Xochitl Gonzalez’s debut novel, OLGA DIES DREAMING, releases on January 4th and revolves around a status-driven wedding planner grappling with her social ambitions, absent mother and Puerto Rican roots --- all in the wake of Hurricane Maria. Xochitl describes her first semester of college as a “giant culture shock,” but fortunately she developed a close friendship with her roommate, Celeste. Despite their different backgrounds, they had plenty in common when it came to their families, musical tastes and love for books. The latter proved to be their saving grace following an argument that Xochitl and Celeste had right before they headed home for the holidays.

Kimberly Belle is the USA Today and internationally bestselling author of seven novels, including her upcoming domestic thriller, MY DARLING HUSBAND, which releases as an e-book and audiobook on December 28th and in paperback on March 8th. Books played a major role in Kimberly’s life starting at a very young age, so it was only natural that she would pass on her love of reading to her two children. In her holiday blog post, Kimberly recalls a visit she received one Christmas from her parents, who brought along a suitcase of books from her childhood. There was one title in particular that she had forgotten all about, but she will never forget the impact it had on her and the important lessons she learned from it.