Anticipated Releases (July-September 2023)

 Hey guys, this is Abi here, 

And I'm back with my Anticipated Releases post for July, through to September! 

I have 10 books to talk about today, so we're looking quite consistent over the next few months. 

I hope you enjoy it, and feel free to comment your anticipated releases down below (I know one of these is going to be on everyone's list). 

July

1. Business or Pleasure, by Rachel Lynn Soloman 

Release date: 04/07/2023

After reading and loving You'll Miss Me When I'm Gone, I've been eager to pick up another of Rachel Lynn Soloman's books, and this release is right around the corner. Not quite hate to love, more awkwardness to love. Basically, it's a story of two people, named Chandler and Finn, that sleep together, regret it, and then have meet daily in a work setting. Slightly more light-hearted than You'll Miss Me When I'm Gone, but I'm looking forward to this. 

2. Penance, by Eliza Clark 

Release date: 06/07/2023

Taking place ten years after the brutal (fictional) murder of sicteen-year-old Joan Wilson, Penance is a story constructed by social media posts in tumblr, chats, emails, podcasts, articles and interviews, which makes this book stand out a mile! I can 100% picture me picking this up in October/ November, when the weather matches the feel of this book. 

3. All That's Left to Say, by Emery Lord

Release date: 18/07/2023

You know, I didn't actually read the blurb for this before adding it to the list- I just say that Emery Lord was releasing it and I stuck it straight on. All That's Left to Say is about a girl Hannah MacLaren who is in trouble at her school for pulling the fire alarm right before prom queen was due to be announced. But Hannah had her reasons because, one year ago, her cousin and best friend Sophie, died of a drug overdose. Now, Hannah has enrolled at the same school, to try and find out why. 

The only book of Emery Lord that I have read is a tale of is of a grieving girl, learning to face her fears and get back to normality. Obviously, this book is very different and I'm intrigued as for how this story will unfold. 

4. One of Us Is Back (One of Us is Lying #3), by Karen M. McManus

Release date: 25/07/2023

The third and final book in the One of Us Is Lying trilogy, and I am ready for it! I can't imagine what else is going to happen in this final book, but consider I've read every single Karen M. McManus book that is currently out, I get the feeling that I'm going to love it. 

 I think I'm going to have to re-read the first two, as it's been a while, but I'm looking forward to going back to the start, reading the whole series and wrapping it all up in one full swing! 

August

1. The Connells of County Down, by Tracey Lange

Release date: 01/08/2023

There are two reasons why I added this book to my list. The first one is, the book starts off in prison. I've only once read a book that takes place in prison and it was a detail that didn't escape my notice. The other reason is that this is very much a family-based book. It discusses single parenthood, struggling with the after-effects of a brain injury, family secrets, snapping from stress, and that's only one part of the book. The rest of it is about Tara, the protagonist piecing her life together with her family once she leaves prison. 

2. Family Lore, by Elizabeth Acevedo

Release date: 01/08/2023

I've only read one of Elizabeth Acevedo's works, but this particularly book piqued my interest a fair bit. From the looks of the Goodreads' blurb, Family Lore follows Flor, who has a mystic gift: she can predict, to the day, when someone will die. But she requests a wake, it throws generations of her family off in ways she can't imagine. Has Flor forseen her own death, or someone else's? These are the questions that plague her sisters, for she refuses to tell them anything. 

Spanning three days prior to the wake, Family Lore traces the lives of each of the Marte women, weaving together past and present, and honestly, I'm so excited to see each layer intertwines. 

3. The Bookbinder, by Pip Williams 

Release date: 01/08/2023

Okay. This one hits hard. Set in 1914, Bookbinder tells the story of sisters Peggy and Maude, two women who work in the bindery at the university press in Oxford. Peggy dreams of more than bookbinding, of joining the library across the street, and reading the words, not just binding the books, a luxury she isn't allowed where she is. What's stopping her is Maude, who is quite content with using her hands, and not her brain. She feels compelled to watch over her. But when refugees arrive from worn-down cities of Belgium, Maude begins to see what Peggy means about the library across the street. But as war and illness begin to shape her world, her love for a Belgium soldier- and all the responsibility that comes with it- threaten to hold her back. 

I can already tell I'm going to absolutely love this book, and it's not even out yet. 

September

1. The Long Game, by Elena Armas

Release date: 05/09/2023

Okay, I'm really looking forward to this. Mainly because it's the only football book I've ever come across. The Long Game is basically following Adalyn Reyes, who has had the same routine for the longest time: wake up at dawn, drive to the Miami Flames FC offices, try her hardest to leave a mark, go home, repeat. But when a video goes live of her in altercations with the team's mascot, the team's owner, who happens to be her father, sends Adalyn to the middle-of-nowhere North Carolina, where she's tasked with turning around 

2. The Wake-Up Call, by Beth O' Leary 

Release date: 26/09/2023 

Another book by Beth O' Leary! This one promises to be read, because I have thoroughly enjoyed every book she has released! Anothr hate to love story, which frankly I never get tired of, this time two people that can't stand the sight of eachother, forced to work together to save the hotel that's crumbling around them. Having recently finished Act Your Age, Eve Brown by Talia Hibbert, which is also set in a hotel, I'm looking forward to getting to another book that's set in one. 

3. The Fragile Threads of Power (Threads of Power #1), by V.E. Schwab 

Release date: 26/09/2023

And finally, the book I've probably been anticipating the most! I, like most of the booktube community, was a HUGE fan of the Darker Shade of Magic trilogy when they were released. And now V.E. Schwab is releasing another series set in the same world and I am all kinds of excited! 

It's been a while since I read the last book, so I'm thinking I might need to re-read the first trilogy as a fresher (which I have absolutely no problem about) but I have no doubt that I will be purchasing a copy as soon as they're out in the world. 

Okay! Those are all the books that I am anticipating during the next three months! 

As always, feel free to comment what you're looking forward to being released, down below! 

I hope you have a lovely evening and I'll see you all soon! 

Byeeeee! 

-Abi xxxxxx

Mid-Year Book Freak Out Tag

Hey guys, this is Abi here, 

And once again, we've reached the point in the year when this tag makes the rounds again! 

I do this tag every year, and now it's time for the 2023 version. 

I hope you enjoy it. 

~The best book you've read so far in 2023~

Surprisingly, I'm going to say Grown Ups, by Marian Keyes. I love the multiple sub plots, I love the fleshed out characters, I just love the way the story unfolds. I really need to get to more of Marian Keyes' books, because I'm sure they're all going to just as amazing. 

~Best sequel you've read so far in 2023~ 

Same as last year, I'm going for the last book in a series, which of course, still counts as a sequal. Act Your Age, Eve Brown by Talia Hibbert. By far my favourite of the three (though of course I loved the other two as well). I loved Eve, how apparent her naivety and immaturity was at the beginning, and how she grew to become a capable woman. I love her relationship with Jacob, their banter, and of course, the Brown sisters showing up every now and then. Just a wonderful book and a great way to finish the series. 

~New release you haven't read yet, but want to~

This is Emily Henry's most recently released book, and it'll be on my TBR for either July or August because I keep hearing such fantastic reviews and I'm eager to get to it. 

It tells the story of a group of friends, with which are couples, that holiday in a cottage every year. Two of these people, Harriet and Wyn, have a problem- they've been broken up for six months- and haven't told their friends. The cottage is closing after this trip, so Harriet and Wyn decide to pose as a couple just one more time- in front of the people that know them best- what could possible go wrong? 

I've fallen in love with Emily Henry's writing with each new book, and I'm really hoping I'll love this one just as much. 

~Most anticipated release for the second half of the year~

Same as last year (oops, my bad) I haven't done much research on releases for the next half of the year (rest assured, that post will be up next), but the first one I found when I searched is for sure a very much anticipated release. Karen M. McManus is one of my auto-buy authors and I am much excited for this at the end of July. It's the third and final book in the One of Us Is Lying trilogy, with the first book being a very Breakfast Club style murder, and although I'll have to give the first two books a re-read just to catch up, I'm eager to find out how this it all wraps up. 

~Biggest disappointment~

This was a tough one, I've really enjoyed all of the books that I've picked up over the first half of the year. If I had to pick one, I'd say I've definitely struggled with the language for The Strange Case of Dr. Jerkyll and Mr Hyde, but thankfully I had the audiobook to hand, so that made it easier to understand. 

~Biggest surprise~

Honestly, I wasn't expecting to love Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow, by Gabrielle Zevin, as much as I did. I knew it was about a partnership between Sadie and Sam, making videogames together, but I wasn't expecting the emotional rollercoaster it sent me on. I grew to care so much about these characters, and then to have to read about them going through both personal and professional problems was heartbreaking. Gabrielle Zevin is one heck of a writer and I can't wait to see what she does next. 

~Favourite new author (new to you)~

Delia Owens, author of Where the Crawdads Sing (link to the review is in the title if you want more details). Honestly, this book speaks for itself. Absolutely gorgeous, descriptive writing, such a compelling story that transports you to a completely different time and place. Absolutely phenomenal book that 100% deserves the hype it receives. 

~Newest fictional crush~

I never have one of these for this tag. Today is no exception. 

~Newest favourite character~

Really can't pick one for this. Will have to make a list: 

1. Marx- Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow, by Gabielle Zevin

2. Nell- Grown Ups, by Marian Keyes

3. Kya- Where the Crawdads Sing, by Delia Owens 

4. Was nice to read about Reagan again- Shattered Showers, originally Fangirl. 

~Book that made you cry~

There were a couple of books that made me emotional, but none that made me shed tears. 

For Long Way Down, by Jason Reynolds, I became emotional at the monotonicity of Will's upbringing, and the society that he, his brother, his family and his neighbours live in. If you haven't read this, it's basically eye for an eye scenario. Never snitching when your brother is murdered, always getting even. And it just goes on- it made me emotional knowing that these boys thought there was no other way. 

It's kind of the same for The Miseducation of Cameron Post- how some of the young adults at the institute that Cameron's sent to- it breaks my heart to know that some of these parents feel they have no choice but to send these children- just for being who they are- to a place to put them back to normal. 

~Book that made you happy~

As If On Cue, by Marisa Kanter! Music terminology jokes left and or right,  a hate to love romance and a last ditch musical to save both the drama club and the music programs! I knew I was going to love this and I was absolutely, 100% correct!

If anybody has any recommendations for light-hearted, funny contemporaries about music/ drama then please comment down below, as I'm eager to read more (especially if there's any reputation thrown in, like Rachel Lynn Solomon's You'll Miss Me When I'm Gone). 

~Most beautiful book you've bought this year (or received)~

Its a toss up between Skyward Flight, by Brandon Sanderson and The Poppy War, by R.F. Kuang. Can't I pick both? Both books are very much anticipated, I genuinely can't wait to get to both of these epic series'. 

~What books do you need to read by the end of the year~

All of my unread books! It's taking me a horrendously long time to get to all of them, but I am chugging away at my ever expanding TBR (though I've been reading my CR for 16 days now, which is embarrassing). 

If I was to target two things specifically, it would be the two series mentioned in the question above, so The Poppy War trilogy, by R.F. Kuang and Skyward series by Brandon Sanderson. 

~Favourite book to movie adaptation you've seen this year~

Oh god! Does XO Kitty count? It's a spin-off Netflix series that follows Kitty, who was a side character in the To All the Boys I've Loved Before trilogy. If it doesn't, oh well. 

And that's the tag officially done! 

I tag:

Honestly, anybody. Just be sure to comment if you have actually done the tag down below, so I can come and read your answers! 

That's all there is tonight guys, I hope you have a wonderful evening, day, night (wherever you are), and I'll see you all soon! 

Bye guys, 

-Abi xxxxxx

June TBR (2023)

 Hey guys, this is Abi here, 

And I'm back with my TBR for the month! 

Three out of six of them, I haven't read before, and I'm excited to pick them all up. 

I hope you enjoy it. 

1. The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, by Stuart Turton 

I was meant to be finishing this by the end of May, but life got in the way and I wasn't able to even start it (though I'm frustrated that I could have, if I'd just managed time better)! But no matter, rolling on to June. 

I read The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hardcastle a few years ago, and even though it took me a long time (back when I thought 10 days was a long time), I still really enjoyed it. 

I'm currenyly just over 100 pages into it, and I'm loving it just as much as the first time. I'm hoping to dedicate most of my next day off to it, maybe even finish it. It's just so articulously written, I never want to put it down. 

2. Scrappy Little Nobody, by Anna Kendrick 

This jaunty looking novel has been in the back of my head for a while now, I bought it on Audible a few months ago, and it's been sat on the unread shelf, almost taunting me because, whenever I go on the app to read something else, I always think, next time. But no longer. If I listen at 2X speed I could get it read in less than a day (3 hours), if I tried. I've always thought Anna Kendrick to be incredibly witty, clever and talented, and I'm very excited to be able to read from her POV. 

3. Little Girls Tell Tales, by Rachel Bennett

Honestly, I put this on here without knowing squat about it. My mum passed it on to me to read because she was done with it, and I fancied a bit of mystery in my books this month (not hard to tell with The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle and The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo haha). 

Little Girls Tell Tales is about a girl called Rosalie, who stumbles across a skeleton when she's lost in the marsh. After an extensive search by the police where no body is uncovered, they conclude that Rosalie is telling tales. Fifteen years later, Dallin, estranged from his family, returns unnanounced with Cora, whose sister went missing fifteen years ago, and thinks that Rosalie found her. As dangerous secrets are uncovered, Cora and Rosalie start asking questions about a girl that some would rather keep hidden. 

Despite the consistent three star reviews on Goodreads, the words on the cover were all I needed to get goosebumps. I'm hoping this'll be a short and easy read, and I hope I enjoy it.  

4. Seven Husband of Evelyn Hugo, by Taylor Jenkins Reid

I've had this book on my shelf, unread for a couple of months now, and it's time I got to it. Since it's release in 2017, this book has only gotten bigger. It came onto my radar when the world and his wife started picking this up- even my brothers- and it's extremely rare for him to read. More than that, everyone loved it too. (Also, there's no way I can pass up the chance to pick up another Taylor Jenkins Reid book. 

Very short list of characters: Monica, the journalist, Evelyn herself, and all of the husbands of course. This is a book about Monica questioning why she, a failed divorcee with a career that's going nowhere, would be chosen to write the biography for starlet Evelyn Hugo, and Evelyn telling her story. Simple premise too, but from what I'm getting from all these amazing reviews, that's all the story needs to be. Highly anticipating this. 

5. Open read- one of the selection

This option is sort of a bumper. Just in case I feel like reading something familiar halfway through the month, or want something quick to fly through. I'll list them here: 

1. The Light Between Oceans, by M.L. Stedman 

2. Theatrical, by Maggie Harcourt

3. The Help, by Kathryn Stockett 

4. The Hate U Give, by Angie Thomas 

5. The Book Thief, by Marcus Zusak 

6. The Mercies, by Kiran Millwood Hargrave

I'm not going to be making a decision about which one I fancy reading just yet though, it'll just depend on what I feel like picking up on the day. That doesn't mean I won't ask you to write which one you'd pick up in the comments! Comment down below! Which one would you choose out of all of those? 

6. Amari and the Night Brothers (The Supernatural Investigations #1), by B.B. Alston 

This will be the first of many series that I will be reading in the next few months. I have at least three seperate series that haven't been completed yet, and re-reading Amari and the Night Brothers is the perfect book to get started on all of that (also it's the most appealing out of all of them by far, because it's a fun, addictive and fast-paced read that promises to get me excited to tackle all the other books in my TBR. 

Amari and the Night Brothers was one of my favourite reads of the year back in 2021, and I'm very excited to delve back into the world of Amari, as she learns to take her place in the magical school her brother enrolled in and find out what's happened to him. It'll also be nice to get a refresher on everything to do with the world before progressing to Amari and the Great Game afterwards. 

Okay! Those are all the books I plan to pick up during the month of June! I hope you have a wonderful evening and I'll see you all soon! 

Byeeee! 

-Abi xxxxx