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There are so many amazing new book releases coming in August 2021! In fact, if you are a regular reader on the blog, you may notice that this list is a little longer than usual because I kept finding so many new books to be excited about!
Many of your probably still consider August to be summer (and technically, it is). But if you’re a teacher or have kiddos still in school, you may be winding down those vacations and already be feeling the stress of a more packed schedule! August is always one of my worst reading months because of school, but I am so excited about these books and hoping that will motivate me to read more than one book in August.
**If you are reading this before August 1, you will find a few Book of the Month spoilers for August in this list. If you do not want to be spoiled, please bookmark this post and come back August 1. If you are interested in signing up for Book of the Month, you can use my link below, but you will need to wait until August books are live in order to sign up for one of the August picks!
Most Anticipated August 2021 New Book Releases
In My Dreams I Hold a Knife by Ashley Winstead
Release Date: August 3
If you like dark academia thrillers full of rich people drama (one of my favorite tropes!), then this is the psychological thriller for you! In My Dreams I Hold a Knife follows seven friends in a dual timeline between their college years and their ten year reunion. One of the friends was killed during senior year, and someone from the past thinks the remaining friends know more than they let on to the police. As the events leading up to that terrible night unfold, secrets are revealed and the drama is delicious!
Many thanks to Sourcebooks Landmark for an advance copy of this title in exchange for my honest review.
The Family Plot by Megan Collins
Release Date: August 17
Dahlia’s twin brother disappeared from their secluded island home when they were sixteen. Dahlia has been struggling to deal with the real world after being raised in isolation with her true-crime obsessed family. After her father’s death, Dahlia must return to the home she has avoided for years. Soon a shocking discovery is made at her father’s grave, and each of the family members begin to deal with their shock and grief in unusual ways.
Many thanks to Atria for an advance copy of this title in exchange for my honest review.
More August 2021 Book Releases
August 3
The Husbands by Chandler Baker
A couple moves to a private and exclusive suburban neighborhood where the women all have high-power careers and remarkably supportive husbands in this gender swapped Stepford Wives book.
Where the Truth Lies by Anna Bailey
A teen girl, Abi, goes missing after a party one night, and her best friend Emma is determined to find out what happened to her. But as Emma continues to dig into the past, she discovers things about Abi she didn’t know.
All’s Well by Mona Awad
A college theater instructor suffering from chronic back pain is approached by three men who know everything about her. They promise to cure all of her ailments with a golden remedy. She wakes up the next morning thinking it must have all been a dream, but she realizes her pain is gone. All’s well that ends well, right? Right??
Damnation Spring by Ash Davidson
Damnation Grove is a logging town in the Pacific Northwest struggling to keep up with the changing times. The Gundersen family receives a chance to own a grove of tress with the biggest tree in the area. The opportunity is too good to pass up, and Rich, a fourth-generation logger, spends his family’s entire savings to purchase the grove. His wife, Colleen, is not happy about the purchase. She has longed for another child, but she has had multiple miscarriages.
But Colleen is not the only woman in the area who has had multiple miscarriages recently, and she begins to research the herbicides used in the logging industry. Now she’s not sure if the miscarriages are bad luck after all and her search for answers will threaten her marriage and divide the town that relies on the timber industry.
Damnation Spring is an August Book of the Month pick! You can sign up with my link and get your first book for only $5.00!
August 10
The Show Girl by Nicola Harrison
Olive moves from Minneapolis to New York City, determined to be one of the show girls with the Ziegfeld Follies. She meets a wealthy man, Archie Carmichael, who seems to accept Olive for who she is, unlike her family back in Minneapolis. Everything in Olive’s life seems to be going according to plan, but will Archie still accept Olive after she reveals a terrible secret to him?
The Devil Makes Three by Toni Bovalino
Two teens accidentally free a murderous demon from a book in the library in this fantasy/dark academic YA novel. Honestly, that’s all I need to know about this one because I love dark academia books!
The King of Infinite Space by Lyndsay Faye
A modern, queer reimagining of the classic play Hamlet set in modern-day New York City.
In the Wild Light by Jeff Zentner
This book is being praised as a beautiful character driven story about two teens accepted to a prestigious boarding school. One of the teens is dealing with grief after the loss of his mother and the deteriorating health of his grandfather. The teen must make a decision between staying with his family and leaving his small town with his best friend to seek better opportunities for himself.
August 17
Velvet Was the Night by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Heads up if you are fans of Moreno-Garcia’s previous books-this is not a fantasy/horror novel. Velvet Was the Night is a historical noir about a woman who is pulled into a political situation after her neighbor does not come back from a few days away.
The Dating Playbook by Farrah Rochon
This sequel to The Boyfriend Project follows one of Samiah’s friends, Taylor, who is a personal trainer. She is struggling to make ends meet and lands a huge opportunity to work with a former NFL player, Jamar Dixon, who wants to play football again. Jamar wants to keep their training a secret, but when they are seen together, the media reports they are in a relationship.
August 24
The Women of Troy by Pat Barker
This is a feminist retelling of The Illiad that is sure to excite fans of Greek mythology!
Beyond the Mapped Stars by Rosalyn Eves
Elizabeth wants to be an astronomer, but her family has other plans for her due to their religious beliefs. She finds herself in Colorado during a total eclipse of the sun and is determined to meet the female scientists she has long admired. As Elizabeth struggles with her own dreams and ambitions and the pull of her familial duty, she feels like she must choose one path or the other. Or is it possible that maybe she can have it all?
The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois by Honoree Fononne Jeffers
An epic, Black historical fiction novel about the family history of main character Ailey, the youngest of three sisters. As she struggles to find her place in the world, she learns about the women in her family and the obstacles they faced in life.
August 31
A Slow Fire Burning by Paula Hawkins
A highly anticipated release from the author of The Girl on the Train. A young man is murdered and his body is discovered on a houseboat. Three women with different connections to the man are all questioned. All three women are harboring resentment for one reason or another. How far would one of them go to right the wrongs done to them?
The Heart Principle (The Kiss Quotient #3) by Helen Hoang
The Heart Principle is the third book in the Kiss Quotient series. As with most romance series, it seems like you could read The Heart Principle as a stand alone book. Other characters from the first two books probably make an appearance, so their storylines might be spoiled in some way. I haven’t read these books, so I don’t know for sure.
The Heart Principle is an August Book of the Month pick! You can sign up with my link and get your first book for only $5.00!
My Heart is a Chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones
Teen Jade is obsessed with horror movies-the slasher genre to be more specific. She’s so obsessed, in fact, that she becomes convinced that a real life slasher movie is playing out on Indian Lake in her small hometown. Is she delusional or is there a really a violent killer on the loose?
Let me know which of these August 2021 new book releases you are most excited for in the comments!
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