Can't Wait Wednesday!

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:

The Lost Manuscript: A Novel
Cathy Bonidan
Age/Genre: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Release Date: January 12, 2021
Goodreads

Cathy Bonidan's The Lost Manuscript is a charming epistolary novel about the love of books and magical ability they have to bring people together.

Sometimes a book has the power to change your life…

When Anne-Lise Briard books a room at the Beau Rivage Hotel for her vacation on the Brittany coast, she has no idea this trip will start her on the path to unearthing a mystery. In search of something to read, she opens up her bedside table drawer in her hotel room, and inside she finds an abandoned manuscript. Halfway through the pages, an address is written. She sends pages to the address, in hopes of potentially hearing a response from the unknown author. But not before she reads the story and falls in love with it. The response, which she receives a few days later, astonishes her…

Not only does the author write back, but he confesses that he lost the manuscript 30 years prior on a flight to Montreal. And then he reveals something even more shocking—that he was not the author of the second half of the book.

Anne-Lise can’t rest until she discovers who this second mystery author is, and in doing so tracks down every person who has held this manuscript in their hands. Through the letters exchanged by the people whose lives the manuscript has touched, she discovers long-lost love stories and intimate secrets. Romances blossom and new friends are made. Everyone's lives are made better by this book—and isn't that the point of reading? And finally, with a plot twist you don't see coming, she uncovers the astonishing identity of the author who finished the story.

Why I want to read this book

It's about love and the love of books - how could I resist this? A mysterious book, started by one person and finished by another. I just love the entire concept. I also like mixing up format a bit and have enjoyed great success with epistolary novels in the past. Books within books haven't always clicked with me, but I think this one will due to the romantic inclinations.  

Ex-Mas
Kate Brian
Age/Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books
Release Date: September 14, 2009
Goodreads

Two Exes. One holiday adventure. Merry Ex-Mas?

Seventeen-year-old Lila Beckwith's parents just left for vacation, and Lila's all set to throw the holiday party of the season. But when her Christmas-obsessed little brother, Cooper, discovers that global warming is melting the North Pole, he and his best friend, Tyler, take off on a runaway mission to save Santa. Lila has to get Cooper safely home before her parents get back on Christmas Eve. But the only person who can help her is Tyler's older brother, Beau — a.k.a. Lila's musician, anti-everything ex-boyfriend.

It'll take more than a Christmas miracle for Lila and Beau to overcome their differences and find their fugitive brothers. But could a journey destined for disaster help these polar opposites fall in love...all over again?

Why I want to read this book

I have been having a lot of luck with holiday books. I guess I just need a little Christmas. When I was seeking other YA holiday books, I found that there were not many recent releases I haven't read. I made a list checked my eLibraries and Hoopla, and this one appealed to me. I read the Private books from Brian, and thought the premise of this book, though OTT, sounded fun. 

What are you waiting on?
Any backlog books you want to read soon? 
Let us know in the comments!