January Book Releases We're Excited About

And what you can read in the meantime

With a new year, come new books! Our TBR piles may be taking up every possible surface area, but there are always new books that we want to find space for. From fresh literary fiction to hair-raising thrillers to gorgeous special editions, January’s most anticipated list is packed with must-reads! Here are 21 upcoming releases across a mix of genres. These titles are available for preorder, but in the meantime, we have recs for similar reads that you can enjoy now.

Plus, find out what's new or coming soon in paperback.

Literary fiction 

Lost Lambs by Madeline Cash (Jan. 13)

The Flynn family is coming undone. Catherine and Bud's open marriage has reached its breaking point as their teen daughters spiral in their own chaotic orbits. Irreverent and addictive, this is a debut novel of quick-witted observation and surprising tenderness—a family saga for the twenty-first century.

What to read while you wait: The Bee Sting by Paul Murray

Half His Age by Jennette McCurdy (Jan. 20)

Waldo is ravenous. Horny. Naive. Wise. Impulsive. Hurting. Perceptive. Endlessly wanting. And the thing she wants most of all: Mr. Korgy, her creative writing teacher. From the bestselling author of I'm Glad My Mom Died comes a sad, funny, thrilling novel about a lonely seventeen-year-old longing for love.

What to read while you wait: My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell

Crux by Gabriel Tallent (Jan. 20)

Set in the southern Mojave Desert, this thrilling story follows two teens dreaming of escaping their lives and chasing a different future through rock-climbing. It's a rollicking, adrenaline-filled, and soul-searching novel about the redemptive power of friendship and risking everything to change your life.

What to read while you wait: My Absolute Darling by Gabriel Tallent

Vigil by George Saunders (Jan. 27)

With the wisdom, playfulness, and explosive imagination we've come to expect from the Booker Prize-winning author, this electric novel transports us, careening, through the wild final evening of K.J. Boone, a wealthy and successful oil executive. Think A Christmas Carol with an environmental focus.

What to read while you wait: Death in the Bardo by George Saunders

Mystery, thriller, and horror

Woman Down by Colleen Hoover (Jan. 13)

Her words used to set the page on fire. But a viral backlash over her latest film adaptation has left Petra Rose desperate for inspiration. Then he shows up. In this twisty thriller, a frustrated author looks for her muse in a remote hideaway, but what she finds defies all expectations.

What to read while you wait: Verity by Colleen Hoover

My Husband's Wife by Alice Feeney (Jan. 20)

Eden Fox, an artist on the brink of her big break, sets off for a run before her first exhibition. When she returns to the enchanting old house she recently moved into, nothing is as it should be. Her key doesn't fit. A woman, eerily similar to her, answers the door. And her husband insists that the stranger is his wife.

What to read while you wait: From Doon with Death by Ruth Rendell

Dear Debbie by Freida McFadden (Jan. 27)

For years, Debbie has counseled New England wives in her popular advice column. But now her own life is spiraling out of control. She just lost her job. Something is happening with her teenage daughters. Her husband is keeping secrets. And Debbie's done being the bigger person. It's time to take her own advice.

What to read while you wait: Strange Sally Diamond by Liz Nugent

On Sundays She Picked Flowers by Yah Yah Scholfield (Jan. 27)

In this sinister and surreal Southern Gothic debut, a woman escapes into the uncanny woods of southern Georgia and must contend with ghosts, haints, and most dangerous of all, the truth about herself. It's a story about retribution, family trauma, and the power of building oneself back up after breaking down.

What to read while you wait: Lone Women by Victor LaValle

Escape by Stephen Fishbach (Jan. 27)

This propulsive debut novel follows a has-been reality TV star and a disgraced producer who get one last shot at redemption on a show set on a remote island. As the schemes and strategies spiral out, the question soon becomes less about who will win than who will make it out in one piece.

What to read while you wait: One Perfect Couple by Ruth Ware

Sci-fi and fantasy

Graceless Heart by Isabel Ibañez (Jan. 13)

Get in on the stunning luxe edition of this gorgeous, historical fantasy perfect for fans of One Dark Window and Ever After. It's a lush tale full of enemies-to-lovers tension, whimsical magic, villain romance, and slow-burn desire, set in an enchanted, perilous Florence where forbidden power could ignite a war.

What to read while you wait: One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig

The Elsewhere Express by Samantha Sotto Yambao (Jan. 20)

Appearing only to those who need it, The Elsewhere Express is a magical train carrying very rare and special cargo: a sense of purpose, peace, and belonging. Raya is one of those lost souls. The whimsical, deluxe first edition hardcover features intricate sprayed edges, a full-color illustrated book case, and more!

What to read while you wait: The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

Nine Goblins: A Tale of Low Fantasy and High Mischief by T. Kingfisher (Jan. 20)

No one knows exactly how the Goblin War began, but folks will tell you that goblins are stinking, slinking, filthy, sheep-stealing, henhouse-raiding, obnoxious, rude, and violent. Goblins would actually agree with all this, and might throw in "cowardly" and "lazy" too for good measure. But that's not the whole story.

What to read while you wait: The Color of Magic: A Discworld Novel by Terry Pratchett

To Ride a Rising Storm: The Second Book of Nampeshiweisit by Moniquill Blackgoose (Jan. 27)

Anequs has not only survived her first year at Kuiper's Academy but exceeded her professors' low expectations, passing all her courses with honors. Now she and her dragon, Kasaqua, are headed home for the summer, along with Theod, the other indigenous student. But their break takes a dark turn.

What to read while you wait: To Shape a Dragon's Breath: The First Book of Nampeshiweisit by Moniquill Blackgoose

Historical fiction 

Watching Over Her by Jean-Baptiste Andrea (Jan. 6)

In an Italian monastery, a sculptor named Mimo lays on his deathbed. During his final hours, he reveals his life story: his impoverished childhood, brutal apprenticeship, and, most important, his meeting with Viola Orsini, the only daughter of a powerful and dangerous aristocratic family.

What to read while you wait: Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar

Skylark by Paula McLain (Jan. 6)

The bestselling author of The Paris Wife weaves a mesmerizing tale of Paris above and below—where a woman's quest for artistic freedom in 1664 intertwines with a doctor's dangerous mission during the German occupation in the 1940s, revealing a story of courage and resistance that transcends time.

What to read while you wait: Perfume: The Story of a Murderer by Patrick Süskind

A Great Act of Love by Heather Rose (Jan. 27)

Van Diemen's Land, 1839. A young woman of means arrives in Hobart, Australia, with a boy in her care. Leasing an old cottage next to an abandoned vineyard, Caroline Douglas navigates an insular colony to invent a new life on this island of wild beauty. But Caroline carries a shocking secret.

What to read while you wait: Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell

The Seven Daughters of Dupree by Nikesha Elise Williams (Jan. 27)

It's 1995, and fourteen-year-old Tati is determined to uncover the identity of her father. But her mother and grandmother are tight-lipped about the past. As Tati digs deeper, she uncovers a legacy of family secrets, where every generation of Dupree women has posed more questions than answers.

What to read while you wait: The Twelve Tribes of Hattie by Ayana Mathis

Romance 

The Odds of You by Kate Dramis (Jan. 6)

Former data analyst-turned author Sage is struggling to complete her second book. Now after a random encounter with breakout actor Theo, the paparazzi have mistaken her for his girlfriend and his fans have gotten invested. This smart and sexy rom-com is perfect for fans of Ashley Poston and Yulin Kuang.

What to read while you wait: How to End a Love Story by Yulin Kuang

Like in Love With You by Emma R. Alban (Jan. 13)

When Catherine relocates to Bath in 1817, she finds herself competing against the daughter of her mother's arch nemesis for the favor of the most eligible Mr. Dean. Mean Girls meets Northanger Abbey in this sharp and sexy Regency romance that begs the question: what if Cady and Regina just kissed?

What to read while you wait: Don't Want You Like a Best by Emma R. Alban

The Future Saints by Ashley Winstead (Jan. 20)

When record executive Theo meets the Future Saints, the band, grieving the death of their former manager, is in a downward spiral. He's tasked with coaxing a successful new album out of them or letting them go. What he doesn't count on is making a connection with Hannah, the group's impetuous lead singer. 

What to read while you wait: Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid

The Things We Leave Unfinished (signed special edition) by Rebecca Yarros (Jan. 20)

Already smarting after a brutal divorce, twenty-eight-year-old Georgia spars with Noah, the arrogant bestselling author vying to finish her grandmother's final novel. This deluxe signed hardcover features a jacket-less foiled hardcase, stenciled edges, custom endpapers with original art, and a new letter to readers.

What to read while you wait: Book Lovers by Emily Henry

New or coming soon in paperback!

• I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy—The heartbreaking and hilarious memoir by a former child star about her past struggles, including a complicated relationship with her late mother.
• Tilt by Emma Pattee—Set over the course of a single day, an electrifying debut novel following one woman's journey across her decimated city after a major earthquake.
• Beautiful Ugly by Alice Feeney—The bestselling Queen of Twists returns with a gripping and deliciously dark thriller about marriage.
• Isola by Allegra Goodman—A young woman and her lover are marooned on an island in this historical epic of love, faith, and defiance.
• I Was a Teenage Slasher by Stephen Graham Jones—From a bestselling horror author comes a classic slasher story with a twist—perfect for fans of Adam Cesare and Grady Hendrix.

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Read more by Ashly Moore Sheldon