Cover Alert: Hello, Sunshine by Leila Howland.

Hello, Sunshine by Leila Howland || Release date: July 2017

An 18-year-old student cannot get into college due to a misstep sophomore year and decides to move to Los Angeles and pursue an acting career.

*****

Here's one to add to your summer reading lists. Summer 2017, that is.  I've been wishing for a new YA from Nantucket Blue author Leila Howland for a while now, and here it is! Hello, Sunshine releases July 2017, is set in the magical movie world of Los Angeles, and promises to be a whole lot of fun.  Also, if Nantucket Blue is any indicator, I'm pretty sure this one will contain a whole lot of romance to!

P.S: My review of Nantucket Blue.

Cover Alert: Nothing Tastes As Good by Claire Hennessy!

Ooops! So, I guess I wasn't paying attention last week because when I was gathering info for my latest cover post I somehow missed this little bit of gorgeous. Hey, it happens! Better late than never though, right?

Feast your eyes on the cover of Nothing Tastes As Good the latest YA from Irish author Claire Hennessy coming from Hot Key Books in July 2016. 

When Cat Clarke says a book is 'Absolutely Phenomenal' you know you're on to a good thing!

Nothing Tastes As Good by Claire Hennessy || Release date: July 2016

What happens when you give in to the voices in your head?  

 Annabel is dead. And she's not happy about it. Despite having strived to be 'lighter than air' back when she was alive, the consequences of that yearning haven't quite sunk in yet.  

 Julia Jacobs is fat. Which Annabel immediately notices when she's assigned as Julia's ghostly helper (don't even think about calling her a guardian angel). And as her helper, Julia's problem seems pretty obvious to Annabel. Fat = problem = unhappy. Sorted. 

The only trouble is that whatever is causing Julia to overeat is hidden deep within her. Annabel will have to get to know Julia to uncover this secret and 'fix' her. Annabel can become the voice of reason, Julia's source of strength. 

Except...all this time spent in someone's head has got Annabel thinking. Not just about food, but about her family too. And that maybe happiness can mean more than eradicating all the flesh from your bones.

*****

Cover Candy: Some Recent Cover Favourites!

It's true, I stalk cover reveals like it's nobody's business! 

What's your pick of this bunch of recent reveals?

Night Wanderers by C.J. Flood || Release date: June 2016

It all started with a poo in a flowerbed. 

Rosie and Titania are as close as sisters - closer, in fact. While Rosie is shy, red-faced and passive, Ti is big, tough and daring. They shouldn't be friends, but they are. 

Creeping out at night, the girls love to secretly wander through their coastal town, exploring empty streets and sharing their frustrations about school and their different, but equally difficult, families. 

But when Rosie betrays Ti, the two girls run in different directions - making decisions that could do irreparable damage to both of their lives. As Rosie confronts harsh truths, she must find a way back to Ti, and to herself. 

Whenever I heard the word kindred I thought of me and Ti.

*****

This Adventure Ends by Emma Mills || Release date: October 2016

Sloane isn't expecting to fall in with a group of friends when she moves from New York to Florida—especially not a group of friends so intense, so in love, so all-consuming. Yet that's exactly what happens.

Sloane becomes closest to Vera, a social-media star who lights up any room, and Gabe, Vera's twin brother and the most serious person Sloane's ever met. When a beloved painting by the twins' late mother goes missing, Sloane takes on the responsibility of tracking it down, a journey that takes her across state lines—and ever deeper into the twins' lives.

Filled with intense and important friendships, a wonderful warts-and-all family, shiveringly good romantic developments, and sharp, witty dialogue, this story is about finding the people you never knew you needed.

*****

The Women in the Walls by Amy Lukavics || Release date: September 2016

Lucy Acosta's mother died when she was three. Growing up in a Victorian mansion in the middle of the woods with her cold, distant father, she explored the dark hallways of the estate with her cousin, Margaret. They're inseparable—a family.  

When her aunt Penelope, the only mother she's ever known, tragically disappears while walking in the woods surrounding their estate, Lucy finds herself devastated and alone. Margaret has been spending a lot of time in the attic. She claims she can hear her dead mother's voice whispering from the walls. Emotionally shut out by her father, Lucy watches helplessly as her cousin's sanity slowly unravels. But when she begins hearing voices herself, Lucy finds herself confronting an ancient and deadly legacy that has marked the women in her family for generations.

*****

The Graces by Laure Eve || Release date: September 2016

Everyone said the Graces were witches.

They moved through the corridors like sleek fish, ripples in their wake. Stares followed their backs and their hair.

They had friends, but they were just distractions. They were waiting for someone different.

All I had to do was show them that person was me.

Like everyone else in her town, River is obsessed with the Graces, attracted by their glamour and apparent ability to weave magic. But are they really what they seem? And are they more dangerous than they let on?

This beautifully-written thriller will grip you from its very first page.

US Cover

*****

And the Trees Crept In by Dawn Kurtagich || Release date: September 2016

A stunning, terrifying novel about a house the color of blood and the two sisters who are trapped there, by The Dead Houseauthor Dawn Kurtagich 

When Silla and Nori arrive at their aunt's home, it's immediately clear that the "blood manor" is cursed. The creaking of the house and the stillness of the woods surrounding them would be enough of a sign, but there are secrets too--the questions that Silla can't ignore: Who is the beautiful boy that's appeared from the woods? Who is the man that her little sister sees, but no one else? And why does it seem that, ever since they arrived, the trees have been creeping closer?


Filled with just as many twists and turns as The Dead House, and with achingly beautiful, chilling language that delivers haunting scenes, AND THE TREES CREPT IN is the perfect follow-up novel for master horror writer Dawn Kurtagich.

UK Cover/Title

*****

Nightwanderers by C.J. Flood has such a beautiful cover! Her debut Infinite Sky is a beautifully written coming-of-age tale, and I expect this one will contain similarly pretty prose. The description reminds me a little of Beautiful Broken Things by Sara Barnard. It seems that books about difficult friendships are having a moment!

First & Then by Emma Mills was my favourite debut of 2015 and I'm really looking forward to This Adventures Ends. Also, can we just talk about this cover? So gorgeous!

Daughters Unto Devils was one of my Halloween reads last year (remember those scarecrows!!) and I've already added The Women in the Walls to my Halloween reading list for this year. Creepy old mansions, whispers in the walls and a deadly family legacy. I'm so there!  This one publishes on October 6th in the UK. 

The Graces by Laure Eve sounds like a great witchy read. I am always on the loookout for great witchy reads!

The Dead House by Dawn Kurtagich didn't really work for me, but I like the sound of The Creeper Man  so I'll be checking it out.  I'm all about those creepy houses!

Let me know your favourite covers in comments!

*****

Cover Candy: Some Recent Cover Favourites!

It's true, I stalk cover reveals like it's nobody's business! 

What's your pick of this bunch of recent reveals?

The Square Root of Summer by Harriet Reuter Hapgood || Release date: May 2016

This is what it means to love someone. This is what it means to grieve someone. It's a little bit like a black hole. It's a little bit like infinity.

Gottie H. Oppenheimer is losing time. Literally. When the fabric of the universe around her seaside town begins to fray, she's hurtled through wormholes to her past:

To last summer, when her grandfather Grey died. To the afternoon she fell in love with Jason, who wouldn't even hold her hand at the funeral. To the day her best friend Thomas moved away and left her behind with a scar on her hand and a black hole in her memory.

Although Grey is still gone, Jason and Thomas are back, and Gottie's past, present, and future are about to collide—and someone's heart is about to be broken.

With time travel, quantum physics, and sweeping romance, The Square Root of Summer is an exponentially enthralling story about love, loss, and trying to figure it all out, from stunning debut YA voice, Harriet Reuter Hapgood.

*****

Girls on Fire by Robin Wasserman || Release date: May 2016

Girls on Fire tells the story of Hannah and Lacey and their obsessive teenage female friendship so passionately violent it bloodies the very sunset its protagonists insist on riding into, together, at any cost. Opening with a suicide whose aftermath brings good girl Hannah together with the town's bad girl, Lacey, the two bring their combined wills to bear on the community in which they live; unconcerned by the mounting discomfort that their lust for chaos and rebellion causes the inhabitants of their parochial small town, they think they are invulnerable.

But Lacey has a secret, about life before her better half, and it's a secret that will change everything...

*****

The Telling by Alexandra Sirowy || Release date: August 2016

A chilling new novel about a girl who must delve into her past if she wants to live long enough to have a future when a series of murders that are eerily similar to the dark stories her brother used to tell start happening in her hometown.

Ben was Lana’s world. He was her big brother, her best friend. And then he was murdered in a grisly carjacking, and her world ended.

Now, six months later, Lana is trying to reinvent herself. She’s found her way into the inner circle of popular kids, and the Lana she is now—bold, daring, brash, adventurous—barely resembles the shy, unpopular girl she used to be.

And then a body turns up. At first, everyone thinks it’s just a horrible accident. But when more corpses appear, Lana begins to wonder what’s going on. Because the details of the murders are strangely similar to the dark fairy tales that Ben used to tell her—stories that only she and Ben knew.

Is Ben seeking vengeance from the grave? Or is a darker phantom from their past coming forward to haunt Lana’s present?

*****

The Season of You and Me by Robin Constantine || Release date: May 2016

From Robin Constantine, author of The Promise of Amazing and The Secrets of Attraction, comes a funny and heartfelt summer romance set in New Jersey. Perfect for fans of Sarah Mlynowski, Jenny Han, and Morgan Matson.

Cassidy Emmerich is reeling from a sudden, humiliating breakup. The last thing she wants to do is stick around and be reminded of her ex everywhere she goes. On impulse, she decides to spend the summer with her father and his family at their Jersey Shore bed-and-breakfast. A different scene and a new job working as a camp counselor seem like the perfect recipe for forgetting Gavin as quickly as possible—not to mention for avoiding him until he leaves for college. 

Bryan Lakewood is sick of nevers. You’ll never walk. You’ll never surf. You’ll never slow dance with a girl and have her put her head on your shoulder. Last year he made one false move—now he’s paralyzed and needs to use a wheelchair. But this summer, he’s back at his camp job and is determined to reclaim his independence—and his confidence.

Cass is expecting two months of healing her broken heart.

Bryan is expecting a summer of tough adjustments.

Neither is expecting to fall in love.

*****

The Last Time We Were Us by Leah Konen || Release date: May 2016

A passionate summer love story about a girl, her childhood best friend recently released from juvie, and the small-town lies that have kept them apart. A teen romance debut with a dark edge.

Liz Grant is about to have the summer of her life. She and her friend MacKenzie are getting invited to all the best parties, and with any luck, Innis Taylor, the most gorgeous guy in Bonneville, will be her boyfriend before the Fourth of July. 

Local teen convict released early.

Jason Sullivan wasn’t supposed to come back from juvie. A million years ago, he was her best friend, but that was before he ditched her for a different crowd. Before he attacked Innis’s older brother, leaving Skip’s face burned and their town in shock. 

“Everything is not what you think.”

Liz always found it hard to believe what they said about Jason, but all of Bonneville thinks he’s dangerous. If word gets out she’s seeing him, she could lose everything. But what if there’s more to that horrible night than she knows? And how many more people will get hurt when the truth finally comes out?

“You’re the one person who believes in me.”

Leah Konen’s southern romance swelters with passion as it explores the devastating crush of lies, the delicate balance of power and perception, and one girl’s journey to find herself while uncovering the secrets of so many others.

*****

Wild Swans by Jessica Spotswood || Release date: May 2016

The summer before Ivy’s senior year is going to be golden; all bonfires, barbeques, and spending time with her best friends. For once, she will just get to be. No summer classes, none of Granddad’s intense expectations to live up to the family name. For generations, the Milbourn women have lead extraordinary lives—and died young and tragically. Granddad calls it a legacy, but Ivy considers it a curse. Why else would her mother have run off and abandoned her as a child?

But when her mother unexpectedly returns home with two young daughters in tow, all of the stories Ivy wove to protect her heart start to unravel. The very people she once trusted now speak in lies. And all of Ivy’s ambition and determination cannot defend her against the secrets of the Milbourn past….

*****

When They Fade by Jeyn Roberts || Release date: May 2016

In the tradition of The Lovely Bones comes a haunting tale of two girls—one dead, one alive.

TATUM is the only person at school who knew the truth about the affair her best friend, Claudette, has been having with Mr. Paracini, their married teacher. And at the time, confiding in an adult seemed like the right thing to do. But now, everyone in town has turned against Tatum, painting her as a liar and a rat. As the bullying from her classmates escalates, it seems that nowhere is safe for her anymore.

MOLLY, a hitchhiker, was brutally murdered in the early 1970s, but there is no afterlife for her. Instead, she has found herself marooned with a crowd of other people who have also died tragically. Molly is able to fade back to earth for a few fleeting moments, and when she fades, she finds herself hitchhiking once again, and telling the unsuspecting drivers, things about their future that only she can see.

One foggy night, Tatum sneaks out for a drive. The teenage hitchhiker she picks up doesn’t talk much, until she suddenly turns to Tatum and says: “You’re going to die. It will hurt and you’ll be alone. And no one will help you.”

And then she disappears. As the two girls’ stories converge, Tatum and Molly will discover that they must first figure out how to help the other in order to save themselves.

*****

How great are all of these 2016 covers? So many books to add to those wish lists! You might be a bit confused by some of these covers because some of the books (off the top of my head, Girls on Fire and The Square Root of Summer have very different covers for their US and UK releases - I just picked my favourites!) Super excited for those two!

I'm also really excited for a new book from Jeyn Roberts, author of The Dark Inside books (love those books!) and I'm hoping (fingers crossed!) for a third Dark Inside book sometime soon. According to Jeyn's Goodreads, this is going to happen at some point!

Tell me what covers are your favourites!

Cover Candy: Some Recent Cover Favourites!

It's true, I stalk cover reveals like it's nobody's business! 

What's your pick of this bunch of recent reveals?

With Malice by Eileen Cook || Release date: June 2016

For fans of We Were Liars and The Girl on the Train comes a chilling, addictive, compulsive read about a teenage girl who wakes up in a hospital bed and cannot remember the last six weeks of her life, including the accident that killed her best friend--only what if the accident wasn't an accident?

Eighteen-year-old Jill Charron wakes up in a hospital room, leg in a cast, stitches in her face and a big blank canvas where the last 6 weeks should be. She comes to discover she was involved in a fatal accident while on a school trip in Italy three days previous but was jetted home by her affluent father in order to receive quality care. Care that includes a lawyer. And a press team. Because maybe the accident...wasn't an accident. Wondering not just what happened but what she did, Jill tries to piece together the events of the past six weeks before she loses her thin hold on her once-perfect life.

*****

The Land of 10,000 Madonnas by Kate Hattemer || Release date: April 2016

Five teens backpack through Europe to fulfill the mysterious dying wish of their friend in this heartwarming novel from the author of The Vigilante Poets of Selwyn Academy.

Jesse lives with his history professor dad in a house covered with postcards of images of the Madonna from all over the world. They’re gotten used to this life: two motherless dudes living among thousands of Madonnas. But Jesse has a heart condition that will ultimately cut his life tragically short. Before he dies, he arranges a mysterious trip to Europe for his three cousins, his best friend, and his girlfriend to take after he passes away. It’s a trip that will forever change the lives of these young teens and one that will help them come to terms with Jesse’s death.

With vivid writing, poignant themes, and abundant doses of humor throughout, Kate Hattemer’s second novel is a satisfying journey about looking for someone else’s answers only to find yourself. 

*****

Summer Days and Summer Nights ed. Stephanie Perkins

Release date: June 2016

A collection of twelve romantic tales of young summer love. Edited by Stephanie Perkins. Featuring new short stories by Leigh Bardugo, Francesca Lia Block, Libba Bray, Cassandra Clare, Brandy Colbert, Tim Federle, Lev Grossman, Nina LaCour, Stephanie Perkins, Veronica Roth, Jon Skovron, and Jennifer E. Smith.

*****

Wanderlost by Jen Malone || Release date: May 2016

Seventeen-year-old Aubree has always idolized her adventurous older sister, even while utterly content to track Elizabeth’s antics from the cozy comforts of home, in the tender care of doting parents. So when Elizabeth gets herself in "a touch of trouble” and, for the first time ever, actually needs Aubree's help, Bree is flattered but insistent. 

There’s no way she can do what Elizabeth is asking. Impersonate her recent-college-grad sis all summer, just so Elizabeth can score the recommendation she needs to land her dream position? Nope, nope, not gonna happen. 

ESPECIALLY when Elizabeth’s summer job is leading a bus tour. 
A bus tour across Europe. 
A senior citizens' bus tour across Europe.

And that's even before Bree finds out that the tour owner’s super-cute son (who is decidedly NOT elderly) will be a last-minute addition. 

Bree would have to be crazy. Or would she?

*****

How Not To Disappear by Clare Furniss || Release date: December 2015

Hattie's summer isn't going as planned. Her two best friends have abandoned her: Reuben has run off to Europe to "find himself" and Kat's in Edinburgh with her new girlfriend. Meanwhile Hattie is stuck babysitting her twin siblings and dealing with endless drama around her mum's wedding.

Oh, and she's also just discovered that she's pregnant with Reuben's baby...

Then Gloria, Hattie's great-aunt who no one previously knew even existed comes crashing into her life. Gloria's fiercely independent, rather too fond of a gin sling and is in the early stages of dementia.

Together the two of them set out on a road trip of self-discovery – Gloria to finally confront the secrets of her past before they are wiped from her memory forever and Hattie to face the hard choices that will determine her future. 

*****

The Unexpected Everything by Morgan Matson || Release date: May 2016

Andie had it all planned out. 

When you are a politician’s daughter who’s pretty much raised yourself, you learn everything can be planned or spun, or both. Especially your future.

Important internship? Check.

Amazing friends? Check.

Guys? Check (as long as we’re talking no more than three weeks)

But that was before the scandal. Before having to be in the same house with her dad. Before walking an insane number of dogs. That was before Clark and those few months that might change her whole life.

Because here’s the thing - if everything's planned out, you can never find the unexpected. 

And where’s the fun in that?

*****

Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys || Release date: February 2016

The author of Between Shades of Gray returns to WWII in this epic novel that shines a light on one of the war's most devastating—yet unknown—tragedies.

In 1945, World War II is drawing to a close in East Prussia, and thousands of refugees are on a desperate trek toward freedom, almost all of them with something to hide. Among them are Joana, Emilia, and Florian, whose paths converge en route to the ship that promises salvation, the Wilhelm Gustloff. Forced by circumstance to unite, the three find their strength, courage, and trust in each other tested with each step closer toward safety.

Just when it seems freedom is within their grasp, tragedy strikes. Not country, nor culture, nor status matter as all ten thousand people aboard must fight for the same thing: survival.

Told in alternating points of view, and perfect for fans of Anthony Doerr's Pulitzer Prize-winning All the Light We Cannot See, Erik Larson's critically acclaimed #1 New York Times bestseller Dead Wake, and Elizabeth Wein's Printz Honor Book Code Name Verity, this masterful work of historical fiction is inspired by the real-life tragedy that was the sinking of the Wilhelm Gustloff--the greatest maritime disaster in history. As she did in Between Shades of Gray, Ruta Sepetys unearths a shockingly little-known casualty of a gruesome war, and proves that humanity can prevail, even in the darkest of hours.

*****

Please Don't Tell by Laura Tims || Release date: May 2016

Joy killed Adam Gordon—at least, that’s what she thinks. The night of the party is hazy at best. But she knows what Adam did to her twin sister, Grace, and she knows he had to pay for it.

What Joy doesn’t expect is that someone else saw what happened. And one night a note is shoved through her open window, threatening Joy that all will be revealed. Now the anonymous blackmailer starts using Joy to expose the secrets of their placid hometown. And as the demands escalate, Joy must somehow uncover the blackmailer’s identity before Joy is forced to make a terrible choice.

In this darkly compelling narrative, debut author Laura Tims explores the complicated relationship between two sisters, and what one will do for the other. It’s a story that will keep readers turning pages and questioning their own sense of right and wrong.

*****

It has been ages since I did a cover post so this is pretty picture heavy! I'm excited to read a lot of these books - new Morgan Matson - yay! But I think the one that's top of my wish list for now is With Malice. That one sounds like a very 'me' read!

Let me know your cover favourites (and the books you are most excited to read!) in comments