Happy January readers! If you read my 2020 Goals post, you know I am disbanding Book Birthday Tuesday in favor of a monthly post highlighting new releases I am excited for instead. To kick off the new year we have a slew of new releases I have been looking forward to for a while now. I already have some reviews up for most of these and will add a link if you are interested in reading my thoughts on them!
Week of January 6, 2020
A Heart so Fierce and Broken (Cursebreakers #2) by Brigid Kemmerer
” The most dangerous girl at the party is always the girl alone with a book.”
– Brigid Kemmerer
Title: A Heart So Fierce and Broken
Author: Brigid Kemmerer
Series: Cursebreakers #2
Release Date: January 7, 2020
Publisher: Bloomsbury YA
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Retellings
Pages: 464
Synopsis
Find the heir, win the crown.
The curse is finally broken, but Prince Rhen of Emberfall faces darker troubles still. Rumors circulate that he is not the true heir and that forbidden magic has been unleashed in Emberfall. Although Rhen has Harper by his side, his guardsman Grey is missing, leaving more questions than answers.
Win the crown, save the kingdom.
Rumored to be the heir, Grey has been on the run since he destroyed Lilith. He has no desire to challenge Rhen–until Karis Luran once again threatens to take Emberfall by force. Her own daughter Lia Mara sees the flaws in her mother’s violent plan, but can she convince Grey to stand against Rhen, even for the good of Emberfall?
Read my review HERE
The Map From Here to There by Emery Lord
“But beneath the scuff marks and scars, I could still see us in bright, glossy color…”
– Emery Lord
Title: The Map From Here to There
Author: Emery Lord
Series: The Start of Me and You #2
Release Date: January 7, 2020
Publisher: Bloomsbury YA
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Pages: 368
Synopsis
Acclaimed author Emery Lord crafts a gorgeous story of friendship and identity, daring to ask: What happens after happily ever after?
It’s senior year, and Paige Hancock is finally living her best life. She has a fun summer job, great friends, and a super charming boyfriend who totally gets her. But senior year also means big decisions. Weighing “the rest of her life,” Paige feels her anxiety begin to pervade every decision she makes. Everything is exactly how she always wanted it to be–how can she leave it all behind next year? In her head, she knows there is so much more to experience after high school. But in her heart, is it so terrible to want everything to stay the same forever?
Read my review HERE
Scavenge the Stars by Tara Sim
Title: Scavenge the Stars
Author: Tara Sim
Series: Scavenge the Stars #1
Release Date: January 7, 2020
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Retelling
Pages: 336
Synopsis
When Amaya rescues a mysterious stranger from drowning, she fears her rash actions have earned her a longer sentence on the debtor ship where she’s been held captive for years. Instead, the man she saved offers her unimaginable riches and a new identity, setting Amaya on a perilous course through the coastal city-state of Moray, where old-world opulence and desperate gamblers collide.
Amaya wants one thing: revenge against the man who ruined her family and stole the life she once had. But the more entangled she becomes in this game of deception—and as her path intertwines with the son of the man she’s plotting to bring down—the more she uncovers about the truth of her past. And the more she realizes she must trust no one…
Every Other Weekend by Abigail Johnson
Title: Every Other Weekend
Author: Abigail Johnson
Release Date: January 7, 2020
Publisher: Inkyard Press
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Pages: 512
Synopsis
Can life begin again…every other weekend?
Adam Moynihan’s life used to be awesome. Straight As, close friends and a home life so perfect that it could have been a TV show straight out of the 50s. Then his oldest brother died. Now his fun-loving mom cries constantly, he and his remaining brother can’t talk without fighting, and the father he always admired proved himself a coward by moving out when they needed him most.
Jolene Timber’s life is nothing like the movies she loves—not the happy ones anyway. As an aspiring director, she should know, because she’s been reimagining her life as a film ever since she was a kid. With her divorced parents at each other’s throats and using her as a pawn, no amount of mental reediting will give her the love she’s starving for.
Forced to spend every other weekend in the same apartment building, the boy who thinks forgiveness makes him weak and the girl who thinks love is for fools begin an unlikely friendship. The weekends he dreaded and she endured soon become the best part of their lives. But when one’s life begins to mend while the other’s spirals out of control, they realize that falling in love while surrounded by its demise means nothing is ever guaranteed.
One of Us Is Next by Karen M. McManus
Title: One of Us Is Next
Author: Karen M. McManus
Series: One of Us Is Lying #2
Release Date: January 7, 2020
Publisher: Delacorte Press for Young Readers
Genre: Young Adult, Mystery, Thriller
Pages: 384
Synopsis
A ton of copycat gossip apps have popped up since Simon died, but in the year since the Bayview four were cleared of his shocking death, no one’s been able to fill the gossip void quite like he could. The problem is no one has the facts.
Until now.
This time it’s not an app, though—it’s a game.
Truth or Dare.
Phoebe’s the first target. If you choose not to play, it’s a truth. And hers is dark.
Then comes Maeve and she should know better—always choose the dare.
But by the time Knox is about to be tagged, things have gotten dangerous. The dares have become deadly, and if Maeve learned anything from Bronwyn last year, it’s that they can’t count on the police for help. Or protection.
Simon’s gone, but someone’s determined to keep his legacy at Bayview High alive. And this time, there’s a whole new set of rules.
Week of January 13, 2020
Echos Between Us by Katie McGarry
“All you get to do when someone loves you is either push them away or accept the love they are willing to give you.”
– Katie McGarry
Title: Echos Between Us
Author: Katie McGarry
Release Date: January 14, 2020
Publisher: Tor Teen
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Pages: 384
Synopsis
Veronica sees ghosts. More specifically, her mother’s ghost. The afterimages of blinding migraines caused by the brain tumor that keeps her on the fringes and consumes her whole life haunt her, even as she wonders if it’s something more…
Golden boy Sawyer is handsome and popular, a state champion swimmer, but his adrenaline addiction draws him to Veronica.
A girl with nothing to live for and a boy with everything to lose–can they conquer their demons together?
READ MY REVIEW HERE
Finding Mr. Better Than You by Shani Petroff
“There’d probably be a lot of girls who’d be hanging out with my ex, and hating them all didn’t seem like a good use of time.”
– Shani Petroff
Title: Finding Mr. Better Than You
Author: Shani Petroff
Release Date: January 14, 2020
Publisher: Swoon Reads
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Pages: 256
Synopsis
Camryn has been dating Marc FOREVER—since freshman year! She dropped out of volleyball to go to all his games, switched her schedule around to be in his favorite class, and has been busting her butt to get into Columbia so they can go to the same college. So when Marc suddenly, and very publically, breaks up with her a week into their senior year so that he can date the new transfer student, she’s absolutely devastated.
But why be sad, when you can get even? Inspired by her favorite movies, Camryn decides that the best revenge is a Senior Year well lived, starring a boy who is ever so much better than her ex. With a little help from her friends, Cam is going to have the Best. Senior. Year. Ever.
Review Will Be posted on Friday 1/10!
Infinity Son by Adam Silvera
Title: Infinity Son
Author: Adam Silvera
Series: Infinity Cycle #1
Release Date: January 14, 2020
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children’s UK
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, LGBT
Pages: 368
Synopsis
Growing up in New York, brothers Emil and Brighton always idolized the Spell Walkers—a vigilante group sworn to rid the world of specters. While the Spell Walkers and other celestials are born with powers, specters take them, violently stealing the essence of endangered magical creatures.
Brighton wishes he had a power so he could join the fray. Emil just wants the fighting to stop. The cycle of violence has taken a toll, making it harder for anyone with a power to live peacefully and openly. In this climate of fear, a gang of specters has been growing bolder by the day.
Then, in a brawl after a protest, Emil manifests a power of his own—one that puts him right at the heart of the conflict and sets him up to be the heroic Spell Walker Brighton always wanted to be.
Brotherhood, love, and loyalty will be put to the test, and no one will escape the fight unscathed.
Week of January 20, 2020
Tweet Cute by Emma Lord
“A fitting end to the cheesiest romance ever told, an a love we can all brie-lieve in.”
– Emma Lord
Title: Tweet Cute
Author: Emma Lord
Release Date: January 21, 2020
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Genre: YA, Contemporary, Romance
Pages: 368
Synopsis
Meet Pepper, swim team captain, chronic overachiever, and all-around perfectionist. Her family may be falling apart, but their massive fast-food chain is booming — mainly thanks to Pepper, who is barely managing to juggle real life while secretly running Big League Burger’s massive Twitter account.
Enter Jack, class clown and constant thorn in Pepper’s side. When he isn’t trying to duck out of his obscenely popular twin’s shadow, he’s busy working in his family’s deli. His relationship with the business that holds his future might be love/hate, but when Big League Burger steals his grandma’s iconic grilled cheese recipe, he’ll do whatever it takes to take them down, one tweet at a time.
All’s fair in love and cheese — that is, until Pepper and Jack’s spat turns into a viral Twitter war. Little do they know, while they’re publicly duking it out with snarky memes and retweet battles, they’re also falling for each other in real life — on an anonymous chat app Jack built.
As their relationship deepens and their online shenanigans escalate — people on the internet are shipping them?? — their battle gets more and more personal, until even these two rivals can’t ignore they were destined for the most unexpected, awkward, all-the-feels romance that neither of them expected.
Shelf Life Chronicles 
Leave a Reply