Can't Wait Wednesday!

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:

Geese Are Never Swans
Eva Clark
Age/Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Publisher: Granity Studios
Release Date: July 21, 2020
Goodreads

Gus's life is about one thing-- swimming. He is determined to make it to the Olympics and he knows that the only coach in town who can get him there is Coach Marks. So it seems like a simple plan: convince Coach Marks to train him. Everything from there on in is just hard work and Gus has never been afraid of hard work.

But there are a few complications. For one thing, Coach Marks was Danny's coach. Danny, Gus's older brother, committed suicide after failing to make the national swimming team, a big step on the way to the Olympics. And for another thing, Gus and Danny didn't exactly get along when Danny was alive. Gus never liked living in Danny's shadow, and that shadow has grown even longer since Danny's death.

In this powerful novel about the punishing and the healing nature of sports, Gus's rage threatens to swallow him at every turn. He's angry at his brother, his mother, his coach . . . even himself. But as he works through his feelings and toward his goal, Gus does everything he can to channel his anger into excelling at the sport that he and Danny both loved, finding solace in the same place he must face his demons: the water.

Why I want to read this book

I don't remember how I came across this book, but you all know I have a penchant for sports books. This book features an elite swimmer, and it seems he is both grieving and carrying a lot of anger and pain for multiple reasons. Swimming, grief, the Olympics -- I can see the combination of these things being a real success for me. 

Summer of Sloane
Erin L. Schneider
Age/Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Release Date: May 3, 2016
Goodreads

Warm Hawaiian sun. Lazy beach days. Flirty texts with her boyfriend back in Seattle.

These are the things seventeen-year-old Sloane McIntyre pictured when she imagined the summer she’d be spending at her mom’s home in Hawaii with her twin brother, Penn. Instead, after learning an unthinkable secret about her boyfriend, Tyler, and best friend, Mick, all she has is a fractured hand and a completely shattered heart.

Once she arrives in Honolulu, though, Sloane hopes that Hawaii might just be the escape she needs. With beach bonfires, old friends, exotic food, and the wonders of a waterproof cast, there’s no reason Sloane shouldn’t enjoy her summer. And when she meets Finn McAllister, the handsome son of a hotel magnate who doesn’t always play by the rules, she knows he’s the perfect distraction from everything that’s so wrong back home.

But it turns out a measly ocean isn’t nearly enough to stop all the emails, texts, and voicemails from her ex-boyfriend and ex-best friend, desperate to explain away their betrayal. And as her casual connection with Finn grows deeper, Sloane’s carefree summer might not be as easy to find as she’d hoped. Weighing years of history with Mick and Tyler against their deception, and the delicate possibility of new love, Sloane must decide when to forgive, and when to live for herself.

Why I want to read this book

This book first got on my radar when I got some sort of sneak peek or something for it at YallFest in 2015. I instantly knew it was a book I would enjoy, but I eventually forgot about it. Then when I was looking for books for my 50 states challenge, this one came up a few times for Hawaii. So, I broke down, bought the book, and am finally reading it. I love surfing and I want to know more about what Sloane is struggling with . I am looking forward to spending some time at the beach with Sloane, and she tries to right her world. 

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