My Most Anticipated Autumn Releases

Hello everyone and happy autumn! I'm so excited that my favourite season has officially begun. Autumn is the season for fuzzy socks, hot chocolate, warm blankets and reading so today I wanted to share with you my most anticipated autumn releases!

It Only Happens in the Movies 
by Holly Bourne 
Publication Date: 5th October 2017 
Synopsis: "Audrey is over romance. Since her parents' relationship imploded her mother's been catatonic, so she takes a cinema job to get out of the house. But there she meets wannabe film-maker Harry. Nobody expects Audrey and Harry to fall in love as hard and fast as they do. But that doesn't mean things are easy. Because real love isn't like the movies...

The greatest love story ever told doesn't feature kissing in the snow or racing to airports. It features pain and confusion and hope and wonder and a ban on cheesy clichés. Oh, and zombies... YA star Holly Bourne tackles real love in this hugely funny and poignant novel."

Why I Can't Wait to Read it - I really don't need to explain this one do I? You guys know that I've adored Holly Bourne ever since I read an early proof of her debut novel Soulmates and I always eagerly anticipate her next book!

Forest of a Thousand Lanterns 
by Julie C. Dao 
Publication Date: 10th October 2017 
Synopsis: "An East Asian fantasy reimagining of The Evil Queen legend about one peasant girl's quest to become Empress--and the darkness she must unleash to achieve her destiny. 

Eighteen-year-old Xifeng is beautiful. The stars say she is destined for greatness, that she is meant to be Empress of Feng Lu. But only if she embraces the darkness within her. Growing up as a peasant in a forgotten village on the edge of the map, Xifeng longs to fulfill the destiny promised to her by her cruel aunt, the witch Guma, who has read the cards and seen glimmers of Xifeng's majestic future. But is the price of the throne too high? 

Because in order to achieve greatness, she must spurn the young man who loves her and exploit the callous magic that runs through her veins--sorcery fueled by eating the hearts of the recently killed. For the god who has sent her on this journey will not be satisfied until his power is absolute."

Why I Can't Wait to Read it - Literally everybody on my Goodreads friend list who has read this book early has given it a 5 star rating. I love stories from the villain's point of view looking at how they ended up that way. Throw into the mix the fact that I am in a massive fantasy mood right now and the 10th October can not come fast enough!

Anything You Do Say 
by Gillian McAllister 
Publication Date: 19th October 2017 (on Kindle) 
Synopsis: "Joanna is an avoider. So far she has spent her adult life hiding bank statements and changing career aspirations weekly. 

But then one night Joanna hears footsteps on the way home. Is she being followed? She is sure it's him; the man from the bar who wouldn't leave her alone. Hearing the steps speed up Joanna turns and pushes with all of her might, sending her pursuer tumbling down the steps and lying motionless on the floor.

Now Joanna has to do the thing she hates most - make a decision. Fight or flight? Truth or lie? Right or wrong?"

Why I Can't Wait to Read it - October for me is the month for thrillers and after loving Gillian's debut Everything But The Truth, my proof copy of Anything You Do Say is high on my TBR.

Turtles All The Way Down by John Green 
Publication Date: 10th October 2017 
Synopsis: " Sixteen-year-old Aza never intended to pursue the mystery of fugitive billionaire Russell Pickett, but there's a hundred thousand dollar reward at stake and her Best and Most Fearless Friend, Daisy, is eager to investigate. So together, they navigate the short distance and broad divides that separate them from Russell Pickett's son, Davis.

Aza is trying. She is trying to be a good daughter, a good friend, a good student, and maybe even a good detective, while also living within the ever-tightening spiral of her own thoughts.

In his long-awaited return, John Green, the acclaimed, award-winning author of Looking for Alaska and The Fault in Our Stars, shares Aza's story with shattering, unflinching clarity in this brilliant novel of love, resilience, and the power of lifelong friendship."

Why I Can't Wait to Read it - I absolutely adore John Green, I was a hardcore fan of The Fault in Our Stars and I've been waiting for a new book from him ever since but even if John hadn't written this book I'd still be all over it because it features a main character who has OCD, an illness that I myself have. My expectations for this book are sky high and I have everything crossed that this book lives up to them.

There's Someone Inside Your House 
by Stephanie Perkins
Publication Date: 5th October 2017 
Synopsis: "Over a year after her parents sent her away from Hawaii to live with her grandmother in landlocked Nebraska, Makani Young is still adjusting to her new life. She's made a small group of close friends and even flirted with romance, but her past in Hawaii is still hard to forget.

And then . . . one by one the students of her new high school begin to die in a series of gruesome murders. Makani doesn't know who's next on the list. Between this, and a secret scorching relationship with the school weirdo, this school year may turn out to be one to die for . . . literally.

There's Someone Inside Your House by Stephanie Perkins will have you swooning with fear and romance, and is the perfect page-turner for fans of Scream Queens and I Know What You Did Last Summer."

Why I Can't Wait to Read it - Stephanie Perkins is one of my favourite contemporary authors and I'm so excited to see what she does with the thriller genre! I already have a proof of this sitting waiting for October to roll around.

The Nowhere Girls by Amy Reed 
Publication Date: 5th October 2017 
Synopsis: "Who are the Nowhere Girls? They're every girl. But they start with just three: Grace, the preacher's daughter who unwittingly moved into the old house of a victim whose pain adorns the walls. Bold Rosina, whose heart has become hardened by all of the straight girls who broke it. And misunderstood Erin, the girl who finds more solace in science and order than she does in people.

They are brought together by the idea of changing the narrative of a girl they had never met, Lucy Moynihan, the victim of a sexual assault who was victimised further by people who found it easier to believe she had cried wolf than to confront what had really happened to her. A girl who, through the course of one evening, went from an excited teenager who felt wanted by a boy for the first time, to someone else entirely, with 'a voice in the darkness, giving her a new name: Slut'. Together, they form the Nowhere Girls, and decide to avenge the rape of a girl none of them knew."

Why I Can't Wait to Read it - I first heard about this book from Zoe after reading her amazing review and I knew I just had to have this book. I love feminist, hard hitting reads and I have a feeling I'm going to love this one!

The Treatment by C.L. Taylor 
Publication Date: 19th October 2017 
Synopsis: "“You have to help me. We’re not being reformed. We’re being brainwashed.”

All sixteen year old Drew Finch wants is to be left alone. She's not interested in spending time with her mum and stepdad and when her disruptive fifteen year old brother Mason is expelled from school for the third time and sent to a residential reform academy she's almost relieved.

Everything changes when she's followed home from school by the mysterious Dr Cobey, who claims to have a message from Mason. There is something sinister about the ‘treatment’ he is undergoing. The school is changing people.

Determined to help her brother, Drew must infiltrate the Academy and unearth its deepest, darkest secrets. Before it’s too late."

Why I Can't Wait to Read it - I've read and loved all of C.L. Taylor's adult thrillers so I have every faith that her venture into YA will be just as good! I was lucky enough to receive a proof of this and although it's firmly on my October TBR I have had a sneaky read of the first few pages and the writing is predictably gripping pulling you in right away!

The Foster Child by Jenny Blackhurst 
Publication Date: 16th November 2017 
Synopsis: "When child psychologist Imogen Reid takes on the case of 11-year-old Ellie Atkinson, she refuses to listen to warnings that the girl is dangerous.

Ellie was the only survivor of a fire that killed her family. Imogen is convinced she's just a sad and angry child struggling to cope with her loss.

But Ellie's foster parents and teachers are starting to fear her. When she gets upset, bad things seem to happen. And as Imogen gets closer to Ellie, she may be putting herself in danger..."

Why I Can't Wait to Read it - Jenny Blackhurst is another writer whose thrillers I absolutely love so when I saw a proof of this up for review on Amazon Vine I snatched it up! I've heard lots of great things from early reviews and I can't wait to get to it soon.

 What new releases can you not wait to snuggle down with this Autumn?

Feminist Fiction On My TBR

With the success of The Handmaid's Tale and in the YA community books such as Only Ever Yours by Louise O'Neill and Holly Bourne's Spinster Club series I've noticed more feminist fiction being published this year which makes me incredibly excited! I've read a lot of non-fiction on feminism but fiction is my preference and I love that there are more and more stories being published with the subject of feminism at its forefront.

Today I wanted to share with you some of the feminist fiction I have on my TBR pile that I want to get to over the next few months. I hope that it gives you some ideas for feminist books to add to your own reading piles!

The Power by Naomi Alderman 

Like most people, I first heard about The Power when it was nominated for The Bailey's Women's Prize for Fiction this year. That and the quote from Margaret Atwood had me sold and I ordered a copy straight away. I find the premise of this one absolutely fascinating - what if the power to hurt was in women's hands? In The Power teenage girls wake up one day to find that they can inflict pain with a flick of their fingers. I've heard nothing but brilliant things about this book and since it went on to win the Bailey's Prize I know I need to get to it soon.

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood 

This book has been sitting on my shelf for years unread but I started watching the TV series and absolutely adore it so it's going on pause for a while as incentive for me to finally pick up this book because I prefer to read a book before watching the adaptation. The Handmaid's Tale is a modern classic for a reason and I'm excited to finally read it soon and then get back into the show!

Gather the Daughters by Jennie Melamed 

This book is being pitched as being perfect for fans of The Girls by Emma Cline which was one of my favourite books of last year. It tells the story of a cult founded by ten men years ago when they colonised an island. Girls are wives in training, massively controlled and must reproduce at the first sign of puberty. I think that like The Girls this is going to be a dark and disturbing read. I currently have a giveaway for Gather the Daughters running on my Instagram so if you'd like to be in with a chance of winning go enter here.

Who Runs the World? by Virginia Bergin 

Moving on to some YA! I loved Virginia Bergin's The Rain series and have high hopes for this dystopian read about a world where a virus has wiped out the male population and women are in charge. The idea behind this book sounds so interesting to me and I'm excited to see what Virginia Bergin does with it.

Things a Bright Girl Can Do by Sally Nicholls 

I think that this is one of the books I am the most excited to get to on this pile! Things a Bright Girl Can Do releases in September and follows three courageous teenage girls as they fight for equality and join the Suffragettes. I don't think I've ever read any YA historical feminist fiction and what better place to start than to read about the Suffragettes? This book also has LGBT rep and from the looks of it is going to be absolutely fantastic!

Moxie by Jennifer Mathieu 

Thanks to Zoella picking it for her 2017 book club, everybody is reading Moxie right now! This sounds like an American version of What's a Girl Gotta Do? and follows Viv who begins a girl revolution at her school. I have a feeling that I'm going to love this book as it ticks a lot of boxes for me. It's one that is at the very top of my reading pile!

Which book do you think I should start with? 

And what books are on your feminist fiction TBR pile?

Books I Want to Read Before the End of the Year

Last Wednesday, I did a post about my favourite books of 2017 so far and it got me thinking about all of the books I was so excited to be released at the start of the year that I still haven't gotten around to. So today I wanted to share the books that I really want to have read before the end of the year and I'm hoping that by putting them down in a list it'll drive me to finally pick them up!

Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor 

"But, Jess! Wasn't Strange the Dreamer one of your most anticipated releases of 2017?" I hear you cry. Well yes friends, yes it was. A reoccurring theme with this list seems to be that they're all books that I really want to read. I think my problem is that I wait to read them under perfect circumstances, like when I'm in a good reading mood, when I have lots of time to read, when I don't really have any plans so I can dedicate a good chunk of time to the book etc but of course this perfect opportunity then never presents itself. Laini Taylor is one of my favourite authors and I'm determined to read this book before the end of the year - perfect reading moment or not!

This Love by Dani Atkins 

Our Song by Dani Atkins was one of my favourite books of last year so I'm really excited to read this latest book from her. I love the sound of it and my most trusted blogger friends have all really enjoyed this one. If it's anything like Our Song it'll have me crying buckets so I'm going to be picking this one up next time I'm in the mood for a good weepy.

A Conjuring of Light by V.E. Schwab 

This is the final book in the Shades of Magic series, I think what's put me off so far is its size at over 600 pages and also the fact that it's the last book in a beloved trilogy. Another reoccurring theme of mine seems to be reading and loving a series but never getting around to the final book. I think in my head if I don't read it then it's not over and I don't have to say goodbye to these characters I love so much. Does anybody else do the same!?

Forever Geek by Holly Smale 

Oh, look! Another final book in a series I love that I haven't gotten around to! I just really don't want to say goodbye to Harriet and the gang okay? Especially Toby whom I love oh so very much. This series is pure feel good comfort reading for me and I have no idea what series I'm going to turn to for that once this one has finished. If you have any recommendations for what to read after Geek Girl let me know!

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas 

THUG is a book that I'm a little scared to read because of all the hype surrounding it. I also felt this way about When Dimple Met Rishi, which as we know has turned out to be one of my favourite books of the year so far. Everyone has fallen in love with THUG this year and I really need to read it soon!

Frostblood by Elly Blake 

When I read Caraval and sent out a tweet looking for other fantasy books like it, a lot of people came back to me recommending Frostblood with some saying that they enjoyed this book even more than Caraval! The sequel, Fireblood is out in September so I really want to read this soon ready for book two.

 Those are the books that I want to read in the second half of this year. 

Are there any books on your TBR that you want to make a priority in 2017?

Spring Releases: The Highlights

Hello everyone! Today marks the first official day of Spring here in the UK and there are so many books coming out this season that I'm excited for. To celebrate the beginning of spring I wanted to share with you the creme de la creme of the spring releases on my wishlist and review pile. I hope it helps you decide what should be on your TBR for the coming months ahead. I'm so looking forward to sitting outside in the sunshine with a picnic lunch and these brilliant books!

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman 
Publication Date: 18th May 2017 
Synopsis: "Eleanor Oliphant has learned how to survive – but not how to live

Eleanor Oliphant leads a simple life. She wears the same clothes to work every day, eats the same meal deal for lunch every day and buys the same two bottles of vodka to drink every weekend.

Eleanor Oliphant is happy. Nothing is missing from her carefully timetabled life. Except, sometimes, everything.

One simple act of kindness is about to shatter the walls Eleanor has built around herself. Now she must learn how to navigate the world that everyone else seems to take for granted – while searching for the courage to face the dark corners she’s avoided all her life.

Change can be good. Change can be bad. But surely any change is better than… fine?"

Why I Can't Wait to Read it - I've been hearing wonderful things about Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine since last year and when I read the synopsis I knew I had to read it because it sounds like such a Jess book. I've already been told by several people that I'll love it so I've been counting down the days until release when I can finally get my hands on a copy!

Into the Water by Paula Hawkins 
Publication Date: 2nd May 2017 
Synopsis: "A single mother turns up dead at the bottom of the river that runs through town. Earlier in the summer, a vulnerable teenage girl met the same fate. They are not the first women lost to these dark waters, but their deaths disturb the river and its history, dredging up secrets long submerged.

Left behind is a lonely fifteen-year-old girl. Parentless and friendless, she now finds herself in the care of her mother’s sister, a fearful stranger who has been dragged back to the place she deliberately ran from—a place to which she vowed she’d never return.

With the same propulsive writing and acute understanding of human instincts that captivated millions of readers around the world in her explosive debut thriller, The Girl on the Train, Paula Hawkins delivers an urgent, twisting, deeply satisfying read that hinges on the deceptiveness of emotion and memory, as well as the devastating ways that the past can reach a long arm into the present.

Beware a calm surface—you never know what lies beneath."

Why I Can't Wait to Read it - This is the book that I think is on everyone's wishlist this spring and that is the highly anticipated new thriller from Paula Hawkins author of The Girl on the Train. Early reader friends have already told me that Into The Water is utterly fantastic and totally lives up to its predecessor. I absolutely can't wait to see what Paula Hawkins has in store for us next!

The Light We Lost by Jill Santopolo 
Publication Date: 18th May 2017 
Synopsis: "Two people. One choice.

What if?

Every love story has a beginning…

11th September 2001. Lucy and Gabe meet in New York on a day that will change their lives – and the world – forever. As the city burns behind them, they kiss for the very first time.

Over the next thirteen years they are torn apart, then brought back together, time and time again. It’s a journey of dreams, of desires, of jealousy, of forgiveness – and above all, love.

As Lucy is faced with a devastating choice, she wonders whether their love is a matter of destiny or chance.

 …what if this is how their story ends?"

Why I Can't Wait to Read it - I'm a sucker for a good love story and The Light We Lost looks set to be one of the big ones of this year with early comparisons to Me Before You and One Day. This book is right at the top of my review pile for May!

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas 
Publication Date: 6th April 2017 
Synopsis: "Sixteen-year-old Starr lives in two worlds: the poor neighbourhood where she was born and raised and her posh high school in the suburbs. The uneasy balance between them is shattered when Starr is the only witness to the fatal shooting of her unarmed best friend, Khalil, by a police officer. Now what Starr says could destroy her community. It could also get her killed."

Why I Can't Wait to Read it - If you haven't heard of THUG yet where have you been!? There has been so much early excitement for this book and it recently hit the number one spot on The New York Times’s Young Adult best-seller list. This is easily one of my most anticipated releases of the year and if it's not already on your TBR then it should be! The Hate U Give is set to be one of the most important books you'll read this year.

This Love by Dani Atkins 
Publication Date: 23rd March 2017 
Synopsis: "Sophie stopped believing in happy endings a long time ago, but could this love change all of that?

Sophie Winter lives in a self-imposed cocoon - she's a single, 31-year-old translator who works from home in her one-bedroom flat. This isn’t really the life she dreamed of, but then Sophie stopped believing in dreams when she was a teenager and tragedy struck her family.

So, to be safe, she keeps everyone at arm’s length. Sophie understands she has a problem, but recognising it and knowing how to fix it are two entirely different things.

One night a serious fire breaks out in the flat below hers. Sophie is trapped in the burning building until a passer-by, Ben, sees her and rescues her.

Suddenly her cocoon is shattered - what will be the consequences of this second life-changing event?"

Why I Can't Wait to Read it - Our Song by Dani Atkins was one of my favourite books of last year so I can't wait to read another by her. My blogger friends who have already read this have been raving to me about it,  so needless to say this is currently at the very top of my review pile for this month!

Sweetpea by C.J. Skuse 
Publication Date: 20th April 2017 
Synopsis: "The last person who called me ‘Sweetpea’ ended up dead…

I haven’t killed anyone for three years and I thought that when it happened again I’d feel bad. Like an alcholic taking a sip of whisky. But no. Nothing. I had a blissful night’s sleep. Didn’t wake up at all. And for once, no bad dream either. This morning I feel balanced. Almost sane, for once.

Rhiannon is your average girl next door, settled with her boyfriend and little dog…but she’s got a killer secret. Although her childhood was haunted by a famous crime, Rhiannon’s life is normal now that her celebrity has dwindled. By day her job as an editorial assistant is demeaning and unsatisfying. By evening she dutifully listens to her friend’s plans for marriage and babies whilst secretly making a list.

 A kill list.

From the man on the Lidl checkout who always mishandles her apples, to the driver who cuts her off on her way to work, to the people who have got it coming, Rhiannon’s ready to get her revenge. 

Because the girl everyone overlooks might be able to get away with murder…"

Why I Can't Wait to Read it - I've been a long time fangirl of C.J. Skuse and will read anything she writes but I am particularly excited for Sweetpea C.J's first adult thriller. I love books about female killers and revenge so I can't wait to meet Rhiannon and get inside her head.

The Cows by Dawn O'Porter 
Publication Date: 6th April 2017 
Synopsis: "Fearlessly frank and funny, the debut adult novel from Dawn O’Porter needs to be talked about.

COW [n.]
/kaʊ/

 A piece of meat; born to breed; past its sell-by-date; one of the herd.

Women don’t have to fall into a stereotype.

Tara, Cam and Stella are strangers living their own lives as best they can – though when society’s screaming you should live life one way, it can be hard to like what you see in the mirror.

When an extraordinary event ties invisible bonds of friendship between them, one woman’s catastrophe becomes another’s inspiration, and a life lesson to all.

Sometimes it’s ok not to follow the herd.

The Cows is a powerful novel about three women – judging each other, but also themselves. In all the noise of modern life, they need to find their own voice."

Why I Can't Wait to Read it - I absolutely love feminist fiction, particularly books about female friendships. This is set to be one of the biggest books about women of the year and I can't wait to dive in!

Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor 
Publication Date: 28th March 2017 
Synopsis: "The dream chooses the dreamer, not the other way around - and Lazlo Strange, war orphan and junior librarian, has always feared that his dream chose poorly. Since he was five years old he's been obsessed with the mythic lost city of Weep, but it would take someone bolder than he to cross half the world in search of it. Then a stunning opportunity presents itself, in the person of a hero called the Godslayer and a band of legendary warriors, and he has to seize his chance to lose his dream forever. 

What happened in Weep two hundred years ago to cut it off from the rest of the world? What exactly did the Godslayer slay that went by the name of god? And what is the mysterious problem he now seeks help in solving?

The answers await in Weep, but so do more mysteries - including the blue-skinned goddess who appears in Lazlo's dreams. How did he dream her before he knew she existed? And if all the gods are dead, why does she seem so real?"

Why I Can't Wait to Read it - I've been waiting for this book for such a long time! I fell in love with Laini Taylor's writing way back in 2011 when I received a proof of Daughter of Smoke and Bone to review from the publisher and since then I've been a huge fan of this author. This book sounds absolutely magical and I'm so excited that I only have eight more days to wait for this one!

 I hope you have a lovely springtime full of plenty of books and sunshine!