My Most Anticipated Book Releases of December 2021

Sometimes, the never-ending cycle of new book releases can become overwhelming if you think about it for too long. Every month, we have new books from debut authors and existing faves. And each and every one of these books sounds absolutely amazing! That is no different this month. Today I want to highlight some of my most anticipated book releases of December of 2021.

There is such a wide range of books I am excited for this month. From mystery to contemporary, I am going to be reading a huge variety of genres in the coming new year!

And the best part of this post? I am late in making it, so all of the books I included on this list come out tomorrow! It is all thanks to the publishing industry’s tradition of publishing books on the first Tuesday of the month.

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1. A History of Wild Places by Shea Ernshaw

Title: A History of Wild Place

Author: Shea Ernshaw

Publisher: Atria Books

Release Date: December 7, 2021

This book is described as atmospheric and haunting. All words I love to hear about a book. This story is about Travis, who has the ability to find missing people. When he is hired to locate a missing author, he ends up disappearing himself. The case is cold until Theo discovers a new clue that points to where Travis is.

This book is full of secrets, lies, and a twist of the fantastical. With all the positive reviews from advanced readers, I know this will be one of my favorites in the new year.

Goodreads Page

Click here to purchase this book on Amazon

2. The Ballerinas by Rachel Kalelke-Dale

Title: The Ballerinas

Author: Rachel Kapelke-Dale

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press

Release Date: December 7, 2021

From all my anticipated book releases of December, this one has to be the one I am most excited about. If you have been following me for some time, you know I was a dancer and you know how much I love reading fiction books about dancers or surrounding dance. So it is no surprise at all that The Ballerinas is on my list of anticipated book releases of December 2021. I initially found this book on Netgalley, where I tried, unsuccessfully, to get an advanced copy. But now I will have to wait only one more day before I can finally get my hands on this book.

The Ballerinas is about Delphine, who has come face to face with her past when she returns home to the Paris Opera Ballet to make her choreography debut. This story seems to be a study of friendships and ballet, full of more secrets than you can imagine.

Of course, I am excited to read any book about ballet, but more importantly, I can’t wait for this book to be in my collection! It is way too pretty, I will definitely be splurging on a hardcover copy of this book, simply for display purposes… and to read of course.

Goodreads Page

Click here to purchase this book from Amazon

3. The Big Reveal by Jen Larson

Title: The Big Reveal

Author: Jen Larson

Publisher: Henry Holt & Company

Release Date: December 7, 2021

What a month for dancers who also love to read! This book is a YA contemporary about Addie who bands together with her friends to put on an exclusive burlesque show to raise money for Addie to attend the dance school of her dreams. However, when word gets out about their show, the body-shaming begins.

The Big Reveal seems to be a book about dance, friendships, and the standards society puts on young bodies. I can’t wait to experience Addie’s world, and add another fictional dancer to my list of favorite characters!

And of course… that book cover!!!!

Goodreads Page

Purchase this book on Amazon!

4. The Cat Who Saved Books by Sōsuke Natsukawa

Title: The Cat Who Saved Books

Author: Sōsuke Natsukawa

Publisher: Harper Via

Release Date: December 7, 2021

I mean, a talking cat who teams up with a bookworm kid to save books that are unloved and unread? That is like the author took one of my dreams and made it into a book. Like the cats in The Starless Sea suddenly started talking and wanted to save all the books! This sounds like such a fun and cute read!

Plus, this is in the magical realism genre. I have been wanting to read more of that, so it will be a perfect read for the beginning of 2022!

Goodreads Page

Click here to purchase from Amazon!

5. If This Gets Out by Sophia Gonzolez and Cale Dietrich

Title: If This Gets Out

Author: Sophia Gonzalez and Cale Dietrich

Publisher: Wednesday Books

Release Date: December 7, 2021

Listen, I was a One Direction fan too. So, I know what everyone was thinking when they read the summary of this book. If This Gets Out is about two boys in a boyband who confess their sexuality to each other. While on tour, they fall in love and decide to tell their fans. However, this becomes difficult when their management isn’t exactly supportive.

All I am going to say is, I feel like I have read this story a couple times over on certain fan fiction sights about two specific band members from a specific band. You know. I’m not going to say it but… La

Goodreads Page

Click here to purchase on Amazon!


While I’m still catching up on 2019 new releases, you all can start enjoying these final book releases of December of this year, 2021! I will catch up in a couple of years… maybe.

Still can’t believe 2022 is less than a month away. What?

I didn’t get the chance to read a lot of the 2021 book releases, but my TBR list certainly grew exponentially this year. Each month, seeing all the new releases coming across my social media feeds, I would keep switching over to the Goodreads app just to add them to my TBR. Now I need to catch up!

What books are you excited to read this final month of December? Any new releases of December on your TBR?

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