Friday Five: 2017 Sophomore Books I Can't Wait to Get My Hands On
Welcome to the first Friday Five! Let’s be honest, by the end of the week, you aren’t looking for me to ramble on in a random blog post. You want the meat and potatoes and ditch the broccoli… am I right?
So let’s do this.
Today’s Friday Five are the 2017 sophomore books I can’t wait to get my hands on.
(Great, Sarah. Couldn’t pick a nice, wrapped in a package five could you. No. You had to go for one of the hardest choices imaginable.The only thing harder would be the one where you have to decide which 3 books you would take with you if you were stranded on an uninhabited island.)
Sorry for that internal monologue. So, in alphabetical order by author’s first name, here is the list.
1. Adam Silvera - History Was All You Left Me. First of all, from the moment I handed him a package of Golden Oreo cookies on his birthday and had to honor of sitting on a panel with him, I simply adored Adam. He has this way of making everyone around him smile. As if that isn’t enough of a reason to put him on the list, which, sorry Adam, it’s not, this book is about grief and loss and love and honestly, I need a cathartic cry right about now. Add to that beautifully casted characters and I don’t actually know why anyone wouldn’t want to read it! And the best part… I’ve already pre-ordered it and should have the precious book in my hand on the release date of January 17th.
2. Becky Albertalli - The Upside of Unrequited. It took me a little while to get to Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda, Becky’s first book, but when I did, I fell head over heels for Simon. The love story was sweet and innocent and I don’t know if I have ever connected with a character like I did with Simon. But then I read about Molly Psekin-Suso and I think Simon may have some competition. Again, this story is about love and when you mix in a cynical twin to the mix, you have the recipe for awesome! And, knowing how LOL Simon was, I have no doubt this book will be a perfect spring read when it comes out on April 11th.
3. Emily Henry - A Million Junes. Emily has to be one of the sweetest people on the planet. Apparently this is going to be my year of reading love stories with a high probability of making me weep! I’m a sucker for a good Romeo and Juliet mash up, but comped with One Hundred Years of Solitude? Really… hold on… I need to invest in the Kleenex brand before May 16th.
4. Mackenzi Lee - A Gentlemen’s Guide to Vice and Virtue. Let me just start by saying I don’t really get into historical fiction. Except those books written by Mackenzi Lee. I mean, seriously, this author is going to re-define YA historical fiction and I’m so glad I will be able to say I knew her when! And Vice and Virtue promises to provide a hilarious romp through Europe circa the 1700s. I think I just found my pool side read since the book drops the day before the Summer Solstice. (June 20th, for those of you not counting down the days until summer.)
5. Riley Redgate - Noteworthy. If you haven’t read Seven Ways We Lie, just stop right now and go get it. Not only is it a great book, but it’s written in 7 POVs… by one person… oh, to be a brain cell in Riley’s mind… it would probably be equivalent to working at Google. As for the story, here’s my comp: “Pitch Perfect meets One of the Guys”. I’m just going to put that down here and let you think about it. I’m sure you’ll be counting down the days to it’s May 2nd release date, just like me.
**Honorable Mention goes to a book that is not a sophomore book, but I just can’t wait for it to come out. Seriously, if I had $1M, I would say forget the monkey, I’m buying as many copies of this series and handing it out to everyone I see as I walk the Earth proclaiming it’s excellence. And that book is Illuminae #3 (Title forthcoming) by Amie Kauffman and Jay Kristoff. Now, if you’re thinking, hasn’t Sarah mentioned this series once or twice, you would be wrong. I mention it ALL THE TIME BECAUSE IT IS AMAZING. Deal with it.**
And there you have it. My top five (erh… six) sophomore(-ish) books I can’t wait to read in 2017. Have other books you think I should read? Let me know in the comments below or tweet me @SJSchmitt. Better yet, post a #bookstagram post and tag me on instagram (@SarahJSchmitt). Don’t forget to use the #FridayFivewithSJS tag.
