As usual, I still haven't read all of my anticipated books from earlier in the year, but I'm already eagerly looking ahead to the books being published in May. And there are SO MANY books being published in May which I want to read! In fact, I was lucky enough to get advanced copies of some of them from Netgalley, so I've already read some of them! (But I promise that did not in any way affect my opinions.) Here are some of the ones I'm most looking forward to, in order of publication date.
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir (5/4/21) - Even though Andy Weir has only published two books before this one, he is already an auto-read author for me. His debut novel, The Martian, was a 5 star read for me and on my 2014 ten favorites list, and his second book, Artemis, while not quite at the level of The Martian, was still a great read - in fact I included them both on my recent list of my favorite science fiction books. I'm happy to say that this new book not only didn't disappoint, but was my first 5 star review of the year! Because the book starts with the main character waking up with total amnesia, and the surprises in the book are best experienced for yourself, it is very, very hard to describe this book without spoilers, but you can see my review for my best attempt at doing so! Trust me, if you like science fiction at all, you're going to want to read this one - do it as soon as you can and without reading too much about the book!
The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave (5/4/21) - Another one I was lucky enough to have already read! At the start of this novel, main character Hannah has been married to Owen, and stepmom to his teenage daughter Bailey, for less than two years, when he goes missing as his boss is arrested for securities fraud. Hannah and Bailey, who have never gotten along well, are left to figure out not just where he is, but what other secrets he might have been keeping from them. I wouldn’t call this a thriller though - maybe domestic suspense - as the book is as much about the affects on Hannah and Bailey and their relationship as it is about the mystery. I’ve been a longtime fan of Laura Dave, one of my favorite authors of contemporary women's fiction, ever since her first book London Is the Best City in America made it onto my top 10 of the year back in 2008. I enjoyed her first foray into mystery/suspense, but was glad to see she brought her usual deft touch for bringing characters to life from her contemporary women’s fiction, and she managed to pluck my heartstrings with the ending too. 4 stars.
Six Weeks to Live by Catherine McKenzie (5/4/21) - I have been a fan of Catherine McKenzie for a while now - she started out writing contemporary women's fiction and then switched over to thrillers, and her books just keep getting better - in fact, I included her on my recent list of favorite mystery/thrillers, part 2. This one has an intriguing premise - a woman finds out she has a terminal brain tumor and only six weeks to live - but decides that someone might have poisoned her a year earlier and caused the cancer. Is she on to something, or is it just a delusion caused by the brain tumor? I'm in the middle of reading this one right now and enjoying it so far. Told from her perspective and that of her three triplet daughters, at least so far I'd say it's a character novel with just a touch of psychological suspense, rather than a thriller.
That Summer by Jennifer Weiner (5/11/21) - Jennifer Weiner is one of my top must read authors, and one of my favorite authors of chick lit/contemporary women's fiction, and has been on my top 10 of the year lists 3 times. I was so excited for this one that when I got an ARC, I read it all the way back in March because I just couldn't wait. And it was definitely up there with my favorites and will be in contention for my top 10 of this year. In this novel, vaguely unhappy housewife Daisy meets the glamorous-seeming Diana after she starts receiving emails for her due to their similar email addresses - but there turns out to be way more to their paths crossing than meets the eye. The book includes both of their perspectives in the present and the past, as well as Daisy’s daughter Beatrice, taking on everything from family, friendship, Me Too, self-acceptance, and self-worth. Contrary to the title and cover illustration, this is not a fluffy beach read even though some of it takes place on Cape Cod - it is actually quite a serious book. Although her books have always dealt with real emotions, this is definitely not the romance/chick lit of her early books, but is more similar in tone to the seriousness of her book Mrs. Everything though less historical in scope. 4.5 stars.
People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry (5/11/21) - I loved Emily Henry's Beach Read when I read it last year, and this one sounds so fun too! According to the publisher, it's about unlikely opposite sex best friends Poppy and Alex who have taken a vacation together every summer for 10 years, until two years ago when things went wrong and they haven't spoken since - so Poppy convinces Alex to take one more trip. Since it is billed as a romance, I assume there is going to be a fun When Harry Met Sally type vibe, and I'm here for it! This was a Book of the Month Club pre-publication choice for April, so I know some of you may have already read it, but for everyone else, it comes out in May!
The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz (5/11/21) - I have really enjoyed Jean Hanff Korelitz's 3 previous books: Admission, You Should Have Known (recently adapted into the HBO show The Undoing but with the plot changed quite a bit), and The Devil and Webster. This, her first new book in years, sounds fun, about a struggling writer/professor who steals a plot idea for a book from a student who has died and publishes a novel based on it - but then after he achieves success, he's accused of being a thief, and has to dig deeper into both who his former student was, where his student got the idea from, and who is accusing him.
A Summer to Remember by Erika Montgomery (5/11/21) - According to the publisher, this debut novel is about a woman who works at a movie memorabilia shop in Hollywood that she opened with her late mother, when she receives a package that makes her question her mother's past and go on a journey to find out more. I read the sentence in the publisher blurb that reads "Experience the salty breeze of a Cape Cod summer as it sweeps through this sparkling, romantic, and timeless debut novel tinged with a love of old Hollywood" and that was enough to sell me on reading this one! Sounds like a perfect summer read, especially because I've spent many a happy summer vacation on Cape Cod so I always enjoy books set there.
The Soulmate Equation by Christina Lauren (5/18/21) - I only discovered Christina Lauren (who are actually two authors writing together under one name) in the last 6 months, but I have enjoyed the three books I have read by them so far so much that I included them on my list of favorite contemporary women's fiction/chick lit authors part 2. I still have plenty of their older books to look forward to reading, but also plan to keep up with their new books. According to the publisher, this book is about a single mom who is reluctant to date again, until she hears about a DNA-based matchmaking company and decides to try it out - but she matches with someone she already knows and doesn't like - but the company offers to pay her to get to know him anyway. The enemies to lovers trope can be a tricky one, but I loved how Christina Lauren handled it in The Unhoneymooners, so definitely excited to check this one out!
Where the Grass is Green and the Girls Are Pretty by Lauren Weisberger (5/18/21) - Lauren Weisberger's books definitely tend to be on the very light side, but sometimes that's what I'm in the mood for, especially in summer. According to the publisher's description, this one is about a co-anchor of a top morning show, her teenage daughter, and her stay-at-home mom sister, all of whom have their lives thrown into chaos by a scandal. Hoping this is a fun one.
The Missing Sister by Lucinda Riley (5/27/21) - Lucinda Riley is one of my favorite authors of dual time period historical fiction, and I have avidly read her Seven Sisters series, each one about a different sister who were all adopted by a mysterious rich man, and their individual journeys to find out about their birth family backstory after their father's death. The overarching premise is a little goofy, and some of the books have been better than others, but I have so enjoyed reading them, including the fact that I read all of them with my friend Sarah for our two person book club. This is the seventh and final book of the series, and given that there were only six sisters, we don't even know who the mysterious missing sister is! In fact, there is so much mystery sounding this book that there isn't even a book blurb from the publisher beyond "The story of Merope, the missing sister, is waiting to be told..." nor do there appear to be any advanced copies out there in the world as there aren't any reviews on Goodreads! I guess they figure if you're a fan of the series, you'll be picking this one up regardless - and in my case, they're absolutely right!
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There are definitely more books coming out in May I'm looking forward to as well, but since I try to keep these posts to 10 books or less, I'm going to stop there! Are you looking forward to reading any of these? Any other books you're excited about that are coming out in May?
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