Sarah Talks… Buzz Books 2019 YA Fall/Winter

I’ve not done a discussion-y type post for far too long and I recently made my way through the 2019 Fall/Winter YA edition of Buzz Books and I figured why not talk about some of the books that captured my attention!

Now for those who aren’t familiar with Buzz Books they’re a collection of extracts published twice a year covering the Spring/Summer and Fall/Winter periods, and separate adult and young adult editions are available. Buzz Books are American, if you couldn’t tell by the fact the title contains the word fall and not autumn. This means that some of the books are completely new, and not really on the radar here in the UK, but conversely some may have already been published in the UK for some time and have now found a US publisher.

Buzz Books are available to download from NetGalley but if you’re British like me you’ll need to log onto the original .com version of the site, however while Buzz Books are available on the site they are auto read so you shouldn’t have an issue downloading them.

This season’s YA edition contained a fairly substantial list of both fiction and non-fiction works alongside their US publisher and expected release date which was followed by eight extracts. Three of which really caught my attention and I’m going to talk a little bit more about today!

The Last True Poets Of The Sea by Julia Drake

US Publication Date: 1st October 2019

About The Book

The Larkin family isn’t just lucky—they persevere. At least that’s what Violet and her younger brother, Sam, were always told. When the Lyric sank off the coast of Maine, their great-great-great-grandmother didn’t drown like the rest of the passengers. No, Fidelia swam to shore, fell in love, and founded Lyric, Maine, the town Violet and Sam returned to every summer.

But wrecks seem to run in the family: Tall, funny, musical Violet can’t stop partying with the wrong people. And, one beautiful summer day, brilliant, sensitive Sam attempts to take his own life.

Shipped back to Lyric while Sam is in treatment, Violet is haunted by her family’s missing piece-the lost shipwreck she and Sam dreamed of discovering when they were children. Desperate to make amends, Violet embarks on a wildly ambitious mission: locate the Lyric, lain hidden in a watery grave for over a century.

She finds a fellow wreck hunter in Liv Stone, an amateur local historian whose sparkling intelligence and guarded gray eyes make Violet ache in an exhilarating new way. Whether or not they find the Lyric, the journey Violet takes-and the bridges she builds along the way-may be the start of something like survival.

Epic, funny, and sweepingly romantic, The Last True Poets of the Sea is an astonishing debut about the strength it takes to swim up from a wreck.

I’m not exactly sure what it is about this book but something about it just clicked with me. I enjoyed the writing, the location and the concept. I’m not sure if it has a UK publisher yet but I’ll be ordering it online.

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I’m Not Dying With You Tonight by Kimberley Jones and Gilly Segal

US Publication Date: 6th August 2019

About The Book

Lena and Campbell aren’t friends.

Lena has her killer style, her awesome boyfriend, and a plan. She knows she’s going to make it big. Campbell, on the other hand, is just trying to keep her head down and get through the year at her new school.

When both girls attend the Friday-night football game, what neither expects is for everything to descend into sudden mass chaos. Chaos born from violence and hate. Chaos that unexpectedly throws them together.

They aren’t friends. They hardly understand the other’s point of view. But none of that matters when the city is up in flames, and they only have each other to rely on if they’re going to survive the night.

Again something about the writing style just clicked with me. We hadn’t reached a huge amount action when the extract stopped but from the book blurb I think the book has the potential to be amazing! The original publication date in Buzz Books was October but it looks as though it’s been brought forward, US Amazon lists it’s release date as August so I guess I won’t have to wait as long to get my hands on it!

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Dear Haiti, Love Alaine by Maika Moulite and Maritza Moulite

US Publication Date: 3rd September 2019

About The Book

Co-written by sisters Maika and Maritza Moulite, and told in epistolary style through letters, articles, emails, and diary entries, this exceptional debut novel captures a sparkling new voice and irrepressible heroine in a celebration of storytelling sure to thrill fans of Nicola Yoon, Ibi Zoboi and Jenna Evans Welch!

When a school presentation goes very wrong, Alaine Beauparlant finds herself suspended, shipped off to Haiti and writing the report of a lifetime…

You might ask the obvious question: What do I, a seventeen-year-old Haitian American from Miami with way too little life experience, have to say about anything?

Actually, a lot.

Thanks to “the incident” (don’t ask), I’m spending the next two months doing what my school is calling a “spring volunteer immersion project.” It’s definitely no vacation. I’m toiling away under the ever-watchful eyes of Tati Estelle at her new nonprofit. And my lean-in queen of a mother is even here to make sure I do things right. Or she might just be lying low to dodge the media sharks after a much more public incident of her own…and to hide a rather devastating secret.

All things considered, there are some pretty nice perks…like flirting with Tati’s distractingly cute intern, getting actual face time with my mom and experiencing Haiti for the first time. I’m even exploring my family’s history—which happens to be loaded with betrayals, superstitions and possibly even a family curse.

You know, typical drama. But it’s nothing I can’t handle.

This was another fantastic introduction to the book and really caught my attention. I don’t know much about Haiti but I think this is another that has the potential to be a fantastic read and I’ll be adding it to my list!

I think Buzz Books are a fantastic way to get people excited about upcoming books. I know some UK publishers produce samplers which are available at big events like YALC but I wish they’d team up and make something like this available for UK releases! Maybe there is and I’m just looking in the wrong place!

Do any of the three books I’ve picked out sound like an interesting read to you? Would you love to see a UK version of this? Let me know in the comments!