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

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The Second Chance by Charlotte Butterfield
Published by Avon on May 9, 2024
Age/Genres: Adult, Fiction
Goodreads

Nell has always known her expiry date.

After a psychic predicted her death date twenty years ago, she’s lived life accepting she would never see forty – embracing adventure and travelling the world, choosing fun over commitment and laying down roots.

So, when the fateful date comes, Nell feels ready. She posts five excruciatingly honest confessions to her sister, parents and past loves, knowing she won’t be around to face the consequences. With her heart laid bare, all that's left to do is check into a glamorous hotel and wait for the inevitable… And wait…

But when Nell unexpectedly wakes up the next morning broke, single and very much alive, she questions exactly how to seize this second chance at life. And then it also hits

What on earth happens now that everyone knows exactly how she really feels?

Hilarious, poignant and emotional, The Second Chance is the perfect book club read for fans of Holly Smale, David Nicholls and Beth O’Leary, asking what it is that makes for a life well lived.

When I was a teacher, we discussed what we would say at parent-teacher conferences if we were going to quit. The general consensus is that we would burn it all down. Though not the exact situation, this story involves a woman who lived her life under the impression that she would die on a certain date. When that date came and went, Nell was left with a lot of pieces to pick up. I love this, and I am excited to see how Nell handles this second chance, this new start. 

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All Good People Here by Ashley Flowers
Published by Bantam on August 16, 2022
Age/Genres: Mystery/Thriller
Goodreads

Everyone from Wakarusa, Indiana, remembers the case of January Jacobs, who was found dead in a ditch hours after her family awoke to find her gone. Margot Davies was six at the time, the same age as January—and they were next-door neighbors. In the twenty years since, Margot has grown up, moved away, and become a big-city journalist, but she’s always been haunted by the fear that it could’ve been her. And the worst part is, January’s killer has never been brought to justice.

When Margot returns home to help care for her sick uncle, it feels like walking into a time capsule. Wakarusa is exactly how she remembered: genial, stifled, secretive. Then news breaks about five-year-old Natalie Clark from the next town over, who’s gone missing under eerily similar circumstances. With all the old feelings rushing back, Margot vows to find Natalie and solve January’s murder once and for all.

But the police, the family, the townspeople—they all seem to be hiding something. And the deeper Margot digs into Natalie’s disappearance, the more resistance she encounters, and the colder January’s case feels. Could the killer still be out there? Could it be the same person who kidnapped Natalie? And what will it cost to finally discover what truly happened that night?

In the propulsive debut novel from the host of the #1 true crime podcast "Crime Junkie," a journalist uncovers her hometown’s dark secrets when she becomes obsessed with the unsolved murder of her childhood neighbor—and the disappearance of another girl twenty years later.

Confession - I needed a book for one of my reading challenges. I don't tend to read much in this genre, so when I found this book with all it's great ratings, I added it to my TBR. It also checks off one of those tough to find middle states, so how could I resist a twofer?  Anyhow, this does sound like a compelling story. A copycat type crime, twenty years since the original, AND one of the reporters on the scene was the neighbor of the first victim. I think that will add something as she was directly affected by the event. I am sure this will have a plot that will pull me in. 

What are you waiting on?
Let us know in the comments!