Top new literary-fiction books in January 2023
Last updated:
January 31, 2023
January 2023 featuring new releases by Jessica George, Monica Heisey, Kitty Johnson, John Marrs, Fran Littlewood, Eleanor Shearer, Laura Zigman, Amanda Prowse, Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, Susanne Pari and many more.
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Maame by Jessica George
An alternate cover edition for the ISBN 9781250282521 can be found here. Maame (ma-meh) has many meanings in Twi but in my case, it means woman. It’s fair to say that Maddie’s life in London is far from rewarding...europe · british-isles · united-kingdom · england · urban · fiction · contemporary · audiobook · literary-fiction · coming-of-age -
![Really Good, Actually by Monica Heisey]()
Really Good, Actually by Monica Heisey
A hilarious and painfully relatable debut novel about one woman’s messy search for joy and meaning in the wake of an unexpected breakup, from comedian, essayist, and award-winning screenwriter Monica HeiseyMaggie is fine. She’s doing really good, actually...romance · fiction · contemporary · audiobook · humor · womens-fiction · literary-fiction · comedy · mental-illness · friendship -
![Five Winters by Kitty Johnson]()
Five Winters by Kitty Johnson
A bighearted novel about motherhood, friendship, moving on, and love of all kinds.Ever since Beth Bailey was a girl, she’s been in love with her best friend’s older brother, Mark. She’s continued to hold out hope that maybe, someday, he’ll love her back...adult · audiobook · book · contemporary · drama · family · female-mc · fiction · friends-to-lovers · friendship -
![The Marriage Act by John Marrs]()
The Marriage Act by John Marrs
What if marriage was the law? Dare you disobey?Britain. The near-future. A right-wing government believes it has the answer to society’s ills — the Sanctity of Marriage Act, which actively encourages marriage as the norm, punishing those who choose to remain single...dystopia · sci-fi · mystery · fiction · audiobook · suspense · futuristic · psychological · contemporary · lgbtq -
![Amazing Grace Adams by Fran Littlewood]()
Amazing Grace Adams by Fran Littlewood
New York Times BestsellerA TODAY Show #ReadWithJenna Book Club PickBernadette , Eleanor Oliphant, Rosie, Ove . . . meet Amazing Grace Adams , the funny, touching, unforgettable story of an invisible everywoman pushed to the brink―who finally pushes back...fiction · contemporary · audiobook · family · literary-fiction · drama · womens-fiction · humor · realistic · grief -
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![River Sing Me Home by Eleanor Shearer]()
River Sing Me Home by Eleanor Shearer
Her search begins with an ending.... The master of the Providence plantation in Barbados gathers his slaves and announces the king has decreed an end to slavery. As of the following day, the Emancipation Act of 1834 will come into effect. The cries of joy fall silent when he announces that they are no longer his slaves; they are now his apprentices. No one can leave...historical-fiction · fiction · historical · literary-fiction · audiobook · family · slavery · poc-mc · poc-author · survival -
![Small World by Laura Zigman]()
Small World by Laura Zigman
From bestselling author Laura Zigman comes a heartfelt novel about two offbeat and newly divorced sisters who move in together as adults—and finally reckon with their childhood A year after her divorce, Joyce is settling into being single again...fiction · contemporary · literary-fiction · family · audiobook · disability · realistic · womens-fiction · female-mc · breakup -
![Picking up the Pieces by Amanda Prowse]()
Picking up the Pieces by Amanda Prowse
In this heart-warming story from million copy bestselling author Amanda Prowse, Nora has given up on finding happiness...adult · audiobook · book · coming-of-age · contemporary · family · female-mc · fiction · friendship · in-uniform -
![Independence by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni]()
Independence by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
India, 1947. In a rural village in Bengal live three sisters, daughters of a well-respected doctor.Priya: intelligent and idealistic, resolved to follow in her father's footsteps and become a doctor, though society frowns on it.Deepa: the beauty, determined to make a marriage that will bring her family joy and status...historical-fiction · fiction · historical · audiobook · family · poc-author · poc-mc · female-author · war · 20th-century -
![In the Time of Our History by Susanne Pari]()
In the Time of Our History by Susanne Pari
Inspired by her own Iranian-American heritage, the acclaimed author weaves a beautifully crafted story of mothers and daughters, secrets and lies, and defying expectations—even when those choices come with an irrevocable cost...historical-fiction · fiction · literary-fiction · contemporary · family · audiobook · friendship · female-mc · book · adult -
![Through a Darkening Glass: A Novel by R.S. Maxwell]()
Through a Darkening Glass: A Novel by R.S. Maxwell
A mesmerizing World War II mystery about a Londoner who flees the city to write a novel and finds a truth stranger than fiction.England, 1940. Literature student Ruth Gladstone evacuates Cambridge University for Martynsborough, a tiny English village with a shadowy history...20th-century · adult · amateur-sleuth · audiobook · book · fiction · ghosts · gothic · historical · historical-fiction -
![Sam by Allegra Goodman]()
Sam by Allegra Goodman
READ WITH JENNA BOOK CLUB PICK AS FEATURED ON TODAY - "I've been an Allegra Goodman fan for years, but Sam is hands down my new favorite. I loved this powerful and endearing portrait of a girl who must summon deep within herself the grit and wisdom to grow up...fiction · coming-of-age · audiobook · young-adult · contemporary · literary-fiction · family · female-author · romantic-love · abuse -
![All Folked Up by Penny Reid]()
All Folked Up by Penny Reid
The third book in the Good Folk series, coming in the...romance · contemporary · fiction · womens-fiction · biker · female-mc · family · humor · literary-fiction · book -
![When I First Held You by Anstey Harris]()
When I First Held You by Anstey Harris
Silence tore them apart. Can the truth bring them back together?In 1960s Glasgow, anti-nuclear activists Judith and Jimmy fall in love. But their future hopes are dashed when their protestors’ squat is raided and many, including Jimmy, are sent to prison. Pregnant and with no word from Jimmy, Judith is forced to enter an unmarried mothers’ home, give up their baby and learn to live with her grief...romance · fiction · historical-fiction · historical · lgbtq · womens-fiction · literary-fiction · family · epic · coming-of-age -
![The Fireballer by Mark Stevens]()
The Fireballer by Mark Stevens
A poignant story about hopes, dreams, and how far one man’s talent takes him before he realizes it’s about what you do—and how you do it.Frank Ryder is unstoppable on the baseball field—his pitches arrive faster than a batter can swing, giving his opponents no chance. He’s being heralded as a game-changing pitcher...adult · book · coming-of-age · contemporary · drama · fiction · ghosts · law-enforcement · literary-fiction · mystery -
![Bad Cree by Jessica Johns]()
Bad Cree by Jessica Johns
In this gripping debut tinged with supernatural horror, a young Cree woman's dreams lead her on a perilous journey of self-discovery that ultimately forces her to confront the toll of a legacy of violence on her family, her community and the land they call home.When Mackenzie wakes up with a severed crow's head in her hands, she panics...audiobook · book · canada · coming-of-age · contemporary · dark-fantasy · family · female-author · fiction · ghosts -
![The Bandit Queens by Parini Shroff]()
The Bandit Queens by Parini Shroff
Geeta's no-good husband disappeared five years ago. She didn't kill him, but everyone thinks she did--no matter how much she protests. But she soon discovers that being known as a "self-made" widow has some surprising perks. No one messes with her, no one threatens her, and no one tries to control (ahem, marry) her... -
![One Little Secret by Avery Maxwell]()
One Little Secret by Avery Maxwell
Ashton WestbrookPlaying house with a secret-keeping heiress was not how I envisioned helping when my brothers called me. My expertise is the dirty work, not glorified babysitting. Now Nova Blaine is here in this tiny town. Invading my home, my thoughts, and turning my carefully controlled existence upside down.I’m tasked with finding her assailant, an assignment that requires me to stay close...romance · suspense · contemporary · forced-proximity · billionaire · small-town · humor · mystery · womens-fiction · family -
![City of Darkness by Karina Halle]()
City of Darkness by Karina Halle
Note from Author: This book's release date has changed and will be updated when possible. From the New York Times bestselling author of A Nordic King and Black Sunshine, comes CITY OF DARKNESS the third book in the Underworld Gods series, a high heat dark fantasy adult romance series...romance · fantasy · paranormal · myths · dark · urban-fantasy · magic · fiction · horror · female-mc -
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![The Girl in the Photo by Catherine Hokin]()
The Girl in the Photo by Catherine Hokin
Theresienstadt Concentration Camp, 1944. ‘I have to go away, my darling. Please, be brave, stay alive, for me.’ Mama’s voice breaks. The little girl tries to stop the forbidden tears from falling, as the train takes her mother, and she is left alone…Berlin, six years later. Hanni Winter glows with pride as she shows her new husband around her first solo photography exhibition...20th-century · adult · book · coming-of-age · female-mc · fiction · historical · historical-fiction · literary-fiction · ww2 -
![Age of Vice by Deepti Kapoor]()
Age of Vice by Deepti Kapoor
This is the age of vice, where money, pleasure, and power are everything,and the family ties that bind can also kill. New Delhi, 3 a.m. A speeding Mercedes jumps the curb and in the blink of an eye, five people are dead. It’s a rich man’s car, but when the dust settles there is no rich man at all, just a shell-shocked servant who cannot explain the strange series of events that led to this crime... -
![The Shards by Bret Easton Ellis]()
The Shards by Bret Easton Ellis
A sensational new novel from the best-selling author of Less Than Zero and Imperial Bedrooms that tracks a group of privileged Los Angeles high school friends as a serial killer strikes across the city...21st-century · adult · audiobook · book · classics · coming-of-age · contemporary · crime · dark · dark-academia -
![Everything Is Just Beginning by Erin Bartels]()
Everything Is Just Beginning by Erin Bartels
An Immersive Story of Music, Struggle, and Starting Over from an Award-Winning AuthorMichael Sullivan is a talented lyricist and a decent guitarist, but since he was kicked out of his band (and his apartment), he's not sure he'll ever get a record deal. Living with his loser uncle in a beat-up trailer and working a dead-end job, Michael has little reason to hope for a better future...romance · historical-fiction · christian · fiction · contemporary · coming-of-age · friendship · marriage · family · drama -
![Decent People by De'Shawn Charles Winslow]()
Decent People by De'Shawn Charles Winslow
From Center for Fiction First Novel Prize winning author De'Shawn Charles Winslow, a sweeping and unforgettable novel of a Black community reeling from a triple homicide, and the secrets the killings reveal.In the still-segregated town of West Mills, North Carolina in 1976, Marian, Marva, and Lazarus Harmon-three enigmatic siblings-are found shot to death in their home...historical-fiction · mystery · fiction · historical · literary-fiction · audiobook · poc-author · lgbtq · suspense · crime -
![Accidentally, Scandalously Yours by Nina Levine]()
Accidentally, Scandalously Yours by Nina Levine
A standalone accidental marriage, billionaire romance from USA Today & Wall Street Journal bestselling author Nina Levine.This is Bradford Black's & Kristen Blaise's story.Opposites attract.Woke up in Vegas accidentally married.This book can be read as a standalone...romance · billionaire · politics · female-mc · humor · literary-fiction · contemporary · fiction · book · adult -
![Central Places by Delia Cai]()
Central Places by Delia Cai
A young woman's rootless past and uncertain future collide when she brings her white fiancé home to meet her Chinese immigrant parents, toppling her carefully constructed life in this vibrant, insightful debut from an exciting new voice in fiction.Audrey Zhou left Hickory Grove, the tiny town in central Illinois where she grew up, as soon as high school ended, and she never looked back...north-america · usa · illinois · romance · fiction · contemporary · literary-fiction · audiobook · poc-mc · poc-author -
![Ghost Music by An Yu]()
Ghost Music by An Yu
For three years, Song Yan has filled the emptiness of her Beijing apartment with the tentative notes of her young piano students. She gave up on her own career as a concert pianist many years ago, but her husband Bowen, an executive at a car company, has long rebuffed her pleas to have a child...adult · audiobook · book · contemporary · family · fiction · grief · literary-fiction · magical-realism · mystery -
![The Chinese Groove by Kathryn Ma]()
The Chinese Groove by Kathryn Ma
Anne Tyler meets Jade Chang in this buoyant, good-hearted, and sharply written novel about a blithely optimistic immigrant with big dreams, dire prospects, and a fractured extended family in need of his help—even if they don't know it yetEighteen-year-old Shelley, born into a much-despised branch of the Zheng family in Yunnan Province and living in the shadow of his widowed father’s grief,...asia · east-asia · china · california · fiction · contemporary · literary-fiction · family · realistic · audiobook -
![Night Wherever We Go by Tracey Rose Peyton]()
Night Wherever We Go by Tracey Rose Peyton
A gripping, radically intimate debut novel about a group of enslaved women staging a covert rebellion against their ownersOn a struggling Texas plantation, six enslaved women slip from their sleeping quarters and gather in the woods under the cover of night...historical-fiction · fiction · historical · literary-fiction · audiobook · poc-mc · slavery · racism · poc-author · social-commentary -
![The New Life by Tom Crewe]()
The New Life by Tom Crewe
A brilliant and captivating debut, in the tradition of Alan Hollinghurst and Colm Tóibín, about two marriages, two forbidden love affairs, and the passionate search for social and sexual freedom in late 19th-century London...europe · british-isles · united-kingdom · england · urban · romance · historical-fiction · fiction · lgbtq · historical -
![The Deluge by Stephen Markley]()
The Deluge by Stephen Markley
From the bestselling author of Ohio, a masterful American epic charting a near future approaching collapse and a nascent but strengthening solidarity.In the first decades of the 21st century, the world is convulsing, its governments mired in gridlock while a patient but unrelenting ecological crisis looms. America is in upheaval, battered by violent weather and extreme politics...adult · book · contemporary · disaster · dystopia · fiction · literary-fiction · male-author · outdoors · politics -
![The Fraud Squad by Kyla Zhao]()
The Fraud Squad by Kyla Zhao
A working-class woman who infiltrates Singapore's high society to fulfill her dreams risks losing everything in the process—including herself—in this propulsive millennial women's fiction novel by debut author Kyla Zhao.For as long as she can remember, Samantha Song has dreamed of writing for a high-society magazine—and she'd do anything to get there...asia · asian-mc · audiobook · book · contemporary · female-mc · fiction · friendship · humor · literary-fiction -
![Shame by Skyler Mason]()
Shame by Skyler Mason
She's a good girl raised in purity culture. He's the campus bad boy. When he uses her to get revenge, stealing her virginity, she steals his heart instead.Beautiful and prim Vanessa is the perfect pawn in Carter’s revenge scheme...romance · university · contemporary · enemies-to-lovers · revenge · friends-to-lovers · steamy · fiction · literary-fiction · female-mc -
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![Good Girl by Anna Fitzpatrick]()
Good Girl by Anna Fitzpatrick
Secretary meets Fleabag in Anna Fitzpatrick's hot and hilarious comic-erotic debut.Lucy tries so hard to be good. She was always a good student, tries to be a good friend, a good citizen, a good feminist, and now she wants a lover who will give her a good beating, preferably after tying her up...romance · fiction · contemporary · feminism · literary-fiction · audiobook · womens-fiction · coming-of-age · humor · female-mc -
![An Extravagant Duplicity by Lynn Messina]()
An Extravagant Duplicity by Lynn Messina
Why, yes, the former Beatrice Hyde-Clare is distracted. Having settled comfortably into marriage to the Duke of Kesgrave, she is nevertheless surprised to find herself in an interesting condition. And it has to be that—the unsettling prospect of motherhood—that causes her to overlook the obvious clue that Roger Dugmore had indeed been killed in his sleep...romance · mystery · historical-fiction · industrial-era · regency · historical · fiction · cozy · audiobook · amateur-sleuth -
![Becoming Ted by Matt Cain]()
Becoming Ted by Matt Cain
A charming, joyful and surprising story about love, friendship and learning to be true to yourself, Becoming Ted will steal your heart.Ted Ainsworth has always worked at his family's ice-cream business in the quiet Lancashire town of St Luke's-on-Sea. But the truth is, he's never wanted to work for the family firm - he doesn't even like ice-cream, though he's never told his parents that...europe · british-isles · united-kingdom · england · lgbtq · fiction · contemporary · literary-fiction · audiobook · humor -
![Queen of Thieves by Beezy Marsh]()
Queen of Thieves by Beezy Marsh
Gangland was a man's world - but the women knew differentLondon, 1946.Alice Diamond, the Queen of the Forty Thieves, rules over her gang of hoisters with a bejewelled fist. Nell is a slum girl from Waterloo, hiding a secret pregnancy and facing a desperately uncertain future...20th-century · action-adventure · adult · audiobook · book · crime · female-mc · fiction · heist · historical -
![Reef Road by Deborah Goodrich Royce]()
Reef Road by Deborah Goodrich Royce
When a severed hand washes ashore in the wealthy enclave of Palm Beach, Florida, the lives of two women—a lonely writer obsessed with the unsolved murder of her mother’s best friend and a panicked wife whose husband has disappeared with their children—collide as the world shutters in the pandemic lockdown of 2020.A young woman’s life seems perfect until her family goes missing...adult · audiobook · book · contemporary · crime · fiction · literary-fiction · murder · mystery · psychological -
![The Specialist by Melanie Moreland]()
The Specialist by Melanie Moreland
Final installment of the Men of Hidden JusticeEgan VulpeTrained explosives expert. Gun for hire. Loner.Until the day he falls in love.He leaves the dangerous world he knows behind. He paints, owns a gym, and co-runs Elite Security.In the past, he has worked with his friends at Hidden Justice, always staying behind the scenes.But not far enough behind...romance · suspense · contemporary · audiobook · mystery · fiction · friends-to-lovers · alpha-mc · steamy · friendship -
![In the Upper Country by Kai Thomas]()
In the Upper Country by Kai Thomas
The fates of two unforgettable women--one just beginning a journey of reckoning and self-discovery and the other completing her life's last vital act--intertwine in this sweeping, powerful novel set at the terminus of the Underground Railroad...historical-fiction · fiction · historical · literary-fiction · civil-war · audiobook · slavery · poc-mc · indigenous-mc · family
