Can’t-Wait Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Tressa at Wishful Endings that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.
I am combining CWW with Books From the Backlog hosted by Carole at Carole's Random Life in Books. This will allow me to feature some newly "rediscovered" books, which I plan on reading, alongside a new release.
This week I can't wait for
Five Oaks by Julie Hensley
Published by Lake Union Publishing on May 27, 2025
Age/Genres: Adult, Fiction
In the Arkansas mountains, three generations of fiercely determined young women are poised for self-discovery in a decades-spanning novel about the bonds of family and secrets.
Spending summer away from home for the first time, fifteen-year-old Wren Pritchard and her younger sister, Sylvie, arrive at Five Oaks, their grandparents’ Arkansas lake house. As it was for their grandmother and mother before them, it’s a place for coming of age, first love, triumphs and failures, and keeping secrets.
This year, it’s Wren’s end-of-girlhood season. And Sylvie vows to keep all her Wren slipping away in the middle of the night, the boy on the dock, racing with him on the dark back roads, and slipping quietly into bed before dawn, carrying the scent of adventure. And still, as Wren’s behavior begins changing and the moonlit escapes become more daring, Sylvie holds her tongue. Even when it feels like Wren is speeding toward disaster. Then one night, Wren doesn’t come home.
The halcyon days in the Ouachita Mountains are not what they appear. When the truth comes to light—about mothers, daughters, and sisters—no one in the family will ever be the same.
I am always drawn to generational stories. There is something special about getting to spend so many years in a world with a group of characters. This is a story of family, secrets, and coming of age -- all things that I love, and I am also interested in this story because of the setting. I don't read too many books with rural settings, so it's a nice change. All I know is that I am eager to learn more about this family and why Wren didn't come home.
There's Something About Merry by Codi Hall
Published by Sourcebooks Casablanca on September 6, 2022
Age/Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Goodreads
Curl up this Christmas with a fun, festive romcom full of Christmas tree farm shenanigans and a romance between an outdoorsy single dad and the kind, ambitious, Christmas-loving neighbor he can't stop thinking about.
A guarded single dad. A woman scared to love. Clark Griffin and Merry Winters are determined to be friends and nothing more. But they've been anonymously flirting with each other online, and with a little Christmas magic and the help of a precocious kid, these two might just get their one wish this year.
I have been wanting to read this book ever since I finished Nick and Noel's Christmas Playlist back in 2021. The book was a festive delight, and I was eager to return to this world for more holiday romance. The family at the center of this series has a great dynamic, and it will be great to see them all get their HEA, but I am also on board with a good single dad romance. No doubt this one will give me the warm fuzzies.
Let us know in the comments!
I love both for different reasons! Five Oaks for the mysterious disappearance and Ther's something about Merry for the single dad!
ReplyDeleteI am almost done with Merry and it's as fun and cute as I hoped it would be.
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