Anticipated Books of July 2021

You know me - the end of one month means I’m already looking ahead to books being published the following month!  Not a TBR list necessarily, but books I’m keeping an eye out for and/or want to highlight for others.  I’ve only read one of these so far, Yoga Pant Nation, and you’ll see my review below.  (The other July book I was excited enough for that I already read it, Such a Quiet Place by Megan Miranda, was a bit of a disappointment and only 3 stars for me so I didn’t include it on this list.)  So without further ado, here are my anticipated books publishing in July 2021, in order by publication date - and a good mix of genres too. 

The Seven Day Switch by Kelly Harms (7/1/21) - After discovering Kelly Harms’ delightful book The Overdue Life of Amy Byler a few years ago, I went on to read all of her books and she has become a must read.  Her new book is officially out on July 1st, but it’s an Amazon First Read this month so you can still snag it if you haven’t picked yours yet.  I downloaded but haven’t gotten to it yet but it sounds like another fun mom lit book, about two very different moms who switch bodies Freaky Friday style.

Any Way the Wind Blows by Simon Snow (7/6/21) - I LOVE Rainbow Rowell, whether she is writing young adult fiction or contemporary women’s fiction; realistic fiction or fantasy.  This is the third of her Simon Snow books, which are a fantasy series about a Harry Potter-esque “chosen one” type character, first introduced as a fictional series in her realistic YA novel Fangirl.  You’re definitely not going to jump into this one if you haven’t read the others, but if you have, I’m sure you’re just as excited as I am for this one.  Either no one has gotten an advanced copy of this one or there was an embargo on pre-publication reviews, so there’s not much out there about it, except for a lot of anticipation.

The Forest of Vanishing Stars by Kristin Harmel (7/6/21) - I haven’t yet read all of Kristin Harmel’s books, but I have enjoyed the ones I have read, including her last book The Book of Lost Names.  Her new book is another World War II novel, this one about a young woman who teaches a group of Jews fleeing the Nazis about how to survive living in the forest.

The Wonder Test by Michelle Richmond (7/6/21) - I have loved the few books I have read by Michelle Richmond including her last book, the very unique thriller The Marriage Pact, so this one caught my eye.  According to the publisher description, main character Lina takes a leave from her job with the FBI to clear out her father’s home in Silicon Valley, enrolling her son in high school there.  But as her son reports on the “Wonder Test” aptitude assessment the students are going to have to take, and Lina finds out a student disappeared last year after the test, she begins to sense that something is amiss and starts to investigate.  

Yoga Pant Nation by Laurie Gelman (7/13/21) - I couldn’t wait to read my advanced copy of this one, so here’s my review:  This third entry in the Class Mom series, out 7/13/21, is just as fun, funny, and relatable as the first two books.  Our favorite class mom, Jen Dixon, is back, and now is class parent for 5th grader, while also juggling being a young grandmother to a 2 year old, aging parents, being a newly certified spin teacher, and running a PTA fundraiser, with her usual snarky class and PTA emails included.  If you haven’t read this series yet, and are looking for a light, quick, humorous mom read, go back and start with the first book, Class Mom.  And if you loved the first two books, you’ll love this one too.  4 stars.

While We Were Dating by Jasmine Guillory (7/13/21) - This sixth entry in Jasmine Guillory’s Wedding Date series is at or near the top of my anticipated books of the summer, and since I was not lucky enough to get an advanced copy of it, I have to wait until publication!  Guillory writes terrific rom coms featuring interlinked characters, some more closely linked than others.  This one is about Ben (brother of Theo from some of the previous books) and Anna, the movie star he meets while working on an ad campaign.  I’m sure it will be just as adorable as the previous books and I can’t wait!

The Sinful Lives of Trophy Wives by Kristin Miller (7/20/21) - According to the publisher, this novel is about three trophy wives living in the same fancy California neighborhood, each with their own issues, including one nicknamed the Black Widow since her first two husbands died.  This one sounds like a fun psychological thriller, and I’ve already seen some good reviews of it by trusted reader friends.

Radar Girls by Sara Ackerman (7/27/21) - I really enjoyed Sara Ackerman’s books “The Lieutenant’s Nurse” and “Red Sky Over Hawaii,” both World War II novels set in Hawaii which was a different setting I really enjoyed.  She returns to that setting again with this book, inspired by the real Women’s Air Raid Defense.  I love historical fiction that I can learn something new, and since I’ve read so much World War II fiction, that’s not always easy to do, and so I’m looking forward to this one.

Just One Look by Lindsay Cameron (7/27/21) - According to the publisher’s description, this book is about a temp working for a law firm who comes across e-mails between a partner at the firm and his wife and becomes obsessed with him, with the publisher’s blurb stating “A young woman’s escalating obsession with a seemingly perfect man leads her down a dangerous path in this novel of suspense brimming with envy, desire, and deception.  Sounds like another fun psychological thriller.