We're always on the hunt for titles and storylines that grab our attention the way Usher's Super Bowl performance did this year, and we think we've finally cracked the code! So get ready, BookTok-ers, because this roundup is filled to the brim with upcoming, brand new book releases for you. Featuring rom-com books and thrillers that make us clutch our imaginary pearls — I’m looking at you, Womb City — we've got a feeling you'll be stalking your local bookstores as soon as these titles drop. Here are the most-anticipated, best new books to read in 2024!
The Best New Fiction Books We Can't Wait To Read In 2024
The bestselling author of Olga Dies Dreaming is back with another captivating novel that unravels the mystery behind the death of Anita de Monte, a talented artist whose legacy fades into obscurity after her tragic demise in 1985. Fast forward to 1998, and Raquel, a third-year art history student navigating the challenges of being a minority on College Hill, stumbles upon Anita's forgotten story. As Raquel rises in social standing through a complex romantic relationship, parallels emerge between her life and Anita's, raising questions about power, love, and art. With a propulsive narrative that moves between perspectives and time, Gonzalez explores who gets to be remembered and who is left behind in the elite realm of the art world.
It's so good that it landed on Reese Witherspoon's book clublist!
The Limits by Nell Freudenberger (April 9, 2024)
This novel follows Pia, a rebellious teen who bounces back and forth between her parents' disparate lives — from her French biologist mother who lives on the tropical shores of Tahiti fighting for eco-justice, to her surgeon father who's consumed by work at a New York City hospital just as COVID hits. Enter a new, younger stepmom named Kate into the dynamic, and you can imagine the drama set to unfold as all of their lives collide and transform over the course of a single year.
In We Were the Universe, Kit's weekend escape to the Montana mountains with her heartbroken best friend turns into a poignant journey of self-discovery. Haunted by the loss of her sister, Julie, and grappling with the mundanity of suburban life, Kit tries to find solace in routine. As she navigates motherhood, marriage, and distant memories of her wilder days, Kit's mind blurs the lines between reality and fantasy. The novel is a fearless exploration of sisterhood, motherhood, friendship, marriage, psychedelics, and the intricate, transcendent forms love can assume.
In this sharp office culture read, Jolene, the novel's protagonist, is accidentally granted access to her annoying coworkers' personal emails and DMs. This crackling comedy follows what happens when she delves deeper into the secrets and private worlds of her colleagues.
The hotly-anticipated follow-up novel to Coco Mellors' national bestseller and Goodreads Choice Awards finalist Cleopatra and Frankenstein is finally hitting bookshelves this year. Three estranged siblings (Avery, Bonnie, and Lucky) return to their family home in New York after their beloved sister's death to wade through the complexities of grief, hope and what it takes to fall in love with life after loss.
Intermezzoby Sally Rooney, September 24, 2024
Cover art forthcoming. Irish novelist Sally Rooney just announced her latest endeavor, Intermezzo. This will be her fourth novel after Beautiful World, Where Are You, Normal People, and Conversations With Friends. What we know so far is that this book will center two brothers, Peter and Ivan Koubek who have little in common. Peter is a Dublin lawyer in his thirties, and Ivan is a twenty-two-year-old competitive chess player. Their stories interweave on the heels of their father's death, and the relationships that unfold in the early weeks of their bereavement.
New 2024 Memoirs and Non-Fiction Books We're Excited To Read
This deeply personal memoir explores the addictive nature of the work grind. From the POV of an overachiever, Jennifer Romolini shares her story of relentlessly climbing the professional ladder to her dream c-suite job amidst a backdrop of lingering childhood trauma. She invites readers to ask themselves, at what cost do we chase success?
In Slow Productivity, bestselling author Cal Newport invites us to create a more balanced life by rejecting busyness, working at a natural pace, and committing to do fewer things. To explore this philosophy, Newport delves into the habits of some of the world's most impactful and prolific creators like Jane Austen, Georgia O'Keeffe, and Maya Angelou to uncover how they mastered their craft and produced high-value work without burnout. If you're feeling the burn from a never-ending to-do list and the grind of hustle culture, this new book is an urgent must-read.
The Best New Rom-Com Books
Kicking off our best new books roundup is Hannah Tate, Beyond Repair by the personable Laura Piper Lee. Inspired by her own upbringing and experiences in Blue Ridge, GA, this romantic and spicy novel follows main character Hannah as she tries to make sense of her life. She starts off being unsure of herself as a mother, lover, and adult, but eventually realizes she's on the right track the longer she spends near her childhood home.
It's not always growing up in an elite family where it seems like everyone else is the picture of perfection, but Ricki finds herself in the middle of one anyway. Looking for any reason to break free from expectations and the reminder that she's different, Ricki decides to make Harlem her home. Not only does she start finding her footing there, she also begins falling in love with someone who's as creative and passionate as she is.
It's always interesting how many secrets come out once a person passes, but I don't think there's any way to brace yourself to learn about your dad's sex life. Nevertheless, Nora and her sister are forced to renovate an old inn because some people have a hard time dealing with scandals. As the sisters find a way to restore the inn, they find themselves making peace with the way life has turned out.
In the midst of that is Ennis "Bear" Freeman and his seemingly surly nature. He has his own doubts and secrets that have caused him to build a wall around his heart. But, his attraction to Nora is the one thing that may encourage him to lead a truthful life that's not built on fear.
This Could Be Us is a tale about taking a chance on life and love to see where both can take a person. For Soledad Barnes, being impulsive isn't included in the plans she meticulously crafts because it simply wouldn't make sense. But, life doesn't always care about our plans and she's left to start over when her romantic life is derailed.
She quickly recovers and it's business as usual until she meets someone who is the opposite of who she is. He's the one person that doesn't fit inside any boxes she's created and she may or may not enjoy it.
Jess Greene lives life by a set of rules that she feels keeps her and her half-sister Tegan safe from the possible scrutiny she thinks will come from people in town. After their mother left twice, Jess became Tegan's caregiver and devoted herself to protecting Tegan in a way she feels their mother failed to do. It's the one thing she's able to control until she realizes her younger sister has been carefully planning to talk to popular true crime podcast host Salem Durant about the con man their mother left them for.
Suddenly, Jess is forced to reconcile with keeping secrets from Tegan, her own heartbreak, and the instant attraction to she feels to Salem's producer, Adam Hawkins. As the four of them embark on an uneasy journey to figure out where Jess and Tegan's mother is, Jess slowly begins opening up to Adam in a way she hasn't done in a long time. Although she would've been fine with the carefully constructed world she's built, his presence helps change everything for her and Tegan.
If you love spicy romance and
true crime podcasts, you'll love getting lost in Jess Greene's story.
Even though Helen Zhang and Grant Shepard lives were changed long ago, things have seemingly moved forward for them. Helen's books have reached the point where they're sought after and she's been given access to rooms she used to dream about. But, she can't help but feel like she's cosplaying a successful author and when her latest gig lands her in L.A. — all bets are off when she realizes she'll be working with Grant. Thus begins their messy, awkward and steamy interactions that let them know there's more to their work relationship than they'd like to admit.
Yet underneath the circumstances, Helen and Grant come to realize some love stories aren't meant to have happy endings.
Funny Storyby Emily Henry (April 23, 2024)
Funny Story is actually a really...funny story. It starts off with the recount of the cutest meet-cute turned sweet love story, but it promptly ends when Daphne's fiancé Peter decides his childhood best friend (Petra) is actually the one he'd rather spend the rest of his life with. It's fine because it's not like Daphne uprooted her life for him and is struggling to make ends meet. in the aftermath of their breakup.
No, really — it's fine because she meets Petra's ex (Miles) and they form an unlikely friendship that results from being roommates. It's not like they're going to fall in love and break unspoken relationship rules 👀.
Of course a Bridgerton-inspired novel is on our list of best new books to read this year. I mean, we honestly can't help it at this point. However, A Gamble at Sunset is full of twists and turns that aren't necessarily found in our beloved TV series. Sick of living in squander and reclusiveness, Georgina Wilcox decides to shock her sister by having an intimate encounter with composer Lord Mark Sebastian.
Thrust into the public eye, they go on a journey that involves pretending they're in a loving relationship that follows society's rules. They're met with resistance at every turn, but somehow manage to navigate the "tests" that any couple could face. But, will the guise of their fake relationship remain just that or turn into something more?
Sera Swan is stripped of her magic and exiled when she decided to resurrect her great-aunt and spends her days helping her take care of an inn with eccentric guests. It proves to be a repetitive process that makes Sera yearn for the days where her magic was intact.
But, she eventually learns about how she could restore it and enlists the help of the sexy, grump Luke Larsen. It takes them on a perilous journey that's filled with love and changing expectations that makes the search for magic worth it.
The Best New Thriller & Horror Books
Evie Porter doesn't exist even if the woman using her name says she does. Tasked with taking on an identity to get close to her employer's target, 'Evie' finds herself having a hard time lying to Ryan Summer. Their love seems so real and she wonders how much longer she can keep up the charades the closer they get.
Things seem to be going well until she realizes her employer, Mr. Smith, has been setting her up to fail or worse with this mission. Will she figure out how to keep the bond she's built with Ryan while dismantling Mr. Smith's operation once and for all?
Dani Poissant used to be her mother's right-hand girl on some of the biggest heists that were successful due to the magic they were privy to. However, Dani decides to work the FBI to bring her mother's operation down. As time goes by, Dani realizes the latest heist she's been approached for would only work if her mother weren't imprisoned. Faced with having to repair old wounds with those she loved, she decides to move forward to complete things — except the stakes are much higher and Dani's life will be on the line.
Sometimes your biggest enemies are the people close to you — at least that's what's spelled out in Keep Your Friends Close by Leah Konen. Faced with a nasty divorce and custody battle, Mary is willing to accept any semblance of worth from a friend. When she meets the charismatic Willa, they immediately form a bond and all seems to be going well for Mary.
However, Willa eventually ghosts her only to show back up with a new name and family as if that's perfectly normal. If that's not bad enough, Mary is accused of murdering her ex-husband George. Suddenly, she begins piecing together breadcrumbs that let her know something is off about the friend she thinks she knows.
From the outside looking in, Crissy Dowling is living a life of luxury thanks to the cabaret number she performs that's become popular. But, she's been involved with a married Senator and spends her days operating with the help of Adderall and Valium. Nothing changes her path until her sister Betsey enters her curated world. Suddenly, the owner of the casino Crissy performs is found murdered and there seems to be secrets lurking behind every door.
Nothing hurts worse than when your family is disappointed in you and that's something TJ Devlin is familiar with. He's the only one whose path included prison time and a drinking problem, but he still finds himself working at the firm his family is know for. Thinking that he's still the worst sibling, his mind changes after he learns about a murder his brother committed. Determined to help his big brother, he begins feverishly piecing together an investigation that can save him.
But, all of this does is bring forth more hidden secrets about the perfect family he's always known.
Feeling untethered after a death hits too close to home, Elizabeth Smith decides to outsource help in the form of Brianna. They quickly form a bond that results in the latter trying to help her uncover what really happened to her best friend. What Elizabeth comes to realize is that Brianna also wants to figure out why her son died at the hands of the police. What both of them will find has the potential to change how they see each other.
The Lady Waiting by Magdalena Zyzak (May 7, 2024)
This over-the-top novel is being billed as The White Lotus meets The Talented Mr. Ripley as it follows Viva, a Polish transplant in LA who gets seduced by a charismatic couple into being an accomplice in an international art heist.
Nina inherits her father's property in the Virgin Islands and it almost feels like too much for a man who wasn't flashy. In the midst of trying to figure out why her father kept this a secret from her, she realizes the man she thought she knew may have been someone else. The same is true for young Maria, a nanny whose curiosity gets the best of her.
The Best New Science Fiction Books
Womb City by Tlotlo Tsamaase
Nelah seems like she's living an idyllic life, but her husband has the ability to track everything she does thanks to a microchip impant. Instead of facing her reality, she makes the fatal mistake of claiming an innocent life who begins to haunt her. The only way to make things right is understand what said victim was working on uncovering about the government that controls their society.
Did you know art thieves can exist in space? If you didn't, The Stardust Grail wants to introduce you to the skilled and cunning Maya Hoshimoto. She made a living by help alien societies recover things that were taken from them, but one event ended terribly for her. She decides to lay low and focus on building a quiet life, but her visions are becoming too disturbing for her to ignore.
When she takes on a job that involves something that everyone seems to want in their possession, she goes on a harrowing journey that reveals her enemy may be closer than she realizes.
Which of these best new books from 2024 will you add to your reading list? Let us know and check our Amazon storefront for more book recommendations!
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This post has been updated.
