Picture this – it’s a Saturday afternoon. You have no plans or obligations to worry about. The afternoon is all yours, and you know exactly how you want to spend it. When you arrive at your destination, you’re greeted with the delightfully intoxicating scent of new books and coffee when you open the door. There’s no place you’d rather be than here with hundreds of books to browse and a hot caramel latte in hand. You head to the new releases section to begin your leisurely peruse, but with dozens of colorful covers looking back at you, you’re not sure where to start.

Well… this is where I come in to help.

While reading the inside flap of every book can lead to some wonderful hidden literary gems, I also like to have a list of books in mind I want to check out when I visit my local bookstore – even if it’s just for a little afternoon browse. So, I did the research for you! After studying list after list of upcoming book releases for January, February, and March, I rounded up my most anticipated book releases for each month. These are the books that are at the top of my book-shopping list the next time I head to the bookstore. Hopefully, with my list, you’ll be able to find an exciting new release to add to your book-shopping list as well.

Happy Reading! And may your bookstore visits be plenty and triumphant this year 📚

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The Three Lives of Cate Kay by Kate Fagan – Cate Kay knows how to craft a story. After all, she is the creator of a bestselling book series that turned into a mega film series. She’s one of the most successful authors of her generation. There’s just one thing: Cate Kay doesn’t really exist. She’s never attended author events or agreed to any interviews. Her real identity had been a closely guarded secret, until now.

A Sea of Unspoken Things by Adrienne Young – James and Johnny Golden were once inseparable. For as long as she can remember, James has always had a deep connection with her twin brother, Johnny, that went beyond intuition. So, when Johnny is killed in a tragic accident, James knows before she gets the call that her brother is gone and that she’s alone –truly alone– for the first time in her life. She travels to a rural town in California to settle her brother’s affairs and is forced to revisit the ominous events of her and Johnny’s past. As James digs deeper into Johnny’s world, she realizes that their unique connection hasn’t completely vanished. The more she immerses herself in his life, the more questions James has about the brother she thought she knew.

The Favorites by Layne Fargo – Katarina Shaw and Heath Rocha –childhood sweethearts and champion ice skaters–were destined for gold until a shocking incident at the Olympic Games brought their partnership to a sudden end. As the ten-year anniversary of their final skate approaches, the release of an unauthorized documentary, claiming to cover the “real story,” reignites people’s obsession with Shaw and Rocha. Kat wants nothing to do with the documentary but can’t stand the thought of someone defining her legacy either. So, after a decade of silence, Kat has finally decided to tell her story.

Wedding Dashers by Heather McBreen – After the crappy cheap airline cancels her connection flight from London to Ireland for her little sister’s wedding, Ada ends up spilling her guts to a handsome –also-stranded–stranger at the bar about how she’s not thrilled about the over-the-top wedding, her sister’s worryingly quick engagement, and the the womanizing best man she’s dreading to meet. She thinks things couldn’t get worse. Until she realizes the handsome stranger is also headed to the same wedding, and he happens to be the infamous best man. Now, Jack and Ada must put their simmering attraction behind them to make it to Belfast before they miss the wedding. But between flat tires, missed trains, and suspect hostels, Jack and Ada start to question whether their feelings are worth going the distance, or just a distracting detour along the way.

The Crime Brûlée Bake Off by Rebecca Connolly – Claire is thrilled to be selected as a contestant on the immensely popular cooking show, Britain’s Battle of the Bakers, where she’ll get to spend eight weeks shooting the show at Blackfrith Park, home of the Viscount of Colburn, Jonathan Ainsely. When a contestant is found dead, in an eerily similar manner to the infamous death of one of Jonathan’s ancestors 250 years ago, Claire and Jonathan join forces to solve the crime and also stumble into romance.

A Girl Like Us by Anna Sophia McLoughlin – In this locked-room thriller, Former reality TV star and party girl, Maya Miller has just married the most eligible bachelor, Colin Sterling, of the globally famous Sterling family whose history of aristocratic titles and land holdings rival a British royal and whose media empire is comparable to the Murdochs. When the heiress to the Sterling family is murdered, Maya becomes the prime suspect. Now, she has no choice but to find the real murder and expose the truth hidden within the Sterling family in order to survive.

When We Grow Up by Angelica Baker – Clare seems to have her life together and has everything she thought she wanted, but somehow she isn’t content. She hopes that agreeing to spend a weeklong vacation with five of her oldest friends will offer her an escape. But when a terrifying news alert disrupts their reunion, their friendship will be tested.

The Californians by Brian Castleberry – Spanning over a hundred years of American history from the Golden Age of Hollywood to the 1980s NYC art scene and today’s NFT market, The Californians weaves together three stories about parents and children, the drive to create and the inheritance of grand western dreams.

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Thanks for reading!

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*featured image credit – Ondrej Bocek on Unsplash