Top new literary-fiction books in January 2023
Last updated:
January 31, 2023
January 2023 featuring new releases by Jessica George, Kitty Johnson, Monica Heisey, Marie Benedict, Amy Poeppel, Patricia Engel, John Marrs, Fran Littlewood, Eleanor Shearer, Laura Zigman 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 -
![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 -
![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 -
![The Mitford Affair by Marie Benedict]()
The Mitford Affair by Marie Benedict
From New York Times bestselling author Marie Benedict—she'll have to choose: her country or her sisters?Between the World Wars, the six Mitford sisters dominate the English political, literary, and social scenes...historical-fiction · fiction · historical · ww2 · war · family · womens-fiction · 20th-century · siblings · audiobook -
![The Sweet Spot by Amy Poeppel]()
The Sweet Spot by Amy Poeppel
A wise and joyful novel that celebrates love, hate, and all of the glorious absurdity in between.In the heart of Greenwich Village, three women form an accidental sorority when a baby—belonging to exactly none of them—lands on their collective doorstep...urban · new-york-state · romance · fiction · contemporary · womens-fiction · audiobook · humor · family · literary-fiction -
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![The Faraway World: Stories by Patricia Engel]()
The Faraway World: Stories by Patricia Engel
* A New York Times Editors’ Choice *From Patricia Engel, whose novel Infinite Country was a New York Times bestseller and a Reese’s Book Club pick, comes a “rich and compelling” ( The Washington Post ) collection of ten exquisite, award-winning short stories set across the Americas and linked by themes of migration, sacrifice, and moral compromise...north-america · caribbean · cuba · urban · new-york-state · ecuador · florida · fiction · contemporary · literary-fiction -
![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 -
![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 -
![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 -
![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 -
![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 -
![Miss Fleming Falls in Love by Emma Melbourne]()
Miss Fleming Falls in Love by Emma Melbourne
A Girl. An Earl. A Battle of Wits . . .Miss Amelia Fleming has a very good reason to hate the Earl of Langley. A year ago, her father drowned in the Thames after losing a fortune to Langley at cards. Now her family is broke, her fiancé has broken their engagement, and the debt still hasn't been paid...romance · industrial-era · regency · historical · historical-fiction · fiction · humor · slow-burn · enemies-to-lovers · female-mc -
![Hold My Girl by Charlene Carr]()
Hold My Girl by Charlene Carr
Two women. Two eggs. One life-changing switch. Katherine finally has it all. She's spent her entire life striving for perfection―obsessing over her spotless home, maintaining her pristine reputation, building her perfect family―and her hard work has finally paid off...fiction · contemporary · audiobook · family · literary-fiction · womens-fiction · realistic · parenthood · mental-illness · feminism -
![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... -
![A Hue of Blu by Marie-France Léger]()
A Hue of Blu by Marie-France Léger
How much pain are you willing to endure for someone you love?Bold, charismatic, and charming Blu Henderson wears a fake smile every day, pushing through life because she has to – not because she wants to.Quiet, introverted, and mysterious Jace Boland catches her eye the second she sees him. After that, it’s game over – not just for Blu, but for Jace as well...romance · fiction · mental-illness · contemporary · new-adult · young-adult · university · sad · dark · literary-fiction -
![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 -
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![Pearl by Siân Hughes]()
Pearl by Siân Hughes
A haunting debut novel inspired by the medieval poem of the same nameMarianne is eight years old when her mother goes missing. Left behind with her baby brother and grieving father in a ramshackle house on the edge of a small village, she clings to the fragmented memories of her mother’s love; the smell of fresh herbs, the games they played, and the songs and stories of her childhood...europe · british-isles · ireland · fiction · literary-fiction · contemporary · audiobook · family · coming-of-age · grief -
![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 -
![Wade in the Water by Nyani Nkrumah]()
Wade in the Water by Nyani Nkrumah
Told in two voices, Ella’s and Ms. St. James’s, and set around richly developed characters, this riveting, page turning coming of age story will keep readers entranced until the last shocking revelation...north-america · usa · mississippi · historical-fiction · fiction · historical · literary-fiction · audiobook · coming-of-age · racism -
![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 -
![Fair Rosaline by Natasha Solomons]()
Fair Rosaline by Natasha Solomons
Was the greatest ever love story a lie?The first time Romeo Montague sees young Rosaline Capulet he falls instantly in love. Rosaline, headstrong and independent, is unsure of Romeo's attentions but with her father determined that she join a convent, this handsome and charming stranger offers her the chance of a different life.Soon though, Rosaline begins to doubt all that Romeo has told her...romance · historical-fiction · retellings · fiction · historical · literary-fiction · young-adult · feminism · audiobook · classics -
![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 -
![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... -
![The End of Drum-Time by Hanna Pylväinen]()
The End of Drum-Time by Hanna Pylväinen
From Whiting Award-winner Hanna Pylväinen, The End of Drum-Time is a richly atmospheric saga that charts the repercussions of a scandalous nineteenth century love affair between a young Sámi reindeer herder in the Arctic Circle and the daughter of the renegade Lutheran minister whose teachings are upending the Sámi way of life...romance · historical-fiction · fiction · literary-fiction · historical · audiobook · family · season-winter · indigenous-mc · religion -
![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 -
![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 -
![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 -
![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 -
![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 -
![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 -
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![His Secret Daughter by Melissa Wiesner]()
His Secret Daughter by Melissa Wiesner
Not Noah. Not my husband . But there he is, unconscious in the hospital bed. Our daughter sobs into my shoulder. We love him so much. What if he never wakes up? And who is the little girl beside him, gazing up at us with big, tear-filled brown eyes? Eyes that look just like my husband’s…Our family of three is perfect. Just me, Noah and our teenage daughter Maya...fiction · mystery · audiobook · contemporary · family · historical-fiction · womens-fiction · suspense · angst · literary-fiction -
![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 -
![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 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 -
![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 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 -
![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
