Can't Wait Wednesdy!

Can’t-Wait Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Tressa at Wishful Endings that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

I am combining CWW with Books From the Backlog hosted by Carole at Carole's Random Life in Books. This will allow me to feature some newly "rediscovered" books, which I plan on reading, alongside a new release.

This week I can't wait for:

Kind of a Big Deal
Shannon Hale
Age/Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy?
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Release Date: August 25, 2020
Goodreads

From bestselling author Shannon Hale comes a hilarious, deliciously readable YA novel that will suck you in—literally.

Josie Pie was born to be a star. So she dropped out of high school to pursue her Broadway dreams, but after months of failed auditions, she finds herself broke, beaten-down . . . and nannying in Missoula, Montana. Lonely and directionless, Josie checks out the local bookstore, looking for the ultimate escape.

And escape she does. Literally. She falls into the plots of her books, including a bodice ripper, a dystopian thriller, a YA romance, and more, all filled with swoony co-stars who just make her yearn to repair things with the boyfriend she left behind in NYC.

As her reality begins to unravel, what starts as a welcome break from her lackluster life soon begins to feel like a stifling nightmare—but is it too late for Josie to get back to the real world?

Why I want to read this book

Once I saw the word "hilarious" featured in the first sentence of the book's description, I knew I had to learn more. I really like the sound of this story. We always kid about those people, who peak young, and wonder about them. Josie sounds like she is disappointed by how her life turned out. I can only imagine being sucked into storybook worlds could be quite exhilarating, and am looking forward to seeing how Hale executes this concept. Looking forward to taking this alternate life kind of tour with Josie.

What You Left Behind
Jessica Verdi
Age/Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Release Date: August 4, 2015
Goodreads

Jessica Verdi, the author of My Life After Now and The Summer I Wasn't Me, returns with a heartbreaking and poignant novel of grief and guilt that reads like Nicholas Sparks for teens.

It's all Ryden's fault. If he hadn't gotten Meg pregnant, she would have never stopped her chemo treatments and would still be alive. Instead he's failing fatherhood one dirty diaper at a time. And it's not like he's had time to grieve while struggling to care for their infant daughter, start his senior year, and earn the soccer scholarship he needs to go to college.

The one person who makes Ryden feel like his old self is Joni. She's fun and energetic-and doesn't know he has a baby. But the more time they spend together, the harder it becomes to keep his two worlds separate. Finding one of Meg's journals only stirs up old emotions. Ryden's convinced Meg left other notebooks for him to find, some message to help his new life make sense. But how is he going to have a future if he can't let go of the past?

"Ryden's story is a moving illustration of how sometimes you have to let go of the life you planned to embrace the life you've been given. A strong, character-driven story that teen readers will love."-Carrie Arcos, National Book Award Finalist for Out of Reach

Why I want to read this book

So, every day, I walk past all these books, most unread, and this one, has been staring me in the face for too long. I am pretty sure I won it, the year it came out, but you know me, and how slow I am to pick up my physical books. I luckily found a copy via my eLibrary, and will finally read it!! *cheers*

The synopsis is getting me ready to go into full on sob mode. Stops chemo to have an unplanned baby, and dies. My heart!

But this isn't the mom's story, it's about the dad, who was left behind, and I love stories that have to deal with healing. I have also been wanting to read something from Verdi. She has tons of make-my-heart-ache sounding books, and you all know my sappy self lives for that stuff.

What are you waiting on?
Any backlog books you want to read soon? 
Let us know in the comments!