A Fire So Wild

Sarah Ruiz-Grossman

This cover screamed BOTM to me. A Fire So WIld is blurbed by at least one BOTM author and compared to a very popular past BOTM title. Of all my guesses for literary & contemporary fiction, I think this book is the most likely.

Synopsis: With the emotional echoes of Little Fires Everywhere and the lush atmosphere of Disappearing Earth, a riveting debut novel in which a wildfire creeps toward Berkeley, California, igniting tensions as characters from all walks of life confront the injustices lying beneath the city’s surface. Alternating among a colorful cast of characters, A Fire So Wild is a timely, tautly paced novel that questions why when everything burns, not everyone is left with scars.

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Good Material

Dolly Alderton

I originally thought Come & Get It may be a pick. But after realizing it will be an Aardvark selection, I decided to replace it in my predictions with Good Material.

Synopsis: From the New York Times best-selling author of Ghosts and Everything I Know About Love: a story of heartbreak and friendship and how to survive both. In this sharply funny and exquisitely relatable story of romantic disaster and friendship, Dolly Alderton offers up a love story with two endings, demonstrating once again why she is one of the most exciting writers today, and the true voice of a generation.

Greta & Valdin

Rebecca K. Reilly

This book is a toss up. I was not sure whether or not to include it, but the fact it is compared to Sally Rooney and has some themes BOTM loves convinced me to leave it among my predictions.

Synopsis: For fans of Schitt’s Creek and Sally Rooney’s Normal People, an irresistible and bighearted international bestseller that follows a brother and sister as they navigate queerness, multiracial identity, and the dramas big and small of their entangled, unconventional family, all while flailing their way to love.

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Redwood Court

DeLana R.A. Dameron

This is a book that I have not seen among anyone’s predictions. I think it is as likely as any other in this genre to be a pick.

Synopsis: A breathtaking debut about one unforgettable Southern Black family, seen through the eyes of its youngest daughter as she comes of age in the 1990s. With visceral clarity and powerful prose, Dameron reveals the devastation of being made to feel invisible and the transformative power of being seen. Redwood Court is a celebration of extraordinary, ordinary people striving to achieve their own American dreams.

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The Turtle House

Amanda Churchill

I think this is an either/or with Redwood Court, as in they are too similar for both to be choices.

Synopsis: Moving between late 1990s small-town Texas to pre-World War II Japan and occupied Tokyo, an emotionally engaging literary debut about a grandmother and granddaughter who connect over a beloved lost place and the secrets they both carry. A story of intergenerational friendship, family, coming of age, identity, and love, The Turtle House illuminates the hidden lives we lead, the secrets we hold close, and what it truly means to find home again when it feels lost forever.

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Acts of Forgiveness

Maura Cheeks

I would absolutely love to see Acts of Forgiveness as a BOTM selection. I think the premise for this book is unique and interesting (and would be perfect for Black History Month).

Synopsis: Every American waits with bated breath to see whether or not the country’s first female president will pass the Forgiveness Act. The bill would allow Black families to claim up to $175,000 if they can prove they are the descendants of slaves, and for ambitious single mother Willie Revel the bill could be a long-awaited form of redemption. A decade ago, Willie gave up her burgeoning journalism career to help run her father’s struggling construction company in Philadelphia and she has reluctantly put family first, without being able to forget who she might have become. Now she’s back living with her parents and her young daughter while trying to keep her family from going into bankruptcy. Could the Forgiveness Act uncover her forgotten roots while also helping save their beloved home and her father’s life’s work?

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The Women

Kristin Hannah

BOTM has featured Kristin Hannah’s last few books. I am sure she is a big seller for them. I think The Women is a shoe-in for selection unless the publisher does not want it to be.

Synopsis: When her brother ships out to serve in Vietnam, Frankie McGrath joins the Army Nurse Corps and follows his path. As green and inexperienced as the men sent to Vietnam to fight, Frankie is over-whelmed by the chaos and destruction of war. In war, she meets—and becomes one of—the lucky, the brave, the broken, and the lost. But war is just the beginning for Frankie and her veteran friends. The real battle lies in coming home to a changed and divided America, to angry protesters, and to a country that wants to forget Vietnam.

Repeat Author

Hard by a Great Forest

Leo Vardiashvili

I would love to see BOTM choose a historical fiction novel that is not WWI or WWII. And this is January 30th release fits the bill. I think the third hint could possibly allude to this book, which has been blurbed by at least one past BOTM author.

Synopsis: Amid rubble and rebuilding in a former Soviet land, one family must rescue one another and put the past to rest: a stirring novel about what happens after the fighting is over. In a journey that will lead him to the very heart of a conflict that has marred generations and fractured his own family, Saba must retrace his father’s footsteps to discover what remains of their homeland and its people. By turns savage and tender, compassionate and harrowing, Hard by a Great Forest is a powerful and ultimately hopeful novel about the individual and collective trauma of war, and the indomitable spirit of a people determined not only to survive, but to remember those who did not.

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The Hidden Life of Cecily Larson

Ellen Baker

The first app hint looks like it may refer to this debut novel. The synopsis sounds like it has similar themes to past BOTM selections.

Synopsis: In 1924, four-year-old Cecily Larson’s mother reluctantly drops her off at an orphanage in Chicago, promising to be back once she’s made enough money to support both Cecily and herself. But she never returns, and shortly after high-spirited Cecily turns seven, she is sold to a traveling circus to perform as the “little sister” to glamorous bareback rider Isabelle DuMonde. Orphan Train meets Before We Were Yours meets Water for Elephants in this compelling multigenerational novel of survival, love, and the families we make.

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The Mayor of Maxwell Street

Avery Cunningham

This book was initially not in my predictions, because the publisher is essentially Disney, with whom BOTM has not previously collaborated. However, it looks like the third hint this month is alluding to this book.

Synopsis: When a rich Black debutante enlists the help of a low-level speakeasy manager to identify the head of an underground crime syndicate, the two are thrust into the dangerous world of Prohibition-era Chicago. Debut author Avery Cunningham’s stunning novel is at once an epic love story, a riveting historical drama, and a brilliant exploration of Black society and perseverance when the ‘20s first began to roar.

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The Fox Wife

Yangsze Choo

I debated whether or not to include this book among my predictions. I ultimately decided to include it when I discovered that Yangsze Choo’s previous book was a selection. Personally, I would absolutely love to see this as a selection.

Synopsis: In the last years of the dying Qing Empire, a courtesan is found frozen in a doorway. Her death is clouded by rumors of foxes, which are believed to lure people by transforming themselves into beautiful women and handsome men. Bao, a detective with an uncanny ability to sniff out the truth, is hired to uncover the dead woman’s identity. Since childhood, Bao has been intrigued by the fox gods, yet they’ve remained tantalizingly out of reach–until, perhaps, now. New York Times bestselling author Yangsze Choo brilliantly explores a world of mortals and spirits, humans and beasts, and their dazzling intersection. Epic in scope and full of singular, unforgettable characters, The Fox Wife is a stunning novel about old loves and second chances, the depths of maternal love, and ancient folktales that may very well be true.

Repeat Author

Bride

Ali Hazelwood

BOTM has continued to feature Ali Hazelwood’s books, and as long as they keep selling, I do not think they will stop anytime soon.

Synopsis: A dangerous alliance between a Vampyre bride and an Alpha Werewolf becomes a love deep enough to sink your teeth into in this new paranormal romance from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Love, Theoretically and The Love Hypothesis.

Repeat Author

Ready or Not

Cara Bastone

The second February app hint seems to indicate that this debut novel will be a pick.

Synopsis: Eve Hatch lives for surprises! Just kidding. She expects every tomorrow to be pretty much the same as today. She loves her cozy apartment in Brooklyn that’s close to her childhood best friend Willa, and far from her midwestern, traditional family who has never really understood her. While her job is only dream-adjacent, it’s comfortable and steady. She always knows what to expect from her life . . . until she finds herself expecting after an uncharacteristic one-night stand. A surprise pregnancy leads to even more life-changing revelations in this heartfelt, slow-burn, friends-to-lovers romance of found family and unexpected love.

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Till There Was You

Lindsay Hameroff

This debut novel has largely flown under most people’s radars. However, it has been blurbed several past BOTM authors and sounds cute!

Synopsis: Culinary student Lexi Berman, 24, has one goal: to make her late mother proud by becoming an executive chef in a Michelin-star restaurant. And she isn’t going to let anything–or anyone–get in the way. But when she meets Jake Taylor, a dive bar musician who charms her with show tunes, she makes a rare exception to her no-dating rule. After a steamy weekend together, Jake leaves for L.A. to record his demo, and Lexi never expects to see him again. This novel sprinkles in a second chance at love and a dollop of celebrity drama to create a romantic romp that will make even the most jaded reader smile.

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Girls with Bad Reputations

Xio Axelrod

It has been 3 years since The Girls with Stars in Her Eyes was a BOTM pick. I am not sure if its follow-up will also be a selection, but we do not have long to wait and see.

Synopsis: In the follow-up to The Girls with Stars in Her Eyes, the pressure to be the perfect daughter nearly broke Kayla Whitman. All her life, Kayla heard the same refrain: Don’t be so loud. Don’t act so wild. Don’t take up so much space. Now she’s the beating heart of an up-and-coming rock band…and the whole world is going to know her name.

Repeat Author

Nightwatching

Tracy Sierra

I think Nightwatching will be a super popular books. It has great early reviews and has been blurbed by a slew of past BOTM authors.

Synopsis: A razor-sharp thriller about a mother forced to the breaking point when her life and the lives of her children are threatened by an intruder. In the suffocating darkness, the mother struggles to remain calm, to plan. Should she search for a weapon or attempt escape? But then she catches another glimpse of him. That face. That voice. And at once she knows her situation is even more dire than she’d feared, because she knows exactly who he is—and what he wants.

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Everyone Who Can Forgive Me Is Dead

Jenny Hollander

This debut novel may have been alluded to in the third app hint this month. In addition, it is also blurbed by several past BOTM authors. The synopsis definitely seems like something BOTM would choose.

Synopsis: Nine years ago, with the world’s eyes on her, Charlie Colbert fled. The press and the police called Charlie a “witness” to the nightmarish events at her elite graduate school on Christmas Eve–events known to the public as “Scarlet Christmas”–though Charlie knows she was much more than that. Now, Charlie has meticulously rebuilt her life. But when a buzzy film made by one of Charlie’s former classmates threatens to shatter everything she’s worked for, Charlie realizes how much she’s changed in nine years. Now, she’s not going to let anything–not even the people she once loved most–get in her way.

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The Resort

Sara Ochs

This debut is compared to two past BOTM books/authors. Add in that it is about a vacation among friends, and I think it has a good chance at showing up in February boxes.

Synopsis: For readers of Rachel Hawkins and We Were Never Here comes a searing vacation thriller set on a remote island in Thailand following two mysterious women, a charismatic group of expats, and the one murder poised to bring their paradise crashing down.

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My Name Was Eden

Eleanor Barker-White

This debut novel is compared to The Push and blurbed by at least one past BOTM author. It also sounds absolutely batshit crazy. Vanishing Twin Syndrome is a completely new concept to me.

Synopsis: When her daughter Eden came home from the hospital, Lucy was profoundly relieved. Eden had survived a drowning incident and had no apparent brain damage, no serious injuries, not even a scratch on her. Lucy fervently welcomed having a second chance at being the good mother she should have been before her teenager’s accident. Until Eden tells her that Eden isn’t her name. Until she starts calling herself Eli. The name Lucy had reserved for Eden’s unborn twin. Lucy knows something’s very wrong with Eden. She’s not her maddening, complicated teenage girl anymore—this straight-backed, even tempered, steady-eyed child in her house is someone else entirely. Eden, it seems, is the twin who disappeared…

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End of Story

A.J. Finn

Sadly, I can see BOTM making this book a February selection. I think there are enough people who are unaware or do not care that the person who writes as A.J. Finn is a horrible that BOTM could do well featuring this book.

Synopsis: For fans of Knives Out comes a spellbinding thriller from the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller The Woman in the Window. “I’ll be dead in three months. Come tell my story.” So writes Sebastian Trapp, reclusive mystery novelist, to his longtime correspondent Nicky Hunter, an expert in detective fiction. With mere months to live, Trapp invites Nicky to his spectacular San Francisco mansion to help draft his life story . . . while living alongside his beautiful second wife, Diana; his wayward nephew, Freddy; and his protective daughter, Madeleine. Soon Nicky finds herself caught in an irresistible case of real-life “detective-fever.” Twenty years earlier—on New Year’s Eve 1999—Sebastian’s first wife and teenage son vanished from different locations, never to be seen again. Did the perfect crime writer commit the perfect crime? And why has he emerged from seclusion, two decades later, to allow a stranger to dig into his past?

Repeat Author

Island Witch

Amanda Jayatissa

Jayatissa’s sophomore novel Your Invited was a BOTM pick in 2022. I think that Island Witch sounds like a BOTM pick and that the likelihood is slightly increased with a repeat author. There is also a possibility that one of the February app hints refer to this book.

Synopsis: Set in 19th century Sri Lanka and inspired by local folklore, the daughter of a traditional demon-priest—relentlessly bullied by peers and accused of witchcraft herself—tries to solve the mysterious attacks that have been terrorizing her coastal village.

Repeat Author

The Book of Doors

Gareth Brown

When I first learned about this book, I immediately added it to the list I keep of possible future BOTM selections. The cover screams BOTM as does the synopsis. Throw in the fact it is compared to two past BOTM picks and I think this is an obvious choice.

Synopsis: A debut novel full of magic, adventure, and romance, The Book of Doors opens up a thrilling world of contemporary fantasy for readers of The Midnight Library, The Invisible Life of Addie Larue, The Night Circus, and any modern story that mixes the wonder of the unknown with just a tinge of darkness.

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The Book of Love

Kelly Link

The Book of Love was on a ton of “Most Anticipated Books of 2024” lists. In addition, it has been blurbed by a slew of BOTM authors and sounds like a typical BOTM fantasy pick. However, I am not sure both Book of Doors and The Book of Love would be picks in the same month.

Synopsis: In the long-awaited debut novel from bestselling author and Pulitzer Prize finalist Kelly Link, three teenagers become pawns in a supernatural power struggle. Late one night, Laura, Daniel, and Mo find themselves beneath the fluorescent lights of a high school classroom, almost a year after disappearing from their hometown, the small seaside community of Lovesend, Massachusetts, having long been presumed dead. Which, in fact, they are. With them in the room is their previously unremarkable high school music teacher, who seems to know something about their disappearance—and what has brought them back again. 

Ours

Phillip B. Williams

This new novel is blurbed by the very popular past BOTM author Brit Bennett. It leans heavily into magical realism. However, I am not sure this book totally fits BOTM.

Synopsis: In this ingenious, sweeping novel, Phillip B. Williams introduces us to an enigmatic woman named Saint, a fearsome conjuror who, in the 1830s, annihilates plantations all over Arkansas to rescue the people enslaved there. She brings those she has freed to a haven of her own creation: a town just north of St. Louis, magically concealed from outsiders, named Ours. Set over the course of four decades and steeped in a rich tradition of American literature informed by Black surrealism, mythology, and spirituality, Ours is a stunning exploration of the possibilities and limitations of love and freedom by a writer of capacious vision and talent.

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Medea

Eilish Quin

It has been quite awhile since BOTM has featured a Greek mythology retelling. This debut is compared to a couple past BOTM picks. However, I am not sure if BOTM has closed the doors on its mythology retellings era.

Synopsis: For centuries, the Everlys have seen their best and brightest disappear, taken as punishment for a crime no one remembers, for a purpose no one understands. Their tormentor, a woman named Penelope, never ages, never grows sick – and never forgives a debt. Slip into a lush world of magic, stardust, and monsters in this spellbinding contemporary fantasy from debut author Georgia Summers.

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Fifty Beasts to Break Your Heart: And Other Stories

Gennarose Nethercott

I am not really sure just how popular Thistlefoot was when it was a BOTM selection. However, I could see this fantasy short story collection being popular.

Synopsis: From the author of the breakout novel Thistlefoot: a collection of dark fairytales and fractured folklore exploring how our passions can save us—or go monstrously wrong. The stories in Fifty Beasts to Break Your Heart are about the abomination that resides within us all. That churning, clawing, ravenous yearning: the hunger to be held, and seen, and known. And the terror, too: to be loved too well, or not enough, or for long enough. To be laid bare before your sweetheart, to their horror. To be recognized as the monstrous thing you are.

Repeat Author

The Heartless Hunter

Kristen Ciccarelli

This book was not initially on my radar, but it looks like the third app hint indicates it will be a selection. It is also blurbed by Rebecca Ross. To my knowledge, this would be the first real romantasy pick from BOTM.

Synopsis: Enemies-to-lovers doesn’t get more high stakes than a witch and a witch hunter falling in love in bestselling author Kristen Ciccarelli’s latest romantic fantasy. Kristen Ciccarelli’s Heartless Hunter is the thrilling start to The Crimson Moth duology, a romantic fantasy series where the only thing more treacherous than being a witch…is falling in love.

My Side of the River

Elizabeth Camarillo Gutierrez

This is my top nonfiction pick. It seems that BOTM is primarily including memoirs as nonfiction selections. I think this memoir seems like a strong contender.

Synopsis: Elizabeth Camarillo Gutierrez reveals her experience as the U.S. born daughter of immigrants and what happened when, at fifteen, her parents were forced back to Mexico in this galvanizing yet tender memoir. For fans of Educated by Tara Westover and The Distance Between Us by Reyna Grande, My Side of the River explores separation, generational trauma, and the toll of the American dream.

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Private Equity

Carrie Sun

This memoir is more reflective of past BOTM selections, but I can see it resignating with BOTM members.

Synopsis: A gripping memoir of one woman’s self-discovery inside a top Wall Street firm, and an urgent indictment of privilege, extreme wealth, and work culture. A searing examination of our relationship to work, Carrie’s story illuminates the struggle for balance in a world of extremes: efficiency and excess, status and aspiration, power and fortune. Private Equity is a universal tale of self-invention from a dazzling new voice, daring to ask what we’re willing to sacrifice to get to the top—and what it might take to break free and leave it all behind.

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Splinters: Another Kind of Love Story

Leslie Jamison

This book was on like very most anticipated book list. Not having read it, I cannot say if it is too literary to be a BOTM selection. However, I think it includes with some popular BOTM themes.

Synopsis: In her first memoir, Jamison turns her unrivaled powers of perception on some of the most intimate relationships of her life: her consuming love for her young daughter, a ruptured marriage once swollen with hope, and the shaping legacy of her own parents’ complicated bond. In examining what it means for a woman to be many things at once—a mother, an artist, a teacher, a lover—Jamison places the magical and the mundane side by side in surprising ways. The result is a work of nonfiction like no other, an almost impossibly deep reckoning with the muchness of life and art, and a book that grieves the departure of one love even as it celebrates the arrival of another.