14 2019 Debuts That Excite Me

I’m so excited this morning to be bringing you the first of three posts talking about some of the 2019 scheduled releases I’m looking forward to!

I’m starting today with 2019 debuts, but make sure you check back later in the week when I’ll be sharing my most anticipated sequels/series additions and other books by established authors that I’m looking forward to

Titles link to the Goodreads page. Publication dates given are UK publication dates where available and are correct to the best of my knowledge but are subject to change

Middle Grade

In 2019 I think I’m going to take much more of an interest in Middle Grade fiction, my goddaughter is moving into this age range and is a bit of a prolific reader and as good as a lot of the books I read when I was her age are I want to be able to get her some excellent contemporary books too

The Mystery of Black Hollow Lane

by Julia Nobel – Sourcebooks Jabberwocky . Expected Publication Date: 5th March 2019

Emmy’s dad disappeared years ago, and with her mother too busy to parent, she’s shipped off to Wellsworth, a prestigious boarding school in England. But right before she leaves, a mysterious box arrives full of medallions and a note reading: These belonged to your father. 

Just as she’s settling into life at Wellsworth, Emmy begins to find the strange symbols from the medallions etched into the walls and stumbles upon the school’s super-secret society, The Order of Black Hollow Lane. As Emmy and her friends delve deeper into the mysteries of The Order, she can’t help but wonder—did this secret society have something to do with her dad’s disappearance?

I loved a good mystery as an 8 year old and who doesn’t enjoy a book set at a boarding school!

The Fearless Five

by Bannie McPartlin – Piccadilly Press . Expected Publication Date: 16th May 2019

Jeremy, Jonny, Walker, Sumo and Charlie are about to have the summer of their lives. They’ve all just finished primary school and are looking forward to weeks of holiday freedom before they head off to their new schools. But they soon realise it’s not all going to be riding their bikes, making rope swings in the woods and climbing trees. Jonny’s mum is ill, really ill – and Jeremy decides there is only one way to save her. A way that might just involve a robbery … And by the end of it all – or perhaps somewhere in the middle – they will be The Fearless Five. And this will be a summer they will never, ever forget …

So this one hasn’t appeared on Goodreads yet but is in the Piccadilly Press 2019 catalogue and it looks such fun! Bannie McPartlin may be better known to some of you as Anna McPartlin which is the name she uses to publish her adult novels. The Fearless Five marks Anna’s first foray into Children’s fiction.

Young Adult

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We Set The Dark On Fire

by Tehlor Kay Mejia – Katherine Tegen Books. Expected Publication Date: 26th February 2019

At the Medio School for Girls, distinguished young women are trained for one of two roles in their polarized society. Depending on her specialization, a graduate will one day run a husband’s household or raise his children, but both are promised a life of comfort and luxury, far from the frequent political uprisings of the lower class. Daniela Vargas is the school’s top student, but her bright future depends upon no one discovering her darkest secret—that her pedigree is a lie. Her parents sacrificed everything to obtain forged identification papers so Dani could rise above her station. Now that her marriage to an important politico’s son is fast approaching, she must keep the truth hidden or be sent back to the fringes of society, where famine and poverty rule supreme.

On her graduation night, Dani seems to be in the clear, despite the surprises that unfold. But nothing prepares her for all the difficult choices she must make, especially when she is asked to spy for a resistance group desperately fighting to bring equality to Medio. Will Dani cling to the privilege her parents fought to win for her, or to give up everything she’s strived for in pursuit of a free Medio—and a chance at a forbidden love?

Not going to lie that beautiful cover was the first thing that caught my eye but this sounds like such and interesting plot! My interest in slightly twisted dystopian worlds has definitely grown in the last 18 months or so so this sounds perfect for me!

Four Dead Queens

by Astrid Scholte – G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers. Expected Publication Date: 1st March 2019

A divided nation. Four Queens. A ruthless pickpocket. A noble messenger. And the murders that unite them.
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Get in quick, get out quicker.

These are the words Keralie Corrington lives by as the preeminent dipper in the Concord, the central area uniting the four quadrants of Quadara. She steals under the guidance of her mentor Mackiel, who runs a black market selling their bounty to buyers desperate for what they can’t get in their own quarter. For in the nation of Quadara, each quarter is strictly divided from the other. Four queens rule together, one from each region:

Toria: the intellectual quarter that values education and ambition
Ludia: the pleasure quarter that values celebration, passion, and entertainment
Archia: the agricultural quarter that values simplicity and nature
Eonia: the futurist quarter that values technology, stoicism and harmonious community

When Keralie intercepts a comm disk coming from the House of Concord, what seems like a standard job goes horribly wrong. Upon watching the comm disks, Keralie sees all four queens murdered in four brutal ways. Hoping that discovering the intended recipient will reveal the culprit – information that is bound to be valuable bartering material with the palace – Keralie teams up with Varin Bollt, the Eonist messenger she stole from, to complete Varin’s original job and see where it takes them.

So the multiple queen concept has been done a few times recently but this still intrigues me. I think I’d probably end up in Toria’s quarter but I’m not sure I’d like to be in a nation that divides its own people…

If You’re Out There

by Katy Loutzenhiser – Balzer + Bray. Expected Publication Date: 5th March 2019

Part whip-smart suspense tale, part touching story of friendship, this is an extraordinary debut about a determined teen trying to solve a mystery no one else believes in.

After Zan’s best friend moves to California, she is baffled and crushed when Priya suddenly ghosts. Worse, Priya’s social media has turned into a stream of ungrammatical posts chronicling a sunny, vapid new life that doesn’t sound like her at all.

Everyone tells Zan not to be an idiot: Let Priya do her reinvention thing and move on. But until Zan hears Priya say it, she won’t be able to admit that their friendship is finished.

It’s only when she meets Logan, the compelling new guy in Spanish class, that Zan begins to open up about her sadness, her insecurity, her sense of total betrayal. And he’s just as willing as she is to throw himself into the investigation when everyone else thinks her suspicions are crazy.

Then a clue hidden in Priya’s latest selfie introduces a new, deeply disturbing possibility:

Maybe Priya isn’t just not answering Zan’s emails.

Maybe she can’t.

This just sounds so intriguing and I really want to know what’s happened to Priya!

The Truth About Keeping Secrets

by Savannah Brown – Penguin. Expected Publication Date: 7th March 2019

Sydney’s dad is the only psychiatrist for miles around their small Ohio town.

He is also unexpectedly dead.

Is Sydney crazy, or is it kind of weird that her dad-a guy whose entire job revolved around other peoples’ secrets-crashed alone, with no explanation?

And why is June Copeland, homecoming queen and the town’s golden child, at his funeral?

As the two girls grow closer in the wake of the accident, it’s clear that not everyone is happy about their new friendship.

But what is picture perfect June still hiding? And does Sydney even want to know? 

THE TRUTH ABOUT KEEPING SECRETS is a page-turning, voice led, high school thriller.

High school thriller? Yes please I’m in!

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We Are Blood and Thunder

by Kesia Lupo – Bloomsbury YA. Expected Publication Date: 4th April 2019

In a sealed-off city, it begins with a hunt. A young woman, Lena, running for her life, convicted of being a mage and sentenced to death. Her only way to survive is to trust those she has been brought up to fear – those with magic.

On the other side of the locked gates is a masked lady, Constance, determined to find a way back in. She knows only too well how the people of Duke’s Forest loathe magic. Years ago she escaped before her powers were discovered. But now she won’t hide who she is any longer.

A powerful and terrifying storm cloud unites them. It descends over the dukedom and devastates much in its wake. But this is more than a thunderstorm. This is a spell, and the truth behind why it has been cast is more sinister than anyone can imagine … Only Lena and Constance hold the key to destroying the spell. Though neither of them realise it, they need each other. They are the blood and they have the thunder within

Dark sounding YA fantasy… If you insist!

Opposite of Always

by Justin A. Reynolds – Macmillan Children’s Books. Expected Publication Date: 4th April 2019

Jack Ellison King. King of Almost.

He almost made valedictorian.

He almost made varsity.

He almost got the girl . . . 

When Jack and Kate meet at a party, bonding until sunrise over their mutual love of Froot Loops and their favorite flicks, Jack knows he’s falling—hard. Soon she’s meeting his best friends, Jillian and Franny, and Kate wins them over as easily as she did Jack. Jack’s curse of almost is finally over.

But this love story is . . . complicated. It is an almost happily ever after. Because Kate dies. And their story should end there. Yet Kate’s death sends Jack back to the beginning, the moment they first meet, and Kate’s there again. Beautiful, radiant Kate. Healthy, happy, and charming as ever. Jack isn’t sure if he’s losing his mind. Still, if he has a chance to prevent Kate’s death, he’ll take it. Even if that means believing in time travel. However, Jack will learn that his actions are not without consequences. And when one choice turns deadly for someone else close to him, he has to figure out what he’s willing to do—and let go—to save the people he loves.

This sounds slightly soul destroying and full of the feels! I can’t wait!

Viper

by Bex Hogan – Orion Children’s Books. Expected Publication Date: 18th April 2019

Marianne has been training to be the Viper for her entire life – to serve and protect the King and the citizens of The Twelve Isles – but to become the Viper and protect the islands she loves she must find the strength to defeat her father. A new fantasy trilogy perfect for fans of Sarah J Maas.

He will make me a killer.
Or he will have me killed.
That is my destiny.

Seventeen-year-old Marianne is fated to one day become the Viper, defender of the Twelve Isles.

But the reigning Viper stands in her way. Corrupt and merciless, he prowls the seas in his warship, killing with impunity, leaving only pain and suffering in his wake.

He’s the most dangerous man on the ocean . . . and he is Marianne’s father.
She was born to protect the islands. But can she fight for them if it means losing her family, her home, the boy she loves – and perhaps even her life?

A brave heroine. An impossible dilemma. An epic new fantasy trilogy set on the high seas.

Another beautiful looking book that sounds intriguing!

The Paper & Hearts Society

by Lucy Powrie – Hodder Children’s Books. Expected Publication Date: 13th June 2019

Tabby Brown is tired of trying to fit in with her classmates. She doesn’t want to go to parties at the weekend – in fact, she would much rather snuggle up on the sofa with her favourite book.

It’s like she hasn’t found her people …

That is until she moves to a new town where a book club, The Paper & Hearts Society, is recruiting. Tabby might just be in luck. Enough of her old “friends” who only talk to her when they need something. It’s time for Quidditch themed fancy dress parties, games like “shut up and Shakespeare” … and LOTS of chocolate.

A book by our very own Lucy? This was always going to make my list, it sounds beautiful!

Adult

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The Silent Patient

by Alex Michaelides – Orion. Expected Publication Date: 7th February 2019

Alicia Berenson’s life is seemingly perfect. A famous painter married to an in-demand fashion photographer, she lives in a grand house with big windows overlooking a park in one of London’s most desirable areas. One evening her husband Gabriel returns home late from a fashion shoot, and Alicia shoots him five times in the face, and then never speaks another word.

Alicia’s refusal to talk, or give any kind of explanation, turns a domestic tragedy into something far grander, a mystery that captures the public imagination and casts Alicia into notoriety. The price of her art skyrockets, and she, the silent patient, is hidden away from the tabloids and spotlight at the Grove, a secure forensic unit in North London.

Theo Faber is a criminal psychotherapist who has waited a long time for the opportunity to work with Alicia. His determination to get her to talk and unravel the mystery of why she shot her husband takes him down a twisting path into his own motivations—a search for the truth that threatens to consume him….

This sounds like just my sort of thriller and I’m lucky enough that it’s already sitting on my shelf just waiting for me to pick it up.

The Flatshare

by Beth O’Leary – Quercus. Expected Publication Date: 18th April 2019

Tiffy Moore and Leon Twomey each have a problem and need a quick fix.

Tiffy’s been dumped by her cheating boyfriend and urgently needs a new flat. But earning minimum wage at a quirky publishing house means that her choices are limited in London.

Leon, a palliative care nurse, is more concerned with other people’s welfare than his own. Along with working night shifts looking after the terminally ill, his sole focus is on raising money to fight his brother’s unfair imprisonment.

Leon has a flat that he only uses 9 to 5. Tiffy works 9 to 5 and needs a place to sleep. The solution to their problems? To share a bed of course…

As Leon and Tiffy’s unusual arrangement becomes a reality, they start to connect through Post-It notes left for each other around the flat.

Can true love blossom even in the unlikeliest of situations?
Can true love blossom even if you never see one another?
Or does true love blossom when you are least expecting it?

This is the complete opposite to my usual dark and twisted adult fare. Perfect Spring reading I think

The Farm

by Joanne Ramos – Bloomsbury. Expected Publication Date: 7th May 2019

Ambitious businesswoman Mae Yu runs Golden Oaks – a luxury retreat transforming the fertility industry – where women get the very best of everything, so long as they play by the rules.

Jane is a young immigrant in search of a better future. Stuck living in a cramped dorm with her baby daughter and her shrewd aunt Ate, she sees an unmissable chance to change her life. But at what cost?

A brilliant, darkly funny novel that explores the role of luck and merit, class, ambition and sacrifice, The Farm is an unforgettable story about how we live and who truly holds power.

This sounds a little Handmaid’s Tale like – equally interesting and terrifying

Sanctuary

by V. V. James – Gollancz. Expected Publication Date: 8th August 2019

The small Connecticut town of Sanctuary is rocked by the death of its star quarterback.

Daniel’s death looked like an accident, but everyone knows his ex-girlfriend Harper is the daughter of a witch – and she was there when he died.

Then the rumours start. When Harper insists Dan was guilty of a terrible act, the town turns on her. So was his death an accident, revenge – or something even darker?

As accusations fly and secrets are revealed, paranoia grips the town, culminating in a trial that the whole world is watching . . .

V. V. James will be more widely known by the pen name she used for her YA trilogy Vic James. Those of you who read SWB regularly know I’m rather a fan of Dark Gifts so when I saw Vic was publishing her first adult novel AND it was crime fiction there was no way it wasn’t making my pre-order list!

14 2019 debut releases I’m excited about! Keep your eyes out later in the week for two more 2019 release posts. If any of these have caught your eye don’t forget until the end of January I’m running a giveaway giving you the chance to win one of these, or another 2019 release of your choice! Happy reading!