Hey y’all! In contrast to Throwback Thursday, I like to use Fridays to look forward to an upcoming release that I’m excited about! Today’s is Queen of the Tiles by Hanna Alkaf!
Expected Release: April 19, 2022
Why wait on this one?
- COMPETITIVE. SCRABBLE. If anyone is going to bingo a bitch, it is NAJWA freakin’ BAKRI. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised, because everything becomes a competition in America, but I can’t wait to learn lots of interesting new words and have a style of drama and intensity I’ve never experienced before.
- Murder mystery too?! Because Najwa’s best friend Trina somehow died at this competition, and when secrets start coming out, it looks like maybe Trina is secretly alive too? Or someone just wants it to look that way? WHAT HAPPENED TO TRINA?!
- And through the lens of social media, where her dead best friends is suddenly active on Instagram again. Uhmmmm no thanks. It’s not like social media is totally new concept at this point, but the myriad possibilities for it in a story always draw me in.
- Also, Hanna Alkaf. I really just need to have a Hanna Alkaf TBR time because I have several of her books on my radar and haven’t gotten around to them. Come onnnn, Alkaf!!
- Side not #2: is the title an tiny homage to queen of the Nile? I really hope so.
Summary
When Najwa Bakri walks into her first Scrabble competition since her best friend’s death, it’s with the intention to heal and move on with her life. Perhaps it wasn’t the best idea to choose the very same competition where said best friend, Trina Low, died. It might be even though Najwa’s trying to change, she’s not ready to give up Trina just yet.
But the same can’t be said for all the other competitors. With Trina, the Scrabble Queen herself, gone, the throne is empty, and her friends are eager to be the next reigning champion. All’s fair in love and Scrabble, but all bets are off when Trina’s formerly inactive Instagram starts posting again, with cryptic messages suggesting that maybe Trina’s death wasn’t as straightforward as everyone thought. And maybe someone at the competition had something to do with it.
As secrets are revealed and the true colors of her friends are shown, it’s up to Najwa to find out who’s behind these mysterious posts—not just to save Trina’s memory, but to save herself.
My Book Joy 
I’ve seen this cover around and I still haven’t read anything by this author before but I’m definitely curious! This sounds *so good* 😍
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Yo same. Every year she releases a book, and every year I feature it saying “Wow this sounds great can’t wait to read it!” and now it’s been three years with her still a “new to me” author. 😳 So Queen of the Tiles is on a hold request at my library! Hahahah
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