Top new literary-fiction books in May 2023
Last updated:
May 31, 2023
May 2023 featuring new releases by Mary Beth Keane, Catherine Ryan Hyde, Tan Twan Eng, Emilie Pine, Steven Rowley, Erica Bauermeister, Deborah Levy, Damilare Kuku, Alana S. Portero, Emma Cline and many more.
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The Half Moon by Mary Beth Keane
From the beloved author of the triumphant New York Times bestseller Ask Again, Yes comes a magnificently told novel about the complexities of marriage, family, longing, and desire.Malcolm Gephardt, the handsome and gregarious longtime bartender at the Half Moon, has always dreamed of owning a bar. When his boss is finally ready to retire, Malcolm is inspired to buy the place...adult · book · coming-of-age · contemporary · family · fiction · historical-fiction · literary-fiction · mystery · season-winter -
![Just a Regular Boy by Catherine Ryan Hyde]()
Just a Regular Boy by Catherine Ryan Hyde
An orphaned boy raised by a survivalist wends his way into the real world in an emotional novel about hope, fears, and found family by New York Times bestselling author Catherine Ryan Hyde.Out there is chaos, the collapse of society, and so much to be afraid of. All that matters is freedom.That’s what Remy Blake has been taught by his survivalist father...adult · book · coming-of-age · contemporary · family · female-mc · fiction · friendship · literary-fiction · womens-fiction -
![The House of Doors by Tan Twan Eng]()
The House of Doors by Tan Twan Eng
From the bestselling, Booker Prize-shortlisted author of The Garden of Evening Mists, a spellbinding novel about love and betrayal, colonialism and revolution, storytelling and redemption.The year is 1921. Lesley Hamlyn and her husband, Robert, a lawyer and war veteran, are living at Cassowary House on the Straits Settlement of Penang...asia · southeast-asia · malaysia · historical-fiction · fiction · historical · literary-fiction · lgbtq · audiobook · mystery -
![Ruth & Pen by Emilie Pine]()
Ruth & Pen by Emilie Pine
The brilliant debut novel from Emilie Pine, author of the international bestseller Notes to SelfDublin, 7 October 2019One day, one city, two women: Ruth and Pen. Neither knows the other, but both are asking the same questions: how to be with others and how, when the world won't make space for you, to be with yourself?Ruth's marriage to Aidan is in crisis...fiction · contemporary · lgbtq · literary-fiction · mental-illness · wlw · audiobook · coming-of-age · feminism · romantic-love -
![The Celebrants by Steven Rowley]()
The Celebrants by Steven Rowley
A Big Chill for our times, celebrating decades-long friendships and promises--especially to ourselves--by the bestselling and beloved author of The Guncle. It's been a minute--or five years--since Jordan Vargas last saw his college friends, and twenty-eight years since their graduation when their adult lives officially began... -
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![No Two Persons by Erica Bauermeister]()
No Two Persons by Erica Bauermeister
One book. Nine readers. Ten changed lives. New York Times bestselling author Erica Bauermeister’s No Two Persons is “a gloriously original celebration of fiction, and the ways it deepens our lives.”That was the beauty of books, wasn’t it? They took you places you didn’t know you needed to go…Alice has always wanted to be a writer... -
![August Blue by Deborah Levy]()
August Blue by Deborah Levy
A new novel from the Booker Prize finalist Deborah Levy, the celebrated author of The Man Who Saw Everything and The Cost of Living. At the height of her career, the piano virtuoso Elsa M. Anderson--former child prodigy, now in her thirties--walks off the stage in Vienna, mid-performance...fiction · literary-fiction · contemporary · 21st-century · supernatural · urban · female-mc · book · adult -
![Nearly All the Men in Lagos Are Mad by Damilare Kuku]()
Nearly All the Men in Lagos Are Mad by Damilare Kuku
A collection of short stories, structured as case-studies, and a form of love letter in solidarity with the women who have survived romantic relationships with men in Lagos….it deftly analyses the various archetypes women are likely to encounter in the dating scene in the city – from serial cheaters, to mummy’s boys, from the ‘fake it till you make it’ adherents to the ones who can’t commit...africa · western-africa · nigeria · romance · fiction · humor · contemporary · feminism · literary-fiction · anthologies -
![Bad Habit by Alana S. Portero]()
Bad Habit by Alana S. Portero
Combining the raw realism and vulnerability of Shuggie Bain and Detransition, Baby with the poignant sensibility of Pedro Almodóvar, a staggering coming-of-age novel deeply rooted in the class struggles of a trans woman growing up in Madrid in the last decades of the twentieth century."I saw a whole generation of boys fall like irredeemable angels...lgbtq · fiction · feminism · contemporary · drama · coming-of-age · trans-mc · audiobook · literary-fiction · historical-fiction -
![The Guest by Emma Cline]()
The Guest by Emma Cline
A young woman pretends to be someone she isn't in this stunning novel by the New York Times bestselling author of The Girls.Summer is coming to a close on the East End of Long Island, and Alex is no longer welcome.A misstep at a dinner party, and the older man she's been staying with dismisses her with a ride to the train station and a ticket back to the city...adult · book · contemporary · female-mc · fiction · literary-fiction · mystery · psychological · suspense -
![The Late Americans by Brandon Taylor]()
The Late Americans by Brandon Taylor
The author of the Booker Prize finalist Real Life and the bestselling Filthy Animals returns with a deeply involving new novel of young men and women at a crossroadsIn the shared and private spaces of Iowa City, a loose circle of lovers and friends encounter, confront, and provoke one another in a volatile year of self-discovery...21st-century · adult · book · coming-of-age · contemporary · fiction · found-family · friendship · lgbtq · literary-fiction -
![Big Gay Wedding by Byron Lane]()
Big Gay Wedding by Byron Lane
An unashamedly proud, loud, and hilarious novel about a small town that’s forever changed by a big gay wedding.Two grooms. One mother of a problem.Barnett Durang has a secret. No, not THAT secret. His widowed mother has long known he’s gay. The secret is Barnett is getting married. At his mother’s farm. In their small Louisiana town. She just doesn’t know it yet.It’ll be an intimate affair...romance · fiction · lgbtq · contemporary · audiobook · mlm · family · humor · small-town · literary-fiction -
![The Happy Couple by Naoise Dolan]()
The Happy Couple by Naoise Dolan
An intimate, sharply funny novel about a couple heading toward their wedding, and the three friends who may draw them apart Meet Celine and Luke. For all intents and purposes, the happy couple. Luke (a serial cheater) and Celine (more interested in piano than domestic life) plan to marry in a year...romance · fiction · literary-fiction · contemporary · lgbtq · 21st-century · female-author · female-mc · friendship · breakup -
![The Ferryman by Justin Cronin]()
The Ferryman by Justin Cronin
Founded by the mysterious genius known as the Designer, the archipelago of Prospera lies hidden from the horrors of a deteriorating outside world. In this island paradise, Prospera's lucky citizens enjoy long, fulfilling lives until the monitors embedded in their forearms, meant to measure their physical health and psychological well-being, fall below 10 percent...adult · apocalyptic · book · dystopia · fiction · horror · literary-fiction · mystery · post-apocalyptic · psychological -
![The Secret Book of Flora Lea by Patti Callahan Henry]()
The Secret Book of Flora Lea by Patti Callahan Henry
When a woman discovers a rare book that has connections to her past, long-held secrets about her missing sister and their childhood spent in the English countryside during World War II are revealed.In the war-torn London of 1939, fourteen-year-old Hazel and five-year-old Flora are evacuated to a rural village to escape the horrors of the Second World War...20th-century · adult · book · christian · family · female-mc · fiction · historical · historical-fiction · literary-fiction -
![8 Lives of a Century-Old Trickster: A Novel by Mirinae Lee]()
8 Lives of a Century-Old Trickster: A Novel by Mirinae Lee
Joining the acclaimed ranks of Pachinko and A Woman is No Man, a riveting and genre-bending debut of love and survival, set in the demilitarized zone separating North and South Korea.Life near the North Korean border is a zero-sum game, an ongoing battle in which you either win or you lose. This dangerous, shadowed netherworld is home to an unforgettable woman known only as the “trickster...historical-fiction · fiction · historical · magical-realism · literary-fiction · fantasy · audiobook · war · poc-mc · journey -
![The Villa by Ruth Kelly]()
The Villa by Ruth Kelly
A Villa in ParadiseIt’s destined to be the ultimate reality show: Ten contestants. A luxurious villa on a stunning private island. Every moment streamed live to a global audience who have unprecedented control over those competing for the cash prize...mystery · psychological · fiction · suspense · contemporary · crime · thriller · audiobook · season-summer · death -
![The Second Ending by Michelle Hoffman]()
The Second Ending by Michelle Hoffman
A former prodigy who refuses to believe her best years are behind her and a young virtuoso searching for his passion both get an unlikely shot at their dreams in this sparkling debut about second chances, unexpected joys, and the miraculous power of music.Prudence Childs was once the most famous kindergartner on the planet...romance · fiction · contemporary · audiobook · humor · womens-fiction · literary-fiction · realistic · comedy · celebrity -
![Yellowface: A Novel by R.F. Kuang]()
Yellowface: A Novel by R.F. Kuang
What's the harm in a pseudonym? New York Times bestselling sensation Juniper Song is not who she says she is, she didn't write the book she claims she wrote, and she is most certainly not Asian American--in this chilling and hilariously cutting novel from R. F. Kuang in the vein of White Ivy and The Other Black Girl...21st-century · adult · asian-mc · audiobook · book · contemporary · dark-academia · drama · female-author · female-mc -
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![Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah]()
Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah
The explosive, hotly-anticipated debut novel from the New York Times-bestselling author of Friday Black, about two top women gladiators fighting for their freedom within a depraved private prison system not so far-removed from America's own...adult · black-mc · book · contemporary · dark · dystopia · fiction · lesbian-mc · lgbtq · literary-fiction -
![The Lock-Up by John Banville]()
The Lock-Up by John Banville
Booker Prize winner and “Irish master” (The New Yorker) John Banville’s most ambitious crime novel yet brings two detectives together to solve a globe-spanning mystery In 1950s Dublin, Rosa Jacobs, a young history scholar, is found dead in her car. Renowned pathologist Dr. Quirke and DI St...fiction · mystery · crime · audiobook · literary-fiction · historical-fiction · historical · law-enforcement · murder · book -
![The Time Has Come by Will Leitch]()
The Time Has Come by Will Leitch
Lindburgh’s Pharmacy is an Athens, Georgia, institution—the type of beloved mom and pop shop that once dotted every American town but has mostly disappeared. But Lindburgh’s has recently become the object of attention of a local third grade teacher Tina Lamm (“Ms. Lamm to my students”)... -
![Adrift by Lisa Brideau]()
Adrift by Lisa Brideau
For fans of The Last Thing He Told Me comes a page-turning thriller about hidden identities and the terrifying realities of climate change.The truth won't always set you free...Ess wakes up alone on a sailboat in the remote Pacific Northwest with no memory of who she is or how she got there. She finds a note, but it's more warning than comfort: Start over. Don't make yourself known...mystery · fiction · sci-fi · pollution-climate-change · suspense · audiobook · action-adventure · dystopia · contemporary · survival -
![Search History by Amy Taylor]()
Search History by Amy Taylor
A woman's obsession with her new boyfriend's dead ex-girlfriend fuels this sharp and honest debut novel, a send-up of modern dating and love My fingers itched to put his name into the search bar. Once I'd found him, I'd have the cheat sheet...romance · fiction · contemporary · literary-fiction · audiobook · female-author · female-mc · coming-of-age · humor · family -
![Sing Her Down by Ivy Pochoda]()
Sing Her Down by Ivy Pochoda
No Country for Old Men meets Killing Eve in this gritty, feminist Western thriller from the award-winning author of These Women. Florence "Florida" Baum is not the hapless innocent she claims to be when she arrives at the Arizona women's prison―or so her ex-cellmate, Diosmary Sandoval, keeps insinuating...mystery · fiction · western · crime · historical-fiction · feminism · suspense · literary-fiction · thriller · audiobook -
![Soldier Sailor by Claire Kilroy]()
Soldier Sailor by Claire Kilroy
Well, Sailor. Here we are once more, you and me in one another's arms. The Earth rotates beneath us and all is well, for now...In her first novel for over a decade, Claire Kilroy takes us deep into the early days of motherhood...europe · british-isles · ireland · fiction · literary-fiction · contemporary · family · parenthood · audiobook · female-author -
![The Midwife by Tricia Cresswell]()
The Midwife by Tricia Cresswell
1830. After a violent storm, a woman is found alone, naked, near death on the Northumberland moors. She has no memory of who she is or how she got there. But she can remember how to help a woman in labour, how to expertly dress a wound and can speak fluent French...historical-fiction · historical · fiction · audiobook · industrial-era · victorian · literary-fiction · amnesia · medical · female-mc -
![Aurora by D.G. Rampton]()
Aurora by D.G. Rampton
70,000+ readers have already discovered the Regency Goddesses Series. The books, which can be read in any order, are regularly in the U.S. top 20 for Historical Romance and Humor & Satire...romance · industrial-era · regency · historical · historical-fiction · fiction · humor · aristocracy · older-couple · female-mc -
![On Fire Island by Jane L. Rosen]()
On Fire Island by Jane L. Rosen
"Dazzling...as funny as it is poignant, nostalgic as it is sharp." —Carley Fortune, New York Times bestselling author of Every Summer AfterA book editor spends one last summer on Fire Island in this sparkling and surprising new novel from the author of A Shoe Story .As a book editor, Julia Morse lived and breathed stories...romance · fiction · contemporary · mystery · season-summer · sad · literary-fiction · family · friendship · female-mc -
![The East Indian by Brinda Charry]()
The East Indian by Brinda Charry
Inspired by a historical figure, an exhilarating debut novel about the first native of the Indian subcontinent to arrive in Colonial America—for readers of Esi Edugyan and Yaa Gyasi.Meet Tony: insatiably curious, deeply compassionate, with a unique perspective on every scene he encounters... -
![The God of Good Looks by Breanne Mc Ivor]()
The God of Good Looks by Breanne Mc Ivor
This entertaining, transportive, and luminous debut novel follows a young Trinidadian woman finding her voice and a new kind of happy ending.Bianca Bridge has always dreamt of becoming a writer. But Trinidadian society can be unforgiving, and having an affair with a married government official is a sure-fire way to ruin your prospects...romance · fiction · contemporary · literary-fiction · audiobook · realistic · womens-fiction · poc-mc · poc-author · family -
![Chastity by Beverley Watts]()
Chastity by Beverley Watts
In this funny Regency romance series, the Shackleford sisters descend on a Regency society that doesn’t know what’s hit it…In the eyes of her family, Chastity Shackleford was impulsive, flighty, overly emotional and inclined to sentimental overtures. All in all, a disaster waiting to happen should she accept the Duke of Blackmore’s offer of a Season in London...historical · literary-fiction · female-mc · romance · humor · industrial-era · regency · fiction · book · adult -
![Where Waters Meet by Zhang Ling]()
Where Waters Meet by Zhang Ling
A daughter discovers the dramatic history that shaped her mother’s secret life in an emotional and immersive novel by Zhang Ling, the bestselling author of A Single Swallow.There was rarely a time when Phoenix Yuan-Whyller’s mother, Rain, didn’t live with her. Even when Phoenix got married, Rain, who followed her from China to Toronto, came to share Phoenix’s life...historical-fiction · fiction · literary-fiction · historical · feminism · journey · family · mystery · ww2 · female-mc -
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![The Darlings by Hannah McKinnon]()
The Darlings by Hannah McKinnon
On a secluded stretch of Cape Cod, a wedding is being planned at a beloved beach house—only for a long kept secret to emerge that hurtles both the wedding and the family off course, in this fresh, lyrical new novel from the acclaimed author of the “charming and warmhearted” ( PopSugar ) The Summer House...romance · fiction · womens-fiction · contemporary · season-summer · drama · psychological · family · female-mc · literary-fiction -
![The Paper Man by Billy O'Callaghan]()
The Paper Man by Billy O'Callaghan
A deeply moving interwar romance set between 1930s Austria and 1980s Ireland, based on a real-life unsolved mystery.1930s Austria. Vienna is a bustling, cosmopolitan city on the brink of war. Matthias Sindelar is an internationally renowned soccer player known as “The Paper Man” because of his effortless weave across the field...historical-fiction · literary-fiction · ww2 · mystery · historical · sports · fiction · 20th-century · romance · book -
![Sparrow by James Hynes]()
Sparrow by James Hynes
Told from the perspective of an enslaved boy being raised in a Roman brothel, a stunning literary historical novel of identity, family, suffering, and freedomIn a brothel on the Spanish coast during the waning years of the Roman Empire, a young enslaved boy of unknown parentage is growing up... -
![The Language of Love and Loss by Bart Yates]()
The Language of Love and Loss by Bart Yates
Readers of Mad Honey will adore this clever, deeply touching, buoyant new novel from an award-winning author. When his difficult mother is diagnosed with ALS, a sharp-witted yet sensitive artist reluctantly returns to his New Hampshire hometown – and all the ghosts he left behind.As it turns out, you can go home again. But sometimes, you really, really don’t want to . .fiction · contemporary · lgbtq · family · literary-fiction · audiobook · mlm · romantic-love · friendship · humor -
![The Collected Regrets of Clover by Mikki Brammer]()
The Collected Regrets of Clover by Mikki Brammer
Mikki Brammer's The Collected Regrets of Clover is a big-hearted and life-affirming debut about a death doula who, in caring for others at the end of their life, has forgotten how to live her own, for readers of The Midnight Library...romance · fiction · contemporary · literary-fiction · death · family · grief · psychological · female-mc · friendship -
![Glassworks by Olivia Wolfgang-Smith]()
Glassworks by Olivia Wolfgang-Smith
A gorgeously written and irresistibly intimate queer novel that follows one family across four generations to explore legacy and identity in all its forms.A Goodreads Buzziest Debut Novel of 2023In 1910, Agnes Carter makes the wrong choice in marriage...fiction · lgbtq · historical-fiction · historical · literary-fiction · audiobook · family · book · adult -
![Your Love Is Not Good by Johanna Hedva]()
Your Love Is Not Good by Johanna Hedva
An artist of color becomes obsessed with a white model in a novel with the glamor of Clarice Lispector and the viscerality of Han Kang.At an otherwise forgettable party in Los Angeles, a queer Korean American painter spots a woman who instantly controls the gorgeous and distant and utterly white, the center of everyone’s attention...romance · fiction · lgbtq · contemporary · literary-fiction · wlw · poc-mc · poc-author · book · adult
