As if I didn’t already have a backlog of years worth of books to read (I'm a self-confessed book hoarder), one of my favorite things to do besides reading is to see what books are due to be published that I want to read, so I can add them to my never-ending to read list, request them from Netgalley, get on the library waitlist for them, etc.! And it looks like 2021 is going to have a lot of them! So without further ado, the 2021 books I’m most looking forward to, listed in order of currently scheduled publication date, listed in parentheses after the title and author of each book.
The Survivors by Jane Harper (2/2/21) - Already out in Australia, this is coming out in the US in February and I can’t wait! She is one of my favorite mystery writers; and several of her books have been on my top 10 lists of years past (see here and here). Her latest is a standalone, which is described by the publisher about a man who returns to his hometown after many years, which dredges up buried secrets - and a new dead body. Sure, I can think of other books with the same general plot - including maybe one of her own books - but I’m still excited.
The Smash Up by Ali Benjamin (2/23/21) - I enjoyed Ali Benjamin’s two middle grade novels and so I’m very interested in checking out her adult debut - and even more intrigued by the publisher blurb comparing it to Meg Wolitzer and Taffy Brodesser-Akner’s book Fleishman Is In Trouble.
Forget Me Not by Alexandra Oliva (3/2/21) - I loved Oliva’s debut novel The Last One, one of my 10 favorites of 2016 - I still don’t understand why it was not a bigger hit! I can’t even figure out how to summarize the long and complicated publisher’s description of her second novel coming out next year, but I’ll be reading this one regardless.
Band of Sisters by Lauren Willig (3/2/21) - I’m a long time fan of Lauren Willig - loved her Pink Carnation series, and have been working my way through her standalone novels. This one sounds really interesting - based on a true story, it follows a group of graduates from Smith College who volunteer to help in France during World War I. Hopefully will be a good addition to my recent list of favorite World War I books.
In the Quick by Kate Hope Day (3/2/21) - If you know my taste at all, you’ll know why this publisher’s blurb immediately hooked me: “A young, ambitious female astronaut’s life is upended by a fiery love affair that threatens the rescue of a lost crew in this brilliantly imagined novel in the tradition of Station Eleven and The Martian.” Yes, please! It’s pretty bold to compare yourself to those books - two of my favorites - but I enjoyed her debut novel so hoping for the best.
The Rose Code by Kate Quinn (3/9/21) - Loved Kate Quinn’s The Alice Network and The Huntress so can’t wait to see what she does next. This one is set both during and after World War II, about three female code-breakers.
Sunflower Sisters by Martha Hall Kelly (3/30/21) - Loved Martha Hall Kelly’s first two historical novels Lilac Girls (one of my top ten favorites of 2019) and Lost Roses. Her new book goes further back in history, set during the Civil War from the perspectives of various different characters.
Life’s Too Short by Abby Jimenez (4/6/21) - Absolutely loved her first two books The Friend Zone and The Happy Ever After Playlist, both of which I read this year, so can’t wait for more romance and emotions from her.
One Two Three by Laurie Frankel (4/27/21) - Loved Frankel’s book This Is How It Always Is (one of my top 10 favorites of 2018), and even though I haven’t yet gotten to her two earlier books, I’ll definitely be checking her new book out. Per the publisher, her new book is about teenage triplets in a small town.
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir (5/4/21) - Andy Weir is one of my favorite writers of contemporary science fiction - his book The Martian is one of my favorite and most memorable reads (not just a top 10 book of 2014 but also one of my 20 favorite books of 20 years of top 10 lists) and I really enjoyed his second book Artemis as well. So I’m all in for this 3rd book, about “a lone astronaut [who] must save the earth from disaster.”
That Summer by Jennifer Weiner (5/4/21) - I’m an OG fan of Jennifer Weiner, one of my favorite chick lit authors of all time, so I will read whatever she writes, whenever she writes it. This one is about a woman who starts receiving emails meant for a woman with a similar email address but a very different life - and then they meet in real life.
The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave (5/4/21) - Laura Dave has long been one of my favorite writers of contemporary women’s fiction, and it’s been a few years since her last book. Sounds like she is trying out the thriller genre for the first time, as this one is about a woman whose husband disappears, leaving her to try to figure out why he disappeared - and who he really is.
Don’t Make Me Turn This Life Around by Camille Pagan (5/11/21) - I’ve read all of Pagan’s books and really enjoy them. This one picks up the story of the main character from her first book, set 15 years later.
Seven Day Switch by Kelly Harms (5/18/21) - It’s funny - Kelly Harms’ book The Overdue Life of Amy Byler did not make my top 10 list when I read it, yet has to be one of the books I’ve recommended to people the most since then, and I went on to read all her other books as well. This one sounds like it should be another fun mom comedy, about two very opposite moms who switch bodies Freaky Friday-style.
Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid (5/25/21) - Taylor Jenkins Reid is one of my favorite, must read authors. Maybe In Another Life made my top 20 of 20 years list, and I loved Daisy Jones & The Six, which I read after the period for that list even more. So I’ll read whatever she writes! This one is set in 1983 from the perspectives of four famous siblings. And fellow TJR super-fans can take note that their father is a character who made appearances in her previous books The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and Daisy Jones & the Six.
Our Woman in Moscow by Beatriz Williams (6/1/21) - Williams is one of my favorite authors of dual time period historical fiction, and so I’ll read whatever she writes regardless of what it’s about. This one is described by the publisher as “a gripping and profoundly human story of Cold War espionage and family devotion.”
Yoga Pant Nation by Laurie Gelman (7/13/21) - Like Kelly Harms’ Overdue Life of Amy Byler which I mentioned above, Laurie Gelman’s Class Mom is another book I recommend constantly even though it didn’t make my top 10 list the year I read it. She’ll be back this summer with the third book in the series, and I will be there!
The Bookseller’s Secret by Michelle Gable (8/17/21) - Michelle Gable is another one of my favorite authors of dual time period historical fiction. It’s a novel about real life writer Nancy Mitford managing a bookshop during WWII, with another story set in the present day. I’ve never read Nancy Mitford, so good thing this book doesn’t come out til August, so I have time to check out one of her books.
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Believe it or not, there are already even more books than this that I’m looking forward to - but I had to cut the list somewhere! 😉 At least I managed to read all the books on my lists of anticipated books of 2018 and 2019, if not quite every book on all the interim lists in between.
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