Top new literary-fiction books in January 2024
Last updated:
January 31, 2024
January 2024 featuring new releases by Laurie Frankel, Megan McDowell, Mariana Enríquez, Kiley Reid, Madeline Miller, Araminta Hall, Amanda Prowse, Rina Kent, Angela Brown, Vanessa Chan, Lynda Rutledge and many more.
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Family Family by Laurie Frankel
From New York Times bestselling author, Laurie Frankel, comes a propulsive, sharply funny, and strikingly tender novel about how families are sometimes formed in the most unexpected ways.India Allwood grew up wanting to be an actress... -
![A Sunny Place for Shady People: Stories by Megan McDowell, Mariana Enríquez]()
A Sunny Place for Shady People: Stories by Megan McDowell, Mariana Enríquez
A diabolical collection of stories featuring achingly human characters whose lives intertwine with ghosts, the occult, and the macabre. Greetings from Buenos Aires and the fascinating, frightening, fantastical imagination of Mariana Enriquez...horror · fiction · contemporary · paranormal · audiobook · terror · anthologies · latinx-mc · 21st-century · spooky -
![Come and Get It by Kiley Reid]()
Come and Get It by Kiley Reid
14 hours From the celebrated New York Times bestselling author of Such a Fun Age comes a fresh and provocative story about a residential assistant and her messy entanglement with a professor and three unruly students.It's 2017 at the University of Arkansas. Millie Cousins, a senior resident assistant, wants to graduate, get a job and buy a house...north-america · usa · arkansas · fiction · contemporary · literary-fiction · audiobook · poc-author · poc-mc · coming-of-age -
![Untitled by Madeline Miller]()
Untitled by Madeline Miller
In an interview with Bustle, she said, "I’m working on a retelling of Shakespeare’s [The] Tempest right now. I’ve learned so much about storytelling from theater, and specifically from directing Shakespeare’s plays, and I always love working with his characters. That said, I think I’m drawn to The Tempest precisely because I wouldn’t want to direct it...historical-fiction · retellings · fiction · fantasy · myths · historical · literary-fiction · book · adult -
![One of the Good Guys by Araminta Hall]()
One of the Good Guys by Araminta Hall
A propulsive and twisty page-turner with razor-sharp sociopolitical insight, One of the Good Guys asks: if most men claim to be good, why are most women still afraid to walk home alone at night?Newly separated from his wife and desperate to escape the ghosts of his failed marriage, Cole leaves London for a fresh start in the countryside...europe · british-isles · united-kingdom · england · mystery · fiction · contemporary · feminism · audiobook · crime -
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![Very Very Lucky by Amanda Prowse]()
Very Very Lucky by Amanda Prowse
A life-affirming story from million-copy bestselling author Amanda Prowse about having it all, losing it all, and how new friends can show each other the way back to happiness.With kids to look after, an ailing mother and a neglected husband, life is full for Emma Fountain—too full, she realises, when she wakes up in IKEA after falling asleep in one of the show beds...fiction · contemporary · womens-fiction · suicide · family · drama · death · audiobook · friendship · female-mc -
![God of War by Rina Kent]()
God of War by Rina Kent
Royal Elite & Mafia World Spinoff Dark New Adult Series.Standalone...new-adult · dark · contemporary · organized-crime · steamy · fiction · gothic · coming-of-age · literary-fiction · crime -
![Olivia Strauss Is Running Out of Time by Angela Brown]()
Olivia Strauss Is Running Out of Time by Angela Brown
A woman has no choice left but to enjoy the adventure of life—and its surprises—in a funny and emotionally moving comedy of errors about the gifts of growing older. Olivia Strauss is turning thirty-nine. No major milestone. She still considers herself young. At least young enough to assume she has decades (emphasis on the plural) to check the unchecked boxes of her life’s to-do list...romance · fiction · contemporary · audiobook · womens-fiction · literary-fiction · family · friendship · female-mc · urban -
![The Storm We Made by Vanessa Chan]()
The Storm We Made by Vanessa Chan
Malaya, 1945. Cecily Alcantara’s family is in terrible danger: her fifteen-year-old son, Abel, has disappeared, and her youngest daughter, Jasmin, is confined in a basement to prevent being pressed into service at the comfort stations. Her eldest daughter Jujube, who works at a tea house frequented by drunk Japanese soldiers, becomes angrier by the day...asia · southeast-asia · malaysia · historical-fiction · fiction · historical · ww2 · war · audiobook · literary-fiction -
![Mockingbird Summer by Lynda Rutledge]()
Mockingbird Summer by Lynda Rutledge
A powerful and emotional coming-of-age novel set amid the turmoil and profound changes of the 1960s by the bestselling author of West with Giraffes . In segregated High Cotton, Texas, in 1964, the racial divide is as clear as the railroad tracks running through town. It’s also where two girls are going to shake things up...historical-fiction · fiction · coming-of-age · historical · family · young-adult · literary-fiction · friendship · classics · book -
![The Friendship Club by Robyn Carr]()
The Friendship Club by Robyn Carr
Four women come together at a tumultuous time in their lives, forging an unbreakable bond that will leave them all forever changed.Celebrity cooking show host Marni McGuire has seen it all. She’s been married—twice—and widowed and divorced. Now in her midfifties, she’s single. Happily so. She just needs to convince her pregnant daughter, Bella, of this fact. And maybe convince herself, too...romance · womens-fiction · contemporary · fiction · friendship · season-summer · new-adult · family · breakup · domestic-drama -
![Clover Hendry's Day Off by Beth Morrey]()
Clover Hendry's Day Off by Beth Morrey
A hilarious and empowering perimenopausal Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, about Clover Hendry, 46, and the day she decides to stop keeping the plates spinning, say F@#! it all, and finally get hers.Today is not the day to mess with Clover Hendry.Clover hasn’t said “No” a day in her life. Until today...romance · fiction · womens-fiction · contemporary · audiobook · domestic-drama · mental-illness · marriage · family · humor -
![Wolves of Winter: A Novel by Dan Jones]()
Wolves of Winter: A Novel by Dan Jones
The epic sequel to Essex Dogs , continuing the New York Times bestselling historian's trilogy of novels following the fortunes of ten ordinary soldiers during the Hundred Years' War."[ Essex Dogs reconceives] medieval military history as a swashbuckling Hollywood movie."— The New York Times Book ReviewFor the Dogs, the war has only just begun...historical-fiction · fiction · war · historical · medieval · action-adventure · military · audiobook · literary-fiction · fantasy -
![Interesting Facts about Space by Emily R. Austin]()
Interesting Facts about Space by Emily R. Austin
A fast-paced, hilarious, and ultimately hopeful novel for anyone who has ever worried they might be a terrible person—from the bestselling author of Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead .Enid is obsessed with space. She can tell you all about black holes and their ability to spaghettify you without batting an eye in fear. Her one major phobia? Bald men...romance · contemporary · fiction · wlw · lgbtq · literary-fiction · religion · disability · humor · dark-humor -
![You Only Call When You're in Trouble by Stephen McCauley]()
You Only Call When You're in Trouble by Stephen McCauley
After a lifetime of taking care of his impossible but irresistible sister and his cherished niece, Tom is ready to put himself first. An architect specializing in tiny houses, he finally has an opportunity to build his masterpiece―“his last shot at leaving a footprint on the dying planet.” Assuming, that is, he can stick to his resolution to keep his needy family's demands at bay...fiction · contemporary · literary-fiction · lgbtq · audiobook · family · romantic-love · humor · book · adult -
![The Search Party by Hannah Richell]()
The Search Party by Hannah Richell
A spellbinding locked-room mystery about a glamping trip gone horribly wrong when a powerful storm leaves the participants stranded and forced to confront long-held secrets and a shocking disappearance.Max and Annie Kingsley have left the London rat race with their twelve-year-old son to set up a glamping site in the wilds of Cornwall...europe · british-isles · united-kingdom · england · suspense · fiction · audiobook · contemporary · thriller · locked-room -
![I Have to Save Them by Ellie Midwood]()
I Have to Save Them by Ellie Midwood
Auschwitz, 1942: Her entire body trembles as she stands in the infirmary and realises the horrifying truth. She’s a nurse, but instead of saving her fellow inmates, she’s about to be ordered to kill them…Surrounded by thick fog from the nearby forest, Orli stumbles from the cattle truck onto the frostbitten grounds of Auschwitz...historical-fiction · ww2 · mental-illness · medical · historical · friendship · epic · 20th-century · fiction · romance -
![The Boy with the Star Tattoo by Talia Carner]()
The Boy with the Star Tattoo by Talia Carner
The Boy with the Star Tattoo has descriptive copy which is not yet available from the Publisher...historical-fiction · fiction · ww2 · historical · grief · war · literary-fiction · 20th-century · violent-conflict · book -
![Goldenseal: A Novel by Maria Hummel]()
Goldenseal: A Novel by Maria Hummel
A Gentleman in Moscow meets My Brilliant Friend in this novel of two estranged friends who reunite to confront each other and the devastating betrayal that tore them apartDowntown Los Angeles, 1990. Alone in her luxury hotel suite, the reclusive Lacey Crane receives a Edith is waiting for her in the lobby. Former best friends, Lacey and Edith haven’t spoken to one another in over four decades...historical-fiction · fiction · literary-fiction · drama · friendship · historical · 20th-century · book · adult -
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![This Plague of Souls by Mike McCormack]()
This Plague of Souls by Mike McCormack
The follow-up to Booker-listed literary sensation Solar Bones is a terse metaphysical thriller, named a most anticipated book of the year by The Guardian , The Irish Times , and The New Statesman .Nealon returns from prison to his house in the West of Ireland to find it empty. No heat or light, no sign of his wife or child. It is as if the world has forgotten or erased him...fiction · audiobook · mental-illness · dark · literary-fiction · mystery · supernatural · psychological · thriller · book -
![Valley Verified by Kyla Zhao]()
Valley Verified by Kyla Zhao
When a fashion writer dives headfirst into the cutthroat Silicon Valley tech world, her future threatens to unravel in this addictive novel by Kyla Zhao, author of The Fraud Squad.On paper, Zoe Zeng has made it in New York’s fashion world...romance · contemporary · fiction · womens-fiction · coming-of-age · audiobook · poc-mc · asian-mc · literary-fiction · poc-author -
![Daughters of Warsaw by Maria Frances]()
Daughters of Warsaw by Maria Frances
An emotional World War Two time-slip of one woman’s inspiring, dangerous and courageous undertaking in the Warsaw ghetto. In a world torn apart by war, she’ll risk her life to save them. 1942, Warsaw Young Sofia finds herself leading a double life when she is enlisted to help the fearless Irena Sendler save hundreds of Jewish children from the Warsaw Ghetto...historical-fiction · ww2 · historical · fiction · war · womens-fiction · audiobook · spirituality · female-mc · literary-fiction -
![Quest Academy: Scavengers by Brian J. Nordon]()
Quest Academy: Scavengers by Brian J. Nordon
Change is coming to Quest Academy. Can Sal rise to the occasion?When the second years nearly lose their lives in a failed excursion, it’s the first years that pay the price. The curriculum is being radically altered to challenge the students, which means the stakes just got a lot higher...litrpg · progression-fantasy · apocalyptic · xianxia · ancient-china · ancient-civilization · fantasy · humor · fiction · young-adult -
![Glorious Exploits by Ferdia Lennon]()
Glorious Exploits by Ferdia Lennon
An utterly original celebration of that which binds humanity across battle lines and history.On the island of Sicily amid the Peloponnesian War, the Syracusans have figured out what to do with the surviving Athenians who had the gall to invade their city: they’ve herded the sorry prisoners of war into a rock quarry and left them to rot...historical-fiction · fiction · historical · myths · humor · ancient-civilization · audiobook · 21st-century · literary-fiction · war -
![True North by Andrew J. Graff]()
True North by Andrew J. Graff
From the author of Raft of Stars comes a heartfelt novel of marriage and whitewater rafting, following one couple as they navigate the changing currents of family, community, and the river itself.As the summer of 1993 begins, Sam and Swami Brecht roll into town with a twenty-six-foot Winnebago camper van, their three young kids, and the deed to Woodchuck Rafting Company...fiction · historical-fiction · historical · literary-fiction · romantic-love · family · book · adult -
![Here in Avalon by Tara Isabella Burton]()
Here in Avalon by Tara Isabella Burton
An “enchanting” (Caroline Kepnes, author of You) New York City fairy tale about two sisters that fall under the spell of an underworld cabaret troupe that might be a dangerous cult—but one that makes the materialist world left in its wake feel like a sinister cult itself.Rose has come a long way...fantasy · fiction · magical-realism · contemporary · literary-fiction · 21st-century · mystery · urban-fantasy · audiobook · urban -
![Margot's Secret by Roberta Kagan]()
Margot's Secret by Roberta Kagan
Amid the chaos of Hitler's conquest of Europe, a family teeters on the edge of utter destruction.Trudy is still obsessed with her sister's husband, Max. But Max is torn between his loyalty to his wife, Margot, and giving in to Trudy, who might turn him in for the murder of her husband, the SS officer Rudolph...historical-fiction · ww2 · mystery · family · historical · fiction · literary-fiction · 20th-century · book · adult -
![Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar]()
Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar
Kaveh Akbar’s Martyr! is a paean to how we spend our lives seeking meaning—in faith, art, ourselves, others—in which a newly sober, orphaned son of Iranian immigrants, guided by the voices of artists, poets, and kings, embarks on a search that leads him to a terminally ill painter living out her final days in the Brooklyn Museum...fiction · lgbtq · contemporary · literary-fiction · magical-realism · humor · spirituality · family · book · adult -
![The Curse of Pietro Houdini by Derek B. Miller]()
The Curse of Pietro Houdini by Derek B. Miller
From the Dagger Award–winning author of Norwegian by Night comes a vivid, thrilling, and moving World War II art-heist-adventure tale where enemies become heroes, allies become villains, and a child learns what it means to become an adult—for fans of All the Light We Cannot See.August, 1943. Fourteen-year-old Massimo is all alone...historical-fiction · ww2 · fiction · historical · literary-fiction · mystery · war · coming-of-age · heist · audiobook -
![Mercury by Amy Jo Burns]()
Mercury by Amy Jo Burns
A roofing family’s bonds of loyalty are tested when they uncover a long-hidden secret at the heart of their blue-collar town―from Amy Jo Burns, author of the critically acclaimed novel ShinerIt’s 1990 and seventeen-year-old Marley West is blazing into the river valley town of Mercury, Pennsylvania. A perpetual loner, she seeks a place at someone’s table and a family of her own... -
![Take it Off by AshleyNicole, Erin B.]()
Take it Off by AshleyNicole, Erin B.
Thyri and Mar have been sampling each other's goodies for a long time. Distance and time have made it easy to keep it from being more. Now, they’re in the same zip code, and things are changing— much to Thyri's chagrin.She's kept him at bay for all these years, but it’s not so easy when she’s in his bed every night... -
![His for the Taking by Jenika Snow, J. Snow]()
His for the Taking by Jenika Snow, J. Snow
I was arranged to marry a monster—the heir to the Italian mafia throne.I didn’t want him, but he’d take what he wanted from me, regardless.It wasn’t just for better or worse...dark · organized-crime · steamy · incest · age-gap · arranged-marriage · killer · contemporary · romance · alpha-mc -
![Poor Deer by Claire Oshetsky]()
Poor Deer by Claire Oshetsky
A wondrous, tender novel about a young girl grappling with her role in a tragic loss—and attempting to reshape the narrative of her life—from PEN/Faulkner Award nominee Claire OshetskyMargaret Murphy is a weaver of fantastic tales, growing up in a world where the truth is too much for one little girl to endure. Her first memory is of the day her friend Agnes died.No one blames Margaret...fiction · magical-realism · literary-fiction · contemporary · fantasy · grief · audiobook · wlw · lgbtq · historical-fiction -
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![Beautyland by Marie-Helene Bertino]()
Beautyland by Marie-Helene Bertino
At the moment when Voyager 1 is launched into space carrying its famous golden record, a baby of unusual perception is born to a single mother in Philadelphia. Adina Giorno is tiny and jaundiced, but reaches for warmth and light. As a child, she recognizes that she is different; she also possesses knowledge of a faraway planet...sci-fi · fiction · literary-fiction · audiobook · contemporary · aliens · historical-fiction · space · invasion · first-contact -
![Bird Life: A Novel by Anna Smaill]()
Bird Life: A Novel by Anna Smaill
The second novel by Booker Prize-longlisted author Anna Smaill. A lyrical and ambitious exploration of madness and what it is like to experience the world differently.In Ueno Park, Tokyo, as workers and tourists gather for lunch, the pollen blows, a fountain erupts, pigeons scatter, and two women meet, changing the course of one another’s lives...magical-realism · literary-fiction · fiction · grief · friendship · mental-illness · psychological · fantasy · book · adult -
![The Last Stars in the Sky by Kate Hewitt]()
The Last Stars in the Sky by Kate Hewitt
From a million-copy bestselling author, comes an unforgettable and heartbreaking story about one woman’s determination to keep her family together when their world falls apart...“Mom, why are you so mad at Dad?”“I’m not,” I say, which isn’t exactly true. Putting on a brave face for my two young daughters—pretending everything is fine in my marriage—has been hard...contemporary · fiction · literary-fiction · dystopia · family · romance · sci-fi · female-mc · book · adult -
![Swanna in Love by Jennifer Belle]()
Swanna in Love by Jennifer Belle
Best-selling author Belle ( High Maintenance, Going Down) unleashes her first new novel in over ten yearsIt's the summer of 1982 and fourteen-year-old Swanna Swain is the only one left at camp. The place is a ghost town by the time her mother Val finally shows up six hours late—stoned and radiant—in a Ford pickup driven by Borislav, her new young Russian lover...romance · fiction · coming-of-age · literary-fiction · contemporary · humor · season-summer · abuse · family · female-mc -
![Savage Wounds by Lilian Harris]()
Savage Wounds by Lilian Harris
I’m a hunter,destroying the evil that roams these streets.That’s always been my focus.Then I saw her.My newest obsession.My deadliest sin.One look into her eyes, and I knew we were the same.Hungry for blood.For revenge.Hiding behind our secrets.She has her demons and I have mine. Our scars run so deep, no one knows how much we bleed except the two of us...romance · dark · suspense · abuse · mental-illness · contemporary · audiobook · crime · mystery · organized-crime -
![Don't Open The Door: An Unputdownable Gripping Psychological Thriller With A Breathtaking Twist by Cole Baxter]()
Don't Open The Door: An Unputdownable Gripping Psychological Thriller With A Breathtaking Twist by Cole Baxter
Be careful when you open the door to strangers...Successful, happily married former military contractor Samson Chase is spending his time alone while his wife Teresa is on a business trip enjoying beer, takeout, and terrible movies while he works on his latest psychological horror novel... -
![The Doctor's Secret: An Unputdownable Gripping Psychological Thriller With A Killer Twist by Cole Baxter]()
The Doctor's Secret: An Unputdownable Gripping Psychological Thriller With A Killer Twist by Cole Baxter
She thought she loved an innocent man. She was wrong.City coroner Doctor Stacy Lewis just learned that her fiance, Doctor Henry Goldberg, is the prime suspect in a serial murder case.She can’t believe for a moment that the man she loves and trusts more than anything is responsible for killing three women.But one man is convinced...
