Up and Coming: March 2015 Releases

Up and Coming was created so I could share four soon-to-be-published-this-month books I think deserve more attention. (In other words, these are the books you should be adding to your TBR pile!) I'll be doing these at the beginning of each month, so feel free to do the same if you'd like :)

My Best Everything by Sarah Tomp

Genre(s): Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Publication Date: March 3, 2015
Publisher: Little, Brown

Luisa “Lulu” Mendez has just finished her final year of high school in a small Virginia town, determined to move on and leave her job at the local junkyard behind. So when her father loses her college tuition money, Lulu needs a new ticket out.

Desperate for funds, she cooks up the (definitely illegal) plan to make and sell moonshine with her friends, Roni and Bucky. Quickly realizing they’re out of their depth, Lulu turns to Mason: a local boy who’s always seemed like a dead end. As Mason guides Lulu through the secret world of moonshine, it looks like her plan might actually work. But can she leave town before she loses everything—including her heart?

The summer walks the line between toxic and intoxicating. My Best Everything is Lulu's letter to Mason—though is it an apology, a good-bye, or a love letter?

I'm not sure what it is about this book that makes me want to read it. Maybe it's because Ellice from Paper Riot gave it a lovely review, or maybe the fact that it's written in second person. All I know is that I'll be reading this as soon as I get a chance to!

Liars, Inc. by Paula Stokes

Genre(s): Young Adult, Contemporary, Mystery
Publication Date: March 24, 2015
Publisher: HarperTeen (HarperCollins)

Other books by Paula Stokes: The Art of Lainey

Max Cantrell has never been a big fan of the truth, so when the opportunity arises to sell forged permission slips and cover stories to his classmates, it sounds like a good way to make a little money and liven up a boring senior year. With the help of his friends Preston and Parvati, Max starts Liars, Inc. Suddenly everybody needs something and the cash starts pouring in. Who knew lying could be so lucrative?

When Preston wants his own cover story to go visit a girl he met online, Max doesn’t think twice about hooking him up. Until Preston never comes home. Then the evidence starts to pile up — terrifying clues that lead the cops to Preston’s body. Terrifying clues that point to Max as the murderer.

Can Max find the real killer before he goes to prison for a crime he didn't commit? In a story that Kirkus Reviews called "captivating to the very end," Paula Stokes starts with one single white lie and weaves a twisted tale that will have readers guessing until the explosive final chapters. 

Yes, it does sound a bit like Pretty Little Liars. But when you give me a synopsis like this, I have to find out what happens and how Max goes about finding the actual murderer. Unless MAX is the actual murderer. You never know ...

Written in the Stars by Aisha Saeed

Genre(s): Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Publication Date: March 24, 2015
Publisher: Nancy Paulsen Books (Penguin Books USA)

This heart-wrenching novel explores what it is like to be thrust into an unwanted marriage. Has Naila's fate been written in the stars? Or can she still make her own destiny?

Naila's conservative immigrant parents have always said the same thing: she may choose what to study, how to wear her hair, and what to be when she grows up—but they will choose her husband. Following their cultural tradition, they will plan an arranged marriage for her. And until then, dating—even friendship with a boy—is forbidden. When Naila breaks their rule by falling in love with Saif, her parents are livid. Convinced she has forgotten who she truly is, they travel to Pakistan to visit relatives and explore their roots. But Naila's vacation turns into a nightmare when she learns that plans have changed—her parents have found her a husband and they want her to marry him, now! Despite her greatest efforts, Naila is aghast to find herself cut off from everything and everyone she once knew. Her only hope of escape is Saif ... if he can find her before it's too late.

The cover is what first captured my attention, but the setting and family ordeal has pushed this book to the top of my "must read" list. To be honest, I'm more interested in seeing how family dynamics plays a role in Naila's life than how her relationship with Saif turns out.

Black Dove, White Raven by Elizabeth Wein

Genre(s): Young Adult, Historical Fiction
Publication Date: March 31, 2015
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion

Other books by Elizabeth Wein: Code Name Verity, The Winter Prince

Emilia and Teo's lives changed in a fiery, terrifying instant when a bird strike brought down the plane their stunt pilot mothers were flying. Teo's mother died immediately, but Em's survived, determined to raise Teo according to his late mother's wishes — in a place where he won't be discriminated against because of the color of his skin. But in 1930s America, a white woman raising a black adoptive son alongside a white daughter is too often seen as a threat.

Seeking a home where her children won't be held back by ethnicity or gender, Rhoda brings Em and Teo to Ethiopia, and all three fall in love with the beautiful, peaceful country. But that peace is shattered by the threat of war with Italy, and teenage Em and Teo are drawn into the conflict. Will their devotion to their country, its culture and people, and each other be their downfall or their salvation?

In the tradition of her award-winning and bestselling Code Name Verity, Elizabeth Wein brings us another thrilling and deeply affecting novel that explores the bonds of friendship, the resilience of young pilots, and the strength of the human spirit.

I am so embarrassed to admit I haven't read Code Name Verity yet. I'm sure Elizabeth Wein is an amazing author, which is why I'm willing to give Black Dove, White Raven a chance. I don't know much about Ethiopia and 1930s America but I'm hoping that reading this will spark my interest in learning more. I'm also crossing my fingers for this to be a strong friendship story!

Popular books I'm also excited for: The Winner's Crime by Marie Rutkoski, Vanishing Girls by Lauren Oliver, The Start of Me and You by Emery Lord

Which March releases are you most looking forward to reading?
Have you been lucky enough to read any of them yet?