My Most Anticipated Reads of August 2017

Summer is almost drawing to a close. Soon, the leaves will slowly change into shades of yellow, red and orange. The wind will flow past you, brushing up against your face. Fall is coming.

It's not all that bad! You get to feel the crunch of the fallen leaves underneath you feet. The crisp, cool air that comes during the fall.

Also . . . Book releases! Walking into a bookstore, the smell of the pages, the sight of books on top of shelves. The weight of a new book in your hands. Isn't it amazing?

Crunchy leaves, fall breezes and book releases are coming your way. Presenting my most anticipated books of August 2017.

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Wonder Woman: Warbringer by Leigh Bardugo

"She will become one of the world's greatest heroes: Wonder Woman. But first, she is Diana, Princess of the Amazons. And her fight is just beginning . . .

Diana longs to prove herself to her legendary warrior sisters. But when the opportunity finally comes, she throws away her chance at glory and breaks Amazon law--risking exile--to save a mere mortal. Even worse, Alia Keralis is no ordinary girl, and with this single brave act, Diana may have doomed the fate of the world."

Publication Date: August 29th, 2017

Crystal Blade by Kathryn Purdie

"Sonya and Anton may have brought a revolution, but can they save their homeland--and their love-- with so many forces threatening to tear them apart?

The empire has fallen, Valko faces trial, and Sonya is finally free from her fate as Sovereign Auraseer. But Sonya's expanding abilities are just as unstable as the new government of Riaznin. Not only can she feel the emotions of others but, unlike most Auraseers, she's learned to make others feel what she's feeling as well. And with her relationship falling apart, Sonya isn't immune to her power's sinister temptations.

Now, as Sonya fights to contain her own darkness, she senses a new evil lurking in the shadows of the palace. Someone from Sonya's past is seeking revenge-- and she won't be satisfied until Sonya has suffered for her mistakes."

Publication Date: August 15th, 2017

The Dazzling Heights by Katharine McGee

"New York, 2118. Manhattan is home to a luxury supertower, a breath-taking marvel that touches the sky. But amidst the high-tech luxury and futuristic glamour, five teenagers are keeping dangerous secrets ...

Leda is haunted by memories of what happened on the worst night of her life.

Watt just wants to put everything behind him ... until Leda forces him to start hacking again. Will he do what it takes to be free from her for good?

When Rylin wins a scholarship to an upper-floor school, her life transforms overnight. But being there means seeing the boy whose heart she broke, and who broke hers in return.

Avery is tormented by her love for the one person in the world she can never have. She's desperate to be with him ... no matter the cost.

And then there's Calliope, the mysterious, bohemian beauty who arrives in New York, determined to cause a stir. And she knows exactly where to begin.

But unbeknownst to them all, someone is watching they every move, someone with revenge in their mind. And in a world with such dazzling heights, just one wrong step can mean a devastating fall."

Publication Date: August 29th, 2017

Dress Codes for Small Towns by Courtney Stevens

As the tomboy daughter of the town's preacher, Billie McCaffrey has always struggled with fitting in the mold of what everyone says she should be. She'd rather wear sweats, build furniture, and get into trouble with her solid group of friends: Woods, Mash, Davey, Fifty, and Janie Lee.

But when Janie Lee confessed to Billie that she's in love with Woods, Billie's filled with a nagging sadness as she realizes she's also in love with Woods ... and maybe Janie Lee, too.

Always considered "One of the guys," Billie doesn't want anyone slapping a label on her sexuality before she can understand it herself. So she keeps her conflicting feelings to herself, for fear of ruining the group dynamic. Except it's not just about keeping the peace, it's about understanding love on her terms-- this thing that has always been defined as a boy and a girl falling in love and living happily ever after. For Billie-- a box-defying dynamo-- it's not that simple.

Release Date: August 22nd, 2017

Little & Lion by Brandy Colbert

When Suzette comes home to Los Angelis from her boarding school in New England, she isn't sure she'll ever want to go back. Los Angelis is where her friends and family are (along with her crush, Emil). And her step-brother, Lionel, who has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder needs her emotional support.

But as she settles into her old life, Suzette finds herself falling for someone new ... the same girl her brother is in love with. When Lionel's disorder spiraling our of control, Suzette is forced to confront her past mistakes and find a way to help her brother before he hurts himself-- or worse.

Release Date: August 8th, 2017

The Secret History of Us by Jessi Kirby

When Olivia wakes up in a hospital bed following a near-fatal car accident, she can't remember how she got there. She figures it was because she was in a coma for a week, but as time goes on, she realizes that she's lost more than a week of her life-- she's lost all memory of events that happened years ago. Gone is any recollection of starting or graduating high school; the prom; or her steady boyfriend Matt. Trying to figure out who she is feels impossible when everyone keeps telling her who she was.

As Liv tries to sort out her family and friends' perceptions of her, the one person she hasn't heard enough from is Walker, the guy who saved her the night her car was knocked off that bridge into the bay below. Walker is the hardened boy who's been keeping his distance and the one person that has made Liv feel like her old self ... whoever that was. With feelings growing for Walker, tensions rising for Matt, and secrets she can't help but feel are being kept from her, Olivia must find her place in a life she doesn't remember living.

Release Date: August 1st, 2017

The Authentics by Abdi Nazemian

Daria Esfandyar is Iranian-American and proud of her heritage, unlike some of the "Nose Jobs" in the clique led by her former best friend, Heidi Javadi. Daria and her friends call themselves the Authentics, because they pride themselves on always keeping it real.

But in the course of researching a school project, Daria learns something shocking from her past, which launches her on a journey of self-discovery. It seems that everyone is keeping secrets. And it's getting harder to know who she is even longer.

With infighting among the Authentics, her mother planning an over-the-top sweet sixteen party, and a romance that should be totally of limits, Daria doesn't have time for this identity crisis. As everything in her life is spinning out of control-- can she figure out how to stay true to herself?

Release Date: August 8th, 2017

The Arsonist by Stephanie Oakes

Molly Mavity is not a normal teenage girl. For one thing, her father is a convicted murderer, and his execution date is fast approaching. For another, Molly refuses to believe that her mother is dead, and she waits for the day they'll be reunited ... despite all the evidence that none of this will ever happen.

Pepper Yusef is not your average teenage boy. A Kuwaiti immigrant with epilepsy, serious girl problems, and the most useless seizure dog in existence, he has to write a series of essays over the summer ... or fail out of school.

And Ava Dreyman-- the brave and beautiful East German resistance fighter whose murder at seventeen led to the destruction of the Berlin Wall-- is unlike anyone you've met before.

When Molly gets a package leading her to Pepper, they're tasked with solving a decades-old mystery: finding out who killed Ava, back in 1989. Using Ava's diary for clues, Molly and Pepper realizes there's more to her life--and death-- that meets the eye. Someone is lying to them. And someone out there is guiding them along, desperate for answers.

Release Date: August 22nd, 2017

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