New Voices We’re Looking Forward to in 2018!

January is FINALLY over – anyone else feel like it’s been dragging on forever? Now that February is finally here, we’re looking forward to some of our bright and shiny new debut authors coming in 2018! Count on Team Bookends to guide you through the treacherous waters of 2018 with some brilliant new books…

An Ocean of Minutes by Thea Lim

I absolutely LOVED this book when we first acquired it last year – it’s a beautiful yet agonising love story that takes place in 1981 and 1993. In Polly and Frank’s story the world is being ripped apart by a deadly virus. When Frank contracts this virus the only chance Polly has of saving him is to travel in time to 1993, when the virus has been beaten, and work to fund his treatment. The result is a tense and powerful story of yearning, with some very timely themes – I found myself despairing along with the characters and bracing for that ending! Think The Time Traveler’s Wife but 10x better!

Not That Kind of Love by Clare and Greg Wise

This is a thought-provoking and surprisingly humorous book based on Clare Wise’s blog about her treatment for breast cancer. Clare is a larger than life personality and the book is doused in her vibrant and often hilarious observations about her experience of illness (complete with pictures from her Dr Evil photo shoot after her first round of chemo). When she becomes too weak to type, and her brother Greg* continues writing the blog for her, it morphs into a beautiful rumination on life and death, a testament to their remarkable brother-sister relationship, and a celebration of their little day-to-day victories like managing to put on matching socks!

*You ladies may know him best as Willoughby from Sense and Sensibility (!!!)

This book made me laugh and cry in equal measure, and perhaps surprisingly left me feeling incredibly positive about life. If you read one book this year, make it Not That Kind of Love!

Baby Boom! by Helen Wallen

Baby Boom is the absolutely hilarious debut book from the blogger known as Just a Normal Mummy. It’s motherhood told with a twist, and it’s great fun!

It’s a story about becoming parents, but most of all it’s a story about love, laughter and chatting to your best friends about your fanny on WhatsApp.

The Wicked Cometh by Laura Carlin

I cannot stop going on about The Wicked Cometh. It’s a compelling tale of a young woman, Hester, who’s lost and forgotten in the midst of Victorian London. When people start to go missing, Hester’s pulled into the mystery thanks to the aristocratic Brock family. Once I started this book I just could not put it down.

The Songs of Us by Emma Cooper

This is a beautiful story with family at the real heart of it. It’s such a funny, heart-breaking novel that I found myself both laughing and then ending the book in floods of tears. Warning: Don’t read on the tube as you will cry and then be quite embarrassed.

The Perfect Girlfriend by Karen Hamilton

I read this book in one sitting – you honestly won’t be able to put it down. Think about the craziest thing an ex-girlfriend would do – double it, times it by 1000 and you’ll have something similar to what Juliette might do. Juliette is a woman scorned and is in no way going to let her ex-boyfriend go without a fight.

The Girl in the Letter by Emily Gunnis

From the daughter of bestselling author Penny Vincenzi comes another hot new debut for 2018 – a page-turning, nail-biting and heartwrenching novel that combines mystery and suspense with a strong emotional core. From literary scouts to international editors, everyone has been raving about this book. Perfect for fans of The Lake House by Kate Morton or The Olive Tree by Lucinda Riley. Watch this space!

The Tall Man by Phoebe Locke

Launching The Tall Man this summer, Phoebe Locke is a dazzling new voice in the thriller/psychological thriller genre and one to watch for 2018. The Express have already tipped this ‘a must-read summer chilller’ and it is being picked up by crime bloggers everywhere.

For more reading recommendations from Team Bookends take a look at our most anticipated books of 2018