If there’s one thing I love more than reading, it’s picking out my next read. I’ve received quite a few pre-2020 publications, but there are four standout books which belong to Penguin and its imprints.
There’s a good mix, and I’m beyond excited for them all – be right back whilst I pause time to read. Without further ado, here’s my 2020 Penguin releases you need to watch out for list, including my first thoughts (possibly in order of my excitedness levels)…
Three Hours, Rosamund Lupton:
Three hours is 180 minutes or 10,800 seconds. It is an eternity waiting for news. Or a countdown to something terrible.
In rural Somerset in the middle of a blizzard, the unthinkable happens: a school is under siege. From the wounded headmaster trapped in the library, to teenager Hannah in love for the first time, to the parents gathering desparate for news, to the police psychologist who must identify the gunmen, to the students taking refuge in the school theatre, all experience the most intense hours of their lives, where evil and terror are met by courage, love and redemption.
This is definitely my most-anticipated book of 2020. It reminds me of Jodi Picoult’s Nineteen Minutes (my review here), but Three Hours looks like it’s going to focus more on the ‘now’ and take different perspectives. I think it’s going to be a very important read.
Here’s the first paragraph, to show you why I’m already blown away: “A moment of stillness; as if time itself is waiting, can no longer be measured. Then the subtle press of a fingertip, whorled skin against cool metal, starts it beating again and the bullet moves faster than sound.”
Published by Viking on 9 January 2020.
All the Rage, Cara Hunter:
The first girl came back. The next might not be so lucky.
A teenage girl is found wandering the outskirts of Oxford, dazed and distressed. The story she tells is terrifying. Grabbed off the street, a plastic bag pulled over her face, then driven to an isolated location where she was subject to what sounds like an assault. Yet she refuses to press charges.
DI Fawley investigates, but there’s little he can do without the girl’s co-operation. Is she hiding something, and if so, what? And why does Fawley keep getting the feeling he’s seen a case like this before?
And then another girl disappears, and Adam no longer has a choice: he has to face up to his past. Because unless he does, the victim may not be coming back…
7 words to fill you with dread: “Next Cara Hunter book in 8 months”. Waiting for the next book in this series is like torture. I love the little DI Fawley world Cara has created, and whilst all her books so far in the series can be read as a stand-alone, I’d highly recommend reading the first 3 until this comes out.
My reviews for book one and book three (book two was also fab, but I felt like I couldn’t favour the author too much!)
I’ve seldom read a series where all the books have blew me away, but Cara has with 3/3, and I’m ready to make it 4/4.
Published by Penguin on 23 January 2020.
Keeper, Jessica Moor:
He’s been looking in the windows again. Messing with cameras. Leaving notes. Supposed to be a refuge. But death got inside.
When Katie Straw’s body is pulled from the waters of the local suicide spot, the police decide it’s an open-and-shut case. A standard-issue female suicide. But the residents of Widringham women’s refuge where Katie worked don’t agree. They say it’s murder. Will you listen to them?
One of the quotes on the back of this book is ‘made me want to shout out in anger’, and if a book makes me do that, I’m a big advocate. From what I’ve heard (including an excerpt), it’s going to be powerful and like Three Hours, on an important topic which needs to be heard. I reckon it’s going to be quite emotional, so I’m pre-preparing myself already.
Published by Viking on 26 March 2020.
Dear Edward, Ann Napolitano:
One summer morning, a flight takes off from New York to Los Angeles. There are 192 people abroad: among them a young woman taking a pregnancy test in the airplane toilet; a Wall Street millionaire flirting with the air hostess; an injured soldier returning from Afghanistan, and two beleaguered parents moving across the country with their adolescent sons, bickering over who gets the window seat. When the plane suddenly crashed in a field in Colorado, the younger of these boys, twelve-year-old Edward Adler, is the sole survivor.
Dear Edward depicts Edward’s life in the crash’s aftermath as he struggled to make sense of the meaning of his survival, the strangeness of his sudden fame, and to find his place in the world without his family. In his new home with his aunt and uncle, the only solace comes from his friendship with the girl next door, Shay. Together Edward and Shay make a startling discovery: hidden in his uncle’s garage are sacks of letters from the relatives of the other passengers, address to Edward.
As Edward comes of age against the backdrop of sudden tragedy, he must confront some of life’s most profound questions: how do you make the most of the time we are given? And what does it mean not just to survive, but to truly live?
I’ve already heard a lot about this book, everyone saying it’s incredible with no low ratings, so I’m ready to give it a go. There’s some intriguing points in the synopsis above, and I can’t wait to find out what the letters are about, as well as Edward’s journey to living, not just surviving. I’m getting a Matt Haig type of vibe.
Published by Viking on 27 February 2020.
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Which book to start first?! Can I edit my earlier statement? I also hate picking out my next read when the choice is just too tough! I’m going to be reviewing these as and when I get around to them, so keep your eyes peeled!
Is there any you’re particularly interested in? Lets get social – Twitter, Instagram.
