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August 10, 2021

In this newsletter, you will find books releasing the weeks of August 9th and August 16th that we think will be of interest to Bookreporter.com readers, along with Bonus News, where we call out a contest, feature or review that we want to let you know about so you have it on your radar.

This week, we are calling attention to our new spotlight feature, “In Case You Missed It…and a Look Ahead”. Here we are sharing a book that you might not have read, and we also are getting the author’s next book on your radar. We kick off the feature with two books by Lisa Unger: CONFESSIONS ON THE 7:45 (“In Case You Missed It”) and LAST GIRL GHOSTED (“A Look Ahead”).

Valerie Clague

If I finish my day with no garden dirt under my fingernails and nothing new learned, it is a day wasted!

Attribution

Valerie Clague

Thomas Moore

The ordinary acts we practice every day at home are of more importance to the soul than their simplicity might suggest.

Attribution

Thomas Moore

Christine Bovee

Doubt whom you will, but never yourself.

Attribution

Christine Bovee

Chandler Baker, author of The Husbands

Nora Spangler is a successful attorney, but when it comes to domestic life, she packs the lunches, schedules the doctor appointments, knows where the extra paper towel rolls are, and designs and orders the holiday cards. Her husband works hard, too...but why does it seem like she is always working so much harder? When the Spanglers go house hunting in Dynasty Ranch, an exclusive suburban neighborhood, Nora meets a group of high-powered women with enviably supportive husbands. When she agrees to help with a resident’s wrongful death case, she is pulled into the lives of the women there. As the case unravels, Nora uncovers a plot that may explain the secret to having it all. One that’s worth killing for.

Megan Abbott, author of The Turnout

With their long necks and matching buns and pink tights, Dara and Marie Durant have been dancers since they can remember. Growing up, they were homeschooled and trained by their glamorous mother, founder of the Durant School of Dance. After their parents' death in a tragic accident nearly a dozen years ago, the sisters began running the school together, along with Charlie, Dara's husband and once their mother's prized student. Circling around one another, the three have perfected a dance, six days a week, that keeps the studio thriving. But when a suspicious accident occurs, just at the onset of the school's annual performance of "The Nutcracker," an interloper arrives and threatens the sisters' delicate balance.

Stephen King, author of Billy Summers

Billy Summers is a man in a room with a gun. He’s a killer for hire and the best in the business. But he’ll do the job only if the target is a truly bad guy. And now Billy wants out. But first there is one last hit. Billy is among the best snipers in the world, a decorated Iraq war vet, a Houdini when it comes to vanishing after the job is done. So what could possibly go wrong? How about everything.

Editorial Content for If the Shoe Fits: A Meant to Be Novel

Contributors

Reviewer (text)

Norah Piehl

IF THE SHOE FITS is a landmark publication for a number of reasons. It marks bestselling middle-grade and young adult author Julie Murphy’s first foray into adult romance, and it’s also the first time that a Disney intellectual property has been developed into a publishing project for adult readers. It’s the start of a new series called Meant to Be, which brings Disney princesses into the modern age, with feel-good romances that remain true to their source material but don’t sugarcoat contemporary realities. Read More

Teaser

Cindy loves shoes. As a fashion-obsessed plus-size woman, she can never find designer clothes that work on her body, but a special pair of shoes always fits just right. With a shiny new design degree but no job in sight, Cindy moves back in with her stepmother, Erica Tremaine, the executive producer of the world’s biggest dating reality show. When a contestant on “Before Midnight” bows out at the last minute, Cindy is thrust into the spotlight. Being the first and only fat contestant on the show turns her into a viral sensation, and a body-positivity icon, overnight. To make it to the end, Cindy will have to take a leap of faith and hope that her heels --- and her heart --- don’t break in the process.

Promo

Cindy loves shoes. As a fashion-obsessed plus-size woman, she can never find designer clothes that work on her body, but a special pair of shoes always fits just right. With a shiny new design degree but no job in sight, Cindy moves back in with her stepmother, Erica Tremaine, the executive producer of the world’s biggest dating reality show. When a contestant on “Before Midnight” bows out at the last minute, Cindy is thrust into the spotlight. Being the first and only fat contestant on the show turns her into a viral sensation, and a body-positivity icon, overnight. To make it to the end, Cindy will have to take a leap of faith and hope that her heels --- and her heart --- don’t break in the process.

About the Book

If the shoe doesn’t fit, maybe it’s time to design your own.

Cindy loves shoes. A well-placed bow or a chic stacked heel is her form of self-expression. As a fashion-obsessed plus-size woman, she can never find designer clothes that work on her body, but a special pair of shoes always fits just right.  

With a shiny new design degree but no job in sight, Cindy moves back in with her stepmother, Erica Tremaine, the executive producer of the world’s biggest dating reality show. When a contestant on "Before Midnight" bows out at the last minute, Cindy is thrust into the spotlight. Showcasing her killer shoe collection on network TV seems like a great way to jump-start her career. And, while she’s at it, why not go on a few lavish dates with an eligible suitor?

But being the first and only fat contestant on "Before Midnight" turns her into a viral sensation --- and a body-positivity icon --- overnight. Even harder to believe? She can actually see herself falling for this Prince Charming. To make it to the end, despite the fans, the haters, and a house full of fellow contestants she’s not sure she can trust, Cindy will have to take a leap of faith and hope her heels ---  and her heart --- don’t break in the process.

Bestselling author Julie Murphy’s reimagining of a beloved fairy tale is an enchanting story of self-love and believing in the happy ending each and every one of us deserves.

Audiobook available, read by Jen Ponton

Editorial Content The Girls Who Stepped Out of Line: Untold Stories of the Women Who Changed the Course of World War II

Reviewer (text)

Barbara Bamberger Scott

They were women who would have and should have gained fame for a myriad of reasons, though their very gender was often their greatest barrier. But when the need arose to fight for their country, they "stepped out of line" to accomplish deeds of daring that required skills, grit and high intelligence. These are the heroines of retired U.S. Army Major General Mari K. Eder’s collection. Read More

Teaser

THE GIRLS WHO STEPPED OUT OF LINE are the heroes of the Greatest Generation that you hardly ever hear about. These women who did extraordinary things didn't expect thanks and shied away from medals and recognition. Despite their amazing accomplishments, they've gone mostly unheralded and unrewarded. No longer. These are the women of World War II who served, fought, struggled and made things happen --- in and out of uniform. Retired U.S. Army Major General Mari K. Eder wrote this book because she knew their stories needed to be told --- and the sooner the better. For theirs is a legacy destined to embolden generations of women to come.

Promo

THE GIRLS WHO STEPPED OUT OF LINE are the heroes of the Greatest Generation that you hardly ever hear about. These women who did extraordinary things didn't expect thanks and shied away from medals and recognition. Despite their amazing accomplishments, they've gone mostly unheralded and unrewarded. No longer. These are the women of World War II who served, fought, struggled and made things happen --- in and out of uniform. Retired U.S. Army Major General Mari K. Eder wrote this book because she knew their stories needed to be told --- and the sooner the better. For theirs is a legacy destined to embolden generations of women to come.

About the Book

For fans of RADIUM GIRLS and history and WWII buffs, THE GIRLS WHO STEPPED OUT OF LINE takes you inside the lives and experiences of 15 unknown women heroes from the Greatest Generation, the women who served, fought, struggled and made things happen during WWII --- in and out of uniform, for theirs is a legacy destined to embolden generations of women to come.

THE GIRLS WHO STEPPED OUT OF LINE are the heroes of the Greatest Generation that you hardly ever hear about. These women who did extraordinary things didn't expect thanks and shied away from medals and recognition. Despite their amazing accomplishments, they've gone mostly unheralded and unrewarded. No longer. These are the women of World War II who served, fought, struggled and made things happen --- in and out of uniform.

Liane B. Russell fled Austria with nothing and later became a renowned U.S. scientist whose research on the effects of radiation on embryos made a difference to thousands of lives. Gena Turgel was a prisoner who worked in the hospital at Bergen-Belsen and cared for the young Anne Frank, who was dying of typhus. Gena survived and went on to write a memoir and spent her life educating children about the Holocaust. Ida and Louise Cook were British sisters who repeatedly smuggled out jewelry and furs and served as sponsors for refugees, and they also established temporary housing for immigrant families in London.

Retired U.S. Army Major General Mari K. Eder wrote this book because she knew their stories needed to be told --- and the sooner the better. For theirs is a legacy destined to embolden generations of women to come.

Editorial Content for Ghosts

Book

Contributors

Reviewer (text)

Jana Siciliano

I spend a lot of time reading books, as well as writing and thinking about them. Of course I check out the reviews on Bookreporter. I watch BookTube creators. I subscribe to Bookstagram influencers and hope that my next ride through TikTok takes me to BookTok instead of KardashianTok. I take pictures of people’s TBR piles because lined-up book spines look like beautiful art to me (an idea brought to life by the artist Jane Mount). Read More

Teaser

Nina Dean is about to publish her second book. She has a great relationship with her ex-boyfriend, and enough friends to keep her social calendar full. When she downloads a dating app, she does the seemingly impossible: She meets a great guy on her first date. Max is handsome and built like a lumberjack; he has floppy blond hair and a stable job. More surprising than anything else, Nina and Max have chemistry. But when Max ghosts her, Nina is forced to deal with everything she's been trying so hard to ignore: her father's Alzheimer's is getting worse, and so is her mother's denial of it; her editor hates her new book idea; and her best friend from childhood is icing her out.

Promo

Nina Dean is about to publish her second book. She has a great relationship with her ex-boyfriend, and enough friends to keep her social calendar full. When she downloads a dating app, she does the seemingly impossible: She meets a great guy on her first date. Max is handsome and built like a lumberjack; he has floppy blond hair and a stable job. More surprising than anything else, Nina and Max have chemistry. But when Max ghosts her, Nina is forced to deal with everything she's been trying so hard to ignore: her father's Alzheimer's is getting worse, and so is her mother's denial of it; her editor hates her new book idea; and her best friend from childhood is icing her out.

About the Book

A smart, sexy, laugh-out-loud romantic comedy about ex-boyfriends, imperfect parents, friends with kids and a man who disappears the moment he says "I love you."

Nina Dean is not especially bothered that she's single. She owns her own apartment, she's about to publish her second book, she has a great relationship with her ex-boyfriend and enough friends to keep her social calendar full and her hangovers plentiful. And when she downloads a dating app, she does the seemingly impossible: She meets a great guy on her first date. Max is handsome and built like a lumberjack; he has floppy blond hair and a stable job. But more surprising than anything else, Nina and Max have chemistry. Their conversations are witty and ironic, they both hate sports, they dance together like fools, they happily dig deep into the nuances of crappy music and they create an entire universe of private jokes and chemical bliss.

But when Max ghosts her, Nina is forced to deal with everything she's been trying so hard to ignore: her father's Alzheimer's is getting worse, and so is her mother's denial of it; her editor hates her new book idea; and her best friend from childhood is icing her out. Funny, tender and eminently, movingly relatable, GHOSTS is a whip-smart tale of relationships and modern life.

Audiobook available, read by Holliday Grainger