Well…April is shaping up to be a fabulous release month. I had a heck of a time narrowing my predictions down. Every genre had so many options I thought would be perfect BOTM picks. There were also quite a few debuts books coming out in April, and if you follow me, you’ll know I love when BOTM features debut authors.
Of my predictions, I’ve read 2 will post my reviews for those below. I also have copies of 90% of this so be sure to come back at the beginning of April for even more reviews.
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 April Most Anticipated New Releases list and my Spring 2023 Most Anticipated List.
SPRING 2023 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, Thriller & Horror
This month (surprisingly) there are a number of Horror books releasing. While BOTM doesn’t always offer horror books, many of these also fall under the Mystery genre as well. So I decided to combine Horror with my Mystery and Thriller predictions.
My top pick would be Alice Slater’s debut Death of a Bookseller. Previous BOTM author Catherine Ryan Howard (Run Time & 56 Days) did a blurb about the book which makes it seem that it could be a pick. I actually plan to read it this weekend, so hopefully will have a review soon.
Taylor Adams, a previous BOTM author, also has a new book coming out in April. The Last Word along with Disha Bose’s Dirty Laundry book seem like BOTM usual mystery/domestic suspense picks.
Horror wise – Sisters of a Lost Nation, Natural Beauty, & The Insatiable Volt Sisters all seem amazing. I’m hoping to read 2 of this next week, because they are right up my alley.
Romance
Last month I struggled with finding enough Romance picks, and this month I struggled to narrow down my picks! Previous authors Emily Henry and Abby Jimenez have books coming out in April, and while I don’t think they’ll be main picks, I could definitely see them as add-on options. I was lucky enough to get a copy of Happy Place by Emily Henry, see my review below:
Happy Place Review
My top pick for April’s romance pick the debut Adelaide by Genevieve Wheeler. It’s getting rave reviews already and dives into mental health. It seems like a book I’m going to cry through, so that seems fun!
Romantic Comedy seems hilarious, and I have copies of Bear With Me & Before We Were Innocent waiting to be read. All 3 seems like prime BOTM candidates.
Literary & Contemporary Fiction
I have yet to read any of my fiction predictions so far. I do have copies of The Half Moon which is my top pick for April. The only other one I have a copy of is Life and Other Love Songs. I haven’t been in the mood for much contemporary fiction lately, so I probably won’t get around to any of these soon but they do all so great!
Historical Fiction
I adored Susan Meissner’s The Nature of Fragile Things so I’m very exited to have an ARC of her April release Only the Beautiful. It’s getting great reviews and I feel it could be a great BOTM pick.
My other top pick would be The House is on Fire which I also have an ARC of and hope to get to soon. My third pick would be A History of Burning with is a debut historical family saga with amazing reviews so far.
Science Fiction & Fantasy
I know BOTM generally has less Science Fiction and Fantasy picks but I love these genres and would love to see extra options.
Originally my top pick was going to be Camp Zero and while I still think it’s a great fit for BOTM, it didn’t fully deliver for me. I was left with too many unanswered questions, but if you more open ended stories, this one is for you!
Camp Zero Review
I have heard nothing but amazing things about The Ferryman and could see it being an early release for April easily. I’ve been putting off reading my ARC til April, but maybe I’ll move it up, we shall see.
Both Some Desperate Glory & Chain-Gang All-Stars seems a bit far fetched for BOTM, but I think they look interesting and am definitely putting them on my TBR, so I figured I’d share them.
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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I hadn’t heard of Bear With Me! Sounds cute.