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Bookreporter.com Bets On...

With thousands of books published each year and much attention paid to the works of bestselling and well-known authors, it is inevitable that some titles worthy of praise and discussion may not get the attention we think they deserve. Thus throughout the year, we will continue this feature that we started in 2009, to spotlight books that immediately struck a chord with us and made us say “just read this.” We will alert our readers about these titles as soon as they’re released so you can discover them for yourselves and recommend them to your family and friends.

Below are all of our selections thus far. For future "Bets On" titles that we will announce shortly after their release dates, please visit this page.

Mrs. Everything by Jennifer Weiner

June 2019

It's been four years since Jennifer Weiner has written a novel for adults (she wrote two children's books and a book of essays), and this book is quite a departure for her. MRS. EVERYTHING is a big sweeping novel telling the story of two sisters between the 1950s and the present with an eye on what happened for women socially through these years. Packed into these seven decades are cultural touchstones that will be familiar to readers. Jen wanted to write a big book, and she pulled it off here. There is a huge difference between wanting to do something and executing it! MRS. EVERYTHING is a big story that flows briskly in Jen’s hands.

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The Islanders by Meg Mitchell Moore

June 2019

THE ISLANDERS by Meg Mitchell Moore is a great summer read to add to your reading pile. The book features three characters whose stories weave together. One of them is an author, Anthony Puckett, and he brings a storyline about books and the world of publishing to explore, which is so well done (Anthony’s dad is a mega bestseller whose shadow he walks in). Joy is a single mom who owns a café called Joy Bombs, where she serves whoopie pies. Her business is threatened by a food truck that has made its way onto the island and is cruising the streets. Lu is a mom who stays home reluctantly with her two young sons. She has a hidden life that will be such fun for readers to delve into.

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The Stationery Shop by Marjan Kamali

June 2019

THE STATIONERY SHOP by Marjan Kamali is a beautifully written book that is full of emotion and heart. I loved it and already can see it will be one of my favorite books of 2019.

It is set in Tehran in 1953 against the backdrop of the political upheaval in Iran. In it, Roya has fallen in love with Bahman, a young boy who loves Rumi's poetry; they are both 17. A small stationery shop is where they meet, and their relationship blossoms under the kind eye of the proprietor of the shop, Mr. Fakhri. The two plan to be married on August 19th, against their family’s wishes, but an uprising thwarts their plans, and Roya loses track of Bahman in the tumultuous days that follow. Sixty years later, they meet again in California, and Roya will get a moment to ask the questions that have haunted her for decades.

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Searching for Sylvie Lee by Jean Kwok

June 2019

Jean Kwok’s SEARCHING FOR SYLVIE LEE untangles the complicated ties binding three women --- two sisters, Sylvie and Amy, and their mother --- in one Chinese immigrant family, and explores what happens when the eldest daughter disappears and a series of family secrets emerge. The story unfolds with pitch-perfect pacing from the moment that Amy receives a call from the Netherlands that Sylvie is missing. She first searches Sylvie’s New York apartment, and what she sees there has her hasten her way to the Netherlands to track down those who last saw her older sister. And from there, the quest to find Sylvie gets more and more tangled.

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Ask Again, Yes by Mary Beth Keane

June 2019

ASK AGAIN, YES by Mary Beth Keane is one of my favorite books of 2019. It’s set in a Rockland County, NY town where two New York City policemen, who are not close friends, live next door to each other. One’s wife is dealing with some serious emotional and mental illness issues, which will have an impact on both families --- including Peter, the son of one family, and Kate, the daughter of the other, who fall for one another.

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Mistress of the Ritz by Melanie Benjamin

May 2019

MISTRESS OF THE RITZ by Melanie Benjamin is set in Paris during World War II. There, Blanche Auzello and her husband, Claude, are the mistress and master of the Hôtel Ritz, one of the city's best-known hotels. Blanche is American and is hiding a secret from the Nazis who are encamped at the Ritz. She’s also a member of the Resistance, going to all lengths to try to outwit the Germans, who she feels are causing blight on a place she loves so much. Claude is trying to balance the demands of the Germans with those of the other hotel guests who have been decamped to the drearier part of the building.

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The Favorite Daughter by Kaira Rouda

May 2019

There are authors who write with a really distinctive voice. Kaira Rouda is one of them. I loved her last book, BEST DAY EVER, and opening THE FAVORITE DAUGHTER, I saw that once again she had nailed a super edgy tone in her writing. I am not sure what it says about me that I love her narcissist protagonists, but she gives them such strong personalities that I have to read more and not look away. THE FAVORITE DAUGHTER is edgy much the same as BEST DAY EVER. It is a complete page-turner of a train-wrecked life that consumed my day when I read it --- and I loved every minute of being totally drawn into it.

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The Night Before by Wendy Walker

May 2019

THE NIGHT BEFORE by Wendy Walker has a striking cover, a tension-filled plot and some great twists. Two sisters, Rosie and Laura, live very different lives. Rosie is settled, whereas Laura lives life more on the edge, running from some things in her past. Laura recently has moved back in with Rosie after going through a relationship breakup. One night, she goes on a blind date with someone she met on a dating website and does not come home. What happened the night before? While Laura is fearful, she also is reckless and is nothing like her suburbanite sister, Rosie, who knows just how much trouble Laura can get into.

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The Guest Book by Sarah Blake

May 2019

Sarah Blake’s THE GUEST BOOK is one of my favorite books of 2019. I feel like this is going to be one of the most talked-about books this summer. I read it, and once I closed it, I could not wait to share it with people. This is a novel that looks at class, culture and race in America framed against the purview of three generations of the Milton family, a well-bred family that has summered for three generations on Crockett’s Island, an island that they own off the coast of Maine. The island has been the place where many of the family’s memories have been made, but now the third generation finds itself unable to afford the upkeep on the island and is at a crossroads.

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My Ex-Best Friend’s Wedding by Wendy Wax

May 2019

MY EX-BEST FRIEND’S WEDDING by Wendy Wax was such a fun read for me. Most of the book is set on the Outer Banks, which was where our family vacationed for summers from 2001 to 2013, as well as for Christmas holidays and spring breaks. I loved the way that Wendy latched on to all the details that make the area so special. She layered in so many of the great places to visit --- and dine --- and captured its spirit so well. Just for that, the novel got high marks from me.

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