<3 Books with Heart loves Book Lovers Day <3

Around the world, readers celebrate Book Lovers Day on August 9, and to say we here at Books with Heart HQ are feeling the love may be a slight understatement. In fact, we are so pumped to have a whole day just to shout from the rooftops about the importance (and the stupendousness) of books, we compiled a big list of our favourite, and our most anticipated reads of 2018.

FAVOURITE READS OF 2018

‘I love a story about a woman who flies into the face of danger, and it’s even better when the woman was as real as they come! This story of the indomitable Martha Gellhorn and her husband, Ernest Hemingway, is told with so much feeling and realism it both caused my heart to break and inspired me to work on how I could become more empowered in my own life.’

Lou, Senior Marketing Executive
Hachette AU 

‘I can’t pick just one favourite book of this year so far… it’s a tie! A Year at Hotel Gondola is fab because it’s set in Italy, has delicious descriptions of food, characters that feel like your friends and an engaging storyline.’

Sacha, Marketing Manager
Hachette NZ

‘I completely devoured my other favourite read of 2018, Million Love Songs! I enjoyed reading it so much that I often couldn’t put it down and ended up going to sleep at 3am. A hilarious read with lots of Robbie Williams/Take That puns and a love story that ends the way you hope it does. You won’t be disappointed.’

Sacha, Marketing Manager
Hachette NZ

‘A wonderfully imagined tale of a young woman and her grandmother as they explore secrets and heartache in a story spanning New York, Paris and Australia. The fashion is just exquisite and I definitely wished I was handy with a sketchbook and fabric after finishing this one!’

Alana, Publicist
Hachette AU

‘A brilliant, humorous, heartbreaking novel of one woman (Melody), her teenage kids (Rose and Flynn), and a search for her missing husband (Dev). Woven together with laugh-out-loud moments – as an accident means Melody now sings when she’s anxious – clear your schedule, everything you need is in this book.’

Alison, Product and Publishing Manager
Hachette NZ

‘I’m sure the entire Books with Heart team is sick of me preaching how fantastic this book is. The Songs of Us follows the lives of Melody, her daughter Rose (who is determined to find her estranged father) and her son Flynn (who wants nothing to do with him). There is no explanation for why Dev left his family, but when Rose discovers a missing person report that matches his description, the family set off and find out what it means to be ‘us’. With twists, turns and a kick-ass playlist, this is a heartfelt, deeply emotional, hilarious and uplifting story that will have you laughing and weeping. You can listen to the playlist here.’

Jemma, Publicity Coordinator. 
Hachette AU

‘A taut, evocative, captivating read by debut Australian author Kali Napier. I was completely transported to 1930s Dongara, and every single character raised my eyebrows or my heart rate. Layer after mysterious layer of the Hass family’s lives come away with such precision, too. If you’re a sucker for small-town secrecy, the effects of war on fractured families, or the boundaries we will push to protect ourselves and our loved ones, this spine-tingler has your name on it.’

Stacey, Australian Publishing Assistant
Hachette AU

MOST ANTICIPATED READS OF 2018

‘This book sounds like a perfect mix of happy, heartfelt and hilarious – a story about the antics and high drama that friendships and romance can bring to those who have already lived a whole life and find there’s still so much more to experience. Can’t wait to read it!’

Lou, Senior Marketing Executive
Hachette AU 

‘Okay, confession: I’ve been lucky enough to read an unedited manuscript of this book, and it was INCREDIBLE! Ava is 28 when she finds out her cancer has come back and she has one year to live, so she decides to make the most of her year by throwing herself a wedding… she doesn’t have a groom but she won’t let that stop her as she doesn’t want to miss out on her wedding day. Her idea gets picked up by the media and goes viral.

Once again Tammy Robinson displays her razor-sharp wit, making this unique book a combination of laugh-out-loud and real tear-jerker moments. You’re bound to feel a whole rollercoaster of emotions with Photos of You. Bring on 11 December!’

Sacha, Marketing Manager
Hachette NZ

‘Sometimes you just know from the beginning that you are going to love a book, and this is certainly one of those! The characters (Travis and Maggie), the love story (a Red Riding Hood retelling) and the pace keep you hooked through to the very end. Big Bad Cowboy is the first of a great light-hearted commercial romance series, which is always a bonus as there are more to come.’

Alison, Product and Publishing Manager
Hachette NZ

‘Sneakily I have already read and loved this book so SO much, but no spoilers here! The heroine, Hazel, is a lovably eccentric character – think Phoebe from Friends – who refuses to be anyone but herself. However despite her confidence, not everyone ‘gets’ Hazel, especially not guys who find her boisterous good nature embarrassing to say the least. Cue Josh: the serious, good-looking, completely unavailable tutor from university who she has already humiliated herself in front of several times (we’ve all been there), and who Hazel decides must be her best friend. What ensues is a hilarious friendship full of blind dates, midnight cartwheels, and lots and lots of very awkward moments. I fell in love with both of the characters in this book and devoured it in two quick bites. Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating left me feeling as though I’d been wrapped in a little blanket of love and chocolate, and very, very happy.’


Ash, Product and Sales Manager
Hachette NZ

‘A quirky and sweet romance with adorably lovable characters. This one will definitely leave you with warmfuzzies!’

Alana, Publicist
Hachette AU

‘This is one of the most anticipated books of the year – especially with the Discovery of Witches television series due in September! This latest series by Deborah Harkness is a spellbinding spin-off that follows the much-loved Marcus who took a back seat as a secondary character in the first series, but we wanted more and thankfully Deborah delivered. A passionate love story and a fascinating exploration of the power of tradition and the possibilities for change, Time’s Convert will delight fans of the All Souls trilogy and all readers of magic, the supernatural, and romance.’

Jemma, Publicity Coordinator. 
Hachette AU

‘This one was published in June, but I still haven’t had a chance to read it and I am DESPERATE so technically it’s still my most anticipated, right? I love a rom-com, but I especially love a rom-com featuring a queer pairing (we have meet-cutes and awkward tension in real life too!) so this empowering, sexy, tender love story has the potential to be my favourite book of 2018… fingers crossed!’

Stacey, Australian Publishing Assistant
Hachette AU