2022 was a surprising year. Roe V. Wade got overturned. Taylor released “Midnights.” Queen Elizabeth II died. Rihana gave birth. Pete and Kim dated. I turned 20. Argentina won the FIFA World Cup. The Uvalde School Shooting occurred. My mental health went up and down, like a rollercoaster. I decided to stop people-pleasing and learned to take care of myself more.
One thing that kept me grounded was Books. I love curling up with a good book on my bed, especially when it is raining. There were a lot of good book releases in 2022, like “The Maid” by Nita Prose, “I’m Glad My Mom Died” by Jennette McCurdy, and “Something Wilder” by Christina Lauren.
Besides Rihana’s Super Bowl Halftime show, this year, I am also looking forward to Book Releases, as I hope to read these new releases while listening (and trying not to cry) to Taylor’s new album, which is impossible.
So, without further ado, for my book girlies, here are some book releases I am looking forward to this year, that may end up unread on my TBR (To Be Read) list:
1.Maame by Jessica George
Genre: Fiction
Release Date: January 31, 2023
Summary:
Born and raised in London to Ghanaian parents, Maddie Wright has a dead-end office job and a dad ill with Parkinson’s disease. When her mom returns from Ghana for a year, Maddie takes a break, finds a flat, and starts living her life. Will she finally learn how to live her life?
2. She Is a Haunting by Trang Thanh Tran
Genre: Horror
Release Date: February 28, 2023
Summary:
As Jade Nguyen arrives in Vietnam for a visit with her estranged father, her one goal is to try and survive five weeks pretending to be a happy family in the French colonial house that her Ba is restoring. But Jade’s happiness doesn’t last long, as night after night, strange things start happening to her within the house. Will Jade and her family survive, or will she fight back against the terrors in the house?
3. What Happened to Ruthy Ramirez by Claire Jimenez
Genre: Fiction, Mystery
Release Date: March 7, 2023
Summary:
When thirteen‑year‑old middle child Ruthy disappeared after track practice without a trace, it left the family scarred and scrambling. One night, twelve years later, oldest sister Jessica spots a woman on her TV screen in Catfight, a raunchy reality show, who she believes to be Ruthy. What follows is a family road trip and reckoning that will force the Ramirez women to finally face the past and look toward a future—with or without Ruthy in it. Will they bring Ruthy back or will they have to endure a future without her?
4. Who Gets Believed?: When the Truth Isn’t Enough by Dina Nayeri
Genre: Nonfiction
Release Date: March 7, 2023
Summary:
In this book, Author Dina Nayeri explores various case studies, both personal and clinical, with an eye toward believability. From persuading a doctor that she’d prefer a C-section to learning to “bullshit gracefully” at McKinsey to struggling, in her personal life, to believe her troubled brother-in-law, Nayeri explores an aspect of our society that is rarely held up to the light. Whom do we tend to believe, and why?
5. Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
Release Date: March 14, 2023
Summary:
Vera Wong is a woman who lives above her forgotten tea shop in the middle of San Francisco’s Chinatown. She is at a certain age, at which people tend to have a lot of time on their hands. One morning, Vera finds a dead man in the middle of the tea shop with a flash drive in his hand. Vera decides to call the cops, like a good citizen but decides to take the flash drive and hide it, as she believes that there is more to this and thinks that she could do a better job than the police could. She also knows that the killer will be back for the flash drive, leading her to start an investigation into which of her customers could possibly be the killer. Will Vera catch the murderer or will something else get in the way of her investigation?
6. I Have Some Questions for You by Rebecca Makkai
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
Release Date: March 14, 2023
Summary:
Bodie Kane, a successful film professor, and podcaster is determined to forget her past—the family tragedy that marred her adolescence, her four miserable years at a New Hampshire boarding school, and the murder of her former roommate, Thalia Keith, in the spring of their senior year. But her plans to forget her past are going to have to wait, as the Granby School invites her back to teach a course, leading Bodie to be drawn back to the case and its apparent flaws. Did the police catch the right person? Did Bodie know something about the case that the police did not?
7. Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez
Genre: Romance
Release Date: April 11, 2023
Summary:
Dr. Briana Ortiz’s life is taking a dive. Her divorce is about to be finalized, and her brother is running out of time to find a kidney donor. On top of that, she is about to lose a promotion to her annoyingly hot colleague Jacob Maddox. It all changes when Maddox sends her a letter, resulting in exchanging letters, sharing lunch dates in her “sob closet,” and discussing the merits of freakishly tiny horses. Will she fall for him, or will she be immune to his charms?
8. Happy Place by Emily Henry
Genre: Romance
Release Date: April 25, 2023
Summary:
Harriet and Wyn, the perfect couple since college, broke up six months ago, due to undisclosed reasons. The problem? They still haven’t told their best friends about this, which leads them to share the largest bedroom at a cottage that has been their friend group’s yearly getaway for the last decade. Due to this, they make a pact to still pretend to be together, while also trying not to notice how desperately they still want each other. How hard can this be?
9. Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah
Genre: Science Fiction
Release Date: May 2, 2023
Summary:
Loretta Thurwar and Hamara “Hurricane Staxxx” Stacker are lovers and the stars of Chain-Gang All-Stars, the cornerstone of CAPE, or Criminal Action Penal Entertainment, a highly-popular, highly-controversial, profit-raising program in America’s increasingly dominant private prison industry. It’s the return of the gladiators and prisoners are competing for the ultimate prize: their freedom. Will Loretta and Hamara get the freedom that they deserve or will they be stuck in this prison forever?
10. The Collected Regrets of Clover by Mikki Bramer
Genre: Fiction, Romance
Release Date: May 9, 2023
Summary:
Clover Brooks is a death doula, who is dedicated to helping the dying peacefully navigate a passage from this life to whatever comes next. When a desperate woman makes a special request, Clover takes a cross-country trip to complete one love story and possibly find a happy ending of her own. Will Clover find out what she really wants?
11. Yellowface by R.F Kuang
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Release Date: May 25, 2023
Summary:
Authors June Hayward and Athena Liu were supposed to be twin rising stars: same year at Yale, same debut year in publishing. But while Athena’s a cross-genre, literary darling, June didn’t even get a paperback release. When June witnesses Athena’s death in a freak accident, she impulsively steals Athena’s just-finished masterpiece, which is an experimental novel about the unsung contributions of Chinese laborers to the British and French war efforts during World War I, which she sends to her agent as her own work, leading her to be rebranded as Juniper Song. How far will June go to keep her secret?
12. Silver Nitrate by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Genre: Horror
Release Date: July 18, 2023
Summary:
Montserrat, a talented sound editor, and her best friend (with whom she has been in love since childhood), Tristan, a soap opera star, discovers that his new neighbor is the cult horror director Abel Urueta, claiming that he is cursed, leading them both to try and lift that curse. Montserrat soon notices a dark presence following her, and Tristán begins seeing the ghost of his ex-girlfriend. Will they be able to unravel the mystery of what is happening, or will it be too late?
PS: For some of these books there are also giveaways in which you can enter and win on Goodreads. All you have to do is sign up or log in, put in your address and enter the giveaway.