhinged. I hope it's the obsessive, stalker-ish, insane ride I'm hoping for. This book is listed online as a contemporary, but I'm reallly hoping it skews more thriller/horror. Based on the lesser-known publisher and the relatively low number of people who have this one shelved, I'm officially deeming Y/N my Sleeper Pick of the Month.
6. The New One - Evie Green (Mar.28)
Synopsis:
For Tamsyn and Ed, life is tough. They both work long hours for very little money and come home to their
moody, rebellious daughter, Scarlett. After a tragic accident leaves Scarlett comatose and with little
chance of recovery, Tamsyn and Ed are out of options until a lifeline emerges in the form of an unusual
medical trial. In exchange for the very best treatment for Scarlett, a fully furnished apartment, and a
limitless spending account, the family must agree to move to Switzerland and welcome an artificial copy
of their daughter into their home.
Suddenly their life is transformed. Tamsyn and Ed want for
nothing, and the AI replacement, Sophie, makes it feel just like having their daughter back--except
without all the bad parts. Sophie is engaged, happy, and actually wants to spend time with her parents.
But things take a turn for the worse when Scarlett makes a very real recovery and the family discovers
that the forces behind their new life are darker than they ever could have imagined.
Why I'm Excited: This synopsis reminds me so strongly of that one Black Mirror episode, Be Right Back. And Foe , by one of my favorite authors, Iain Reid, which absolutely slapped. I'm hoping this is more thrilling than a typical domestic thriller; it definitelyseems more sci-fi and genre-bending, so my hopes are high.
7. A House with Good Bones - T.Kingfisher (Mar. 28)
Synopsis:
"Mom seems off."
Her brother's words echo in Sam Montgomery's ear as she turns onto the
quiet North Carolina street where their mother lives alone.
She brushes the thought away as she
climbs the front steps. Sam's excited for this rare extended visit, and looking forward to nights with
just the two of them, drinking boxed wine, watching murder mystery shows, and guessing who the killer is
long before the characters figure it out.
But stepping inside, she quickly realizes home isn’t
what it used to be. Gone is the warm, cluttered charm her mom is known for; now the walls are painted a
sterile white. Her mom jumps at the smallest noises and looks over her shoulder even when she’s the only
person in the room. And when Sam steps out back to clear her head, she finds a jar of teeth hidden
beneath the magazine-worthy rose bushes, and vultures are circling the garden from above.
To find
out what’s got her mom so frightened in her own home, Sam will go digging for the truth. But some
secrets are better left buried.
Why I'm Excited: My love for T. Kingfisher knows no bounds. She writes? I buy. Trying to get this one on NetGalley so I can review it early but I will gladly spend money to support her any day. Stellar cover and great synopsis, as usual. Sign me up.
8. Chlorine - Jade Song (Mar. 28)
Synopsis:
Ren Yu is a swimmer. Her daily life starts and ends with the pool. Her teammates are her only friends.
Her coach, her guiding light. If she swims well enough, she will be scouted, get a scholarship, go to a
good school. Her parents will love her. Her coach will be kind to her. She will have a good
life.
But these are human concerns. These are the concerns of those confined to land, those with
legs. Ren grew up on stories of creatures of the deep, of the oceans and the rivers. Ones that called
sailors to their doom. Ones that dragged them down and drowned them. Ones that feasted on their flesh.
Ones of the creature that she's always longed to become: mermaid.
Ren aches to be in the water.
She dreams of the scent of chlorine--the feel of it on her skin. And she will do anything she can to
make a life for herself where she can be free. No matter the pain. No matter what anyone else thinks. No
matter how much blood she has to spill.
Why I'm Excited: I am ready for some creepy ass mermaids. I think I have a couple of mermaid horrors on my shelf, and I definitelyhaveheard of a few that have piqued my interest, but this one has done so the most. I'm also interested to read about the themes this book claims to explore, mainly the pressure put on young women and their bodies.
9. The Last Carolina Girl - Meagan Church (Feb. 28)
Synopsis:
For
fourteen-year-old Leah Payne, life in her beloved coastal Carolina town is as simple as it is free.
Devoted to her lumberjack father and running through the wilds where the forest meets the shore, Leah's
country life is as natural as the Loblolly pines that rise to greet the Southern sky.
When an
accident takes her father's life, Leah is wrenched from her small community and cast into a family of
strangers with a terrible secret. Separated from her only home, Leah is kept apart from the family and
forced to act as a helpmate for the well-to-do household. When a moment of violence and prejudice
thrusts Leah into the center of the state's shameful darkness, she must fight for her own future against
a world that doesn't always value the wild spirit of a Carolina girl.
Why I'm Excited: Ending the month with more emotional torment, the reviews so far on this one promise it to be "heartbreaking and traumatic". Why do I do this to myself?
10. Lone Women - Victor LaValle (Mar. 28)
Synopsis:
Blue skies, empty land—and enough room to hide away a horrifying secret. Or is there? Discover a
haunting new vision of the American West from the award-winning author of The
Changeling.
Adelaide Henry carries an enormous steamer trunk with her wherever she goes. It’s
locked at all times. Because when the trunk is opened, people around her start to
disappear...
The year is 1914, and Adelaide is in trouble. Her secret sin killed her parents, and
forced her to flee her hometown of Redondo, California, in a hellfire rush, ready to make her way to
Montana as a homesteader. Dragging the trunk with her at every stop, she will be one of the "lone women"
taking advantage of the government's offer of free land for those who can cultivate it—except that
Adelaide isn't alone. And the secret she's tried so desperately to lock away might be the only thing
keeping her alive.
Why I'm Excited: I'm vibing with the idea of horror + the American West sooooo much. Also if this could just be a horror version of Fantastic Beasts that isn't written by J.K. Rowling I will swoon. Thank you.
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Hope you all have a wonderful month and that we can get some spring weather rolling in here soon! Our book club read for March is Hench by Nataline Zina Walschots, so grab or borrow a copy and feel free to join us!
Let me know if there are any books you're looking forward to in the comments!