Top new literary-fiction books in April 2023
Last updated:
April 30, 2023
April 2023 featuring new releases by Kate Morton, Curtis Sittenfeld, Martha Hall Kelly, Teresa Driscoll, Amy Harmon, J. Ryan Stradal, Claire Fuller, Cecelia Ahern, Susan Meissner, Katherine Heiny and many more.
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Homecoming by Kate Morton
Adelaide Hills, Christmas Eve, 1959: At the end of a scorching hot day, beside a creek on the grounds of the grand and mysterious mansion, a local delivery man makes a terrible discovery. A police investigation is called and the small town of Tambilla becomes embroiled in one of the most shocking and perplexing murder cases in the history of South Australia...adult · audiobook · book · crime · family · female-mc · fiction · gothic · historical · historical-fiction -
![Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld]()
Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld
A comedy writer thinks she’s sworn off love, until a dreamily handsome pop star flips the script on all her assumptions. Romantic Comedy is a hilarious, observant and deeply tender novel from New York Times–bestselling author Curtis Sittenfeld. Sally Milz is a sketch writer for "The Night Owls," the late-night live comedy show that airs each Saturday...adult · audiobook · book · contemporary · epidemy · family · female-author · female-mc · fiction · friendship -
![The Golden Doves by Martha Hall Kelly]()
The Golden Doves by Martha Hall Kelly
Two former female spies, bound together by their past, risk everything to hunt down an infamous Nazi doctor in the aftermath of World War II—an extraordinary novel inspired by true events from the New York Times bestselling author of Lilac GirlsAmerican Josie Anderson and Parisian Arlette LaRue are thrilled to be working in the French resistance, stealing so many Nazi secrets that they become...20th-century · action-adventure · adult · book · espionage · family · female-mc · fiction · historical · historical-fiction -
![Tell Me Lies by Teresa Driscoll]()
Tell Me Lies by Teresa Driscoll
From bestselling author Teresa Driscoll comes a chilling thriller of past secrets and present terror. Deep in a rural hideaway, it’s only the owls watching them…right? After a betrayal that sent their marriage into freefall, Hannah and Sam are desperate for a fresh start with their eight-year-old daughter Lily―and where better than picture-perfect Owl Cottage in beautiful Cornwall...fiction · mystery · suspense · psychological · audiobook · friendship · domestic-drama · murder · horror · contemporary -
![A Girl Called Samson by Amy Harmon]()
A Girl Called Samson by Amy Harmon
From New York Times bestselling author Amy Harmon comes the saga of a young woman who dares to chart her own destiny in life and love during the American Revolutionary War.In 1760, Deborah Samson is born to Puritan parents in Plympton, Massachusetts. When her father abandons the family and her mother is unable to support them, Deborah is bound out as an indentured servant...adult · audiobook · book · female-mc · fiction · historical · historical-fiction · literary-fiction · slow-burn · violent-conflict -
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![Saturday Night at the Lakeside Supper Club by J. Ryan Stradal]()
Saturday Night at the Lakeside Supper Club by J. Ryan Stradal
From the New York Times bestselling author J. Ryan Stradal, a story of a couple from two very different restaurant families in rustic Minnesota, and the legacy of love and tragedy, of hardship and hope, that unites and divides them Mariel Prager needs a break...21st-century · adult · audiobook · book · contemporary · family · female-mc · fiction · friendship · literary-fiction -
![The Memory of Animals by Claire Fuller]()
The Memory of Animals by Claire Fuller
From the award-winning author of Our Endless Numbered Days, Swimming Lessons, Bitter Orange, and Unsettled Ground comes a beautiful and searing novel of memory, love, survival―and octopuses.In the face of a pandemic, an unprepared world scrambles to escape the mysterious disease’s devastating symptoms: sensory damage, memory loss, death...fiction · sci-fi · literary-fiction · dystopia · contemporary · female-author · psychological · book · adult -
![In a Thousand Different Ways by Cecelia Ahern]()
In a Thousand Different Ways by Cecelia Ahern
Finding your way is never a simple journey…Alice sees the best in people.She also sees the worst.She sees a thousand different emotions and knows exactly what everyone around her is feeling.Every. Single. Day.But it’s the dark thoughts.The sadness. The rage.These are the things she can’t get out of her head. The things that overwhelm her...fiction · contemporary · fantasy · audiobook · family · drama · literary-fiction · mystery · magical-realism · low-fantasy -
![Only the Beautiful by Susan Meissner]()
Only the Beautiful by Susan Meissner
A heartrending story about a young mother’s fight to keep her daughter, and the winds of fortune that tear them apart by the New York Times bestselling author of The Nature of Fragile Things and The Last Year of the War...20th-century · adult · audiobook · book · female-mc · fiction · friendship · historical · historical-fiction · literary-fiction -
![Games and Rituals: Stories by Katherine Heiny]()
Games and Rituals: Stories by Katherine Heiny
The beloved author of Early Morning Riser ("The funniest novel of the year." --The Washington Post) brings us eleven glittering stories of love--friendships formed at the airport bar, ex-husbands with benefits, mothers of suspiciously sweet teenagers, ill-advised trysts--in all its forms, both ridiculous and sublime...romance · fiction · contemporary · literary-fiction · family · audiobook · marriage · suicide · female-author · anthologies -
![Shy by Max Porter]()
Shy by Max Porter
A novel about guilt, rage, imagination, and boyhood, about being lost in the dark and learning you’re not aloneThis is the story of a few strange hours in the life of a troubled teenage boy.You mustn’t do that to yourself Shy. You mustn’t hurt yourself like that...fiction · literary-fiction · contemporary · mental-illness · 21st-century · coming-of-age · audiobook · crime · book · adult -
![The Forgetting by Hannah Beckerman]()
The Forgetting by Hannah Beckerman
From the bestselling author of If Only I Could Tell You comes the story of two women determined to uncover the truth. But how can you trust the present if you can't remember the past?“Left me gasping. Brilliant.” —Alex Michaelides“Has one of the best story twists I have ever read…superb writing.” —Ruth Jones“Resonates long after you turn the final page...adult · book · contemporary · family · female-mc · fiction · literary-fiction · psychological · suspense · womens-fiction -
![The Paris Maid by Ella Carey]()
The Paris Maid by Ella Carey
Paris, 1944. "Traitor!" yells the crowd as they push me down onto a stool. "Nazi collaborator." Tears blur my vision as the razor grazes my scalp, waves of blonde hair falling to the ground. As men paint a swastika across my face, I hold onto one small glimmer of hope. They have no idea who I am. Louise Basset works as a housemaid at The Ritz Hotel , home to the most powerful Nazis in France...historical-fiction · historical · fiction · female-mc · friendship · family · literary-fiction · book · adult -
![Fifth Avenue Glamour Girl by Renée Rosen]()
Fifth Avenue Glamour Girl by Renée Rosen
It’s 1938, and a young woman selling face cream out of a New York City beauty parlor is determined to prove she can have it all. Her name is Estée Lauder, and she’s about to take the world by storm, in this dazzling new novel from the USA Today bestselling author of The Social Graces and Park Avenue Summer.In New York City, you can disappear into the crowd...adult · book · drama · female-mc · fiction · friendship · historical · historical-fiction · literary-fiction · womens-fiction -
![Eyes Guts Throat Bones by Moïra Fowley-Doyle]()
Eyes Guts Throat Bones by Moïra Fowley-Doyle
What will the end of the world look like?Will it be an old man slowly turned to gold, flowers raining from the sky, or a hole cut through the wire fencing that keeps the monsters out?Is it someone you love wearing your face, or a good old fashioned inter-dimensional summoning?Does it sound like a howl outside the window, or does it look like coming home?This startling and irresistibly witty...horror · lgbtq · fiction · fantasy · literary-fiction · magical-realism · lesbian-mc · romantic-love · gothic · dystopia -
![Symphony of Secrets by Brendan Slocumb]()
Symphony of Secrets by Brendan Slocumb
From the celebrated author of book club favorite The Violin Conspiracy: A gripping page-turner about a professor who uncovers a shocking secret about the most famous American composer of all time—that his music was stolen from a young Black composer named Josephine Reed... -
![Cloud Girls by Lisa Harding]()
Cloud Girls by Lisa Harding
Thrown together by a harrowing twist of fate, two girls find hope and redemption in friendship in this award-winning, emotional gut punch of a novel from the author of Bright Burning Things.Sassy, streetwise Sammy is a teenage girl falling through the cracks...fiction · contemporary · literary-fiction · audiobook · coming-of-age · friendship · psychological · book · adult -
![The Trackers by Charles Frazier]()
The Trackers by Charles Frazier
From the New York Times bestselling author of Cold Mountain and Varina, a stunning new novel that paints a vivid portrait of life in the Great DepressionHurtling past the downtrodden communities of Depression-era America, painter Val Welch travels westward to the rural town of Dawes, Wyoming...adult · audiobook · book · fiction · historical · historical-fiction · industrial-era · literary-fiction · mystery · western -
![Atalanta by Jennifer Saint]()
Atalanta by Jennifer Saint
From the beloved, bestselling author of Elektra and Ariadne, a reimagining of the myth of Atalanta, a fierce huntress raised by bears and the only woman in the world’s most famous band of heroes, the ArgonautsPrincess, Warrior, Lover, HeroWhen Princess Atalanta is born, a daughter rather than the son her parents hoped for, she is left on a mountainside to die. But even then, she is a survivor... -
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![Life and Other Love Songs by Anissa Gray]()
Life and Other Love Songs by Anissa Gray
A father’s sudden disappearance exposes the private fears, dreams, longings, and joys of a Black American family in the late decades of the twentieth century, in this page-turning and intimate new novel from the author of The Care and Feeding of Ravenously Hungry Girls.It’s a warm, bright October afternoon, and Ozro Armstead walks out into the brilliant sunshine on his thirty-seventh birthday...adult · black-mc · book · contemporary · family · female-mc · fiction · friendship · historical-fiction · literary-fiction -
![The Benson Murder Case by S.S. Van Dine]()
The Benson Murder Case by S.S. Van Dine
The Benson Murder Case, the first book in one of the most significant detective series of the early 20th century, features the introduction of legendary amateur sleuth Philo Vance and a plot that is partially based on the real-life murder of a well-known bridge player...mystery · fiction · crime · law-enforcement · classics · murder · cozy · golden-age-mystery · audiobook · historical-fiction -
![The Genius by Theodore Dreiser]()
The Genius by Theodore Dreiser
Theodore Dreiser heavily invested himself in The Genius, an autobiographical novel first published in 1915. Thoroughly immersed in the turn-of-the-century art scene, The Genius explores the multiple conflicts between art and business, art and marriage, and between traditional and modern views of sexual morality...fiction · classics · 20th-century · audiobook · literary-fiction · drama · historical · book · literary · adult -
![The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters]()
The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters
A four-year-old Mi’kmaq girl goes missing from the blueberry fields of Maine, sparking a tragic mystery that haunts the survivors, unravels a community, and remains unsolved for nearly fifty years.July 1962. A Mi’kmaq family from Nova Scotia arrives in Maine to pick blueberries for the summer. Weeks later, four-year-old Ruthie, the family’s youngest child, vanishes...fiction · historical-fiction · mystery · contemporary · drama · indigenous-mc · literary-fiction · suspense · family · audiobook -
![The Devil's Den by Penny Dee]()
The Devil's Den by Penny Dee
Nico De Kysa.Cold. Detached. Ruthless.And my new husband.I didn’t want to marry the despicable mafia don.But my father made a deal with the devil and lucky me, I’m the currency.If I leave…He’ll destroy my father’s fortune.But if I stay…He’ll obliterate my heart.Because in this union, the lines between love and hate are blurred.So blurred... -
![Black Girls Must Have It All by Jayne Allen]()
Black Girls Must Have It All by Jayne Allen
In this final installment in the acclaimed Black Girls Must Die Exhausted trilogy, Tabitha is juggling work, relationships, and a newborn baby—but will she find the happy ending she’s always wantedAfter a whirlwind year, Tabitha Walker’s carefully organized plan to achieve the life she wanted—perfect job, dream husband, and stylish home—has gone off the rails...adult · black-mc · book · contemporary · family · female-mc · fiction · friendship · literary-fiction · poc-author -
![The Grand Ruin: Lance & Scarlet, Part One by J.C. Hawke]()
The Grand Ruin: Lance & Scarlet, Part One by J.C. Hawke
Being stood up on your birthday sucks.It sucks even worse when it's your brother's egotistical best friend and CFO who delivers the blow.My first encounter with Lance Sullivan had me crying in an elevator as I clung to a stranger for comfort.On our second, he stormed my dress fitting pretending to be my husband.And by the third... I'd made the bastard smile.I do not have time for a man in my life... -
![Like You Know by Kaydence Snow]()
Like You Know by Kaydence Snow
There are exactly three people in this whole world who know my secrets, my vulnerabilities, my pain. But then Jet Collins walks into my life and turns everything upside down.Suddenly, I find myself keeping things from those closest to me. Even more shockingly, I’m sharing those very same secrets with someone I hardly know...romance · suspense · mystery · contemporary · new-adult · high-school · drama · slow-burn · age-gap · small-town -
![Return to Satterthwaite Court by Mimi Matthews]()
Return to Satterthwaite Court by Mimi Matthews
A reckless Victorian heiress sets her sights on a dashing ex-naval lieutenant, determined to win his heart as the two of them embark on a quest to solve a decades-old mystery in USA Today bestselling author Mimi Matthews’s sequel to her critically acclaimed novels The Work of Art and Gentleman Jim.Lieutenant Charles Heywood has had his fill of adventure... -
![The Last Animal by Ramona Ausubel]()
The Last Animal by Ramona Ausubel
A playful, witty, and resonant novel in which a single mother and her two teen daughters engage in a wild scientific experiment and discover themselves in the process, from the award-winning writer of Sons and Daughters of Ease and PlentyJane is a serious scientist on the cutting-edge team of a bold project looking to "de-extinct" the woolly mammoth...action-adventure · adult · book · coming-of-age · contemporary · family · feminism · fiction · literary-fiction · outdoors -
![The Masters Review Volume XI: With Stories Selected by Peter Ho Davies by Peter Ho Davies]()
The Masters Review Volume XI: With Stories Selected by Peter Ho Davies by Peter Ho Davies
Every year The Masters Review opens submissions to produce our anthology, a collection of ten stories and essays written by the best emerging authors. Our aim is to showcase ten writers who we believe will continue to produce great work. The ten winners are nationally distributed in a printed book with their stories and essays exposed to top agents, editors, and authors across the country... -
![Heresy by Lily White]()
Heresy by Lily White
Sixth CircleHeresyAlso Known as Shane CarterThere are no rules with this man.No courtesies.No acceptable behaviors he’ll conform to in order to be accepted.He marches to his own beat.Gives the finger to expectations.And does whatever pleases him because nobody can control him.Arrogant.Aggravating.Absolute Chaos.Shane is the last person you want walking into your world...romance · new-adult · dark · contemporary · suspense · university · family · enemies-to-lovers · alpha-mc · angst -
![Salvage This World by Michael Farris Smith]()
Salvage This World by Michael Farris Smith
In Michael Farris Smith's latest "riveting" epic, a young woman returns home with her child to her ghost-haunted father, while a religious extremist hunts the stormridden territory to find the girl who may be the region's savior...fiction · gothic · southern-gothic · literary-fiction · mystery · audiobook · crime · family · dystopia · noir -
![Spring, Summer, Autumn, Us by Fiona Collins]()
Spring, Summer, Autumn, Us by Fiona Collins
Four decades. Four seasons. Four chance encounters with the same man. Spring 1986, Oxford. Rachel has landed on her engaged to handsome author Jonny, soon to be stepmother to his young daughter Teddy, and with a dream to open her own art gallery. It’s everything she wished for during her unsettled childhood...romance · fiction · contemporary · audiobook · womens-fiction · literary-fiction · female-mc · family · 20th-century · breakup -
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![Panther Gap by James A. McLaughlin]()
Panther Gap by James A. McLaughlin
The thrilling follow-up to the Edgar Award–winning Bearskin, about two siblings on the verge of inheriting millions but who discover dark secrets in their family’s past.Siblings Bowman and Summer were raised by their father and two uncles on a remote Colorado ranch. They react differently to his radical teachings and the confusions of adolescence...adult · book · crime · fiction · literary-fiction · mystery · noir · outdoors · psychological · rural -
![Old Flame by Molly Prentiss]()
Old Flame by Molly Prentiss
A highly anticipated new novel exploring what it means to be a woman in her many forms—daughter, friend, partner, lover, and mother.Emily writes for women’s catalogs for a living, but she’d rather be writing books. She has a handsome photographer boyfriend, but she actively wonders how and when they will eventually hurt each other... -
![Enter Ghost by Isabella Hammad]()
Enter Ghost by Isabella Hammad
A bold, evocative new novel from the Sue Kaufman, Betty Trask and Plimpton Prize Award winner Isabella Hammad that follows actress Sonia as she returns to Palestine and takes a role in a West Bank production of Hamlet After years away from her family’s homeland, and healing from an affair with an established director, stage actress Sonia Nasir returns to Palestine to visit her older sister Haneen... -
![The Words We Lost by Nicole Deese]()
The Words We Lost by Nicole Deese
Three friends. Two broken promises. One missing manuscript.As a senior acquisitions editor for Fog Harbor Books in San Francisco, Ingrid Erikson has rejected many a manuscript for lack of defined conflict and dramatic irony--two elements her current life possesses in spades...adult · book · christian · contemporary · fiction · friends-to-lovers · literary-fiction · spirituality -
![The Shining Mountains by Alix Christie]()
The Shining Mountains by Alix Christie
The year is 1838. A young Scotsman forced from his homeland arrives at Hudson's Bay. Angus McDonald is contracted to British masters to trade for fur. But the world he discovers is beyond even a Highlander's wildest imaginings: raging rivers, buffalo hunts, and the powerful daughter of an ancient and magnificent people...historical-fiction · fiction · historical · western · literary-fiction · industrial-era · book · adult -
![A Cowardly Woman No More by Ellen Cooney]()
A Cowardly Woman No More by Ellen Cooney
Over the course of one fateful day, Trisha Donahue begins to reclaim her courage and discovers secrets in a familiar place. A surprising, quietly dramatic adventure story infused with Ellen Cooney’s warm humor and wisdom.After years of skilled work and dedication, Trisha Donahue is denied a well-earned promotion by her company’s male executives, who give it instead to an under qualified man... -
![The First Spark of Fire by Marion Kummerow]()
The First Spark of Fire by Marion Kummerow
Germany, 1938. 'No, ' she cries out as she falls to the floor, fear clutching desperately at her chest, 'They can't have taken him, they can't have taken my husband.' As her tear-filled eyes dart wildly around the empty room, she realises she has no one to turn to. She is his only hope...
