We are nearing a new month which means that it is time to talk about new book releases!
I always look forward to getting to talk about some of my most anticipated new releases for each month! In these posts, I present five(ish) new book releases for the upcoming month that I am looking forward to reading. I try to include books over several genres on these lists, so there is usually something to appeal to readers in most genres.
1) Trail of the Lost: The Relentless Search to Bring Home the Missing Hikers of the Pacific Crest Trail by Andrea Lankford
True Crime
To Be Released: August 22nd, 2023
From an award-winning former law enforcement park ranger and investigator, this female-driven true crime adventure follows the author’s quest to find missing hikers along the Pacific Crest Trail by pairing up with an eclectic group of unlikely allies.
As a park ranger with the National Park Service's law enforcement team, Andrea Lankford led search and rescue missions in some of the most beautiful (and dangerous) landscapes across America, from Yosemite to the Grand Canyon. But though she had the support of the agency, Andrea grew frustrated with the service's bureaucratic idiosyncrasies, and left the force after twelve years. Two decades later, however, she stumbles across a mystery that pulls her right back where she left three young men have vanished from the Pacific Crest Trail, the 2,650-mile trek made famous by Cheryl Strayed's Wild , and no one has been able to find them. It’s bugging the hell out of her.
Andrea’s concern soon leads her to a wild environment unlike any she’s ever missing person Facebook groups. Andrea launches an investigation, joining forces with an eclectic team of amateurs who are determined to solve the cases by land and by a mother of the missing, a retired pharmacy manager, and a mapmaker who monitors terrorist activity for the government. Together, they track the activities of kidnappers and murderers, investigate a cult, rescue a psychic in peril, cross paths with an unconventional scientist, and reunite an international fugitive with his family. Searching for the missing is a brutal psychological and physical test with the highest stakes, but eventually their hardships begin to bear strange fruits—ones that lead them to places and people they never saw coming.
Beautifully written, heartfelt, and at times harrowing, Trail of the Lost paints a vivid picture of hiker culture and its complicated relationship with the ever-expanding online realm, all while exploring the power and limits of determination, generosity, and hope. It also offers a deep awe of the natural world, even as it unearths just how vast and treacherous it can be.
On the Trail of the Lost, you may not find what you are looking for, but you will certainly find more than you seek.
This synopsis hooked me! If you are interested in true crime, I think this is a book that you MUST add to your list. If a promising synopsis isn't enough to convince you to read this one, maybe this will: This book currently has over a 4 star average rating on Goodreads so far---which is quite high!
To read more about Trail of the Lost or add it to your "Want to Read" shelf on Goodreads use the link: here! If you would like to pre-order Trail of the Lost, you can find it on Amazon or Barnes & Noble.
2) Change of Plans by Dylan Newton
Romance
Released: August 1st, 2023
In this charming romantic comedy, a hometown hero comes to the rescue of a chef unexpectedly left to care for three little girls—who may end up saving him too.
When disaster strikes and chef Bryce Weatherford is given guardianship of her three young nieces, her life goes from cooking with fire…to controlling a dumpster fire. Five‑year‑old Addison refuses to remove her fairy wings, eight‑year‑old Cecily won't bathe, and tween June is majoring in belligerence. With all this chaos, Bryce jettisons hope for a life outside of managing her family and her new job.
It's been years since Ryker Matthews had his below‑the‑knee amputation, yet the phantom pain for his lost limb and Marine career haunts him. To cope, he focuses on his vehicle restoration business. He knows he's lucky to be alive. Yet, “lucky” feels more like “cursed” to his lonely heart.
When Ryker literally sweeps Bryce off her feet in the grocery store's baby aisle, they both feel sparks. But falling in love would be one more curveball neither is ready to deal with… or is it exactly the change of plans they need?
There are so many romance novels coming out this month and it was hard to pick just one to add to the list. I chose to include this one because I read and reviewed another book by this author that I adored! Fingers crossed that I love this book too!
To read more about Change of Plans or add it to your "Want to Read" shelf on Goodreads use the link: here! If you would like to order Change of Plans, you can find it on Amazon or Barnes & Noble.
3) The Coworker by Freida McFadden
Thriller
Released: August 29th, 2023
Two women. An office filled with secrets. One terrible crime that can't be taken back
Dawn Schiff is strange. At least, everyone thinks so at Vixed, the nutritional supplement company where Dawn works as an accountant. She never says the right thing. She has no friends. And she is always at her desk at precisely 8:45 a.m.
So when Dawn doesn't show up to the office one morning, her coworker Natalie Farrell—beautiful, popular, top sales rep five years running—is surprised. Then she receives an unsettling, anonymous phone call that changes everything…
It turns out Dawn wasn't just an awkward outsider—she was being targeted by someone close. And now Natalie is irrevocably tied to Dawn as she finds herself caught in a twisted game of cat and mouse that leaves her wondering: who's the real victim?<
But one thing is incredibly clear: somebody hated Dawn Schiff. Enough to kill.
Freida McFadden is very beloved online. While I am still working my way through her backlog, I've read enough to know that I am a fan! This book has been all over my Facebook and Instagram feeds---which has me dying to get my hands on a copy soon!
To read more about The Coworker or add it to your "Want to Read" shelf on Goodreads use the link: here! If you would like to pre-order The Coworker, you can find it on Amazon or Barnes & Noble.
4) Mister Magic by Kiersten White
Horror
Released: August 1st, 2023
Thirty years after a tragic accident shut down production of the classic children’s program Mister Magic, the five surviving cast members have done their best to move on. But just as generations of cultishly devoted fans still cling to the lessons they learned from the show, the cast, known as the Circle of Friends, have spent their lives searching for the happiness they felt while they were on it. The friendship. The feeling of belonging. And the protection of Mister Magic.
But with no surviving video of the show, no evidence of who directed or produced it, and no records of who—or what—the beloved host actually was, memories are all the former Circle of Friends has.
Then a twist of fate brings the castmates back together at the remote desert filming compound that feels like it’s been waiting for them all this time. Even though they haven’t seen each other for years, they understand one another better than anyone has since.
After all, they’re the only ones who hold the secret of that circle, the mystery of the magic man in his infinitely black cape, and, maybe, the answers to what really happened on that deadly last day. But as the Circle of Friends reclaim parts of their past, they begin to wonder: Are they here by choice, or have they been lured into a trap?
Because magic never forgets the taste of your friendship....
The early reviews on this are really promising! Though taste in books is always subjective, I do like to know that I am not wasting my time on a book that totally bombed. To be fair, I will usually give it a shot anyways---even with low ratings---but it is nice to manage expectations when going into a new release. I have found that the letdown is so much worse when you go in blind. This is a release that I am definitely keeping on the radar this month!
To read more about Mister Magic or add it to your "Want to Read" shelf on Goodreads use the link: here! If you would like to order Mister Magic, you can find it on Amazon or Barnes & Noble.
5) There's No Coming Back from This by Ann Garvin
Contemporary/Women's Fiction
Released: August 1st, 2023
It seems lately that Poppy Lively is invisible to everyone but the IRS. After her accountant absconded with her life savings, newly bankrupt Poppy is on the verge of losing her home when an old flame, now a hotshot producer, gives her a surprising way a job in costumes on a Hollywood film set. It’s a bold move to pack her bags, keep secrets from her daughter, and head to Los Angeles, but Poppy's a capable person—how hard can a job in wardrobe be? It's not like she has a choice; her life couldn't get any worse. Even so, this midwesterner has a lot to learn about the fast and loose world of movie stars, iconic costumes, and back-lot intrigue. As a single mom, she's rarely had time for watching movies, she doesn't sew, and she doesn't know a thing about dressing the biggest names in the business. Floundering and overlooked, Poppy has one Allen Carol, an ill-tempered movie star taken with Poppy’s unfiltered candor and general indifference to stardom. When Poppy stumbles upon corruption, she relies on everyone underestimating her to discover who’s at the center of it, a revelation that shakes her belief in humanity. What she thought was a way to secure a future for her daughter becomes a spotlight illuminating the Poppy is out of her league among the divas of Tinseltown. Poppy must decide whether to keep her mouth shut, as she's always done, or with the help of a scruffy dog, show the moviemakers that they need her unglamorous ways, whether the superstars like it or not.
This sounds like it will be super entertaining! While I do enjoy contemporary fiction occasionally, I don't usually find myself reaching for books like this one but I read the synopsis and was intrigued immediately. I am looking forward to this *hopefully* being a fun and different read for me.
To read more about There's No Coming Back from This or add it to your "Want to Read" shelf on Goodreads use the link: here! If you would like to order There's No Coming Back from This, you can find it on Amazon or Barnes & Noble.
I am so excited to see that August looks to be a great month for book releases! I hope next month's releases are just as exciting!
Will you be checking out any of these books? Do you have any other new releases on your radar? Let me know so that I can add them to my list!
As always, thank you for reading!
XO,
Madison
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