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End-of-the-Year Contest 2023

Congratulations to the winners of our 2023 End-of-the-Year Contest! One reader received all 44 of Carol Fitzgerald's Bookreporter.com Bets On picks from 2023, while 11 others won four of these titles. You can see all the winners below, along with 2023's Bets On selections.

If you would like to know more about these books, be sure to check out this video and podcast where Carol talks about each of her 44 picks.

Week of June 26, 2023

Paperback releases for the week of June 26th include THE BOYS FROM BILOXI by John Grisham, a riveting story of two sons of immigrant families who grow up as friends, but ultimately find themselves on opposite sides of the law; A WORLD OF CURIOSITIES, the 18th installment in Louise Penny's beloved series starring Chief Inspector Armand Gamache, which our reviewer calls "elegant and beautiful yet horribly violent"; UPGRADE, an intricately plotted, lightning-fast tale from Blake Crouch that charts one man’s thrilling transformation, even as it asks us to ponder the limits of our humanity --- and our boundless potential; LESS IS LOST, the follow-up to Andrew Sean Greer's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, LESS, which marks the return of the awkward and lovable Arthur Less in an unforgettable road trip across America; and LIKE A ROLLING STONE, the deeply personal memoir of Rolling Stone founder, co-editor and publisher Jann Wenner, who vividly describes and brings readers inside the music, the politics and the lifestyle of a generation.

Alli Frank and Asha Youmans , author of The Better Half

With an ex-husband relocated across the country, her father bouncing back after the loss of his beloved wife, and her daughter, Xandra, thriving at boarding school, Nina Morgan Clarke is stepping into her dream job as a trifecta: a first-generation, Black female head of the storied Royal-Hawkins School. To mark the moment, Nina and her best friend, Marisol, take a long-overdue girls’ trip to celebrate the second half of Nina’s life --- which is shaping up to be the best part of her life. As Nina’s school year gets underway, all seems to be progressing as planned. Before long, wunder-hire Jared Jones relentlessly pushes Nina to her ethical limits. Soon after, dutiful Xandra accuses one of her teachers of misconduct. And most alarming, the repercussions of her trip with Marisol force Nina into a life-altering choice.

The Better Half by Alli Frank and Asha Youmans

July 2023

Once again, Alli Frank and Asha Youmans hit it out of the park with their third novel together, THE BETTER HALF, which has both heart and soul. At 43, Nina Morgan Clarke has arrived. She is the first Black headmaster of the very tony Royal-Hawkins School, which is mostly populated by students of wealthy white parents. She has a tolerable relationship with her ex-husband, and her daughter is on the east coast at a private school. Before she embarks on this new role, she goes on vacation with her best and longtime friend, Marisol. On that trip, she meets a man to whom she has an instant attraction and comes home with a challenge that will complicate her life.

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Alli Frank and Asha Youmans

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