The Girl in His Shadow
By: Audrey Blake
Release Date | May 4
Genre | Historical Fiction
After losing her parents to a devastating pandemic, Nora Beady is raised by Dr. Horace Croft and her upbringing was anything but typical. Whilst other young women busied themselves with needlework, Nora learned how to suture and dissect. Knowledge and skills as a woman, Nora should not know. There are consequences to women who practice medicine but in Croft's clinic, Nora is his best, and most private, assistant.
When new surgical resident Dr. Daniel Gibson arrives, Nora faces her most daunting task yet; to protect the practice she must become a proper lady. But, Nora cannot turn away from the patients and when she makes a discovery that could change the course of medicine forever, she must make a decision. Remain a proper lady or show the world what she is made of, even if it destroys her in the process.
Find the full review | HERE | for The Girl in His Shadow
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Luck of the Titanic
By: Stacey Lee
Release Date | May 4
Genre | Young Adult
Twin British-Chinese acrobats, Valora and Jamie Luck are passengers on the Titanic. Valora has smuggled herself aboard, determined to reunite with her brother Jamie and to convince passenger and part-owner of the Ringling Brothers to accept them as an acrobatic act.
After two years apart, Valora is reunited with her brother but it is unclear if Jamie wants to continue his acrobatic journey and before she can convince him, the unthinkable happens and Valora and other Titanic passengers must fight to survive.
Find the full review | HERE | for Luck of the Titanic
Sorrowland
By: Rivers Solomon
Release Date | May 4
Genre | Science Fiction
Desperate to escape the confines of her religious compound, a seven month pregnant Vern escapes into the woods. In the confines of the trees, she gives birth to twins and is determined to raise them far away from her home but even in the woods, she is hunted.
Vern is forced to fight and Sorrowland is transformed into a story of Vern's determination to protect her own and one of metamorphosis. (Oh, and does it not have the most gorgeous cover?)
Find the full review | HERE | for Sorrowland
Hush Little Baby
By: RH Herron
Release Date | May 11
Genre | Thriller
Hush Little Baby is a thriller about the past, trust, and a mother's desire to protect. Jillian Marsh is a survivor. She escaped her toxic upbringing, beat alcoholism, and turned her life around. She is now in a successful marriage and has a well paying medical career.
Fast forward a decade, Jillian's life is once again on a downward slope. Pregnant and recently left by her wife, Jillian is unsettled. The house is lonely, items are starting to disappear, strange occurrences are happening that she has no answer to, and things she enjoyed no longer bring her happiness.
Her mummies-to-be group vowed to support each other during and after the pregnancies but as things unravel and secrets are exposed, Jillian is forced to ask herself: Who are her friends and who are her enemies? And, are they trying to hurt her daughter?
The Plot
By: Jean Hanff Korelitz
Release Date | May 11
Genre | Thriller
Jacob Finch Bonner is a man who struggles maintaining his self-respect. He currently teaches at a third-rate MFA program and the shine of being a promising young novelist has faded away. Jacob hasn't written or published anything worth reading in years and when an egotistical student named Evan Parker announces he doesn't need Bonner's help to write, Jake's self-respect is tested. The only way to ensure it doesn't crumble is to dismiss his claim as one of arrogance until he hears the plot. Jake spirals fast reflecting on his own writing career and inevitable success of a student who doesn't deserve it but, it never comes because Evan Parker dies.
His death spurs Jake into action. he knows the story must be told and it must be told by him. Years later, the work is famous and so is he with money too boot. He has a glorious new life thanks to that plot but when an ominous email arrives with one line, you are a thief, Jake becomes terrified.
It is now up to him to hide the truth and discover why Evan boasted this as a guaranteed success. Delving into his past brings more questions than answers, the most important one being - who stole from who?
Find the full review | HERE | for The Plot
Switch
By: AS King
Release Date | March 2
Genre | Young Adult
Trapped in the folds of space and time, a place where "real" time has frozen, is where Tru Beck from Pennsylvania lives. Here, humans have created a new system of counting time and Tru lives in box #7, close to box #1 that contains a curious switch. Nobody knows what the switch does and boxes continue to be built around it.
Despite the insanity of the new normal, this is Tru's life and the only thing she currently finds interesting is how far she can throw a javelin, definitely not the switch inside box #1.
Find the full review | HERE | for Switch
We Are Satellites
By: Sarah Pinsker
Release Date | May 11
Genre | Science Fiction
Pilot: The new technology everybody is getting implanted in their brains to assist them with daily life. It is why when Val and Julie's teenage son David asks for a Pilot, they hesitantly agree. Soon, both are pressured by work and friends to get Pilot's themselves as they now have become the minority of those without. The tone is clear: Get a Pilot or get left behind.
But the decision is not that easy when their other child Sophie is head of an anti-Pilot movement, one that soon pushes her into the spotlight and pits Sophie against the ones she loves.
Madam
By: Phoebe Wynne
Release Date | May 18
Genre | Suspense
Caldonbrae Hall is a gorgeous and old castle that sits perched above the rocky Scottish cliffs. It was transformed into a girls boarding school with the promise those that attend will emerge ready to serve society.
At 26, Rose Christie is the new Classics teacher and first hire in over a decade. Initially, she is overwhelmed by the invitation as the opportunity to work at the prestigious institute sounds too good to be true and, it is.
After her arrival the strange rules and traditional teachings make her quick to suspect something more is going on and it is up to her to discover the darkness within and the role she plays.
The Hollow Inside
By: Brooke Lauren Davis
Release Date | May 25
Genre | Young Adult
The Hollow Inside is Davis's debut novel about one girl caught in a web of lies. Alongside her mother Nina, Phoenix has spent years on the road using her charm and wit to get by and now, they have arrived at their final destination - her Mother's hometown. The plan? Destroy Ellis Bowman's life just like he destroyed Nina's.
But after Phoenix is caught spying on Bowman, she uses her wit to deliver a convincing story that puts her even closer to the target and his family. It is within this range she discover what her Mother told her doesn't add up and Phoenix must ask herself, who is telling the truth?
The Kingdoms
By: Natasha Pulley
Release Date | May 25
Genre | Fantasy
Joe Tournier does not know who he is. The last thing he can remember is stepping onto a train platform in a nineteenth-century French Colony; the only clue he has about his identity is a postcard signed "M."
Joe is confident whoever wrote the postcard must know who he is and he is determined to find "M." The search to discover himself drives Joe from London to Scotland and lastly to a deemed missing Royal Navy battle ship. His determination to discover who he is not only changes himself but history itself.
Ten new book releases in May 2021 to add to your radar. From this list, what are you anticipating reading this May? Based on the cover alone, Sorrowland is my first choice but then again, I am also a sucker for boarding school stories.
Find more monthly release lists | HERE
