Again, But Better by Christine Riccio

This contemporary novel is written by a first-time author who got her start as a Youtuber. Christine Riccio, also known as polandbanananasBOOKs, has been on Youtube since 2010. She makes videos about books for her more than 400K subscribers and is known for her fun nature comedy.

Again, But Better  is her first book and is about a girl named Shane and her journey through college. She ends up signing up for a semester abroad to travel to London, and she finds herself going through the same cycle she has of not making friends or having a romantic life.

This book is about Shane overcoming her struggles of not living in her small bubble anymore, changing in order to conquer her fears.

Christine on her Youtube channel has a writing series where her followers have followed her since the very beginning of her writing journey. When she released the title for her book, she said her inspiration was a Bop-it game.

Again, But Better is set to come out on May 7th, 2019, and it has a 4.52 star rating on Goodreads. This book would make a great summer read as you go on summer vacation to end the 2018-2019 school year.

Finding Dorothy by Elizabeth Letts

Fiction is always great to dive into, but nonfiction is also a genre that shouldn’t be ignored. This nonfiction book that is expected to hit shelves on February 12th tells the story behind the idea for the film The Wizard of Oz through the eyes of the creator L. Frank Baum’s wife named Maud.

The story is about her finding out her husband’s work is going to become a movie, and the novel explores how she makes her way onto the set. She is the one who keeps the producers set on telling her husband’s story to make it true to the book, because she is seen as the only one left who knows the story’s secrets.

The novel goes through Maud’s past with Frank, her journey with the movie being filmed, and how she gets close to the young actress Judy who played Dorothy in the 1939 film.

This book has a rating on Goodreads of a 4.32 and comes out just in time for Valentine’s Day for those interested in learning Maud and Frank’s life together, and how she made  his legacy live on.

A Question of Holmes by Brittany Cavallaro

Does a story about the descendants of Sherlock Holmes and John Watson going on adventures sound intriguing? If so, this series is a must read. Even though this is the fourth novel in the series, with A Study in Charlotte being the first book, this release is still one of the most anticipated books of 2019.

The story follows Charlotte Holmes and Jamie Watson solving murder mysteries. Since spoilers should be avoided with this being the fourth installment, the first novel is about how the two meet at school together with Jamie having a full rugby scholarship to Sherringford, Connecticut. The two become unexpected best friend’s after one of their classmates was found murdered, and they decide to team up to become like their ancestors.

Since Jamie has to deal with the struggle of moving from London to Connecticut, he faces challenges such as having to get used to a new atmosphere, having to build a relationship with his father again, and of course having to deal with the mind that is Charlotte Holmes.

If the story sounds interesting, it’s a fast-paced novel that could be finished in a day from the anticipation of what happens next. The first book has a rating of 3.82 while the new release has a 4.70. These mystery books will have you wanting more Jamie and Charlotte as their story writes itself on the pages.

Wayward Son by Rainbow Rowell

This sequel is the second book to Carry On, which was released on October 6th, 2015. With the author announcing the continuation with a photo on Instagram on November 7th, 2018, many readers were excited to hear that the story of the characters they fell in love with was continuing.

The only teaser so far is the picture saying “This will end in flames” with 2019 below. The anticipation for this novel is evident just by all the comments the author is receiving. No blurb about the sequel is out yet.

The first book is about Simon Snow, who is the chosen one, and his journey of saving the wizards. He attends the wizard school of Watford School of Magicks. He deals with the struggles of not being able to cast spells with a wand but instead setting fire to something, having relationship problems with his girlfriend, and his best friend Penny sneaking into places she doesn’t belong.

But the real struggle he faces, the thorn in Simon’s side, is his roommate Baz who hates him just as much as he does. However, as the story progresses, the two become closer than they ever thought they could be.

Simon, Penny, and Baz try and figure out the true evil behind what’s going on in the wizarding world, while also finding Simon’s place in all of this since he is the chosen one.

If you are a fan of Harry Potter, this book is a must-read. Even though nothing about Wayward Son is out, Goodreads has it rated at 4.78 already due to the fan’s hype surrounding the upcoming release. With this amazing LGBTQ+ story, this book is one of the most anticipated sequels to be released this year.

The Legends of Eve: A Warrior’s Past (Legends of Eve, #1) by Anonymous

This fantasy book is expected to come out on January 27th, and is rumored to be a mix of Harry Potter and Avatar The Last Air Bender but, manages to be a story of its own. It sports a 4.52 star rating, which if you are unfamiliar with Goodreads, is very high. The author of this story, being very active on social media, has unconventionally wanted to remain anonymous. The only thing officially revealed is that he is a male around the age of 30

This book series has joined a small community of books with no author named on the cover.

Even if you are not interested in fantasy or the general plot, his book may be good to read just out of curiosity and for the sole purpose to learn who this mysterious man is, and why he has chosen to remain a ghost.  

Chain of Gold by Cassandra Clare

Chain of Gold is the newest book series in the Shadowhunter series The Last Hours. This trilogy takes place in-between the Infernal Devices and Mortal Instruments and, if you follow the series, features Will Herondale and Tessa Gray’s children.

The series has been recently revealed to be named The Last Hours and the main protagonists are said to be James Herondale, Cordelia Carstairs, and Lucie Herondale.

Chain of Gold, the first book in this new series, is set to release on November 19th, 2019 and so far has a 4.2 rating on GoodReads. While this book should eventually be read by everyone, it is mandatory to read the rest of the series to fully understand the context of these books.

Overall, this should be an exciting new series featuring our most beloved characters’ children.