Wednesday, March 3, 2021

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:
Take Three Girls

Cath Crowley, Simmone Howell, Fiona Wood
Age/Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Publisher: Sterling Teen
Release Date: April 6, 2021
Goodreads
Three authors. Three appealing and relatable characters. One smart YA novel about a trio of unlikely friends who team up to take down the school cyberbully.

“Mean stuff spreads so fast. One click. Post. Send. Share. Online bullying = sometimes suicides, so all the private schools have strategies for dealing with it. At St Hilda’s, it’s Wellness classes. We greeted the idea with genuine enthusiasm. Why not? Everyone loves the chance to slack off.”

Popular Ady seems cool and confident at school, but at home her family is falling apart. Brainiac Kate wants to pursue her dreams of playing music, even if it jeopardizes her academic scholarship. And swim champ Clem finds herself disenchanted with the sport . . . and falling for a very wrong boy. When these three very different girls are forced to team up in a wellness class, they’re not too pleased. But over time, they bond—and when they’re all targeted by PSST, a website that dishes out malicious gossip and lies, they decide to take a stand, uncover the culprits, and fight back. But can they really fix a broken system? With each girl’s story told by a different author, as well as intriguing questionnaires from the wellness class included throughout, this empowering novel explores today’s most relevant topics— from cyberbullying and fat shaming to drug abuse and financial stress.
Why I want to read this book

The number one reason I wanted to read this book was because I really enjoyed other books written by these authors. I especially loved Cath Crowley's books and jumped at the chance to read something new from her. I think the issues referenced will be thoughtfully explored, and I am looking forward to meeting this group of unlikely friends. 

 

The Lying Woods

Ashley Elston
Age/Genre: Young Adult, Mystery
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Release Date: November 2018
Goodreads
Owen Foster has never wanted for anything. Then his mother shows up at his elite New Orleans boarding school cradling a bombshell: his privileged life has been funded by stolen money. After using the family business, the single largest employer in his small Louisiana town, to embezzle millions and drain the employees' retirement accounts, Owen's father vanished without a trace, leaving Owen and his mother to deal with the fallout.

Owen returns to Lake Cane to finish his senior year, where people he can barely remember despise him for his father's crimes. It's bad enough dealing with muttered insults and glares, but when Owen and his mother receive increasingly frightening threats from someone out for revenge, he knows he must get to the bottom of what really happened at Louisiana Frac--and the cryptic note his father sent him at his boarding school days before disappearing.

Owen's only refuge is the sprawling, isolated pecan orchard he works at after school, owned by a man named Gus who has his own secrets--and in some ways seems to know Owen better than he knows himself. As Owen uncovers a terrible injustice that looms over the same Preacher Woods he's claimed as his own, he must face a shocking truth about his own past--and write a better future.
Why I want to read this book

I fell in love with Elston's books via her fluffy contemporary, 10 Blind Dates, but I found her mysteries were fantastic too. I had originally tried to listen to the audiobook for this, but not every kind of book works for me on audio. I am excited to finally have it on my TBR. I want to get to know Owen and learn about the secrets he uncovers as he tries to deal with the shame of what his father did. I am hoping for some big bombshells too. 

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

27 comments:

  1. Owen and The Lying Wood is just my type of mystery!

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    1. I actually finished it last night, and I enjoyed it so much. There was a mystery element, but in the end it was about family secrets.

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  2. Really love the sound of The Lying Woods!

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    1. I really love Elston's books. I finished last night, and it was another 5/5. I was captivated, and I liked the structure. There was this small thing she did in-between parts, where she shared parts of an old pecan farmer's diary, and it suited where the story was moving in each part.

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  3. Love Cath Crowley too! And I did like the Lying Woods. I just got approved for 10 Truths and a Dare and I that made my day!

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    1. The Lying Wood was great. I know I am not a big mystery reader, and I won't say I didn't see it coming, but I enjoyed getting there. Whoo hoo! I almost passed out when I got approved for 10 Truths and a Dare, because Disney always rejects me. It was either a mistake or a miracle, but I'll take it.

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  4. Ooh nice ones! Both are new to me. Hope you enjoy them both once you get to read them!


    Here's my WoW

    Have a GREAT day!

    Old Follower :)

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    1. Finished Lying Woods the other day, and it was fantastic!

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  5. Take Three Girls sounds really good and I'm especially excited to see Cath Crowley's name on it. :)

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    1. It's been too long since Words in Deep Blue. I need more Crowley!

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  6. Oooh Take Three Girls sounds really good! Idk why it wasn't on my radar, but it is now! I too need to read The Lying Woods- I have had it since like, right around when it was released, yet I haven't read it yet (that could really be a memoir at this point).

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    1. The book was already released overseas. There are lots of positive reviews for it, which is nice. The Lying Woods was really good. It was on par with This Is Our Story. I am not a big mystery reader, so for me, it's not about the mystery, but the journey, and it was a great one.

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  7. Ooh yeah that second one sounds pretty great!

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    1. It was excellent. Another 5-stars from me for Elston

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  8. I am going to have to try an Elston mystery now! I am excited about Take Three Girls as well. Cyber bullying is a topic that I haven't seen a lot of lately and it is definitely something to approach in YA. ;)

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    1. I don't know how big mystery readers would feel about it, but I was all in on this story. I really enjoyed reading it.

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  9. The Lying Woods was a good read!

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    1. It was! I finished it the other day, and I am so glad I gave Elston's not so light and fluffy books a try. I really enjoyed both Lying Woods and This Is Our Story.

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  10. I've heard wonderful things about The Lying Woods. Hope you love it!

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    1. It was excellent. I sped through it. I really need to get the other books in Elston's backlist.

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  11. TAKE THREE GIRLS sounds like a good one. Its cover is different than most YA novels, so that's interesting. I'm not sure if I like it, but its unique style definitely caught my eye.

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    1. Many times when I go "hmm" when I see a cover, it appeals to me more once I read the story. At least that's the case when it's connected to the story.

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  12. I liked The Lying Woods, you should definitely give it a try. I hadn't heard of Take Three Girls, but it sounds good! Thanks for sharing and for stopping by my Wednesday post on Lisa Loves Literature.

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    1. I loved The Lying Woods. It was fabulous! I am all over OZYA. Those authors never disappoint me.

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  13. That second book is the one that is calling to me Sam! I love these kind of twists in life and that leaves much room for personal growth!

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    1. The Lying Woods was so good. It was all about family secrets and I loved the way Elston let the story unfold.

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  14. These both sound really good but The Lying Woods sounds like one that I would really enjoy. Plus that cover is amazing!

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