With a new year, comes more books, and with that comes more anticipated reads I cannot wait to get my hands—and eyes on. Take a look at my nine best and most anticipated reads coming in 2021, and be sure to pre-order or add to your to be read list.
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Pre-ordering is hugely important, not only does it show your favourite author you love their work, but shows their team that they are in demand and needed in the literary world.
A Vow So Bold and Deadly
The third book in Brigid Kemmerer’s Cursebreaker series, and is available from 26.01.2021.
Grey has been revealed as the rightful prince of Emberfall. But the kingdom is crumbling fast, torn between his claim and that of the reigning Prince Rhen and Princess Harper. Newly crowned as Queen of the enemy kingdom Syhl Shallow, Lia Mara struggles to rule with a gentler hand than her mother. But as Grey moves closer to claiming the crown of Emberfall, both Harper and Lia Mara are forced to question where they stand – and how far they can follow the dictates of their hearts.
BUY HERE ON AMAZON | WATERSTONES
The Ex Talk
A book sweeping Bookstagram at the moment, Rachel Lynn Solomon brings radio to life. Available from the 28.01.2021.
Shay Goldstein has been a producer at the Seattle public radio station for nearly a decade, and she can’t imagine working anywhere else. But lately, it’s been a constant clash between her and her newest colleague, Dominic Yeung. When the struggling station needs a new concept, Shay proposes a show that her boss green-lights with excitement. On The Ex Talk, two exes will deliver relationship advice live, on-air. Their boss decides Shay and Dominic are the perfect co-hosts, given how much they already despise each other. Neither loves the idea of lying to listeners, but it’s this or unemployment. Their audience gets invested fast, and it’s not long before The Ex Talk tops podcast charts. As the show gets bigger, so does their deception; especially when Shay and Dominic start to catch feelings for each other.
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The Gilded Ones
Set in an Ancient Kingdom inspired by West Africa, Namina Forna novel The Gilded Ones is perfect for those who loved Children of Blood and Bone and is available from 04.02.2021.
Sixteen-year-old Deka lives in Otera, a deeply patriarchal ancient kingdom, where a woman’s worth is tied to her purity, and she must bleed to prove it. But when Deka bleeds gold – the colour of impurity, of a demon – she faces a consequence worse than death. She is saved by a mysterious woman who tells Deka of her true nature: she is an Alaki, a near-immortal with exceptional gifts. The stranger offers her a choice: fight for the Emperor, with others just like her, or be destroyed…
BUY HERE ON AMAZON | WATERSTONES
You Have A Match
After loving Tweet Cute, Emma Lord is back with a new romance book that is guaranteed to make you grin like a fool. Available from 15.02.2021.
When Abby signs up for a DNA service, it’s mainly to give her friend and secret love interest, Leo, a nudge. After all, she knows who she is already: Avid photographer. Injury-prone tree climber. Best friend to Leo and Connie… although ever since the B.E.I. (Big Embarrassing Incident) with Leo, things have been awkward on that front.
When the DNA service reveals Abby has a secret sister. Shimmery-haired Instagram star Savannah Tully, it’s hard to believe they’re from the same planet. Never mind the same parents. The logical course of action? Meet up at summer camp (obviously) and figure out why Abby’s parents gave Savvy up for adoption. But there are complications: Savvy is a rigid rule-follower and total narc. Leo is the camp’s co-chef, putting Abby’s growing feelings for him on blast. And her parents have a secret that threatens to unravel everything.
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The Lost Apothecary
One of 2021’s highly anticipated reads from debut author Sarah Penner, and available from 02.03.2021.
Hidden in the depths of eighteenth-century London, a secret apothecary shop caters to an unusual kind of clientele. Women across the city whisper of a mysterious figure named Nella who sells well-disguised poisons to use against the oppressive men in their lives. But the apothecary’s fate is jeopardized when her newest patron, a precocious twelve-year-old, makes a fatal mistake, sparking a string of consequences that echo through the centuries. Meanwhile, in present-day London, aspiring historian Caroline Parcewell spends her tenth wedding anniversary alone, running from her own demons. When she stumbles upon a clue to the unsolved apothecary murders that haunted London two hundred years ago, her life collides with the apothecary’s in a stunning twist of fate–and not everyone will survive.
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All Our Hidden Gifts
From Caroline O’Donoghue, All Our Hidden Gifts is her teen debut with a supernatural twist. Available from 27.05.2021 (this publication date differs from website to website)
Maeve Chambers doesn’t have much going for her. Not only does she feel like the sole idiot in a family of geniuses, but she also managed to drive away her best friend Lily a year ago. But when she finds a pack of dusty old tarot cards at school and begins to give scarily accurate readings to the girls in her class, she realizes she’s found her gift at last. Things are looking up – until she discovers a strange card in the deck that definitely shouldn’t be there. And two days after she convinces her ex-best friend to have a reading, Lily disappears. Can Maeve, her new friend Fiona and Lily’s brother Roe find her? And will Maeve’s new gift be enough to bring Lily back, before she’s gone for good?
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One Last Stop
From Casey McQuiston, the author behind Red, White and Royal Blue, comes her second novel, One Last Stop. Available from 01.06.2021.
For cynical twenty-three-year-old August, moving to New York City is supposed to prove her right: that things like magic and cinematic love stories don’t exist, and the only smart way to go through life is alone. But then, there’s this gorgeous girl on the train. Jane. Dazzling, charming, mysterious, impossible Jane. Jane with her rough edges and swoopy hair and soft smile, showing up in a leather jacket to save August’s day when she needed it most. August’s subway crush becomes the best part of her day; pretty soon, she discovers there’s one big problem: Jane doesn’t just look like an old school punk rocker. She’s literally displaced in time from the 1970s, and August is going to have to use everything she tried to leave in her own past to help her. Maybe it’s time to start believing in some things, after all.
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The Box In The Woods
After stumbling on Maureen Johnson’s series last year, check out my thoughts on the series here, I have been nervously waiting for this book. Available from 24.06.2021.
Amateur sleuth Stevie Bell needs a good murder. After catching a killer at her high school, she’s back at home for a normal (that means boring) summer. But then she gets a message from the owner of Sunny Pines. Formerly known as Camp Wonder Falls-the site of the notorious unsolved case, the Box in the Woods Murders. Back in 1978, four camp counsellors were killed in the woods outside of the town of Barlow Corners, their bodies left in a gruesome display.
The new owner offers Stevie an invitation: Come to the camp and help him work on a true-crime podcast about the case. Stevie agrees, as long as she can bring along her friends from Ellingham Academy. Nothing sounds better than a summer spent together, investigating old murders. But something evil still lurks in Barlow Corners. When Stevie opens the lid on this long-dormant case, she gets much more than she bargained for.
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Gods And Monsters
Shelby Mahurin’s third book in the Serpent and Dove series and one of my favourite awaited books of the year (mainly cause I need to know what is occurring). The cover was announced only yesterday, and at present, the book is expected to be available from 05.08.2021.
Lou has spent her whole life running. Now, after a crushing blow from Morgane, the time has come to go home-and claim what is rightfully hers. But this is no longer the Lou her friends knew. No longer the Lou who captured a chasseur’s heart. A darkness has settled over her, and this time it will take more than love to drive it out.
PRE-ORDER NOW AT AMAZON | WATERSTONES
While I’ve checked both Amazon and Waterstones for publication dates, please be aware these may be subject to change. The dates, also, often differ so have gone with the one available through Waterstones.
Is there a book you think I should be excited about, let me know and I’ll check it out? Equally, is there a book on this list you cannot wait for?
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