In Episode 180, Susie Boutry (@NovelVisits) and Sarah return with the 4th annual Debuts Special! They’re sharing their favorite debuts, new and backlist — so far for 2024. Plus, their reading stats for debuts this year and the best sophomore novels of 2024.

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CLICK HERE for the full episode Show Notes on the blog.

Highlights

• How debuts from 2024 compare to those from previous years.
• A full breakdown of Sarah’s and Susie’s 2024 debut-related stats.
• Featured debuts, divided into three categories:
  • Favorite Debuts of 2024 (so far)
  • Favorite Backlist Debuts Read in 2024
  • Best Sophomore Novels of 2024

Favorite Debuts of 2024 (so far) [7:13]

Sarah

• Only Say Good Things by Crystal Hefner | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [8:33]
• Nightwatching by Tracy Sierra | Amazon | Bookshop.org [14:50]
• Everest, Inc. by Will Cockrell | Amazon | Bookshop.org [21:50]
• How to End a Love Story by Yulin Kuang | Amazon | Bookshop.org [28:30]

Susie

• Grown Women by Sarai Johnson | Amazon | Bookshop.org [11:18]
• How We Named the Stars by Andrés N. Ordorica | Amazon | Bookshop.org [17:32]
• Perris, California by Rachel Stark | Amazon | Bookshop.org [24:58]
• Women and Children First by Alina Grabowski | Amazon | Bookshop.org [32:29]

Other Books Mentioned

• Victim by Andrew Boryga [7:54]
• Dixon, Descending by Karen Outen [8:04]
• River East, River West by Aub Rey Lescure [8:15]
• The Wives by Simone Gorrindo [8:23]
• The Many Lives of Mama Love by Lara Love Hardin [8:43]
• Nuclear War by Annie Jacobsen [14:59]
• Talking at Night by Claire Daverley [21:25]
• Groundskeeping by Lee Cole [21:29]
• People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry [29:38] 
• Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld [31:26] 
• No Two Persons by Erica Bauermeister [34:55] 
• The Road to Dalton by Shannon Bowring [34:58] 

Favorite Backlist Debuts Read in 2024 [36:02]

Sarah

• The Flat Share by Beth O’Leary | Amazon | Bookshop.org [36:09]
• Welcome to the O.C. by Alan Sepinwall, Josh Schwartz, and Stephanie Savage | Amazon | Bookshop.org [41:20]

Susie

• There There by Tommy Orange | Amazon | Bookshop.org [38:33]
• Black Butterflies by Priscilla Morris | Amazon | Bookshop.org [43:13]

Other Books Mentioned

• Wandering Stars by Tommy Orange [39:06] 
• Girl at War by Sara Nović [45:18]
• The Cellist of Sarajevo by Steven Galloway [45:20]  

Best Sophomore Novels of 2024 [45:33]

Sarah

• Same As It Ever Was by Claire Lombardo | Amazon | Bookshop.org [45:39]
• A Quiet Life by Ethan Joella | Amazon | Bookshop.org [50:43]

Susie

• Bear by Julia Phillips | Amazon | Bookshop.org [48:07]
• Where the Forest Meets the River by Shannon Bowring | Amazon | Bookshop.org [52:40]

Other Books Mentioned

• Sandwich by Catherine Newman [47:52] 
• The Road to Dalton by Shannon Bowring [52:54] 

Additional Books Mentioned

• I’m Thinking of Ending Things by Iain Reid [6:08] 

About Susie Boutry

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Susie has loved reading for as long as she can remember. Some of her fondest childhood memories involve long afternoons at the library and then reading late into the night. More than ten years ago, she began journaling about the books she read and turned that passion into writing about books. Her first forays were as a guest reviewer on a friend’s blog, but she soon realized she wanted to be reviewing and talking about books on a blog of her own. From there, Novel Visits was born. That was in 2016 and, though the learning curve was steep, she loves being a part of the book community. Novel Visits focuses on new novel reviews (print and audio), previews of upcoming releases, and musings on all things bookish.

Next Episode

In two weeks (October 30), Catherine and I will be back with our Fall 2024 Circle Back episode.