June 13th, 2023 New Book Releases
Each week I cover new releases and pick one to read and review. This week’s releases are full of social media stars, aliens, and nail-biting tension. With two thrillers, one Book of the Month pick, and two debut novels, there’s a healthy variety to choose from this week.
On Earth as It Is On Television
Author: Emily Jane
Genre: Science Fiction, Humor
Emily Jane is a new author, and On Earth is her debut novel. According to her website, she studied law in college and started writing novels later in life.
On Earth as It Is on Television follows three protagonists, Blaine, Heather, and Oliver, as they grapple with their humanity and struggle with what it means to be lonely. This novel explores what happens when aliens land, then take off just as quickly as they did. I like this one because it sounds weird and slightly unhinged, and I look forward to reading it. I also love the look of the cover.
Just from reading the description, it reminds me a bit of An Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green. We’ll have to see how many similarities the two have.
She Started It
Author: Sian Gilbert
Genre: Thriller
According to her Harper Collins page, Sian Gilbert studied history at the University of Warwick before becoming a teacher. She was born in Bristol and now lives in Cambridge. She Started It, a chilling revenge thriller about mean girls and old friends, is her debut novel.
It follows a group of friends years after they stopped hanging out, when they all receive a party invite from Poppy, a loser girl turned popular, and wealthy, woman.
This book seems like it’s going to be a lot like Every Vow You Break by Peter Swanson, or The Guest List by Lucy Foley. I liked both of those books, so I’m excited to see how this one turns out.
She Started It by Sian Gilbert was a June 2023 Book of the Month pick.
The Long Way Back
Author: Nicole Baart
Genre: Thriller
Nicole Baart is the best-selling author of Everything We Didn’t Say, You Were Always Mine, and Little Broken Things. According to Baart’s website, she’s also a ghostwriter and speaker, and her books have been featured in several publications, including Southern Living and Country Woman. She currently lives in Iowa with her family.
The Long Way Back tells the story of an Instagram-famous teen who disappears, leaving her mother to try and unravel the mystery herself, before the FBI and everyone on the internet pins the crime on her. One aspect that drew me to this book was the travel—it features road trips the mother and daughter take in a vintage Airstream, which honestly sounds like a lot of fun. I also love a good thriller. This one has a few mixed reviews, so I’m interested to see what I think.
The Five-Star Weekend
Author: Elin Hilderbrand
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Elin Hilerbrand is the author of many, many books, with a lot of them sporting the same sky-blue, paradise-esque cover as The Five-Star Weekend. I’ve personally never read one of her books before, but the cover enticed me.
This is another social media book that focuses on a food blogger names Hollis. When her life falls apart, Hollis people from each stage of her life to Nantucket for a weekend of fun, but not everyone is there for a good time. Some of the guests come with drama, which turns the fun weekend into something else entirely.
I waffled over whether or not to add this to my to-read list. It sounds summery, which is what I’m going for right now with fiction, but it also focuses on a main character who has just lost her husband. I decided to go ahead and add this one to my list, though I might wait and read it later on in the summer.
Upcoming Book Review
Each week, I review the new releases and choose one to read and review. This week, I’m choosing She Started It as my weekly review. Stay tuned for the article and video coming on Thursday to see what I think about Sian Gilbert’s debut novel.
