With each new year comes new books and book-to-screen adaptations. This year, well-known authors such as Sarah J. Maas and Holly Jackson are releasing new books or adaptations, and some authors are releasing debut novels.

     Debut novelists such as Cindy R. X. He and Ella Moore have books on several people’s lists of most anticipated books for this year. One of these books is “Perfect Little Monsters” by Cindy R. X. He. According to Goodreads, this book is a murder mystery that follows Dawn Foster who was the last to hand the queen bee, Ella Moore, a drink before she died. Dawn must prove her innocence and find the real culprit before someone else dies. “Perfect Little Monsters” releases on May 7th, 2024.

     “I love murder mysteries because I like to try and find out who did it before the main character does,” sophomore Ashlynn Schroyer said. “I know this book is going to be another murder mystery that I’ll love.”

     Another debut novel is “Don’t Want You Like A Best Friend” by Emma R. Alban. According to Goodreads, this book follows two girls, Gwen and Beth, in the Victorian era who set their parents up to save Beth from having to find a wealthy husband all while falling in love themselves. “Don’t Want You Like A Best Friend” was recently released on January 9th. 

     “I love “The Parent Trap” movie and that’s what this book reminds me of,” sophomore Morgan Veneziano said. “Gwen and Beth sound like Hallie and Annie if they weren’t secretly twins.”

     Along with debut novels, many books are coming out with some familiar names attached to them. One of these books is “A Drop of Venom“ by Sajni Patel presented by Rick Riordan, author of “Percy Jackson.“ According to Goodreads, “A Drop of Venom” is a retelling of the Medusa myth mixed with Indian mythology. Manisha uses the power she gains after being pushed into a pit of vipers to seek vengeance. “A Drop of Venom” was released on January 16th. 

     “This author is new to me, but I love Rick Riordan, and I’ve read all of his books,” sophomore Lillian Hawley said “I know that it will be a good book because he’s presenting it.” 

     Best-selling author of “A Good Girl’s Guide To Murder,” Holly Jackson, is releasing her sixth book in the murder mystery genre, “The Reappearance of Rachel Prince.” According to Goodreads, Bel was the last person to see her mother, Rachel Prince, before she disappeared. Bel has no memory of what happened and wants to move on from the pain. She’s dragged back in when her family agrees to a true crime documentary. Then Rachel reappears and Bel must figure out what happened to her mother. “The Reappearance of Rachel Prince” is expected to be released on April 2nd. 

     “Holly Jackson is one of my favorite authors and I’ve read all of her books,” Veneziano said. “Bel seems like a character that’ll quickly become my favorite.”

     Along with many new books releasing this year, fans also have many book-to-screen adaptations to look forward to. Some episodes of “Percy Jackson and the Olympians“ have already been released on Disney+, and an adaptation of “A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder” is also in the works. Finally, the third season of “Heartstopper” is also expected to be released at the end of this year along with many more adaptations. 

     “I’m really excited for all of the books and TV shows based off of books that are coming out this year because there are a lot of good ones,” Schroyer said.