Am I a Bookish Influencer Yet?: Reviewing Books, Proofs and Samplers from the 2024 London Book Fair

Posted by oh355

30 March 2024

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By Elizabeth Greenwood-Spicer

It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a student at the London Book Fair with a Spotify tote bag and a dream, must be in want of free stuff. Bookmarks, upcoming release catalogues, coasters / beer mats (thanks, National Literacy Society!); chances are it ended up in my bag, and is the reason I now have the spine curvature of a prawn. However, the most exciting parts about bookish events are, of course, the books! It’s such a privilege to receive books, proofs, and samplers straight from the publishers, and so exciting to know that you’re reading something before it’s been released. Of course, I can’t share too much – I’m sure, dear reader, you don’t want to get me in trouble – but I’m now going to live my Booktokker dream and chat about some of these exciting upcoming releases.

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When you walk past the HarperCollins stand and someone asks if you want a free hardcover of an upcoming release, what do you do? Why, you jump at the chance! And, maybe, if you’re me, you fall over your own feet in front of the Simon & Schuster desk while trying to fit it in a too-small tote bag. THE FOUR is an upcoming debut from HarperCollins: a dark academia book in the vein of THE SECRET HISTORY, it centres around four scholarship students at an elite boarding school who, already alienated from the elite scholastic society they find themselves in, find themselves bonded by a terrible secret that might destroy them all. 

Like a teen drama made by A24, THE FOUR seethes with menace as its protagonists find themselves in the unforgiving maw of elitist private education, with enough commentary on the UK class system to put SALTBURN to shame. So tense that one of my friends was glued to it while sat in the corner of Paddington Station, THE FOUR is a pacy thriller set to release just in time for dissertation season. If you’re keen to stay in your Henry Winter era this spring, THE FOUR’s black and hot pink jacket will look super good next to some Donna Tartt in your library, and will certainly not kill the groove.

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It was hard to miss the Usborne stand upon walking into the children’s section of the London Book Fair, by virtue of it being bright yellow. Also bright yellow is my proof copy of FOUR EIDS AND A FUNERAL (how’s THAT for a segue), co-authored by contemporary YA legends Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé and Adiba Jaigirdar, whose wildly popular joint repertoire includes ACE OF SPADES (Usborne 2021), THE HENNA WARS (Hodder Children’s 2020), HANI AND ISHU’S GUIDE TO FAKE DATING (Hodder Children’s 2021), and the recently released WHERE SLEEPING GIRLS LIE (Usborne 2024). With the proof covers yellow or purple for protagonists Said and Tiwa, their complimentary colours are an apt reflection of the enemies-to-lovers plot (oh, how I LOVE clever cover design!). Reunited after years apart, Said and Tiwa must work together to save their town’s Islamic Centre after a catastrophic fire, while growing closer again after The Incident that occurred several Eids past.

A real conundrum in bookish circles at the moment is whether or not enemies-to-lovers tropes can really work in contemporary settings: after all, falling in love with an evil warlock emperor is very different to catching feelings for the guy who sits across from you in the office and doesn’t refill the printer when it’s out of paper. However, Àbíké-Íyímídé and Jaigirdar don’t just manage this, they excel at it: a feat when co-writing a novel. Said and Tiwa’s butting heads is both hilarious and emotional as we learn more about their shared history – and as they gain joint custody of a cat – all the while exploring themes of family, faith, and community. Talk of prayers and religious events intertwine beautifully with the emotion of the plot and the vibrant Muslim community in the novel’s pages, and the way Tiwa especially finds strength in her religion is such a fresh and heartwarming aspect to see in a YA novel. Mixing representation that YA excels at with witty dialogue (and plenty of Pokémon references), FOUR EIDS AND A FUNERAL is bound to be a summer hit this year, and will probably take up long-term residence on hundreds of Waterstones tables.

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The London Book Fair was full of big names this year: I got to hear from Richard Osman, Elodie Harper, Lex Croucher, Michael Sheen and Elle McNicholl, and while we did miss Taylor Jenkins Reid on the first day through virtue of being stuck at Bristol Temple Meads Station (Cheers, MA Publishing’s crying now, thanks GWR), I did get to not only meet, but high-five Mula the Tiger, a bright and smiley picture book mascot with Sweet Cherry Publishing. MULA AND THE FLY is a picture book with a bit of a difference: chronicling the efforts of sleepy tiger Mula to learn yoga with the help of a little fly, MULA goes beyond vibrant illustrations and punchy text to become a soft introduction to yoga skills for children, encouraging breathing exercises, flexibility, and movement.

According to a renowned source (my mother, a lecturer and qualified Early Years teacher – hi, mum!), it is important to regard how long children can focus on a single topic. When you’re teaching something new, children can typically focus for as many minutes amounts to double their age: if you’re reading with a four-year-old, you have less than ten minutes to keep their attention on something before it’s best to move on to something new and avoid them switching off. Mixing Mula’s narrative with a practical tutorial of learning yoga at the end, MULA AND THE FLY engages with numerous pedagogical techniques for keeping children interested and seeing how they learn from reading stories. Similarly, by including physical activity as part of the reading experience and explicitly linking it to the events of the story, the positive feelings evoked by exercise become linked with the reading experience. Also, Mula’s REALLY cute.

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In my time spent gawking at the Titan stand and yelling at my friend to read Tananarive Due’s THE REFORMATORY (sorry, Amelia!), I also picked up a sample few chapters of Caitlin Rozakis’ DREADFUL. When Gav wakes up in a Dark Lord’s castle, one of the many surprising revelations is that the Dark Lord is, in fact, him. Forced to play along with his own evil schemes as he tries to get his memories back, it’s a question of agency, destiny and killer squid as Dread Lord Gavrax sets about putting his life back together.

Not to go all commissioning editor on you, dear reader, but cozy fantasy is BIG at the moment. Travis Baldree’s LEGENDS AND LATTES (Tor 2022), about an orc who leaves the adventuring business to start a coffee shop, was a huge BookTok hit last year, and Heather Fawcett’s EMILY WILDE’S ENCYCLOPAEDIA OF FAERIES (Orbit 2023) can be seen taking pride of place on For You Pages across the bookish world. Taking a bulldozer to stale fantasy tropes with Discworld-like humour, DREADFUL is set to be a wildly funny addition to the genre, with a goofy tone that speaks more of D&D with friends than serious high fantasy. While taking care to answer real questions about what makes someone evil, how possible redemption is, and just how difficult it is to keep a platoon of goblin goons in line, DREADFUL’s first chapters portray it as a fantasy with something to say – when it’s out in May, I look forward to seeing where Rozakis takes it. Also, the squid. I really want to see the squid.