21 August Releases We're Excited About

And what you can read in the meantime

Reading ahead

Our TBR shelves may already be full, but we keep finding new books we want to squeeze on in. From award-winning authors (Ann Patchett and James McBride!) to timely, twisty thrillers to frothy romances, August's most anticipated list is filled with must-reads! Here are 21 upcoming releases across a mix of genres. These titles are available for preorder, but in the meantime, peruse our recommendations for similar reads that you can enjoy now.

Literary fiction

Tom Lake by Ann Patchett (Aug. 1)

In the spring of 2020, Lara's three daughters return to the family's orchard in Northern Michigan. As Lara recounts a treasured story from her past, her daughters examine their own lives and relationships. Both hopeful and elegiac, this tale explores what it means to be happy even as the world is falling apart.

What to read first: French Braid by Anne Tyler

The Connellys of County Down by Tracey Lange (Aug. 1)

When Tara Connelly is released from prison after serving eighteen months on a drug charge, she knows rebuilding her life at thirty years old won't be easy. With no money and no prospects, she returns home to live with her siblings, who are both busy with their own problems.

What to read first: We Are the Brennans by Tracey Lange

Family Lore by Elizabeth Acevedo (Aug. 1)

Flor has a gift: she can predict, to the day, when someone will die. So when she decides she wants a living wake—a party to bring her family and community together to celebrate the long life she's led—her sisters are surprised. Has Flor foreseen her own death, or someone else's?

What to read first: One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez

The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride (Aug. 8)

In 1972, when workers in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, were digging the foundations for a new development, the last thing they expected to find was a skeleton at the bottom of a well. Who the skeleton was and how it got there sets the stage for this powerful saga about a community living on the margins.

What to read first: Deacon King Kong by James McBride

Mystery, thriller, and horror

Delicate Condition by Danielle Valentine (Aug. 1)

Desperate to have a family, up-and-coming actress Anna starts to suspect that someone is going to great lengths to sabotage IVF efforts. Crucial medications go missing. Appointments get inexplicably swapped. This timely, twisty page-turner reckons with the sexism embedded in modern medicine.

What to read first: The Push by Ashley Audrain

Just Another Missing Person by Gillian McAllister (Aug. 1)

In this clever and endlessly surprising thriller, Olivia is a 22-year-old woman who has seemingly disappeared into thin air and Julia is the detective assigned to the case. But as Julia gets deeper into her investigation, one thing becomes crystal clear. Finding the truth will put her own family in grave danger.

What to read first: Wrong Place Wrong Time by Gillian McAllister

None of This is True by Lisa Jewell (Aug. 8)

While out celebrating her 45th birthday, crime podcaster Alix meets Josie who turns out to be her birthday twin. As the two women get to know one another, Josie inveigles her way into Alix's life. But Josie is hiding dark secrets and before she knows it, Alix has become the subject of her own crime podcast.

What to read first: The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell

The Hurricane Blonde by Halley Sutton (Aug. 8)

A former child star, Salma now spends her days as a guide for the Stars Six Feet Under tour leading tourists to sites where actresses of the past met untimely ends—including the spot where her own sister Tawney was murdered. But then Salma stumbles across a fresh corpse in the same place where her sister died.

What to read first: The Black Dahlia by James Ellroy

Happiness Falls by Angie Kim (Aug. 29)

Mia always has an explanation for everything. So she isn't initially concerned when her father and younger brother Eugene don't return from a walk in a nearby park. But when Eugene returns covered in blood, it becomes clear that her father is missing and the only witness is a boy who can't speak.

What to read first: Miracle Creek by Angie Kim

Sci-fi and fantasy

Ravensong by TJ Klune (Aug. 1)

Part two in Klune's Green Creek series continues the story of the Bennetts, a family with a secret identity. They're werewolves. Living in a small mountain town in Oregon, they must carefully guard their secrets even as they form strong bonds with those around them. This is Gordo's story.

What to read first: Wolfsong by TJ Klune

House of Odysseus by Claire North (Aug. 22)

Years ago, Penelope's husband Odysseus sailed to war with Troy and never came home. Since then, she must use all her cunning to keep the peace—a peace that is shattered by the return of Orestes, King of Mycenae, and his sister Elektra. This is book two in the powerful, fresh, and unflinching Songs of Penelope trilogy.

What to read first: Ithaca by Claire North

Vampires of El Norte by Isabel Cañas (Aug. 29)

As the daughter of a rancher in 1840s Mexico, Nena knows a thing or two about monsters—her home has long been threatened by tensions with Northern settlers. But now something more sinister lurks near the ranch at night. Vampires and vaqueros face off on the Texas-Mexico border in this supernatural western.

What to read first: The Hacienda by Isabel Cañas

Terrace Story by Hilary Leichter (Aug. 29)

Despite being embarrassed about her tiny apartment, Annie invites Stephanie to come meet her husband and daughter. But when Stephanie arrives, the family discovers a beautiful terrace hidden in their closet. An intimate exploration of time, a fable about love, and an epic daydream for a broken-hearted world.

What to read first: Nothing To See Here by Kevin Wilson

Historical fiction

The Princess by Wendy Holden (Aug. 1)

When Princess Diana stepped from a gilded carriage for her wedding at St. Paul's Cathedral, the whole world was watching. But few know the dark and difficult journey she took to get there. This novel, the third in the Royal Outsiders series, pieces together the backstory of the ultimate royal celebrity.

What to read first: The Royal Governess by Wendy Holden

The Apology by Jimin Han (Aug. 1)

Part ghost story and part family epic, this sweeping intergenerational story is an incisive tale of sisterhood and diaspora, reaching back to the days of Japanese colonialism and the Korean War, and told through the singular voice of a defiant, funny, and unforgettable centenarian.

What to read first: Pachinko by Min Jin Lee

California Golden by Melanie Benjamin (Aug. 8)

Southern California, 1960s: In an era when women are expected to be housewives, Carol Donnelly breaks the mold as a legendary female surfer, shaping the lives of her two daughters. A dazzling saga of three women in a society that was shifting as tempestuously as the breaking waves.

What to read first: Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Learned by Heart by Emma Donoghue (Aug. 29)

Drawing on Anne Lister's five-million-word secret journal, this novel is based on the long-buried true love story of Eliza Raine, an orphan heiress banished from India to England at age six, and Anne Lister, a brilliant, troublesome tomboy, who met at age fourteen at the York-based Manor School in 1805.

What to read first: Gentleman Jack: The Real Anne Lister by Anne Choma

Romance

Tastes Like Shakkar by Nisha Sharma (Aug. 1)

The second installment to the If Shakespeare Was an Auntie series adds shakkar and mirch to Much Ado About Nothing for one sweet and spicy love story. Bobbi is helping to plan the celebration for her best friend's wedding. If only she didn't have to work with the groom's egotistical (and irritatingly sexy) best friend.

What to read first: Dating Dr. Dil by Nisha Sharma

With Love, From Cold World by Alicia Thompson (Aug. 1)

Though they both work at Cold World, a theme park that's always a winter wonderland despite being in Florida, Lauren and Asa couldn't be more different. When the owner enlists their help to save their endangered wintry haven, their rivalry heats up as they compete for the best idea.

What to read first: Love in the Time of Serial Killers by Alicia Thompson

The Blonde Identity by Ally Carter (Aug. 8)

It's the middle of the night in the middle of Paris and a woman just woke up with no memory. She only knows three things for certain: 1. She has a splitting headache. 2. The hottest guy she has (probably) ever seen is standing over her, telling her to run. And oh yeah...3. People keep trying to kill her.

What to read first: I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You by Ally Carter

Kissing Kosher by Jean Meltzer (Aug. 29)

Avital Cohen isn't wearing underpants—for woefully unsexy reasons. Chronic pelvic pain has forced her to sideline her dreams. It's all she can do to manage her family's kosher bakery. She needs help. And distractingly handsome Ethan Lippmann seems the perfect fit. Except Ethan has a secret agenda.

What to read first: The Matzah Ball by Jean Meltzer

Hopefully there's something here that you want to add to your TBR list! Let us know which new books you're most excited about this month.

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Read more by Ashly Moore Sheldon