I loved reading the excerpts and added several titles to my TBR list. Found this book quite useful.

This is not the first Buzz Books edition I have read, but this is the first one I have talked about. In short Buzz Books is a gathering of soon-to-be-published excerpts of novels chosen by Publishers Lunch.

I initially thought that I would use this space to talk about my very long history with Young Adult books and how the books that I gravitate towards influences how I choose my own books to read, but this edition has made me think about how book choosing and book reading has changed and how I have to change.

I started writing about my belief in bringing tradebooks into my classroom for pleasure reading and how in 1992 when I started as a high school English teacher, there was a sad lack of used YA books that would appeal to my juniors and seniors in high school. However, that evolution as a teacher with nothing but a class set of Cormier's The Chocolate War and leaving my middle school classroom 20 plus years later with thousands of tradebooks all chosen by me for specific kinds of readers is another long story.

The short story is that I give my students a specific strategy for choosing books.
Look at the cover. If it appeals, keep going, if not, put it back.
Read the little description on the back or the inside cover. Again, yes keep going, no put it back.
Read the lead until you lose appeal. If you have gotten through the first one or two chapters by the time you look away, grab it, borrow it, steal it.
The change in strategy is that the assumption with this strategy is that my classroom is fully stocked, the school library is fully stocked and not being used for testing, or my local bookstore is fully stocked. This is not always the case.

My new strategy relies on me searching out ebooks with readers in mind, and when I come across books through a plethora of means (Buzz Books, other blogs, Net Galley), pass it on. It is no longer possible to stock my shelves. E-books have limited the experience that students have in choosing their own books by touch, by sight, by smell. Students will no longer remember what a brand new book smells like. They won't know what a book with its pages still a little crisp and tacky feels like. This is a new world. Relying on publishers to open up their pages in things like Buzz Books is the new way to choose the next read on the students' readers.

This sampler's got me really excited for these upcoming releases!

I'm always looking forward to the new buzz books and once again, the selection doesn't disappoint! I've already requested some ARCs and I've also reviewed some of them already. Great mix of fantasy and contemporary YA literature, also some great sequels (Caraval 🤩).
I'm particularly curious about Alexa Donne's Brightly Burning, which is basically Jane Eyre in space *gasping for air*; Meredith Goldstein's Chemistry Lessons (I don't like the title but the idea sounds fun); Farah Penn's Twelve Steps to Normal about alcohol abuse; and Adrienne Young's Sky in the Deep because of The Vikings vibe.

So many books and not nearly enough time for them all. Defiantly looking forward to Legendary.

I love Buzz Books! They are so helpful in giving readers a heads-up on books the publishers feel will be hits, and being able to read excerpts of them help me decide which ones I want to add to my "to read" shelf.

Truth be told, I never considered Y/A as a genre for me until I read some excellent excerpts in previous years collections.

I'm always on the look out for the Spring/Summer and Fall/Winter issues, both the Y/A and Adult editions. I am so thankful Publishers Lunch puts these out!! The only reason this issue got 4 stars instead of 5 is that it included more science fiction excerpts than any other genre, and I'm not a big fan of science fiction.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Publishers Lunch for providing me an e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed here are strictly my own.

nice to read a few chapters, so many books interests me!

I always look forward to the BuzzBooks to see what new exciting books are coming up. This edition, I was most excited about Furyborn and Sky in the Deep. Both of these books, I've been hearing about on Tumblr or Instagram and I finally got to read excerpts and I'm not even more excited about these releases!

Furyborn sounds so unique and right up my alley. Strong female characters, fantasy, magic, and prophecies!

Sky in the Deep is another unique release. This one involves Vikings and, presumably, a strong female Viking warrior and a bit of romance on the side (obviously). I have never read a YA Viking novel. In fact, the only Viking novel I've read was the first book in the Magnus Chase series and that's children's fiction. I'm really excited about the fantasy novels coming out this year that feature different, non-Anglo centric settings and this is one to add to that list.

An excellent guide with previews of books that are to be published. A great way to sample books in small doses. There are so many books I am excited to read!

I'm always looking forward for the newest collection of Buzz Books. As always, this collection did not disappoint and my TBR got bigger.

Really useful catalogue of the next releases, you cab clearly see whats coming and read a little of each one, sometimes is all you need. Added a few books to my TBR list. Legendary is the one I am waiting so badly..

Fawkes – Nadine Brandes
From this first glimpse of Fawkes, I’m not sold. The main character is not very relatable and everything feels very rushed. The world is highly undefined (what is this plague?/Why the masks?/How does this color bonding work?) and leaves too much to be questioned while they storyline is only vaguely interesting. I would have liked more of a world building first chapter, and maybe more on Guy Fawkes (especially since most teens of today would never immediately understand the character). This title does have some potential, but only appeals to those who know of Guy Fawkes or are ready to be patient for most answers.

Boy From Tomorrow – Camille DeAngelis
I cannot wait to get this full title in. I find the premise behind this story to be very intriguing and look forward to seeing how it plays out. I felt that the author did a great job introducing the plot line, yet was a little lax with the characters. The boy’s timeline was quite clear, with Alec moving into the house and inviting friends over. I was a little confused with Josie’s side as she mentions a sister and a nanny type figure, yet it wasn’t until we got back to that point of view that I could start to see them, and even then it was muddled. I’m sure this gets cleared up throughout the book, yet I found it took a little away when I didn’t understand who the characters were. Looking forward to this one none the less.


Brightly Burning – Alexa Donne
Form the cover of this book, I expected a romance. After reading the first three chapters, I could care less what’s on the cover, I just want more. This was a wonderful beginning to a sci-fi adventure that I can’t wait to read. Stella’s character is bold, yet still a little shy. She has knowledge, looks, and tenacity. Donne’s writing is fast paced and easy to follow. There are some words above a level normally used in YA literature, yet I did not find these obtrusive.

Unbreakable – Sara Ella
As this is the finale in a series, and I have not read the other books, this novel was not all that interesting to me. The terminology (fifth reflection/second’s castle) often made no sense to me and the voice was slightly longwinded for my taste. It was clear that this had to do with time travel and sounded like an interesting plotline, but I was too in the dark to understand. Might pick up the first book to see what it is about, but this didn’t make me want to check it out immediately.


Legendary – Stephanie Garber
This is the second book in the Caraval series and I’m even now more excited to get my hands on it. Love the imagination and writing style of Garber. Looking forward to a wonderful adventure.

Chemistry Lesson – Meredith Goldstein
I was both intrigued and a little put off by this introduction. This is described at the beginning as somewhat of a romantic comedy, and I didn’t get to see much comedy in it. The beginning chapters are quite depressing, dealing with a first break up and the death of a mother. I can see some humor to come from Bryan the neighbor, but just found myself overloaded with the negative aspects of Maya‘s life. Could be a great novel for girls going through their own first breakups, but it’s not enough to decide.

Orphan Monster Spy – Matt Killeen
This was a very short excerpt, but had a lot to offer. The tale was thrilling and emotional at the same time. Killeen definitely got right into the story and had the reader hanging on every word for what was about to happen. I was not a big fan of the inner voice. I felt it took away rather than added to the character. Other than that, I’m interested in reading more.

Furyborn – Claire Legrand
From these first two chapters, this looks to be an interesting fantasy. The writing is smooth and creates a fascinating world around its characters. I liked the first chapter better as there seemed to be more urgency and a more definite goal. The chapter after was a little less, but hard to judge how the rest of the book will flow.

Twelve Steps to Normal – Farrah Penn
This was a short excerpt with a strong impact. If the rest of the novel follows in this fashion, it will be a great and powerful read dealing with father/daughter relationships, alcoholism, and growing into yourself. Look forward to it!

Frat Girl – Kiley Roache
Not impressed by this title. Felt it was all overdone and slightly unrealistic for a group almost done with high school. Appreciate what the author might be trying to get at, but don’t have any want to continue past these couple of chapters.

Reclaiming Shiloh Snow – Mary Weber
The writing for this excerpt was great. It was past-paced, at an appropriate reading level, and evoked emotion in the reader. There were descriptions of each scene that gave a good sense of the surroundings. Characters were introduced nicely. Looks like a good sci-fi adventure.

Sky in the Deep – Adrienne Young
This was a short, but intense, excerpt. It led up well to the hook of the book and introduced the characters well enough. Since it was a battle scene, it was a bit chaotic and confusing, trying to get everyone straight right away. I appreciate a new mythology, yet need to be able to somewhat sound out the words or they seem useless to the novel. Good start.

As always, Buzz Books is a wonderful for source in deciding whether or not I’m going to want to cover the most buzzed about upcoming titles!

Far fewer excerpts of interest or quality this time.

I love being able to read excerpts of books I'm interesting in reading/requesting. A useful, helpful tool.

Great previews! many upcoming books that I am excited to read soon!

This collection of YA excerpts is amazing. I love the variety of books - there's sci-fi, fantasy, contemporary, etc etc - and I love how many new books and authors I was introduced to. The excerpts from Furyborn and Sky in the Deep are definitely my favourites.

Highly recommend this book to anyone who's anticipating YA books coming up in Spring/Summer, but prepare to add a lot to your TBR...

I always love reading Buzz Books because not only does it excite me for upcoming releases, but it can also lead me to something that I might have never thought of looking at before, and this compilation is no different. Not only are there some huge upcoming releases included, but also far smaller and lesser known authors and publishers.

I think in this edition there's more fantasy than ever included which I think is a reflection of what is publishing and being hyped in the YA field these days but obviously there's a diverse array of genres.

If you're looking for upcoming books that you don't want to miss out on, or even if you just want to add to your TBR, Buzz Books is the read that you need!

Great excerpts of soon-to-be released books. I was particularly hooked by the openings of Legendary and Brightly Burning.

I'm always waiting for the new buzz book. I really like the concept and I am more than happy to read a bit of new exciting book. I am more a fan of Sci-fi or fantasy but you there is always something for me.
The only thing that bother me a bit the number of sequel in this previews.