I love samplers, which always give me great books to add to my TBR list. Even though this is from a few years ago, I still found titles I definitely want to read. I bet you will too!

Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC.

Opinions are mine.

This is a GREAT way to get insight to future releases and a fabulous way to build your TBR! I hope to see one of these for 2024!

Debut Fiction Sampler, Spring 2021 contains extracts from The Opium Prince by Jasmine Aimaq, The Nine Lives of Rose Napolitano by Donna Freitas, The Music of Bees by Eileen Garvin, Highway Blue by Ailsa McFarlane, Things We Lost to the Water by Eric Nguyen, Brood by Jackie Polzin, Dial A for Aunties by Jesse Q. Sutanto, The Sweet Taste of Muscadines by Pamela Terry, The Elephant of Belfast by S. Kirk Walsh and The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams. This sampler was a great way of discovering new authors that I might not have found otherwise.

The Opium Prince is a literary, thriller set in Afghanistan in the 1970s. I was intrigued by this story as it is set in both a country and a time period that I known very little about. I loved the writing style in the extract and found the descriptions extremely vivid. I could be tempted with this book if I was in the mood for it.

The Nine Lives of Rose Napolitano is a contemporary fiction novel which explores how our life could be completely different if we made one different decision and how to live a life you never intended to inhabit. The premise of this book sounds very unique and thought provoking and I definitely want to continue this book.

The Music of Bees is a contemporary fiction novel about the power of friendship, healing and loss. From the extract I loved the characters and am interested to see both how their individual stories develop but also how their friendships grow and the ways in which they help each other to heal.

Highway Blue is a contemporary fiction about a road trip between husband and wife, Anne Marie and Cal, who until recently were estranged. From the extract, it is clear that McFarlane's writing style is very unique and her descriptions were extremely vivid. However the premise of this book didn't grip me so I am unlikely to finish this book.

Things We Lost to the Water is a historical fiction novel about an immigrant Vietnamese family who must come to terms with the fact that they will never see their husband and father again. The extract was packed with emotion however I did find it quite slow and I'm not sure if I will continue reading this book.

Brood is a literary fiction novel about a woman who is desperately trying to keep her four chickens which explores life and loss. The premise had me interested straight away and I loved the quiet, understated writing style in this extract. I could definitely see myself picking this up in the future.

Dial A for Aunties revolves around Meddelin Chan who ends up accidently killing her blind date and calls in aunties to help her hide the body. I read this sampler in 2023 and have seen this book blow up on TikTok so was so excited to read this extract. The writing style is very entertaining and I'm very glad I have the rest of this book downloaded on my kindle so I can continue reading it.

The Sweet Taste of Muscadines is a women's fiction novel set in Georgia. The premise of this didn't immediately hook me so I was hesitant going into the extract. I found the writing style to be lyrical however it was quite slow to get going and I have no desire to finish this book.

The Elephant of Belfast is a historical fiction set during the Blitz in which a zookeeper tries to keep an elephant safe. I thought the premise of this book sounded really interesting and I always love books about animals so I was really excited this extract. However I found the extract slightly slow to get going and it didn't hold my attention enough for me to want to continue reading.

The Dictionary of Lost Words is a historical fiction and follows Esme through her life as she grows up in the Scriptorium where they're trying to compile words for the very first Oxford English Dictionary. I have read this book and thought its premise was really interesting however I did find it to be a bit slow in places.

I found many of these very intriguing. The benefit of the samplers is that it definitely takes me out of my comfort zone and into genres I might not have otherwise checked out. I will be seeking out The Opium Prince and Dial A for Aunties.

The Opium Prince, by Jasmine Aimaq
The Nine Lives of Rose Napolitano, by Donna Freitas
The Music of Bees, by Eileen Garvin
Highway Blue, by Ailsa McFarlane
Things We Lost to the Water, by Eric Nguyen
Brood: A Novel, by Jacqueline Olson
Dial A for Aunties, by Jesse Q. Sutanto
The Sweet Taste of Muscadines, by Pamela Terry
The Elephant of Belfast, by S. Kirk Walsh
The Dictionary of Lost Words, by Pip Williams

These samplers are dangerous. I’ve checked out a few now and my TBR has grown substantially. This Sampler is no exception.

The included books sampled:
The Opium Prince, by Jasmine Aimaq
The Nine Lives of Rose Napolitano, by Donna Freitas
The Music of Bees, by Eileen Garvin
Highway Blue, by Ailsa McFarlane
Things We Lost to the Water, by Eric Nguyen
Brood: A Novel, by Jacqueline Olson
Dial A for Aunties, by Jesse Q. Sutanto
The Sweet Taste of Muscadines, by Pamela Terry
The Elephant of Belfast, by S. Kirk Walsh
The Dictionary of Lost Words, by Pip Williams

Some fantastic options here, most of which I hadn’t heard of, but will definitely be checking out now.

Thanks to the authors sampled, Penguin Random House Library Resources, and NetGalley for providing this ARC sampler for review consideration. All opinions expressed are my own.

These all sounded very interesting. I just am not sure they're in my preferred genres. I would definitely like to take a closer look at some of them. I really want to read more of Dial A for Aunties.

I’m so addicted to these I’ve even been hunting down the old ones to see if there’s any interesting books I’ve missed!

With the DEBUT FICTION SAMPLER, SPRING 2021, I was introduced to incredible talents and stories that grabbed me by the throat and would not let go -- and nor would I let them. Of the books inside, I find it hard to pick the one that most attracted me since the sampling was so diverse and the writers so powerful. I've got a fuller and happier TBR pile as a result. I received a copy of this book and these opinions are my own, unbiased thoughts.

Thank you Netgalley.
I love these samplers. They are great way to discover brilliant books which I have missed earlier. I am intrigued by 'The muse of bees'.
Adding it to my tbr.

This sampler contains excerpts from following debuts:

The Opium Prince - Jasmine Aimaq
The Nine Lives of Rose Napolitano - Donna Freitas
The Music of Bees - Eileen Garvin
Highway Blue - Ailsa McFarlane
Things We Lost to the Water - Eric Nguyen
Brood - Jackie Polzin
Dial A for Aunties - Jesse Q. Sutanto
The Sweet Taste of Muscadines - Pamela Terry
The Elephant of Belfast - S Kirk Walsh
The Dictionary of Lost Words - Pip Williams

From all these books, 'The Elephant of Belfast' and 'The Dictionary of Lost Words' appeal most to me.
The first not only because I love the city of Belfast, but because it's an original take on the theme of war as well.
The latter because it seems original and I love stories about language, books, …


*Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Library Resources for providing a digital copy of this sampler in exchange for an honest review.

I found a book I want to read from this! The nine lives of rose napolitano! Some other books I loved the cover but knew I wouldn’t be into.

Thank you netgalley!

I love when a publisher will put these kinds of samplers out because not only do you get to see what is coming out but also you get to read a snippet of the book.

I love being able to read a snippet of a book before committing to buying it.

I have to admit that I don't hear enough about debut authors so this is an added bonus.

Excellent excerpts of debut novels provided. My favorite of the whole batch is Dial A for Aunties. Will be reading the full versions of several of these novels for further recommending purposes. Highly recommended!

A wonderful banquet of fiction titles including diverse genres and voices. I love the access to so many options while creating a syllabus or reading list for longer reviews. Thank you!

this is not a published book that I could adopt but I do enjoy having access to excerpts of upcoming titles. I hope these continue.

I am a sucker for these sampler books. I am soo excited for these books to be released and enjoyed the tease of reading the excerpts.

I was sent a preview copy by publisher for my honest opinion
Some very interesting titles and I have added them to my list of books for 2021
Shall speak more about the books and post pictures on my Instagram handle whatposhreads.

Thank you for the sneak peak at so many debuts! I really enjoyed the excerpts and look forward to reading many of these books.

I love these samplers! I love reading the excerpts of new books to decide whether or not I want to continue and add them to my TBR list.

I love the samplers, as they help me decide what I am interested in reading! It's nice to have a sneak peek instead of just relying on a description. I enjoyed all the stories included in this one!