12 Exciting Books Coming out in 2021

Just give me ALL of the books being published in 2021 please, and thank you!

With one year ending, and the next peeking around the corner (ok, the New Year is already here and I was late publishing this blog post but “peeking around the corner” was too cute not to use, so it stayed) there is only one thing on my mind. Books!

Which books will I 100% definitely read in 2021, and might even need to take a personal day off of work when the publication day arrives? This is acceptable behavior for any bookworm by the way, don’t let anyone convince you otherwise 😉

I have decided to honor one book for every month of 2021. I tried to pick a range of different genres to showcase, but let’s be real, I’m a Fantasy and Rom Com kind of girl so the large majority of books on my list reflects this. Books set to be released in the later portion of the year are subject to change though, so don’t hold me to any of these pub dates!

JANUARY: A Thousand Ships

I went through a HUGE Greek Mythology phase in high school and I cannot wait to dive back into the Trojan War with this book. Our narrator will be Calliope, goddess of poetry, in this new retelling of the Trojan War. This time, we are seeing the tale unfold through the stories of the women involved. Move over Hector and Achilles, this doesn’t concern you!

This is a collection of stories, not a full-length novel so I have some concerns about my ability to stay invested in the book (curse my inability to love short stories!!!!), but nonetheless I am very excited for this modern retelling! This sounds perfect for fans of Circe.

FEBRUARY: A Court of Silver Flames

Hold my earrings people cause I will fight SJM if she doesn’t finally deliver on some Cassian and Nesta action. (Just kidding…but not really, I want it!)

This is definitely at the top of my most anticipated reads of 2021! I think we are all very much aware of what we can expect with ACOSF (smutty Fae smut with a side of smut) but if you have no idea what I am talking about then stop, drop and roll to your nearest bookstore or head over to book depository and pick up a copy of A Court of Thorns and Roses.

ACOTAR, a loose retelling of Beauty and the Beast, is the first book in the series and if you are a fan of fae fantasy stories sprinkled with a lot of steamy romance, then this is the series for you. Quick!! Binge read them all in time for the release of A Court of Silver Flames!

MARCH: Once Upon a Quinceanera 

I heard this described as being similar to Jane the Virgin and I immediately decided I had to read it!

I will be honest and say I am not the biggest fan of YA Contemporaries, but I AM a huge fan of Jane the Virgin, comical plots, witty and strong female characters, and coming of age stories and this book seems to hold the promise of all of the above! Plus, it’s an Own voices story so sign me up! A little birdie also mentioned it has Beauty and the Beast vibes so, I obviously need it.

APRIL: Witches Steeped in Gold

Let me just say one word. REVENGE. Let me add another word. RIVALS. Let me add just one more word. WITCHES. We have hit the trifecta and there is size-able evidence to suggest this might just be my new favorite book.

This is a Jamaican inspired YA Fantasy and I am so excited to get my hands on it! I mean…are you looking at this cover?!?! Barnes and Noble’s blurb describes it as being a “mix of Killing Eve and Furyborn” so…just take my money.

MAY: Threadneedle

There is a secret London in this novel, and I am drawn to it like a fly to honey. Magic is considered evil, and something to fear so it is bound, and taken from you. Or at least that is what our main character is told to believe…

I have many questions about this book, it looks as if it is categorized under Adult Fantasy right now but the story line reads YA to me so I recategorized it. It feels very mysterious, and the Magic system sounds more than intriguing so it must be read! It’s also another cover “buy” …or it will be. Can you blame me though??? It’s GORGEOUS! 

JUNE: The Library of The Dead

The MC of this novel is a Scottish Zimbabwean 14 year old who can talk to the dead. There are a few things that excite me about just those facts. First, I feel like YA is saturated with older teen characters (16+) and I am always excited to have books to recommend with younger teen characters.

Second, Scotland! The book is set in Edinburgh, Scotland which is at the top of my bucket list. Third, she can talk to the dead which means it’s full of magic and I am here for that! Fourth, I have never read a book with a Zimbabwean MC and I think it’s about time I changed that. To top it all off the word LIBRARY is in the title so…SOLD!

JULY: Isn’t It Bromantic

Shhhh! This is the fourth book of the Bromance Book club series and I still haven’t read the first. Does that stop me from being totally excited for the next book in the series though? No, it does not! What kind of Bookstagrammer, Book hoarder, She-Reader do you think I am?

Anyway, this series follows a group of men who have put together a secret book club for romance books. It sounds amazing and I am way behind, so I plan to catch up on the first three books in time for the release of the Fourth book in July.

AUGUST: The Heart Principle

YESSSSSS! I fell in love with Helen Hoang’s writing style with The Kiss Quotient, and my love stayed true with The Bride Test so I am absolutely psyched that we finally get Quan’s story in the Heart Principle this year.

Where The Kiss Quotient and The Bride Test followed MC’s that were on the Autism and Asperger’s spectrum, her newest novel stars a heroine with OCD. I feel like characters with OCD are often times not treated with the sensitivity they deserve (where having “OCD” is depicted as a comical side effect of needing to stay organized only) and I trust Helen Hoang to give us a character who is real and allow for readers who also have OCD to see themselves depicted in the pages. Representation matters in Rom Coms too!

SEPTEMBER: Empire of the Vampire

MY BODY IS READY! Someone please tell Mister Kristoff that I am fully prepared to sell my kidney or a portion of my soul for an ARC of this book*! I have shouted into the Instagram void, clothed myself in his attire and goatee, and still do not own an ARC, or the promise of an ARC, of this book! The unjustness of it all is astounding.

I am, and always will be, a vampire girl at heart and when I heard that my favorite (living) author was writing an epic Vampire fantasy I instantaneously became a screeching fangirl. This book promises to be dark, and bloody and darker then the dark I’m probably imagining it to be but paired with Jay Kristoff’s wit and humor I know it will be a success! I will definitely be taking a day off work to read this one on publication day…any coworkers reading this (cough…I’m sick.)

*I am not ACTUALLY prepared to sell either of these things, but I am making a footnote in my blog post so I’m pretty sure this entitles me to a Jay Kristoff ARC. 

OCTOBER: The Gilded Cage

Listen, I don’t really know a lot about this book. It’s a sequel to The Prison Healer (which comes out March 2021?) and Sarah J. Mass told me I had to read it so I’m going to. (Sadly, I did not speak to SJM personally. Alas, she spoke to me through the Internet via book blurbs, as she does with us all.)

Honestly, the allure of the cover is enough to turn me over to the dark side alone. The Prison Healer tells the story of Kiva, after spending years in a death prison working as the Prison Healer she must help keep the rebel queen alive long enough for her family to arrive. She knows that no one has survived so she offers to take the queens place.

NOVEMBER: All of Us Villains

I am forever trying to fill the void that If We Were Villains left behind after reading it 2 years ago. Check out a small synopsis on my previous post 3 Perfect Books for Each Enneagram Personality Type if this title intrigues you too!

As soon as I saw All of Us Villains, I felt a glimmer of hope. My little Villain loving heart immediately felt the need to consume this title, and it’s one I fear I might be hyping up too much, only to lead to disappointment. But let us stay hopeful! This is a tournament to the death, where the winner will attain their family control over the magic in the world. What’s there not to love?

DECEMBER: To Be Determined!

Not even the Internet is willing to list possible upcoming December 2021 book releases in the event they might be wrong!

This means we must be patient and wait to see what my most anticipated book of the month will be! (Unless any of you book dragons have the inside scoop on December releases, in which case SHARE your knowledge please!). I promise to return to this blog and update the December list, I am hoping for an adorable Christmas Rom Com to dash through the snow into. (You see what I did there?)

And with that I have created my Most Anticipated Reads of 2021 List. However, seeing as I am a woman and It’s my prerogative to change my mind as I see fit…I have already added other books to this list. Some outweigh the above, some are just equal to the above. I CAN’T HELP IT!! I love ALL books! I feel bad for the other books not included above though, so here are a few honorable mentions Anticipated Reads.

More Rom Coms To look forward to in 2021:

The Honorable Mentions:

To Love and to Loathe – I don’t know about you but I am currently experiencing withdrawal from Witty Regency Romance after finishing Bridgerton on Netflix. To Love and to Loathe is a romantic comedy set in Regency times and looks perfect for fans of the hate to love trope AND Bridgerton. This author (me) is very excited.

One Last Stop – This is the upcoming release from the author of Red White and Royal Blue, which was basically the cutest Rom Com from 2019 so One Last Stop is bound to be great. We are promised a sapphic, witty romantic comedy with time travel. That’s all I really need to know.

More YA Books to look forward to in 2021:

The Honorable Mentions:

Be Dazzled – OUT 1/5/2021 This is the book that made me do an honorable mentions list, because I might have changed my mind and this is my most Anticipated read of January 2021. Someone described it as Project Runway meets Comic Con and I am pretty sure we ALL need this in our lives!

Last Chance Books – OUT 5/5/2021 This sounds like You’ve Got Mail in book form and I AM HERE FOR IT!!! Books about books are a treasure to behold and I am beyond excited for this one.

Fantasy/Science Fiction to look forward to 2021:

The Honorable Mentions:

A Dowry of Blood – THIS COVER! IT. IS. GORGEOUS. I am prepared to read every Dracula retelling known to man kind and this will be no exception. The reviews describe it as a truly evil depiction of Dracula, with lots of sexy times. I would say its the LGBTQ Vampire story of the year…but it’s competing for that title with Empire of the Vampire.

The Stranger Times – The book centers around a newspaper that investigates the strange and unusual. Hand me a camera, dress me in a black dress and hat and call me Lydia Deets because “I myself am strange and unusual…” which means I am quite ready to devour this book.

Mystery/ Thrillers to look forward to 2021:

The Honorable Mentions:

Arsenic and Adobo – I have one major question with this book: Is this a rom com or a mystery? Signs point to the answer being both, and I am SO intrigued! Lila, the MC of the novel, believes her life is following romantic trope after romantic trope but a twist happens when a food critique (AND HER EX BOYFRIEND) drops dead. Say what?!?!

The Wife Upstairs –  I love a good twist on a classic novel and I am very excited for this gothic retelling of Jane Eyre. The Wife Upstairs has reimagined the setting in Southern Suburbia, where Jane meets a recently widowed Eddie Rochester. I have always been highly intrigued by Mr. Rochester’s hidden wife, and I can’t wait to see Hawkin’s take on the character.

There are plenty of other amazing books being published this year and I will hopefully be back to discuss THEM ALL with you! Until then, let me know if you read any of the above and what you think! 2021 promises to be a year of exciting books and my TBR list is already screaming at me!