2021 is here and i want to read all the books (what else is new). a ton of my favorite authors are releasing new stories and a ton of debuts are hitting shelves this year, too! here are the ones that i’m impatiently waiting for. as always, links are to goodreads. please shop with your local bookstores or through bookshop.org!
you have a match by emma lord (01/12)
i loved emma lord’s debut, tweet cute, so i was super excited to read this and was not disappointed! this is definitely more of a summer-y read, so i might revisit it when it’s not 30 degrees outside and i can’t even fathom getting in a kayak.
concrete rose by angie thomas (01/12)
“angie thomas revisits garden heights 17 years before the events of the hate u give in this searing and poignant exploration of Black boyhood and manhood” i really enjoyed the hate u give (and cried a lot during the movie) so i’m super interested in the premise of this.
fat chance, charlie vega by crystal maldonado (02/02)
“coming of age as a Fat brown girl in a white connecticut suburb is hard. harder when your whole life is on fire, though.” this book has been on my wishlist for a while, and i’m so excited that it’s finally going to be out in the world soon! i’m prepared for lots of secondhand embarrassment and fun with this one.
the gilded ones by namina forna (02/09)
this is one of those fantasy series that is super hard to explain quickly, but what drew me in was “bold and immersive west african-inspired, feminist fantasy series.” i can get behind that.
honey girl by morgan rogers (02/23)
after completing a phd, grace porter goes on a girls’ trip to vegas and wakes up married to a woman she doesn’t know. i don’t need to know anything more, i’m in, give this book to me right now. i’m on a mission to read more diverse romances, since the genre is veeerryy white and even more straight, but i would have wanted this even if said mission did not exist.
act your age, eve brown by talia hibbert (03/09)
i loved the first two books in the brown sisters series, and i think this might be the one i’m looking forward to the most. eve is the youngest sister and “a certified hot mess.” plus some enemies to lovers set against a b&b backdrop and apparently the romance starts when one of them gets hit with a car? i’m so ready.
she drives me crazy by kelly quindlen (04/20)
“hijinks, heartbreak, and gay fake-dating scheme for the ages” is all you need to know. also, the second book in this list where a couple is pulled together through a car accident. interesting pattern that i did not see coming.
the road trip by beth o’leary (04/29)
i love beth o’leary and her ability to throw romantic interests together. and who doesn’t love a good road trip? also, another book that starts with a car accident! what is going on here?
take me home tonight by morgan matson (05/04)
i’ve been a fan of morgan matson’s since her debut and i’m so excited to read this! two best friends in nyc with plenty of adventure and disaster is my exact brand and i love her writing style, so i’m hoping this will be a fun summer read. bonus: “unexpected pomeranians”
the ones we’re meant to find by joan he (05/04)
“cee awoke on an abandoned island three years ago. with no idea of how she was marooned, she only has a rickety house, an old android, and a single memory: she has a sister, and cee needs to find her.” i don’t read a ton of science fiction, but this synopsis and cover are just too good to pass up.
may the best man win by z.r. ellor (05/18)
“a trans boy enters a throw-down battle for the title of homecoming king with the boy he dumped last summer” ohhhh yes i am so excited to read this (i’m really exposing myself for loving shenanigans in this post and i’m okay with that).
some girls do by jennifer dugan (05/18)
“an openly gay track star falls for a closeted, bisexual teen beauty queen with a penchant for fixing up old cars” (more cars????) i love this pastel dream cover and concept!
hani and ishu’s guide to fake dating by adiba jaigirdar (05/25)
fake dating! popular girl and nerdy loner! need i say more!! no!!
the chosen and the beautiful by nghi vo (06/01)
queer, Asian, adopted socialite in 1920s america discovers magic and i am already obsessed.
one last stop by casey mcquiston (06/01)
it’s no secret that red, white & royal blue changed my whole life, so i’m very impatient for this “romantic comedy that puts a queer spin on kate & leopold” in brooklyn. casey mcquiston is such a great writer and i can’t wait to dive into this the second it hits shelves.
flash fire (extraordinaries #2) by t.j. klune (07/13)
i just read the extraordinaries this week and i am obsessed with this universe and the characters in it. after the first book, nick has “the superhero boyfriend of his dreams,” but with new heroes coming into their city, they need to figure out who has good intentions and who doesn’t. with plenty of fanfiction jokes and more of my favorite gay ADHD disaster kid.
under the whispering door by t.j. klune (09/21)
t.j. klune is one of my new favorite authors and i’m so excited to read about “a ghost who refuses to cross over and the ferryman he falls in love with.” sounds weird, magical and perfect.
our violent ends (these violent delights #2) by chloe gong (11/16)
there’s no cover (this one is for the first book) or synopsis for this, since it was announced a few days ago, but i just finished these violent delights for subtle asian book club and was left screaming at the end. definitely the 1920s shanghai gangster romeo and juliet retelling of my dreams.
earth to julia 