 Hi bookworms! As we start a new month, we've got so many new book releases to look forward to! Today I'm sharing 7 of my most anticipated releases of May. I can't wait to see what these books have in store! Now let's dive in!
Those are my anticipated releases for May 2024 bookworms! I can't wait to read them! What May releases are on your radar? Are any of these books on your tbr? Let me know in the comments below. 
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Hi bookworms! Today I'm chatting with Marisa Kanter, author of Finally Fitz! This book is the perfect summer read filled with hope, heartbreak, family dynamics, and the creativity of the fashion industry. Stay tuned for my review coming soon! Finally Fitz comes out April 23rd and you can preorder your copy here!
Image Source: Courtesy of Simon & Schuster
Synopsis: Ava "Fitz" Fitzgerald has worked hard to create the picture-perfect life she's always wanted. She spent her junior year transforming her passion for sustainable fashion and upcycling into a viral online platform, maintaining a 4.0 GPA, and spending every free second with her soon-to-graduate girlfriend, Danica. And this summer she plans to take it all to the next level by attending a prestigious summer fashion program in New York City and convincing Dani that they can survive a year of long distance.
But when Dani dumps her before classes even start, accusing Fitz of being more invested in growing her online persona than deepening their relationship, she's left not only heartbroken, but also creatively blocked. Fitz will do anything to win Dani back, even if that means taking a break from the platform that she's worked so hard to build. But just as she decides to go all-in on a hiatus, a chance encounter reunites her with Levi Berkowitz, her childhood best friend that she hasn't seen since elementary school. Levi is struggling with heartbreak of his own, and this cosmic coincidence sparks a new use for her social media savvy. Fitz offers to help Levi craft a fake relationship online to make his person jealous... if in return he can pretend to be her boyfriend in front of Dani to make her jealous. If all goes according to plan, by the end of the summer they'll both be reunited with their perfect partners and get to rekindle their friendship in the process. Sometimes even the most carefully designed plans can come apart at the seams, though. And when real history leads to not-so-fake feelings, Fitz will have to decide if she's finally willing to let go of what she thought was picture-perfect and choose what might actually be right for her. Hi Marisa! Welcome to Page by Paige Books! I am so excited to chat with you today. To get things started I'd love to get to know you a bit more. Could you share 3 fun facts about yourself? Thanks so much for having me, Paige! Sure. A few fun facts . . . 1. I love to crochet my own garments. 2. I'm a Survivor superfan. Seriously, give me a number between 1-45 and I can tell you who won that season. 3. My husband and I co-hosted a podcast called The Outfit Repeaters, in which we recapped every episode of Lizzie McGuire. Growing up, it was my favorite show and he'd never seen it - and it was meant to lead into the now dead reboot (RIP). Still a ton of fun!
I am a huge fan of the childhood best friend to maybe something more trope and Finally Fitz delivered in all the best ways! What are your favourite tropes to write or read about?
My favorite tropes to write or read about are ones where the characters in the romantic pairing have history, be it good or bad. Friends-to-lovers, enemies-to-lovers, and second chance are so much fun to write because of the built-in tension that this shared history allows. I think I'm most drawn to these stories because of the inherent angst and yearning within them, but also because the characters often need to grow as individuals before they are ready to enter a healthy relationship. People are messy, communication is hard, and right person wrong time is definitely a thing.
Finally Fitz features not only romance but also an amazing story about family and the power of sisters. What advice would you give to writers working on creating such complex and relatable relationships in their books?
To be human is to navigate multiple complex relationships real time. We do it every day and it should be no different for our characters. I think it's so easy to get caught up in the romance while drafting (I do!) but those secondary characters and familial storylines can be key to creating a world that feels lived in and as tools that shape the worldview of your main characters.
Something I enjoyed about Levi's character is that he loves plants! I couldn't get enough of his plantscapades with Fitz. Are you a plant lover? If so, what's your favourite kind of plant and do you have any advice for new plant owners?
As much as I love plants, I'm the last person who should be offering plant advice. All the research I did for Finally Fitz sadly did not translate to being a good plant parent. I'm only able to keep alive the most forgiving, drought resistant plants. (Can I blame the lack of natural light in my apartment? I will!) You can't go wrong with a ZZ Plant. I have one named Zara that I've managed to keep alive for almost three years, and it's my greatest plant achievement to date.
Reading about Fitz's passion for design and creating custom clothes out of thift hauls was so much fun! Have you ever created or altered clothes before? What inspired you to add this aspect of Fitz's personality to her character?
I crochet my own garments, but I do not have Fitz's talent with a sewing machine. She designs the costumes for the school musical in the companion novel, As If on Cue. As someone with three older sisters, I always imagined her to have the desire and ability to mesh and blend all those hand-me-downs to craft her own personal style. I'm not a visual artist in any sense, but it was so fun to be in the head of a character who is.
When Fitz was feeling down, she grabbed some Snickerdoodles from Insomnia Cookies and they sounded delicious! What's your favourite kind of cookie?
I love a shortbread-specifically, my husband's chocolate chip orange shortbread. I'm lactose intolerant, but those cookies are worth taking a Lactaid for.
While reading Finally Fitz there were many quotes that stood out to me that were really relatable. Do you have any favourite quotes or scenes from the book that you could share?
When Levi says to Fitz, "Sometimes art takes the time it takes." Her creative burnout comes from a very real place. I struggled through every word of the first draft of this book. I needed multiple extensions. Finally Fitz, as a work, took the time it needed to take and when I wrote that line it didn't feel like Levi was just talking to Fitz, but he was also talking to me.
Across all the books you've written so far, which character do you relate to the most?
There are tiny pieces of me in all my characters and a part of me wonders if the answer to this question will always be the most recent. Without quite meaning to, I find that my work, in some ways, is a time capsule that reflects the version of myself that existed while writing it. Right now? The character I most relate to is Fitz. All my perfectionist / anxiety / burnout feelings exist in her. I just want to give Fitz a hug and tell her to be nicer to herself!
On your Instagram, you posted about visiting The Met with your sister which looked like a ton of fun! Do you have a favourite artist or piece of art that you saw on your visit?
We went to The Met mainly for Monet. He's my sister's favorite artist and it was her first time seeing Water Liles in-person. It brought me so much joy to experience Monet's art alongside her.
I loved how you explored the topic of being a perfectionist and how Fitz struggles to maintain this perfect image around her family and friends. It made Finally Fitz a perfect balance of fluffy rom-com while also discussing serious topics about mental health. What is the main message that you hope readers take away from this book?
Stop being so hard on yourself. As a teen, I put so much pressure on myself. Applied the word perfectionist to myself like a badge of honor. Didn't understand the difference between being ambitious and having unreasonable expectations. Believed the worst thing I could do was fail. Unlearning perfectionism, reckoning with the truth that it is so often a symptom of anxiety, has been an ongoing process. If this resonates with any readers, I hope that Fitz's story gives them permission to be nicer to themselves, to reassess their relationship with the word perfectionist, to seek help. And if you see Fitz maybe not in yourself, but in someone you know, check in on them.
Thank you so much for chatting with me today about Finally Fitz! I loved reading it and I'm super excited to read more of your work in the future! Do you have any upcoming projects that you're currently working on?
Yes! I can't say too much right now, but if you loved childhood friends to lovers in Finally Fitz . . . I cannot wait to share more about my next book with you.
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I had so much fun chatting with Marisa about Finally Fitz. Don't forget to grab your copy on April 23rd! Recommend a book that reminds you of the summer! Let me know about it in the comments below.
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AuthorPaige is a bookstagrammer and blogger who loves all things bookish. From fantasy to mystery she can’t get enough! She’s always ready to recommend you a book and she can talk about her favourites all day. When she’s not reading, you can find her watching Marvel movies, playing video games, and taking bookstagram photos. Visit her on Instagram and Twitter for more updates. Categories
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