Two 2024 New Releases you should definitely be adding to your bookshelves.

Since starting this blog, I have been reading fast and furiously and stumbling upon new releases and new authors that haven't made too many waves yet. I'm happy to report on two such novels, released this spring: Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera (March 5, 2024, Celadon Books, 352 pages) and The Vacancy in Room 10 by Seraphina Nova Glass (April 9, 2024, Graydon House Books, 304 pages). Both were highly anticipated for 2024 and I can see why!

Listen for the Lie was fantastic in every way. Our heroine, Lucy, is unfairly judged by the residents of her small hometown in Texas (checking off a state in my #2024BookChallenge) after her best friend turns up dead in the woods and Lucy was the last seen with her but has no memory of the night. She's actually really awesome, really raw and just trying to move along in a life that was hastily taken away from her. There are likable characters, none who you can trust except for Lucy's formidable grandmother, and an addictive tête-à-tête going on with Lucy and podcaster Ben throughout the novel that is absolutely delicious. I very much enjoyed this read and you will too! It is impossible not to root for Lucy as she tries to navigate her own history and trials while solving her best friend's murder. Be an early adopter of this novel - it's very good and you'll be glad you read it without falling into any spoilers accidentally! I'm hoping for more adult fiction from Tintera soon.

Traveling west in the book challenge, I stopped in New Mexico, taking advantage of Net Galley and their Advance Reader Copy (ARC) perks. The Vacancy in Room 10 was great! I had never read a novel by Seraphina Nova Glass but I will definitely be scooping up other titles (On a Quiet Street has been on my list for a while) in the future. The novel alternates between the perspectives of Cassidy (Cass) and Anna. Cass is a newish resident of a converted-from-a-motel apartment style complex, which is just brilliant as a stage for what plays out in this novel, where she lives for free in exchange for being the resident handy ma'am as she calls herself (also brilliant!). Anna is a recently widowed woman trying to relive the last moments of her husband's life to make sense of the loss she has just endured. These two entangle in the most unlikely of ways and the cast of characters are a complete riot. I love them all.

The imagery and writing by Glass was so perfect it was as if you knew all of these people, lived among them and attended the Friday night BBQs regularly. I laughed out loud in many areas (especially the banquet and the many pool scenes - those parenting scenes are so relatable) and could absolutely not put this book down. It was so funny and very entertaining. I highly recommend it. I went in blind, not knowing much of anything about the trip on which I was about to embark and I hope the same for you. What a great read - perfect for the beach this summer or a vacation book. But bring another with you, because you'll read this no time!

Happy Reading! Scan my blog for more recommended titles! Drop some comments about what you've read so far this year or whether you've read either of these books or authors before!