Top new literary-fiction books in August 2024
Last updated:
August 31, 2024
August 2024 featuring new releases by Elif Shafak, Alice Hoffman, Abi Daré, Jodi Picoult, Matt Haig, Robert Harris, Kate Atkinson, Leeanne Slade, Daisy Edgar-Jones, Abigail Rose-Marie, Helen Phillips and many more.
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There Are Rivers in the Sky by Elif Shafak
From the Booker Prize finalist author of The Island of Missing Trees, an enchanting new tale about three characters living along two rivers, all under the shadow of one of the greatest epic poems of all time. “Make place for Elif Shafak on your bookshelf… you won’t regret it... -
![The Bookstore Wedding by Alice Hoffman]()
The Bookstore Wedding by Alice Hoffman
In this star-crossed short story from New York Times bestselling author Alice Hoffman, timing is everything as two sisters learn to let love follow its own path.Isabel, the long-lost Gibson sister, is finally back home on Brinkley’s Island, Maine. With Sophie and Violet, her sister and her niece, she’s got the family bookstore—and with Johnny Lenox, she’s got something even more special...romance · fiction · contemporary · audiobook · womens-fiction · family · magical-realism · fantasy · drama · literary-fiction -
![And So I Roar by Abi Daré]()
And So I Roar by Abi Daré
A stunning, heartwrenching new novel from Abi Daré, New York Times bestselling author of The Girl with the Louding VoiceWhen Tia accidentally overhears a whispered conversation between her mother—terminally ill and lying in a hospital bed in Port Harcourt, Nigeria—and her aunt, the repercussions will send her on a desperate quest to uncover a secret her mother has been hiding for nearly two... -
![By Any Other Name by Jodi Picoult]()
By Any Other Name by Jodi Picoult
Two women, centuries apart--one of whom is the real author of Shakespeare's plays--are both forced to hide behind another name to make their voices heard.In 1581, Emilia Bassano--like most young women of her day--is allowed no voice of her own. But as the Lord Chamberlain's mistress, she has access to all theater in England, and finds a way to bring her work to the stage secretly...historical-fiction · fiction · contemporary · feminism · family · literary-fiction · female-mc · friendship · book · adult -
![The Life Impossible by Matt Haig]()
The Life Impossible by Matt Haig
The remarkable next novel from Matt Haig, the author of #1 New York Times bestseller The Midnight Library, with more than nine million copies sold worldwide“What looks like magic is simply a part of life we don’t understand yet…”When retired math teacher Grace Winters is left a run-down house on a Mediterranean island by a long-lost friend, curiosity gets the better of her...europe · south-europe · spain · fiction · contemporary · historical-fiction · literary-fiction · fantasy · female-mc · aliens -
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![Precipice by Robert Harris]()
Precipice by Robert Harris
Summer 1914. A world on the brink of catastrophe.In London, twenty-six-year-old Venetia Stanley—aristocratic, clever, bored, reckless—is part of a fast group of upper-crust bohemians and socialites known as “The Coterie.” She’s also engaged in a clandestine love affair with the Prime Minister, H. H. Asquith, a man more than twice her age...europe · british-isles · united-kingdom · england · urban · historical-fiction · fiction · historical · audiobook · ww1 -
![Death at the Sign of the Rook by Kate Atkinson]()
Death at the Sign of the Rook by Kate Atkinson
The stage is set. Marooned overnight by a snowstorm in a grand country house are a cast of characters and a setting that even Agatha Christie might recognize – a vicar, an Army major, a Dowager, a sleuth and his sidekick - except that the sleuth is Jackson Brodie, and the ‘sidekick’ is DC Reggie Chase... -
![The Glitch by Leeanne Slade, Daisy Edgar-Jones, Sam Claflin]()
The Glitch by Leeanne Slade, Daisy Edgar-Jones, Sam Claflin
The #1 Bestselling Audiobook What would you change if you could start all over again? From Leeanne Slade, the bestselling author of The Rebound and Told You So, and narrated by Daisy Edgar-Jones (Normal People) and Sam Claflin (Me Before You), this summer, fall in love with Henry and Grace...romance · audiobook · time-travel · fiction · contemporary · womens-fiction · fantasy · sci-fi · multi-pov · magical-realism -
![The Moonflowers by Abigail Rose-Marie]()
The Moonflowers by Abigail Rose-Marie
In a powerful and poignant novel, an artist unravels her mysterious family history and its generations of women who depended on each other to survive.Tig Costello has arrived in Darren, Kentucky, commissioned to paint a portrait honoring her grandfather Benjamin. His contributions to the rural Appalachian town and his unimpeachable war service have made him a local hero...historical-fiction · fiction · mystery · historical · rural · literary-fiction · family · audiobook · crime · murder -
![Hum by Helen Phillips]()
Hum by Helen Phillips
From the National Book Award–longlisted author of The Need comes an extraordinary novel about a wife and mother who—after losing her job to AI—undergoes a procedure that renders her undetectable to surveillance…but at what cost?In a city addled by climate change and populated by intelligent robots called “hums,” May loses her job to artificial intelligence...sci-fi · fiction · dystopia · 21st-century · ai · horror · parenthood · contemporary · season-summer · technology -
![Burn by Peter Heller]()
Burn by Peter Heller
From the acclaimed author of The Last Ranger, a novel about two men—friends since boyhood—who emerge from the woods of rural Maine to a dystopian country wracked by bewildering violence.Every year Jess and Storey have made an annual pilgrimage to northern Maine where they camp, hunt, and hike, leaving much from their long friendship unspoken...fiction · dystopia · sci-fi · outdoors · literary-fiction · contemporary · mystery · post-apocalyptic · suspense · realistic -
![Swimming to Lundy by Amanda Prowse]()
Swimming to Lundy by Amanda Prowse
A poignant and inspiring story from million-copy bestselling author Amanda Prowse about how it’s never too late to follow your dreams and find your way back to happiness.Tawrie Gunn feels stuck. She’s spent her whole life in the same seaside town with her beloved Nana and grief-stricken mum, all of them still reeling in different ways from the tragic loss of Tawrie’s dad at sea...fiction · contemporary · love-triangle · family · drama · death · cheating · domestic-drama · audiobook · literary-fiction -
![Five-Star Stranger by Kat Tang]()
Five-Star Stranger by Kat Tang
In Kat Tang’s exciting and resonant debut, a “Rental Stranger”—a companion hired under various guises—walks the line between personal and professional in surprising new ways...fiction · contemporary · audiobook · literary-fiction · realistic · poc-author · psychological · family · book · adult -
![The House of Lost Secrets by Anstey Harris]()
The House of Lost Secrets by Anstey Harris
She thought she knew her best friend…She was wrong.The weatherworn cottage Clachan has always been Jo Wilding’s sanctuary, a blissful escape from her tumultuous home life...romance · mystery · fiction · contemporary · audiobook · friendship · season-summer · suspense · female-author · coming-of-age -
![Heavy Hitter by Katie Cotugno]()
Heavy Hitter by Katie Cotugno
The beloved New York Times bestselling author of Birds of California hits it out of the park with this smart, sexy, thrilling take on the celebrity-athlete story—a funny, sizzling, ripped-from-the-headlines romance between an international pop star and a major league baseball player who thought his best days were behind him.Taylor and Travis. Jennifer and A-Rod. Marilyn and Joe...romance · fiction · sports · contemporary · humor · female-mc · young-adult · new-adult · literary-fiction · book -
![The Echoes by Evie Wyld]()
The Echoes by Evie Wyld
From the award-winning novelist, a ravishing new novel set between London and rural Australia, both a love story and a ghost story.Max didn’t believe in an afterlife. Until he died. Now, as a reluctant ghost trying to work out why he is still here, he watches his girlfriend Hannah lost in grief in the apartment they shared and begins to realize how much of her life was invisible to him...oceania · australia · england · urban · fiction · literary-fiction · contemporary · fantasy · ghosts · audiobook -
![Make Me Famous by Maud Ventura, Gretchen Schmid]()
Make Me Famous by Maud Ventura, Gretchen Schmid
Daisy Jones and the Six meets Patricia Highsmith in this addictive, intense novel about the brutal and ferocious road to glory, from the award-winning author of My Husband. Ever since she was a child, Cléo, the French-American daughter of two academics, has had only one becoming a famous singer...fiction · literary-fiction · contemporary · audiobook · mystery · dark · female-mc · dark-humor · humor · psychological -
![Not a Good Enough Mother by Nicole Trope]()
Not a Good Enough Mother by Nicole Trope
Have you ever looked at those mothers who seem to be perfect – with sweet little children, a full-time job, a beautiful home – and thought: am I not good enough? Ava has. She’s desperate to become just like them. That’s exactly why I’m here…‘Don’t worry, I’m here to help!’ I say with a big smile. I can see the relief in Ava Green’s face...psychological · fiction · suspense · thriller · contemporary · female-mc · crime · literary-fiction · breakup · domestic-drama -
![There's Nothing Wrong with Her by Kate Weinberg]()
There's Nothing Wrong with Her by Kate Weinberg
"Beautiful." —Sarah Jessica Parker"Funny and painfully true. . . . The best thing you'll read this year." —Kiley Reid, author of Such a Fun Age A raw, tenderly comic, and perfectly off-kilter novel about a woman with a mysterious illness who occasionally finds herself in "The Pit” — a delirious state of semi-consciousness — and the improbable, sometimes-imagined people who meet her there...fiction · mental-illness · contemporary · audiobook · literary-fiction · disability · humor · family · friendship · female-mc -
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![The Good Girl by Alexa Riley]()
The Good Girl by Alexa Riley
Karmen is being punished. Okay so she might have "accidentally" stabbed her teacher with a pencil, but he had it coming. Unfortunately for Karmen, her mother still had the power to send her to Bellevue Asylum for an evaluation. Being locked up isn't so bad. Especially when Dr. Rourk is assigned to her case. He's the only one who's ever made her want to be a good girl. Dr...romance · contemporary · dark · age-gap · insta-love · steamy · multi-pov · stalking · forbidden-love · alpha-mc -
![Abacus How to Leave the House. by Nathan Newman]()
Abacus How to Leave the House. by Nathan Newman
It's Natwest's last day before he leaves for university, and there's only one thing on his the deeply embarrassing package he ordered to his house - which still hasn't arrived. He won't leave town without it. Any alternative is too distressing to consider ...This is the story of twenty-four hours in the life of Natwest, and his small-town odyssey in pursuit of the missing package...fiction · contemporary · lgbtq · literary-fiction · audiobook · humor · friendship · season-summer · book · adult -
![Waiting for the Long Night Moon: Stories by Amanda Peters]()
Waiting for the Long Night Moon: Stories by Amanda Peters
From the bestselling author of The Berry PickersIn her debut collection of short fiction, Amanda Peters describes the Indigenous experience from an astonishingly wide spectrum in time and place—from contact with the first European settlers, to the forced removal of Indigenous children, to the present-day fight for the right to clean waterIn this intimate collection, Amanda Peters melds... -
![Peggy by Leslie Jamison, Rebecca Godfrey]()
Peggy by Leslie Jamison, Rebecca Godfrey
A dazzling novel about Peggy Guggenheim—a story of art, family, love, and becoming oneself—by the award-winning author of Under the Bridge, now a Hulu limited series starring Riley Keough and Lily Gladstone“Godfrey brilliantly resurrects the avant-garde adventurer Peggy Guggenheim as a feminist icon for our times.”—Jenny Offill, author of Dept. of SpeculationVenice, 1958...historical-fiction · fiction · audiobook · historical · literary-fiction · feminism · family · female-author · 20th-century · book -
![Wild Failure: Stories by Zoe Whittall]()
Wild Failure: Stories by Zoe Whittall
In these raucous and poignant short stories, bestselling novelist Zoe Whittall contends with the meaning of desire for both intimacy and danger in a world that questions the validity of femininity and queerness.In “Oh, El” a dominant woman can’t stop herself from toying with a tender heart. In “Half Pipe” a teen girl’s heterosexual ambivalence gets her in trouble at a skate park...fiction · lgbtq · contemporary · anthologies · feminism · wlw · trans-mc · drama · dark · friendship -
![A Great Marriage by Frances Mayes]()
A Great Marriage by Frances Mayes
When a perfect wedding is called off just days before the big event, it sends two people—and their families—reeling, in this poignant novel from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Under the Tuscan Sun and Women in SunlightDoes a great romance make a great marriage? Dara Willcox, up in New York for a weekend, meets Austin Clarke at an art gallery...romance · fiction · family · audiobook · contemporary · womens-fiction · literary-fiction · secrets · psychological · female-mc -
![Aranjuez by Gilmer Mesa]()
Aranjuez by Gilmer Mesa
"Nadie como Gilmer Mesa para exhibir con ternura y crudeza la espina clavada en el corazón de Colombia, el corazón de nuestra América"... -
![Yr Dead by Rita Bullwinkel, Sam Sax]()
Yr Dead by Rita Bullwinkel, Sam Sax
In between the space of time when Ezra lights themself on fire and when Ezra dies the world of this book flashes before their eyes. Everyone Ezra's ever loved, every place they've felt queer and at home, or queer and out of place, reveals itself in an instant...fiction · lgbtq · contemporary · literary-fiction · trans-mc · mental-illness · politics · coming-of-age · 21st-century · book -
![Divorce Towers by Ellen Meister]()
Divorce Towers by Ellen Meister
Welcome to Divorce Towers, the Beverly Hills condo where there’s more money than sense…more drama than money…and more heat than one high-rise can hold.Addison Torres has nothing left to lose in New no job, no fiancé, no parents to lean on. So when Uncle Arnie offers her a concierge gig in sunny California, she hops on a plane without looking back...romance · fiction · contemporary · mystery · womens-fiction · audiobook · literary-fiction · urban · billionaire · female-mc -
![Then Things Went Dark by Bea Fitzgerald]()
Then Things Went Dark by Bea Fitzgerald
Six people land on a desert island ready to make their reality show debut. The contestants are suitably glamorous and dramatic—and also hungry to prove themselves. The stakes are high, and with millions of viewers watching, losing is not an option. But three weeks and eighteen episodes later, five of the six contestants sit in a Portuguese police station, none of them winners...mystery · fiction · lgbtq · audiobook · crime · murder · contemporary · thriller · young-adult · season-summer -
![After Oz by Gordon McAlpine]()
After Oz by Gordon McAlpine
Gripping and emotionally riveting, this whimsical tale is an empowering and timely retelling of The Wizard of Oz where one little girl is forced to face head-on the prejudices of the Midwest in the late 19th century.Kansas, 1896. After a tornado destroys the Gale family farm, 11-year-old Dorothy goes missing. As the days pass by, the Gales are increasingly terrified the worst has happened...historical-fiction · fiction · mystery · fantasy · audiobook · retellings · suspense · crime · historical · literary-fiction -
![The Trials of Lila Dalton by L.J. Shepherd]()
The Trials of Lila Dalton by L.J. Shepherd
I look up to find twelve strangers staring back at me… and I realize I'm the one they're waiting for.Lila Dalton has no memory of how she came to be in this courtroom; no memory of how she got to the courthouse at all, or why she's facing a jury who seems to be waiting for her. The man on trial is accused of mass murder, and she's his lawyer, but she can't remember any details of the case... -
![The Volcano Daughters by Gina María Balibrera]()
The Volcano Daughters by Gina María Balibrera
A saucy, searingly original debut about two sisters raised in the shadow of El Salvador’s brutal dictator, El Gran Pendejo, and their flight from genocide, which takes them from Hollywood to Paris to cannery row, each followed by a chorus of furies, the ghosts of their murdered friends, who aren’t yet done telling their stories.El Salvador, 1923...north-america · central-america · el-salvador · urban · california · france · historical-fiction · fiction · magical-realism · fantasy -
![The Queen City Detective Agency by Snowden Wright]()
The Queen City Detective Agency by Snowden Wright
Following an unforgettable cast of characters and a jaded female P.I. enmeshed in a criminal conspiracy in 1980s Mississippi, The Queen City Detective Agency is a riveting, razor-sharp Southern noir that unravels the greed, corruption, and racism at the heart of the American Dream...mystery · fiction · crime · historical-fiction · historical · thriller · law-enforcement · audiobook · female-mc · organized-crime -
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![Storybook Ending by Poppy Alexander]()
Storybook Ending by Poppy Alexander
From the author of The Littlest Library —a heartwarming novel about a widowed children’s book author who moves into a cottage in the English countryside and finds herself face-to-face with the handsome and brooding blacksmith who lives next door...romance · contemporary · fiction · womens-fiction · season-winter · literary-fiction · audiobook · enemies-to-lovers · female-mc · book -
![The Rich People Have Gone Away by Regina Porter]()
The Rich People Have Gone Away by Regina Porter
A diverse group of New Yorkers are brought together by the search for a missing woman in this kaleidoscopic novel of betrayal, race and human connection from the critically acclaimed author of The Travelers.Brooklyn, 2020. Theo Harper and his pregnant wife, Darla, head upstate to their summer cottage to wait out the lockdown...fiction · contemporary · poc-author · mystery · family · literary-fiction · psychological · thriller · humor · comedy -
![Fall Shook Up by Piper Sheldon]()
Fall Shook Up by Piper Sheldon
The grumpy recluse begrudgingly rents me his guest house if I agree to leave him alone. Too bad I've never been good at doing what I'm told. I am in desperate need of a place to live when my ex-boyfriend unceremoniously kicks me out weeks before a huge break in my career. Things look hopeless until I find a listing for a home that would be perfect, complete with a concise list of dos and don'ts... -
![Hollow Out the Dark by James Wade]()
Hollow Out the Dark by James Wade
Award-winning author James Wade blends atmospheric prose with soul-stirring themes in Hollow Out the Dark, a gothic adventure set against a Depression-era landscape where a whiskey war threatens to decimate a small Texas town.A veteran of the Great War, Jesse Cole is grateful for the quiet life he now leads...romance · historical-fiction · fiction · historical · mystery · audiobook · suspense · crime · dark · gothic -
![The Republic of Salt by Ariel Kaplan]()
The Republic of Salt by Ariel Kaplan
In this riveting sequel to The Pomegranate Gate, Toba, Naftaly, and their allies must defend a city under siege—while the desperate deals they’ve made begin to unravel around them.After a near-disastrous confrontation with La Caceria, Toba and Asmel are trapped on the human side of the gate, pursued by the Courser and a possessed Inquisitor...romance · fantasy · historical-fiction · lgbtq · myths · epic · sword-sorcery · literary-fiction · historical · fiction -
![Zane: Real Gangsters Never Die by Talena Tillman]()
Zane: Real Gangsters Never Die by Talena Tillman
The Santiago family makes a triumphant return, with Zane Santiago at the helm. What happens when a new war emerges during his reign over the underworld? While tradition dictates that true gangsters move in silence, Zane’s bold and unapologetic approach sets him apart. Brace yourself for a gripping, action-packed tale in this captivating spin-off from “ A Gangster’s Love Story... -
![Clickbait by Holly Baxter]()
Clickbait by Holly Baxter
With the dark comedy and sharp observations of Monica Heisey and Dolly Alderton, a whip-smart and laugh-out-loud funny debut novel about a disgraced, newly divorced journalist demoted to a “clickbait” job at a Manhattan tabloid. The first thing they tell you when you begin your training is never to become the news. Natasha has screwed up royally...fiction · contemporary · audiobook · humor · comedy · literary-fiction · family · urban · book · adult
