New Book Releases for March 2017

Need something new to read? Well, take note, because March is your month. Some fantastic new releases are being launched into the world. Here are a few that have caught my eye.

Young Adult Fiction

Optimists Die FirstOptimists Die First – Susin Neilsen – Penguin/Random Aus/UK – Published 2 March 2017 (Aus)

Petula knows death is lurking around every corner. She is a pessimist and she knows her vigilance will keep her alive longer. She wasn’t always like this. She wishes she had been, because then her baby sister might still be alive. She carries the weight of this tragedy, trying to keep her family from fracturing further. She has been assigned to the school’s art therapy, where a miss-matched group of teens are meant to express their fears and troubles through juvenile art projects. But Jacob, a new addition to the group, shakes them up, gives them a boost of creativity, and might even bring them together.

Young adult fiction: Contemporary

Proof of Lies

Proof of Lies – Diana Rodriguez Wallach – Anastasia Phoenix #1 – Entangled:Teen – Published 7 March 2017

Three years ago, Anastasia lost both her parents in a horrific car crash while they were on one of their research development trips. Three years on, Anastasia is living with her sister, Keira. But one morning, Anastasia discovers her sister has disappeared and the bathroom filled with blood. The police seem to be doing nothing and, consumed by grief, Anastasia isn’t sure what to do until her sister’s friend and roommate (and amateur hacker) discovers that maybe there was more to Keira’s disappearance. Anastasia begins a globe-trekking hunt for clues.

Young adult fiction – Mystery/Thriller.

Goodbye Days

Goodbye Days – Jeff Zentner – Crown Books – Published 7 March 2017 (April in Aus/UK)

Can a text message destroy your life?

Carver Briggs never thought a simple text would cause a fatal crash, killing his three best friends, Mars, Eli, and Blake. Now Carver can’t stop blaming himself for the accident and even worse, there could be a criminal investigation into the deaths.

Then Blake’s grandmother asks Carver to remember her grandson with a ‘goodbye day’ together. Carver has his misgivings, but he starts to help the families of his lost friends grieve with their own memorial days, along with Eli’s bereaved girlfriend Jesmyn.

Young adult fiction: Contemporary.

seven-days-of-youSeven Days of You – Cecilia Vinesse – Little, Brown Books – Published 7 March 2017

Sophia has lived in Tokyo for four years and she has just one week left. She wants to spend that time with her friends and soaking in everything that is Tokyo. But her remaining days are complicated when her old friend turned kind of enemy returns to Japan after three years away. She doesn’t want to see him and certainly doesn’t want to go over what happened all those years ago – but a lot can happen in seven days.

Young adult fiction: Contemporary.

You're Welcome UniverseYou’re Welcome, Universe – Whitney Gardner – Knopf – Published 7 March 2017

When Julia finds a slur about her best friend scrawled across the back of the Kingston School for the Deaf, she covers it up with a beautiful (albeit illegal) graffiti mural.

Her supposed best friend snitches, the principal expels her, and her two mothers set Julia up with a one-way ticket to a “mainstream” school in the suburbs, where she’s treated like an outcast as the only deaf student. The last thing she has left is her art, and not even Banksy himself could convince her to give that up.

Young adult fiction: Contemporary

HuntedHunted – Meagan Spooner – HarperTeen – Published 14 March 2017

It’s been years since Yeva hunted in the woods with her father. Her muscles have grown soft and her training lax after her father moved her family to town and determined that Yeva would be best served playing lady to the baronessa, sewing and wearing fine clothes. But a turn in fortune sees Yeva, her two sisters, and her father removed from their home and returning to the little cabin in the woods. Yeva secretly rejoices at her chance to once again roam the woods with her bow and arrows and traps. But a strange madness overtakes her father, who is sure a beast rules the forest, and, after her father disappears, Yeva goes after him and discovers a world that has previously only belonged in the legends she was told as a child.

Young adult fiction: Fantasy

The Hidden Memory of ObjectsHidden Memory of Objects – Danielle Mages Amato – Balzer+Bray – 21 March 2017

Megan’s brother is dead. The police say he died of a drug overdose and Megan can’t reconcile the images she has of her fun-loving, positive brother with those from the story the police are weaving of a boy who saw no other option than to deliberately overdose in an abandoned building. Heartbroken and confused, Megan decides to do some investigating of her own, starting with the things Tyler left behind. But as Megan collects and then starts creating artwork from her brother’s things, she begins to have strange headaches and blackouts, triggering memories of her brother that she couldn’t possibly have.

Young adult fiction: Mystery/Thriller

things-i-should-have-knownThings I Should Have Known – Claire LaZebnik – HMH Books – Published 28 March 2017

Chloe has a good life. Sure, her stepdad is a little controlling, but her boyfriend is perfect, school is easy and she’s popular. When she notices that her older sister, who has autism, doesn’t get out much, she sets out to find her a boyfriend. And top guy on the list is Ethan, who attends the same school as Ivy. But Chloe doesn’t realise that Ethan’s older brother is David, who may not exactly be Chloe’s nemesis but she doesn’t relish spending so much time with him as they observe and guide their siblings through a series of awkward dates. But Chloe discovers she has a lot more in common with David than she realises and spending time with him isn’t so bad, even if their matchmaking isn’t exactly going to plan…

Young adult fiction: Contemporary.

Just Another GirlJust Another Girl – Elizabeth Eulberg – Scholastic – Published 28 March 2017

Hope knows there’s only one thing coming between her and her longtime crush: his girlfriend, Parker. She has to sit on the sidelines and watch as the perfect girl gets the perfect boy . . . because that’s how the universe works, even though it’s so completely wrong.

Parker doesn’t feel perfect. She knows if everyone knew the truth about her, they’d never be able to get past it. So she keeps quiet. She focuses on making it through the day with her secret safe . . . even as this becomes harder and harder to do. And Hope isn’t making it any easier. . . .

Young adult fiction: Contemporary

VigilanteVigilante – Kady Cross – Harlequin Teen – Published 28 March 2017
Hadley’s best friend Magda was raped by four classmates. A few months later, Magda is dead, having taken her own life. Hadley is left with a drowning sense of grief and guilt. She has to see the four boys in her classroom everyday as the four of them were never charged. When a sudden opportunity arises, Hadley decides to create some of her own justice and plans to go after each of the boys who hurt her friend. But when a video of her going after the first guy in a pink ski mask goes viral, the Pink Vigilante is born and Hadley’s journey for revenge gets much bigger than she ever imagined.

Young adult fiction: Mystery-thriller

Radio SilenceRadio Silence – Alice Oseman – HarperTeen – Published 28 March 2017

Frances Janvier spends most of her time studying.

Everyone knows Aled Last as that quiet boy who gets straight As.

You probably think that they are going to fall in love or something. Since he is a boy and she is a girl.

They don’t. They make a podcast.

Young adult fiction – Contemporary

Christian Fiction


If I'm FoundIf I’m Found – Terri Blackstock – Zondervan – Published 21 March 2017

Casey Cox is still on the run, fleeing prosecution for a murder she didn’t commit. Dylan Roberts—her most relentless pursuer—is still on her trail, but his secret emails insist that he knows the truth and wants to help her. He’s let her escape before when he had her in his grasp, but trust doesn’t come easily.

Christian Fiction – Mystery-Thriller

The Memory of You

The Memory of You – Catherine West – Thomas Nelson – Published 28 March 2017

Natalie is haunted by memories of her time at her grandparents’ vineyard. She hasn’t returned since that tragic night thirteen years ago and has tried to bury her memories and the truth of how her twin sister Nicole died. But her nightmares have returned and her symptoms are spiralling out of her control. So when her parents suggest she return to the vineyard she thinks it might be a good time to finally find peace. But the head vintner, Tanner Collins, Natalie’s childhood friend (and crush), suspects the real reason Natalie’s father has sent her to Maoilios – to shut them down – and he isn’t happy to see her.

Christian Fiction – Contemporary.

←February 2017 New Releases