Intrigued? Well read on to discover the synopsis and an excerpt from May Cobb‘s The Hollywood Assistant, which releases July 9th 2024.

Prologue

Sunlight glints against the windows of the Sterlings’ home, turning them opaque: a row of blank eyes staring back at me. The wind lashes at my car. An angry, raw summer day that stings like a fresh paper cut. The weather moody, unstable.

The sun slips behind the clouds. The windows are now two-way-mirror clear, the interior brightening into sharp focus. The cherry-red leather armchair in the parlor, a chenille throw dangling from the arm like a dog’s tongue. The newspaper flung open and sprawled across the seat.

The stucco fireplace, the light-filled dining room. The upstairs bedrooms, all the windows bare and naked, curtains cinched back as usual, even at night while they sleep.

From my perch I peer into the living room. Glimpse a blur of dark hair. Marisol’s, luscious and long, always lapping at her breasts. The back of her head, hair still swinging; Nate’s hands flying up on either side of her in seeming exasperation.

They are arguing.

I can’t hear them, of course, not from the front seat of my car, parked across the street, but I’ve witnessed their arguments so many times—the cracked accusation in his tone, the climbing in octaves of hers—that I autofill it, their voices throbbing from inside the walls.

Oh god, he’s grabbing at her now, his hands wrapping around her neck. But she lunges forward, pushing him down.

The sun skids out from behind the clouds again, frosting the windows. The show is over.

The post Read An Excerpt From ‘The Hollywood Assistant’ by May Cobb appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

As we approach the halfway mark of 2024, it’s time to start looking ahead to the phenomenal new books that will be hitting shelves over the rest of the year!

We’ve put together a small sample of anticipated releases that you should keep an eye out for with new books from the likes of Rainbow Rowell, Stephen Graham Jones, Casey McQuiston, Ransom Riggs, Jodi Picoult, Sally Rooney, Richard Osman, Sabaa Tahir, Courtney Gould, Darby Kane, and so many more, plus even some debuts you should definitely have on your radar!

Read on to discover just a few of our picks and keep an eye out for when we round up further upcoming releases for the YA, Fantasy & Sci-Fi, Romance, Fiction, and Middle Grade genres.

Let us know in the comments below if you’re looking forward to any of them or if you have other recommendations!

JULY 2024

The Grandest Game by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

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Get ready for a new series that brings readers deeper into the lush, romantic, and puzzle-filled world of the #1 bestselling Inheritance Games series (over 3 million copies sold!), set a year after we last saw Avery and the Hawthornes.

Slow Dance by Rainbow Rowell

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From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Eleanor & Park and Attachments comes Slow Dance—a bright, beaming power ballad of a novel about a love so true it refuses to be forgotten.

It’s Elementary by Elise Bryant

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A fast-paced, completely delightful new mystery about what happens when parents get a little too involved in their kids’ schools, from NAACP Image Award nominee Elise Bryant.

The Seventh Veil of Salome by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

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A young woman wins the role of a lifetime in a film about a legendary heroine — but the real drama is behind the scenes in this sumptuous historical epic from the author of Mexican Gothic.

The Haters by Robyn Harding

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The bestselling author of The Party and The Drowning Woman returns with a twisted tale of fame, obsession, and the dark recesses of social media.

The Blackbird Oracle by Deborah Harkness

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Diana Bishop journeys to the darkest places within herself—and her family history—in the highly anticipated fifth novel of the beloved #1 New York Times bestselling All Souls series.

The Wedding People by Alison Espach

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A propulsive and uncommonly wise novel about one unexpected wedding guest and the surprising people who help her start anew.

The Next Best Fling by Gabriella Gamez

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Two broken hearts decide that the best way to get over their first loves is with a no-strings-attached relationship in this spicy and charming debut romance.

Our Wicked Histories by Amy Goldsmith

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A teen girl’s attempt to make amends with her former friend group takes a sinister turn during a weekend getaway at an ancestral Irish estate in this atmospheric, literary horror from the author of Those We Drown.

The Night Ends With Fire by K. X. Song

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Infused with magic and romance, this sweeping fantasy adventure inspired by the legend of Mulan follows a young woman determined to choose her own destiny—even if that means going against everyone she loves.

The Hollywood Assistant by May Cobb

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Offered a dream job in Hollywood with a famous director and his actress wife, an insecure woman becomes their personal assistant where their secrets and lies place her in the crosshairs of a murder investigation.

I Was a Teenage Slasher by Stephen Graham Jones

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From New York Times bestselling horror writer Stephen Graham Jones comes a classic slasher story with a twist—perfect for fans of Riley Sager and Grady Hendrix.

AUGUST 2024

The Pairing by Casey McQuiston

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In #1 New York Times bestselling author Casey McQuiston’s latest romantic comedy, two bisexual exes accidentally book the same European food and wine tour and challenge each other to a hookup competition to prove they’re over each other—except they’re definitely not.

You Will Never Be Me by Jesse Q. Sutanto

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When cracks start forming in an influencer’s curated life, she finds out that jealousy is just as viral as a video in this riveting suspense novel by bestselling author Jesse Q. Sutanto.

Death at Morning House by Maureen Johnson

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From the bestselling author of the Truly Devious books, Maureen Johnson, comes a new stand-alone YA about a teen who uncovers a mystery while working as a tour guide on an island and must solve it before history repeats itself.

Zero Stars, Do Not Recommend by MJ Wassmer

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White Lotus meets Kevin Wilson in this whip-smart social satire about a man who finds himself trapped on an island resort after the sun literally explodes, and suddenly must choose whether to save himself from the chaos, or help fellow guests make it off the island alive…

Four Weekends and a Funeral by Ellie Palmer

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A tender, laugh-out-loud debut romance about a woman who ends up in over her head after a little white lie . . .

Society of Lies by Lauren Ling Brown

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When a young woman is found dead on her college campus, her sister doesn’t believe it was an accident—and her search for answers leads her closer to home than she ever would have imagined in this thrilling debut novel from an exciting new talent.

The Girl With No Reflection by Keshe Chow

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A young woman chosen as the crown prince’s bride must travel to the royal palace to meet her new husband—but her world is shaken when she discovers the dark truth the royal family has been hiding for centuries—in this lush fantasy debut perfect for fans of Song of Silver, Flame Like Night and Violet Made of Thorns.

Lady Macbeth by Ava Reid

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From #1 New York Times bestselling author Ava Reid comes a reimagining of Lady Macbeth, Shakespeare’s most famous villainess, giving her a voice, a past, and a power that transforms the story men have written for her.

A Werewolf’s Guide to Seducing a Vampire by Sarah Hawley

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Ben Rosewood never meant to be bound to a vampire succubus, especially one as sexy-yet-terrifying as Eleanora Bettencourt-Devereux, but he has to admit there are some fang-tastic perks….

The Volcano Daughters by Gina María Balibrera

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A saucy, searingly original debut about two sisters raised in the shadow of El Salvador’s brutal dictator, El Gran Pendejo, and their flight from genocide, which takes them from Hollywood to Paris to cannery row, each followed by a chorus of furies, the ghosts of their murdered friends, who aren’t yet done telling their stories.

Sunderworld, Vol. I: The Extraordinary Disappointments of Leopold Berry by Ransom Riggs

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Visionary storyteller Ransom Riggs weaves the familiar with the peculiar in a stunning loss, triumph, friendship and magic, reminding readers everywhere that true heroes are made, not born—and that when you’re never the chosen one, sometimes you have to choose yourself. 

By Any Other Name by Jodi Picoult

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From the New York Times bestselling co-author of Mad Honey comes an “inspiring” (Elle) novel about two women, centuries apart—one of whom is the real author of Shakespeare’s plays—who are both forced to hide behind another name.

SEPTEMBER 2024

A Dark and Drowning Tide by Allison Saft

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A sharp-tongued folklorist must pair up with her academic rival to solve their mentor’s murder in this lush and enthralling sapphic fantasy romance from the New York Times bestselling author of A Far Wilder Magic.

Intermezzo by Sally Rooney

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For two grieving brothers and the people they love, this is a new interlude―a period of desire, despair, and possibility; a chance to find out how much one life might hold inside itself without breaking.

An Academy for Liars by Alexis Henderson

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A student will find that the hardest lessons sometimes come from outside the classroom in this stunning dark academia novel from the acclaimed author of The Year of the Witching and House of Hunger.

Us in Ruins by Rachel Moore

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With a blend of humour, magic, and love, Rachel Moore crafts another stand-alone adventure rom-com full of double- and triple-crosses, hilarious shenanigans, and frustration-fuelled banter, where the best treasure is true love.

We Solve Murders by Richard Osman

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Combining the heart and humour of The Thursday Murder Club with a puzzling international mystery, welcome to the blockbusting new series from the biggest new fiction author of the decade, Richard Osman.

The Hitchcock Hotel by Stephanie Wrobel

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A Hitchcock fanatic with an agenda invites old friends for a weekend stay at his secluded themed hotel in this fiendishly clever, suspenseful new novel from the international bestselling author of Darling Rose Gold.

Immortal Dark by Tigest Girma

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The Cruel Prince meets Ninth House in this dangerously romantic dark academia fantasy, where a lost heiress must infiltrate an arcane society and live with the vampire she suspects killed her family and kidnapped her sister.

The Third Gilmore Girl by Kelly Bishop

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A candid and captivating memoir from award-winning and beloved actress Kelly Bishop, spanning her six decades in show business from Broadway to Hollywood with A Chorus Line, Dirty Dancing, Gilmore Girls, and much more.

The Lovers by Rebekah Faubion

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A second chance at love is in the cards for two women working a stylish California wedding in this charming debut romance.

Somewhere Beyond the Sea by T.J. Klune

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Somewhere Beyond the Sea is a story of resistance, lovingly told, about the daunting experience of fighting for the life you want to live and doing the work to keep it.

The Life Impossible by Matt Haig

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Filled with wonder and wild adventure, this is a story of hope and the life-changing power of a new beginning.

How to Hide in Plain Sight by Emma Noyes

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The unbreakable bonds of family and love are explored in this brilliant and tender story from the author of Guy’s Girl.

OCTOBER 2024

The Puzzle Box by Danielle Trussoni

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Two sisters. A lost imperial treasure. The world’s greatest puzzle master has twenty-four hours to solve the most dangerous mystery of his life . . . or die trying.

This Cursed House by Del Sandeen

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In this Southern gothic horror debut, a young Black woman abandons her life in 1960s Chicago for a position with a mysterious family in New Orleans, only to discover the dark truth. They’re under a curse, and they think she can break it.

The Nightmare Before Kissmas by Sara Raasch

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Red, White & Royal Blue meets The Nightmare Before Christmas in a sexy, quirky rom-com where the golden-hearted Prince of Christmas falls for the totally off-limits Prince of Halloween.

Heir by Sabaa Tahir

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Beloved storyteller Sabaa Tahir interweaves the lives of three young people as they grapple with power, treachery, love, and the devastating consequences of unchecked greed, on a journey that may cost them their lives—and their hearts. Literally.

Swordcrossed by Freya Marske

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The cozy, low stakes of Legends & Lattes meets the scorching bodyguard fantasy of Jennifer L. Armentrout’s From Blood and Ash in this enemies-to-lovers romance where, yes, the swords do cross.

Throne of Secrets by Kerri Maniscalco

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Two rivals torn apart by a dark memory reunite on a deadly hunt—and in an irresistibly twisted fairy tale—in the next steamy standalone fantasy romance from New York Times bestselling sensation Kerri Maniscalco.

Don’t Let the Forest In by C.G. Drews

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As alluring as it is unsettling, award-winning author CG Drews’ debut YA psychological horror will leave readers breathless and hesitant to venture deeper into the woods.

The Last One at the Wedding by Jason Rekulak

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From the bestselling author of Hidden Pictures comes a breathtaking work of suspense about a father trying to save his daughter from a life-altering decision that will put everything he loves on the line.

Fledgling: The Keeper’s Records of Revolution by S. K. Ali

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The first book in a gripping duology from acclaimed author S.K. Ali introduces a fractured world on the brink of either enlightenment or war.

A Dark and Secret Magic by Wallis Kinney

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A warm, spellbinding tale about a witch and the secrets her coven has been keeping from her, with echoes of the classic Hades and Persephone story, in the tradition of Practical Magic and Witch of Wild Things.

I’ll Be Waiting by Kelley Armstrong

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From New York Times Bestselling author Kelley Armstrong comes a spellbinding new tale of supernatural horror involving a haunted-house, seances, lost loved ones, and a sinister spirit out for blood…

The Book of Witching by CJ Cooke

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A mother must fight for her daughter’s life in this fierce and haunting tale of witchcraft and revenge from the author of A Haunting in the Arctic.

NOVEMBER 2024

The Author’s Guide To Murder by Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willig, and Karen White

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Agatha Christie meets Murder, She Wrote in this witty locked room mystery and literary satire by New York Times bestselling team of novelists: Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willig, and Karen White.

Where the Library Hides by Isabel Ibañez

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Where the Library Hides is Isabel Ibañez’s stunning conclusion to the story that started in What the River Knows. A lush immersive historical fantasy set in Egypt filled with adventure, and a rivals-to-lovers romance like no other!

Games Untold By Jennifer Lynn Barnes

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Romance, luxury, and secrets abound in this thrilling new collection that takes readers deeper into the world of the #1 bestselling Inheritance Games series.

Is She Really Going Out with Him? by Sophie Cousens

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From the New York Times bestselling author of This Time Next Year, a hilarious love story about a disillusioned divorcée who agrees to let her children play matchmaker.

Pony Confidential by Christina Lynch

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In this one-of-a-kind mystery with heart and humour, a hilariously grumpy pony must save the only human he’s ever loved after discovering she stands accused of a murder he knows she didn’t commit.

The Estate by Sarah Jost

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For fans of The Cloisters and The Cartographers comes a gripping speculative suspense that follows one woman with the ability to enter the dimension of art, who finds herself trapped in a French estate as the pawn in a rich man’s game…

The Jewel of the Isle by Kerry Rea

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Two very indoor people rough it on a remote island after getting swept up in an archaeologist’s hunt for a famed jewel in this dazzling new adventure rom-com by Kerry Rea, author of Lucy on the Wild Side.

I Am the Dark That Answers When You Call by Jamison Shea

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Jamison Shea’s sharp and unflinching voice will bring readers to terrifying new heights in this vicious sequel to the “relentlessly gory and almost euphoric in its embrace of the horrific” (NPR) I Feed Her to the Beast and the Beast is Me.

The Empty Place by Olivia A Cole

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A powerful and imaginative story about a girl fighting to find her way back home from a mind-bending land of the lost.

The Courting of Bristol Keats by Mary E. Pearson

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From NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author Mary E. Pearson comes a thrilling romantic fantasy full of dangerous fae, dark secrets, and addictive romance

The Songbird & the Heart of Stone by Carissa Broadbent

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New York Times bestselling author and BookTok sensation Carissa Broadbent returns with a brand new novel in the Crowns of Nyaxia series, Songbird and the Heart of Stone, where A Court of Thorns and Roses meets Dante’s Inferno, in an epic fantasy romance of love and treachery between mortals and gods.

An Insignificant Case by Phillip Margolin

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A new standalone legal thriller from the international bestselling author of GONE, BUT NOT FORGOTTEN.

DECEMBER 2024

A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping by Sangu Mandanna

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An enchanting novel about a witch who has a second chance to get her magical powers—and her life—back on track, from the national bestselling author of The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches.

What the Wife Knew by Darby Kane

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Darby Kane, author of the #1 international bestseller Pretty Little Wife, returns with another twisty domestic thriller about a wife wondering who tried to kill her husband twice before finally succeeding… because that was supposed to be her job. 

Heavenly Tyrant by Xiran Jay Zhao

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Zetian must balance dangerous politics with a new quest for vengeance in the sequel to the #1 New York Times bestseller Iron Widow, a blend of Chinese history and mecha science fiction.

What the Woods Took by Courtney Gould

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Yellowjackets meets Girl, Interrupted when a group of troubled teens in a wilderness therapy program find themselves stranded in a forest full of monsters eager to take their place.

Alter Ego by Alex Segura

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Alex Segura, LA Times Book Prize–winning author of Secret Identity, returns with a clever and escapist mystery set in the world of comic books. In the present day, a comics legend is given the chance to revive a beloved but forgotten character. But at what price?>

A Monsoon Rising by Thea Guanzon

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Two hearts circle each other in the eye of the storm in this highly-anticipated follow-up to The Hurricane Wars—prepare for more enemies-to-lovers romance, magical adventures, and political schemes in this Southeast Asian-inspired world.

Roland Rogers Isn’t Dead Yet by Samantha Allen

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It’s the gig of a lifetime for this ghostwriter, except there’s a the client, a closeted A-list actor finally ready to come out in his memoir, is an actual ghost.

The Shutouts by Gabrielle Korn

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A brilliant queer dystopian novel from the author of Yours for the Taking, following a cast of characters on the margins of a strange and exclusive new society.

The Close-up by Pip Drysdale

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A struggling author discovers the dark side of fame when a stalker begins reenacting violent events from her thriller in this electrifying and twisty new novel.

A Cruel Thirst by Angela Montoya

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A fledgling vampire and a headstrong vampire huntress must work together–against their better judgment—to rid the world of monsters in this irresistible romantic fantasy.

The Party by Natasha Preston

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Set against the backdrop of a sprawling English estate, Natasha Preston’s latest thriller will keep you on the edge of your seat until the party’s over…

The Peculiar Garden of Harriet Hunt by Chelsea Iversen

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A young woman channels the magic of the lush, fantastical plants that adorn her crumbling estate in The Peculiar Garden of Harriet Hunt, a darkly enchanting novel for fans of The Magician’s Daughter and Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries. ​

What books are you looking forward to releasing in the second half of 2024? Tell us in the comments below!

The post Get Your Hands On These Anticipated July To December 2024 Book Releases appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Intrigued? Well read on to discover the synopsis and an excerpt from May Cobb’s A Likeable Woman, which is out July 11th!

After her troublemaker mother’s mysterious death, Kira fled her wealthy Texas town and never looked back. Now, decades later, Kira is invited to an old frenemy’s vow renewal party. Though she is reluctant to go, there are things calling her back . . . like chilled wine and days spent by the pool . . . like her sexy childhood crush, Jack. But, more importantly, it’s the urgent texts from her grandmother who says she has something to give Kira. Something about her mother’s death, something that looks an awful lot like murder.

When her grandmother gives Kira a memoir that her mother had been working on before she died, she is pulled into the past and all of the sizzling secrets that come along with it. With few allies left in her gossipy, country club town, Kira turns to Jack for help. As she gets closer to what–and who–might have brought about her mother’s end, it becomes clear that someone wants the past to stay buried.

And Kira might be next.

I’m waiting in the baggage terminal at Dallas Fort Worth Airport, sheets of hot wind slapping my back every time the sliding glass doors open.

It’s mid‑October, but sometimes fall doesn’t arrive in Texas until Halloween. I’ve packed hot‑weather clothes, but because a cold snap is forecast for tomorrow, I’ve also tossed in my puffer jacket, a knit sweater, and boots.

My flight was due to arrive ten minutes after Jack and Melanie’s, but he texted me a little while ago to say that theirs is delayed by half an hour, so I’m sitting on a low bench, watching suitcases   tumble from the mouth of the baggage carousel.

I send Katie a simple Landed! text. She replies with the thumbs‑ up emoji. Typically cool and short.

Before I popped my RSVP in the mail last week, I called Katie. We haven’t talked over the phone in years—there have been only the obligatory texts: for her kids’ birthdays, holidays, etc.

But I knew I needed to let her know ASAP that I was coming back before she heard it from someone else, and simply texting her felt too casual for something this big.

When she answered the phone, she sounded annoyed, just as she has for the past twenty plus years. Longer than that, actually. She had been annoyed with both Mom and me ever since she turned thirteen. That age was when the curtain dropped for her on any closeness or warmth she’d shown either of us.

Blame it on hormones, blame it on the fact that she had out‑ grown Mom’s eccentricities—whatever the reason, she’d drifted away from us.

I’ve often wondered if part of the closeness between Mom and me was because we looked so similar. When I was a little girl, my hair was the same blinding shade of platinum as hers. And we both wore it down to our waists, our curls frizzed by the damp East Texas heat.

My hair has now faded to a darker blond—dishwater blond they call it, such an unflattering term—but when Mom’s started to dull, she turned to the box and kept hers bleached.

“Women should be allowed to do whatever they want with their hair or their bodies,” she once told me while taking a slow drag off her cigarette. A habit she’d kept secret from everyone but me. “We have it hard enough in this world.” Her glass‑green eyes were focused on guiding the wax across her latest batik while her lips worked the cigarette.

I was twelve and didn’t fully grasp what she was getting at, but I nodded as if I understood exactly what she meant. I couldn’t let on that I was in the dark, wanting to feel relevant and like her confidante. So I learned to nod in the right places, learned to keep certain things just between us. Like the smoking and, later, the feminist content of the batiks she was making for a museum show she was supposed to have; a show that was on the books but never happened because she died right before it.

I sensed early on that there was one version of Sadie in the shed with me: the real version, or what she referred to as “the transparent self,” a term taken from a book by the same title that she became obsessed with in my teenage years—and the Sadie she showed my father and sister and the rest of the neighborhood.

There was the housewife who made us grilled cheese sandwiches for dinner and kept her trap shut about anything edgy or controversial, then the Sadie who would talk to me in a stream of consciousness, unguarded, her mask down.

I loved being in the shed with her, loved working next to her, the smell of simmering wax mingling with the sharp scent of the acrylics and oil paints she bought for me.

Batiking was far too complex; she tried to teach me the technique, but I had no patience for it, so eventually she set up a little desk in the corner, creating for me a workspace all my own, complete with an old easel she’d picked up at a yard sale.

I can remember my first real painting, the one that went beyond just smearing paint on canvas or poster board. I was six. Sadie and I sat elbow to elbow at her art table, her long hair tickling my forearm as she instructed me on technique. How to layer colors together, how to move the brush across the thick ivory page. Once we finished creating a rainbow of color—teals and ruby reds and cerulean blues—she had me paint over that with a coat of white. Then, with her thin hand over mine, we guided a sharp tool across the overlaid paint, and with it drew an elaborate underwater scene of mermaids, turtles, fish, and oceanic plants. It was as if I were in a trance. She left my side, left me to it, and resumed her own work. The brilliant colors underneath bled through and I was awed by the results.

“See, it’s like my batiks but a bit easier,” she said, giving me a light nudge with her elbow. She clicked her tongue in admiration of my handiwork and hung it on the wall. I was hooked from that moment on. But wanting to copy her style as closely as I could, I soon moved on to collage—the medium I would use all through college—using found objects and trinkets of nature we collected on our long, meandering walks through the woods together.

Back then, when we were still young, Katie would wander into the shed with her sketch pad and join us. She’d sit on the red beanbag chair and sketch a portrait of Mom at work on her batiks. She was actually pretty talented, and Mom encouraged her, praised her, but she would get fidgety after a while and head inside to play Barbies or go around the corner to meet up with friends.

By the time puberty hit, Katie had abandoned Mom’s art shed altogether, sneaking in only to use Mom’s new typewriter for school assignments, rolling her eyes at us if we happened to be in there, engrossed in our projects. We learned to tiptoe around her, cut a wide berth.

Katie favors our father, her hair a deep shade of chestnut, luscious and shiny, her skin tone olive, and her eyes a toffee brown. Dad’s hair turned silver early, but they shared the same tanned coloring, and when Katie turned on Mom and me, she also adopted our father’s frosty disposition.

When she hit her teens and we lost her, the secrets started. Katie’s new clique of catty friends. The string of boyfriends, each relationship more tortured than the last. Her embarrassment and never‑masked repulsion toward Mom.

She’d been like a different person before that—open and affectionate and prone to making me laugh. I remember, when I was six and Katie was eight, riding in the back seat of Mom’s cherry‑red   Oldsmobile while Katie rode shotgun, both of us headed to elementary school, with the windows lowered and Mom blasting Donna Summer’s “Bad Girls” from her eight‑track. The trio of us shimmying in our seats, singing along with Donna.

We knew Mom was different then, that not everybody’s mother carpooled them to school while blaring disco. But unlike Katie, I never stopped thinking Mom was cool.

After she died, and I became unhinged, Katie pulled even further away from me. She was angry that I wouldn’t fall in line with the family consensus that Mom had killed herself. Our relationship has been on razor‑thin ice ever since.

The few times I tried to call her to mend things, she never failed to take a shot at Mom. You make her into a saint, but believe me, she wasn’t. There are things you don’t know.

There was a period after Mom died, and I was away at boarding school, when Katie spiraled. I heard a little bit about it from Gran, but mostly all the nitty‑gritty came from Meredith, my one real friend from back home other than Jack.

Katie started drinking more. Staying out later. Broke it off for  a spell with Ethan Hayes, the coolest guy she’d ever been with. Fell in with a sketchier crowd. One night she and a few guys even broke into the high school and vandalized the locker banks, spray‑ painting profanities and denting the metal with hammers. Gran even let it slip that Katie got caught shoplifting a designer handbag at the mall and that Gran and her old money had to come to her rescue.

I was worried about her then and tried to call, but every time she heard my voice on the other end, she’d sigh and snap at me; she’s always been a genius at shutting me down. And after a while, I stopped checking on her.

After college, she returned to Longview and married Ethan. He’s tall, good‑looking, with sandy‑blond hair and beach‑water‑blue eyes, and like Katie, he had a bit of a wild side in high school—though he never got into the trouble that she got into—but he still has a chill boyish vibe to him.

They have two daughters, Eva and Shelby, eight and five, respectively, who call me Aunt Kira but will most likely not recognize me if I’m lucky enough to see them. We’ve only ever seen each other via FaceTime, and very few FaceTimes at that.

“They’ll be at the thingy Friday night—the bowling alley—so you should see them there,” Katie said when I called her. Making it clear that she was not inviting me over to their home. If she was shocked that I was coming back, she didn’t show it. She only sounded disinterested. When she first answered and I told her my plans, all she said was, “Okay, cool. I wasn’t going to hit all the events, but I’ll try since you’re coming.”

I sat on the other end of the line, anxiety needling my chest, on the verge of apologizing for returning, for being me.

Now I flick my eyes to the bank of monitors displaying the various flight statuses and see that Jack’s plane has landed. Sweat pricks my armpits; suddenly, I’m overly aware of my appearance, smoothingdown my shirt, fluffing up my hair, glossing my lips with my berry‑tinted lip balm. I can’t believe I’m about to see him, and Melanie, after all these years.

My cell chimes. I dig it out of my bag, assuming it’s Jack or even Katie, but it’s from an anonymous number. And when I swipe and read the message, the blood drains from my face and my mouth goes dry as paper.

You’re making a very big mistake. You’ll be sorry.

Excerpted from A LIKEABLE WOMAN by May Cobb published by Berkley, an imprint of Penguin Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House, LLC. Copyright © 2023 by May Cobb

The post Read An Excerpt From ‘A Likeable Woman’ by May Cobb appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

We chat with author May Cobb about her latest release My Summer Darlings, along with 2022 book recommendations, writing, and more!

Hi, May! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?

I live in Austin, Texas, with my husband and son and we love exploring the area’s gorgeous parks and spending as much time outdoors as possible. I grew up in the piney woods of East Texas, near the Louisiana border, and that’s the place where I’ve (so far) set all my novels.

When did you first discover your love for writing?

When I was in college, I heard a beautiful, haunting song by the late jazz great, Rahsaan Roland Kirk. He was a human phenomenon. He lost his eyesight in an accident at age two but went on to defeat staggering odds to play the music that came to him through dreams, teaching himself to play three saxophones at the same time. So in college, in my early twenties, I was possessed with the notion that I needed to tell his story, and that’s what set me on the path to becoming a writer.

Quick lightning round! Tell us the first book you ever remember reading, the one that made you want to become an author, and one that you can’t stop thinking about!

Nancy Drew!

Luis Alberto Urrea’s The Hummingbird’s Daughter

The Last Housewife (currently reading) by Ashley Winstead

Your new novel, My Summer Darlings, is out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?

Salacious, sultry, provocative, twisty, devious

What can readers expect?

Hopefully an escapist, guilty pleasure read!

Where did the inspiration for My Summer Darlings come from?

From the film, The Witches of Eastwick. I loved the set up of a stranger moving to town and upending the lives of three best friends.

Can you tell us a bit about the challenges you faced while writing and how you were able to overcome them?

Luckily, I had 3/4s of the novel finished by the time the pandemic arrived. But once it hit, it was enormously hard to focus on finishing and finding the time to do so since we had lost childcare. But this is where deadlines come in handy! Lol! Duke Ellington used to say that deadlines were his muse and that was the case here.

Were there any favourite moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?

I loved writing Cynthia’s character because her point of view is revealed through a secret journal she’s writing. And I loved going deeper and deeper into her head to see what she would tell me.

What’s the best and the worst writing advice you have received?

The best – you can write a novel in a year in stolen moments. Fifteen to thirty minute burst.

Worst advice – Having a writing career is unattainable.

What’s next for you?

I’m in the middle of edits on my latest thriller, A LIKEABLE WOMAN.

Lastly, do you have any 2022 book recommendations for our readers?

Gosh yes!

• Watch Out For Her by Samantha Bailey
• Four Aunties and a Wedding by Jesse Sutanto
• One of Us is Dead by Jeneva Rose
• The House Across the Lake by Riley Sager
• The Viscious Circle by Kat St. John
• The Last Housewife by Ashely Winstead
• More Than You’ll Ever Know by Katie Gutierrez
• The Lifeguards by Amanda Eyre Ward
• Her Dying Day by Mindy Carlson

Will you be picking up My Summer Darlings? Tell us in the comments below!

The post Q&A: May Cobb, Author of ‘My Summer Darlings’ appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Welcome to 2022, but more importantly, welcome to a whole lot of new book releases to look forward to over the next year!

In this round up, we take a look at an array of highly anticipated books releasing between the months of January and June. From new releases from favourite authors such as Rachel Lynn Solomon, Sarah J. Maas, Tahereh Mafi, Marlon James, Emily St. John Mandel, Holly Black, Christina Lauren, Ryan Sager, and many more, to absolutely dazzling debuts, you’re sure to find quite a few exciting new reads within this list!

Stay tuned as we’ll be releasing more 2022 lists for several genres!

Read on to discover just a few of our favourite January to June 2022 releases and tell us in the comments if you’re looking forward to any of them! 

JANUARY

Weather Girl by Rachel Lynn Solomon
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

A TV meteorologist and a sports reporter scheme to reunite their divorced bosses with unforecasted results in this charming romantic comedy from the author of The Ex Talk.

Good Rich People by Eliza Jane Brazier
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

A destitute woman deceives her way into the guesthouse of a Hollywood Hills mansion and inadvertently becomes a target in the twisted game of the wealthy family upstairs in the next intoxicating novel from Eliza Jane Brazier.

Anything But Fine by Tobias Madden
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Anything But Fine is a hilarious coming of age story about a gay ballerina who loses his dancing dreams, but finds his true self and his first love. 

The Roughest Draft by Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Three years ago, Katrina Freeling and Nathan Van Huysen were the brightest literary stars on the horizon, their cowritten books topping bestseller lists. But on the heels of their greatest success, they ended their partnership on bad terms, for reasons neither would divulge to the public. They haven’t spoken since, and never planned to, except they have one final book due on contract.

Goliath by Tochi Onyebuchi
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

In his adult novel debut, Hugo, Nebula, Locus, and NAACP Image Award finalist and ALA Alex and New England Book Award winner Tochi Onyebuchi delivers a sweeping science fiction epic in the vein of Samuel R. Delany and Station Eleven.

Echoes and Empires by Morgan Rhodes
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

From the New York Times bestselling author of the Falling Kingdoms series comes the first book in a brand-new duology about forbidden magic and dangerous secrets, for readers of Victoria Aveyard and Margaret Rogerson.

Reminders of Him by Colleen Hoover
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A troubled young mother yearns for a shot at redemption in this heartbreaking yet hopeful story from #1 New York Times bestselling author Colleen Hoover.

Reckless Girls by Rachel Hawkins
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

From Rachel Hawkins, the New York Times bestselling author of The Wife Upstairs, comes Reckless Girls, a deliciously wicked gothic suspense, set on an isolated Pacific island with a dark history, for fans of Lucy Foley and Ruth Ware.

A Thousand Steps by T. Jefferson Parker
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

A Thousand Steps is a beguiling thriller, an incisive coming-of-age story, and a vivid portrait of a turbulent time and place by three-time Edgar Award winner and New York Times bestselling author T. Jefferson Parker.

A Flicker in the Dark by Stacy Willingham
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Love & Other Disasters by Anita Kelly
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

The first openly nonbinary contestant on America’s favorite cooking show falls for their clumsy competitor in this delicious romantic comedy debut “that is both fantastically fun and crack your heart wide open vulnerable.” (Rosie Danan, author of The Roommate).

The Ivory Key by Akshaya Raman
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

In this epic YA fantasy debut, magic, a prized resource, is the only thing between peace and war. When magic runs out, four estranged royal siblings must find a new source before their country is swallowed by invading forces. The first in an Indian-inspired duology that’s perfect for fans of There Will Come a Darkness, The Gilded Wolves, and We Hunt the Flame.

FEBRUARY

Ramón and Julieta by Alana Quintana Albertson
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When fate and tacos bring Ramón and Julieta together on the Day of the Dead, the star-crossed pair must make a choice: accept the bitter food rivalry that drives them apart or surrender to a love that consumes them—perfect for fans of Jane the Virgin!

The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Guest List comes a new locked room mystery, set in a Paris apartment building in which every resident has something to hide… 

This Woven Kingdom by Tahereh Mafi
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Clashing empires, forbidden romance, and a long-forgotten queen destined to save her people—bestselling author Tahereh Mafi’s first in an epic, romantic trilogy inspired by Persian mythology.

Tripping Arcadia by Kit Mayquist
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From debut author Kit Mayquist, a propulsive and atmospheric modern Gothic with all the splendor of The Great Gatsby . . . and all the secrets, lies, and darkness that opulence can hide.

The Violence by Delilah S. Dawson
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Three generations of abused women must navigate their chilling new reality as a mysterious epidemic of violence sweeps the nation in this compelling novel of self-discovery, legacy, and hope.

I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys
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A gut-wrenching, startling historical thriller about communist Romania and the citizen spy network that devastated a nation, from the #1 New York Times bestselling, award-winning author of Salt to the Sea and Between Shades of Gray.

Moon Witch, Spider King by Marlon James
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Both a brilliant narrative device—seeing the story told in Black Leopard, Red Wolf from the perspective of an adversary and a woman—as well as a fascinating battle between different versions of empire, Moon Witch, Spider King delves into Sogolon’s world as she fights to tell her own story. Part adventure tale, part chronicle of an indomitable woman who bows to no man, it is a fascinating novel that explores power, personality, and the places where they overlap.

Yerba Buena by Nina LaCour
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

The debut adult novel by the bestselling and award-winning YA author Nina LaCour, following two women on a star-crossed journey toward each other. (Edit: Yerba Buena will now publish on May 31st 2022)

House of Sky and Breath by Sarah J. Maas
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

In this sexy, action-packed sequel to the #1 bestseller House of Earth and Blood, Sarah J. Maas weaves a captivating story of a world about to explode―and the people who will do anything to save it.

The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea by Axie Oh
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Axie Oh’s The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea is an enthralling feminist retelling of the classic Korean folktale “The Tale of Shim Cheong,” perfect for fans of Wintersong, Uprooted, and Miyazaki’s SpiritedAway.

Lease On Love by Falon Ballard
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Beach Read meets The Flatshare in this warmly funny and delightfully sharp debut rom-com about a down-on-her-luck young woman who turns an innocent mix-up between a dating app and a roommate app into a new chance at love.

The Verifiers by Jane Pek
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Introducing a sharp-witted heroine for the 21st century: a new amateur sleuth exploring the landscape—both physical and virtual—of New York in a debut novel about love, technology, and murder.

MARCH

Sundial by Catriona Ward
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Sundial is a new, twisty psychological horror novel from Catriona Ward, internationally bestselling author of The Last House on Needless Street.

Blood Scion by Deborah Falaye
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

The much-acclaimed viral sensation from Olivie Blake, The Atlas Six—now newly revised and edited with additional content, is a dark academic debut fantasy with an established cult following that reads like The Secret History meets The Umbrella Academy.

The Night Shift by Alex Finlay
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

From the author of the breakout thriller Every Last Fear, comes Alex Finlay’s electrifying next novel The Night Shift, about a pair of small-town murders fifteen years apart―and the ties that bind them.

All My Rage by Sabaa Tahir
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Sabaa Tahir comes a brilliant, unforgettable, and heart-wrenching contemporary YA novel about family and forgiveness, love and loss, in a sweeping story that crosses generations and continents.

Lakelore by Anna Marie McLemore
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

In this young adult novel by award-winning author Anna-Marie McLemore, two non-binary teens are pulled into a magical world under a lake – but can they keep their worlds above water intact?

The Golden Couple by Greer Hendricks & Sarah Pekkanen
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

The Golden Couple is the next electrifying novel from Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen, the #1 New York Times bestselling author duo behind You Are Not Alone, An Anonymous Girl, and The Wife Between Us.

Dating Dr. Dil by Nisha Sharma
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Nisha Sharma’s hilarious new romantic comedy inspired by The Taming of the Shrew features a love-phobic TV doctor who must convince a love-obsessed homebody they are destined to be together.

When We Were Birds by Ayanna Lloyd Banwo
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A mythic love story set in Trinidad and Tobago, Ayanna Lloyd Banwo’s radiant debut introduces two unforgettable outsiders brought together by their connection with the dead.

The Book of Cold Cases by Simone St James
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A true crime blogger gets more than she bargained for while interviewing the woman acquitted of two cold case slayings in this chilling new novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Sun Down Motel.

A Novel Obsession by Caitlin Barasch
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A wry and bold debut novel, which is at once an irresistible catastrophe waiting to happen and an unflinching exploration of how we narrate the stories of our lives, as an aspiring novelist finds herself stalking—and writing about—her boyfriend’s ex-girlfriend.

The Lost Dreamer by Lizz Huerta
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

A stunning YA fantasy inspired by ancient Mesoamerica, this gripping debut introduces us to a lineage of seers defiantly resisting the shifting patriarchal state that would see them destroyed―perfect for fans of Tomi Adeyemi and Sabaa Tahir.

APRIL

An Arrow to the Moon by Emily X.R. Pan
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Romeo and Juliet meets Chinese mythology in this magical novel by the New York Times bestselling author of The Astonishing Color of After.

Insomnia by Sarah Pinborough
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In this twisty, mind-bending thriller from the bestselling author of Behind Her Eyes, Emma Averell worries that her crippling insomnia is a sign that she’s slowly going insane—like the mother she’s worked so hard to leave in her past.

Reputation by Lex Croucher
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Bridgerton meets Gossip Girl with a dash of Jane Austen, in Reputation, a Regency-era historical romantic comedy with a deliciously feminist twist, from a hilarious new British voice, Lex Croucher.

Hotel Magnifique by Emily J. Taylor
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

For fans of Caraval and The Night Circus, this decadent and darkly enchanting YA fantasy, set against the backdrop of a Belle Époque-inspired hotel, follows seventeen-year-old Jani as she uncovers the deeply disturbing secrets of the legendary Hotel Magnifique.

I Am the Ghost in Your House by Maria Romasco Moore
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From the author of Some Kind of Animal comes a wildly unique story about an invisible girl struggling to see herself in a world obsessed with appearances.

One of Us is Dead by Jeneva Rose
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Meet the women of Buckhead — a place of expensive cars, huge houses, and competitive friendships. Who amongst these women will be clever enough to survive Buckhead — and who will wind up dead? They say that friendships can be complex, but no one said it could ever be this deadly.

An Honest Lie by Tarryn Fisher
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This seething, gut-punch of a thriller can only have sprung from the fiendish brain of Tarryn Fisher, one of the most cunning writers of our time.

Memphis by Tara M. Stringfellow
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A spellbinding debut novel tracing three generations of a Southern Black family and one daughter’s discovery that she has the power to change her family’s legacy.

Take My Hand by Dolen Perkins-Valdez
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

A searing and compassionate new novel about a young Black nurse’s shocking discovery and burning quest for justice in post-segregation Alabama, from the New York Times bestselling author of Wench.

Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

The award-winning, best-selling author of Station Eleven and The Glass Hotel returns with a novel of art, time, love, and plague that takes the reader from Vancouver Island in 1912 to a dark colony on the moon five hundred years later, unfurling a story of humanity across centuries and space.

The Wedding Crasher by Mia Sosa
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

The USA Today bestselling author of The Worst Best Man is back with a hilarious rom-com about two strangers who get trapped in a lie and have to fake date their way out of it…

The Romantic Agenda by Claire Kann
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Thirty, flirty, and asexual Joy is secretly in love with her best friend Malcolm, but she’s never been brave enough to say so. When he unexpectedly announces that he’s met the love of his life—and no, it’s not Joy—she’s heartbroken. Malcolm invites her on a weekend getaway, and Joy decides it’s her last chance to show him exactly what he’s overlooking. But maybe Joy is the one missing something…or someone…and his name is Fox.

MAY

Book of Night by Holly Black
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

#1 New York Times bestselling author Holly Black makes her stunning adult debut with Book of Night, a modern dark fantasy of shadowy thieves and secret societies in the vein of Ninth House and The Night Circus.

Hide by Kiersten White
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A high-stakes hide-and-seek competition turns deadly in this dark thriller from New York Times bestselling author Kiersten White.

Something Wilder by Christina Lauren
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

The “reigning romance queens” (PopSugar) and New York Times bestselling authors of The Soulmate Equation and The Unhoneymooners present a charming and laugh-out-loud funny novel filled with adventure, treasure, and, of course, love.

I Kissed Shara Wheeler by Casey McQuiston
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

From the New York Times bestselling author of One Last Stop and Red, White & Royal Blue comes a debut YA romantic comedy about chasing down what you want, only to find what you need…

Forging Silver into Stars by Brigid Kemmerer
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New York Times bestselling author Brigid Kemmerer expands the Cursebreaker world in an electrifying new series.

The Honeys by Ryan La Sala
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From Ryan La Sala, the wildly popular author of Reverie, comes a twisted and tantalizing horror novel set amidst the bucolic splendor of a secluded summer retreat.

City of Orange by David Yoon
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

This imaginative and affecting new novel is beloved, bestselling, and award-winning author David Yoon at his finest: thought-provoking and heart-piercing, by turns funny and challenging, and at all times deeply human. 

The Hacienda by Isabel Cañas
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Mexican Gothic meets Rebecca in this debut supernatural suspense novel, set in the aftermath of the Mexican War of Independence, about a remote house, a sinister haunting, and the woman pulled into their clutches…

Book Lovers by Emily Henry
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

An insightful, delightful new novel from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Beach Read and People We Meet on Vacation.

My Summer Darlings by May Cobb
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Three lifelong friends plus a dangerous, sexy new stranger in town add up to a scorching summer of manipulation, obsession, and murder, from the acclaimed author of The Hunting Wives.

Bravely by Maggie Stiefvater
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Merida goes on an all-new, life-changing adventure in this original YA novel set several years after the close of Brave!

Boys, Beasts & Men by Sam J. Miller
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

In Nebula Award-winning author Sam J. Miller’s devastating debut short-fiction collection, featuring an introduction by Amal El-Mohtar, queer infatuation, inevitable heartbreak, and brutal revenge seamlessly intertwine. Whether innocent, guilty, or not even human, the boys, beasts, and men roaming through Miller’s gorgeously crafted worlds can destroy readers, yet leave them wanting more.

JUNE

Daughter of Redwinter by Ed McDonald
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From the author of the critically-acclaimed Blackwing trilogy comes Ed McDonald’s Daughter of Redwinter, the first of a brilliant fantasy series about how one choice can change a universe.

American Royalty by Tracey Livesay
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In this dangerously sexy rom-com that evokes the real-life romance between Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan Markle, a prince who wants to live out of the spotlight falls for a daring American rapper who turns his life, and the palace, upside down.

Woman of Light by Kali Fajardo-Anstine
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

A dazzling epic of betrayal, love, and fate that spans five generations of an Indigenous Chicano family in the American West, from the author of the National Book Award Finalist Sabrina & Corina.

This Wicked Fate by Kalynn Bayron
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

How much would you risk to save the ones you love? Would you tempt even the most dangerous fate?Bestselling author Kalynn Bayron continues the story of Briseis and her family’s deadly magic in the sequel to This Poison Heart.

Queerly Beloved by Susie Dumond
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

A people-pleasing bridesmaid-for-hire falls for the crushable new lesbian in town. Will she finally find her happily ever after—and her own voice? 

The House Across the Lake by Riley Sager
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

With his trademark blend of sharp characters, psychological suspense and gasp-worthy twists, Riley Sager’s The House Across the Lake will shock readers until the very last page.

Her Majesty’s Royal Coven by Juno Dawson
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

A Discovery of Witches meets The Craft in this the first installment of this epic fantasy trilogy about a group of childhood friends who are also witches.

Hell Followed With Us by Andrew Joseph White
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

A furious, queer debut novel about embracing the monster within and unleashing its power against your oppressors. Perfect for fans of Gideon the Ninth and Annihilation.

The Final Strife by Saara El-Arifi
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

In the first book of a visionary African and Arabian-inspired fantasy trilogy, three women band together against a cruel Empire that divides people by blood.

Nora Goes Off Script by Annabel Monaghan
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Evvie Drake Starts Over meets Beach Read in this heartwarming and hilarious novel about a divorced romance channel screenwriter whose script about her marriage’s collapse just might help her reclaim her life and find love.

We All Fall Down by Rose Szabo
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

The first book in a dark fantasy YA duology by the author of What Big Teeth, about the power and danger of stories and the untold costs of keeping magic alive, perfect for fans of Aiden Thomas and Marie Rutkoski.

Wicked Beauty by Katee Robert
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

She was the face that launched a thousand ships, The fierce beauty at the heart of Olympus, And she was never ours to claim. A scorchingly hot modern retelling of Helen of Troy, Achilles, and Patroclus that’s as sinful as it is sweet.

What 2022 book releases are you looking forward to? Tell us in the comments below!

The post The Most Anticipated 2022 Book Releases appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Ready for a slower pace in life, Sophie and her husband and young son leave the Chicago area and move to a town in East Texas. Sophie had lived a rather nomadic life in her childhood and fondly remembered spending part of her high school years in Mapleton, Texas, so that is where they decide to settle.

While everything starts out as pure bliss, it does not take long for the slower pace of life to start seeming a bit too slow. Her husband seems happy and successful in his new job, but Sophie feels unmoored and frustrated. In an effort to relieve what she thinks might just be boredom, Sophie sets her sights on what is basically a grown-up version of the “popular girls” clique that everyone can recognise or remember from high school. These women, however, are up to much, much more than just drinking wine and sitting around the pool and Sophie quickly finds herself immersed in a world that is half soap opera and half Real Housewives.

Knowing that the secrets she has been keeping from her husband are putting a severe strain on her marriage, Sophie realises she needs to pull away from this group of unhinged women, but her obsession with the undisputed “Queen Bee” of the group, Margot Banks, has gotten completely out of control. When it comes to Margot, Sophie’s better judgment is nowhere to be found.

When a young woman’s dead body is found in the same location where the group gets together each week, everything in Sophie’s world is turned completely upside down!

Cobb’s thriller reads like a show that you just can’t stop binge-watching. With its perfect blend of excitement, fun, humour, and sex, it is impossible to put down. Page after page flies by as the reader, just like Sophie, gets pulled (willingly, of course) deeper and deeper into the web that Cobb has woven.

While it is possibly not the right book choice for readers who prefer only likeable characters, (there will be times when almost every reader will want to scream at some of these characters), but that does not make The Hunting Wives any less irresistible!

The Hunting Wives is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore.

Will you be picking up The Hunting Wives? Tell us in the comments below!

Synopsis | Goodreads

The Hunting Wives share more than target practice, martinis, and bad behavior in this novel of obsession, seduction, and murder.

Sophie O’Neill left behind an envy-inspiring career and the stressful, competitive life of big-city Chicago to settle down with her husband and young son in a small Texas town. It seems like the perfect life with a beautiful home in an idyllic rural community. But Sophie soon realizes that life is now too quiet, and she’s feeling bored and restless.

Then she meets Margot Banks, an alluring socialite who is part of an elite clique secretly known as the Hunting Wives. Sophie finds herself completely drawn to Margot and swept into her mysterious world of late-night target practice and dangerous partying. As Sophie’s curiosity gives way to full-blown obsession, she slips farther away from the safety of her family and deeper into this nest of vipers.

When the body of a teenage girl is discovered in the woods where the Hunting Wives meet, Sophie finds herself in the middle of a murder investigation and her life spiraling out of control.

The post Review: The Hunting Wives by May Cobb appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

APRIL

Lies We Bury by Elle Marr

Marissa was born in captivity.  It’s been twenty years since she gained her freedom, but a new string of murders threatens to bring all of her secrets to the surface.

The Perfect Daughter by DJ Palmer

Grace has to visit her teenage daughter in the state psychiatric hospital where she is being held on a charge of murder.  Doctors have disagreed about a diagnosis of multiple personality disorder, but what dark and shocking secrets will be uncovered if she goes to trial?

The Truth About Unspeakable Things by Emily A Myers

After horrific trauma, Emma has finally opened her heart to love again.  She has kept so many secrets about the abuse she experienced, her past may destroy her before she gets her second chance at love and happiness.

Her Three Lives by Cate Holahan

After a violent home break-in, a family no longer knows whether they can trust anyone, even each other, as doubts, questions, and suspicions abound.  Gaslighting galore!

In The Company of Killers by Bryan Christy

A tightly wound debut thriller! Tom is an investigative reporter, but only as a cover – he’s also a CIA spy.  While he is on assignment in Kenya, his carefully crafted double life begins to fall apart, revealing truths that even Tom doesn’t know about.

MAY

The Next Wife by Kaira Rouda

Does anyone really ever ‘have it all’?  There is no limit to what some women will do to try to have it all, or to keep it.  In the name of love, or revenge, there is no limit to what a woman might do.

Find You First by Linwood Barclay

The master of psychological suspense is back with a deadly race against time when the unconventional heirs of a dying tech millionaire begin to meet mysterious ends.

The Hunting Wives by May Cobb

An elite club that focuses equally on target practice and martinis leads to a life of dangerous behavior, obsession, seduction, and murder when Sophie, her husband, and young son settle down in a small Texas town.

The Photographer by Mary Dixie Carter

After observing the wealthy and elite of New York City through her camera lens, Delta feels an uncontrollable desire to no longer be separated by the camera, and instead be part of their world.  Manipulation at its strongest is on full display here!

A Good Mother by Lara Bazelon

An exciting debut thriller with two young mothers in different positions in the same murder trial, where the decision about what defines a good mother has to be answered by the jury!

JUNE

The North Face of the Heart by Dolores Redondo (Translated by Michael Meigs)

A young but experienced female detective literally follows a murderer into the eye of a storm when she helps the FBI find a killer using natural disasters to hide his crimes and aid his escape.

Hairpin Bridge by Taylor Adams

The author of No Exit is back with a new thriller where a young woman refuses to accept the official police version of her sister’s death.  Lena is willing to fight for the truth, but instead may be fighting for her life.

The Fiancee by Kate White

What should have been a relaxing family vacation is turned on its head when a mysterious woman is involved.  An unexpected death further rocks the family, but was that only the beginning?

Hostage by Clare Mackintosh

The ultimate locked-room mystery, a claustrophobic thriller that takes place entirely on a twenty- hour flight from London to Sydney. A lot can happen in twenty hours.

Survive the Night by Riley Sager

Set in 1991, when help was not just as close as a cellphone call away, two people share a car ride when neither person knows enough about the person they are riding beside.

JULY

Choose Me by Tess Gerritsen and Gary Braver

When a young woman who is both beautiful and brilliant plunges from her apartment balcony, the detective in charge can feel in her gut that there is more to the story than meets the eye.  Discovering her sordid secrets provides more questions, rather than answers.

For Your Own Good by Samantha Downing

This best-selling author is back with a new thriller set in a prestigious private school.  Meddlesome parents, murder, Teacher of the Year, and overachieving students – what else could we ask for?

Her Last Breath by Hilary Davidson

When it is discovered that a woman predicted her own murder, her sister will absolutely not let the truth be brushed aside, despite being a pariah in her own family. Digging for the truth may come at too high of a cost, however.

Safe in my Arms by Sara Shepard

At an elite preschool, the principal is attacked and three moms who don’t think they fit in with the ultra-wealthy community work together to both find out who is trying to frame them as well as how to keep their real secrets hidden.

Silver Tears by Camilla Lackberg

Three generations of women have been hiding from one man, but secrets always eventually come out.  Betrayal and tears are sure to follow.

Are you as excited as we are about all of these upcoming thrillers? Are some of your favourite authors back with something new? Which books are you most excited to pick up? Tell us in the comments below!

The post Thrillers We Are Eagerly Anticipating In The Next Few Months appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

After whatever that last year was, we’re certainly hoping that 2021 will be a significant improvement! Just like every single industry, the publishing industry faced its own challenges with many 2020 releases delayed by months or even years in some cases and it caused much concern for authors with either recent or upcoming releases.

But with every year, there’s also the improvement when it comes to diversity and whilst it still unfortunately takes devastating events to invoke some kind of change or even discussion, there’s great change heading our way with 2021 releases (and even 2022 and 2023 based on book announcements made thus far).

The year promises for more #ownvoices authors to be heard with stories of fierce Black characters taking the lead role (and also killing it on their covers), queer characters and their journeys offering hope, characters embracing their bodies and their culture, and so much more. Then there’s the continuing shift in perception on genres, including romance and YA, with some incredibly great stories and offering a new take on the genres altogether.

To be honest, it’s quite exciting and refreshing, and we at The Nerd Daily can’t wait to see what comes next and cover 2021 releases!

Read on to discover just a few of our favourite January to June 2021 releases and tell us in the comments if you’re looking forward to any of them! 

Want more 2021 releases? Check out our lists for  2021 Queer Book Releases, 2021 Fantasy & Sci-Fi Book Releases, 2021 Romance Book Releases, 2021 YA Book Releases, and 2021 Queer SFF Book Releases.

JANUARY

Remote Control by Nnedi Okorafor
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

An alien artifact turns a young girl into Death’s adopted daughter in Remote Control, a thrilling sci-fi tale of community and female empowerment from Nebula and Hugo Award-winner Nnedi Okorafor

Be Dazzled by Ryan La Sala
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Project Runway goes to Comic Con in an epic queer love story about creativity, passion, and finding the courage to be your most authentic self.

Lore by Alexandra Bracken
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

From the #1 New York Times best-selling author of The Darkest Minds comes a sweepingly ambitious, high-octane tale of power, destiny, love and redemption.

The Push by Ashley Audrain
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

A tense, page-turning psychological drama about the making and breaking of a family–and a woman whose experience of motherhood is nothing at all what she hoped for–and everything she feared.

Persephone Station by Stina Leicht
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Hugo award-nominated author Stina Leicht has created a take on space opera for fans of The Mandalorian and Cowboy Bebop in this high-stakes adventure.

The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

A delicious twist on a Gothic classic, Rachel Hawkins’s The Wife Upstairs pairs Southern charm with atmospheric domestic suspense, perfect for fans of B.A. Paris and Megan Miranda.

The Ex Talk by Rachel Lynn Solomon
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Public radio co-hosts navigate mixed signals in Rachel Lynn Solomon’s sparkling romantic comedy debut.

A Splendid Ruin by Megan Chance
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

A spellbinding novel of dark family secrets and a young woman’s rise and revenge set against the backdrop of the devastating 1906 San Francisco earthquake.

FEBRUARY

Fat Chance, Charlie Vega by Crystal Maldonado
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

A sensitive, funny, and painful coming-of-age story with a wry voice and tons of chisme, Fat Chance, Charlie Vega tackles our relationships to our parents, our bodies, our cultures, and ourselves.

A Lady’s Formula for Love by Elizabeth Everett
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

What is a Victorian lady’s formula for love? Mix one brilliant noblewoman and her enigmatic protection officer. Add in a measure of danger and attraction. Heat over the warmth of humour and friendship, and the result is more than simple chemistry—it’s elemental.

The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Nightingale and The Great Alone comes an epic novel of love and heroism and hope, set against the backdrop of one of America’s most defining eras—the Great Depression.

The Project by Courtney Summers
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

From Courtney Summers, the New York Times bestselling author of the 2019 Edgar Award Winner and breakout hit, Sadie, comes a sensational follow-up―another pulls-no-punches thriller about an aspiring young journalist determined to save her sister from a cult.

The Echo Wife by Sarah Gailey
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

The Echo Wife is a non-stop thrill ride, perfect for readers of Big Little Lies and enthusiasts of Killing Eve and Westworld­.

The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

In this world, girls are outcasts by blood and warriors by choice. Get ready for battle. The start of a bold and immersive fantasy series for fans of Children of Blood and Bone and Black Panther.

A ​Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J. Maas
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Sarah J. Maas’s sexy, richly imagined series continues with the journey of Feyre’s fiery sister, Nesta.

Do No Harm by Christina McDonald
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

From the USA TODAY bestselling author of Behind Every Lie and The Night Olivia Fell comes an unforgettable and heart-wrenching novel about the lengths one woman will go to save her son.

MARCH

Can’t Take That Away by Steven Salvatore
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Steven Salvatore’s debut Can’t Take That Away is about Carey Parker, a genderqueer teen who dreams of being a diva like their hero Mariah Carey. When they are cast as the female lead in the school musical, they must fight against discrimination and injustice from their closed-minded school administration. 

Act Your Age, Eve Brown by Talia Hibbert
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

In Act Your Age, Eve Brown the flightiest Brown sister crashes into the life of an uptight B&B owner and has him falling hard—literally.

The Unbroken by C.L. Clark
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

In an epic political fantasy unlike any other, two women clash in a world full of rebellion, espionage, and military might on the far outreaches of a crumbling desert empire.

The Cost of Knowing by Brittney Morris
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Dear Martin meets They Both Die at the End in this gripping, evocative novel about a Black teen who has the power to see into the future, whose life turns upside down when he foresees his younger brother’s imminent death, from the acclaimed author of SLAY.

The Rose Code by Kate Quinn
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

The New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of The Huntress and The Alice Network returns with another heart-stopping World War II story of three female code breakers at Bletchley Park and the spy they must root out after the war is over.

Chain of Iron by Cassandra Clare
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

The Shadowhunters must catch a killer in Edwardian London in this dangerous and romantic sequel to the #1 New York Times bestselling novel Chain of Gold, from New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Cassandra Clare. Chain of Iron is a Shadowhunters novel.

The Bone Maker by Sarah Beth Durst
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

From award-winning author Sarah Beth Durst, a standalone epic fantasy set in a brand-new world of towering mountains and sparkling cities, in which a band of ageing warriors have a second chance to defeat dark magic and avenge a haunting loss.

Who is Maud Dixon? by Alexandra Andrews
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

For readers of The Silent Patient – a taut, twisty, character-driven suspense novel about a famous novelist and a small-town striver locked in a struggle for fortune and fame

APRIL

First, Become Ashes by K.M. Szpara
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

K. M. Szpara follows Docile, one of the most anticipated science fiction novels of 2020, with First, Become Ashes, a fantastic standalone adventure that blends pain and pleasure and will make readers question what is real, and what is magical.

Second First Impressions by Sally Thorne
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

From the USA Today  bestselling author of The Hating Game and 99 Percent Mine comes the clever, funny, and unforgettable story of a muscular, tattooed man hired as an assistant to two old women—under the watchful eye of a beautiful retirement home manager.

Kate in Waiting by Becky Albertalli
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

From #1 New York Times bestselling author and rom-com queen Becky Albertalli comes a buoyant new novel about daring to step out of the shadows and into the spotlight in love, life, and, yes, theater.

The Intimacy Experiment by Rosie Danan
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Naomi and Ethan will test the boundaries of love in this provocative romance from the author of the ground-breaking debut, The Roommate.

House of Hollow by Krystal Sutherland
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

A dark, twisty modern fairytale where three sisters discover they are not exactly all that they seem and evil things really do go bump in the night.

Pride and Premeditation by Tirzah Price
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Perfect for fans of the Lady Janies and Stalking Jack the Ripper, the first book in the Jane Austen Murder Mysteries series is a clever retelling of Pride and Prejudice that reimagines the iconic settings, characters, and romances in a thrilling and high-stakes whodunit.

Witches Steeped in Gold by Ciannon Smart
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Deadly, fierce, magnetically addictive: this Jamaican-inspired fantasy debut is a thrilling journey where dangerous magic reigns supreme and betrayal lurks beneath every word. 

Mother May I by Joshilyn Jackson
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

The New York Times bestselling author of the critically acclaimed Never Have I Ever builds on her success with this addictive novel of domestic suspense in which a mother must decide how far she is willing to go to protect her child and the life she loves—a chilling and thoughtful tale of power, privilege, lies, revenge, and the choices we make, ones that transform our lives in unforeseen ways.

MAY

Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

From the New York Times bestselling author of Daisy Jones & The Six . . . Four famous siblings throw an epic party to celebrate the end of the summer. But over the course of twenty-four hours, their lives will change forever.

Hurricane Summer by Asha Bromfield
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

In this sweeping debut, actress Asha Bromfield takes readers to the heart of Jamaica, and into the soul of a girl coming to terms with her family, and herself, set against the backdrop of a hurricane.

A Special Place for Women by Laura Hankin
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

It’s a club like no other. Only the most important women receive an invitation. But one daring young reporter is about to infiltrate this female-run secret society, whose beguiling members are caught up in a dark and treacherous business.

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

A lone astronaut must save the earth from disaster in this incredible new science-based thriller from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Martian.

Son of the Storm by Suyi Davies Okungbowa
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

From one of the most exciting new storytellers in epic fantasy, the first book in the Nameless Republic trilogy is a sweeping tale of violent conquest and forbidden magic set in a world inspired by the pre-colonial empires of West Africa.

In the Ravenous Dark by A.M. Strickland
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

A pansexual bloodmage reluctantly teams up with an undead spirit to start a rebellion among the living and the dead, in this dark YA fantasy by A.M. Strickland, author of Beyond the Black Door, whom Richard Kadrey calls “a storyteller of both grace and power.”

The Hunting Wives by May Cobb
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

The Hunting Wives share more than target practice, martinis, and bad behaviour in this novel of obsession, seduction, and murder.

Realm Breaker by Victoria Aveyard
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Irresistibly action-packed and full of lethal surprises, this stunning new fantasy series from Victoria Aveyard, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Red Queen series, begins where hope is lost and asks: When the heroes have fallen, who will take up the sword?

JUNE

One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Casey McQuiston’s One Last Stop is a magical, sexy, big-hearted romance where the impossible becomes possible as August does everything in her power to save the girl lost in time.

The Chosen and the Beautiful by Nghi Vo
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Nghi Vo’s debut novel The Chosen and the Beautiful reinvents this classic of the American canon as a coming-of-age story full of magic, mystery, and glittering excess, and introduces a major new literary voice.

Blood Like Magic by Liselle Sambury
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

A rich, dark urban fantasy debut following a teen witch who is given a horrifying task: sacrificing her first love to save her family’s magic. The problem is, she’s never been in love—she’ll have to find the perfect guy before she can kill him.

Dead Dead Girls by Nekesa Afia
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

The start of an exciting new historical mystery series set in 1920s Harlem featuring Louise Lloyd, a young black woman caught up in a series of murders way too close to home…

The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Tasha Suri’s The Jasmine Throne begins the powerful Burning Kingdoms trilogy, in which two women–a long-imprisoned princess and a maidservant in possession of forbidden magic–come together to rewrite the fate of an empire.

The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Dalila Harris
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Get Out meets The Devil Wears Prada in this electric debut about the tension that unfurls when two young Black women meet against the starkly white backdrop of New York City book publishing.

The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels by India Holton
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

A prim and proper lady thief must save her aunt from a crazed pirate and his dangerously charming henchman in this fantastical historical romance.

Our Woman in Moscow by Beatriz Williams
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

The New York Times bestselling author of Her Last Flight returns with a gripping and profoundly human story of Cold War espionage and family devotion.

What 2021 book releases are you excited for? Tell us in the comments below!

The post The Most Anticipated 2021 Book Releases appeared first on The Nerd Daily.