Countdown: 2012 Releases (24)

So I've gone to one wedding so far, and I've still got two more to go this summer and another in the fall. But in between all the bachelorette parties, bridal showers, and wedding preparations, I've managed to squeeze in a few reads here and there, followed up by a few reviews to go along with them. While I haven't been able to get as much Summer reading done as I would normally like to, it hasn't stopped me from continuing to find countless future releases that will be coming out in 2012 that I'm very much anticipating.

What's been on your Summer reading lists so far? Any you are still anxious to see on the shelves and get the chance to devour? Are any of your favorite series' coming out with new installments? Fill me in on how your reading is going and what you're looking forward to getting the chance to dive into, because I'm always looking forward to putting a few more titles on my TBR in 2012.

Countdown Pick #1: Beta (Beta, #1) by Rachel Cohn (10/16/2012)

In a world constructed to absolute perfection, imperfection is difficult to understand—and impossible to hide.

Elysia is a clone, created in a laboratory, born as a sixteen year old girl, an empty vessel with no life experience to draw from. She is a Beta, an experimental model of teenaged clone. She was replicated from another teenage girl, who had to die in order for Elysia to be created.

Elysia's purpose is to serve the inhabitants of Demesne, an island paradise for the wealthiest people on earth. Everything about Demesne is bio engineered for perfection. Even the air there induces a strange, euphoric high that only the island's workers—soulless clones like Elysia—are immune to.

At first, Elysia's new life on this island paradise is idyllic and pampered. But she soon sees that Demesne's human residents, the most privileged people in the world who should want for nothing, yearn. And, she comes to realize that beneath its flawless exterior, there is an undercurrent of discontent amongst Demesne's worker clones. She knows she is soulless and cannot feel and should not care—so why are overpowering sensations clouding Elysia's mind?

If anyone discovers that Elysia isn't the unfeeling clone she must pretend to be, she will suffer a fate too terrible to imagine. When Elysia's one chance at happiness is ripped away from her with breathtaking cruelty, emotions she's always had but never understood are unleashed. As rage, terror, and desire threaten to overwhelm her, Elysia must find the will to survive.

I'm not sure what to expect from author, Rachel Cohn, with no previous experience of her writing style, but her plot sounds exciting and the mystery surrounding everything, combined with the main character's intense situation sounds like an addicting combination, don't you think?

Countdown Pick #2: What Happens Next by Colleen Clayton (10/09/2012)

How can you talk about something you can’t remember?

Before the ski trip, sixteen-year-old Cassidy “Sid” Murphy was a cheerleader (at the bottom of the pyramid, but still...), a straight-A student, and a member of a solid trio of best friends. When she ends up on a ski lift next to handsome local college boy, Dax Windsor, she’s thrilled; but Dax takes everything from Sid—including a lock of her perfect red curls—and she can’t remember any of it.

Back home and unable to relate to her old friends, Sid drops her college prep classes and takes up residence in the A/V room with only Corey “The Living Stoner” Livingston for company. But as she gets to know Corey (slacker, baker, total dreamboat), Sid finds someone who truly makes her happy. Now, if she can just shake the nightmares and those few extra pounds, everything will be perfect... or so she thinks.

Witty and poignant, Colleen Clayton’s stunning debut is a story about moving on after the unthinkable happens.

I hate to make presumptions, but I'm scared that by the sound of this plot description, that I have a pretty good idea of what happened to Clayton's main character in regards to the character Dax. I hope I'm wrong, but regardless it sounds like a debut that could have me not only adding another title to my favorites of 2012 list, but a new favorite author as well. Only time will tell.

Countdown Pick #3: Send Me A Sign by Tiffany Schmidt (10/02/2012)

Mia is always looking for signs. A sign that she should get serious with her soccer-captain boyfriend. A sign that she’ll get the grades to make it into an Ivy-league school. One sign she didn’t expect to look for was: “Will I survive cancer?” It’s a question her friends would never understand, prompting Mia to keep her illness a secret. The only one who knows is her lifelong best friend, Gyver, who is poised to be so much more. Mia is determined to survive, but when you have so much going your way, there is so much more to lose.

From debut author Tiffany Schmidt comes a heart-wrenching and ultimately uplifting story of one girl’s search for signs of life in the face of death.

So I can already say that I just adore Tiffany Schmidt. I've corresponded with her recently and she seems so sweet and excited for her future release that it was somewhat infectious and hard to resist. I'm sure it's exciting for any author, whether they are seeing their very first book hit the shelves or if it's the tenth book or more of theirs to be sold to readers everywhere. I can't imagine the feeling, but for some reason when I get the chance to talk with a debut author, I can all the more excited for them and their future release. I'm constantly crossing my fingers and saying a prayer that their book is well received, because it's just such a huge accomplishment and one that I always hope will be appreciated by all. That's how I feel when I read the description for Schmidt's future release and hopefully her readers will fall head over heels in love with Mia's story.

Countdown Pick #4: Intentions by Deborah Heiligman (08/14/2012)

Rachel thought she was grown up enough to accept that no one is perfect. Her parents argue, her grandmother has been acting strangely, and her best friend doesn’t want to talk to her. But none of that could have prepared her for what she overheard in her synagogue’s sanctuary.

Now Rachel’s trust in the people she loves is shattered, and her new-found cynicism leads to reckless rebellion. Her friends and family hardly recognize her, and worse, she can hardly recognize herself. But how can the adults in her life lecture her about acting with kevanah, intention, when they are constantly making such horribly wrong decisions themselves? This is a witty, honest account of navigating the daunting line between losing innocence and entering adulthood—all while figuring out who you really want to be.

I want more background on this one, don't you? I want to know what her family's secrets are and what kind of trouble Rachel will get herself into as a result of everything she learns and doesn't want to deal with. I'm very curious and eager to find out all the answers to the questions that instantly came to me after this tiny sneak peek.

Countdown Pick #5: Speechless by Hannah Harrington (08/28/2012)

The story of a girl named Chelsea Knot who takes a voluntary oath of silence after her gossip-mongering ways yield unexpected consequences…

Could this description be any shorter? I don't think so. I tried my best to find a lengthier description, plot points, hints, anything and came up with zilch. I'm not sure why there is so much left out when it comes to this future release but for whatever reason, we readers will just have to really ramp up our patience quotas and hope that we can hold out until August for more information. I haven't had the chance to read Harrington's previous release, Saving June, but I've heard nothing but positive feedback about it. Did you have the opportunity to read it? What did you think of Harrington's writing? Will you be trying to get yourself a copy of her future release when it hits the shelves?