We believe every new author deserve an opportunity to get recognised in this community. If you agree with us and want to give more support for new authors and appreciation for their hard works, in today’s post, we’re going to feature a selection of debut books with under 100 ratings on Goodreads that we believe deserve more recognition in April 2019!

The Affairs of the Falcóns by Melissa Rivero (April 2)
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

The journey of the Falcón family who just moved from Peru to New York City in the 1990s. But being undocumented has significantly curtailed the family’s opportunities. While the husband dreams of returning to Peru, the wife determined to persevere in this new country. But how many sacrifices is she willing to make before admitting defeat and returning to Peru? And what lines is she willing to cross in order to protect her family?

Beyond the Point by Claire Gibson (April 2)
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Beyond the Point is a heartfelt look at how our closest friends can become our fiercest battle buddies. After all, the greatest battles we fight rarely require a uniform.

The Luminous Dead by Caitlin Starling (April 2)
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The Martian and Gravity meets Annihilation in this thrilling debut story where a caver on a foreign planet finds herself on a terrifying psychological and emotional journey for survival.

Sabrina & Corina: Stories by Kali Fajardo-Anstine (April 2)
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A haunting debut story collection on friendship, mothers and daughters, and the deep-rooted truths of our homelands, centered on Latinas of indigenous ancestry that shines a new light on the American West.

We Rule the Night by Claire Eliza Bartlett (April 2)
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Two girls use forbidden magic to fly and fight–for their country and for themselves–in this riveting debut that’s part Shadow and Bone, part Code Name Verity. We Rule the Night is a powerful story about sacrifice, complicated friendships, and survival despite impossible odds.

White Rose by Kip Wilson (April 2)
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A gorgeous and timely novel based on the incredible story of Sophie Scholl, a young German college student who challenged the Nazi regime during World War II as part of The White Rose, a non-violent resistance group.

We Are Blood and Thunder by Kesia Lupo (April 4)
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A powerful and terrifying storm cloud unites Lena, a young woman who runs for her life, convicted of being a mage and sentenced to death and Constance, an escapee of Duke Forest from years ago before her powers were discovered and now she’s determined to get back in. Together, they hold the key to destroying the spell.

Every Moment After by Joseph Moldover (April 9)
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Best friends Matt and Cole grapple with their changing relationships during the summer after high school in this impactful, evocative story about growing up and moving on from a traumatic past.

In the Neighborhood of True by Susan Kaplan Carlton (April 9)
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A powerful story of love, identity, and the price of fitting in or speaking out centers around Ruth Robb and her family transplant themselves in the summer of 1958 from New York City to Atlanta, after her father’s death. In her new hometown, Ruth quickly figures out she can be Jewish or she can be popular, but she can’t be both. Eager to fit in with the blond girls in the “pastel posse,” Ruth decides to hide her religion. Before she knows it, she is falling for the handsome and charming Davis and sipping Cokes with him and his friends at the all-white, all-Christian Club.

Soon the Light Will Be Perfect by Dave Patterson (April 9)
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Set over the course of one propulsive summer, Soon the Light Will be Perfect chronicles the journey of a young man on the cusp of adulthood, a town battered by poverty, and a family at a breaking point. In spare, fiercely honest prose, Dave Patterson captures what it feels like to be gloriously, violently alive at a moment of political, social, and familial instability.

The Dream Peddler by Martine Fournier Watson (April 9)
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A page-turning debut novel about a traveling salesman who arrives to sell dreams to a town rocked by a child’s disappearance–both a thoughtful mediation on grief and a magical exploration of our innermost desires.

The Risk of Us by Rachel Howard (April 9)
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

A poignant, dazzling debut novel about a woman who longs to be a mother and the captivating yet troubled child she and her husband take in. It explores the inevitable tests children bring to a marriage, the uncertainties of family life, and the ways true empathy obliterates our defenses.

Earth to Charlie by Justin Olson (April 16)
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A high school outcast, Charlie, spends his life hoping to be abducted by aliens in this funny, quirky novel about finding your footing in a world that sometimes feels like Mars. But that’s before he meets the popular and easy-going Seth, who shows him what real friendship is all about. And now Charlie has to make a decision: should he stay or should he go?

Viper (Isles of Storm and Sorrow #1) by Bex Hogan (April 18)
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A story of Marianne, who has been training to be the Viper for her entire life – to serve and protect the King and the citizens of The Twelve Isles – but to become the Viper and protect the islands she loves she must find the strength to defeat her father.

Emily Eternal by M.G. Wheaton (April 23)
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Meet Emily – she can solve advanced mathematical problems, unlock the mind’s deepest secrets and even fix your truck’s air con. And she’s an artificial consciousness who designed in a lab to help humans process trauma, which is particularly helpful when the sun begins to die 5 billion years before scientists agreed it was supposed to. But unfortunately, she can’t restart the Sun.

The Abolitionist’s Daughter by Diane C. McPhail (April 30)
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

An emotional debut novel that explores a little-known aspect of Civil War history—Southern Abolitionists—and the timeless struggle to do right even amidst bitter conflict.

When I Was Summer by J.B. Howard (April 30)
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

A story about unrequited love, rock ’n’ roll, and what you find when you go searching for yourself, centers around sixteen-year-old Nora Wakelin, who has always felt like an outsider in her own family. Being adapted, now Nora is in a mission to find her biological mother. So she sets out to track them each down, one by one, under the pretense of a statewide tour with her rock band, Blue Miles. Three cities, three gigs, three possible birth mothers—it should be easy. But is it?

Will you be checking out any of these debut book releases? Tell us in the comments below!

The post 17 April Debut Book Releases To Check Out appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

In the Neighborhood of True

This was an important read for several reasons. I think readers will be able to draw parallels between what happened back during the Civil Rights movement to events that are happening today. There’s a question of who we become when our identities we create for ourselves are unmasked. More importantly, who are you truly loyal to when you have a conflict of interest? Loyalty to family and friends versus standing up to bigotry and hate. These were topics that I felt were handled very well by Carlton. Though this story is about a young Jewish woman facing anti-semitism in the south, it didn’t just side-step the racism and other horrifying events going on during that time period.

When I first started this book, I was having trouble with Ruth. She came off as such a shallow young woman because she caved into peer pressure, but the more I read on, the more sense her choices made. Peer and social pressures can be powerful motivators to hide one’s true self from the world, and Ruth is merely doing her best to survive in a world that has suddenly become more hostile than ever. Though she is not actively being persecuted, she can see how others lives are being affected by the current time period. Her development from beginning to end were wonderful to read. Although much of the focus was on Ruth, the characters close to her also felt well-developed in some aspect or another and helped Ruth find herself in one way or another.

The pacing in this story felt really off, and I’m not sure if it was because I was expecting the central conflict a lot sooner than it happened or if there was something missing. The first half of the book felt really slow and I was really struggling to find something to keep me reading. Once you get past the first half, the story seems to go from zero to sixty in a matter of pages. The last half of the book made the journey to the end worthwhile though, so I encourage readers to pick it up. It’s a really important read.

Another thing that made the first half of the book a bit of a slower read for me were the debutante girls. They were very flat, shallow, and just forgettable characters whose value only seemed to be to show Ruth how to drink. Ruth’s interactions with them felt meaningless in comparison to the greater story at hand. Ruth’s rival/antagonist felt severely underdeveloped and rendered the conflict between them almost inconsequential. If anything, I would have loved to see Ruth interact more meaningfully with Max because I think it would have made the romantic part of the story even more interesting. The romance was pretty whirlwind-y and I thought it was cute at times, but I definitely thought a deeper connection could have been explored elsewhere.

Even with these issues, In the Neighborhood of True is a story that really struck a chord with me. It highlights issues that remain as relevant then as they are now. It reminded us that we can’t truly hide ourselves, not when it matters the most. Most important of all, it reminds the reader that we must always tell our truths, no matter how hard it might be for others to hear them. My rating for this story is a 7/10. I look forward to seeing what else this author will write.

In the Neighborhood of True is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers.

Will you be reading In The Neighborhood of True? Have you already? Tell us in the comments below!

Synopsis | Goodreads

A powerful story of love, identity, and the price of fitting in or speaking out.

After her father’s death, Ruth Robb and her family transplant themselves in the summer of 1958 from New York City to Atlanta—the land of debutantes, sweet tea, and the Ku Klux Klan. In her new hometown, Ruth quickly figures out she can be Jewish or she can be popular, but she can’t be both. Eager to fit in with the blond girls in the “pastel posse,” Ruth decides to hide her religion. Before she knows it, she is falling for the handsome and charming Davis and sipping Cokes with him and his friends at the all-white, all-Christian Club.

Does it matter that Ruth’s mother makes her attend services at the local synagogue every week? Not as long as nobody outside her family knows the truth. At temple Ruth meets Max, who is serious and intense about the fight for social justice, and now she is caught between two worlds, two religions, and two boys. But when a violent hate crime brings the different parts of Ruth’s life into sharp conflict, she will have to choose between all she’s come to love about her new life and standing up for what she believes.

The post Review: In the Neighborhood of True by Susan Kaplan Carlton appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Helena Hunting pens a fun new romantic comedy in Meet Cute, Cassandra Clare adds another instalment to her Shadowhunter Chronicles with The Red Scrolls of Magic, and Josh Malerman, author of Bird Box, writes a story about two schools for geniuses in Inspection.

Exciting debuts come from the likes of Joan He in her Chinese-inspired fantasy, Descendant of the Crane, while Emily A. Duncan’s fantasy novel Wicked Saints follows a century long war, and Melanie Golding’s Little Darlings is a new creepy thriller inspired by dark fairy tales.

Read on to discover our picks and tell us in the comments below if you will be reading any!

Meet Cute by Helena Hunting
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Descendant of the Crane by Joan He
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

In this shimmering Chinese-inspired fantasy, debut author Joan He introduces a determined and vulnerable young heroine struggling to do right in a world brimming with deception.

Little Darlings by Melanie Golding
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Compulsive, creepy, and inspired by some of our darkest fairy tales, Little Darlings will have you checking—and rechecking—your own little ones. Just to be sure. Just to be safe.

Wicked Saints by Emily A. Duncan
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

In a centuries-long war where beauty and brutality meet, their three paths entwine in a shadowy world of spilled blood and mysterious saints, where a forbidden romance threatens to tip the scales between dark and light. Wicked Saints is the thrilling start to Emily A. Duncan’s devastatingly Gothic Something Dark and Holy trilogy.

Under The Northern Lights by S.C. Stephens
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From the number one New York Times bestselling author of the Thoughtless series comes a sweet, thoughtful romance set high in the Alaskan wilderness.

The Stillwater Girls by Minka Kent
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Two sisters raised in fear are about to find out why in a chilling novel of psychological suspense from the author of The Thinnest Air.

In The Neighbourhood of True by Susan Kaplan Carlton
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Partly inspired by the Atlanta temple bombing of 1958, In the Neighborhood of True is the thoughtful and provoking story of Ruth Robb, a young woman trying to fit in to the “in” crowd in her new hometown by hiding her Jewish heritage.

Lost Roses by Martha Hall Kelly
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The runaway bestseller Lilac Girls introduced the real-life heroine Caroline Ferriday. This sweeping new novel, set a generation earlier and also inspired by true events, features Caroline’s mother, Eliza, and follows three equally indomitable women from St. Petersburg to Paris under the shadow of World War I.

The Red Scrolls of Magic by Cassandra Clare and Wesley Chu
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From #1 New York Times bestseller Cassandra Clare and award-winner Wesley Chu comes the first book in a new series that follows High Warlock Magnus Bane and Alec Lightwood as they tour the world after the Mortal War. The Red Scrolls of Magic is a Shadowhunters novel.

Inspection by Josh Malerman
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Boys are being trained at one school for geniuses, girls at another. Neither knows the other exists—until now. The New York Times bestselling author of Bird Box invites you into a world of secrets and chills in a coming-of-age story like no other.

The Princess and the Fangirl by Ashley Poston
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The Prince and the Pauper gets a modern makeover in this adorable, witty, and heartwarming young adult novel set in the Geekerella universe by national bestselling author Ashley Poston.

The Mother-In-Law by Sally Hepworth
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A twisty, compelling new novel about one woman’s complicated relationship with her mother-in-law that ends in death…

Will you be reading any of these April book releases? Tell us in the comments below!

The post April Book Releases appeared first on The Nerd Daily.