The Unmapping by Denise R Robbins

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4 a.m., New York City. A silent disaster.

There is no flash of light, no crumbling, no quaking. Each person in New York wakes up on an unfamiliar block after its buildings rearrange their positions overnight. The power grid has snapped, thousands of residents are missing, and the Empire State Building is on Coney Island—for now. The next night, it happens again.

Esme Green and Arjun Varma work for the city of New York's emergency management team and are tasked with managing the disaster response for "The Unmapping." As Esme tries to wade through the bureaucratic nightmare of an endlessly shuffling city, she's distracted by the ongoing search for her missing fiancé. Arjun focuses on the ground-level rescue of disoriented New Yorkers, hoping to become the hero the city needs.

With scientists scrambling to find a solution—or at least a means to cope—and mysterious "red cloak" cults cropping up in the disaster’s wake, New York begins to reckon with a new reality no one recognizes. For Esme and Arjun, the fight to hold the city together will mean tackling questions about themselves that they are too afraid to ask—and facing answers they never expected. With themes of climate change, political unrest, and social justice, The Unmapping is a timely and captivating debut.

Blog tour: One Big Happy Family by Sam Vickery

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Watching my beautiful rosy-cheeked baby Ava play in the sand, I can’t believe how much joy she’s brought me. I look at the gentle waves of the ocean sparkling in the sun. But when I turn back, Ava is gone…

Everyone rushes to the beach to help search for Ava, but there’s no trace of her anywhere nearby. My ex-husband Jimmy is just as terrified as I am. But I get an odd feeling from his new girlfriend, Leah. As she cradles my other two children, she doesn’t seem as panicked as Jimmy and me. How can she be so calm?

Then they show me footage of Ava on a bus, held tightly by an elderly woman who looks just like Leah’s mother. Leah couldn’t have anything to do with Ava’s disappearance, could she?

I’ve seen the way Leah clings tightly to Jimmy, how she has moulded herself into the perfect housewife, never letting him lift a finger and cooking my children’s favourite meals every day.

Then the police officer in charge fixes me with a cold stare as he asks me why I wasn’t paying attention to my daughter. Suggesting it’s my fault she’s gone… That my older two would be safer in Leah’s care.

Should I share my suspicions? What if the police are looking in the wrong place? Time is running out to find Ava, and I’ll do whatever it takes to get her back, but are my accusations about to tear my whole family apart?

Happy #BookBirthday! 29 May 2025

Happy Thursday! This week there are  books on our lists publishing!

Lady's Knight by Amie Kaufman and Megan Spooner

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Gwen is sick of hiding—hiding the fact that she’s taken over her father’s blacksmithing duties, hiding her attraction to girls, hiding her yearning for glory as a knight.

Meanwhile, Lady Isobelle of Avington, queen bee of the castle, has never once considered hiding who she is—until now. She’s been chosen as the grand prize in the Tournament of Dragonslayers, to be given to whichever knight can claim her hand. And for the first time in her life, she can’t talk her way out of trouble.

When Isobelle discovers Gwen’s knightly ambitions, they hatch a scheme together—Gwen will joust in the tournament, disguised as Sir Gawain. Winning means freedom for Isobelle, and glory for Gwen. Losing means… well, let’s not go there.

One thing’s for sure: falling in love was never the plan.

But the best laid plans…are often trampled all over by dragons.

The Grimoire Grammar School PTA by Caitlin Rozakis

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When Vivian’s kindergartner, Aria, gets bitten by a werewolf, she is rapidly inducted into the hidden community of magical schools. Reeling from their sudden move, Vivian finds herself having to pick the right sacrificial dagger for Aria, keep stocked up on chew toys and play PTA politics with sirens and chthonic nymphs and people who literally can set her hair on fire.

As Vivian careens from hellhounds in the school corridors and demons at the talent show, she races to keep up with all the arcane secrets of her new society – shops only accessible by magic portal, the brutal Trials to enter high school, and the eternal inferno that is the parents’ WhatsApp group.

And looming over everything is a prophecy of doom that sounds suspiciously like it’s about Aria. Vivian might be facing the end of days, just as soon as she can get her daughter dressed and out of the door…

Good Girls Gossip by Tova Leigh

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As Tova Leigh grew up, she watched how her mother and her friends gave each other permission to be who they truly were: badasses, fierce, larger than life, brave, vulnerable, compassionate, rude, outrageous, ridiculous, thoughtful ... human! The whole freaking shabbang. This was a life-changing lesson in empowerment.

This book celebrates the tradition of female camaraderie, of sisterhood shared across the generations, and the communication – dismissed by the patriarchy as “gossip” – that binds women together.

Sharing stories of inspiring women she’s met, as well as her own experiences and practical tools to find your own power, Tova encourages us to be more curious about the women in our lives and to seek out more female friendships and mentors. Because when women come together, incredible things happen.

Live by Luke Palmer

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Year Twelve pupil George is passionate about his band and his music, even if the three other band members are a little more laid back about it. They play for all their friends' parties, and just might, he hopes, hit the big time. But they have surprise competition from new girl Beth and shy fellow-pupil Tadhg. Then disaster strikes. Dealing with loss and grief the whole year group must work out how to rebuild their futures and who their true friends are. Comes complete with song lyrics and accompanying playlist!

Happy #BookBirthday! 22 May 2025

Happy Thursday! This week there are  books on our lists publishing!

Exit Stage Death by Ava Eldred

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Livi Campbell’s summer to-do list is simple:

1. Have the best final summer at Camp Chance.

2. Prove to her parents that acting is an acceptable career choice.

3. Smash all her rehearsals and get the lead in the senior showcase.

But when a fellow camper shows up dead under mysterious circumstances and Livi finds a note suggesting all is not as it seems, she must team up with her camp-mates to catch the culprit before they kill again.

Enter Juliet, the social media influencer with everything to prove; Aaron, the nepo baby who isn’t sure he wants to be in Hollywood at all; Daisy, the inexperienced newbie trying to find her place; and Sam, the leading man who broke Livi’s heart last summer.

The players are in place. The stage is set. Curtain up.

The Last Pebble by Alex Horne

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Trader and his grandpa have combed the beach of Bognor Regis for as long as he can remember, and every time they find a beautiful or special stone, it’s added to the treasure collection. But when Trader finds a particularly special pebble, he stumbles on a secret that was supposed to be kept for ever...

Can Trader and his new friend Charlotte unravel the mystery of this treasure, and return it to its rightful home?

Time After Time by Mikki Daughtry

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Nineteen-year-old Libby has always been inexplicably drawn to the old Victorian house on Mulberry Lane. So much so that when she sees a For Sale sign go up in the front yard, Libby uses all the money her grandmother left her to pay for college to buy the house instead, determined to fix it up herself--even though she knows her parents will be furious. Soon after moving in, she discovers a journal written by a young woman, Elizabeth Post, who lived in the house nearly a century earlier. It doesn't take long for the journal to reveal that Elizabeth was madly in love with her personal maid, Patricia. A love that was forbidden and dangerous, especially at that time.

Enter Tish, a brash, broke fellow college student, who passes by the house one day and is mysteriously compelled to knock on the door. Soon Libby offers Tish a room in exchange for her help in fixing up the old house, and the two young women quickly find themselves falling for each other. But as Elizabeth's journal entries delve deeper into her secret love affair with Patricia, uncanny similarities between that young couple and Libby and Tish are revealed, and it becomes clear that this may not be their first time in this house, or in this love. Is this their chance to get it right?

The Book of guilt by Catherine Chidgey

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Morning, afternoon, night.

The mothers are always watching.

Vincent, Lawrence and William are the last remaining residents of a secluded New Forest home, part of the government’s Sycamore Scheme. Every day, the triplets dress in their assigned colours; yellow for Vincent, green for Lawrence and red for William. They do their chores, play their games and take their medicine while under the watchful eyes of three mothers: Mother Morning, Mother Afternoon and Mother Night.

Their nightmares are recorded in The Book of Dreams.

Their lessons are taken from The Book of Knowledge.

And their sins are reported in The Book of Guilt.

All the boys want is to be sent to the Big House in Margate, where they imagine a life of sun, sea and fairground rides. But, as the government looks to shut down the Sycamore Homes, the triplets begin to question everything they have been told.

Gradually surrendering its dark secrets, The Book of Guilt is a profoundly unnerving exploration of belonging in a world where some lives are valued less than others.

Happy #BookBirthday! 15 May 2025

 

Happy Thursday! This week there are TWO books on our lists publishing!

The Invisibles by Susie Bower

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A magical kingdom. Four friends. One terrible mistake...

In the Land of Magic, four friends live a life filled with wonder. But there's one rule they must not break: never set foot on the Island of Darkness. So, when one child does the unthinkable, they must all pay a terrible price - exile to Wasteland, the bleak world where only grown-ups live.

For Grace, this fate is particularly cruel. She wakes up with no memory of her magical home, or how she ended up here - and the only clue to her past is guarded by two hostile and mysteriously invisible children.

As Grace uncovers the Invisibles' secrets, she must work out a way to return home, before Wasteland traps her forever...

So Over Sharing by Elissa Brent Weissman

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Quiet, introverted Hadley and rough-around-the-edges Willow have one big main thing in common: both their moms have gained a huge online following sharing every detail of their lives. Hadley’s mom—Phoebe of @PhoebeAndJay fame—loves to share all the terrible, down and dirty bits about raising kids while Willow’s mom Rosalind at the up-and-coming @MoonbeamsAndMarigold basks in the glow of motherhood.

If getting all her life's moments (including an almost decade old viral potty training video) shared online isn't enough, Hadley’s starting a new school in a new neighborhood and desperately trying to keep her mom’s identity a secret while Willow is struggling with a recent life-changing announcement from her mom who, it turns out, is not getting out of the influencer world anytime soon.

As the two girls build a friendship on a private Instagram page and share the pains of having a momfluencers, they come up against the same question—how long will they have to share their lives with everyone?

Gay the Pray Away by Natalie Naudus

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Valerie Danners is in a cult. She just doesn’t know it yet. When she finds a queer book at the library and smuggles it home, her conservative Christian homeschooling world begins to crack. And when the cutest girl she’s ever met shows up to Bible class, she starts to question everything.

Riley is so confident and kind, and she and Valerie bond quickly over existing as multiracial teens in a very white Christian community. As Valerie explores her feelings for Riley, she begins to see that the world she knows is a carefully crafted narrative.

Publicly, the girls are close friends—holding hands in prayer, rooming together at a conference. Privately, they grasp at any chance to continue their forbidden romance—until they are found out. Now Valerie must choose between staying with a family she fears will never accept her, or running away with the girl she loves.

The Quiet by Barnaby Martin

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A mother's love can be deafening . . .

Isaac is Hannah’s entire world. She knows that her son is gifted, and that those gifts make him vulnerable. To keep him safe, she spends every waking moment by his side. If she lets her guard down, lets him out of her sight, lets him show what he’s capable of, he will be taken from her.

When the Soundfield arrived twenty years ago, the world changed with it. Now, people are forced to live at night due to the deadly heat of the day, food and water are scarce, and everyday life is punctuated by the constant and disconcerting hum from the Field. A brilliant scientist, Hannah spent her early career working on the enigma of the Soundfield, looking for answers; now, resigned, she has focussed all her energies on keeping Isaac living, not just alive.

To do so, she will have to lie to the people she knows and hope she can trust the ones she doesn't. Because the only thing more dangerous than her lies, is the truth of what she has done.

Happy #BookBirthday! 8 May 2025

Happy Thursday! This week there are SEVEN books on our lists publishing!

If We Survive This by Racquel Marie

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Flora is not the girl who survives. A colorful creative who spends as much time fearing death as she does trying to hide that fear from her loved ones, she’s always considered herself weak. But half a year into the global outbreak of a rabies mutation that transforms people into violent, zombie-like “rabids,” she and her older brother Cain are still alive. With their mom dead, dad missing, and LA suburb left desolate, they form a new plan: The secluded Northern California cabin they vacationed in growing up is their best chance at a safe haven, and maybe even seeing their dad again.

The dangers of the world have changed, but so has Flora. Still, their journey up the state is complicated by encounters with familiar faces, new allies, hidden truths, and painful memories of the final time her family made this same trip the previous year. And for Flora, one thing inevitably remains: no matter how far you run, death is never far behind.

Badger Books by Paddy Donnelly

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‘Badger Books’ is a bookshop, run by a badger. You can find books about every animal. From bears to elephants, tigers to dinosaurs and pandas to narwhals. But there’s one book they don’t have ... and it’s one that Rory the Fox really, really wants.

Manhattan Down by Michael Cordy

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THE CITY THAT NEVER SLEEPS JUST SAID GOODNIGHT.

On the anniversary eve of the 9/11 terror attack, New York swelters under a heat dome of record temperatures. Even the global leaders assembled at the UN HQ are forced to admit that the climate crisis has reached boiling point and the world's time is running out.

That same day, at precisely 5:25 p.m., everyone on Manhattan Island - every man, woman and child, including all the world leaders at the UN - falls unconscious. Everyone that is, except for Samantha Rossi, a single mother reeling from devastating personal news and Nick Lockwood, a wounded NYPD detective who wakes from a coma just as the City That Never Sleeps falls into one.

Rossi's first concern is her daughter. Lockwood's is his city. As night draws in, they must work together to unravel the mystery of what has happened and why. Each must decide how far they will go and what lines they will cross to save what matters most to them.

I Dare You by Tamsin Winter

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Willow and Alma are best friends, sharing a love of the spotlight. All they want is fame and fortune, and Willow is determined that the best way to get it is to go viral. So they start filming dares. Okay, so getting stuck in a basketball hoop doesn't get them the sort of attention they were hoping for, but as their challenges get more extreme, their fan base grows. Duct-taping themselves to a wall? No-brainer. Eating super-hot chillis? Of course! Waxing an eyebrow off? Super funny! And if they get in a bit of trouble, it's worth it.

But if they really want to prove themselves, they have to go all-out. So they come up with the perfect idea. An idea that causes more than just a bit of trouble. An idea that might destroy not just their ambitions but their entire friendship for good.

Happy #BookBirthday! 1 May 2025

Happy Thursday! This week there are FIVE books on our lists publishing!