What would you do if you woke up in someone else’s body, with no memory of how you got there or who you where? It’s happened to Mercy before, but that doesn’t make it any easier to adjust to taking over someone else’s life. When she wakes up on a bus in the body of Carmen, a shy girl who loves to sing, she has no idea what’s going on. She has brief flashes of previous lives, but she doesn’t know who, or even what, she is. She does know that Carmen is shy, and is used to being on the fringes of life, but with her school participating in a vocal concert, and Carmen the lead soloist, Mercy has to learn quickly—and make sure she doesn’t ruin Carmen’s life while she’s at it.

She’s staying with the Daley family, whose daughter, Lauren, disappeared two years ago. Lauren’s twin brother, Ryan, is convinced Lauren is still alive, and soon Mercy is, too. But Luc, the mesmerizing man she keeps seeing in her dreams warns her not to interfere. As Mercy helps Ryan search for his sister, she uses a power she doesn’t fully comprehend to learn the truth, and the two grow closer—even as the trail they are following takes an unexpected twist. Mercy must decide between helping Lauren, and helping Carmen. Forced to make an impossible choice, will she learn to use her power before it’s too late?

Mercy, by Rebecca Lim, is the first in a series about a fallen angel with amnesia. This books isn’t big on back-story revelations for Mercy, but it is big on mystery and suspense. There are no slow scenes in this book; from the moment Mercy wakes up in Carmen’s body, through her floundering attempts to figure out what’s going on. The author gives us a distinct feeling for Mercy and her confusion, as well as her longing to find out who she is—and to find out just what history she and Luc share.

(Galley provided by Hyperion via NetGalley)

One of the most beloved literary classics of all time, Little Women, explores the life of four sisters: Josephine, Amy, Meg, and Beth March. Set during the Civil War, the book focuses mainly on the wild and rebellious Jo March, who always feels out of place and seems to always do the exact wrong thing. Generations of girls have fallen in love with the March family, and have shared in the sisters’ loves and heartbreaks. But what happens after Little Women (and after its sequels, Little Men and Jo’s Boys)? The Little Women Letters, by Gabrielle Donnelly explores one possible answer to this question.

What if the March sisters became nothing more than a family myth, with Grandma Jo as an eccentric, somewhat embarrassing ancestor? For Lulu, Emma, and Sophie Atwater, that is exactly the case. They don’t know much about Grandma Jo and her sisters, but when their mother asks Lulu to find a collection of old family recipes in the attic, Lulu ends up finding a treasure trove of letters written between the March sisters in the 1800s.

Steady Emma, who is about to be married, is the stable, levelheaded sister, and Sophie, an actor, is colorful and glamorous. But Lulu, with a college degree and no idea what she wants to do in life, moves from dead-end job to dead-end job and hasn’t had a boyfriend in forever. She feels like a failure, until she starts reading Grandma Jo’s letters and realizes she shares more than genetics with her ancestor; they also share a rebellious spirit and a need for more out of life.

Keeping the homey feel of Little Women, The Little Women Letters is told from the Atwater sisters’ viewpoint, as well as through letters between the March sisters. Events from the original book come to life again through the letters, and the adventures of the Atwater sisters mirror that of their ancestors as the girls struggle to find happiness and fulfillment, as well as staying true to themselves and their family.

(Galley provided by Touchstone)