It's a new year, and that means new books. There's so much coming to your favorite bookstore throughout this year it'll be hard to keep track of all the great new novels being released. There will be so many to choose from, from thriller to coming of age, you'll have a book list to keep you entertained all year. To give you a taste of what's coming (and some that have already come), here are seven books being released this year that you won't want to miss.
1. "Gingerbread" by Helen Oyeyemi
Harriet and Perdita Lee may appear to be average mother and daughter, but Harriet came from Druhastrana, a seemingly nonexistent land. She even has a best friend named Gretel. When teenaged Perdita sets out to find this long-lost best friend, a modern-day fairytale about ambition, work, family, and everything in between ensues.
Available March 5
2. "The Au Pair" by Emma Rous
Seraphine and Danny Mayes are twins born in the middle of summer on their family's estate in Norfolk. Just hours after their birth, their mother threw herself off the cliffs. Now an adult, Seraphine grieves her father after his recent death. While going through his things she finds a picture from the day the twins were born of her mother, looking incredibly happy. But in her arms is just one baby.
Available January 8
3. "The Age of Light" by Whitney Scharer
Lee Miller was the muse of Man Ray; she brought life and inspiration to his art. But she wanted more; she wanted to be behind the camera rather than the object in its lens. Her story plays out against the backdrop of twentieth-century Paris among wild parties, opium dens, and experimental photo sessions with Ray. Told between the timelines of 1930s Paris and WWII Europe, the story offers a grand look at the pioneering artistry of Lee Miller and her rise out of a man's shadow and into her light.
Available February 5
4. "Normal People" by Sally Rooney
Connell and Marianne both grew up in the same rural Irish town and that's as far as their similarities go. They are from different classes...different worlds. They both get to study at a Dublin university, though, and a connection grows between them that surpasses their differences and lasts for years to come.
Available April 16
5. "On the Come Up" by Angie Thomas
Bri wants to become a world-famous rapper and is the daughter of an underground hip-hop legend who died before his time; she's got big shoes to fill. On top of the difficulties of trying to make it big, her mom just lost her job. Money is tight, times are tough, and now Bri has to make it help keep her family afloat.
Available February 5
6. "She Lies in Wait" by Gytha Lodge
On a hot summer night in 1983, six friends decide to go camping in the forest. The youngest, Aurora Jackson, is thrilled to be able to tag along, but by morning she's nowhere to be found. Thirty years later, Aurora's body is found in those same woods, and the group must confront the fact that one of them is her killer.
Available January 8
7. "The Farm" by Joanne Ramos
Get paid to live in luxury, in a community with every amenity you could want. It sounds great, but there's a catch--you can't leave The Farm, and your every move is monitored while you carry and produce the child for your insanely wealthy clients. Jane is ecstatic to have made it through the highly selective process of becoming a surrogate but is worried about her young daughter on the outside. She can't leave The Farm, though or else she'll face dire consequences.
Available May 7