I can't tell exactly what the plot of this novel is, but I trust Zevin to deliver a powerful read. I'm looking forward to checking this one out soon.

2. Upgrade by Blake Crouch (available July 12)—I'm not much for sci-fi, but I do love Crouch's immersive, engrossing mind-benders. His newest concerns Logan Ramsay, an ordinary guy with a dark past, who's been chosen for a genome upgrade. As Logan feels himself changing into something a little more—and a little less—than human, he wonders if evolving in this way is really the only way to save his species.

3. We Made It All Up by Margot Harrison (available July 12)—Moving from Montreal to Montana leaves Celeste feeling lonely and out of place. She finds solace in writing a fan fiction love story between the school's most popular guy and its resident stoner. When, at the urging of her only friend, Celeste tries to create reality out of her fantasy, a boy ends up dead. Celeste can't remember what happened on that fateful night. Is she responsible for his death? 

This YA mystery/thriller sounds intriguing!

4. The Night Ship by Jess Kidd (available August 4)—Based on the real-life story of Batavia, a ship that wrecked on an Australian island in the 17th Century, this dual-timeline tale sounds epic. Can't wait. 

5. Madwoman by Louisa Treger (available August 23)—Nellie Bly's famous investigative sojourn in an insane asylum on Blackwell's Island, New York, is the subject of this historical novel. 

6. The Final Gambit by Jennifer Lynn Barnes (available August 30)—I've enjoyed this Knives Out-ish YA series and am looking forward to seeing how the story ends in this finale to the trilogy.

7. The Winter Orphans by Kristin Beck (available September 13)—Based on the true story of young World War II refugees who fled over snow-covered French mountain passes to escape the Nazis, this historical novel features a group of children hiding in a crumbling castle overseen by Swiss nurses. When Germany invades southern France, their safe haven is no more. Can the children's protectors smuggle them over the dangerous passes to safety? Or will all of their lives be lost in the attempt?

8. Wrong Place Wrong Time by Gillian McAllister (available September 20)—This twisty psychological thriller sounds unique and compelling. It's about a mother who is shocked when she witnesses her funny, good-natured 17-year-old son murder a man in cold blood. When he's taken into custody, she's shattered with no idea what to do next. Upon awakening the next morning, she's stunned to realize that she's reliving the day of the murder. The next morning, she rewinds another day, then another. With time moving backward, can she figure out a way to stop the murder she witnessed before it happens? 

9. In Myrtle Peril by Elizabeth C. Bunce (available October 4)—I adore this middle-grade mystery series, so I'm excited for the next installment. In this fourth book, an heiress who was presumed to be lost at sea returns to claim her fortune. Myrtle's father is hired to determine whether the young lady is truly who she says she is. When he is waylaid by tonsilitis, it's up to Myrtle to solve the mystery as well as a murder her father may—or may not—have witnessed while in the throes of a fever.

10. Our Missing Hearts by Celeste Ng (available October 4)—Ng's newest is hard to describe, but it sounds fresh and interesting. Here's the official plot summary:

Twelve-year-old Bird Gardner lives a quiet existence with his loving but broken father, a former linguist who now shelves books in a university library. Bird knows to not ask too many questions, stand out too much, or stray too far. For a decade, their lives have been governed by laws written to preserve “American culture” in the wake of years of economic instability and violence. To keep the peace and restore prosperity, the authorities are now allowed to relocate children of dissidents, especially those of Asian origin, and libraries have been forced to remove books seen as unpatriotic—including the work of Bird’s mother, Margaret, a Chinese American poet who left the family when he was nine years old.
 
Bird has grown up disavowing his mother and her poems; he doesn’t know her work or what happened to her, and he knows he shouldn’t wonder. But when he receives a mysterious letter containing only a cryptic drawing, he is pulled into a quest to find her. His journey will take him back to the many folktales she poured into his head as a child, through the ranks of an underground network of librarians, into the lives of the children who have been taken, and finally to New York City, where a new act of defiance may be the beginning of much-needed change.
 
Our Missing Hearts is an old story made new, of the ways supposedly civilized communities can ignore the most searing injustice. It’s a story about the power—and limitations—of art to create change, the lessons and legacies we pass on to our children, and how any of us can survive a broken world with our hearts intact.

There you go, ten up-and-comers I'm eager to read. What do you think of my list? Are you excited about any of these? What new releases are you most looking forward to? I'd love to know. Leave me a comment on this post and I will gladly return the favor on your blog.

Happy TTT!

Ghost towns are plentiful in the Southwest, but Abandon—an old gold-mining settlement in Colorado—is unique.  Its citizens all disappeared on Christmas Day, 1893, never to be seen or heard from again.  What could have caused 123 people to vanish into thin air, leaving food on their tables, belongings in their closets, and money in their purses?  Were they swept up to heaven in a great rapture?  Kidnapped by aliens?  Killed by savage Indians?  If they were slaughtered, why have their bones never been found? What happened to the people of Abandon?

The question has plagued people for over 100 years.  Explorers have tried to find the ghost town before but none have ever returned.  That doesn't stop a new group from wanting to make the trek.  Headed by the owners of an adventure company, the party includes two paranormal photographers, a history professor, and his journalist daughter.  Although all of them are up for the adventure, it doesn't take long to realize they're all in way over their heads.  The past has not exactly passed in mysterious Abandon, Colorado...

For such a simple premise, the one at the heart of Abandon by Blake Crouch is so very, very intriguing.  How could I resist?  Crouch excels at creating stories that are atmospheric and unsettling and this 2015 novel is no exception.  It's creepy as well as violent, bloody, and depressing.  It also features characters who are kind of blah and unlikable.  And yet, it's a riveting read.  I couldn't stop turning pages, which is saying something because Abandon has over 500 of them!  While I can't say I loved this disturbing thriller, it did keep me engrossed and entertained.  It's far from my favorite Crouch novel, but overall, I liked it.

(Readalikes:  Hm, I can't think of anything.  You?)

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