Top Ten Tuesday (#75) (01/06/14) Top Ten Most Anticipated Debut Novels For 2015

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

 

Top Ten Most Anticipated Debut Novels For 2015

I get so excited by the idea of debut novels.  I try to read as many as I can, and I have discovered some great authors along the way.  There were so many debuts that I am looking forward to, I decided to limit this to books where there was a cover, even if that cover may change.  See the honorable mentions after the list, for those books that look AWESOME, but just don't have cover art yet.  Here are the debut books I'm looking forward to in 2015.

Deadly Design by Debra Dockter

Expected publication: June 2nd 2015 by Putnam Juvenile

This looks sufficiently creepy and yet awesome. I am also intrigued by the comparisons to If I Stay and the Maze Runner.

Hello, I Love You by Katie M. Stout

Expected publication: June 9th 2015 by St. Martin's Griffin

Usually when books are compared to my favorites, I have a bit of hesitancy, but this one hits so many of my buttons.  I love books about Music, Boarding Schools and foreign countries.  This one has it all.

Last Year's Mistake by Gina Ciocca

Expected publication: June 9th 2015 by Simon Pulse

I can't wait to read this one.  I love a good contemporary, and this one looks like it will fit the bill.  I love the idea of finding redemption for a past mistake.

Like It Never Happened by Emily Adrian

Expected publication: June 2nd 2015 by Dial

The description compares it to some pretty specatcular authors, if it delivers even partially on what it promises, then I will love it. 

Shutter by Courtney Alameda

Expected publication: February 3rd 2015 by Feiwel & Friends

How absolutely creepy yet awesome is that cover?  Not just that but the description makes me want to pick up a copy now.

The Wrath and the Dawn (The Wrath and the Dawn #1) by Renee Ahdieh

Expected publication: May 12th 2015 by Putnam Juvenile

There are a lot of debuts that I am excited about, but when I read the description of this one I wanted it in my hands RIGHT now.  This was a hell yes, and very well might be my most anticipated.

The Night We Said Yes by Lauren Gibaldi

Expected publication: June 16th 2015 by Harper Teen

I have burned by so many books that use Sarah Dessen as a comparison, and yet it almost always works to get me to read the book.  I like the idea behind this one, and it looks like it may be similar to Last Year's Mistake, which I am also looking forward to.  I clearly have a type.

Vendetta (Vendetta #1) by Catherine Doyle

Expected publication: February 24th 2015 by Scholastic Inc. 

I featured this as a WoW a few months ago, and my anticipation for this book has not lessened at all.  If anything I am even more excited to read it. 

The Wrong Side of Right by Jenn Marie Thorne

Expected publication: March 17th 2015 by Dial

Based on the description I am super excited to read this book.  It does seem very reminiscent of This is What Happy Looks Like by Jennifer E. Smith, and I loved that book so I have high hopes for this one.

Anne & Henry by Dawn Ius

Expected publication: 2015 by Simon Pulse

I love the idea of this history reimagined story.  This may end up being awful or awesome.  I can't wait to find out which one it is.

Honorable Mentions:

These don't have a cover yet, and sometimes the description is sparse, but what is there looks awesome:

• Daughters Unto Devils by Amy Lukavics Expected publication: 2015 by Harlequin Teen
• Romancing the Dark in the City of Light by Ann Jacobus Expected publication:  2015 by Thomas Dunne 
• THE FIX by Natasha Sinel Expected publication: September 2015 by Sky Pony Press | Skyhorse Publishing
• For the Record by Charlotte Huang Expected publication: 2015 by Delacorte
• The Dead House by Dawn Kurtagich Expected publication: September 2015 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
• It's a Wonderful Death by Sarah J. Schmitt Expected publication: 2015 by Sky Pony Press

Review: The Boy in the Black Suit by Jason Reynolds

The Boy in the Black Suit by Jason Reynolds

 Atheneum Books for Young Readers 

Publishing Date: January 6, 2015

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In Jason Reynold’s second YA novel, The Boy in the Black Suit, he again delivers a heartfelt and honest portrayal about the life of a male teen, Matthew (Matt) Miller, living in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Bed-Stuy. The novel begins with Matt dealing with the recent death of his mother. The reader follows his journey as he navigates with life without his mother, as well as his father who has returned to drinking. Along the way Matt takes an afterschool job at a funeral home, and finds love.

As is becoming a hallmark of Reynold’s writing, the characters are beautifully drawn. These are living and breathing characters that the reader can picture just closing their eyes. Take this passage as an example when describing one of the characters, a middle-aged man:

“But he still looked young. Way younger than Mr. Ray. And he was always dressed like he was looking for a date. Tight suits with his shirt always unbuttoned down to the middle of his chest like we live on some island or something. He always wore gold watches, gold chains, had a gold slug in the front of his mouth, and wore a gold nugget ring on his pinky. My mother used to always clown him, saying he was stuck somewhere between 1970 and outer space.” *

Can you picture him? Can you see him in your mind? I can. This character is actually a fairly minor character in the story, but all the characters receive the same treatment, no matter how important they are to the story. Reynold’s characterization goes a long way drawing you further into his work.

The writing as a whole is the strongest element of the book. Reynold’s has an amazing ability to say the absolute perfect thing, in just a few words. The description of something as mundane as teenagers in a school hall, combined with authentic dialog, takes you to that place.

Another highlight is the pacing of the book. There were no slow parts, which is always critical. There is nothing worse than a book that stalls out, facing you to drag through it. If anything, sometimes this book went a little too fast. I flew through it waiting to see if Matt is able to find the solace he is searching for.

While the plot is actually nothing that I can relate directly relate to, I have people close to me who have lost a parent at a young age. So while I have never experienced what Matt has, I can certainly empathize with him. His desire to find answers and comfort in other’s grief is certainly understandable. Yet, it is a small twist in the plot that actually prevents this from being a perfect book. It comes towards the end, and is just too convenient, and I think unnecessary. If anything, that little twist completely takes away from the story and almost lends inauthenticity to a story that was completely real until that point.

Bottom Line: I laughed, I cried, and it was beautiful.

Source: ARC provided by Simon & Schuster in exchange for my honest review.

 *Text comes from an ARC.  There may be changes in final copy.

2015 Challenges

So last year was a complete failure on my challenges.  I worried I wasn't going to be able to read as much as I did previously, but I really struggled to finish books, which caused me to not finish a bunch of the challenges that I set for myself.  The other issue was that I was a pretty terrible blogger.  I did a lot of the challenges, I just never got around to writing reviews for the books I did read.  I am going to try to be better this year.  Here are the challenges I plan to take on:

2015 Reading Challenge

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This is probably my favorite of the challenges.  Some years I make the goal of getting to 12, other years not so much.  I am going to try and hit 12 this year.

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I only read about 1/2 last year, I'm going to try to do better this year.  Here are my goals:

My 2015 TBR Pile Challenge List:

1. Perfect You by Elizabeth Scott
2. Black Heart (Curse Workers #3) by Holly Black
3. The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things by Carolyn Mackler
4. When It Happens by Susane Colasanti
5. The Nature of Jade by Deb Caletti
6. The Mockingbirds (The Mockingbirds #1) by Daisy Whitney
7. Sisters Red (Fairytale Retellings #1) by Jackson Pearce
8. The Dream Thieves (The Raven Cycle #2) by Maggie Stiefvater
9. Such a Rush by Jennifer Echols
10. Anna Dressed in Blood (Anna #1) by Kendare Blake
11. Gates of Paradise (Blue Bloods #7) by Melissa de la Cruz
12. Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta

Alternates:
1.  Where Things Come Back by John Corey Whaley
2.  Bright Young Things (Bright Young Things #1) by Anna Godbersen

I am going with the 1-10 A Firm Handshake on this one, with the goal of at least 6.  If I can do the challenge above this should not be an issue.

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I love contemporaries, my challenge on this one will be to actually review the contemporaries I read.  Because reviews are involved, I am going with the easiest level, Poppy: 1-5

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I need this challenge so much.  I have tons of books I have downloaded and I still need to review.  I really want to make my goal on this one. I'm going for the Bronze level at 10 books.

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This is a new one for me.  I love fairytale books, and I've got my eye on a few to read.  Even so, I am keeping this one on the low end and putting my goal at Prince Charming: 1 – 4 books.

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There are no levels on this one, but I think I think I can get at least 5 diverse books read and reviewed this year.

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