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My most anticipated books of 2021

The beginning of the year is always an exciting time for book lovers. New books by favourite authors are announced and debuts are publicised across social media. Here are some of my most anticipated books which I hope to read this year.


The Whole Truth (DI Adam Fawley 5) – Cara Hunter

Publish date: 18th March 2021

When an Oxford student accuses one of the university’s professors of sexual assault, DI Adam Fawley’s team think they’ve heard it all before. But they couldn’t be more wrong.

Because this time, the predator is a woman and the shining star of the department, and the student a six-foot male rugby player.

Soon DI Fawley and his team are up against the clock to figure out the truth. What they don’t realise is that someone is watching.

And they have a plan to put Fawley out of action for good…

The DI Adam Fawley series by Cara Hunter has become one of my favourites in the crime genre. The brilliant writing and intriguing plot always encourage me to come back and read the next book in the series and this one will be no exception. I can already tell from the blurb that it will be a delight to read and I cannot wait to see DI Fawley back in action.


The Four Winds – Kristin Hannah

Publish date: 2nd February 2021

Texas, 1934. Millions are out of work and a drought has broken the Great Plains. Farmers are fighting to keep their land and their livelihoods as the crops are failing, the water is drying up, and dust threatens to bury them all. One of the darkest periods of the Great Depression, the Dust Bowl era, has arrived with a vengeance.

In this uncertain and dangerous time, Elsa Martinelli—like so many of her neighbors—must make an agonizing choice: fight for the land she loves or go west, to California, in search of a better life. The Four Winds is an indelible portrait of America and the American Dream, as seen through the eyes of one indomitable woman whose courage and sacrifice will come to define a generation.

One of the highlights in Kristin Hannah’s books is the beautifully described setting which she always masters right from the start of her books. I also admire the perseverance and determination that she always brings into her main characters and am curious to see how this will be developed into this book.


Of Women and Salt – Gabriela Garcia

Publish date: 30th March 2021

In present-day Miami, Jeanette is battling addiction. Daughter of Carmen, a Cuban immigrant, she is determined to learn more about her family history from her reticent mother and makes the snap decision to take in the daughter of a neighbor detained by ICE. Carmen, still wrestling with the trauma of displacement, must process her difficult relationship with her own mother while trying to raise a wayward Jeanette. Steadfast in her quest for understanding, Jeanette travels to Cuba to see her grandmother and reckon with secrets from the past destined to erupt.

From 19th-century cigar factories to present-day detention centers, from Cuba to Mexico, Gabriela Garcia’s Of Women and Salt is a kaleidoscopic portrait of betrayals–personal and political, self-inflicted and those done by others–that have shaped the lives of these extraordinary women. A haunting meditation on the choices of mothers, the legacy of the memories they carry, and the tenacity of women who choose to tell their stories despite those who wish to silence them, this is more than a diaspora story; it is a story of America’s most tangled, honest, human roots.

I stumbled across this book on the Goodreads list of most anticipated books of 2021 and was immediately intrigued by the setting. Multi generational historical fiction has become a favourite of mine in the past few years so I look forward to delving into new territory and discovering a new author.


Every Last Fear – Alex Finlay

Publish date: 2nd March 2021

“They found the bodies on a Tuesday.” So begins this twisty and breathtaking novel that traces the fate of the Pine family, a thriller that will both leave you on the edge of your seat and move you to tears.

After a late night of partying, NYU student Matt Pine returns to his dorm room to devastating news: nearly his entire family—his mom, his dad, his little brother and sister—have been found dead from an apparent gas leak while vacationing in Mexico. The local police claim it was an accident, but the FBI and State Department seem far less certain—and they won’t tell Matt why.

The tragedy makes headlines everywhere because this isn’t the first time the Pine family has been thrust into the media spotlight. Matt’s older brother, Danny—currently serving a life sentence for the murder of his teenage girlfriend Charlotte—was the subject of a viral true crime documentary suggesting that Danny was wrongfully convicted. Though the country has rallied behind Danny, Matt holds a secret about his brother that he’s never told anyone: the night Charlotte was killed Matt saw something that makes him believe his brother is guilty of the crime.

When Matt returns to his small hometown to bury his parents and siblings, he’s faced with a hostile community that was villainized by the documentary, a frenzied media, and memories he’d hoped to leave behind forever. Now, as the deaths in Mexico appear increasingly suspicious and connected to Danny’s case, Matt must unearth the truth behind the crime that sent his brother to prison—putting his own life in peril—and forcing him to confront his every last fear.

I have never read any books by this author before and believe it is a pseudonym however I am very intrigued by the description. I enjoy psychological thrillers with solid writing and lots of suspense and plot twists so I am looking forward to seeing if this book fits that category.


The Paris Library – Janet Skeslien Charles

Publish date: 9th February 2021

Paris, 1939: Young and ambitious Odile Souchet has it all: her handsome police officer beau and a dream job at the American Library in Paris. When the Nazis march into Paris, Odile stands to lose everything she holds dear, including her beloved library. Together with her fellow librarians, Odile joins the Resistance with the best weapons she has: books. But when the war finally ends, instead of freedom, Odile tastes the bitter sting of unspeakable betrayal.

Montana, 1983: Lily is a lonely teenager looking for adventure in small-town Montana. Her interest is piqued by her solitary, elderly neighbor. As Lily uncovers more about her neighbor’s mysterious past, she finds that they share a love of language, the same longings, and the same intense jealousy, never suspecting that a dark secret from the past connects them.

A powerful novel that explores the consequences of our choices and the relationships that make us who we are—family, friends, and favorite authors—The Paris Library shows that extraordinary heroism can sometimes be found in the quietest of places.

Historical fiction following dual timelines is very powerful, especially when the connections between the characters from both timelines are clarified and the two timelines merge. I can already tell based on the Parisian setting and dual timelines that I will enjoy this book and the library setting is a bonus for me.


One of the Good Ones – Maika Moulite and Maritza Moulite

Publish date: 5th January 2021

ISN’T BEING HUMAN ENOUGH?

When teen social activist and history buff Kezi Smith is killed under mysterious circumstances after attending a social justice rally, her devastated sister Happi and their family are left reeling in the aftermath. As Kezi becomes another immortalized victim in the fight against police brutality, Happi begins to question the idealized way her sister is remembered. Perfect. Angelic.

One of the good ones.

Even as the phrase rings wrong in her mind—why are only certain people deemed worthy to be missed?—Happi and her sister Genny embark on a journey to honor Kezi in their own way, using an heirloom copy of The Negro Motorist Green Book as their guide. But there’s a twist to Kezi’s story that no one could’ve ever expected—one that will change everything all over again.

This is another book which I stumbled across by accident however I am glad that I did. Social injustice is an important topic which is not discussed enough in Fiction and is an area I want to read about more this year. This book has already been published and has received a lot of praise so I hope to be able to read it soon.


The Maidens – Alex Michaelides

Publish date: 1st June 2021

Edward Fosca is a murderer. Of this Mariana is certain. But Fosca is untouchable. A handsome and charismatic Greek Tragedy professor at Cambridge University, Fosca is adored by staff and students alike—particularly by the members of a secret society of female students known as The Maidens.

Mariana Andros is a brilliant but troubled group therapist who becomes fixated on The Maidens when one member, a friend of Mariana’s niece Zoe, is found murdered in Cambridge.

Mariana, who was once herself a student at the university, quickly suspects that behind the idyllic beauty of the spires and turrets, and beneath the ancient traditions, lies something sinister. And she becomes convinced that, despite his alibi, Edward Fosca is guilty of the murder. But why would the professor target one of his students? And why does he keep returning to the rites of Persephone, the maiden, and her journey to the underworld?

When another body is found, Mariana’s obsession with proving Fosca’s guilt spirals out of control, threatening to destroy her credibility as well as her closest relationships. But Mariana is determined to stop this killer, even if it costs her everything—including her own life.

The Silent Patient was one of my favourite books from last year and perhaps the best psychological thrillers I have read to date. I have been recommending it to friends since finishing it and have been patiently waiting for the next book by Alex Michaelides. It will definitely be one of the books I plan on pre-ordering and reading as soon as it is published.


Those were some of my most anticipated books which will be published this year. Although I plan on focusing on my backlist books and hope to read more Non-Fiction and books written in Spanish this year, I admit that I am always tempted by books soon to be published by some of my favourite authors and also like discovering new authors.


Question time

What are some of your most anticipated books of 2021?

8 Comments

  • thebrowneyedbookworm

    I pre-orderd The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah and added The Maidens by Alex Michaelides to my tbr, and would love to get the Waterstones edition of The Paris Library, it’s so PRETTY!!!

    ~ Corina | thebrowneyedbookworm.com

  • Stephen Writes

    Some wonderful books on this list, Darina! 😍 The Paris Library sounds amazing – I recently added that to my TBR. I wasn’t aware about Of Women and Salt but that looks great too. I’m really looking forward to The Whole Truth, that’s definitely on my most anticipated list!

    I’m terrible at keeping up with upcoming releases, but among the ones I’m looking forward to most in 2021 are Deity (the next Six Stories book – I’m on the blog tour for that) and the second installment of These Violent Delights which should be towards the end of the year. Happy reading!! ☺

    • Darina

      I am also really excited for Deity and The Whole Truth! Thank you, hope the upcoming releases measure up to your expectations. We definitely have some exciting titles to look forward to this year!

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