Top 10 Tuesday – My Most Anticipated Books Releasing During the Second Half of 2023
Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. Top Ten Tuesday has been one of my favorite memes ever since I started blogging, so huge thanks to Jana for taking over the hosting duties!
This week’s TTT topic is My Most Anticipated Books Releasing During the Second Half of 2023. The hardest part about this topic is trying to narrow down to just ten books that I’m excited about. These were the ten that first popped into my head but there are so many others that I’m also very excited to read in the second half of the year.
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My Most Anticipated Books Releasing During the Second Half of 2023
1. HELLO STRANGER by Katherine Center
2. GOOD BAD GIRL by Alice Feeney
3. THE FRAGILE THREADS OF POWER by V.E. Schwab
4. THE SUMMER OF SONGBIRDS by Kristy Woodson Harvey
5. THINGS WE LEFT BEHIND by Lucy Score
6. THE INVISIBLE HOUR by Alice Hoffman
7. IRIS KELLY DOESN’T DATE by Ashley Herring Blake
8. NONE OF THIS IS TRUE by Lisa Jewell
9. THE FAKE MATE by Lana Ferguson
10. THE BREAKAWAY by Jennifer Weiner
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Have you read or are you planning to read any of these?
Reviews: PLAY WITH ME & THE SWEETHEART LIST
Happy Monday everyone! I hope you all had a great weekend. Mine was filled with lots of naps and great books. Today I’m back to share my thoughts on two heartwarming summer romances that you’re going to want to add to your TBRs.
Play for Me Goodreads
Author: Libby Hubscher
Publication Date: June 20, 2023
Publisher: Berkley Romance
FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.
Set at a prep school in New England, Libby Hubscher’s new novel Play for Me follows Sophie Doyle, an athletic trainer, who has just been fired from her dream job with the Boston Red Sox. Sophie had recommended that their injured star pitcher not play, which cost them a World Series title, and it did not go over well with Red Sox Nation. To add insult to injury, Sophie’s boyfriend, the team doctor, kicks her out since her recommendation contradicted his. Needing both a job and a place to live, Sophie takes a job at a prep school in New Hampshire. Here she can lay low, regroup, and come up with a game plan on how to get her job back. What Sophie doesn’t realize is how truly life changing this experience will be.
I adored Sophie from the moment we see her bean a rabid Sox fan in the face with a cannoli after he spits on her food. I loved her feisty spirit as well as her determination to find a new path forward after getting fired. I also really liked how she took it in stride when she finds out she’ll be rooming with three male teachers at the school due to an unforeseen housing issue. She makes fast friends with two of them, the most adorable gay couple ever, and they become like brothers to her. The third roommate, Jonah, a surly music teacher, is a different story. From their first meeting, Jonah is gruff and rude, and makes it all too clear he doesn’t want Sophie there. Or is something else going on there?
If you enjoy romances that feature tropes like enemies to lovers, grumpy sunshine, forced proximity, and he fell first, as well as lots of witty banter, you’re going to love watching Sophie and Jonah in action as their relationship evolves from hilariously awkward to something so moving that it actually brought tears to my eyes a few times.
I truly loved everything about this book, but something that especially stood out for me was the found family vibe at the school. Sophie gets the love and support she needs and she also pays it forward to the students she coaches, particularly a charming young man named Tyson, a gifted musician who also happens to have one of the best pitching arms Sophie has ever seen. That found family vibe isn’t just at the school either; Sophie’s dad also creates a found family of his own, by treating all of Sophie’s friends as if they were his own children. It was so sweet how they all forged relationships with him and would call him for advice and to chat. He and Sophie are also very close, and their heartwarming, tender moments were some of my favorites from the book.
Play for Me is filled with lovable characters, a swoony enemies to lovers romance, and just so many wonderful “found family” vibes. It’s truly a heartwarming gem of a book! 4.5 STARS
The Sweetheart List (Sunrise Cove, #4) Goodreads
Author: Jill Shalvis
Publication Date: June 13, 2023
Publisher: Avon Books
FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.
The Sweetheart List is the fourth book in Jill Shalvis’ newest series, Sunrise Cove. I’m late to the Jill Shalvis party, but I started reading this series last year and it quickly became one of my favorite romance series. Each book has just been such a heartwarming delightful read filled with characters who are so well drawn that I feel like I know them. I also love the Lake Tahoe setting and I really like how even though the books are all interconnected by the setting, they can all be read as standalones.
The Sweetheart List follows Harper Shaw. Harper has abandoned her old life, which was no longer bringing her joy, and has come to Sunrise Cove, the last place she remembers being truly happy, looking for a fresh start. When she goes to pick up the keys to the shop where she’s planning to open a bakery, she has a hilariously awkward meet cute with Bodie Campbell and then can’t seem to escape him no matter where she goes. He not only lives near her, but he also owns the tavern next to her shop, and he and his family are her landlords. The sparks fly between Harper and Bodie every time they cross paths and you can just tell they could be good together if they give it a shot.
As much as I adored Harper for her determination to get out there and find a happier life for herself, it was Bodie who really stole my heart. He suffered two major losses while he was away working for the ATF, and when he returns home, everyone else seems to have already finished grieving and moved forward. It broke my heart to see him struggling so much, but thankfully he has an incredible support system with his mom and his hilarious brothers. As Bodie himself says, his family loves hard.
I also fell hard for Ivy, the teenage runaway, who has come to Sunrise Cove on a mission. Not only did I fall hard for her, but so does Harper, who takes Ivy under her wing, and Bodie, who recognizes another soul who is struggling. Watching these three characters come together like a family truly warmed my heart even more so than the romantic possibilities between Harper and Bodie did.
The Sweetheart List is yet another gem of a story from Jill Shalvis. If charming settings, quirky lovable characters, hilarious antics involving wild animals, swoony romances, and found families are your vibe, then this one is a must read for you! 4.5 STARS
Thriller Thursday Reviews: The Marriage Act & The Only Survivors
Happy Thriller Thursday! Sharon here and this week I am excited to share my thoughts on two books that I was very excited to read. John Marrs’, The Marriage Act and Megan Miranda’s, The Only Survivors. I really enjoyed both of these books and happy they lived up to my expectations.
The Marriage Act Goodreads Author: John Marrs
Publication Date: May 2, 2023
Publisher: Hanover Square Press
What if the government issued incentives (IE: better health care, tax breaks, homes in better parts of town) to upgrade your marriage and enter into The Sanctity of Marriage Act, would you take it? Even if they monitored every aspect of your life and used that info to ensure that you and your spouse are still in love? That is the premise of John Marrs’ newest book The Marriage Act.
The Sanctity of Marriage Act, known as Smart Marriage, is not all that the government says it is. Sure, if the Audite listening device installed in your home deems your marriage healthy, then you are doing great. But if the device senses tension in the marriage then things can get very rocky and you could lose all of your benefits, or as some couples found out, your life.
The Marriage Act is told from multiple POVs. Also, throughout the book we get to read pamphlets regarding Smart Marriage. For example: “What is in it for me?” gives all the benefits of a Smart Marriage, “How Does it Work?” gives the definition of each level. I really liked learning about the levels. Level 1: Once the Audite picks up on marriage troubles from the recordings, it will send push notifications with hints on how to improve the marriage. Level 2: If the Audite still thinks you need extra help a Relationship Responder (trained counselor) will be assigned to you to help with one-on-one sessions to improve your marriage. Level 3: If the Audite and relationship Responder feel further support is required, then it will be passed to family court, and they will decide the fate of your marriage.
Roxi is an influencer who is promoting Smart Marriage, the more popular she gets the more her marriage suffers, and she will soon learn the downside to a Smart Marriage.
Corrine is part of the Smart Marriage resistance called Freedom for All. She and her husband Mitchell have not upgraded their marriage and in fact will be divorcing once their twins start college in a few months. I really liked Corrine. She was a strong character, and I was rooting for her all the way.
Anthony works for the government and is very much involved in promoting The Sanctity of Marriage Act. But Anthony does not like where the government is going and wants out. Only problem is, he knows too much, and the government will not let him leave so easily. I loved how Anthony’s conscience got the better of him and he tried to right all the wrongs he did.
Noah and Luca have reached level 2 and have been assigned Jeffrey as their Relationship Responder. But their lives are in danger as Jeffrey is not a stable person and has killed to get what he wants.
I loved everything about The Marriage Act. This was one wild ride of a book that had me glued to the pages. John Marrs did a great job of creating a story that had me on the edge of my seat, filled with characters that I both loved and hated. 4 ½ stars
The Only Survivors Goodreads Author: Megan Miranda
Publication Date: April 11, 2023
Publisher: Marysue Rucci Books
Megan Miranda’s The Only Survivors follows a group of high school seniors who survive a deadly bus crash, and the effect their survivors’ guilt has had on them.
Ten years ago on a high school field trip, two buses that were carrying students crashed into a river. Only nine students survived the crash: Cassidy (who is the narrator of this story), Clara, Grace, Oliver, Amaya, Joshua, Ian, Hollis, and Brody. They make a pact to never talk about what happened and what they went through to survive. On the one-year anniversary of the crash, Clara killed herself. After Clara died the others decide to get together every year on the anniversary to help each other cope. They stay in the same place every year, a cabin called The Shallows. But now ten years after the accident another one of them is dead and the safe haven of each other and The Shallows does not feel so safe anymore. Someone is watching them and wants to know what really happened the night of the accident.
I loved the setting of this book. The Shallows is located in a small town, located on a river and aside from a couple of other houses it is pretty isolated. Add to that the fact that a storm is coming in and washes out the roads and strands them and you have a very creepy atmosphere. There are also strange things happening at The Shallows that start to make the group turn on each other. Cassidy finds a phone on the beach, and it is the same phone number that has sent her mysterious texts. Joshua’s medication goes missing and Amaya left The Shallows and is now missing.
There were a lot of characters to get to know in this book and I think Megan Miranda did a good job of bringing them all to life. The story is told from Cassidy’s POV. In high school Cassidy was an outsider, the only reason she is friends with this group now is because of the accident. She has been trying to distance herself from them and had no intension of going to The Shallows this year, but when she heard Ian was dead she had to go. Aside from the pact they all made the night of the crash, Cassidy is also keeping another secret and she can never let anyone know what it is. We also get chapters from each of the other characters from the night of the accident. I think getting those chapters with bits and pieces about what happened that night really added to the mystery of this book.
The Only Survivors was a slow burn mystery but by the end of the book I was on the edge of my seat and when the final twist was revealed I was shocked! 3 ½ stars