2015 Most Anticipated - Melissa @ Raincoast Books

Today I have Melissa from Raincoast Books stopping by with her Most Anticipated titles of 2015! Pretty sure there are more than a few you're already excited about.

Most Anticipated 2015

Hi Kathy! Thanks for inviting me to share my 2015 Most Anticipated titles. As you know, since you kindly participated in the event, we just held a Spring Preview about upcoming Spring 2015 titles that we’re most excited about (you can check out some of the ones we’re anticipating with the hashtag #TeensReadFeed. This was a shameless promotion, yes. Oops?). You’d think that preview would prepare me for this, but I’m still not ready. How do you only choose one!? Therefore, I’ve decided that I’m going to talk briefly about a bunch of titles I’m super excited for, instead of going in depth about just one. Sound good? Good.

One of my absolute favourite YA series that I have read so far is The Winner’s Trilogy by Marie Rutkoski.  Plus, after the brutal cliffhanger that The Winner’s Curse ended with, obviously one of my most anticipated titles has to be The Winner’s Crime.  If you haven’t checked out The Winner’s Curse yet, do so now! You won’t regret it. I’ve had the pleasure to already read The Winner’s Crime, and let me say, it was just as gorgeously written as the first. I really love this series, and I highly recommend reading this one!

Fairest by Marissa Meyer is also on my list of Most Anticipated books of 2015.  Originally, when I found out the final installment of The Lunar Chronicles, Winter, was being postponed until November 2015, I was horrified. But then I learned the reason for the delay in publishing Winter is because the wonderfully prolific Marissa Meyer had written a prequel for the series from Levana’s point of view. I’ve had the opportunity to read this, and let me tell you that it’s just as brilliant as you’d expect! 

Another one of my most anticipated books is written by a Canadian! There’s a 

brand new Janet Gurtler book coming out this spring, called The Truth about Us.  We’re such big fans of Janet here at Raincoast, and although I haven’t yet read this one, I’m so excited about it.  It sounds like a great contemporary read, and you can take a look at the description here:

The truth is that Jess knows she screwed up.
She's made mistakes, betrayed her best friend, and now she's paying for it. Her dad is making her spend the whole summer volunteering at the local soup kitchen.

The truth is she wishes she was the care-free party-girl everyone thinks she is.
She pretends it's all fine. That her "perfect" family is fine. But it's not. And no one notices the lie… until she meets Flynn. He's the only one who really sees her. The only one who listens.

The truth is that Jess is falling apart - and no one seems to care.

But Flynn is the definition of "the wrong side of the tracks." When Jess's parents look at him they only see the differences—not how much they need each other. They don't get that the person who shouldn't fit in your world… might just be the one to make you feel like you belong.

If you’ve never read anything by Beth Kephart, you need to rectify that immediately. I love Beth Kephart’s writing, which is why my next most anticipated pick is One Thing Stolen. She has such stunning prose, and I was blown away by the last book of hers I read called Going Over. While I haven’t yet had a chance to read an advance of this one, I’m really looking forward to it. Plus it’s set in Florence. And it has the most interesting premise. So seriously, everyone should try reading this! Not to mention, are you looking at that cover? So gorgeous.

And finally, one of the books I am most looking forward to is a bit of a departure from YA, and fiction for that matter.  The Last Love Song by Tracy Daugherty is a biography on one of my favourite writers, Joan Didion.  (Side note, if you’re looking for a good nonfiction book or collection of essays, read Slouching Towards Bethlehem by Didion. I am in awe of her prose.) I have always been so in love with Joan Didion’s writing, and I am excited to have the opportunity to learn more about her life with this biography. This may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but I’m really looking forward to reading this one!

So that’s just a handful of some of my Most Anticipated titles of 2015! It’s so hard to choose, but it had to be done.  Thanks again, Kathy, for the opportunity to talk about some of my most anticipated upcoming books!

I want to think Melissa for taking the time to write up this post. There are some exciting books (and I can confirm the amazingness of The Winner's Crime) coming our way in 2015!