Top new literary-fiction books in August 2023
Last updated:
August 31, 2023
August 2023 featuring new releases by Tracey Lange, Ann Patchett, Angie Kim, Alice Hoffman, Jennifer Weiner, Elizabeth Acevedo, Peter Heller, Pip Williams, Melanie Benjamin, Emma Donoghue and many more.
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The Connellys of County Down by Tracey Lange
When Tara Connelly is released from prison after serving eighteen months on a drug charge, she knows rebuilding her life at thirty years old won’t be easy. With no money and no prospects, she returns home to live with her siblings, who are both busy with their own problems...romance · fiction · contemporary · literary-fiction · family · audiobook · drama · womens-fiction · realistic · siblings -
![Tom Lake by Ann Patchett]()
Tom Lake by Ann Patchett
In the spring of 2020, Lara’s three daughters return to the family's orchard in Northern Michigan. While picking cherries, they beg their mother to tell them the story of Peter Duke, a famous actor with whom she shared both a stage and a romance years before at a theater company called Tom Lake... -
![Happiness Falls by Angie Kim]()
Happiness Falls by Angie Kim
When a father goes missing, his family's desperate search leads them to question everything they know about him and one another--both a riveting page-turner and a deeply moving portrait of a family in crisis from the award-winning author of Miracle Creek."We didn't call the police right away...mystery · fiction · contemporary · literary-fiction · family · suspense · thriller · disability · audiobook · amateur-sleuth -
![The Invisible Hour by Alice Hoffman]()
The Invisible Hour by Alice Hoffman
From the beloved New York Times bestselling author of The Marriage of Opposites and the Practical Magic series comes an enchanting novel about love, heartbreak, self-discovery, and the enduring magic of books. One brilliant June day when Mia Jacob can no longer see a way to survive, the power of words saves her... -
![The Breakaway by Jennifer Weiner]()
The Breakaway by Jennifer Weiner
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Weiner comes a warmhearted and empowering new novel about love, family, friendship, secrets, and a life-changing journey.Thirty-three-year-old Abby Stern has made it to a happy place. True, she still has gig jobs instead of a career, and the apartment where she’s lived since college still looks like she’s just moved in...romance · fiction · womens-fiction · contemporary · audiobook · female-author · realistic · feminism · family · female-mc -
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![Family Lore by Elizabeth Acevedo]()
Family Lore by Elizabeth Acevedo
From bestselling, National Book Award-winning author Elizabeth Acevedo comes her first novel for adults, the story of one Dominican-American family told through the voices of its women as they await a gathering that will forever change their lives.Flor has a gift: she can predict, to the day, when someone will die...contemporary · fiction · magical-realism · fantasy · young-adult · literary-fiction · family · latinx-mc · poc-author · poc-mc -
![The Last Ranger by Peter Heller]()
The Last Ranger by Peter Heller
The best-selling author of The River returns with a lush and vivid mystery set in Yellowstone National Park where a skirmish between a local hunter and a wolf biologist turns violent, and a park ranger, facing his own personal demons, sets out to determine what really happened...fiction · mystery · outdoors · audiobook · literary-fiction · animals · suspense · contemporary · crime · action-adventure -
![The Bookbinder by Pip Williams]()
The Bookbinder by Pip Williams
A young British woman working in a book bindery gets a chance to pursue knowledge and love when World War I upends her life--an exquisite novel from the New York Times bestselling author of the Reese's Book Club pick The Dictionary of Lost Words It is 1914, and as the war draws the young men of Britain away to fight, women must keep the nation running...historical-fiction · fiction · historical · war · ww1 · audiobook · 20th-century · literary-fiction · family · female-mc -
![California Golden by Melanie Benjamin]()
California Golden by Melanie Benjamin
Two sisters navigate the turbulent, euphoric early days of California surf culture in this dazzling saga of ambition, sacrifice, and longing for a family they never had, from the New York Times bestselling author of The Aviator's WifeSouthern California, 1960s: endless sunny days surfing in Malibu, followed by glittering neon nights at Whisky A-Go-Go...historical-fiction · fiction · historical · racism · family · abuse · domestic-drama · literary-fiction · female-mc · book -
![Learned by Heart by Emma Donoghue]()
Learned by Heart by Emma Donoghue
A heartbreakingly gorgeous novel based on the true story of two girls who fall secretly, deeply, and dangerously in love at boarding school in 19th century York, from the bestselling author of Room and The Wonder...romance · historical-fiction · historical · fiction · lgbtq · wlw · literary-fiction · audiobook · dark-academia · drama -
![The Proposal by Adriana Locke]()
The Proposal by Adriana Locke
Breaking News: Rugby’s bad boy marries his best friend’s little sister If Renn Brewer would’ve asked me to marry him, I would’ve said no. Why? One, his reputation precedes him. His name is in the headlines at least once a month. Two, he’s not just my brother’s best friend. They’re teammates. And three, I’m in my self-care era. Unfortunately, a version of me equates self-care with bad choices...athlete · new-adult · literary-fiction · billionaire · contemporary · sports · fiction · romance · book · adult -
![Time's Mouth by Edan Lepucki]()
Time's Mouth by Edan Lepucki
From New York Times bestselling author Edan Lepucki comes an enthralling saga about family secrets that grow more powerful with time, set against the magical, dangerous landscape of CaliforniaUrsa possesses a very special gift. She can travel through memory and revisit her past... -
![The Continental Affair by Christine Mangan]()
The Continental Affair by Christine Mangan
With gorgeous prose, European glamour, and an expansive wanderlust, Christine Mangan's The Continental Affair is a daring literary caper that is quick on its feet and delightfully surprising.Meet Henri and Louise. Two strangers, traveling alone, on the train from Belgrade to Istanbul. Except this isn't the first time they have met.It's the 1960s and Louise is running...historical-fiction · fiction · mystery · historical · literary-fiction · audiobook · thriller · crime · heist · anti-hero -
![Under the Influence by Noelle Crooks]()
Under the Influence by Noelle Crooks
The Devil Wears Prada meets The Assistants in this compulsively readable debut following a young woman who takes a job working for an enigmatic influencer and quickly discovers there’s a dark side to being a #girlboss.After a series of go-nowhere jobs in the New York publishing world, Harper Cruz is broke, lonely, and desperate for a salary that won’t leave her scrambling to make rent each month...fiction · contemporary · womens-fiction · literary-fiction · audiobook · mystery · thriller · urban · friendship · coming-of-age -
![The Bewitching Hour by Ashley Poston]()
The Bewitching Hour by Ashley Poston
In this Buffy the Vampire Slayer prequel, fan-favorite and LGBTQIA+ icon Tara Maclay gets the main character treatment . . . whether she wants it or not. Tara Maclay isn’t thrilled to be in a new town for her senior year of high school. She misses her mom, her garden, her magic—and the way her dad treated her before her mom passed... -
![The President’s Wife by Tracey Enerson Wood]()
The President’s Wife by Tracey Enerson Wood
The incredible story of the First Lady who clandestinely assumed the presidency, from the USA Today bestselling author of The Engineer's Wife and The War Nurse.Socialite Edith Bolling has been in no hurry to find a new husband since she was widowed, preferring to fill her days with good friends and travel...historical-fiction · fiction · historical · ww1 · audiobook · female-mc · 20th-century · literary-fiction · book · adult -
![Perish by LaToya Watkins]()
Perish by LaToya Watkins
Bear it or perish yourself . Those are the words Helen Jean hears that fateful night in her cousin’s outhouse that change the trajectory of her life. Spanning decades, Perish tracks the choices Helen Jean—the matriarch of the Turner family—makes and the way those choices have rippled across generations. We meet four members of the Black Texan Julie B...fiction · historical-fiction · contemporary · literary-fiction · family · audiobook · mystery · poc-author · poc-mc · realistic -
![Who We Are Now by Lauryn Chamberlain]()
Who We Are Now by Lauryn Chamberlain
Four friends. Fifteen years. Who We Are Now is a story of Sliding Doors moments, those seemingly small choices of early adulthood that determine the course of our lives.It is 2006 and Rachel, Clarissa, Dev, and Nate are best friends, seniors on the eve of their college graduation. Their whole lives are before them, at once full of promise and anxiety...romance · fiction · contemporary · coming-of-age · womens-fiction · literary-fiction · lgbtq · friendship · audiobook · humor -
![Moments of Madness by T.L. Smith]()
Moments of Madness by T.L. Smith
We met at his ex’s wedding, where she uttered their safe word in her vows. Immediately his jaw clenched, and his hands balled into tight fists.Then moments later, he told her I was with him. When in reality, I had snuck into the wedding...romance · dark · contemporary · abuse · enemies-to-lovers · organized-crime · forced-proximity · age-gap · steamy · killer -
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![Tomb Sweeping by Alexandra Chang]()
Tomb Sweeping by Alexandra Chang
A playful and deeply affective short story collection about the histories, technologies, and generational divides that shape our relationships—from the award-winning writer of Days of DistractionCompelling and perceptive, Tomb Sweeping probes the loyalties we hold: to relatives, to strangers, and to ourselves... -
![The Great Transition by Nick Fuller Googins]()
The Great Transition by Nick Fuller Googins
For fans of Station Eleven and The Ministry for the Future, this richly imaginative, immersive, and electrifyingly relevant climate utopia novel follows a family navigating a crisis both personal and political, illuminating humanity’s capacity for change... -
![TIED TO YOU by Syn Blackrose]()
TIED TO YOU by Syn Blackrose
SebI have nothing. I feel nothing. Nobody cares about me and I crave to feel something. To be wanted.When life can't get any worse, it suddenly drops a hot Russian bad boy in front of me whose orbit I have been thrust into.He won't let me go. He annoys me. He thrills me. I hate him. And I can't wait for him to catch me.DimaI'm obsessed as soon as my eyes land on Seb...romance · mlm · dark · lgbtq · contemporary · organized-crime · insta-love · forced-proximity · multi-pov · boss-employee -
![One Time Player by R.C. Stephens]()
One Time Player by R.C. Stephens
I could have any woman I want…Except Patty Sanders.She is off-limits, not only because she is my hockey team’s new assistant physical therapist. She is also the coach’s daughter.Getting in between the sheets with her, could cost me my career on the ice.So, I’ll settle for being in the friend zone, if it means I get to be around her...romance · sports · family · friends-to-lovers · slow-burn · steamy · forced-proximity · athlete · contemporary · kind-mc -
![Whalefall by Daniel Kraus]()
Whalefall by Daniel Kraus
Whalefall is a scientifically accurate thriller about a scuba diver who’s been swallowed by an eighty-foot, sixty-ton sperm whale and has only one hour to escape before his oxygen runs out.Jay Gardiner has given himself a fool’s errand—to find the remains of his deceased father in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Monastery Beach... -
![Takers by Casey Cox]()
Takers by Casey Cox
I don't date or do relationships. Love just isn't my thing. But sex? Oh, I'm so into sex, I named my hugely successful podcast Intosexual. Get it? One man I never expected to be a listener is gorgeous billionaire CEO, Bremmer Palmer. The guy who never cracks a smile, is super uptight, and gives off total control freak alpha boss vibes...romance · mlm · lgbtq · fake-relationship · billionaire · contemporary · slow-burn · forced-proximity · humor · grumpy-sunshine -
![The Lookback Window by Kyle Dillon Hertz]()
The Lookback Window by Kyle Dillon Hertz
A fearless debut novel of resilience, transcendence, and the elusive promise of justice.Growing up in suburban New York, Dylan lived through the unfathomable: three years as a victim of sex trafficking at the hands of Vincent, a troubled young man who promised to marry Dylan when he turned eighteen...fiction · lgbtq · contemporary · literary-fiction · dark · audiobook · romantic-love · mlm · legal · book -
![Prophet Song by Paul Lynch]()
Prophet Song by Paul Lynch
A fearless portrait of a society on the brink as a mother faces a terrible choice, from an internationally award-winning authorOn a dark, wet evening in Dublin, scientist and mother-of-four Eilish Stack answers her front door to find the GNSB on her step. Two officers from Ireland’s newly formed secret police are here to interrogate her husband, a trade unionist.Ireland is falling apart...fiction · dystopia · literary-fiction · historical-fiction · sci-fi · historical · parenthood · family · book · adult -
![The Men Can't Be Saved by Ben Purkert]()
The Men Can't Be Saved by Ben Purkert
A knockout debut novel that tackles a haunting question: What do our jobs do to our souls? Seth is a junior copywriter whose latest tagline just went viral. He’s the agency’s hottest new star, or at least he wants his coworker crush to think so. But while he’s busy drooling over his future corner office, the walls crumble around him. When his job lets him go, he can’t let go of his job...fiction · contemporary · humor · audiobook · workplace · friendship · satire · literary-fiction · book · adult -
![The Flight Risk by Macon Leigh]()
The Flight Risk by Macon Leigh
Things are going great for Baylee Lawrence. Her writing has won awards, been adapted into an outrageously successful movie, and she’s just achieved her childhood dream of selling out a storytelling show at the Ryman. It’s incredible. Her life is perfect—a series of grand adventures. She has no intention of changing anything...romance · wlw · lgbtq · friends-to-lovers · lesbian-mc · fiction · contemporary · female-mc · literary-fiction · book -
![The Peach Seed by Anita Gail Jones]()
The Peach Seed by Anita Gail Jones
Fletcher Dukes and Altovise Benson reunite after decades apart― and a mountain of secrets―in this debut exploring the repercussions of a single choice and how an enduring talisman challenges and holds a family together...romance · historical-fiction · fiction · historical · literary-fiction · audiobook · family · black-mc · poc-mc · book -
![Marry Me by Midnight by Felicia Grossman]()
Marry Me by Midnight by Felicia Grossman
Author Felicia Grossman—whose “books are powerful and passionate and swoon-inducing!” (Eva Leigh, USA Today bestselling author)—kicks off her new series with an enchanting twist on Cinderella: in which a charming heiress must marry to save her family’s business, but the one man she dreams of is the one man she can’t have.Every love story begins with once upon a time...romance · historical-fiction · historical · fiction · industrial-era · victorian · regency · georgian · fated-mates · retellings -
![The African Samurai by Craig Shreve]()
The African Samurai by Craig Shreve
Set in late 16th-century Africa, India, Portugal, and Japan, The African Samurai is a powerful historical novel based on the true story of Yasuke, Japan’s first foreign-born samurai and the only samurai of African descent—for readers of Esi Edugyan and Lawrence Hill.In 1579, a Portuguese trade ship sails into port at Kuchinotsu, Japan, loaded with European wares and weapons...historical-fiction · fiction · historical · literary-fiction · audiobook · early-modern · black-mc · poc-mc · book · adult -
![Rejected Alpha's Return: A Werewolf Shifter Enemies to Lovers Romance by Waverly Sage]()
Rejected Alpha's Return: A Werewolf Shifter Enemies to Lovers Romance by Waverly Sage
The Werewolf Shifter promised me my freedom if I played along with him.But the longer I faked it, the deeper we fell, and the more my heart wanted anything but freedom.I'm the pack’s most valued witch, trapped in servitude, craving freedom.He’s a mysterious, smoking-hot wolf shifter exiled from his pack.Now, he needs to overcome their rejection by pretending to be my fated mate...romance · paranormal · fantasy · contemporary · shapeshifters · magic · angst · small-town · steamy · action-adventure -
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![Ethereally Tainted by Rainelyn]()
Ethereally Tainted by Rainelyn
Together, their inner demons meld into one.Two years ago, I got my sweet revenge and committed the most sinful act. Today I’m standing in the ashes of who I used to be. After losing everything, I’m left an easy target. I thought I had it all figured out, until the day I woke up in the basement of Dankworth Institute, a prison-like ward for people like me...dark · slow-burn · contemporary · forced-proximity · anti-hero · romance · steamy · literary-fiction · suspense · mystery -
![Bellies by Nicola Dinan]()
Bellies by Nicola Dinan
"TRIUMPHANT AND HUMANE." — Elle , A Most Anticipated Book of 2023I wore a dress on the night I first met Ming.It begins as your typical boy meets boy. While out with friends at their local university drag night, Tom buys Ming a drink. Confident and witty, a magnetic young playwright, Ming is the perfect antidote to Tom’s awkward energy, and their connection is instant... -
![The Messenger by Megan Davis]()
The Messenger by Megan Davis
A stylish, mind-racing literary thriller set in the dark heart of Paris, by a break-out new talent in crime fiction.After moving back to Paris to live with his French dad, Alex Giraud is struggling to fit in among the kids of the rich elite at his exclusive school and he feels stifled by the expectations of his overbearing father...mystery · fiction · crime · literary-fiction · politics · thriller · suspense · psychological · murder · heist -
![Western Alliances by Wilton Barnhardt]()
Western Alliances by Wilton Barnhardt
Western Alliances is a vivid portrait of a wealthy family set against the backdrop of the 2008 financial crisis. This laugh-out-loud, darkly funny novel follows the Costa family—whose members are every bit as richly absurd as the characters in HBO’s Succession... -
![Blue Skies by T.C. Boyle]()
Blue Skies by T.C. Boyle
From best-selling novelist T. C. Boyle, a satirical yet ultimately moving send-up of contemporary American life in the glare of climate change.“Boyle has long been one of the most exciting and intelligent storytellers in the United States...fiction · dystopia · humor · horror · literary-fiction · drama · outdoors · post-apocalyptic · politics · dark-humor -
![My Name Is Iris by Brando Skyhorse]()
My Name Is Iris by Brando Skyhorse
Brando Skyhorse, the PEN/Hemingway Award—winning author of The Madonnas of Echo Park, returns with a riveting literary dystopian novel set in a near-future America where mandatory identification wristbands make second-generation immigrants into second-class citizens—a powerful family saga for readers of Mohsin Hamid's Exit West and Rumaan Alam's Leave the World Behind... -
![Kissing Kosher: A Novel by Jean Meltzer]()
Kissing Kosher: A Novel by Jean Meltzer
From the author of THE MATZAH BALL and MR. PERFECT ON PAPER comes this hilarious and emotional rivals-to-lovers romance.Step 1: Get the secret recipe. Step 2: Don’t fall in love…Avital Cohen isn’t wearing underpants—woefully, for unsexy reasons. Chronic pelvic pain has forced her to sideline her photography dreams and her love life...romance · contemporary · fiction · womens-fiction · enemies-to-lovers · friendship · humor · female-mc · literary-fiction · book
