I had such a blast putting together my 2021 Releases based off of your favorite Taylor Swift album last year that I knew I had to do it again this year! If you’re new here, I’m Cossette, and I’m a huge Taylor Swift fan, to the point where I roped Caitlyn into doing a book recommendation for every single Taylor Swift song. Just like last year, I wanted to combine two of my loves: Taylor Swift, and books to bring you thirty two of my most anticipated 2022 releases, while assigning them to different Taylor eras! I haven’t read most of these, so it’ll be fun to see how off I am at the end of 2022, once I’ve read these.
TAYLOR SWIFT
Ophelia After All by Racquel Marie
I’m always down for coming-of-age stories, so of course Ophelia After All would be on my most anticipated list! It gives off such debut Taylor Swift vibes, especially with The Outside, and A Place in This World, and I cannot wait to get around to my ARC of it.
Ophelia Rojas knows what she likes: her best friends, Cuban food, rose-gardening, and boys – way too many boys. Her friends and parents make fun of her endless stream of crushes, but Ophelia is a romantic at heart. She couldn’t change, even if she wanted to.
So when she finds herself thinking more about cute, quiet Talia Sanchez than the loss of a perfect prom with her ex-boyfriend, seeds of doubt take root in Ophelia’s firm image of herself. Add to that the impending end of high school and the fracturing of her once-solid friend group, and things are spiraling a little out of control. But the course of love–and sexuality–never did run smooth. As her secrets begin to unravel, Ophelia must make a choice between clinging to the fantasy version of herself she’s always imagined or upending everyone’s expectations to rediscover who she really is, after all.
Links for Ophelia After All: Goodreads | TheStorygraph | Bookshop | IndieBound
I Guess I Live Here Now by Claire Ahn
I Guess I Live Here Now has been compared to Crazy Rich Asians and Never Have I Ever, and I honestly couldn’t be more stoked for it! I loved Crazy Rich Asians, and Never Have I Ever (even though I still haven’t finished the second season), and I’m counting down the days until I get to meet Melody.
Melody always wanted to get to know the Korean side of her Korean American heritage better, but not quite like this. Thanks to a tiny transgression after school one day, she’s shocked to discover that her parents have decided to move her and her mom out of New York City to join her father in Seoul—immediately! Barely having the chance to say goodbye to her best friend before their bags are packed and she’s on a plane, Melody is resentful, angry, and homesick.
But she soon finds herself settling into their super luxe home, meeting cool friends at school, and discovering the alluring aspects of living in Korea—trendsetting fashion, delectable food, her dad’s black card, and a cute boy to hang out with. Life in Seoul is amazing…until cracks begin to form on its shiny surface. Troubling family secrets, broken friendships, and a lost passion are the prices Melody has to pay for her new life, but is it worth it?
Claire Ahn’s charming, effervescent debut lets you taste every bite of kalbi, bathe in the glow of Seoul’s neon lights, and feel every high and low of Melody’s journey across the world and within her heart.
Links for I Guess I Live Here Now: Goodreads | TheStorygraph | IndieBound
Well, That Was Unexpected by Jesse Q. Sutanto
I absolutely loved Jesse Q. Sutanto’s Dial A for Aunties, and have been anticipating Well, That Was Unexpected ever since. I’m a huge fan of the fake dating trope, and I just love stories about family — I’m so excited to read this one.
This YA rom-com debut is about a girl whisked from L.A. to her mother’s native Indonesia in order to “get back to her roots,” who— through a comedy of errors and overzealous parents—finds herself fake-dating the son of one of the wealthiest families in Indonesia, and is surprised when she actually starts to fall in love-with the boy, the country, and the big family she never knew before now.
Links for Well, That Was Unexpected: Goodreads | TheStorygraph | Bookshop | IndieBound
FEARLESS
An Arrow to the Moon by Emily X.R. Pan
Houyi & Chang’e is one of my favorite myths, and I just know that with a pitch of “Romeo and Juliet meets Houyi & Chang’e”, I’m in for some tears. And with a Romeo and Juliet comp, how could I not put An Arrow to the Moon as a Fearless-era book?
Hunter Yee has perfect aim with a bow and arrow, but all else in his life veers wrong. He’s sick of being haunted by his family’s past mistakes. The only things keeping him from running away are his little brother, a supernatural wind, and the bewitching girl at his new high school.
Luna Chang dreads the future. Graduation looms ahead, and her parents’ expectations are stifling. When she begins to break the rules, she finds her life upended by the strange new boy in her class, the arrival of unearthly fireflies, and an ominous crack spreading across the town of Fairbridge.
As Hunter and Luna navigate their families’ enmity and secrets, everything around them begins to fall apart. All they can depend on is their love…but time is running out, and fate will have its way.
Links for An Arrow to the Moon: Goodreads | TheStorygraph | Bookshop | IndieBound
One for All by Lillie Lainoff
The minute I heard about One for All, I knew I had to add it to my most anticipated list. After all, a Three Musketeers retelling, with ownvoices POTS representation, and strong female friendships? What more could a girl want?
Tania de Batz is most herself with a sword in her hand. Everyone in town thinks her near-constant dizziness makes her weak, nothing but “a sick girl”; even her mother is desperate to marry her off for security. But Tania wants to be strong, independent, a fencer like her father—a former Musketeer and her greatest champion.
Then Papa is brutally, mysteriously murdered. His dying wish? For Tania to attend finishing school. But L’Académie des Mariées, Tania realizes, is no finishing school. It’s a secret training ground for a new kind of Musketeer: women who are socialites on the surface, but strap daggers under their skirts, seduce men into giving up dangerous secrets, and protect France from downfall. And they don’t shy away from a swordfight.
With her newfound sisters at her side, Tania feels for the first time like she has a purpose, like she belongs. But then she meets Étienne, her first target in uncovering a potential assassination plot. He’s kind, charming, and breathlessly attractive—and he might have information about what really happened to her father. Torn between duty and dizzying emotion, Tania will have to lean on her friends, listen to her own body, and decide where her loyalties lie…or risk losing everything she’s ever wanted.
This debut novel is a fierce, whirlwind adventure about the depth of found family, the strength that goes beyond the body, and the determination it takes to fight for what you love.
Links for One for All: Goodreads | TheStorygraph | Bookshop | IndieBound
When You Get The Chance by Emma Lord
After loving Emma Lord’s Tweet Cute and You Have a Match, I knew I would be excited for whatever Emma Lord published next. Add in the fact that it’s filled with theatre references, and it’s a loose Mamma Mia retelling? Be still my heart. I had so much fun reading my ARC of it, and thoroughly enjoyed every musical theatre nod. You can also check out Caitlyn’s review of it here!
Nothing will get in the way of Millie Price’s dream to become a Broadway star. Not her lovable but super-introverted dad, who after raising Millie alone, doesn’t want to watch her leave home to pursue her dream. Not her pesky and ongoing drama club rival, Oliver, who is the very definition of Simmering Romantic Tension. And not the “Millie Moods,” the feelings of intense emotion that threaten to overwhelm, always at maddeningly inconvenient times. Millie needs an ally. And when a left-open browser brings Millie to her dad’s embarrassingly moody LiveJournal from 2003, Millie knows just what to do. She’s going to find her mom.
There’s Steph, a still-aspiring stage actress and receptionist at a talent agency. There’s Farrah, ethereal dance teacher who clearly doesn’t have the two left feet Millie has. And Beth, the chipper and sweet stage enthusiast with an equally exuberant fifteen-year-old daughter (A possible sister?! This is getting out of hand). But how can you find a new part of your life and expect it to fit into your old one, without leaving any marks? And why is it that when you go looking for the past, it somehow keeps bringing you back to what you’ve had all along?
Links for When You Get the Chance: Goodreads | TheStorygraph | Bookshop | IndieBound
SPEAK NOW
Count Your Lucky Stars by Alexandria Bellefleur
I adored Written in the Stars, and Hang the Moon, so you can only imagine how excited I was to hear that we’d get to follow this lovely cast of characters some more! I was so lucky to read an ARC of Count Your Lucky Stars, and couldn’t be happier that Margot finally got her happily-ever-after too.
Margot Cooper doesn’t do relationships. She tried and it blew up in her face, so she’ll stick with casual hookups, thank you very much. But now her entire crew has found “the one” and she’s beginning to feel like a fifth wheel. And then fate (the heartless bitch) intervenes. While touring a wedding venue with her engaged friends, Margot comes face-to-face with Olivia Grant—her childhood friend, her first love, her first… well, everything. It’s been ten years, but the moment they lock eyes, Margot’s cold, dead heart thumps in her chest.
Olivia must be hallucinating. In the decade since she last saw Margot, her life hasn’t gone exactly as planned. At almost thirty, she’s been married… and divorced. However, a wedding planner job in Seattle means a fresh start and a chance to follow her dreams. Never in a million years did she expect her important new client’s Best Woman would be the one that got away.
When a series of unfortunate events leaves Olivia without a place to stay, Margot offers up her spare room because she’s a Very Good Person. Obviously. It has nothing to do with the fact that Olivia is as beautiful as ever and the sparks between them still make Margot tingle. As they spend time in close quarters, Margot starts to question her no-strings stance. Olivia is everything she’s ever wanted, but Margot let her in once and it ended in disaster. Will history repeat itself or should she count her lucky stars that she gets a second chance with her first love?
Links for Count Your Lucky Stars: Goodreads | TheStorygraph | Bookshop | IndieBound
Dream, Annie, Dream by Waka T. Brown
As a musical theatre enthusiast, I have many thoughts on The King and I, and the roles that Asian actors tend to be cast in. I really enjoyed Waka T. Brown’s While I Was Away, and cannot wait until I get to reading my ARC of Dream, Annie, Dream.
As the daughter of immigrants who came to America for a better life, Annie Inoue was raised to dream big. And at the start of seventh grade, she’s channeling that irrepressible hope into becoming the lead in her school play.
So when Annie lands an impressive role in the production of The King and I, she’s thrilled . . . until she starts to hear grumbles from her mostly white classmates that she only got the part because it’s an Asian play with Asian characters. Is this all people see when they see her? Is this the only kind of success they’ll let her have–one that they can tear down or use race to belittle?
Disheartened but determined, Annie channels her hurt into a new dream: showing everyone what she’s made of.
Links for Dream, Annie, Dream: Goodreads | TheStorygraph | Bookshop | IndieBound
If You Could See the Sun by Ann Liang
If You Could See the Sun gives me such Speak Now vibes, especially The Story of Us, and Better than Revenge. It’s been on my most anticipated list the minute I heard about it — academic rivals to lovers, and secrets, with the backdrop of an elite Beijing boarding school? The vibes are simply immaculate.
This debut YA novel follows a Chinese American teenage girl, who, upon discovering that she can no longer afford tuition at her elite Beijing boarding school, teams up with her academic rival and monetizes her strange new invisibility powers by discovering and selling her wealthy classmates’ most scandalous secrets.
Links for If You Could See the Sun: Goodreads | TheStorygraph
RED
Right Where I Left You by Julian Winters
A huge theme of Red is heartbreak, and all the mosaic of feelings that we go through, and I just know that Right Where I Left You will evoke similar feelings. I really hesitated towards pairing this one with evermore (because of right where you left me, obviously) but ultimately, felt like Red was the better pairing. We’ll see how wrong I am once I dig into my ARC!
School’s out, senior year is over, and Isaac Martin is ready to kick off summer. His last before heading off to college in the fall where he won’t have his best friend, Diego. Where—despite his social anxiety—he’ll be left to make friends on his own. Knowing his time with Diego is limited, Isaac enacts a foolproof plan: snatch up a pair of badges for the epic comic convention, Legends Con, and attend his first ever Teen Pride. Just him and Diego. The way it should be. But when an unexpected run-in with Davi—Isaac’s old crush—distracts him the day tickets go on sale, suddenly he’s two badges short of a perfect summer. Even worse, now he’s left making it up to Diego by hanging with him and his gamer buddies. Decidedly NOT part of the original plan. It’s not all bad, though. Some of Diego’s friends turn out to be pretty cool, and when things with Davi start heating up, Isaac is almost able to forget about his Legends Con blunder. Almost. Because then Diego finds out what really happened that day with Davi, and their friendship lands on thin ice. Isaac assumes he’s upset about missing the convention, but could Diego have other reasons for avoiding Isaac?
Links for Right Where I Left You: Goodreads | TheStorygraph | Bookshop | IndieBound
The Girl Who Fell Beneath The Sea by Axie Oh
I loved Axie Oh’s XOXO, and couldn’t be more excited by this story, inspired by Korean mythology and Spirited Away. Also, this cover is absolutely stunning. I’ve been eagerly eyeing my eARC, and am counting down the days until my schedule lightens up, so I can read it!
Deadly storms have ravaged Mina’s homeland for generations. Floods sweep away entire villages, while bloody wars are waged over the few remaining resources. Her people believe the Sea God, once their protector, now curses them with death and despair. In an attempt to appease him, each year a beautiful maiden is thrown into the sea to serve as the Sea God’s bride, in the hopes that one day the “true bride” will be chosen and end the suffering.
Many believe that Shim Cheong, the most beautiful girl in the village—and the beloved of Mina’s older brother Joon—may be the legendary true bride. But on the night Cheong is to be sacrificed, Joon follows Cheong out to sea, even knowing that to interfere is a death sentence. To save her brother, Mina throws herself into the water in Cheong’s stead.
Swept away to the Spirit Realm, a magical city of lesser gods and mythical beasts, Mina seeks out the Sea God, only to find him caught in an enchanted sleep. With the help of a mysterious young man named Shin—as well as a motley crew of demons, gods and spirits—Mina sets out to wake the Sea God and bring an end to the killer storms once and for all.
But she doesn’t have much time: A human cannot live long in the land of the spirits. And there are those who would do anything to keep the Sea God from waking…
Links for The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea: Goodreads | TheStorygraph | Bookshop | IndieBound
This Is Why They Hate Us by Aaron H. Aceves
This is Why They Hate Us seems to give such strong Red-era vibes, but specifically around the theme of 22, State of Grace, Treacherous, and Everything Has Changed. I just know it’ll be magical in all the best ways and cannot wait to read it!
Enrique “Quique” Luna has one goal this summer—get over his crush on Saleem Kanazi by pursuing his other romantic prospects. Never mind that he’s only out to his best friend, Fabiola. Never mind that he has absolutely zero game. And definitely forget the fact that good and kind and, not to mention, beautiful Saleem is leaving L.A. for the summer to meet a girl his parents are trying to set him up with.
Luckily, Quique’s prospects are each intriguing in their own ways. There’s stoner-jock Tyler Montana, who might be just as interested in Fabiola as he is in Quique; straight-laced senior class president, Ziggy Jackson; and Manny Zuniga, who keeps looking at Quique like he’s carne asada fresh off the grill. With all these choices, Quique is sure to forget about Saleem in no time.
But as the summer heats up and his deep-seated fears and anxieties boil over, Quique soon realizes that getting over one guy by getting under a bunch of others may not have been the best laid plan and living his truth can come at a high cost.
Links for This Is Why They Hate Us: Goodreads | TheStorygraph | Bookshop | IndieBound
1989
Book Lovers by Emily Henry
I absolutely adored Emily Henry’s Beach Read, and People We Meet on Vacation, and will pretty much read anything she writes, at this point, including her grocery lists. Book Lovers gives off perfect 1989 vibes, especially Out of the Woods, You Are in Love, and New Romantics.
Nora Stephens’ life is books—she’s read them all—and she is not that type of heroine. Not the plucky one, not the laidback dream girl, and especially not the sweetheart. In fact, the only people Nora is a heroine for are her clients, for whom she lands enormous deals as a cutthroat literary agent, and her beloved little sister Libby.
Which is why she agrees to go to Sunshine Falls, North Carolina for the month of August when Libby begs her for a sisters’ trip away—with visions of a small town transformation for Nora, who she’s convinced needs to become the heroine in her own story. But instead of picnics in meadows, or run-ins with a handsome country doctor or bulging-forearmed bartender, Nora keeps bumping into Charlie Lastra, a bookish brooding editor from back in the city. It would be a meet-cute if not for the fact that they’ve met many times and it’s never been cute.
If Nora knows she’s not an ideal heroine, Charlie knows he’s nobody’s hero, but as they are thrown together again and again—in a series of coincidences no editor worth their salt would allow—what they discover might just unravel the carefully crafted stories they’ve written about themselves.
Links for Book Lovers: Goodreads | TheStorygraph | Bookshop | IndieBound
Dauntless by Elisa A. Bonnin
I’ve been stoked for Dauntless ever since I heard about it on Twitter and I cannot wait to get around to reading the ARC. It’s also one of Caitlyn’s most anticipated releases, and she did a lovely interview with Elisa, which you can read here.
“Be dauntless, for the hopes of the People rest in you.”
Seri’s world is defined by very clear rules: The beasts prowl the forest paths and hunt the People. The valiant explore the unknown world, kill the beasts, and gain strength from the armor they make from them. As an assistant to Eshai Unbroken, a young valor commander with a near-mythical reputation, Seri has seen first-hand the struggle to keep the beasts at bay and ensure the safety of the spreading trees where the People make their homes. That was how it always had been, and how it always would be. Until the day Seri encounters Tsana.
Tsana is, impossibly, a stranger from the unknown world who can communicate with the beasts – a fact that makes Seri begin to doubt everything she’s ever been taught. As Seri and Tsana grow closer, their worlds begin to collide, with deadly consequences. Somehow, with the world on the brink of war, Seri will have to find a way to make peace.
Links for Dauntless: Goodreads | TheStoryGraph | IndieBound
I Kissed Shara Wheeler by Casey McQuiston
Casey McQuiston is another one of my auto-buy authors, and I’ve been eagerly awaiting I Kissed Shara Wheeler ever since I heard about it! And if my detective skills are correct, this is the WIP with the very pink character, which is just me in a nutshell. I simply cannot wait for this one; May can’t come soon enough!
Chloe Green is so close to winning. After her moms moved her from SoCal to Alabama for high school, she’s spent the past four years dodging gossipy classmates and a puritanical administration at Willowgrove Christian Academy. The thing that’s kept her going: winning valedictorian. Her only rival: prom queen Shara Wheeler, the principal’s perfect progeny.
But a month before graduation, Shara kisses Chloe and vanishes.
On a furious hunt for answers, Chloe discovers she’s not the only one Shara kissed. There’s also Smith, Shara’s longtime quarterback sweetheart, and Rory, Shara’s bad boy neighbor with a crush. The three have nothing in common except Shara and the annoyingly cryptic notes she left behind, but together they must untangle Shara’s trail of clues and find her. It’ll be worth it, if Chloe can drag Shara back before graduation to beat her fair-and-square.
Thrown into an unlikely alliance, chasing a ghost through parties, break-ins, puzzles, and secrets revealed on monogrammed stationery, Chloe starts to suspect there might be more to this small town than she thought. And maybe—probably not, but maybe—more to Shara, too.
Links for I Kissed Shara Wheeler: Goodreads | TheStoryGraph | Bookshop | IndieBound
The Ones We Burn by Rebecca Mix
I am so excited for The Ones We Burn — I’ve been following Rebecca on Twitter for a while now, and while we don’t have a full synopsis yet, the two lines (and the sneak peeks from Twitter) are more than enough to make The Ones We Burn one of my most anticipated 2022 releases.
A young blood-witch’s mission to assassinate her betrothed—a gentle human prince—gets complicated when they uncover a witch-killing plague, and in their race to stop it, she falls for the prince’s sister.
Links for The Ones We Burn: Goodreads | TheStorygraph
REPUTATION
Babel, or The Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators’ Revolution by R.F. Kuang
Words can’t express how excited I am for Babel — I mean, dark academia that tackles colonization, globalization, and translations, written by R.F. Kuang?
Traduttore, traditore: An act of translation is always an act of betrayal.
1828. Robin Swift, orphaned by cholera in Canton, is brought to London by the mysterious Professor Lovell. There, he trains for years in Latin, Ancient Greek, and Chinese, all in preparation for the day he’ll enroll in Oxford University’s prestigious Royal Institute of Translation — also known as Babel.
Babel is the world’s center of translation and, more importantly, of silver-working: the art of manifesting the meaning lost in translation through enchanted silver bars, to magical effect. Silver-working has made the British Empire unparalleled in power, and Babel’s research in foreign languages serves the Empire’s quest to colonize everything it encounters.
Oxford, the city of dreaming spires, is a fairytale for Robin; a utopia dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge. But knowledge serves power, and for Robin, a Chinese boy raised in Britain, serving Babel inevitably means betraying his motherland. As his studies progress Robin finds himself caught between Babel and the shadowy Hermes Society, an organization dedicated to sabotaging the silver-working that supports imperial expansion. When Britain pursues an unjust war with China over silver and opium, Robin must decide: Can powerful institutions be changed from within, or does revolution always require violence? What is he willing to sacrifice to bring Babel down?
Links for Babel, or The Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators’ Revolution: Goodreads | TheStorygraph
Bad at Love by Gabriela Martins
I found Gabriela Martins’ debut, Like a Love Song, to be so fluffy, cute, and adorable, and I cannot wait for Bad at Love. Especially after seeing Gabhi describe it as a “summery YA how to lose a guy in 10 days”, with “a romcom aficionado and a girl hell-bent on ruining him… if she doesn’t fall in love with him first”. It’s giving me Delicate, So It Goes…, and Call It What You Want vibes.
Ever since Daniel moved to L.A. from Brazil to join the band Mischief & Mayhem, he’s become the tabloids’ bad boy. Paparazzi follow him and girls swoon over him . . . except for Sasha, who hates bad boys. When a chance encounter brings them together, Sasha sees an opportunity to get close to Daniel and write a story that will make a name for herself at the celebrity gossip magazine where she interns. But Daniel is surprisingly sweet and extremely cute—could she be falling for him?
The truth is: Daniel is hiding something. When Sasha discovers his secret, will she follow her heart or deliver the hottest story of the summer?
Links for Bad at Love: Goodreads | TheStorygraph | IndieBound
A Million to One by Adiba Jaigirdar
We may not have a full blurb yet, but this one sentence alone was all I needed to shoot A Million to One to the very top of my list. I’ve always been fascinated by the Titanic, and stories about it. But a sapphic heist story set on the Titanic? I need this immediately.
A high-stakes and romantic heist YA novel set on the Titanic, in which four girls team up to steal a priceless jewel-encrusted book on board the infamous ship.
Links for A Million to One: Goodreads | TheStorygraph
Portrait of a Thief by Grace D. Li
I’ve talked at length about how much I loved Portrait of a Thief — you can check out my review here, and so it’s no surprise that Portrait of a Thief would land itself on my most anticipated list! I simply cannot wait to reread Portrait, revisit Will Chen and his friends, and to sob my silly little eyes out at how much this art heist diaspora story has found a place in my heart. I’m already planning on buying at least three copies (a clean copy, an annotated one for myself, and I’ll be annotating one for one of my best friends) — make of that what you will.
History is told by the conquerors. Across the Western world, museums display the spoils of war, of conquest, of colonialism: priceless pieces of art looted from other countries, kept even now.
Will Chen plans to steal them back.
A senior at Harvard, Will fits comfortably in his carefully curated roles: a perfect student, an art history major and sometimes artist, the eldest son that has always been his parents’ American Dream. But when a shadowy Chinese corporation reaches out with an impossible—and illegal—job offer, Will finds himself something else as well: the leader of a heist to steal back five priceless Chinese sculptures, looted from Beijing centuries ago.
His crew is every heist archetype one can imagine—or at least, the closest he can get. A conman: Irene Chen, Will’s sister and a public policy major at Duke, who can talk her way out of anything. A thief: Daniel Liang, a premed student with steady hands just as capable of lockpicking as suturing. A getaway driver: Lily Wu, an engineering student who races cars in her free time. A hacker: Alex Huang, an MIT dropout turned Silicon Valley software engineer. Each member of his crew has their own complicated relationship with China and the identity they’ve cultivated as Chinese Americans, but when Will asks, none of them can turn him down.
Because if they succeed? They earn fifty million dollars—and a chance to make history. But if they fail, it will mean not just the loss of everything they’ve dreamed for themselves but yet another thwarted attempt to take back what colonialism has stolen.
Links for Portrait of a Thief: Goodreads | TheStorygraph | Bookshop | IndieBound
A Tempest of Tea by Hafsah Faizal
This is another one where we might not have a full blurb yet, but it’s still more than enough for me to add it to my most anticipated list! King Arthur meets Peaky Blinders with Vampires sounds so intriguing, and I just love historical heists!
The novel follows a gang of outcasts in a deadly heist led by Arthie Casimir to save her tearoom—which fronts an illegal blood house, where local vampires can purchase fresh blood.
Links for A Tempest of Tea: Goodreads | TheStorygraph | IndieBound
LOVER
Four Aunties and a Wedding by Jesse Q. Sutanto
I’ve been eagerly anticipating Four Aunties and a Wedding ever since I read Dial A for Aunties, and knew there was a sequel. I loved the aunties (they reminded me so much of my own aunties), as well as Meddy and Nathan, and will be diving into my ARC as soon as I have some more time!
Meddy Chan has been to countless weddings, but she never imagined how her own would turn out. Now the day has arrived, and she can’t wait to marry her college sweetheart, Nathan. Instead of having Ma and the aunts cater to her wedding, Meddy wants them to enjoy the day as guests. As a compromise, they find the perfect wedding vendors: a Chinese-Indonesian family-run company just like theirs. Meddy is hesitant at first, but she hits it off right away with the wedding photographer, Staphanie, who reminds Meddy of herself, down to the unfortunately misspelled name.
Meddy realizes that is where their similarities end, however, when she overhears Staphanie talking about taking out a target. Horrified, Meddy can’t believe Staphanie and her family aren’t just like her own, they are The Family–actual mafia, and they’re using Meddy’s wedding as a chance to conduct shady business. Her aunties and mother won’t let Meddy’s wedding ceremony become a murder scene–over their dead bodies–and will do whatever it takes to save her special day, even if it means taking on the mafia.
Links for Four Aunties and a Wedding: Goodreads | TheStorygraph | Bookshop | IndieBound
Hook, Line, and Sinker by Tessa Bailey
I adored It Happened One Summer, and so when I saw Hook, Line, and Sinker available on NetGalley, I jumped at it. I loved Hannah and Fox’s story even more than I did Piper and Brendan’s, and I cannot wait to reread it next year! You can read my review for it here.
King crab fisherman Fox Thornton has a reputation as a sexy, carefree flirt. Everyone knows he’s a guaranteed good time–in bed and out–and that’s exactly how he prefers it. Until he meets Hannah Bellinger. She’s immune to his charm and looks, but she seems to enjoy his… personality? And wants to be friends? Bizarre. But he likes her too much to risk a fling, so platonic pals it is.
Now, Hannah’s in town for work, crashing in Fox’s spare bedroom. She knows he’s a notorious ladies’ man, but they’re definitely just friends. In fact, she’s nursing a hopeless crush on a colleague and Fox is just the person to help with her lackluster love life. Armed with a few tips from Westport’s resident Casanova, Hannah sets out to catch her coworker’s eye… yet the more time she spends with Fox, the more she wants him instead. As the line between friendship and flirtation begins to blur, Hannah can’t deny she loves everything about Fox, but she refuses to be another notch on his bedpost.
Living with his best friend should have been easy. Except now she’s walking around in a towel, sleeping right across the hall, and Fox is fantasizing about waking up next to her for the rest of his life and… and… man overboard! He’s fallen for her, hook, line, and sinker. Helping her flirt with another guy is pure torture, but maybe if Fox can tackle his inner demons and show Hannah he’s all in, she’ll choose him instead?
Links for Hook, Line and Sinker: Goodreads | TheStorygraph | Bookshop | IndieBound
I’m So (Not) Over You by Kosoko Jackson
I truly enjoyed Kosoko Jackson’s debut, Yesterday is History, and so when I heard they had an adult rom com coming out in 2022, I immediately added it to my TBR. I’m So (Not) Over You promises some of my favorite tropes — fake dating, and second chance romance, and I cannot wait to dive into the ARC!
It’s been months since aspiring journalist Kian Andrews has heard from his ex-boyfriend, Hudson Rivers, but an urgent text has them meeting at a café. Maybe Hudson wants to profusely apologize for the breakup. Or confess his undying love. . . But no, Hudson has a favor to ask–he wants Kian to pretend to be his boyfriend while his parents are in town, and Kian reluctantly agrees.
The dinner doesn’t go exactly as planned, and suddenly Kian is Hudson’s plus one to Georgia’s wedding of the season. Hudson comes from a wealthy family where reputation is everything, and he really can’t afford another mistake. If Kian goes, he’ll help Hudson preserve appearances and get the opportunity to rub shoulders with some of the biggest names in media. This could be the big career break Kian needs.
But their fake relationship is starting to feel like it might be more than a means to an end, and it’s time for both men to fact-check their feelings.
Links for I’m So (Not) Over You: Goodreads | TheStorygraph | Bookshop | IndieBound
The Roughest Draft by Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka
I’ve heard nothing but great things about Wibbroka’s works, and I am so excited to read The Roughest Draft. This synopsis really reminds me of Afterglow, and Death by a Thousand Cuts!
They were cowriting literary darlings until they hit a plot hole that turned their lives upside down.
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.
Facing crossroads in their personal and professional lives, they’re forced to reunite. The last thing they ever thought they’d do again is hole up in the tiny Florida town where they wrote their previous book, trying to finish a new manuscript quickly and painlessly. Working through the reasons they’ve hated each other for the past three years isn’t easy, especially not while writing a romantic novel.
While passion and prose push them closer together in the Florida heat, Katrina and Nathan will learn that relationships, like writing, sometimes take a few rough drafts before they get it right.
Links for The Roughest Draft: Goodreads | TheStorygraph | Bookshop | IndieBound
FOLKLORE
Echo Sunset by Courtney Gould
Courtney Gould’s The Dead and the Dark was the ideal spooky read; a story about how love and light will always prevail, how important community is, and how important it is to hold onto that light. I remember starting The Dead and the Dark one day, and then promptly abandoning all my plans just so i could finish it and find out what happened, and I’m certain the same will happen with Echo Sunset.
This supernatural thriller follows two sisters who, after their mother dies, learn about her mysterious ties to an isolated Arizona town. When they decide to investigate, nothing and no one is who they seem, including the daughter of the town’s enigmatic leader.
Links for Echo Sunset: Goodreads | TheStorygraph
The Whispering Dark by Kelly Andrews
I’ve been following Kelly on twitter for a while now, and I couldn’t be more stoked for The Whispering Dark. It promises spooky autumn aesthetics, academic rivals to lovers, and Orpheus and Eurydice vibes, which feels very folklore-esque (especially the second half of the album) to me.
First-year Deaf student Delaney Meyers-Petrov has always talked to the dark, but she never expected it to talk back. When she’s assigned to her university’s controversial new-age program, she must learn to channel her uncanny abilities to cross between worlds–and, along with her capricious TA Colton Price, who seems determined to despise her, must venture down a rabbit-hole of buried secrets.
Links for The Whispering Dark: Goodreads | TheStorygraph
This Wicked Fate by Kalynn Bayron
I tried my best not to put sequels on here, but I could not stop myself from adding This Wicked Fate to this list. This Poison Heart left on such a cliffhanger that I know I’ll be dropping everything the minute This Wicked Fate is released. You can read my review for This Poison Heart here.
Briseis has one chance to save her mother, but she’ll need to do the impossible: find the last fragment of the deadly Absyrtus Heart. If she is to locate the missing piece, she must turn to the blood relatives she’s never known, learn about their secret powers, and take her place in their ancient lineage. Briseis is not the only one who wants the Heart, and her enemies will stop at nothing to fulfill their own ruthless plans. The fates tell of a truly dangerous journey, one that could end in more heartache, more death. Bolstered by the sisterhood of ancient magic, can Briseis harness her power to save the people she loves most?
Links for This Wicked Fate: Goodreads | TheStorygraph | Bookshop | IndieBound
EVERMORE
Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan
Daughter of the Moon Goddess is inspired by the legend of Chang’e, and that alone was enough for me to add it to my 2022 most anticipated releases. I’m so lucky to have read an ARC of Daughter of the Moon Goddess. You can check out my review here!
Growing up on the moon, Xingyin is accustomed to solitude, unaware that she is being hidden from the powerful Celestial Emperor who exiled her mother for stealing his elixir of immortality. But when Xingyin’s magic flares and her existence is discovered, she is forced to flee her home, leaving her mother behind.
Alone, untrained, and afraid, she makes her way to the Celestial Kingdom, a land of wonder and secrets. Disguising her identity, she seizes an opportunity to learn alongside the Crown Prince, mastering archery and magic, even as passion flames between her and the emperor’s son.
To save her mother, Xingyin embarks on a perilous quest, confronting legendary creatures and vicious enemies across the earth and skies. When treachery looms and forbidden magic threatens the kingdom, however, she must challenge the ruthless Celestial Emperor for her dream—striking a dangerous bargain in which she is torn between losing all she loves or plunging the realm into chaos.
Links for Daughter of the Moon Goddess: Goodreads | TheStorygraph | Bookshop | IndieBound
A Far Wilder Magic by Allison Saft
Allison Saft’s Down Comes the Night is one of my favorite books of all time (I’ve talked about it at length here on the blog, check out my review & an interview with Allison-as-Wren) so it shouldn’t be a surprise that A Far Wilder Magic also made its way onto this list. In all honesty, I read and loved A Far Wilder Magic, but am holding off to post my review until closer to release date!
When Margaret Welty spots the legendary hala, the last living mythical creature, she knows the Halfmoon Hunt will soon follow. Whoever is able to kill the hala will earn fame and riches, and unlock an ancient magical secret. If Margaret wins the hunt, it may finally bring her mother home. While Margaret is the best sharpshooter in town, only teams of two can register, and she needs an alchemist.
Weston Winters isn’t an alchemist–yet. Fired from every apprenticeship he’s landed, his last chance hinges on Master Welty taking him in. But when Wes arrives at Welty Manor, he finds only Margaret and her bloodhound Trouble. Margaret begrudgingly allows him to stay, but on one condition: he must join the hunt with her.
Although they make an unlikely team, Wes is in awe of the girl who has endured alone on the outskirts of a town that doesn’t want her, in this creaking house of ghosts and sorrow. And even though Wes disrupts every aspect of her life, Margaret is drawn to him. He, too, knows what it’s like to be an outsider. As the hunt looms closer and tensions rise, Margaret and Wes uncover dark magic that could be the key to winning the hunt – if they survive that long.
Links for A Far Wilder Magic: Goodreads | TheStorygraph | Bookshop | IndieBound
Foul Lady Fortune by Chloe Gong
While we might not know much about Foul Lady Fortune yet, words can’t even describe how excited I am about it. The two sentence description reminds me of cowboy like me, and ivy. I’ve got theories on who the familiar character is, and I cannot wait to be proven wrong.
A speculative historical noir surrounding the events of Imperial Japan’s expansion into China in the 1930s. A familiar character is recruited as a national spy, maintaining her false identity by posing as a young married couple with someone who might be the very enemy.
Links for Foul Lady Fortune: Goodreads | TheStorygraph
Weather Girl by Rachel Lynn Solomon
The synopsis of Weather Girl reminds me of one of my favorite movies — Set It Up — so obviously I had to add it to my most anticipated list! The synopsis of Weather Girl specifically reminds me of long story short, and willow, and I’m just so excited to read more of Rachel Lynn Solomon’s delightful writing!
Ari Abrams has always been fascinated by the weather, and she loves almost everything about her job as a TV meteorologist. Her boss, legendary Seattle weatherwoman Torrance Hale, is too distracted by her tempestuous relationship with her ex-husband, the station’s news director, to give Ari the mentorship she wants. Ari, who runs on sunshine and optimism, is at her wits’ end. The only person who seems to understand how she feels is sweet but reserved sports reporter Russell Barringer.
In the aftermath of a disastrous holiday party, Ari and Russell decide to team up to solve their bosses’ relationship issues. Between secret gifts and double dates, they start nudging their bosses back together. But their well-meaning meddling backfires when the real chemistry builds between Ari and Russell.
Working closely with Russell means allowing him to get to know parts of herself that Ari keeps hidden from everyone. Will he be able to embrace her dark clouds as well as her clear skies?
Links for Weather Girl: Goodreads | TheStorygraph | Bookshop | IndieBound
Just like last year, I’m also doing a preorder giveaway over on my bookstagram! You can enter here!
And there you have it, friends! My most anticipated releases for 2022! What releases are you most looking forward to? Let me know in the comments below!
