Unfortunately, Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow, so that means six more weeks of winter. Winter doesn’t look like it’s ending anytime soon, but that doesn’t mean we can’t make the best of it. And the best and safest way to beat the winter chill is to snuggle up with a good book. If you are looking for entertainment for this short month, these February releases are just the ticket! From exciting debuts to new books from old favorites, for this month, you’ll want to stay inside to get through all these exciting new releases!

Featured Book of the Month

The Midnight Taxi by Yosha Gunasekera

Expected Publication Date: February 10

Siriwathi Perera doesn’t quite know where she’s going in life. She never expected to be a taxicab driver in New York City, struggling to make ends meet and still living with her parents at twenty-eight. The true-crime podcasts that keep Siri company as she drives don’t do much to make up for the legal career she imagined for herself, or the brother she’s grieving.

When public defender Amaya Fernando gets into her cab, they make a quick connection through their shared Sri Lankan roots. Siri, whose social circle is limited to her grade-school best friend, Alex, thinks things might finally be looking up with this new potential friendship. But she’s suddenly dropped into her own true crime when she discovers her next passenger murdered in the backseat, and she has to call Amaya sooner than she’d expected.

Pinned as the obvious and only suspect, and desperate to clear her name, Siri chases down leads across the boroughs of New York City with Amaya’s help. But with her court date looming, they have just five days to find out who really killed the midnight passenger—or Siri’s life will be over before she can even truly live it. (Credit: Berkley)

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Skate It Till You Make It by Rufaro Faith Mazarura

Ari Shumba never expected to make it to the Winter Games, let alone be the one to lead Great Britain’s women’s ice hockey team through the most important competition of their lives. When her teammate’s unexpected injury catapults her to the role of captain, Ari reluctantly shoulders the responsibility while trying to navigate family drama and dodge her toxic ex.

Drew Dlamini has always feared taking risks. After breaking up with his girlfriend and dropping out of college to handle a family crisis, he’s desperate for a fresh start. When he finds himself in London for the holidays, he rekindles his dream of becoming a professional photographer.

When Ari and Drew meet at a New Year’s Eve party, neither of them is looking for love. Though their chemistry is instant, they live on opposite sides of the Atlantic, so they spend the night revealing their glaring red flags, thinking they’ll never see each other again. But when they unexpectedly cross paths in the snowy Swiss Alps two months later, their feelings for each other rise to the surface.

As the competition heats up, the combination of complicated exes, overinvolved families, and stress-inducing teammates convinces them that the perfect solution to their problems is to fake-date their way through the Games. After all, there’s no risk of falling in love if it is doomed from the start . . . right? (Credit: Flatiron Books)

The Exes by Leodora Darlington

Natalie has only ever wanted to find “the one.” The perfect man, the happy family she never had. But each time she thinks she is finally getting somewhere, she’s bitterly disappointed. Another red line through a list of exes. And that was before the night of the Big Fallout that left her even more alone.

Then along comes James—wonderful, handsome James—and Natalie thinks her luck has finally turned. Maybe he’s the one for her. Maybe he’s the one she’s been waiting for all along. Maybe he won’t wind up dead.

But the harder Natalie tries to be a “normal” wife, the more world-upending truths are brought to her door, leaving her unsure of who she really is, and much less what she’ll do . . . leaving her to question whether there is a monster within her or whether there is a villain toying with her from the outside.

What’s the secret story behind Natalie’s dead exes? Will she and James survive their marriage? And do either of them deserve to? (Credit: Dutton)

The Vanishing Cherry Blossom Bookshop by Takuya Asakura

As the last petal falls, the final page is turned…

Welcome to The Cherry Blossom Bookshop, a haven for book lovers that only appears during the fleeting cherry blossom season. Nestled amidst the bloom of delicate petals, you’ll find a sanctuary for those burdened by regrets and past sorrows. Here, Sakura, the mysterious young owner, and her wise calico cat, Kobako, patiently await the arrival of souls in need of solace and healing.

Told over four seasons, each visitor to the bookshop holds a book that bridges their past and present, guiding them towards understanding and acceptance. Within the antique charm of the shop and the soothing aroma of freshly brewed coffee, Sakura and Kobako help their guests confront their lingering sadness through the power of stories, enabling them to move forward with renewed hope. (Credit: HarperCollins)

Lovely Recipe by Myra Rose Nino

What does cooking have in common with falling in love? They’re both matters of chemistry!

It’s Sofia’s last year in high school. All her friends are getting ready to go to far away colleges, but she doesn’t know if that path is right for her. What Sofia does understand is that, ever since her grandma died, her mom has been distant. But maybe, if Sofia can learn how to make one of grandma’s most cherished recipes, she and her mom’s relationship can go back to the way it used to be. The only problem with that idea? Sofia is terrible at cooking.

Enter Anna Marie, Sofia’s super cute classmate who’s everything Sofia isn’t– driven, disciplined, and a gifted chef. Despite getting on each other’s nerves, Anna Marie starts teaching Sofia how to cook in exchange for her help around Anna Marie’s family’s restaurant. And soon enough, they discover that the sparks between them are more than just stovetop flames.

But can love blossom when Sofia’s and Anna Marie’s lives are changing so much? Or will the impending pressures that come with graduation break them apart? (Credit: Random House Graphic)

How To Kill A Guy In Ten Dates by Shailee Thompson

When Jamie Prescott and her best friend Laurie attend a speed-dating event, Jamie expects to meet a roster of mediocre men and indulge in some street food afterwards. She doesn’t expect one of her dates to have his throat slit at their table during a blackout. After the lights come back on and there are more bodies on the floor, it becomes clear that dating can be a very dangerous pastime.

Armed with makeshift weapons and Jamie’s extensive knowledge of what NOT to do in a slasher, the remaining speed daters try to find an exit while the killer adds to their body count. As the night progresses and Jamie comes face-to-mask with the murderer, she begins to suspect they are committing the slayings to woo one of the daters and turn them into a real-life Final Girl. But Jamie has other plans, and as she fights for her life, she can’t help but find herself ensconced in a love triangle with two of the other survivors. Will she make it through the bloodshed to find her Happily Ever After? Or does this machete-wielding psychopath have another ending in mind? (Credit: Gallery Books)

Imposter by LJ Ross

There’s a killer inside all of us…

In the remote hills of western Ireland, fear spreads as the locals struggle to make sense of a killer who is seemingly one of their own…

Dr. Alexander Gregory, a psychologist recovering from the collapse of a high-profile criminal profiling unit, wants nothing more than a quiet life to finally sit and think things through. But his rare ability to understand the minds of violent offenders makes him hard to ignore—especially when a small town is shaken by a brutal murder. Reluctantly pulled into the case, Gregory finds himself confronting not only a cunning predator, but the darker corners of his own mind.

From internationally bestselling author LJ Ross comes a tense, atmospheric thriller that explores how far we’ll go to understand—and survive—the darkness around us. (Credit: Poisoned Pen Press)

In Her Defense by Philppa Malicka

Everyone is watching. Only one person knows the truth.

The whole country has been riveted by the trial: Beloved TV star and national treasure Anna Finbow, standing in court, accusing her daughter’s therapist Jean Guest of brainwashing her daughter Mary for her own financial gain. Jean insists Mary’s traumatic memories arise from her upbringing and her time studying at a prestigious art school in Rome; wounds only Jean’s therapy can heal. But as the trial unfolds, it’s Augusta “Gus” Bird, Anna’s former employee—a seemingly insignificant bystander, a nobody—who holds the key to unraveling the tangled web of lies and deceit.

What really happened to Mary in Rome? And if her memories can’t be trusted, how will they ever uncover the truth behind her estrangement? Twisty and propulsive, In Her Defense is a compulsively readable debut for fans of Lucy Foley and Laura Dave. (Credit: Scribner)

Relic Hamilton, Genie Hunter by Joseph Coelho and illustrated by Hyun Song We

Relic Hamilton is just your average twelve-year-old, living a quiet life with his grandfather above their old antique shop in Chinatown in London. Until, that is, the day he’s polishing some mysterious brass lamps in the basement and something extraordinary happens. He feels spine-chillingly cold. Breathless. Scared. And there it is—a real live genie standing before him. But this is no kind, benevolent genie. This one is evil . . . and it feeds on hope.

Ghostbusters meets Raiders of the Lost Ark meets Pokémon (with a genie twist) as award-winning author Joseph Coelho follows Relic to the heart of a fast-paced underground community of dedicated genie hunters. Led by the excitable Professor Latimer and the über-cool Doctor Raphaela, they will travel together in their one-of-a-kind jet, the Aladdin, on a secret mission to chase down rogue genies before they wreak havoc on the world. Vividly and imaginatively written, with a humorous cast of cool characters, this first in a trilogy is brought to life in twenty black-and-white illustrations by Korean artist Hyun Song We. (Credit: Candlewick Press)

The Six Queens of Henry VIII by Honor Cargill-Martin and illustrated by Jaimee Andrews 

Move over Henry VIII, it’s the Queens’ time to shine. Uncover the truth about these bold and brilliant Queens with this fresh, feminist guide to their lives.

We all know Henry VIII had six wives. But these ladies are FAR too interesting to only be known as wives. Did you know that Catherine of Aragon rallied her troops in full armor while heavily pregnant? Or that it was Catherine Parr who persuaded the king to return his daughters Mary and Elizabeth – two of British history’s most famous monarchs – to the line of succession?

Get ready to lose your head as the six wonderful women behind the man take center stage to overthrow her-story. From rumors of scandals and LOTS of lying, to political plays and fabulous frocks, this is a story filled with ambition, treason and strong women. (Credit: Sourcebooks Explore)

Bookish: How Reading Shapes Our Lives by Lucy Mangan

As a child, Lucy Mangan was reading all the time, using books to navigate the challenges and complexities of this world and many others. As an adult, she uses her new relationship with literature to seize upon the most important question: (how) do books prepare us for life?

Bookish vividly tells the story of a reader’s life from the cusp of teenagehood, when everything – including the way we read – undergoes a not-so-subtle transformation. Lucy vividly recounts her metamorphosis from young bookworm to bookish adult, from the way school curricula impact our relationship with literature, to the growing pains of swapping the pleasures of re-reading for those of book-hoarding.

Revisiting the books of all genres (from literary novels and historical saga fiction to apocalyptic zombie novels) that ferried her through each important stage of life—falling in love, finding a job, becoming a mother, and navigating grief—Bookish is a coming-of-age story told through books. It’s an ode to our favorite bookish spaces (from the smallest secondhand bookstalls to our favorite libraries, mega-bookshops, and our own bookshelves) and a love story to how books not only shelter our souls through hard times, but also how they help us connect with the people we love through shared stories. (Credit: Pegasus Books)

This Book Made Me Think of You by Libby Page

Twelve books. Twelve months. One chance to heal her heart…

When Tilly Nightingale receives a call telling her there’s a birthday gift from her husband waiting for her at her local bookshop, it couldn’t come as more of a shock. Partly because she can’t remember the last time she read a book for pleasure. But mainly because Joe died five months ago….

When she goes to pick up the present, Alfie, the bookshop owner with kind eyes, explains the gift—twelve carefully chosen books with handwritten letters from Joe, one for each month, to help her turn the page on her first year without him.

At first Tilly can’t imagine sinking into a fictional world, but Joe’s tender words convince her to try, and something remarkable happens—Tilly becomes immersed in the pages, and a new chapter begins to unfold in her own life. Monthly trips to the bookstore—and heartfelt conversations with Alfie—give Tilly the comfort she craves and the courage to set out on a series of reading-inspired adventures that take her around the world. But as she begins to share her journey with others, her story—like a book—becomes more than her own. (Credit: Berkley)

Home Away From Home by Nazneen Akbari and illustrated by Rashin Kheiriyeh

Nuha is already worried about spending the summer in Oman. When she leaves behind her dearest doll, how will she possibly feel at home in Oman now?

“Oman is your home away from home,” Mama said softly. “Your Jadda hasn’t seen you in three years and she’s excited to spend the summer with you. You’ll have fun together.”

This summer, Nuha and Mama are traveling to Oman to visit her Jadda. Mama is excited to visit home, but Oman doesn’t feel like home to Nuha. The air is warm and sticky, people wear different clothes, and a language she barely understands swirls around her. At least she has her dearest doll, Mary, to keep her company.

When Nuha accidentally leaves Mary behind, the thought of staying in Oman all summer feels impossible. Until Jadda ushers her into the wonderful sights, sounds, smells, and tastes of the souk (market) to look for a new doll. Little by little, Nuha begins to realize Oman is special in its own way, and even finds glimpses of home.

• A sweet story about reconnecting with faraway grandparents and rediscovering cultural identity.
• Based on the author’s own experience moving from India to Oman as a kid
• Endnotes provide further information about Oman and the souk in the story (Credit: Barefoot Books)

I’m So Happy You’re Here: A Celebration of Library Joy by Mychal Threets and illustrated by Lorraine Nam

Welcome to the library!

It’s a place just for you! There are activities, movies, games, and SO. MANY. STORIES. Best of all, it’s a place where you will always belong.

Take a tour of the library with the internet’s favorite librarian, Mychal Threets! This heartwarming debut picture book from Mychal extends an invitation to anyone who could use a little library joy and a reminder that libraries are for everyone. (Credit: Random House Books for Young Readers)

Ours Is A Tale of Murder by Nora Murphy

Expected Publication Date: February 10

One quiet neighborhood

Three different families

Bound by murder

Klara never wanted the house with the white picket fence. Troy never wanted anything else.

Nothing is quite right with this happy couple, but isn’t every home hiding something? Mary, the mother in the blue house, is cleaning out her son’s old room before she sells, haunted by the mistakes of her past and afraid of what her home has become. Henry, freshly laid off and back living with his

parents, has plenty of time to watch everyone–especially wives. He knows something is wrong with the couple across the street. But then, nothing is quite what it seems, and sometimes you miss what’s right in front of you. Murder will soon thread its way through this world in ways no one will see coming–unless you’ve been the one plotting it all along. (Credit: Sourcebooks Landmark)

Rebel of the Regency: The Scandalous Saga of Caroline of Brunswick, Britain’s Queen Without A Crown by Ann Foster

Expected Publication Date: February 10

Caroline Amelia Elizabeth, Princess of Brunswick, was born in the northern German town of Braunschweig. Her mother and father, the duke and duchess, instantly knew one thing: there was something irrefutably untamable about their daughter. She grew up a wild child, sequestered from others to protect her family’s reputation–an 18th-century Rapunzel.

She was freed from this gilded cage by an unexpected marriage proposal from George Augustus Frederick, Prince of Wales and the eldest son of George III and Queen Charlotte. Caroline was entirely unprepared for the backstabbing mean girls of the royal court. Always staying true to herself, she stepped into her role of queen-to-be without compromising her character, showing off her affinity for fashion, her many eccentric hobbies, and ultimately, her infallible spirit, despite being ostracized as an outsider by her in-laws.

And so Caroline became the unlikely figurehead of the anti-monarchists, aided by the just-emerging tabloid press. Yet, despite her status as a revolutionary heroine, Caroline’s name faded away following her death. Until now.

For fans of Normal Women, Ann Foster brings us the riveting story of Caroline of Brunswick, Britain’s uncrowned queen, through an empowering examination of womanhood and autonomy that feels just as relevant today. (Credit: Hanover Square Press)

Grace by A.M. Shine

Expected Publication Date: February 10

TO LEARN THE TRUTH
WOULD YOU DESCEND INTO HELL?

Off the west coast of Ireland lies a lonely island, isolated and wilfully forgotten. Some say there hasn’t been a child born on the island for thirty years. Others speak of strange deaths there, decades ago. But no one really knows what happened. Locals believe that the dark times are behind them.

They are mistaken.

Grace, adopted at four years old, has never known where she came from. A mysterious phone call leads her back to the island where she was born – and where a terrible evil has been disturbed.

As the evil starts to spread, Grace finds herself dragged back into a living nightmare that threatens to engulf anyone who steps into its path. (Credit: Head of Zeus — an Aries Book)

Food Fix Uncensored:
Inside the Food Industry’s Biggest Cover-Ups by Dr. Mark Hyman

Expected Publication Date: February 10

This is not a diet book. It’s an indictment. Food Fix Uncensored is the fully revised and expanded edition of Dr. Mark Hyman’s bestselling 2020 wake-up call, now more revealing than ever. In a world where food is engineered more for profit than nourishment, every bite you take matters–not just for your health, but for the future of our planet. Dr. Hyman invites you to question:

• What if the chronic diseases we accept as normal… aren’t?
• What if our broken food system was designed to protect power and profits rather the health of the American public?
• What if the solution to our biggest health crises isn’t more medicine–but better food?

The shocking stats you read about Americans’ declining health are not the result of personal failures. They’re policy failures by design – the result of a system rigged by Big Food, Big Ag, and Big Pharma to keep you sick and addicted. Food Fix Uncensored rips the veil off the multibillion-dollar machine hijacking our bodies, our brains, and our children’s futures, and hands you the tools to take it all back.

Balancing cutting-edge nutritional science with unflinching journalistic investigation, Food Fix Uncensored doesn’t just ask you to eat differently. It dares you to see differently. After reading this, you’ll never look at your food the same way again. (Credit: Little, Brown Spark)

Call of the Dragon by Natasha Bowen

Expected Publication Date: February 10

The people are calling . . .
And the gods will answer.

Moremi has only ever known peace in the Kingdom of Kwa, thanks to the two dragon gods keeping an unspeakable evil at bay. But when the king tries to claim the gods’ power for himself, it all goes dreadfully wrong. The great dragons are injured and flee . . . and the world’s darkest shadows are released.

Suddenly, Kwa’s ancient tales of monsters become all too real. Yet as death comes for those around her, Moremi somehow finds herself magically connected to both dragon gods—a feat that should be impossible.

Now, Moremi is Kwa’s only hope for restoring the gods to full strength. But will Jagun, the mysterious prince, let her anywhere near the dragons? And how does her childhood friend, Nox, feel about it all? It may not matter in the end, because if Moremi fails her quest, then she risks the earth caving in and the sky crumbling down. (Credit: Random House Books for Young Readers)

The Wandering Queen by Claire Heywood

Expected Publication Date: February 10

When the King of Tyre dies, he decrees that the rule of the kingdom will pass equally to both his children: Elissa, his clever and strong-willed daughter, and Pygmalion, her young half-brother. But Elissa, not yet skilled in the machinations of court, quickly finds herself sidelined by a band of powerful merchants in favor of her more malleable brother.

Forced out of her palace home, Elissa resolves to forge her own path. Both triumph and heartbreak await in the life that she builds, transforming herself from a sheltered princess into a strong and formidable leader. When she leads her followers on an epic journey in search of a new home in a faraway land, she earns herself a name that will echo through millennia: Dido, the wanderer.

Then one day a mysterious stranger, Aeneas, arrives at the city gates, fleeing the Trojan War. As Dido and Aeneas are increasingly drawn to each other, Dido finds herself forced to make an impossible choice between power, and love. (Credit: Dutton)

The Body by Bethany C. Morrow

Expected Publication Date: February 10

Mavis broke from her parents’ congregation years ago, but she still hasn’t recovered. Their impossible expectations and soul-shredding critiques have dug deep into her mind, and she’s taunted by the knowledge that even when she’s done nothing wrong, she’ll never be right.

Now Mavis is afraid she’s about to lose the only thing she has: her husband, Jerrod. The man she’s always known was too good to be true. No one thinks she deserves him—not even after surviving the serial cheater they wanted her to stick by—and soon they’ll all find out they were right.

Mavis is already unraveling when a brush with death shows her what real fear looks like. Soon, she’s under constant attack from all directions. As the assaults turn increasingly vicious and bizarre, Mavis realizes that Hell isn’t reserved for the afterlife.

And sinner or not, no one is coming to save her. (Credit: Tor Nightfire)

Our Beautiful Mess by Adele Parks

Expected Publication Date: February 10

Connie can’t wait to have all her daughters back home for Christmas. It’s not just the excitement of the girls being together under one roof; uni student Fran is bringing a new boyfriend to stay. The empty nest will once again be full of friends, family and young love.
Yet from the moment she sees Zac, Connie feels a deep unease. Zac reminds her of the worst mistake she has ever made: a man whose charm and good looks nearly destroyed her marriage. Then, Fran announces she’s pregnant.

Reeling from Fran’s news and terrified that her past might threaten her family’s future, Connie desperately tries to navigate a path forward. But there’s a much greater menace looming, because she’s not the only one who has something to hide. Someone in the house has another devastating secret. A deception which will put everyone Connie loves in shocking danger, and one of them will pay the ultimate price. (Credit: Park Row)

The Final Problem by Arturo Perez-Reverte

Expected Publication Date: February 10

June, 1960. Rough weather at sea leaves a group of strangers stranded on the idyllic Greek island of Utakos, all guests of the only local hotel. Nothing could prepare them for what happens next: Edith Mander, a quiet British tourist, is found dead inside a beach cabana. What appears at first glance to be a clear suicide reveals possible signs of foul play to Ormond Basil, an out-of-work but still well-known actor who in his glory days portrayed the most celebrated detective of all time. Accustomed to seeing him display Sherlock Holmes’ amazing powers of deduction on the big screen, the other guests believe that the actor is the best equipped to uncover the truth.

But when a second body is discovered, there is not a doubt in Basil’s mind: a murderer walks among them. What’s more, the killer is staging each crime as a performance, leaving complex clues that bear an eerie resemblance to those found in the pages of Conan Doyle stories. This is a criminal who knows every trick in the book and is playing a deadly literary game. As the storm rages, Basil must become the genius detective he has only pretended to be. (Credit: Mulholland Books)

Some of Us Are Brave by Saadia Faruqi

Expected Publication Date: February 10

It’s a humid summer in Houston, Texas, and Yasir is dreaming of being soccer team captain—if only he could get the team bully, Cody, off his back, and maybe impress his sort-of-crush, Mona. Meanwhile, Mona is turning her nightmares into art, and Cody’s home life feels as tense as the storm literally brewing down the coast.

When Hurricane Harvey makes landfall, the three kids could hardly be called friends. But as their regular lives fall apart and rising floodwaters pull them together, Mona, Cody, and Yasir will need to work as a team if they want to survive. The hurricane will churn up their deepest fears and cement their bond forever—if it doesn’t tear them apart. (Credit: Quill Tree Books)

Opal Watson: A Case Most Fowl by Brittany J. Thurman

Expected Publication Date: February 10

Opal’s schoolmate Piper has lost a beloved pet: a bird named Blizzard that disappeared while her family was moving into a new house. Opal and Frank agree to track down Blizzard, even though it means teaming up with Piper’s older brother, Jake, a former bully who claims he has changed his ways.

Meanwhile, Opal is still solving a mystery of her own: Who was Maude Watson—the woman whose picture she stumbled across in an old issue of the Chicago Defender newspaper—and how is she related to Opal?

As Opal and her friends investigate both cases, they discover that Blizzard is more than just a missing pet—and she’s not the only one missing. Meanwhile, Maude’s case has Opal puzzling through a series of ciphers that take her from Chicago’s historic cemeteries to abandoned underground tunnels. Can Opal and her friends outwit the birdnappers while unraveling Maude’s past, or will these two cases prove to be too much? (Credit: Storytide)

Keeper of Lost Children by Saeqa Johnson

Expected Publication Date: February 10

Ethel Gathers, the proud wife of an American Officer, is living in Occupied Germany in the 1950s. After discovering a local orphanage filled with the abandoned mixed-race children of German women and Black American GI’s, Ethel feels compelled to help find these children homes.

Philadelphia born Ozzie Phillips volunteers for the recently desegregated army in 1948, eager to make his mark in the world. While serving in Manheim, Germany, he meets a local woman, Jelka, and the two embark on a relationship that will impact their lives forever.

In 1965 Maryland, Sophia Clark is given an opportunity to attend a prestigious all white boarding school and escape her heartless parents. While at the school, she discovers a secret that upends her world and sends her on a quest to unravel her own identity.

Toggling between the lives of these three individuals, Keeper of Lost Children explores how one woman’s vision will change the course of countless lives, and demonstrates that love in its myriad of forms—familial, parental, and forbidden, even love of self—can be transcendent. (Credit: 37 Ink)

Hot Chocolate on Thursday by Michiko Aoyama

Expected Publication Date: February 17

Without even realizing it, we may touch and change someone else’s life.

Taking a walk along the river, cooking the best tamagoyaki, ordering hot chocolate, forgetting to remove our nail polish… The small, everyday acts that we do can lead to unexpected encounters, reverberate far beyond our own circle, and ultimately make a difference in the world around us.

Hot Chocolate on Thursday is a tapestry of slice-of-life moments that each open and close with a woman ordering her regular hot chocolate at the mysterious Marble Cafe. What happens in between will touch and swell your heart, as we connect with a community of untold unfolding lives. (Credit: Hanover Square Press)

Where The Wildflowers Grow by Terah Shelton Harris

Expected Publication Date: February 17

Leigh is the last of the Wildes. She knows this because she watched them all die.

Grief never truly fades and even as the tragedy haunts her, Leigh carries on, because survival is in her blood. So, when the transport bus taking her to prison careens off the road, killing everyone onboard except her, she does what’s in her nature. She survives.

While searching for a place to hide, Leigh stumbles upon an unexpected sanctuary: a flower farm in rural Alabama tucked away from the world. What Leigh doesn’t expect is the found family there who have built something from the wreckage of their own lives. Especially Jackson, the farm’s owner, who sees through Leigh’s defenses, offers her small moments of tenderness, encourages her to face her own tragedies. Slowly, Leigh finds peace with the hard pace and soft nature of the farm, taking comfort in the life blooming around her. Maybe she’s not beyond redemption, not too broken for something good. And maybe, just maybe, Leigh starts to heal.

But the past isn’t so easily buried.

No matter how far she runs, the truth of who she is and the ghosts of the Wildes follow. And when those secrets catch up to her, threatening everything she’s come to love, Leigh will have to truly face what she can survive. (Credit: Sourcebooks Landmark)

Holy Boy by Lee Heejoo 

Expected Publication Date: February 17

Four wildly different women are consumed by Yosep, a dreamy twenty-one-year-old K-pop idol known as “the boy.”

Ahna, a woman in her forties, first sought the company of younger men to quell the loneliness she experienced accompanying her husband on his trips abroad. When an affluent friend introduces her to the boy and she sees him on television, Ahna joins his cultish fandom. She soon bonds with Mihee, a beautiful, socially isolated woman in her twenties, who also worships the boy, and they eventually meet two other acolytes: Nami, a young shaman, and Heeae, who worked as a maid for Ahna’s family and is Yosep’s birth mother. Heeae gave her son up for adoption to ensure him a better life but yearns to be reunited.

Fierce and unapologetic, each woman has her own reason for wanting Yosep—a yawning desperation that spawns a dangerous plan. After taking the young singer hostage at a mansion in the mountains of South Korea’s Gangwon Province, Ahna, Yosep, Mihee, Nami, and Heeae will go to extreme lengths to keep him there, no matter how coercive—or murderous—the means. But the fervency that united this formidable team begins to fracture them, igniting a holy war over that sets each woman against the other. Who will emerge the victor? And just how far will she go to win the boy for herself? (Credit: HarperVia)

The New Neighbors by Claire Douglas

Expected Publication Date: February 17

They seem like the perfect couple. But what are they hiding?
When Lena overhears a conversation between her next-door-neighbors she thinks she must have misheard.
The Morgans are a kind, retired couple who recently moved to their sleepy suburban street in Bristol where nothing ever happens. But to Lena it sounded very much like they were planning a crime.
Her family and friends tell her she must be mistaken. Yet Lena can’t stop thinking about that strange conversation. What if they really are about to do something terrible?
What if she can prevent it?
Especially when doing something might help ease her conscience about her own dark past . . .(Credit: Harper)

Our Numbered Bones by Katya Balen

Expected Publication Date: February 17

Anna, a novelist based in London, feels stuck. Grappling with writer’s block and her mother’s dementia, she’s desperate for a way out, no matter how brief. So, when her editor sends her a link for a winter writer’s retreat, Anna jumps for it. The retreat is for struggling writers in need of “space” — both literal and metaphorical. Anna moves into a small cottage in the middle of nowhere, hoping that she’ll leave with a finished novel. However, what Anna really wishes for is to forget. The change in scenery and social and technological isolation only gives her more time inside her anxious mind, as the puzzle pieces of a recent trauma begin to come together. But Anna is still determined to heal.

While walking the wetlands one day, Anna stumbles upon an unusual scene. A woman’s body is unearthed from the mud, remarkably preserved over thousands of years. And Anna feels like she knows her face. Soon, a team of archaeologists arrive, and Anna begins to frequent the dig site, growing obsessed with the discovery. As past and present collide, she comes to realize that the body holds the key to reconciling her grief and finding catharsis. (Credit: HarperVia)

I’m Not the Only Murderer in My Retirement Home by Fergus Craig

Expected Publication Date: February 17

Carol is delighted to be leaving her tiny prison cell behind to take her place in a luxury retirement home. She’s hoping her past as a serial killer won’t come to light so she can make a few friends and find some murder-free hobbies. But it’s not long before a fellow resident—who happens to be a former police commissioner—drops dead, and Carol’s  true identity is leaked—making catching up over daily activities of bingo and baking rather awkward. 

Just her luck, Carol soon realizes that the victim wasn’t the only former law enforcement officer at Sheldon Oaks—it’s filled to the brim with former cops, barristers, and government representatives, her newfound friends included. And everyone thinks Carol’s guilt is a no-brainer, but she is ready to prove them dead wrong…without killing anyone, for once. (Credit: Berkley)

The Sun and the Starmaker by Rachel Griffin

Expected Publication Date: February 17

Nestled deep in the snowy mountains of the Lost Range, the village of Reverie is a small miracle. Beyond the reach of the Sun, Reverie is dependent upon the magic of the mysterious Starmaker: every morning, he trudges across a vast glacier and pulls in sunlight over the peaks, providing the village with the light it needs to survive.

Aurora Finch grew up on tales of the Starmaker’s magic, never imagining she’d one day meet him. But on the morning of her wedding, a fateful encounter in the frostbitten woods changes everything. The Starmaker senses a powerful magic within her and demands she come study under his guidance. With her newfound abilities tied to the survival of the village, Aurora is swept away to his ice-covered castle and far from everything she’s ever known.

The Starmaker is as cold and distant as the mountain itself, leaving Aurora to explore his enchanted castle alone. Yet the more she discovers about the sorcerer, the stronger their attraction grows, pulling her closer to the secrets he refuses to share. But a deadly frost approaches and Aurora must uncover what the Starmaker is hiding before she is left in an endless winter that even the Sun cannot touch. (Credit: Sourcebooks Fire)

Adrift by Will Dean

Expected Publication Date: February 17

Peggy and Drew, both aspiring writers, move to an isolated canal boat with their fourteen-year-old son. Peggy is the glue that holds their family together, even as their son is bullied relentlessly for his physique and his family’s lack of money. But when Drew becomes frustrated by his wife’s sudden writing success, he moves their boat further and further from civilization.

With their increasing isolation, personal challenges become harder to ignore, even as they desperately try to break toxic generational patterns. But when Drew’s gaslighting becomes too much for Peggy to take, it sets off a catastrophic series of events. (Credit: Atria/Emily Bestler Books)

Mayowa and the Sea of Words by Chibundu Onuzo

Expected Publication Date: February 17

WARNING: DO NOT JUMP ON THIS BOOK!

Have you ever jumped on a book? Perhaps not. Most people would think it was a rather unusual thing to do.

Ten-year-old Mayowa has always thought that her Grandpa Edward, who dyes his beard emerald green and jumps on books in private, is rather unusual too. Until one day she jumps on a book for herself, and uncovers a huge family secret …

Mayowa can book jump.

By jumping on a book, she can harness the emotions inside it and channel them directly into other people. And when the opportunity to use her power to save the lives of countless refugees presents itself, Mayowa wants to jump in with both feet.

But Mayowa and her grandpa aren’t the only book jumpers in existence. And not everybody wants to use this power for good …

The first title in a dazzlingly imaginative adventure trilogy about one girl’s power to change the world through the magic of book-jumping. Brimming with heart, Mayowa and the Sea of Words is a modern classic in the making. Perfect for everyone who knows the true power of a good book …(Credit: Bloomsbury Children’s Books)

A Sociopath’s Guide to a Successful Marriage by M.K. Oliver

Expected Publication Date: February 17

Meet Lalla Rook. Lalla has a lot on her plate: She needs to guarantee her husband makes partner, secure her dream house in Hampstead, and get her daughter into a prestigious prep school. And on the afternoon she stabs a stranger seven times after he breaks into her living room, she has a four-year-old’s birthday party to host.

With an unambitious partner, two demanding children, and a barely adequate large house in a nice (if not quite fashionable) part of town, Lalla’s life isn’t quite perfect yet. And she can’t pretend she hasn’t missed the adrenaline rush that comes with transgressing. Besides, as a wife and mother, she’s already an expert multi-tasker. So, disposing of a body, framing a friend, and being the world’s best mother can easily be managed alongside the usual domestic minutiae.

It’s just that her husband Stephen seems distracted, her daughter’s drowning of the class hamster is affecting her academic future, and then there is the unexpected intruder. Who is this man and what does he want from her? Because Lalla has a past she’d rather keep hidden—and the sudden appearance of the police means that avoiding them will be yet another task to cross off her to-do list. (Credit: Atria Books)

Cleopatra by Saara El-Arifi

Expected Publication Date: February 24

YOU KNOW MY NAME, BUT YOU DO NOT KNOW ME.

Your historians call me seductress, but I was ever in love’s thrall.

Your playwrights speak of witchcraft, but my talents came from the gods themselves.

Your poets sing of my bloodlust, but I was always protecting my children.

How wilfully they refuse to concede that a woman could be powerful, strategic, and divinely blessed to rule.

Death will silence me no longer.

This is not the story of how I died. But how I lived. (Credit: Ballantine Books)

The Boyfriend Launcher by Raechell Garrett

Expected Publication Date: February 24

When soccer star Dru Eason’s longtime crush Kai finally asks her out, she can’t say no. She also can’t say yes. Not when she knows things with him will end just as they have with all of her exes. They’ll date, break up, and in a matter of days he’ll become someone else’s perfect boyfriend.

Because Dru is The Boyfriend Launcher.

To buy time to figure out why this keeps happening, Dru negotiates a no-dating pact with her team for the duration of the playoffs–twenty-four days. Then she asks Winston Portis, one of her best friends, to secretly fake-date her. Maybe after some feedback on what it’s like being her boyfriend, she can take her chance with Kai and keep him far away from the launchpad.

But is twenty-four days enough time to uncover her issues? Or is it just long enough for Dru to wonder: Has she been overlooking the perfect boy, or is she just launching Winston for the next girl? And is she finally brave enough to take a shot at finding out? (Credit: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers)

Dollface by Lindy Ryan

Expected Publication Date: February 24

Horror author Jill has just moved to suburban New Jersey, hoping to fit in with the new PTA moms and maybe not weird everyone out with her Final Girl coffee mug. You know. Make some real friends.

But then a plastic face-masked serial killer begins slashing their way through town, one overly made-up mom at a time. The police are incredulous. The moms are indignant. And Jill is slowly wrapped into a killer’s murderous spree, until she might just be the last woman standing.

A delightfully murderous novel that is equal parts scathing and salacious, Dollface will win you over with its gossip and gore, one body at a time. (Credit: Minotaur Books)

Nowhere Burning by Catriona Ward

Expected Publication Date: February 24

Secrets in the flames. Answers in the ashes.

Riley and her brother Oliver set off in the pitch-black night, fleeing their troubled home. They are heading for Nowhere—an abandoned ranch, once the playground of its former eccentric movie-star owner, now a haven for runaways.

What awaits could be the freedom they crave.

But this mysterious clan guards dark secrets, and the scorched grounds hold the ghosts of the past. Riley quickly realizes that while she and Oliver may have escaped the devil they knew, something darker lurks in the burnt shell of Nowhere.

Something which asks a terrible price for sanctuary…(Credit: Tor Nightfire)

Every Last Liar by Kate Francis

Expected Publication Date: February 24

All of them are guilty.

All of them must play the game.

But only one can survive.

On the first anniversary of a tragic fire at their high school, seven teenagers jump at the chance to attend a luxury desert retreat. But when they’re left at a rundown abandoned motel and a sinister text message accuses them of complicity in the fire, they realize someone is playing a deadly game of revenge.

The rules? Every hour, one of them must sacrifice themselves, leaving the motel to be killed, until only one survivor remains. Otherwise… they all die.

As the countdown begins, the stranded must answer the questions: when everyone’s guilty, who deserves to live? Who deserves to die?

With time running out, can they work together to uncover who’s running the game before the bodies pile up? Or will it be survival of the fittest? (Credit: Sourcebooks Fire)

Amari and the Metalwork Menace by B.B. Alston

Expected Publication Date: February 24

In the wake of the extreme losses to the Bureau during the war with Dylan Van Helsing and the magicians, Amari has stepped back from being a Junior Agent to spend the school year as a normal kid. But as she prepares to graduate eighth grade, she’s faced with a decision: Return to the Bureau and join the elite new Junior Special Agent Program, or retire for good—which would mean safety, but also losing her memories of the supernatural world.

But soon she finds that she may not have a choice. A deadly new curse is threatening both the supernatural and mortal worlds as, beneath their skin, people are slowly becoming machines—and losing their very humanity. And it’s somehow related to the First Magician.

Hundreds of cases have been cropping up, with no cure in sight. And when the curse hits someone close to Amari, it’s up to her to get to the bottom of this deadly mystery—even if it means trusting an old enemy. (Credit: Storytide)

Finders Keepers by Natalie Barelli

Expected Publication Date: February 24

“Dear Diary. Today I’m going to kill her. Love, Rose.”

When Rose discovers her troubled past splashed across the pages of a bestselling book, she knows her carefully constructed life is about to unravel.

The author, Emily Harper, claims the story is fiction, but Rose knows better. Desperate to find out how Emily discovered her deepest secrets, Rose ingratiates herself into the author’s life, posing as an eager assistant and adoring fan.

But as Rose gets closer to the truth, long-buried memories resurface. Slowly, the horrifying events of her teenage years come into focus, revealing that sometimes, the people you trust the most are the ones you should be most afraid of. (Credit: Poisoned Pen Press)

Kin by Tayari Jones

Expected Publication Date: February 24

Vernice and Annie, two motherless daughters raised in Honeysuckle, Louisiana, have been best friends and neighbors since earliest childhood but are fated to live starkly different lives. Raised by a fierce aunt determined to give her a stable home in the wake of her mother’s death, Vernice leaves Honeysuckle at eighteen for Spelman College, where she joins a sisterhood of powerfully connected Black women and discovers a world of affluence, manners, aspiration, and inequality. Annie, abandoned by her mother as a child and fixated on the idea of finding her and filling the bottomless hole left by her absence, sets off on a journey that will take her into a world of peril and adversity, as well as love and adventure, culminating in a battle for her life. (Credit: Knopf)

Saoirse by Charleen Hurtubise

Expected Publication Date: February 24

In Michigan, Sarah’s childhood was defined by fear and silence. As a teenager, she saw a chance to escape and took it. Now, in 1999, she is an artist living on the rugged coast of Donegal, Ireland, where she is known as Saoirse (pronounced Sear-sha)—a name that sounds like the sea and means freedom in the language of her adopted country. And free is precisely how she is finally beginning to feel. Her partner and two beloved daughters are regular subjects of her paintings, and together they have made the safe home she always longed for. But Saoirse’s secrets haunt her. No one must learn of the identity she has stolen in order to survive; they cannot know of the dangers that she crossed an ocean to escape.

When her artwork wins unexpected acclaim at a Dublin exhibition, the spotlight of fame threatens to unravel the careful lies that hold her world together. Journalists and admirers begin to ask questions about the mysterious artist from Donegal, and she fears the unwanted publicity will expose all that she has done. (Credit: Celadon Books)

Unread: A Memoir of Learning (and Loving) to Read on Tiktok by Oliver James

Expected Publication Date: February 24

As a result of childhood learning disabilities and educational neglect, Oliver James graduated from high school and became one of approximately 45 million functionally illiterate Americans. However, at age 32, with big dreams and few tools to actualize them, he dedicated himself to learning the key skill that had evaded him his entire life: reading.

Oliver has become a TikTok/BookTok sensation for the way he’s candidly documented his decision to learn to read as an adult, and his struggles and triumphs along the way. Here, he tells the full story behind his journey for the first time through the 21 key books that shaped and informed his experience. His story reveals the ways in which reading can teach each of us how to be better, more empathetic people.

In just 365 days, Oliver went from barely being able to read a restaurant menu to closing in on his goal of finishing 100 books in a year. Unread is a moving reminder to all of us that words and stories have power, and that, no matter our past, it’s never too late to grow. (Credit: Union Square & Co.)

Where the False Gods Dwell by Denny S. Bryce

Expected Publication Date: February 24

Chicago, 1935. Othella is an orphaned con artist who needs to escape the city’s brutal underworld . . . or else. Vivian Jean is a wealthy wife, student, and anthropologist eager to prove herself professionally and personally. Zinzi is a Jamaican labor union activist determined to bring change to her homeland’s plantation system. Thanks to a series of fortunate mishaps and coincidences, all three join Dunham’s voyage to the Maroon village of Accompong in Jamaica’s Cockpit Country—and perhaps discover what they desperately want most . . .

Through skill and curiosity, Othella becomes a valued member of the expedition, even as she struggles to conceal her past. Zinzi’s knowledge of the Cockpit allows the expedition to explore uncharted territory, even as a forbidden love and fierce resistance threaten everything she seeks to protect. As Vivian Jean’s observations help Dunham make unprecedented discoveries, she grapples with her second husband’s guilt and accusations. Yet, amidst their private battles, nature presents an even greater challenge . . .

When a deadly storm bears down on the island, imperiling the women’s missions—and their lives—they must form an unlikely sisterhood. To survive, they will need each other more than anyone or anything they’ve ever needed. (Credit: Kensington)

Keyaki Shopping District’s Sakura Bathhouse, Vol. 1 by Yuzu Tsubaki and illustrated by Waka Kakitsubata 

Expected Publication Date: February 24

Tatsumi Azuma, a sociable third-year student at Keyaki High School, crashes into second-year Shunpei Eguchi and fractures his hand.

But the stone-faced Shunpei is no ordinary student–rumor has it he’ll kill anyone who so much as looks him in the eye!

Afraid of retaliation, Tatsumi tells Shunpei he’ll do anything to make up for his blunder.

Thus, Shunpei puts him to work by making him help out at his family’s bathhouse, Sakura-no-yu! (Credit: Yen Press)

Kid X by Tracey Baptiste

Expected Publication Date: February 24

Win “Coal” Keegan is starting to get the hang of his new life. He’s come to love his foster family, the McKays, and is getting more confident with his invisibility powers. Almost too confident. At first, he uses his abilities for small favors. But soon, the favors snowball into bigger asks and messier pranks. And when rumors surface about a “ghost” in the neighborhood, Coal realizes it might be best to keep his talents under wraps.

But that gets harder when Coal starts to suspect that someone–or something–might be tracking him. And as the evidence stacks up, Coal realizes he’s not the only one with powers. Is his pursuer friend or foe? What would it be like to meet someone just like him?

As the stakes rise and Coal finds allies and enemies in unexpected places, he’ll have to channel a new level of bravery to protect himself, his family, and his world. Packed with themes of technology, race, and justice, this exhilarating follow-up to Boy 2.0 returns readers to the world of their new favorite superhero. (Credit: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers)

How To Get Away with Murder by Rebecca Philipson

Expected Publication Date: February 24

This fresh debut thriller finds a Scotland Yard detective trying to find the author of a self-help book that promises quite literally to teach readers how to get away with murder, which seems to have inspired London’s newest murderer.

Detective Inspector Samantha Hansen has been on leave for six months, recovering from a breakdown she suffered at work, but when a fourteen-year-old girl is murdered in a local park, Sam jumps at the chance to return to the job and prove that she’s still got what it takes to be the Yard’s most successful homicide detective. One of the case’s only leads is a copy of a self-help book found in the victim’s backpack called How To Get Away With Murder by a man named Denver Brady.

Brady claims to be the most successful serial killer of our time, which is why no one’s ever heard of him. Chapter by chapter, he details his methodology and his past victims, and as Sam’s investigation progresses and the details of the book go viral, Sam begins to suspect that there’s more to the author than what he’s revealed. But in order to find a killer and get justice for young Charlotte, Sam must learn to trust her instincts once again, before Denver Brady–or someone else–really does get away with murder. (Credit: Minotaur Books)

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