Anticipated Releases (Jan-March 2022)

 Hey guys, this is Abi here, 

And after a slight break with the anticipated releases' posts, I'm back with a whole heap of books for the next three months! 

Enjoy! 

January Releases

1. Love, Decoded, by Jennifer Yen- 1/1/2022

Honestly, I'm not sure what drew me to this. There's literally one review on Goodreads, and it's a three star, but when I read the premise, I thought it looked interesting. Just the combination of a contest, coding which, even though I know absolutely nothing about still appeals to me, and an all Asian- cast just seems like the full package. Full blurb below: 

"For fans of Jenny Han and Jane Austen, a rom-com that’s equal parts hilarious and heartfelt about the unexpected consequences of one teen’s quest to help her friends find love, from the author of A Taste for Love.

High school junior Gigi Wong strives to be the best: the top student, the perfect friend, and the ideal daughter. But it’s tough when there’s always someone who is just a little bit better. With college applications looming, she can’t help but worry that she won’t make the cut. Thankfully, her best friend Kyle never fails to find the right words- and the perfect bowl of Ramen—to cheer her up.

After her teacher, Ms. Harris, announces she’ll be nominating students for an app writing contest, Gigi is determined to be picked. After all, first price is an exclusive tech internship, sure to make her application stand out. There’s only one problem: she doesn’t have a winning program. It isn’t until transfer student Etta admits she’s struggling to fit in at Superbia that Gigi stumbles on an idea. She’ll use her coding skills—and the matchmaking experience she’s gotten from weekends with Auntie Rose – to create a friend matching app! Etta will meet new people, and Gigi will guarantee her acceptance into college. It’s foolproof.

What Gigi doesn’t expect is for her app to go viral around school. Soon, she finds herself at the centre of a scandal- and at odds with both Etta and Kyle. Can Gigi fix what went wrong, or will her desire to be perfect cost her the people she cares about most?" 

2. Waking Romeo, by Kathryn Barker- 4/1/2022

When I found out that this was a romeo and Juliet, time-travel, what would have happened if they hadn't died story, I put this on my list straight away. Basically, it's 2058, people can time travel, but only forwards, and most people have done so. Juliet and Romeo, who is currently in a coma, are said people. But when a time traveller, named Ellis, impossibly appears and offers Juliet a mission, it causes her to question everything she thinks she knows about life and love. Only one question remains: can Jules wake Romeo and rewrite her future? 

It's been a while since I've read a book set in the future, that's changed some historical event, or well-known situation, so I'm looking forward to picking this up. Should be a good read. 

3. Lawless Spaces, by Corey Ann Haydu- 18/1/2022

This book sounds like everything. This book is the kind of book that I would like to write one day. Such a simple premise, but so powerful. If just a blurb has conjured this strong a reaction in me, I can't wait to see what the actual novel is like. A book about generations, of women through the ages, expressed in journals. About nothing but the world around them and how they see it. Here's the blurb guys:

"Mimi’s relationship with her mother has always been difficult. But lately, her mother has been acting more withdrawn than usual, leaving Mimi to navigate the tricky world of turning sixteen alone. What she doesn’t expect is her mother’s advice to start journaling- just like all the women in her family before her. It’s a tradition, she says. Expected.

But Mimi takes to poetry and with it, a way to write down the realities of growing into a woman, the pains of online bullying, and the new experiences of having a boyfriend. And all in the shadows of a sexual assault case that is everywhere on the news- a case that seems to specifically rattle her mother.

Trying to understand her place in the world, Mimi dives into the uncovered journals of her grandmother, great-grandmother, and beyond. She immerses herself in each of their lives, learns of their painful stories and their beautiful spirits. And as Mimi grows closer to each of these women, she starts to forge her own path. But it isn’t until her mother’s story comes to light that Mimi learns about unyielding bonds of family and the relentless spirit of womanhood." 

4. The Temperature of Me and You, by Brian Zepka- 25/1/2022

Temperature! (A boy too hot to handle- becuase he runs 110 degrees fahrenheit/ 43 celsius). 

Romance! 

Dairy Queen (which I think is an ice-cream place). 

That's really all you need to know. 

Also, perfect time to pick up is winter, so I hope I get to it soon. 

Please let me pick it up soon. 

February Releases

1. These Deadly Games, by Diana Urban- 1/2/2022

After thoroughly enjoying All Your Twisted Secrets last year (I read the entire 300 page book in two days) there was no doubt in my mind that I would be sticking this book on this list for next year. 

Once more, Diana Urban's book contains a time limit: 24 hours. Basically, Crystal Donovan's (protagonist) sister has been kidnapped, and if she doesn't follow the rules, her sister will die. She can't tell anyone, or call the police. All she can do is anything and everything the kidnapper tells her to do, or her sister will pay. Simple premise, incredibly high stakes. And if All Your Twisted Secrets is anything to go by, there'll be a number of twists and turns that I won't be expecting. I'm reading and gunning for this book to be released so I can devour it with my eyes. 

2. Amari and the Great Game (Supernatural Investigations #2), by B.B. Alston- 1/2/2022

Book 2! Absolutely loved the first one, and I loved the cover even more! I couldn't find the cover match for the second book but I don't think it's been added yet. 

The Supernatural Investigators trilogy is a middle grade trilogy, following Amari as she gets into this magical academy she never even knew existed, in the hope to find her brother, who disappeared after going on a super-secret mission for the academy. The first book was explosive and gripping and I have high expectations going into the second book. I have high hopes for the cover to be as beautiful too (silver sprayed edges)! 

3. You Truly Assumed, by Laila Sabreen- 8/2/2022

I was debating whether to put this on the list because, even though I'm interested in certain books when I first come across them, I rarely actually get around to reading them. But there's no question. I have to add this to the list because this shit is powerful. Read the synopsis and you'll see. 

"In this compelling and thought-provoking debut novel, after a terrorist attack rocks the country and anti-Islamic sentiment stirs, three Black Muslim girls create a space where they can shatter assumptions and share truths.

Sabriya has her whole summer planned out in colour-coded glory, but those plans go out the window after a terrorist attack near her home. When the terrorist is assumed to be Muslim and Islamophobia grows, Sabriya turns to her online journal for comfort. You Truly Assumed was never meant to be anything more than an outlet, but the blog goes viral as fellow Muslim teens around the country flock to it and find solace and a sense of community.

Soon two more teens, Zakat and Farah, join Bri to run You Truly Assumed and the three quickly form a strong friendship. But as the blog’s popularity grows, so do the pushback and hateful comments. When one of them is threatened, the search to find out who is behind it all begins, and their friendship is put to the test when all three must decide whether to shut down the blog and lose what they’ve worked for… or take a stand and risk everything to make their voices heard." 

I'm not sure when I'll get to this, but rest assured I will. This sounds like it's a book that is right up my alley. So excited for a book like this to be released. 

4. Cold, by Mariko Tamaki- 8/2/2022

This sounds like a very clever, chilling book. It tells the story of a boy, Todd Mayer, who was found dead, in a snow covered park, completely naked and frozen. As detectives investigate the people they believe linked to his death, Todd relays the choice that to his end. The protagonist, Georgia, wasn't Todd's friend. She didn't even know him. But for some reason, she can't keep his death out of her head. Maybe because they were both branded outcasts at school, or maybe because they were both queer. Plus, she has a feeling, that she's seen him somewhere before, somewhere he was never supposed to be.

I'm not sure what to make of this, but Cold is definitely up there on one of the books I want to get to in the next couple of months. Not only because it's the perfect season, but because I feel like there might be more to this than meets the eye (from the premise I mean.) 

March Releases

1. Gallant, by V.E. Schwab- 1/3/2022

A new V.E. Schwab book! Honestly, at this point, I'd happily read her shopping list. From the looks of it, this is a standalone, which I'm 100% happy with. Gallant seems creepy, and intriguing and I am here for it. I love the direction that V.E. Schwab seems to be taking with her books, and I'm excited to see what this one will be like. 

"Everything casts a shadow. Even the world we live in. And as with every shadow, there is a place where it must touch. A seam, where the shadow meets its source.

Olivia Prior has grown up in Merilance School for girls, and all she has of her past is her mother’s journal- which seems to unravel into madness. Then, a letter invites Olivia to come home- to Gallant. Yet when Olivia arrives, no one is expecting her. But Olivia is not about to leave the first place that feels like home, it doesn’t matter if her cousin Matthew is hostile or if she sees half-formed ghouls haunting the hallways.

Olivia knows that Gallant is hiding secrets, and she is determined to uncover them. When she crosses a ruined wall at just the right moment, Olivia finds herself in a place that is Gallant- but not. The manor is crumbling, the ghouls are solid, and a mysterious figure rules over all. Now Olivia sees what has unravelled generations of her family, and where her father may have come from.

Olivia has always wanted to belong somewhere, but will she take her place as a Prior, protecting our world against the Master of the House? Or will she take her place beside them?" 

This reminds me vaguely of Tim Burton's Corpse Bride and The Nightmare Before Christmas, two homes that I hold near and dear, and although it feels weird for this sort of book to be released in March, I honestly feel like I could read V.E. Schwab whatever month it is. Eagerly anticipating this release.  

Okay! Those are all the books I'm anticipating in the next couple of months! Let me know in the comments what books you guys are looking forward to being released and we'll chat about them! 

I hope you have a fantastic afternoon and I'll be back soon with my Favourite Books of 2021! 

Byeeee! 

-Abi xxxxx