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, Steven Rowley, Erica Bauermeister, Deborah Levy, Emma Cline, Brandon Taylor, Naoise Dolan, Byron Lane, Patti Callahan Henry 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 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... -
![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 -
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![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 -
![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 -
![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 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 -
![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 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 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 -
![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 -
![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 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”)... -
![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 -
![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 -
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![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 -
![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 -
![Whisky Business by Elliot Fletcher]()
Whisky Business by Elliot Fletcher
Opposites attract when a fish-out-of-water actress and a grumpy Scottish whisky distiller are forced to work together to save the business they both love. As a child, April Sinclair dreamt of escaping her quiet island life to become a world-famous actress... -
![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 Airman's Girl: A gripping and moving World War 2 historical novel by Carly Schabowski]()
The Airman's Girl: A gripping and moving World War 2 historical novel by Carly Schabowski
Poland, 1939 : As I stare into the German pilot’s frightened eyes, I realise I have no choice but to help him. And in that moment, I know that this young man, and this decision, will change my life forever…When a German pilot crashes over my parents’ farmland, at first I am terrified...romance · historical-fiction · fiction · friendship · female-mc · ww2 · literary-fiction · historical · 20th-century · book -
![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 -
![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 -
![The Humble Lover by Edmund White]()
The Humble Lover by Edmund White
From National Book Award-honored author Edmund White, a wildly hilarious and irreverent novel about a rich older man who falls in love with a young ballerino.Aldwych West, an eighty-year-old modern-day aristocrat living alone in his Manhattan townhouse, is used to having what he wants... -
![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 -
![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... -
![When a Man Loves an Alien by Chloe Archer]()
When a Man Loves an Alien by Chloe Archer
A grumpy-sexy alien and his (mostly) human mate are just trying to get married for goodness sake! But the road to matrimony is riddled with obstacles that could prove deadly…RIVERBeing engaged to my adorable alien boo is a dream come true. Too bad there’s a target painted on my back. Come on universe, quit messing with true love! For reals... -
![Balthazar: The Spare by Minerva Spencer, S.M. LaViolette]()
Balthazar: The Spare by Minerva Spencer, S.M. LaViolette
The Hale family is coming to London, and the ton has never seen anything like it...Meet the Hales, a wild, wealthy, and witty family of loveable misfits who are about to take London by storm. If you loved Mary Balogh’s Bedwins, Julia Quinn's Bridgertons, or Loretta Chase’s Carsingtons, you’ll adore the Hales!Victoria Dryden gave Balthazar Hale the last thing he ever expected...romance · new-adult · historical · industrial-era · victorian · literary-fiction · fiction · female-mc · book · adult -
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![Swimming Against the Tide by Ryan Taylor, Joshua Harwood]()
Swimming Against the Tide by Ryan Taylor, Joshua Harwood
ZachI wanted what I thought was the ideal college experience—an excellent school and a great fraternity. Since I was a legacy, it was Zeta from the get-go. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy it. In fact, I had so much fun I didn’t pay enough attention to one very important thing—the culture. The very conservative, closed-minded culture...romance · mlm · lgbtq · university · contemporary · personal-growth · steamy · coming-of-age · fiction · friendship -
![Gone to the Wolves by John Wray]()
Gone to the Wolves by John Wray
The award-winning author John Wray dives deep into the wild, risky world of heavy metal in the 1980s and '90s. Kip, Leslie, and Kira are outliers--even in the metal scene they love. In arch-conservative Gulf Coast Florida in the late 1980s, just listening to metal can get you arrested, but for the three of them the risk is well worth it, because metal is what leads them to one another...fiction · historical-fiction · historical · literary-fiction · drama · coming-of-age · realistic · book · adult -
![The One I Want by Chelle Sloan]()
The One I Want by Chelle Sloan
As a professional football player, I had a playbook for everything on the field. Then I retired and found out there’s no playbook for life—especially when the one you thought was perfect gets flipped upside down. There’s no play for suddenly becoming a divorced, single dad. There’s no plan for moving your family back to the town you grew up in...sports · small-town · age-gap · female-mc · romance · contemporary · literary-fiction · fiction · humor · book -
![The Wishing Game by Meg Shaffer]()
The Wishing Game by Meg Shaffer
Years ago, a reclusive mega-bestselling children’s author quit writing under mysterious circumstances. Suddenly he resurfaces with a brand-new book and a one-of-a-kind competition, offering a prize that will change the winner’s life in this absorbing and whimsical novel.“Clever, dark, and hopeful . .romance · fantasy · fiction · magical-realism · contemporary · mystery · literary-fiction · magic · female-mc · action-adventure -
![The Three of Us by Ore Agbaje-Williams]()
The Three of Us by Ore Agbaje-Williams
Long-standing tensions between a husband, his wife, and her best friend finally come to a breaking point in this sharp domestic comedy of manners, told brilliantly over the course of one day.What if the two most important people in your life hated each other with a passion?The wife has it all...romance · fiction · literary-fiction · contemporary · poc-author · poc-mc · young-adult · psychological · coming-of-age · family -
![The Ghost Theatre by Mat Osman]()
The Ghost Theatre by Mat Osman
TO LOVE IS TO FALL . . . On a rooftop in Elizabethan London two worlds collide. Shay is a messenger-girl and trainer of hawks who sees the future in the patterns of birds. Nonesuch is the dark star of the city's fabled child theatre scene, as famous as royalty yet lowly as a beggar.Together they create The Ghost Theatre: a troupe staging magical plays in London's hidden corners...historical-fiction · fantasy · fiction · historical · magical-realism · literary-fiction · magic · audiobook · animals · book -
![Friends with Boats by Alexandra Speck Slater]()
Friends with Boats by Alexandra Speck Slater
#1 AMAZON BESTSELLERThree friends—challenged with marriage, work, children, and self-doubt—all fall for the same man. The handsome, charming, wealthy, and recently divorced Mack Taylor returns to Cape Cod at the beginning of the summer season after years away and shakes up several lives. It all begins with an innocent Facebook friend request to Sadie from Mack...romance · fiction · mental-illness · humor · contemporary · holidays · literary-fiction · comedy · friendship · book
