Our 28 Most Anticipated Reads of Summer 2020

Get Literary
May 19 2020
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If you could travel anywhere right now, where would you go? If the answer is “far, far away,” take a BookCation with these reads coming out this summer. Bustle through the NYC neighborhoods of the 2000s. Sunbathe at a gorgeous Martha’s Vineyard mansion. Experience legal cannibalism in a dystopian world….Okay, so maybe not all of them are places you’d like to visit. But at the very least, we promise these books will help you escape from wherever you are. Keep on reading to find out more about our most anticipated reads of Summer 2020.

For more BookCation recommendations, check out Simon & Schuster’s summer reading guide.

This post was originally published on GetLiterary.com.

Dear Emmie Blue
by Lia Louis

Courtney’s Pick #1

There are so many amazing books coming out this summer, but Dear Emmie Blue is the one I am recommending to all of my friends to read first. I read this story pre-publication last October, and I’ve been obsessed with it ever since. It’s one of those books I wish I could read for the first time again. Author Lia Louis is a beautiful writer, and I was swept up in Emmie Blue’s journey. Her story begins as most do: with a teenage girl putting a secret and her email address inside a balloon and sending it across the English Channel, only for it to be found by a boy in France named Lucas Moreau. Fast-forward fourteen years and Emmie is in love with Lucas, convinced the big question he has to ask will reveal his love for her. But when things don’t go as planned, Emmie realizes she has neglected other aspects of her life (from her relationship with her mother to her career) in favor of Lucas, and that it’s time to make a change. I love all these characters and by the end, I felt like I knew them personally. The novel is such a perfect hope-filled rom-com, I’d honestly be disappointed if it wasn’t adapted into a Netflix movie. This is one book you don’t want to miss.

Publication date: July 14, 2020

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Dear Emmie Blue
Lia Louis

“A delightful story about how the things we imagine to be best for us usually aren’t. The reason you will love Dear Emmie Blue is because you’ve probably *lived* Dear Emmie Blue, in some small part of your own journey to adulthood.” Jodi Picoult, #1 New York Times bestselling author

In this charming and poignant novel, teenager Emmie Blue releases a balloon with her email address and a big secret into the sky, only to fall head-over-heels for the boy who finds it; now, fourteen years later, the one thing Emmie has been counting on is gone for good, and everything she planned is up in the air.

At sixteen, Emmie Blue stood in the fields of her school and released a red balloon into the sky. Attached was her name, her email address…and a secret she desperately wanted to be free of. Weeks later, on a beach in France, Lucas Moreau discovered the balloon and immediately emailed the attached addressed, sparking an intense friendship between the two teens.

Now, fourteen years later, Emmie is hiding the fact that she’s desperately in love with Lucas. She has pinned all her hopes on him and waits patiently for him to finally admit that she’s the one for him. So dedicated to her love for Lucas, Emmie has all but neglected her life outside of this relationship—she’s given up the search for her absentee father, no longer tries to build bridges with her distant mother, and lives as a lodger to an old lady she barely knows after being laid off from her job. And when Lucas tells Emmie he has a big question to ask her, she’s convinced this is the moment he’ll reveal his feelings for her. But nothing in life ever quite goes as planned, does it?

Emmie Blue is about to learn everything she thinks she knows about life (and love) is just that: what she thinks she knows. Is there such thing as meant to be? Or is it true when they say that life is what happens when you are busy making other plans? A story filled with heart and humor, Dear Emmie Blue is perfect for fans of Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine and Evvie Drake Starts Over.

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Head Over Heels
by Hannah Orenstein

Molly’s Pick #1

I love the Olympics so much, that the Olympic Anthem was my ringtone for several years. (Remember purchasing custom ringtones?!) Like everyone else, I’m devastated that this year’s games have been postponed, but the great news is that you can still tumble into the world of competitive gymnastics through Head Over Heels by Hannah Orenstein. This engaging novel stars Avery Abrams, a former gymnast whose career and chances of a gold medal were cut short seven years prior due to an injury. After a tough breakup with her boyfriend, Avery returns to her childhood home to recalibrate her life. She begins to help train Hallie, a passionate and talented gymnast who's ready for her shot. But when a scandal rocks the gymnastics world, it forces Avery to confront her past experiences with the sport and protect Hallie and other young gymnasts from suffering the same fate.

Publication date: June 23, 2020

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Head Over Heels
Hannah Orenstein

Named a best beach/summer read by O, The Oprah Magazine, Cosmopolitan, Parade, PopSugar, Marie Claire, Bustle, and more!

From the author of the Love at First Like and Playing with Matches, an electrifying rom-com set in the high stakes world of competitive gymnastics, full of Hannah Orenstein’s signature “charm, whimsy, and giddy romantic tension” (BuzzFeed).

The past seven years have been hard on Avery Abrams: After training her entire life to make the Olympic gymnastics team, a disastrous performance ended her athletic career for good. Her best friend and teammate, Jasmine, went on to become an Olympic champion, then committed the ultimate betrayal by marrying their emotionally abusive coach, Dimitri.

Now, reeling from a breakup with her football star boyfriend, Avery returns to her Massachusetts hometown, where new coach Ryan asks her to help him train a promising young gymnast with Olympic aspirations. Despite her misgivings and worries about the memories it will evoke, Avery agrees. Back in the gym, she’s surprised to find sparks flying with Ryan. But when a shocking scandal in the gymnastics world breaks, it has shattering effects not only for the sport but also for Avery and her old friend Jasmine.

Perfect for fans of Emily Giffin and Jasmine Guillory, Head Over Heels proves that no one “writes about modern relationships with more humor or insight than Hannah Orenstein” (Dana Schwartz, author of Choose Your Own Disaster).

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Kings County
by David Goodwillie

Morgan’s Pick #1

If you’re missing the hustle and bustle of NYC, I feel you. I am as well. To help with this nostalgia, I highly suggest you pick up a copy of Kings County. Why? This incredibly immersive story will throw you onto the streets of NYC in the 2000s, from the protests of Occupy Wall Street to the parties of Bushwick, Brooklyn. Audrey Benton arrives in New York City on a bus from nowhere, but she soon finds a home for herself amid the burgeoning indie rock scene. She also finds an unlikely match in Theo Gorski, a shy but idealistic mill-town kid who’s struggling to establish himself in the world of publishing. But when a secret emerges from Audrey’s past, it threatens to tear down everything she and Theo have created together. This love story is at once gritty and hopeful. You won’t want to put it down!

Publication date: July 28, 2020

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Kings County
David Goodwillie

A Brooklyn love story, set to music.

Kings County crystallizes how it feels to be young and in love in New York City.” —Stephanie Danler

“A true and continual delight...Goodwillie captures the rapturous soul of a bygone Brooklyn.” —Joshua Ferris

It’s the early 2000s and like generations of ambitious young people before her, Audrey Benton arrives in New York City on a bus from nowhere. Broke but resourceful, she soon finds a home for herself amid the burgeoning music scene in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. But the city’s freedom comes with risks, and Audrey makes compromises to survive. As she becomes a minor celebrity in indie rock circles, she finds an unlikely match in Theo Gorski, a shy but idealistic mill-town kid who’s struggling to establish himself in the still-patrician world of books. But then an old acquaintance of Audrey’s disappears under mysterious circumstances, sparking a series of escalating crises that force the couple to confront a dangerous secret from her past.

From the raucous heights of Occupy Wall Street to the comical lows of the publishing industry, from million-dollar art auctions to Bushwick drug dens, Kings County captures New York City at a moment of cultural reckoning. Grappling with the resonant issues and themes of our time—sex and violence, art and commerce, friendship and family—it is an epic coming-of-age tale about love, consequences, bravery, and fighting for one’s place in an ever-changing world.

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The Book of Lost Names
by Kristin Harmel

Molly’s Pick #2

I have been looking forward to the publication of Kristin Harmel’s newest book, The Book of Lost Names, ever since I read The Winemaker’s Wife. I love Kristin’s writing—it’s smart, evocative, and utterly engrossing. These qualities will no doubt extend to The Book of Lost Names, which is based on a true story from World War II about a young woman who helped hundreds of Jewish children flee the Nazis with her knack for forgery. I’m always interested in reading true stories about WWII, because inevitably the hero of the story was once a regular citizen who does extraordinary, courageous things; it reminds us all of what we can do in the face of such unfathomable circumstances. If you enjoyed The Light Over London, The Alice Network, or The Nightingale, be sure to read The Book of Lost Names.

Publication date: July 21, 2020

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The Book of Lost Names
Kristin Harmel

Inspired by an astonishing true story from World War II, a young woman with a talent for forgery helps hundreds of Jewish children flee the Nazis in this unforgettable historical novel from the international bestselling author of the “epic and heart-wrenching World War II tale” (Alyson Noel, #1 New York Times bestselling author) The Winemaker’s Wife.

Eva Traube Abrams, a semi-retired librarian in Florida, is shelving books one morning when her eyes lock on a photograph in a magazine lying open nearby. She freezes; it’s an image of a book she hasn’t seen in sixty-five years—a book she recognizes as The Book of Lost Names.

The accompanying article discusses the looting of libraries by the Nazis across Europe during World War II—an experience Eva remembers well—and the search to reunite people with the texts taken from them so long ago. The book in the photograph, an eighteenth-century religious text thought to have been taken from France in the waning days of the war, is one of the most fascinating cases. Now housed in Berlin’s Zentral- und Landesbibliothek library, it appears to contain some sort of code, but researchers don’t know where it came from—or what the code means. Only Eva holds the answer—but will she have the strength to revisit old memories and help reunite those lost during the war?

As a graduate student in 1942, Eva was forced to flee Paris after the arrest of her father, a Polish Jew. Finding refuge in a small mountain town in the Free Zone, she begins forging identity documents for Jewish children fleeing to neutral Switzerland. But erasing people comes with a price, and along with a mysterious, handsome forger named Rémy, Eva decides she must find a way to preserve the real names of the children who are too young to remember who they really are. The records they keep in The Book of Lost Names will become even more vital when the resistance cell they work for is betrayed and Rémy disappears.

An engaging and evocative novel reminiscent of The Lost Girls of Paris and The Alice Network, The Book of Lost Names is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit and the power of bravery and love in the face of evil.

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The Only Good Indians
by Stephen Graham Jones

Sara’s Pick #1

What does it mean to bear responsibility? That sounds like an easy question, but what you owe to others might end up being more than you bargained for. When four American Indian teens kill a pregnant deer, they set themselves and their loved ones on a dark and deadly path. Stephen Graham Jones is known for surreal horror that shakes you to the core, usually in more ways than one. The Only Good Indians is not only filled with terrifying imagery and heart-stopping twists, but it’s also laden with social commentary on masculinity, the trauma of systematic oppression, and the constant negotiation between identity and culture. If you need a read that'll send chills down your spine in the summer heat, this needs to be in your virtual beach bag.

Publication date: July 14, 2020

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The Only Good Indians
Stephen Graham Jones

“One of 2020’s buzziest horror novels.” —Entertainment Weekly

The Only Good Indians is a masterpiece. Intimate, devastating, brutal, terrifying, yet warm and heartbreaking in the best way, Stephen Graham Jones has written a horror novel about injustice and, ultimately, about hope….And it gives me hope that this book exists and is now in your hands.” —Paul Tremblay, author of A Head Full of Ghosts and The Cabin at the End of the World

“Bloody and brutal at times, but also intimate, heartbreaking and ultimately hopeful.” —Rebecca Roanhorse, New York Times bestselling author of Trail of Lightning

The creeping horror of Paul Tremblay meets Tommy Orange’s There There in a dark novel of revenge, cultural identity, and the cost of breaking from tradition in this latest novel from the Jordan Peele of horror literature, Stephen Graham Jones.

Seamlessly blending classic horror and a dramatic narrative with sharp social commentary, The Only Good Indians follows four American Indian men after a disturbing event from their youth puts them in a desperate struggle for their lives. Tracked by an entity bent on revenge, these childhood friends are helpless as the culture and traditions they left behind catch up to them in a violent, vengeful way.

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An Elegant Woman
by Martha McPhee

Zoey’s Pick

Did you love Ask Again, Yes by Mary Beth Keane? Are you ready for a sweeping multigenerational family story, surrounding one very unique woman? An Elegant Woman is inspired by author Martha McPhee's own family, and it follows narrator Isadora's efforts to understand the sharp, adventurous person of her grandmother. The book opens with this line, and had me hooked from the beginning: "For as long as I could remember, my grandmother was dying and telling stories. 'I'm just a candle in the wind,' she would say, and clutch her heart, sighing audibly. 'I'm just an old, threadbare mule going round and round the katydid.'"

Publication date: June 2, 2020

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An Elegant Woman
Martha McPhee

For fans of Mary Beth Keane and Jennifer Egan, this powerful, moving multigenerational saga from National Book Award finalist Martha McPhee—ten years in the making—explores one family’s story against the sweep of 20th century American history.

Drawn from the author’s own family history, An Elegant Woman is a story of discovery and reinvention, following four generations of women in one American family. As Isadora, a novelist, and two of her sisters sift through the artifacts of their forebears’ lives, trying to decide what to salvage and what to toss, the narrative shifts to a winter day in 1910 at a train station in Ohio. Two girls wait in the winter cold with their mother—the mercurial Glenna Stewart—to depart for a new life in the West. As Glenna campaigns in Montana for women’s suffrage and teaches in one-room schoolhouses, Tommy takes care of her little sister, Katherine: trapping animals, begging, keeping house, cooking, while Katherine goes to school. When Katherine graduates, Tommy makes a decision that will change the course of both of their lives.

A profound meditation on memory, history, and legacy, An Elegant Woman follows one woman over the course of the 20th century, taking the reader from a drought-stricken farm in Montana to a yellow Victorian in Maine; from the halls of a psychiatric hospital in London to a wedding gown fitting at Bergdorf Goodman; from a house in small town Ohio to a family reunion at a sweltering New Jersey pig roast. Framed by Isadora’s efforts to retell her grandmother’s journey—and understand her own—the novel is an evocative exploration of the stories we tell ourselves, and what we leave out.

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Florence Adler Swims Forever
by Rachel Beanland

Sharon’s Pick #1

Florence Adler Swims Forever has all the trappings of unforgettable historical fiction. Rachel Beanland creates an immersive setting that takes readers to Atlantic City, “America’s Playground,” during the summer of 1934. Her memorable characters—including a woman who is training to swim the English Channel, her bedridden, pregnant sister, and a mysterious young woman recently emigrated from Nazi Germany—are all cramped together in an apartment above a bakery. To top it off, tragedy strikes, and the characters become embroiled in a series of secrets and lies. Did I mention that the book is based on a true story and that it’s Beanland’s debut novel?

Publication date: July 7, 2020

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Florence Adler Swims Forever
Rachel Beanland

“The perfect summer read” (USA TODAY) begins with a shocking tragedy that results in three generations of the Adler family grappling with heartbreak, romance, and the weight of family secrets across the course of one summer.

“Rachel Beanland is a writer of uncommon wit and wisdom, with a sharp and empathetic eye for character. She’ll win you over in the most old fashioned of ways: She simply tells a hell of a story.” —Rebecca Makkai, Pulitzer Finalist for The Great Believers

Atlantic City, 1934. Every summer, Esther and Joseph Adler rent their house out to vacationers escaping to “America’s Playground” and move into the small apartment above their bakery. Despite the cramped quarters, this is the apartment where they raised their two daughters, Fannie and Florence, and it always feels like home.

Now Florence has returned from college, determined to spend the summer training to swim the English Channel, and Fannie, pregnant again after recently losing a baby, is on bedrest for the duration of her pregnancy. After Joseph insists they take in a mysterious young woman whom he recently helped emigrate from Nazi Germany, the apartment is bursting at the seams.

Esther only wants to keep her daughters close and safe but some matters are beyond her control: there’s Fannie’s risky pregnancy—not to mention her always-scheming husband, Isaac—and the fact that the handsome heir of a hotel notorious for its anti-Semitic policies, seems to be in love with Florence.

When tragedy strikes, Esther makes the shocking decision to hide the truth—at least until Fannie’s baby is born—and pulls the family into an elaborate web of secret-keeping and lies, bringing long-buried tensions to the surface that reveal how quickly the act of protecting those we love can turn into betrayal.

Based on a true story and told in the vein of J. Courtney Sullivan’s Saints for All Occasions and Anita Diamant’s The Boston Girl, Beanland’s family saga is a breathtaking portrait of just how far we will go to in order to protect our loved ones and an uplifting portrayal of how the human spirit can endure—and even thrive—after tragedy.

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Basic Bitchen
by Joey Skladany

Courtney’s Pick #2

I’m cooking up a storm in quarantine, or at least I’d like to be. However, while most cookbooks have delicious recipes, they don’t speak to my inner foodie. Ever since reading Stassi Schroeder’s Next Level Basic, I have fully embraced my inner-basic bitch—and she is crying out for basic meals that were a staple in my pre–social distancing life. Enter Joey Skladany and his cookbook, Basic Bitchen. With a glass of rosé in hand, Joey starts with pantry staples you’ll actually use and then works up from there. With recipes from Basic Bitch Lifeblood, a.k.a. the Pumpkin Spice Latte, to “I Could Eat This, Like, Every Day” Sushi Rolls, you’ll have access to the variety and deliciousness your inner basic bitch craves. And when life goes back to normal? Your friends will be running to your place for an in-person gossip session with amazing food and drinks.

Publication date: August 4, 2020

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Basic Bitchen
Joey Skladany

Pour a glass of rosé and embrace your inner basic bitch with these 100+ everyday recipes, complete with tips and tricks for cooking “basic” meals you know you shamelessly love.

In a world where everyone seeks to be special and pride themselves on their differences, there is one common bond that unites us all—basicness. And while some rock the Ugg boots and drink pumpkin spice lattes more than others, we can all still appreciate the simple pleasures that mimosas, avocado toast, and acai bowls bring. And that’s okay!

Basic Bitchen celebrates and embraces the basic bitch lifestyle through food, offering step-by-step recipes for the most fundamental (and delicious) of all dishes. Recipes include:
-Basic Bitch Lifeblood, a.k.a. the Pumpkin Spice Latte
-Mom’s Definitely-Not-Sicilian Sicilian Caesar Salad
-“I Could Eat This, Like, Every Day” Sushi Rolls
-A Deeply Personal Cauliflower Pizza
-Way Too Easy (If You Know What I Mean) One-Sheet Pan Dinners
-Antidepressant Red Velvet Cake Pops

In addition to these easy, flavorful crowd-pleasing recipes, Chowhound editor Joey Skladany provides tips and tricks, such as how to build a pantry and cooking tools that every chef needs so you can take your cooking skills beyond the microwave and make meals all of your friends will enjoy.

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The Girl from Widow Hills
by Megan Miranda

Saimah’s Pick

What would you do if you suddenly woke up and found yourself standing over a dead body but have no recollection of how you got there? In Megan Miranda’s latest thriller, The Girl from Widow Hills, Arden Maynor, a.k.a. Olivia Meyer, wakes up to this nightmare after sleepwalking. She hasn’t had a sleepwalking episode in two decades, but as a young girl she was swept into a body of underground pipes while sleepwalking during a storm and went missing for three days. Her story made national headlines and cast the harsh glow of the spotlight on her little town. She changed her name and moved across state lines to leave her past behind. But it won’t let her out of its grip that easy…the mysterious corpse lying at her feet outside is a man she knows from her previous life. Was she responsible for his death? Did anybody see what happened? You’ll have to read this suspenseful, fast-paced story to find out!

Publication date: June 23, 2020

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The Girl from Widow Hills
Megan Miranda

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Last House Guest—a Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick—comes a riveting new novel of psychological suspense about a young woman plagued by night terrors after a childhood trauma who wakes one evening to find a corpse at her feet.

Everyone knows the story of “the girl from Widow Hills.”

Arden Maynor was just a child when she was swept away while sleepwalking during a terrifying rainstorm and went missing for days. Strangers and friends, neighbors and rescue workers, set up search parties and held vigils, praying for her safe return. Against all odds, she was found, alive, clinging to a storm drain. The girl from Widow Hills was a living miracle. Arden’s mother wrote a book. Fame followed. Fans and fan letters, creeps, and stalkers. And every year, the anniversary. It all became too much. As soon as she was old enough, Arden changed her name and disappeared from the public eye.

Now a young woman living hundreds of miles away, Arden goes by Olivia. She’s managed to stay off the radar for the last few years. But with the twentieth anniversary of her rescue approaching, the media will inevitably renew its interest in Arden. Where is she now? Soon Olivia feels like she’s being watched and begins sleepwalking again, like she did long ago, even waking outside her home. Until late one night she jolts awake in her yard. At her feet is the corpse of a man she knows—from her previous life, as Arden Maynor.

And now, the girl from Widow Hills is about to become the center of the story, once again, in this propulsive page-turner from suspense master Megan Miranda.

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Grown Ups
by Emma Jane Unsworth

Heather’s Pick #1

Millennials have been blamed for everything from killing chain restaurants to choosing avocado toast over homeownership, and it’s beyond frustrating. That’s why I am always up for novels about the very real struggles of adulting in a world where 30-somethings have already endured not one but two historic economic downturns. Enter Emma Jane Unsworth’s Grown Ups, pitched as a “neurotic dramedy,” which tells the story of Jenny McLaine, whose life is a hot mess. Not only has she lost her job as a columnist, but her ex has moved on, and she’s feeling the strain of unrealistic expectations for women, which social media only heightens. Even with support from her family and friends, it’ll be on Jenny—and Jenny only—to turn her life around, and who can’t relate to that tough realization?

Publication date: August 18, 2020

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Grown Ups
Emma Jane Unsworth

INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER

Fleabag meets Conversations with Friends in this brutally honest, observant, original novel about a woman going through a breakup…but really having more of a breakdown.

Jenny McLaine’s life is falling apart. Her friendships are flagging. Her body has failed her. She’s just lost her column at The Foof because she isn’t the fierce voice new feminism needs. Her ex has gotten together with another woman. And worst of all: Jenny’s mother is about to move in. Having left home at eighteen to remake herself as a self-sufficient millennial, Jenny is now in her thirties and nothing is as she thought it would be. Least of all adulthood.

Told in live-wire prose, texts, emails, script dialogue, and social media messages, Grown Ups is a neurotic dramedy of 21st-century manners for the digital age. It reckons with what it means to exist in a woman’s body: to sing and dance and work and mother and sparkle and equalize and not complain and be beautiful and love your imperfections and stay strong and show your vulnerability and bake and box…

But, despite our impossible expectations of women, Emma Jane Unsworth never lets Jenny off the hook. Jenny’s life is falling apart at her own hands and whether or not she has help from her mother or her friends, Jenny is the only one who will be able to pick up the pieces and learn how to, more or less, grow up. Or will she?

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Filthy Beasts
by Kirkland Hamill

Morgan’s Pick #2

Are you as obsessed with memoirs as I am? Then you must add Filthy Beasts to your TBR. Kirk is eight years old when his family moves from New York’s upper-class society to his mom’s native Bermuda. Kirk and his brothers are left to fend for themselves as their mother succumbs to alcoholism. After eventually leaving his mother’s dysfunctional orbit for college in New Orleans, Kirk begins to realize how different his family was—and how his upbringing has been—from that of his friends and peers. Filthy Beasts is both a gripping riches-to-rags story and the unforgettable journey of a man coming to terms with his family’s flaws and his own buried truths.

Publication date: July 14, 2020 

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Filthy Beasts
Kirkland Hamill

Running with Scissors meets Grey Gardens in this gripping, true riches-to-rags tale of a wealthy family who lost it all and the unforgettable journey of a man coming to terms with his family’s deep flaws and his own long-buried truths.

“Wake up, you filthy beasts!” Wendy Hamill would shout to her children in the mornings before school. Startled from their dreams, Kirk and his two brothers couldn’t help but wonder—would they find enough food in the house for breakfast?

Following a rancorous split from New York’s upper-class society, newly divorced Wendy and her three sons are exiled from the East Coast elite circle. Wendy’s middle son, Kirk, is eight when she moves the family to her native Bermuda, leaving the three young boys to fend for themselves as she chases after the highs of her old life: alcohol, a wealthy new suitor, and other indulgences.

After eventually leaving his mother’s dysfunctional orbit for college in New Orleans, Kirk begins to realize how different his family and upbringing is from that of his friends and peers. Split between extreme privilege—early years living in luxury on his family’s private compound—and bare survival—rationing food and water during the height of his mother’s alcoholism—Kirk is used to keeping up appearances and burying his inconvenient truths from the world, until he’s eighteen and falls in love for the first time.

A fascinating window into the life of extreme privilege and a powerful story of self-acceptance, Filthy Beasts recounts Kirk’s unforgettable journey through luxury hotels and charity stores, private enclaves and public shame as he confronts his family’s many imperfections, accepts his unconventional childhood, and finally comes to terms with his own hidden secrets.

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Craigslist Confessional
by Helena Dea Bala

Justin’s Pick

Helena Dea Bala’s odyssey into the deep, dark, and concealed corners of other people’s lives began after she put an ad on Craigslist with the subject line, "Tell me about yourself." More than half a decade later, the former Washington lobbyist and attorney is making a living by lending a compassionate ear to complete strangers through her blog. For Craigslist Confessional, the author has compiled 40 intimate, heart-wrenching, and acutely human confessions into her collection, where she examines topics related to loss, love, and identity. While not always an easy read (you’ll likely need to take a breather between reading some of these stories), Dea Bala’s book is an engaging call for empathy. It confronts us with the struggles and truths that these strangers reveal about their day-to-day lives and, in so doing, asks us to be a little bit kinder to—and more understanding of—everyone we encounter.

Publication date: July 7, 2020 

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Craigslist Confessional
Helena Dea Bala

For fans of Humans of New York and PostSecret, a collection of raw, urgent, and heartfelt stories, shared anonymously.

What would you confess if you knew it would never get back to your spouse, your colleagues, or your family? What story would you tell about your life if a stranger was willing to listen with no judgement, no stigma, and no consequences—just an unburdening and the relief of confession?

After graduating from law school, Helena Dea Bala was a lobbyist in Washington, DC, struggling to pay off her student loans. She felt lonely and unfulfilled but, after a chance conversation with a homeless man she often saw on her commute, she felt…better. Talking with a stranger, listening to his problems, and sharing her own made her feel connected and engaged in a way she hadn’t in a long time. Inspired, she posted an ad on Craigslist promising to listen, anonymously and for free, to whatever the speaker felt he or she couldn’t tell anyone else. The response was huge—thousands of emails flooded her inbox. People were desperate for the opportunity to speak without being judged, to tell a story without worrying it would get back to friends, family, or coworkers—and so Craigslist Confessional was born.

The forty confessions in Craigslist Confessional are vivid, intimate, and real. Each story is told in the confessor’s voice; they range from devastating secrets (like addiction, depression, and trauma), to musings on lost love and reflections on a lifetime of hard choices. Some confessions are shocking, like the husband who is hiding his crippling sex addiction from his wife. Others are painful, like the man who is so depressed he rarely leaves his hoarder apartment. Some give us a glimpse into a brief chapter of someone’s life—like the girl who discovered that her boyfriend was cheating on her with a mutual friend, or the college student who became a high-end call girl. Others are inspiring, such as the woman who lost her son too young, but sees his memory live on through the people who received his donated organs.

Every confession presents a point of view not often seen, not often talked about. Craigslist Confessional challenges us to explore the depth of our empathy and it’s a call to listen to one another.

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Horse Crazy
by Sarah Maslin Nir

Heather’s Pick #2

My mom practically grew up on horseback, graduating from casual rides in neighborhood pastures to barrel races in county competitions. But whereas her childhood was rural, mine was decidedly suburban, the result being that I haven’t spent nearly as much time with these majestic animals as she did. In the past few years, though, it’s become our thing to take mother-daughter trips out West, where we always make it a priority to ride, and I love it. So while journalist and equestrian Sarah Maslin Nir’s new book, Horse Crazy, is something my mom will definitely be receiving as a gift (shh), I am just as excited to read it myself. Part memoir about how the author’s obsession with horses has shaped her life, part in-depth profile of fascinating characters in the riding world (and in her own life), Horse Crazy attempts to answer the question: What is it about these graceful animals that has inspired endless devotion across time and space?

Publication date: August 4, 2020

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Horse Crazy
Sarah Maslin Nir

ONE OF USA TODAY'S “20 SUMMER BOOKS YOU WON'T WANT TO MISS”

In the bestselling tradition of works by such authors as Susan Orlean and Mary Roach, a New York Times reporter and Pulitzer Prize finalist explores why so many people—including herself—are obsessed with horses.

It may surprise you to learn that there are over seven million horses in America—even more than when they were the only means of transportation—and nearly two million horse owners. Acclaimed journalist and avid equestrian Sarah Maslin Nir is one of them; she began riding horses when she was just two years old and hasn’t stopped since. Horse Crazy is a fascinating, funny, and moving love letter to these graceful animals and the people who—like her—are obsessed with them. It is also a coming-of-age story of Nir growing up an outsider within the world’s most elite inner circles, and finding her true north in horses.

Nir takes readers into the lesser-known corners of the riding world and profiles some of its most captivating figures. We meet Monty Roberts, the California trainer whose prowess earned him the nickname “the man who listens to horses,” and his pet deer; George and Ann Blair, who at their riding academy on a tiny island in Manhattan’s Harlem River seek to resurrect the erased legacy of the African American cowboy; and Francesca Kelly, whose love for an Indian nobleman shaped her life’s mission: to protect an endangered Indian breed of horse and bring them to America.

Woven into these compelling character studies, Nir shares her own moving personal narrative. She details her father’s harrowing tale of surviving the Holocaust, and describes an enchanted but deeply lonely upbringing in Manhattan, where horses became her family. She found them even in the middle of the city, in a stable disguised in an old townhouse and in Central Park, when she chased down truants as an auxiliary mounted patrol officer. And she speaks candidly of how horses have helped her overcome heartbreak and loss.

Infused with heart and wit, and with each chapter named after a horse Nir has loved, Horse Crazy is an unforgettable blend of beautifully written memoir and first-rate reporting.

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Little Disasters
by Sarah Vaughan

Holly’s Pick #1

Jess is a stay-at-home, seemingly put-together mother of three, whom Liz always deemed as "perfect." Until one night, Jess's baby, Betsy, is brought into Liz's ER with a fractured skull and no answers from the mom as to how the infant came to this injury. As Liz, the other doctors in the ER, child services, and Jess's husband attempt to uncover what truly happened to Betsy, dark secrets surface, revealing that perhaps Jess is not as perfect as everyone was led to believe. As you read this gripping new suspense novel, you'll feel heartache for all the characters involved. I truly could not put it down.

Publication date: August 18, 2020

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Little Disasters
Sarah Vaughan

“Taut, clever, compelling, and guaranteed to keep you on the edge of your seat.” —Paula Hawkins, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Girl on the Train and Into the Water

From the bestselling author of Anatomy of a Scandal—soon to be a Netflix series—a new thought-provoking novel exploring the complexity of motherhood and all that connects and disconnects us.

You think you know her…but look a little closer.

She is a stay-at-home mother-of-three with boundless reserves of patience, energy, and love. After being friends for a decade, this is how Liz sees Jess.

Then one moment changes everything.

Dark thoughts and carefully guarded secrets surface—and Liz is left questioning everything she thought she knew about her friend, and about herself. The truth can’t come soon enough.

With Sarah Vaughan’s signature “clever and compelling” (Claire Douglas, author of Last Seen Alive) prose, Little Disasters is a tightly-wound and evocative page-turner that will haunt you long after you finish the last page.

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Tender Is the Flesh
by Agustina Bazterrica

Sharon’s Pick #2

I absolutely love dystopian novels and Agustina Bazterrica’s Tender Is the Flesh is the type of book that reminds me why I fell in love with the genre. The book’s premise is Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle injected with nightmare fuel: animals have been infected with a virus that makes them poisonous for human consumption, and human meat, dubbed “special meat,” is now legal to eat. The narrator Marcos is a processing plant worker in the business of slaughtering humans. One day, he comes across a specimen that haunts him to the point where he treats her as a human being, knowing full well that enacting personal contact with those destined to become “special meat” is punishable with death. If you’re as much of a fan of dystopian novels as I am, this one is a must-read.

Publication date: August 4, 2020

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Tender Is the Flesh
Agustina Bazterrica

Working at the local processing plant, Marcos is in the business of slaughtering humans—though no one calls them that anymore.

His wife has left him, his father is sinking into dementia, and Marcos tries not to think too hard about how he makes a living. After all, it happened so quickly. First, it was reported that an infectious virus has made all animal meat poisonous to humans. Then governments initiated the “Transition.” Now, eating human meat—“special meat”—is legal. Marcos tries to stick to numbers, consignments, processing.

Then one day he’s given a gift: a live specimen of the finest quality. Though he’s aware that any form of personal contact is forbidden on pain of death, little by little he starts to treat her like a human being. And soon, he becomes tortured by what has been lost—and what might still be saved.

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The Brideship Wife
by Leslie Howard

Alexandra's Pick

I’m a fan of all historical fiction—whether it’s royalty in sixteenth-century England or unsung heroes in WWII’s Paris. But my absolute favorite historical novels are those that teach me a part of history, particularly Canadian history, that I had never known before. That’s certainly the case with Leslie Howard’s The Brideship Wife, which is available now. This debut novel delves into the true history of the British “brideships,” which sent young women to the British colonies in order to marry eligible men. The unique thing about these brideships is that some of the women actually found independence in these new countries. This novel, set in the Victorian era, follows Charlotte, who, after a disastrous party that puts her reputation at risk, decides to set out from England on the Tynemouth—a real-life brideship—for British Columbia. It’s an entirely engrossing read, and I can’t wait to see how it ends!

Publication date: May 5, 2020

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The Brideship Wife
Leslie Howard

Inspired by the history of the British “brideships,” this captivating historical debut tells the story of one woman’s coming of age and search for independence—for readers of Pam Jenoff's The Orphan's Tale and Armando Lucas Correa’s The German Girl.

Tomorrow we would dock in Victoria on the northwest coast of North America, about as far away from my home as I could imagine. Like pebbles tossed upon the beach, we would scatter, trying to make our way as best as we could. Most of us would marry; some would not.

England, 1862. Charlotte is somewhat of a wallflower. Shy and bookish, she knows her duty is to marry, but with no dowry, she has little choice in the matter. She can’t continue to live off the generosity of her sister Harriet and her wealthy brother-in-law, Charles, whose political aspirations dictate that she make an advantageous match.

When Harriet hosts a grand party, Charlotte is charged with winning the affections of one of Charles’s colleagues, but before the night is over, her reputation—her one thing of value—is at risk. In the days that follow, rumours begin to swirl. Soon Charles’s standing in society is threatened and all that Charlotte has held dear is jeopardized, even Harriet, and Charlotte is forced to leave everything she has ever known in England and embark on a treacherous voyage to the New World.

From the rigid social circles of Victorian England to the lawless lands bursting with gold in British Columbia’s Cariboo, The Brideship Wife takes readers on a mesmerizing journey through a time of great change. Based on a forgotten chapter in history, this is a sparkling debut about the pricelessness of freedom and the courage it takes to follow your heart.

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Summer Darlings
by Brooke Lea Foster

Courtney’s Pick #3

Summer Darlings was my most-anticipated May release, but it’s a great read for any summer month (and beyond)! First, just look at that cover! Maybe it’s the current social-distancing situation, but I would love nothing more than to be dipping my feet into a pool while sporting an adorable red retro swimsuit just about now. Second, behind this inviting cover is a jaw-dropping story. The year is 1962, and Heddy Winsome, a would-be screenwriter, is the nanny for one of the wealthiest families on Martha’s Vineyard. As the summer progresses and Heddy interacts with the residents on the island, she soon learns that no one is actually who they appear to be. In my opinion, this is the perfect escapist read for summer. 1960s Martha’s Vineyard? Secrets of the obscenely rich revealed? A nanny getting paid to watch this all unfold? Count me and my flip-flops in. Honestly, though, does anyone know where to buy a vintage swimsuit like that?

Publication date: May 5, 2020

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Summer Darlings
Brooke Lea Foster

Set during the splendid summer days of 1960s Martha’s Vineyard, this page-turning debut novel pulls back the curtain on one mysterious and wealthy family as seen through the eyes of their nanny—a college student who, while falling in love on the elegant island, is also forced to reckon with the dark underbelly of privilege.

In 1962, coed Heddy Winsome leaves her hardscrabble Irish Brooklyn neighborhood behind and ferries to glamorous Martha’s Vineyard to nanny for one of the wealthiest families on the island. But as she grows enamored with the alluring and seemingly perfect young couple and chases after their two mischievous children, Heddy discovers that her academic scholarship at Wellesley has been revoked, putting her entire future at risk.

Determined to find her place in the couple's wealthy social circles, Heddy nurtures a romance with the hip surfer down the beach while wondering if the better man for her might be a quiet, studious college boy instead. But no one she meets on the summer island—socialite, starlet, or housekeeper—is as picture-perfect as they seem, and she quickly learns that the right last name and a house in a tony zip-code may guarantee privilege, but that rarely equals happiness.

Rich with the sights and sounds of midcentury Martha’s Vineyard, Brooke Lea Foster’s debut novel Summer Darlings promises entrance to a rarefied world, for readers who enjoyed Tigers in Red Weather or The Summer Wives.

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The Answer Is . . .
by Alex Trebek

Emily’s Pick #1

Jeopardy! is basically my family’s religion. Every night after dinner we would all gather together to watch Alex Trebek and the gang question those answers to their heart’s content. The beloved game show host has always been relatively quiet about his personal life, but ever since the flood of well wishes after his stage four pancreatic cancer diagnosis last year, he decided to open up about his life and experiences on the show. I can’t wait to read more behind-the-scenes scoops of the show; relive those epic runs by James Holzhauer and Ken Jennings from Trebek’s POV; and hopefully learn what really goes on in Trebek’s mind during those contestant interviews. “Good for you” can only say so much.…

Publication date: July 21, 2020

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The Answer Is . . .
Alex Trebek

Longtime Jeopardy! host and television icon Alex Trebek reflects on his life and career.

Since debuting as the host of Jeopardy! in 1984, Alex Trebek has been something like a family member to millions of television viewers, bringing entertainment and education into their homes five nights a week. Last year, he made the stunning announcement that he had been diagnosed with stage four pancreatic cancer. What followed was an incredible outpouring of love and kindness. Social media was flooded with messages of support, and the Jeopardy! studio received boxes of cards and letters offering guidance, encouragement, and prayers.

For over three decades, Trebek had resisted countless appeals to write a book about his life. Yet he was moved so much by all the goodwill, he felt compelled to finally share his story. “I want people to know a little more about the person they have been cheering on for the past year,” he writes in The Answer Is…: Reflections on My Life.

The book combines illuminating personal anecdotes with Trebek’s thoughts on a range of topics, including marriage, parenthood, education, success, spirituality, and philanthropy. Trebek also addresses the questions he gets asked most often by Jeopardy! fans, such as what prompted him to shave his signature mustache, his insights on legendary players like Ken Jennings and James Holzhauer, and his opinion of Will Ferrell’s Saturday Night Live impersonation. The book uses a novel structure inspired by Jeopardy!, with each chapter title in the form of a question, and features dozens of never-before-seen photos that candidly capture Trebek over the years.

This wise, charming, and inspiring book is further evidence why Trebek has long been considered one of the most beloved and respected figures in entertainment.

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Pizza Girl
by Jean Kyoung Frazier

Sharon’s Pick #3

Jean Kyoung Frazier, you had me at pizza. A contemporary take on a coming-of-age story, Pizza Girl follows our pregnant, eighteen-year-old heroine as she grapples with the death of her alcoholic father while delivering pizzas in suburban Los Angeles. Her life begins to change when she develops an obsession with one of her customers, a stay-at-home mother who regularly orders pickle-covered pizzas to ensure her son’s happiness. This debut novel promises to be humorous, poignant, unexpected, and unforgettable!

Publication date: June 9, 2020

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Pizza Girl
Jean Kyoung Frazier

Sharon’s Pick Jean Kyoung Frazier, you had me at pizza. A contemporary coming-of-age story, Pizza Girl follows our pregnant eighteen-year-old heroine as she grapples with the death of her alcoholic father while delivering pizzas in suburban Los Angeles. Her life begins to change when she develops an obsession with one of her customers, a stay-at-home mother who regularly orders pickle-covered pizzas to ensure her son’s happiness. This debut novel promises to be humorous, poignant, and unforgettable! Publication date: June 9, 2020

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Big Summer
by Jennifer Weiner

Sabrina’s Pick

A plus-sized media influencer, a love-hate relationship with high school’s most popular mean girl, and an unexpected invitation to a high-society wedding sound like the recipe for a Mean Girls meets Revenge of the Bridesmaids mash-up. Jennifer Weiner’s Big Summer follows the witty, moving, and suspenseful story of Daphne Berg, a body-positive social media Instagrammer who is starting to bloom in her own skin when her ex–best friend, the most perfect girl in high school, invites her to be her maid of honor. Drue Cavanaugh and Daphne Berg have not exchanged words in seven years, so when Daphne finds herself answering to Drue’s beck and call under the guise of a waterfront Cape Cod mansion wedding with the promise of hot guys and brand partnerships, she begins to question the true motive of Drue’s invitation. Is everything as it seems? Weiner explores issues of appearance versus reality, female friendship, and family bonds in this riveting summer tale. You’ll be on the edge of your seat waiting to see how this story unfolds.

Publication date: May 5, 2020

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Big Summer
Jennifer Weiner

AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

“Sexy and satisfying, Big Summer is the perfect quarantine read.” —USA TODAY

“The beach read to end all beach reads.” —Entertainment Weekly

“Big fun, and then some. It’s empowering and surprising—a reminder to put down the phone and enjoy each moment for what it is.” —The Washington Post

A deliciously funny, remarkably poignant, and simply unputdownable novel about the power of friendship, the lure of frenemies, and the importance of making peace with yourself through all life’s ups and down. From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Good in Bed and Best Friends Forever, Big Summer is the perfect escape with one of the most lovable heroines to come to the page in years.

Six years after the fight that ended their friendship, Daphne Berg is shocked when Drue Cavanaugh walks back into her life, looking as lovely and successful as ever, with a massive favor to ask. Daphne hasn’t spoken one word to Drue in all this time—she doesn’t even hate-follow her ex-best friend on social media—so when Drue asks if she will be her maid-of-honor at the society wedding of the summer, Daphne is rightfully speechless.

Drue was always the one who had everything—except the ability to hold onto friends. Meanwhile, Daphne’s no longer the same self-effacing sidekick she was back in high school. She’s built a life that she loves, including a growing career as a plus-size Instagram influencer. Letting glamorous, seductive Drue back into her life is risky, but it comes with an invitation to spend a weekend in a waterfront Cape Cod mansion. When Drue begs and pleads and dangles the prospect of cute single guys, Daphne finds herself powerless as ever to resist her friend’s siren song.

A sparkling novel about the complexities of female relationships, the pitfalls of living out loud and online, and the resilience of the human heart, Big Summer is a witty, moving story about family, friendship, and figuring out what matters most.

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Resistance
by Tori Amos

Heather’s Pick #4

If there’s a song that suits me better at the start of every work week than Tori Amos’s “I Don’t Like Mondays,” I’ve yet to hear it. My ears perked up, therefore, when I first heard she was releasing a book. I was completely SOLD when I learned the title: Resistance. The Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter’s lyrics have always had a political bent, as she’s used her voice to call out injustices, but now she’s revealing more about what fuels her artistic process than ever before. Even better, in the book she’s set to share actionable advice for becoming a more engaged citizen. I’m excited to dig in.

Publication date: May 5, 2020

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Resistance
Tori Amos

A timely and passionate call to action for engaging with our current political moment, from the Grammy-nominated and multiplatinum singer-songwriter and New York Times bestselling author Tori Amos.

Since the release of her first, career-defining solo album Little Earthquakes, Tori Amos has been one of the music industry’s most enduring and ingenious artists. From her unnerving depiction of sexual assault in “Me and a Gun” to her post-September 11 album, Scarlet’s Walk, to her latest album, Native Invader, her work has never shied away from intermingling the personal with the political.

Amos began playing piano as a teenager for the politically powerful at hotel bars in Washington, DC, during the formative years of the post-Goldwater and then Koch-led Libertarian and Reaganite movements. The story continues to her time as a hungry artist in Los Angeles to the subsequent three decades of her formidable music career. Amos explains how she managed to create meaningful, politically resonant work against patriarchal power structures—and how her proud declarations of feminism and her fight for the marginalized always proved to be her guiding light. She teaches us to engage with intention in this tumultuous global climate and speaks directly to supporters of #MeToo and #TimesUp, as well as young people fighting for their rights and visibility in the world.

Filled with compassionate guidance and actionable advice—and using some of the most powerful, political songs in Amos’s canon—this book is for anyone determined to steer the world back in the right direction.

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You’re Not Special
by Meghan Rienks

Sara’s Pick #2

Everyone likes to think they're special; that their trials and tribulations are somehow unique; and that no one could really understand what they're going through. Well, actress and YouTube star Meghan Rienks is here to disavow you of that illusion in the gentlest, funniest way possible: by showing you how she got through it all herself. Rienks grew up in a small town with little to do but talk into a camera from her bedroom, which is how she attained her YouTube fame. But it wasn't all smooth sailing. From tales about dating disasters to toxic friendships to stepping out on her own, Rienks will having you laughing, cringing, and feeling empowered to not feel alone in your own angst as she details the weird and wonderful turns her own life has taken.

Publication date: May 5, 2020

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You’re Not Special
Meghan Rienks

In her first-ever (sort of) memoir, the beloved actor and YouTube sensation gets personal about everything from mental health to drunken debaucheries.

As an only child raised in a town of less than 8,000 people and without a Starbucks in sight, Meghan Rienks has always been pretty good at entertaining herself. Then one day—cue the dramatic voiceover—her life changed forever.

On June 12th, 2010, Meghan was diagnosed with mononucleosis. Mono is basically just a really bad case of the flu, right? Wrong. To a party crazed sixteen-year-old, mono is social suicide. More than anything, it’s just plain boring. So, Meghan opened up her 2009 MacBook, used the webcam for something other than a bad Andy Warhol–style photobooth session, and recorded her first YouTube video. Since then, Meghan has shared the ups and downs of her life with the internet, documenting her teenage years for the whole world to see.

Now that she’s (mostly) through her awkward stage, Meghan’s here to tell you that it gets better. You’re not alone in the thoughts you think. Sometimes a bad hair day feels worse than a punch in the gut and asking a boy out seems about as difficult as achieving that perfect dewy glow. But despite what you’ve been told, your problems are not unique, your struggles have taken form in everybody else’s life too, and somebody else has felt the way you feel right at this very moment.

You’re not special. But you’re also not alone on the bumpy road to adulthood.

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By Get Literary | April 27, 2020

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Catherine House
by Elisabeth Thomas

Sara’s Pick #3

I love a good Gothic story, with characters trapped in an expansive but ever-ominous house, where they must contend with terrible secrets and their own fears. Okay, so maybe that’s going to hit a little too close to home for some people at the current moment, but for a spooky-loving reader like me, there’s no creepy read I am more eager to dive into this summer than Catherine House. The titular school is one of great prestige, promising its students vast future success—but only if they agree to give up three full years of their lives, with no contact with the outside world. No friends, family, TV, Internet: just themselves and rural Pennsylvania. Ines is willing to make that sacrifice, but when her roommate Baby’s time at the school ends in tragedy, she realizes something darker is afoot. Author Elisabeth Thomas’s writing will lull you into this world with luscious descriptions and dream-like prose, right up until the trap is ready to spring. If you’re looking for an all-consuming thriller, pick up this story set in the hallowed halls of higher learning.

Publication date: May 12, 2020

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Catherine House
Elisabeth Thomas

Sara’s Pick #2 I love a good Gothic story, with characters trapped in an expansive but ever-ominous house, where they must contend with terrible secrets and their own fears. Okay, so maybe that’s going to hit a little close to home for some people at the current moment, but for a spooky-loving reader like me, there’s no creepy read I am more eager for this month than Catherine House. The titular school is one of great prestige, promising its students vast future success—but only if they agree to give up three full years of their lives, with no contact with the outside world. No friends, family, TV, Internet: just them and rural Pennsylvania. Ines is willing to make that sacrifice, but when her roommate Baby’s time at the school ends in tragedy, she realizes something darker is afoot. Author Elisabeth Thomas’s writing will lull you into this world with luscious descriptions and dream-like prose, right up until the trap is ready to spring. If you’re looking for an all-consuming thriller, pick up this story set in the hallowed halls of higher learning.

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Our 28 Most Anticipated Reads of Summer 2020

By Get Literary | May 19, 2020

Our 11 Most Anticipated New Reads of May 2020

By Get Literary | April 27, 2020

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My Kind of People
by Lisa Duffy

Megan’s Pick

Say hello to your first (virtual) beach read of the summer! Lisa Duffy’s third novel, My Kind of People, is all about the power of community and the courage to start over. On Ichabod Island, 10-year-old Sky tragically loses her adoptive parents in a car accident and is left in the custody of their best friend, Leo. Along with his husband, Leo moves from New York to the island to care for Sky. There, Sky, Leo, and other island locals navigate tumultuous relationships, make surprising friendships, and uncover shocking secrets. You’ll be immersed in this small New England island town, and in true Lisa Duffy fashion, My Kind of People will captivate you with its cast of close-knit characters, pull at your heartstrings, and leave you feeling hopeful and whole.

Publication date: May 12, 2020

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My Kind of People
Lisa Duffy

From the author of The Salt House and This Is Home comes a profound novel about the power of community and a small town’s long-buried secrets as a group of New England islanders come together for a recently orphaned girl.

On Ichabod Island, a jagged strip of land thirteen miles off the coast of Massachusetts, ten-year-old Sky becomes an orphan for the second time after a tragic accident claims the lives of her adoptive parents.

Grieving the death of his best friends, Leo’s life is turned upside down when he finds himself the guardian of young Sky. Back on the island and struggling to balance his new responsibilities and his marriage to his husband, Leo is supported by a powerful community of neighbors, many of them harboring secrets of their own.

Maggie, who helps with Sky’s childcare, has hit a breaking point with her police chief husband, who becomes embroiled in a local scandal. Her best friend Agnes, the island busybody, invites Sky’s estranged grandmother to stay for the summer, straining already precarious relationships. Their neighbor Joe struggles with whether to tell all was not well in Sky’s house in the months leading up to the accident. And among them all is a mysterious woman, drawn to Ichabod to fulfill a dying wish.

Perfect for fans of Celeste Ng and Ann Leary, My Kind of People is a riveting, impassioned novel about the resilience of community and what connects us all in the face of tragedy.

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By Emily Lewis | May 24, 2021

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By Get Literary | May 19, 2020

Our 11 Most Anticipated New Reads of May 2020

By Get Literary | April 27, 2020

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More Than Love
by Natasha Gregson Wagner

Emily’s Pick #2

This summer, I’m on the lookout for emotional books filled to the brim with dynamic character interactions and life revelations that will keep me reading the day away. More Than Love is one of those books. This memoir from Natasha Gregson Wagner, daughter of late Hollywood actress Natalie Wood, describes her early childhood memories of her mom, and what it was like to experience Hollywood royalty from so close-up. At the story’s core is Natalie’s tragic sudden death by drowning while aboard a yacht in 1981—and the scandalous media and crime narrative that followed—with a cloud that has hung over her stepfather, Robert Wagner, ever since. Above all, this is a heartfelt, bittersweet ode from a fiercely devoted daughter to the adored mother she lost when she was just a child—and it makes me want to call my own mother right now and thank her for everything.

Publication date: May 5, 2020

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More Than Love
Natasha Gregson Wagner

The heartbreaking, never-before-told story of Hollywood icon Natalie Wood’s glamorous life, sudden death, and lasting legacy, written by her daughter, Natasha Gregson Wagner.

More Than Love is a memoir of loss, grief, and coming-of-age by a daughter of Hollywood royalty. Natasha Gregson Wagner’s mother, Natalie Wood, was a child actress who became a legendary movie star, the dark-haired beauty of Splendor in the Grass, Rebel Without a Cause, and West Side Story. She and Natasha’s stepfather, the actor Robert Wagner, were a Hollywood it-couple twice over, first in the 1950s, and then again when they remarried in the 70s.

But Natalie’s sudden death by drowning off Catalina Island at the age of forty-three devastated her family, made her stepfather a person of interest, and turned a vibrant wife, mother, and actress into a tragic figure. The events of that weekend have long been a mystery, and despite the rumors, scandalous media coverage, and accusations of wrongdoing, there has never been an account of how the tragedy was experienced by her daughter. For the first time Natasha addresses the questions surrounding that night to clear her beloved stepfather’s name.

More Than Love begins on the morning after her mother’s death in November 1981 when eleven-year-old Natasha hears the news on the radio that her mother’s body has been found off the coast of Catalina after her parents had spent the weekend on the family boat, The Splendour.

From this profound and shattering loss, Natasha shares her memories of her earliest bonds with her mother; her warm, loving, and slightly chaotic childhood as the daughter of two stars; the lost and confused years of her adolescence; and her halting attempts to move forward as a young woman.

Beautifully told, More Than Love is an emotionally powerful tale of a daughter coming to terms with her grief, as well as a riveting portrait of a famous mother and a vanished Hollywood.

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Our 28 Most Anticipated Reads of Summer 2020

By Get Literary | May 19, 2020

Our 11 Most Anticipated New Reads of May 2020

By Get Literary | April 27, 2020

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The Down Days
by Ilze Hugo

Holly’s Pick #2

The premise of The Down Days is eerily similar to the pandemic conditions we've been living under—complete with mandatory face masks! But this disease is different. In fact, it's not much of a disease at all, but rather an outbreak of uncontrollable laughter, inevitably resulting in death. The worst part? No one knows how you catch it. Set in South Africa, The Down Days follows several characters as they navigate life within a quarantined city during this deadly outbreak. Faith, one of the city’s corpse collectors, agrees to help a desperate young girl find her lost younger brother. But as she investigates, she begins to wonder if the boy was ever real at all. Meanwhile, Sans, a trader of illicit goods, falls victim to distraction as a dream-like woman floats between his reality and subconscious. When his gang money goes missing, he's left searching for both answers and his own sanity. This story is told over the course of a week as Sans’s and Faith's lives intertwine. Multiple characters attempt to uncover how the laughter begins and how to stay safe as they question which reality they should trust.

Publication date: May 5, 2020

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The Down Days
Ilze Hugo

In the vein of The Book of M comes a fast-paced, character-driven literary apocalyptic novel that explores life, love, and loss in a post-truth society.

In the aftermath of a deadly outbreak—reminiscent of the 1962 event of mass hysteria that was the Tanganyika Laughter Epidemic—a city at the tip of Africa is losing its mind, with residents experiencing hallucinations and paranoia. Is it simply another episode of mass hysteria, or something more sinister? In a quarantined city in which the inexplicable has already occurred, rumors, superstitions, and conspiracy theories abound.

During these strange days, Faith works as a fulltime corpse collector and a freelance “truthologist,” putting together disparate pieces of information to solve problems. But after Faith agrees to help an orphaned girl find her abducted baby brother, she begins to wonder whether the boy is even real. Meanwhile, a young man named Sans who trades in illicit goods is so distracted by a glimpse of his dream woman that he lets a bag of money he owes his gang partners go missing-leaving him desperately searching for both and soon questioning his own sanity.

Over the course of a single week, the paths of Faith, Sans, and a cast of other hustlers—including a data dealer, a drug addict, a sin eater, and a hyena man—will cross and intertwine as they move about the city, looking for lost souls, uncertain absolution, and answers that may not exist.

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MENTIONED IN:

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Ask Again, Yes
by Mary Beth Keane

Heather’s Pick #5

As the daughter of cops myself, I was immediately drawn to this touching novel about two NYPD officers, Francis Gleeson and Brian Stanhope, whose families end up living next door to each other. As the years pass and their children grow up together, the two families’ lives become inextricably linked, for better and for worse, in ways they never could have predicted. I don’t want to give too much away, but I will say that this book—out in paperback now—will take you on an emotional journey you won’t soon forget. If you enjoy shows like This Is Us and Parenthood, you need Ask Again, Yes in your life.

Publication date: May 5, 2020

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Ask Again, Yes
Mary Beth Keane

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The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes
by Suzanne Collins

Emily Pick #3

I’m actually an OG Suzanne Collins fan, having followed along since her debut series, Gregor the Overlander—I haven’t looked at a laundry room the same way since—so I’m always on the lookout for what fast-paced, intelligent concepts she has coming next. The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (prequel to the Hunger Games series) delves into President Snow’s story as he mentors a District 12 contender in the tenth annual hunger games. I always love a good villain origin story, and I have all the faith that this one will make any Hunger Games rereads even more heartbreaking now. And today is actually the publication day so I’m heading off now to read for hours on end. Peace out!

Publication date: Today!

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The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes
Suzanne Collins

Emily Pick #2 I’m actually an OG Suzanne Collins fan, having followed along since her debut series, Gregor the Overlander—I haven’t looked at a laundry room the same way since—so I’m always on the lookout for what fast-paced, intelligent concepts she has coming next. The Ballads of Songbirds and Snakes (prequel to the The Hunger Games series) delves into President Snow’s story as he mentors a District 12 contender in the 10th annual hunger games. I always love a good villain origin story, and I have all the faith that this one will make any Hunger Games re-reads even more heartbreaking now.

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MENTIONED IN:

Our 28 Most Anticipated Reads of Summer 2020

By Get Literary | May 19, 2020

Our 11 Most Anticipated New Reads of May 2020

By Get Literary | April 27, 2020

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