Aardvark Book Club is a monthly book subscription box (in both the U.S. & Canada) in which members choose up to 3 hardcover books. In addition to past months’ selections, Aardvark provides 5 newly published books to choose from each month. You can also discuss the books with other members in the Aardvark app.
As the end of the month approaches, Aardvark Book Club starts posting hints for their upcoming month’s selection. While the type of hints changes from month-to-month, they remain fun to follow along with. I typically make guesses as to what books they will be in my Instagram stories, but I thought I would also share them here.
For May, Aardvark posted on shared hint shown below. I have circled the appropriate sequence of emojis for each book. The last picture for each book is the mood board, which is posted after the books have been announced.
Book # 1
The Perfect Ones
Nicole Hackett
A picture-perfect trip goes horribly wrong in this fast-paced exploration of friendship and the dark side of social media, perfect for fans of Lucy Foley and Andrea Bartz.
Two days after arriving in Iceland for a promotional trip, Instagram influencer Alabama Wood goes missing. With no leads, the Icelandic police start their investigation by focusing on the two influencers seemingly closest to Alabama on the trip: Celeste Reed, Alabama’s best friend of ten years, and Hollie Goodwin, fitness guru and Alabama’s unwilling idol.
Publication Date: May 2, 2023
Publisher: Crooked Lane Books
Tags: Debut, Thriller, & Mystery
Book # 2
An American Beauty
Shana Abe
Amidst the opulent glamor and vicious social circles of Gilded Age New York, this stunning biographical historical novel by New York Times bestselling author of The Second Mrs. Astor conjures the true rags-to-riches story of Arabella Huntington—a woman whose great beauty was surpassed only by her exceptional business acumen, grit, and artistic eye, and who defied the constraints of her era to become the wealthiest self-made woman in America.
An American Beauty brings to vivid life the glitter and drama of a captivating chapter in history—and a remarkable woman who lived by her own rules.
Publication Date: April 25, 2023
Publisher: Kensington
Tags: Romance & Historical Fiction
Book # 3
Chain-Gang All-Stars
Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah
A Most Anticipated Book of the Year
Two top women gladiators fight for their freedom within a depraved private prison system not so far-removed from America’s own in this explosive, hotly-anticipated debut novel from the New York Times bestselling author of Friday Black.
Loretta Thurwar and Hamara “Hurricane Staxxx” Stacker are the stars of Chain-Gang All-Stars, the cornerstone of CAPE, or Criminal Action Penal Entertainment, a highly-popular, highly-controversial, profit-raising program in America’s increasingly dominant private prison industry. It’s the return of the gladiators and prisoners are competing for the ultimate prize: their freedom.
Publication Date: May 2, 2023
Publisher: Pantheon
Tags: Debut, Sci-Fi, Literary Fiction, LGBTQ+
Book # 4
Swamp Story
Dave Barry
Pulitzer Prize–winning and New York Times bestselling author and actual Florida Man Dave Barry returns with a Florida caper full of oddballs and more twists and turns than a snake slithering away from a gator.
Jesse Braddock is trapped in a tiny cabin deep in the Everglades with her infant daughter and her ex-boyfriend, a wannabe reality TV star who turned out to be a lot prettier on the outside than on the inside. Broke and desperate for a way out, Jesse stumbles across a long-lost treasure, which could solve all her problems—if she can figure out how to keep it. The problem is some very bad men are also looking for the treasure, and they know Jesse has it.
Publication Date: May 2, 2023
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Tags: Humor, Contemporary Fiction
Book # 5
This Bird Has Flown
Susanna Hoffs
A delightfully funny and steamy debut novel about music, fate, redemption, and love from beloved songwriter and Bangles co-founder Susanna Hoffs that is “part British romcom, part Jane Eyre, and one hundred percent enjoyable” (Tom Perrotta).
Jane Start is thirty-three, broke, and recently single. Ten years prior, she had a hit song—written by world-famous superstar Jonesy—but Jane hasn’t had a breakout since. Now she’s living out of four garbage bags at her parents’ house, reduced to performing to Karaoke tracks in Las Vegas. Rock bottom.
Publication date: April 4, 2023
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons
Tags: Debut, Romance, Movie Coming, & Contemporary Fiction
