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The Perpetual Page-Turner

The Perpetual Page-Turner

Book Recommendations and Book Lists For Adults And Kids

Home | book list | New YA Books To Read By Black Authors In 2021

New YA Books To Read By Black Authors In 2021

February 17, 2021 - Updated January 5, 2022 // 1 Comment

I had hoped to share this list last month but my procrastination lined up perfectly for Black History Month, so let’s go with it. Today we are going to explore some new YA books written by Black authors coming out in 2021 for you to read this month and all year long.

While quite a few of these were on my most anticipated YA books for this year, that list was just a small sliver of upcoming books I’m excited for! I’m excited to share even more books that made my reading list for this year.

This is in no way a definitive a list of ALL the upcoming young adult books coming out by black authors — just the ones I’m personally MOST excited about. I’d love to hear about the ones you are anticipating that aren’t on my list!

It’s also only the books from January through June — stay tuned for updates for the rest of the year.

A Little Tip…

Below you’ll see Bookshop.org mentioned. Bookshop.org is a fantastic place to buy books online that supports local bookstores. If you are looking to shop small when it comes to your books, I personally buy my books from here (when I can’t shop in person) and highly recommend! Local bookstores are the heart of communities and Bookshop.org makes it SUPER easy to support them.

YA Books By Black Authors To Read In 2021

There are so many good books coming out this year! From Black Joy and romance to hard-hitting stories of hardship to unique fantastical worlds…literally everything you could want on this list genre-wise.

I’ve been blogging since 2010 and it’s so heartening to see how far we’ve come with representation in YA lit. We still have a long way to go but I love not only seeing many, many more books by Black authors but there is so much more intersectional stories and diversity in genre and the types of stories being told.

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links which means that if you click on a link and purchase something I’ve talked about or recommended, I’ll receive a very small percentage of the sale. Please see my disclosure policy for more info

Book cover for One of the Good Ones -- cover is 3 young Black girls (illustrated) laying on their backs at a birds eye view looking up

One of the Good Ones by Maika Moulite & Maritza Moulite
Out January 5, 2021

Check it out on Amazon
Check it out on Bookshop.org

The sophomore novel of Maika and Maritza (two sisters) is about an activist named Kezi who dies under mysterious circumstances at a social justice rally and the sisters (and family) that are left reeling in the aftermath.

As Kezi becomes a rallying cry in the fight against police brutality, the sisters struggle with the way idealized way she’s being remembered, and the concept of which victims are “the good ones”, and embark on a journey to pay their own tribute to their sister.

When You Look Like Us by Pamela N. Harris
Out January 5, 2021

Check it out on Amazon
Check it out on Bookshop.org

A coming of age story about a boy whose sister goes missing, who he first assumes is just with her drug dealer boyfriend disappearing for a bit, but soon realizes something else must be going on and he sets off to find her with the police being no help in finding her.

Book cover for Happily Ever Afters. Cover has a green background and there is a young Black girl with short hair in front of a computer and looking longingly/daydreaming off to the side

Happily Ever Afters by Elise Bryant
Out January 9, 2021

Check it out on Amazon
Check it out on Bookshop.org

If you like rom coms in the vein of To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before, check out this one!

It’s about a girl who loves to write romance and is accepted for a prestigious writing opportunity only to find she’s hit a huge writer’s block. When a friend suggests she needs some real life love story inspiration to help her out of it, inspired by romance novels, she creates a master plan for her own happily ever after — only to realize it might not be the one she thought she wanted.

You May Also Like: Books Like To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before

Wanna read more books this year?

One of the ways I find time to read more books is through the life-changing magic of audiobooks and my audiobook service of choice — LibroFM. LibroFM is THE best audiobook subscription, hands down. Get 2 audiobooks for the price of 1 here! Check out my review of LibroFM for more info.

Angel of Greenwood by Randi Pink
Out January 12, 2021

Check it out on Amazon
Check it out on Bookshop.org

The setting for this YA historical is in 1921 during the Greenwood Massacre on what is known as Black Wall Street and follows two teenagers who have known of each other for all their years in school but haven’t really KNOWN each other until they work the same job and spend more time ago. And then life changes for them when a white mob storms their community.

Book Cover for Concrete Rose -- Cover is red with Maverick, a Black tee, in a t shirt and gold chain in center of cover

Concrete Rose by Angie Thomas
Out January 12, 2021

Check it out on Amazon
Check it out on Bookshop.org

I loved Big Mav so much in The Hate U Give and a prequel about HIM, set in the 90’s, is everything I could have asked for in a coming of age story of a boy having to come into manhood.

Book Cover for Chlorine Sky -- cover has a Black teen with hair up in a bun in a body of water with a huge orange moon in the background and the title of the book is in clouds.

Chlorine Sky by Mahogany L. Browne
Out January 12, 2021

Check it out on Amazon
Check it out on Bookshop.org

A novel in verse, Chlorine Sky, is a coming of age story about a girl and the crumbling of her relationship with her best friend.

I used to not think I liked novels in verse until I read Clap When You Land so I am especially pumped to keep exploring them and this one sounds like something I’d love because FRIEND BREAKUPS are an insta-pickup for me.

You May Also Like: Best YA Novels in Verse To Check Out

Book Cover for your Corner Dark. Illustrated cover of a Black teen boy in a yellow and white striped tank with his arms folded and looking off to the side against a bright blue wall that has an image of a girl and a guy's back in bathing suits

Your Corner Dark by Desmond Hall
Out January 19, 2021

Check it out on Amazon
Check it out on Bookshop.org

High school Senior Frankie is about to leave his home in Jamaica to attend college, on scholarship, in the United States to become an engineer. Until his dad gets shot. His dreams and future slip away as he joins his uncle’s gang to pay for his dad’s medical bills.

Wings of Ebony by J. Elle
Out January 26, 2021

Check it out on Amazon
Check it out on Bookshop.org

An urban fantasy that is equal parts adventure and social commentary that holds up a mirror to real world issues is your jam, check out this new YA release that I’ve seen billed as The Hate U Give meets Black Panther with a Katniss-like lead.

It’s about young Black teen from a poor neighborhood in Houston who, after her mom is killed, is whisked away from her home and her sister by her estranged dad who takes her to a secret country populated by gods.

There she finds out her true heritage and the fact that those on this island thrive on human suffering and she’s not allowed to leave.

When she sneaks off to go see her sister, she finds out things have gotten bad in her neighborhood and she must use her new-found magical identity to save her beloved community from the evil ravaging it.

You May Also Like: Books For Fans of The Hunger Games

Book cover of Muted -- blue background with a young Black teen with her hair pulled back looking at you with sad expression. The title Muted runs down the whole cover several times overlayed on top of her face. At the top it sayd "he had the power, she had the voice)

Muted by Tami Charles
Out February 2, 2021

Check it out on Amazon
Check it out on Bookshop.org

Another novel in verse for my list! This one is given me major Grown vibes (one of my fave books of last year) in a ripped-from-the-headlines plot about a young singer catapulted into fame and the dark side of the industry that she finds.

Book cover for Yesterday is History

Yesterday is History by Kosoko Jackson
Out February 2, 2021

Check it out on Amazon
Check it out on Bookshop.org

Andre a Black teen and a cancer survivor who receives a liver transplant. Not only did he receive a new liver but, after something strange happens, he finds out from the donor family that he’s inherited the ability to time travel and the brother of the donor will help him learn how to use it.

As he spends time in the past and the present he finds a love with a boy in the 1960’s but things get complicated in the present when an unexpected love blossoms.

Book cover for The Gilded ones -- green background with a Black teen with warrior paint and royal clothes on looking off to side

The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna
Out February 9, 2021

Check it out on Amazon
Check it out on Bookshop.org

The wait for this one has been excruciating as it was supposed to come out last year but then got pushed back to this year!

This one is a West-African inspired fantasy, the first in a new series, about an outcast who joins an all-girl army filled with girls who have special gifts like her who are the only ones who can defeat the threat looming over their empire.

You May Also Like: Best YA Book Series To Binge Read

Book Cover for Like Home -- illustrated cover with a street corner in front of a neighborhood shop with a group of teen friends standing talking and having fun

Like Home by Louisa Onome
Out February 23, 2021

Check it out on Amazon
Check it out on Bookshop.org

As soon as I saw a comparison to “On My Block” (I love that show so much) plus some of my fave young adult writers, I knew I needed this.

It’s about a teen girl whose life is shaken to its core after an act of vandalism in her neighborhood occurs, a neighborhood already changed by a deadly incident years ago, and everything (relationships, her neighborhood) is thrown into upheaval as the spotlight on the act is thrust into the national spotlight and outsiders begin to try to “help fix” her neighborhood.

Some Other Now by Sarah Everett
Out February 23, 2021

Check it out on Amazon
Check it out on Bookshop.org

An emotional story about a girl, estranged from the neighbors who were like family after a kiss ruined everything, who finds herself back in their orbit pretending to be dating one of the brother’s in that family during their mom’s last month of her life.

Book cover for Witches Steeped in Gold -- Cover is black background with two Black witches on the cover

Witches Steeped in Gold by Ciannon Smart
Out April 20, 2021

Check it out on Amazon
Check it out on Bookshop.org

A Jamaican inspired fantasy featuring witches, from enemy castes, who unite for revenge.

This is the things my fantasy-loving dreams are made of — dark and twisty fantasy books featuring witches, revenge stories, and rich world-building.

You May Also Like: YA Books Perfect For Fall/Halloween

Book Cover for Meet Cute -- little illustrated vignettes of two teens doing different things together -- sharing a book, drinking coffee all over the cover which the background is a salmon color

Meet Cute Diary by Emery Lee
Out May 4, 2021

Check it out on Amazon
Check it out on Bookshop.org

A rom-com about a self proclaimed romance expert & transgender teen’s first love and how it challenges his ideas about perfect relationships.

Noah is the author of a popular blog all about trans meet-cutes and happily ever after stories — all stories that Noah has fabricated from his own romantic fantasies and daydreams that he’s kept going as it has become a source of hope for so many trans teens.

When a troll exposes his blog as fake, he plans a fake dating scheme to prove a troll wrong and save the blog.

Book Cover for Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry -- Illustrated -- Black teen girl in yellow dress and hair up holding a red notebook with a Black teen boy in the background with a black tee and blue pants on

Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry by Joya Goffney
Out May 4, 2021

Check it out on Amazon
Check it out on Bookshop.org

It’s about a girl whose epic notebook full of all her lists, lists about anything and everything and some deeply personal, goes missing and soon she finds one of her lists posted on social media.

To get her notebook back and avoid her blackmailer releasing the whole notebook, she’s told she must knock off all the things on her greatest fears list. She ends up tackling the list and trying to find out who has her notebook with an unlikely ally.

You May Also Like: Books For Fans Of Sarah Dessen

Hurricane Summer by Asha Bromfield
Out May 4, 2021

Check it out on Amazon
Check it out on Bookshop.org

It’s a coming of age story about a teenager whose Dad only lives with them part time and then the other half of the year he lives in his home in Jamaica.

Then one summer her mom tells her that she’s going to spend the summer with him in Jamaica — a trip she is wary of but also wanting in some ways — and she could never be prepared for what she experiences that summer.

Looks like a hard-hitting emotional story with set in the backdrop of a hurricane.

Book cover for Where the Rhythm Takes You. Illustrated cover featuring Black teen girl surrounded my tropical leaves and blue birds above

Where the Rhythm Takes You by Sarah Dass
Out May 11, 2021

Check it out on Amazon
Check it out on Bookshop.org

Inspired by Persuasion and set in Tobago, this is a second chance romance between childhood best friends and first loves about a girl who feels left behind working at her family’s resort instead of pursing her dreams and, the boy, who left to pursue his now soaring music career and ends up coming back to stay at her family’s resort with his whole entourage.

Book cover of Ace of Spaces -- looks like a playing card with two Black teens faces on it where the spades or hearts would be.

Ace of Spades by Daridah Abike-Iyimide
Out June 1, 2021

Check it out on Amazon
Check it out on Bookshop.org

Gossip Girl meets Get Out, this twisty dark academia YA thriller is about two Black students (in a very white, elite school) and their struggles against an anonymous bully who threatens to spill their secrets.

You May Also Like: Books Like Pretty Little Liars

Instructions For Dancing by Nicola Yoon
Out June 3, 2021

Check it out on Amazon
Check it out on Bookshop.org

A new contemporary romance from Nicola Yoon with a dash of magic! If you are looking for lighter YA books with black female leads, definitely check out this one.

It’s about a girl who doesn’t believe in love anymore after her dad’s infidelity and then that feeling grows when she witnesses a couple kiss and suddenly sees the story of their meeting…and how the relationship ends.

As she tries to figure out why she can see this in couples, she finds herself taking ballroom dance lessons and meeting a guy named X who becomes her dance partner and whom she starts to fall making her question if a great love story is worth the risk of heartbreak.

So those are the YA novels I’m excited about from African American and Black authors (all with Black protagonists). What Black YA books are you excited about? Let’s celebrate Black YA lit all year long — tell me some of the best YA books written by Black authors you’ve read.

PIN IT FOR LATER

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Filed Under: book list, books, Young Adult Tagged With: books, young adult fiction

About Jamie

Jamie is a 32 year old married lady (with a new baby!!) who is in denial that she's actually that old to be a married lady and a mom. When she's not reading you can find her doing Pilates followed by eating ice cream, belting out Hamilton (loud and offkey) and having adventures with her husband, daughter and rescue dog.

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  1. Hasini @ Bibliosini says

    March 28, 2021 at 8:15 am

    I love this list! I had a few of them on my Goodreads TBR and ended up adding the rest! Thanks for this!!!

    Reply

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perpetualpageturner

“Why is it so hard to pick my next read?” — “Why is it so hard to pick my next read?” — she says as she is surrounded by piles on piles of books on the floor and desk and packed on her bookshelf and book cart. (Partner @berkleypub - thanks for the review copy).⁣
⁣
I managed to pick my next read, as chronicled in these photos, but it was not easy with so many options! 

Decided to go with a most anticipated book of 2022 for me from an author who has written books I’ve really enjoyed.
⁣
I am about halfway through and cruising along because I NEED to figure out if Joseph is the worst or what really is going on here in this story that starts with 3 women being stood up by the same guy on Valentine’s Day.  I feel like there is something more to this one but I can’t quite put my finger on it yet! ⁣
⁣
Hoping to finish it this weekend! What are you reading this weekend? And do you have trouble picking your next read? How do you choose amongst all the options?
Sunshine on my face and a mass market fitting perf Sunshine on my face and a mass market fitting perfectly in my hands.⁣…
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Truly felt like there were zero things more joyful than the warm sun on my face after colder, dreary days and remembering how much I love the feel of reading a mass market paperback. It’s probably a very specific little joy of mine and I definitely reveled in it today.⁣
⁣
But the real big joy has been rereading this book and experiencing it all over again before @bridgertonnetflix season 2 — especially the Pall Mall scene. And something to do with a 🐝 😅 iykyk⁣
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With all the joy I’m getting out of this reread it makes me wonder why I don’t prioritize rereading like I used to before I started blogging 10 years ago.⁣
⁣
In my head I just want to experience all the new stories and try to make a dent in my TBR but I forget, until I do it, the genuine pleasure in revisiting old companions and how it’s a different side of reading one can experience — the nostalgia, the person I’ve become since reading the book and the way I approach a book already knowing what happens. Well the general sense of what happens because my memory is 💩!⁣
⁣
Anyways that’s what I’m up to currently. Trying to finish this up so I can pack my books for a short trip I’m going on later this week. My first ✈️ since 2019!⁣
⁣
Whatcha reading? Do you reread often? And tell me a little teeny tiny joy from your day.
If I was a person who made Reels I would somehow m If I was a person who made Reels I would somehow mash up the “screaming, crying”  Blank Space clip with the “emotional damage” refrain to the Bastille’s Pompeii to let you know how I feel after the last few chapters of #TheGildedCage !!⁣
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And if you don’t understand what that means, I’m sorry 😅⁣
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But woo boy do I need the third installment of this series!!! But I also think I’m going to be even more emotional damaged after that one soooo.⁣ 
⁣
Seriously, one of the best simple joys of my life is the feeling of being so wholly and totally invested in a series that you have to remind yourself it’s fiction lest you spend all day in bed crying about the devastated look a character had on their face — a face you didn’t even see with your own two eyes but you are so invested that you feel nauseous and gutted like you sure did.⁣
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Just me orrrrrr?⁣
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No but for real. If you love YA fantasy, go start #theprisonhealer so you can be caught up when The Blood Traitor comes out in June (and be my emotional support person for the duration of reading it). I love these characters and I dying to see what happens next. 

Have you read this series yet? Last book series that had you SCREAMING CRYING THROWING UP because of the EMOTIONAL DAMAGE it inflicted?
A real life reading photo because I couldn’t be A real life reading photo because I couldn’t be bothered to make it pretty — mismatching fuzzy sucks, coffee almost gone and Christmas pajama pants that are super old.⁣
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But y’all Black Cake is so good!! I’m almost halfway through and I know it’s A Choice to declare it one of the best books I’ve read all year but I’m feeling bold based on how it’s going.⁣
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I love a good family story (especially one with a family secret!) and this is top notch. The writing is 👌🏻 and I know I’m going to be screaming when the pieces come together!⁣
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In other news, I’m 65% of the way through The Dry by Jane Harper and I’m enjoying it so much that I ended up staying on the treadmill twice this weekend after my allotted time was over just so I could keep listening.⁣
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Will and I FINALLY started Ted Lasso this weekend. It is a damn delight!! For all the hype and praise, it has overdelivered for me which is kind of shocking because normally hype is scary. I told Will that I feel like all the praise hasn’t even come close to how much I could love it. We are only 7 episodes in so no spoilers!⁣
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I’m kinda mad we sat on starting it for so long but at the same time I think the timing is right to help me see my way out of this February funk I have found myself in the past couple weeks.⁣
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Anyways, hope everyone is having a good weekend! Have you read Black Cake or The Dry? Where are my Ted Lasso fans at? I’m happy to join your ranks! Also please tell me your fave character bc I am finding it impossible to pick this far!
No but seriously every year I contemplate organizi No but seriously every year I contemplate organizing a search party for one Katjay Millay who wrote one beautiful and amazing book and then...vanished.

Like for real. She wrote a tweet in 2015 that she was taking a few weeks off and then.... no tweets, no new books. Radio silence.

I hope she’s okay, for real, and that she knows I obsessively stalk Goodreads/Twitter/the internet to make sure I haven’t missed new book news from her at least twice a year. 🥺

Is there any author who you’ve been waiting forever for a new release from??

I’d also like to add YA author Sarah Ockler to this list! Last release was 2015 😭😭
Ahhh some of my absolute OG young adult faves are Ahhh some of my absolute OG young adult faves are becoming movies/tv shows soon! And one of them is out TODAY!⁣
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The Sky is Everywhere — it’s out today on AppleTV+ and I can’t wait to sob my brains out. One of my absolute most favorite books ever by one of my all time favorite authors. It’s gorgeous and heartbreaking in its poignant depiction of grief, first love and healing — all woven together in Jandy’s signature gorgeous, lyrical writing.⁣
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Along For The Ride (out April 22) — one of a handful upcoming @sdessen books being adapted in the near future and I can’t wait! These books are so near and dear to my heart.⁣
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No release dates yet for The Summer I Turned Pretty tv series (the ultimate coming of age summertime story!) or The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight (the cutest meet cute of all meet cutes all set in 24 hours) but I am HYPED and have all my fingers crossed for 2022 🤞🤞

Have you read any of these? Anyone else hyped for these adaptations.

Also, for the past few years, I’ve kept a running list of books becoming movies/tv shows for the year. Head to my bio to check out the list! I try to update it weekly and keep on top of it all but life ya know 😆 but I try!
Is this a book club? I think we just started a boo Is this a book club? I think we just started a book club. Or maybe just a @jenniferesmith appreciation club?? (partner @randomhouse )⁣
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Either way, after loving Jennifer E. Smith's YA books for years, it's been a real treat to also read her debut picture book with Riley (we loved!!) as well as her adult debut out in 3 weeks!⁣
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⁣So let me tell you about that adult debut — The Unsinkable Great James!!

This one just was the perfect warm-hearted read for a cold and gloomy January.

A perfect setting to escape into (Alaska), a tender-hearted meet cute and a poignant look at the shared grieving experience of those left behind.

I was initially drawn, like I always am, to the daughter losing a mother storyline and an exploration of that grief but I was so taken by the father/daughter relationship between two people who were left untethered by losing the person who held their family together.

Greta and her father don't see eye-to-eye on basically anything when they are thrown together on this Alaskan cruise, a trip Greta's father and mother were supposed to take, and you can feel the tension of their long-standing tumultuous and fractured relationship -- a relationship that feels like its hanging in a balance and could not recover.

The two are both hurting so much from this loss  and it took my breath away at times in how true it rang to be in your own grief bubble and feeling like the loss is yours and yours alone while forgetting about the others shouldering their own piece of this loss. I loved watching them very slowly SEE one another.

I can't say enough good things about this one -- great setting, Greta's music, the meet-cute, the messy and imperfect nature of family and love. Definitely recommend!⁣
I was on a hot reading streak and now for the past I was on a hot reading streak and now for the past few days I get all cozy in bed to read at night and am asleep by 4 pages in. Will got a kick out of waking up to me basically spooning my kindle. Ebbs and flows, y’all.⁣
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Let’s do a little reading update with an edition of Last, Current & Next.⁣
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Last - The Girl With the Louding Voice: Adunni is by far one of the most memorable voices I’ve read in a book in a very long time. Her hope and resilience in the face of some awful situations kept me turning the pages and rooting for her. I can’t believe it took me so long to finally read it. Highly recommend!⁣
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Now - Deep in Providence (thank you @fiercereads ): I’m about halfway through after I carved out some time to read early this morning and I’m enjoying this story of grief, love and magic. I’m nervous about these girls trying to resurrect their dead friend though! When I put it down today I was getting a little creeped by some things happening.⁣
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Next - The Kiss of Deception: I’m rereading the first book in this YA fantasy series because it’s been forever and I really wanna finish the trilogy. I’ve been really wanting to go through series I’ve left unfinished for years (not for lack of interest but because I suck at juggling all the series I start) so this is one of them. I remember loving it so I’m excited to dive in and binge. 

Whatcha reading? Have you read any of these? Anyone else on the struggle train with reading at night right now?
Braved the downpour to get my library holds. I hop Braved the downpour to get my library holds. I hope they are worth it! Please tell me they are!⁣
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This is also, before I get to the stack,  an appreciation post for my tiny library and wonderful librarians.⁣
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They normally open at 9am during the week —except Fridays. Did I remember that? Nope. So I was I was SO proud of Riley and I for getting our butts in gear to be for around opening time to drop off a stack and get my new ones.⁣
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And alas, I go to open the door and it’s locked. Now I’m holding Riley’s hand, two tote bags full of books, an umbrella that I’m trying to keep over the both of us, mind you. I’m thoroughly confused until it hits me that it’s Friday.⁣
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So I’m like, welp, guess we are just dropping off in the bin so I try to grab my books out and put them in one-handed while juggling the umbrella and less than enthused Riley.⁣
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Mercifully the door opens and  our children’s librarian takes pity on us and lets us in to drop off and pick up the holds.⁣
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Is this what being a VIP as a celebrity feels like?? Sure feels like it to me 😆 for real though, it pays to be a regular and have a cute kid in tow who is being pelted with rain.⁣
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Anyways excited about this stack but especially Wahala, Daughter of the Moon Goddess and How High We Go In The Dark the most.⁣
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Also have been meaning to snag The World Gives Way after @jordys.book.club recommendation!⁣
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Have you read any of these? Any that you think were definitely worth the rain-soaked journey for??⁣
⁣
Alright now I’m off to curl up and read on this rainy, dreary day which is really what I think a day like this is meant for.
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Jamie is a 32 year old married lady (with a new baby!!) who is in denial that she's actually that old to be a married lady and a mom. When she's not reading you can find her doing Pilates followed by eating ice cream, belting out Hamilton (loud and offkey) and having adventures with her husband, daughter and rescue dog.

I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

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“Why is it so hard to pick my next read?” — “Why is it so hard to pick my next read?” — she says as she is surrounded by piles on piles of books on the floor and desk and packed on her bookshelf and book cart. (Partner @berkleypub - thanks for the review copy).⁣
⁣
I managed to pick my next read, as chronicled in these photos, but it was not easy with so many options! 

Decided to go with a most anticipated book of 2022 for me from an author who has written books I’ve really enjoyed.
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I am about halfway through and cruising along because I NEED to figure out if Joseph is the worst or what really is going on here in this story that starts with 3 women being stood up by the same guy on Valentine’s Day.  I feel like there is something more to this one but I can’t quite put my finger on it yet! ⁣
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Hoping to finish it this weekend! What are you reading this weekend? And do you have trouble picking your next read? How do you choose amongst all the options?
Sunshine on my face and a mass market fitting perf Sunshine on my face and a mass market fitting perfectly in my hands.⁣…
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Truly felt like there were zero things more joyful than the warm sun on my face after colder, dreary days and remembering how much I love the feel of reading a mass market paperback. It’s probably a very specific little joy of mine and I definitely reveled in it today.⁣
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But the real big joy has been rereading this book and experiencing it all over again before @bridgertonnetflix season 2 — especially the Pall Mall scene. And something to do with a 🐝 😅 iykyk⁣
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With all the joy I’m getting out of this reread it makes me wonder why I don’t prioritize rereading like I used to before I started blogging 10 years ago.⁣
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In my head I just want to experience all the new stories and try to make a dent in my TBR but I forget, until I do it, the genuine pleasure in revisiting old companions and how it’s a different side of reading one can experience — the nostalgia, the person I’ve become since reading the book and the way I approach a book already knowing what happens. Well the general sense of what happens because my memory is 💩!⁣
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Anyways that’s what I’m up to currently. Trying to finish this up so I can pack my books for a short trip I’m going on later this week. My first ✈️ since 2019!⁣
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Whatcha reading? Do you reread often? And tell me a little teeny tiny joy from your day.
If I was a person who made Reels I would somehow m If I was a person who made Reels I would somehow mash up the “screaming, crying”  Blank Space clip with the “emotional damage” refrain to the Bastille’s Pompeii to let you know how I feel after the last few chapters of #TheGildedCage !!⁣
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And if you don’t understand what that means, I’m sorry 😅⁣
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But woo boy do I need the third installment of this series!!! But I also think I’m going to be even more emotional damaged after that one soooo.⁣ 
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Seriously, one of the best simple joys of my life is the feeling of being so wholly and totally invested in a series that you have to remind yourself it’s fiction lest you spend all day in bed crying about the devastated look a character had on their face — a face you didn’t even see with your own two eyes but you are so invested that you feel nauseous and gutted like you sure did.⁣
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Just me orrrrrr?⁣
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No but for real. If you love YA fantasy, go start #theprisonhealer so you can be caught up when The Blood Traitor comes out in June (and be my emotional support person for the duration of reading it). I love these characters and I dying to see what happens next. 

Have you read this series yet? Last book series that had you SCREAMING CRYING THROWING UP because of the EMOTIONAL DAMAGE it inflicted?
A real life reading photo because I couldn’t be A real life reading photo because I couldn’t be bothered to make it pretty — mismatching fuzzy sucks, coffee almost gone and Christmas pajama pants that are super old.⁣
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But y’all Black Cake is so good!! I’m almost halfway through and I know it’s A Choice to declare it one of the best books I’ve read all year but I’m feeling bold based on how it’s going.⁣
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I love a good family story (especially one with a family secret!) and this is top notch. The writing is 👌🏻 and I know I’m going to be screaming when the pieces come together!⁣
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In other news, I’m 65% of the way through The Dry by Jane Harper and I’m enjoying it so much that I ended up staying on the treadmill twice this weekend after my allotted time was over just so I could keep listening.⁣
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Will and I FINALLY started Ted Lasso this weekend. It is a damn delight!! For all the hype and praise, it has overdelivered for me which is kind of shocking because normally hype is scary. I told Will that I feel like all the praise hasn’t even come close to how much I could love it. We are only 7 episodes in so no spoilers!⁣
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I’m kinda mad we sat on starting it for so long but at the same time I think the timing is right to help me see my way out of this February funk I have found myself in the past couple weeks.⁣
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Anyways, hope everyone is having a good weekend! Have you read Black Cake or The Dry? Where are my Ted Lasso fans at? I’m happy to join your ranks! Also please tell me your fave character bc I am finding it impossible to pick this far!
No but seriously every year I contemplate organizi No but seriously every year I contemplate organizing a search party for one Katjay Millay who wrote one beautiful and amazing book and then...vanished.

Like for real. She wrote a tweet in 2015 that she was taking a few weeks off and then.... no tweets, no new books. Radio silence.

I hope she’s okay, for real, and that she knows I obsessively stalk Goodreads/Twitter/the internet to make sure I haven’t missed new book news from her at least twice a year. 🥺

Is there any author who you’ve been waiting forever for a new release from??

I’d also like to add YA author Sarah Ockler to this list! Last release was 2015 😭😭
Ahhh some of my absolute OG young adult faves are Ahhh some of my absolute OG young adult faves are becoming movies/tv shows soon! And one of them is out TODAY!⁣
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The Sky is Everywhere — it’s out today on AppleTV+ and I can’t wait to sob my brains out. One of my absolute most favorite books ever by one of my all time favorite authors. It’s gorgeous and heartbreaking in its poignant depiction of grief, first love and healing — all woven together in Jandy’s signature gorgeous, lyrical writing.⁣
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Along For The Ride (out April 22) — one of a handful upcoming @sdessen books being adapted in the near future and I can’t wait! These books are so near and dear to my heart.⁣
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No release dates yet for The Summer I Turned Pretty tv series (the ultimate coming of age summertime story!) or The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight (the cutest meet cute of all meet cutes all set in 24 hours) but I am HYPED and have all my fingers crossed for 2022 🤞🤞

Have you read any of these? Anyone else hyped for these adaptations.

Also, for the past few years, I’ve kept a running list of books becoming movies/tv shows for the year. Head to my bio to check out the list! I try to update it weekly and keep on top of it all but life ya know 😆 but I try!
Is this a book club? I think we just started a boo Is this a book club? I think we just started a book club. Or maybe just a @jenniferesmith appreciation club?? (partner @randomhouse )⁣
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Either way, after loving Jennifer E. Smith's YA books for years, it's been a real treat to also read her debut picture book with Riley (we loved!!) as well as her adult debut out in 3 weeks!⁣
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⁣So let me tell you about that adult debut — The Unsinkable Great James!!

This one just was the perfect warm-hearted read for a cold and gloomy January.

A perfect setting to escape into (Alaska), a tender-hearted meet cute and a poignant look at the shared grieving experience of those left behind.

I was initially drawn, like I always am, to the daughter losing a mother storyline and an exploration of that grief but I was so taken by the father/daughter relationship between two people who were left untethered by losing the person who held their family together.

Greta and her father don't see eye-to-eye on basically anything when they are thrown together on this Alaskan cruise, a trip Greta's father and mother were supposed to take, and you can feel the tension of their long-standing tumultuous and fractured relationship -- a relationship that feels like its hanging in a balance and could not recover.

The two are both hurting so much from this loss  and it took my breath away at times in how true it rang to be in your own grief bubble and feeling like the loss is yours and yours alone while forgetting about the others shouldering their own piece of this loss. I loved watching them very slowly SEE one another.

I can't say enough good things about this one -- great setting, Greta's music, the meet-cute, the messy and imperfect nature of family and love. Definitely recommend!⁣

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