Finally posting my predictions in a timely manner this month! August has so many great books coming out that I had a tough time narrowing down why I’d like to see as picks. I do have one confirmed picked so if you want to avoid spoilers, don’t read the Mystery/Thriller section.
While I have ARCs of many of the books below, I’ve been sidetracking reading Sarah J. Maas books lately, so I currently only have reviews for one of my predictions (but honestly it’s the one I’m hoping for the most). Be sure to check back in though as the month progressive. I’m hoping to get through a handful of these in the coming weeks and will be posting reviews as I finish them.
Last month the picks were dominated with mysteries and thrillers. While there are so many mysteries and thrillers coming out in August from previous BOTM authors, I’m really hoping we only get 1 that fall within the genre. I’d love to see some historical fiction and romance picks for August. It’s hot here in Texas and those two genres are my go to for poolside reading!
Whether or not my predictions are actually picks, only time will tell. Even if they are not, all or most of these are on my August Most Anticipated New Releases list and my Summer 2022 Most Anticipated List.
SUMMER 2022 MOST ANTICIPATED
JULY 2022 MOST ANTICIPATED
When the picks are announced and you find you have space in your box still, make sure to also check out my most recent version of BOTM Add-On recommendations HERE, because who couldn’t use even more books!
Keep in mind that these are simply predictions and books I hope get chosen. I could get these completely wrong but the anticipation and guessing is part of the fun right?!
Mystery & Thrillers
*SPOILER*
Daisy Darker is a confirmed pick for August, as far as I know. I loved Alice Feeney’s previous books so very excited to see this as a pick for August.
Three other great options I’m hoping that will be picks (if we have more than 1 mystery and/or thriller) are All Good People Here, The Rule of Three, and When We Were Bright and Beautiful. I have copies of all three of these but have not read them as of yet. With that said I’m really hoping for All Good People Here, which is a debut and y’all know I love when BOTM choices debut authors. On the other hand When We Were Bright and Beautiful is a a courtroom drama with more a family drama plotline. It’s giving me Miracle Creek mixed with Notes on an Execution vibes and sounds amazing!
Historical Fiction
I would love to see a ton of Historical Fiction picks in August! When I tell you I need a physical copy of Carrie Soto is Back, I mean I will riot if it’s not an add-on! It almost dethroned The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo as my favorite TJR book, if that tells you how much I loved it.
Carrie Soto is Back REVIEW
All three of the other Historical Fictions predictions I’ve choicen are drastically different theme and time wise. I feel that Mademoiselle Revolution seems as if it is most likely to a pick and takes place during the Haitian Revolution. It’s getting stellar reviews and I can’t wait to get my hands on a copy.
Emma Donoghue’s book Wonder was a BOTM pick and currently an add-on option, so I’d love to see her newest creation as a pick. It’s set in 17th century Ireland that has a mystery at it’s core. Lastly, A Map for the Missing, is a debut set post the Chinese Cultural Revolution. It doesn’t have as many reviews as the other two, but I think it sounds fantastic.
Literary and Contemporary Fiction
Only two Fiction books I’m hoping for this month. The Last Karankawas is set in Texas and a debut, which already puts it high on my TBR. It’s being advertised for fans of Yaa Gyasi, who is a previous BOTM author, which is why I think it might just be a pick.
Mother in the Dark is a family drama depicting the relationships between mothers and daughters. It reminds me of Brit Bennet’s The Mothers. While it’s a debut, it has a Goodreads rating of 4.92! I honestly, can’t remember the last book that I saw with a rating over 4.6 that had more than a dozen reviews. Even if it’s not a pick, I have a feeling it’s going to be a popular release.
Science Fiction & Fantasy
BOTM’s track record with fantasy books isn’t that great, but I have found some wonderful magical realism story through BOTM. Hence one of my hopefuls is Other Birds by Sarah Addison Allen. This is another one with high rankings and one I have a copy of that I need to get to soon!
I added The Sleepless as one of my predictions as well, since it reminded me of a BOTM pick The Dreamers from a few years ago. It’s more of a Sci-Fi story with mystery elements and I could see it appealing to the BOTM team.
Romance
So many great romances coming out in August with alot of them being from previous BOTM authors. My top romance pick is Love in the Time of Serial Killers. As a True Crime lover myself, I’m dying to see how this romance turns out!
Love on the Brain and The Hookup Plan are both from previous BOTM authors. I could see these both being add-ons especially Love on the Brain. I cannot remember if The Dating Playbook, the second book in The Boyfriend Project Series was a BOTM pick, but the first book set in Austin was a favorite of mine a few years ago.
My other hopeful is The Fixer Upper, though I don’t think it will be a pick based on it coming out in paperback next month. This seems like a mesh up of the movies Hitch and Failure to Launch. Both rom-coms I love!
Other New Releases from Previous BOTM Authors
There are 4 more books I think could be add-ons for August. All 4 of these are thriller/mysteries and from previous BOTM authors. I enjoy Lisa Jewell books. I don’t think they’re anything outstanding but they are entertaining. Karin Slaughter on the other hand is one of my favorite authors, and is an autobuy author for me.
I’m planning to read Stay Awake and Run Time this coming weekend, so be sure to check back soon for my reviews.
I hope you found a book that you are truly excited about in this post. Let me know which other new releases you are excited for this month or that you’re hoping are BOTM picks, by commenting below or by messaging me on Instagram @speakingof_books. Don’t forget to follow me to get weekly updates and new reviews!
Happy Reading!
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So many of these sound good—I hope some of your predictions are correct!!
I was so excited to see this post early in the month 🙂
Me too! Im really hoping for carrie soto, i loved the book so would love a physical copy.