#2022MostAnticipated Annoucement

 

It's almost the most wonderful time of the year and with that comes my annual most anticipated event. I am going to highlight the books I am most looking forward to in 2022. 

I am looking forward to sharing the books that already have me hyped and hearing back from you all about what books you're super excited for.

The event will begin Monday November 22nd. Be sure to stop by to see what is included and hear all about the books I think we'll be talking about next year!

A few teases of books that are included:

-a 'raunch-com' set around the holidays

- a book about dating superheroes

- more than one book that is set in Hollywood

- a  retelling of one of my favourite classics

I hope some of these have piqued your interest and that you'll check out the event launching at the end of November!

Let me know what books you are excited for in the comments!

Waiting on Wednesday .... Go Hunt Me

 Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's pick is Go  Hunt Me by Kelly DeVos

Here is the Goodreads synopsis 

For Dracula lovers and fans of Diana Urban’s All Your Twisted Secrets,this spine-tingling thriller follows seven horror buffs as their dream trip to a remote Romanian castle turns into a nightmare when they begin to be killed one by one.

Alex Rush is ready for the trip of a lifetime.

She and her friends have made some creepily awesome films together throughout high school, so with only a few months left before they go their separate ways for college, they’re determined to make the best one yet: an epic documentary about the real inspiration for Dracula, filmed on location at a remote castle in Romania.

But when they get there, it’s not quite the majestic setting they planned for. Menacing weapons line the walls, the twisted halls are easy to get lost in, and with no connection to the outside world, the group is unexpectedly off the grid. After just a few hours spent under its roof, Alex and her friends have no trouble imagining how this dark, terrifying castle inspired one of the most enduring horror novels of all time.

Only soon they no longer have to use their imaginations to understand the location’s terrifying history—just as they get the documentary’s first shot rolling, one of Alex’s friends disappears, and she’s nearly certain she saw a cloaked stranger lurking in the shadows. As more members of the group begin to meet an untimely demise, Alex is desperate to stop the bloodshed, even if it means facing a monster she never thought would be let loose.

Who doesn't love a Dracula retelling, especially when it sounds this good? I love this particular, more modern, take on Dracula and cannot wait to get my hands on this!

It's a summer 2022 release so it's a bit of a wait, but I can easily see this being an amazing poolside read.

Expected release date - June 14, 2022

Weekly Obsessions

The awesome Kelly at KellyVision started posting a weekly post highlighting whatever she happened to be obsessed with that week. I LOVE this idea, so much in fact that I will be doing it myself every week. 

MOVIES/TELEVISION

Scream Trailer

Scream (aka Scream 5) is releasing in January and we just got our first look thanks to this trailer.

The 'Hello, Sidney. It's an honor' line gives me goosebumps. Sidney Prescott is my favourite final girl and I am so excited to see Neve Campbell return to this role. Also exciting? Them returning to Stu's house from the first movie! 

Black Phone Trailer

Another horror movie trailer! This one looks really good and I am loving how scary Ethan Hawke is in this one. I think this might be really good, as long as they land the ending.

I am VERY intrigued by the ghosts of the previous victims helping the kid escape. I will definitely be checking this one out.

That 90s Show Announcement

I am one of those people who really enjoyed That 70s Show and am thrilled that they announced a spin off staring some of the cast of the original!

.@tahitismith & @DJRupp to star in ‘That ’70s Show’ Spinoff ‘That ’90s Show’ @netflix https://t.co/AnrXpQyq9g pic.twitter.com/WOP5EnZSEe

— Deadline Hollywood (@DEADLINE) October 8, 2021

I love that it is Donna and Eric's daughter visiting her grandparents in Point Place still. I can easily see a lot of the original cast making cameos. I hope we get to see Donna and Eric again at some point in the season! It's being made by Netflix so that means we'll be able to binge the entire thing when it releases. 

What are you obsessed with this week? Let me know in the comments.

Waiting on Wednesday .... I Kissed Shara Wheeler

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's pick is I Kissed Shara Wheeler by Casey McQuiston

Here is the Goodreads synopsis 

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

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.

Fierce, funny, and frank, Casey McQuiston's I Kissed Shara Wheeler is about breaking the rules, getting messy, and finding love in unexpected places.

I love Casey McQuiston's books so it goes without saying that I am very excited by her young adult debut! 

This sounds like a whole lot of fun and it is timed to be a perfect summer read with that May release date.

Expected release date - May 3, 2022

Pretty Little Wife by Darby Kane

Pretty Little Wife by Darby Kane

Release Date - December 29, 2020

Publisher Website - Harper Collins
Publisher Social Media - Twitter/Facebook/SavvyReader/Frenzy

Pages - 403 pages
My Rating - 3/5

**borrowed from library**

Here is the Goodreads synopsis

Lila Ridgefield lives in an idyllic college town, but not everything is what it seems. Lila isn’t what she seems. A student vanished months ago. Now, Lila’s husband, Aaron, is also missing. At first these cases are treated as horrible coincidences until it’s discovered the student is really the third of three unexplained disappearances over the last few years. The police are desperate to find the connection, if there even is one. Little do they know they might be stumbling over only part of the truth….

With the small town in an uproar, everyone is worried about the whereabouts of their beloved high school teacher. Everyone except Lila, his wife. She’s definitely confused about her missing husband but only because she was the last person to see his body, and now it’s gone. 

Domestic thrillers are always a fun read which is why they tend to be one of the mystery novel subgenres that I will routinely seek out. Pretty Little Wife takes a familiar premise and makes an enjoyable, page turning read.

The set up for this novel is so good. The synopsis tells you the wife was the last person to see the husband's body. It immediately gets you questioning everything. It starts the book off strong and captures the reader's attention immediately.

This is definitely a case where the plot is the standout. The characters are fine, but nothing really connects them with the reader. Lila should be fascinating but I found character development took a backseat to the plot. It makes it a breezy fun read but unlikely something I will be thinking about weeks from now. It does its job and delivers exactly what it's premise promises.

This reads as very cinematic. I could see this being adapted as a multipart Netflix series. There are enough cliffhangers/reveals to end episodes on and it reads like it was paced for television. 

This book does drag a little in the middle and in to the end. It is a solid, satisfying ending even if parts of it are telegraphed in advance. The final few paragraphs snapped everything in place for me and made me appreciate what the author was doing. The early half is definitely the stronger section of the book but the ending works with what has been laid out.

If you are looking for a fun thriller, one that will keep you up reading late into the night, I recommend checking this one out. It's twists and reveals make it worth the read. It pairs perfectly with some wine  and a cozy night in.

Holiday Season Reads

I know we are not at Halloween yet, but with the supply chain issues being what they are I figured it would be better to post this earlier rather than later.

Today I am talking about books that released this year that are perfect reads for the holiday season. This will be books that are specifically holiday themed or related.

I haven't read any of these myself yet (some are yet to be released) but they all sound adorable and that they are filled with holiday cheer. There is also something for everyone as some are young adult and some are romance. 

These all link to Goodreads so that you can find out more about each of these amazing sounds titles.

Blame It On The Mistletoe by Beth Garrod (goodreads)

The Holiday Swap by Maggie Knox (goodreads)

Duke, Actually by Jenny Holiday (goodreads)

So, This Is Christmas by Tracy Andreen (goodreads)

Nick and Noel's Christmas Playlist by Codi Hall (goodreads)

The Matzah Ball by Jean Meltzer (goodreads)

A Holly Jolly Diwali by Sonya Lalli (goodreads)

Escaping Christmas by Marie Landry (goodreads)

A Magical New York Christmas by Anita Hughes (goodreads)

Escaping Christmas by Marie Landry  (goodreads)

Just a note about Escaping Christmas by Marie Landry  - no cover has been revealed yet and it comes out November 22, 2021. It sounds really fun and I cannot wait to see the cover.

Stock up on your holiday season reads (and all of your gift giving needs) before things get even more impacted by the supply chain shortage. Your bookshelf (and your future self) will thank you. 

Waiting on Wednesday .... My Summer Darlings

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's pick is My Summer Darlings by May Cobb

Here is the Goodreads synopsis

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

A woman in the forest thinks she’s going to die.

I know he’s coming back for me.

Jen Hansen, Kittie Spears, and Cynthia Nichols have been friends since childhood. They are now approaching forty and their lives have changed, but their insular East Texas town has not. They stay sane by drinking wine in the afternoons, dishing about other women in the neighborhood, and bonding over the heartache of their own encroaching middle age and raising ungrateful teens.

Then Will Harding comes to town, moving into one of the neighborhood’s grandest homes. Mysterious and charming, he seems like the answer to each woman’s prayers. He’s a source of fascination for Jen, Kittie, and Cynthia, but none of them are ready for the way Will disrupts their lives.

As Will grows closer with each of the women, their fascination twists into obsession, threatening their friendships and their families. When he abruptly pulls away, each woman scrambles to discover the source of his affection. But what they’ll uncover is far more sinister and deadly than any of them could have ever imagined.

I have been really into thrillers recently and this one caught my eye because of both its amazing cover and synopsis. 

I already want to know everything about these three women and Will. I want to know their secrets and what exactly they uncover. 

It seems like a fun summer read and this comes out in May which is perfect for beach season. It definitely has the potential to be in MANY beach bags.

Expected release date - May 17, 2022