Top new literary-fiction books in August 2025
Last updated:
August 31, 2025
August 2025 featuring new releases by Sara Goodman Confino, Cynthia Leitich Smith, David Alexander Robertson, Helen Oyeyemi, Addie E. Citchens, Shobha Rao, Lyn Liao Butler, Elaine Castillo, Francesca Serritella, Lina Wolff, Leigh Stein and many more.
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Good Grief by Sara Goodman Confino
A mother- and daughter-in-law. To move on, one of them will have to move out in a hopeful and hilarious novel about widowhood and family friction by the bestselling author of Don’t Forget to Write .It’s 1963, two years since Barbara Feldman’s husband died. Raising two kids, she’s finally emerging from her cocoon of grief. Not yet a butterfly, but she’s anxious to spread her wings...romance · historical-fiction · fiction · audiobook · grief · womens-fiction · family · historical · humor · found-family -
![Legendary Frybread Drive-In: Intertribal Stories by Cynthia Leitich Smith, David Alexander Robertson, Darcie Little Badger, Angeline Boulley]()
Legendary Frybread Drive-In: Intertribal Stories by Cynthia Leitich Smith, David Alexander Robertson, Darcie Little Badger, Angeline Boulley
Featuring the voices of both new and acclaimed Indigenous writers and edited by bestselling Muscogee author Cynthia Leitich Smith, this collection of interconnected stories serves up laughter, love, Native pride, and the world’s best frybread.The road to Sandy June's Legendary Frybread Drive-In slips through every rez and alongside every urban Native hangout...romance · young-adult · indigenous-mc · anthologies · fiction · contemporary · fantasy · literary-fiction · spirituality · found-family -
![A New New Me by Helen Oyeyemi]()
A New New Me by Helen Oyeyemi
From the award-winning, bestselling “literary pied piper” (The New York Times Book Review) who brought us Boy, Snow, Bird comes an account of seven particularly busy days in an already hectic inner life New Day, New You! Kinga is a woman who is just trying to make it through the week.There's a Kinga for every day: on Mondays, you can catch Kinga A deleting food delivery apps...fiction · contemporary · poc-mc · female-author · literary-fiction · humor · dark-humor · female-mc · book · adult -
![Dominion by Addie E. Citchens]()
Dominion by Addie E. Citchens
The sins of a favorite son rock a small Mississippi town in this taut Southern family drama.Reverend Sabre Winfrey, shepherd of the Seven Seals Baptist Church, believes in God, his own privilege, and enterprise. Besides the barbershop and radio station he owns, he has an iron hand on every aspect of Dominion, Mississippi, society...north-america · usa · mississippi · fiction · historical-fiction · audiobook · literary-fiction · contemporary · family · religion -
![Indian Country by Shobha Rao]()
Indian Country by Shobha Rao
In this fearless novel from the award-winning author of Girls Burn Brighter, a couple from India—so different from generations of white colonialists who came before them—move to Montana, only to discover how brutal and unforgiving hubris can be.Janavi and Sagar were never meant to end up married. Janavi is a wonderfully independent, young modern Indian woman...fiction · literary-fiction · historical-fiction · mystery · contemporary · audiobook · indigenous-mc · realistic · marriage · family -
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![The Fourth Daughter by Lyn Liao Butler]()
The Fourth Daughter by Lyn Liao Butler
In Taiwan, the bond between grandmother and granddaughter opens up a healing world for them both in an inspiring family saga about the comfort of food, untold histories, and indomitable mother love.Chef Liv Kuo’s star is on the rise…until a traumatic incident leaves her emotionally unable to venture outside her Manhattan apartment...romance · historical-fiction · fiction · mystery · historical · family · audiobook · literary-fiction · female-mc · 20th-century -
![Moderation by Elaine Castillo]()
Moderation by Elaine Castillo
A bold and inventive novel about real romance in the virtual workplace—bringing Castillo's trademark wit and sharp cultural criticism to an irresistible story about the possible future of love.Girlie Delmundo is the greatest content moderator in the world, and despite the setbacks of financial crises, climate catastrophe, and a global pandemic, she’s going places: she’s getting a promotion...romance · fiction · literary-fiction · sci-fi · contemporary · audiobook · season-summer · poc-mc · mental-illness · family -
![Full Bloom by Francesca Serritella]()
Full Bloom by Francesca Serritella
The power to be seen. The power to be heard. The power to be adored. . . A woman's life is forever changed by a mysterious perfume in this stunning novel about ambition and untapped desire from the New York Times bestselling author of Ghosts of Harvard...urban · new-york-state · romance · fiction · mystery · magical-realism · contemporary · literary-fiction · audiobook · fantasy -
![Liken vi begravde by Lina Wolff]()
Liken vi begravde by Lina Wolff
– Det är byn, sa jag.– Vad menar du?– Narraktig och fasansfull samtidigt.– Så sant som det var sagt, Jolly. Någon borde skriva om den."Liken vi begravde" är berättelsen om systrarna Jolly och Peggy, som växer upp som fosterbarn i en by i mörkaste Skåne. Det är en plats som tar fram det bästa och sämsta inom människan, fylld av legender och sanningar, lika levande som olycksalig... -
![If You're Seeing This, It's Meant for You by Leigh Stein]()
If You're Seeing This, It's Meant for You by Leigh Stein
Fates collide after a tarot influencer disappears from a decaying Hollywood mansion in this unnerving gothic mystery and audacious social comedy from the acclaimed author of Self Care...fiction · gothic · mystery · horror · contemporary · literary-fiction · audiobook · spooky · thriller · satire -
![Ruins by Amy Taylor]()
Ruins by Amy Taylor
A simmering, provocative novel about a couple whose affair with a young Greek woman over the course of a summer in Athens threatens to crack their relationship wide open.At a crossroads in their lives, a couple arrives in Greece to house-sit for a friend...europe · south-east-europe · greece · romance · fiction · contemporary · literary-fiction · season-summer · audiobook · multi-pov -
![People Like Us by Jason Mott]()
People Like Us by Jason Mott
The riveting new novel by the author of the 2021 National Book Award winner and bestseller Hell of a BookPeople Like Us is Jason Mott’s electric new novel. It is not memoir, yet it has deeply personal connections to Jason’s life... -
![Seduction Theory by Emily Adrian]()
Seduction Theory by Emily Adrian
For fans of Conversations with Friends and Vladimir comes a magnetic, fresh take on marriage and when two married professors tiptoe toward infidelity, their transgressions are brought to light in a graduate student’s searing thesis project. Simone is the star of Edwards University’s creative writing renowned Woolf scholar, grief memoirist, and campus sex icon...romance · fiction · literary-fiction · contemporary · audiobook · dark-academia · lgbtq · marriage · wlw · university -
![Sunbirth by An Yu]()
Sunbirth by An Yu
From the celebrated author of Ghost Music and Braised Pork, a bewitching and atmospheric novel following two sisters in an isolated village as the sun begins to diminish above themIn Five Poems Lake, a small village surrounded by impenetrable deserts, the sun is slowly disappearing overhead...sci-fi · fiction · magical-realism · literary-fiction · dystopia · audiobook · poc-author · contemporary · family · female-author -
![The Art of a Lie by Laura Shepherd-Robinson]()
The Art of a Lie by Laura Shepherd-Robinson
In 18th-century England, a widowed confectioner is drawn into a web of love, betrayal, and intrigue and a battle of wits in this masterful historical novel from the author of the USA TODAY bestseller The Square of Sevens. Following the murder of her husband in what looks like a violent street robbery, Hannah Cole is struggling to keep her head above water...romance · historical-fiction · mystery · historical · fiction · suspense · crime · fantasy · literary-fiction · book -
![A Husband Never Lies: A Psychological Thriller by James Caine]()
A Husband Never Lies: A Psychological Thriller by James Caine
The words on the mysterious letter were simple. Read Me, Now. Josie thought she married the perfect man. But as their love grows cold, she can’t shake the feeling that he’s hiding something‒or someone.Then the first letter arrives at her door. It demands that she read it immediately. He’s lying to you...psychological · mystery · serial-killers · secrets · romantic-love · suspense · contemporary · realistic · action-adventure · crime -
![The Once and Future Me by Melissa Pace]()
The Once and Future Me by Melissa Pace
Dark Matter meets Girl, Interrupted in this spellbinding psychological thriller about a young woman teetering between two realities.Virginia November 12th, 1954: A young woman wakes, agitated and confused, on a patient transport bus arriving at Hanover State Psychiatric Hospital...north-america · usa · virginia · urban · sci-fi · fiction · horror · mystery · time-travel · historical-fiction -
![What Hunger by Catherine Dang]()
What Hunger by Catherine Dang
A haunting coming-of-age tale following the daughter of Vietnamese immigrants, Ronny Nyugen, as she grapples with the weight of generational trauma while navigating the violent power of teenage girlhood, for fans of Jennifer’s Body and Little Fires Everywhere.It's the summer before high school, and Ronny Nguyen finds herself too young for work, too old for cartoons...horror · fiction · contemporary · literary-fiction · mystery · season-summer · cannibalism · feminism · poc-mc · realistic -
![The Heart We Guard by Scarlett Cole]()
The Heart We Guard by Scarlett Cole
From USA Today best selling author, Scarlett Cole, writing as S. Cole, comes a forced proximity, grumpy versus guarded, electrifying small town MC romance.I should’ve bled out.Instead, I ended up in the care of a woman with haunted eyes and hands that didn’t shake—even when mine did.But Dr. Greer Hansen is too soft for a man like me. Too bright. Too good.So I leave while she sleeps...romance · forced-proximity · contemporary · found-family · suspense · dark · age-gap · small-town · biker · steamy -
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![L.A. Women by Ella Berman]()
L.A. Women by Ella Berman
An electrifying novel about the complicated friendship between two ambitious and talented female writers in 1960s Los Angeles and the ultimate artistic one writes a book based on the other's life… from the author of Reese's Book Club Pick Before We Were Innocent.After a steady descent from literary stardom, Lane Warren is back... -
![The Humiliated Wife: A Husband's Betrayal & Grovel by Elise Camden]()
The Humiliated Wife: A Husband's Betrayal & Grovel by Elise Camden
She thought he loved her. He made her the punchline.Fiona believed her marriage was built on love and respect. She was wrong.When she discovers her husband’s secret social media account mocking every detail of her life, the humiliation is brutal, public, and impossible to forget.Now Dean will do anything to win her back.He’ll beg. He’ll grovel.But words are cheap, and some betrayals cut too deep...romance · contemporary · marriage · betrayal · angst · cheating · domestic-drama · steamy · psychological · literary-fiction -
![Love Is an Open Book by Chandra Blumberg]()
Love Is an Open Book by Chandra Blumberg
Blurring the line between fiction and reality...Mia Brady never imagined her romance novels would become bestsellers, much less inspire a hit TV show. However, after signing a deal to write the final book of the series, she’s struck by a serious case of writer’s block...romance · friends-to-lovers · contemporary · fiction · audiobook · womens-fiction · poc-mc · legal · literary-fiction · friendship -
![Dwelling by Emily Hunt Kivel]()
Dwelling by Emily Hunt Kivel
A dazzling, surrealist fairy tale of a young woman's quest for house and home—from New York to the Texas hinterlands and, maybe, back again. The world is ending. It has been ending for some time. When did the ending begin? Perhaps when Evie’s mother died, or when her father died soon after. Perhaps when her sister, Elena, was forcibly institutionalized in a psychiatric hippie commune in Colorado...fiction · magical-realism · literary-fiction · contemporary · audiobook · dystopia · fantasy · humor · myths · absurdism -
![The Grand Paloma Resort by Cleyvis Natera]()
The Grand Paloma Resort by Cleyvis Natera
The Dominican Republic’s famed Grand Paloma Resort is the paradise of dreams. Here, you can have it all, and the staff is always eager to please—that is, until they are pushed to the brink.Vida is a curandera, a local healer, who has been called to the resort to attend to a crisis. A young guest lies unconscious due to negligent resort childcare...fiction · audiobook · suspense · thriller · season-summer · literary-fiction · poc-mc · psychological · female-mc · family -
![Lessons in Magic and Disaster by Charlie Jane Anders]()
Lessons in Magic and Disaster by Charlie Jane Anders
In the vein of Alice Hoffman and Charlie Jane Anders's own All the Birds in the Sky comes a novel full of love, disaster, and magic.A young witch teaches her mother how to do magic--with very unexpected results--in this relatable, resonant novel about family, identity, and the power of love...fantasy · fiction · lgbtq · witches-wizards · dark-academia · magic · contemporary · urban-fantasy · grief · wlw -
![The Hounding by Xenobe Purvis]()
The Hounding by Xenobe Purvis
The Crucible meets The Virgin Suicides in this haunting debut about five sisters in a small village in eighteenth century England whose neighbors are convinced they’re turning into dogs...horror · historical-fiction · fiction · historical · mystery · fantasy · literary-fiction · animals · spooky · gothic -
![Open Wide by Jessica Gross]()
Open Wide by Jessica Gross
A provocative novel about intimacy, love, and consent, following an increasingly obsessive radio host who tests boundaries she didn’t know existed Olive is desperate to get close to Theo—really, really close. She’s always struggled to connect with people...contemporary · fiction · literary-fiction · satire · romantic-love · magical-realism · family · dark-humor · horror · humor -
![Aphrodite by Phoenicia Rogerson]()
Aphrodite by Phoenicia Rogerson
From the award-winning author of Herc, an enrapturing feminist tale that brilliantly reimagines the story of Aphrodite and how she transformed herself from a lowly outsider to the darling goddess of love, for readers of Madeline Miller and Jennifer Saint. Aphrodite saw the gods on Mount Olympus and decided she wanted a piece of what they had...myths · fantasy · fiction · historical-fiction · historical · retellings · audiobook · lgbtq · ancient-civilization · action-adventure -
![After Him, There Was You by Queen Rae]()
After Him, There Was You by Queen Rae
After betrayal stole the life she thought she'd have, Tara Morgan is about to find out that real love doesn’t always come first... It comes right on time.Devastation doesn’t even begin to describe the heartbreak Tara felt after catching her husband of twelve years clocking extra hours with his secretary...romance · cheating · domestic-drama · slow-burn · contemporary · literary-fiction · fiction · black-mc · poc-mc · book -
![Loved by Two by L.S. Pullen]()
Loved by Two by L.S. Pullen
Sequel to 'Saved by Two'When Jessica ran from her abusive ex, the last thing she ever could have envisioned was seeking refuge with two men whom her brother trusted implicitly.Not only did Caleb and Noah open up their home, they opened up their hearts. They’ve shown her what it’s like to love and to be loved in return... -
![The Island of Last Things by Emma Sloley]()
The Island of Last Things by Emma Sloley
A soaring, propulsive, and unforgettably poignant novel about two zookeepers at the last zoo in the world, in the vein of Téa Obreht and Charlotte McConaghyCamille has always preferred animals to people. The wild has nearly disappeared, but as a zookeeper at the last zoo in the world, on Alcatraz Island, she spends her days caring for playful chimpanzees, gentle tree frogs, and a restless jaguar... -
![The Second Chance Bus Stop by Ally Zetterberg]()
The Second Chance Bus Stop by Ally Zetterberg
They say life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans. Edith has Alzheimer’s. The idea that she will someday forget her son, her life, even her self, plagues her constantly... -
![Doll Parts by Penny Zang]()
Doll Parts by Penny Zang
The Virgin Suicides meets I Have Some Questions For You in a dual timeline suspense following one woman as she begins to uncover the truth of the death of her estranged best friend and the Sylvia Plath adoring sad girls they attended college with decades ago, all while holding a secret that will slowly unravel her new, suburban dream life. Some stories refuse to stay buried...mystery · dark-academia · fiction · suspense · friendship · coming-of-age · crime · female-mc · psychological · thriller -
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![My Other Heart by Emma Nanami Strenner]()
My Other Heart by Emma Nanami Strenner
A mother's missing child, a search for identity, and ever-changing notions of “home”—class and race intersect with belonging in this stunning debut novel of mothers, daughters, and best friends.In June 2000, Mimi Truang is on her way home to Vietnam when her toddler daughter vanishes in the Philadelphia airport...fiction · historical-fiction · contemporary · poc-author · mystery · literary-fiction · friendship · female-mc · family · book -
![Loved One by Aisha Muharrar]()
Loved One by Aisha Muharrar
When Julia’s first-love-turned-best-friend Gabe, a musician with a cultish following, dies unexpectedly at age twenty-nine, Julia launches herself into an intercontinental quest to recover the possessions he left with friends and acquaintances across the world. Along the way she encounters Elizabeth, Gabe’s effortlessly perfect and endlessly cool ex-girlfriend...fiction · contemporary · literary-fiction · grief · humor · female-mc · black-mc · coming-of-age · poc-mc · book -
![Liminal Monster by Luke Tarzian]()
Liminal Monster by Luke Tarzian
IN THE CENTER OF THE FOREST SITS A HOUSE OF LEAVES AND ASH. INSIDE THE HOUSE, HIS HEART AND LIES.Inside the house called Sempiternity there is a lake, at the center of which an island sits. Upon the island, a spire of stone. Surrounding the spire, an orchard of dreams.Beneath an apple tree sits faceless Self, who writes of sorry things. "What an awful place... -
![The Flesh Remembers by James Lavoe]()
The Flesh Remembers by James Lavoe
Grief is quiet… until it begins to hunger.London, 1893. Dr. Eleanor Ashcroft has lost the only man she’s ever loved. But when a letter arrives from the enigmatic Fairfax Blackwood Clinic—promising the impossible—she dares to follow.Behind its doors, science tangles with ritual. Shadows breathe. Desire sharpens into something dangerous. And every answer is bought with flesh...romance · fantasy · dark · contemporary · steamy · horror · fiction · literary-fiction · book · adult -
![Sheltered By The Forbidden Mountain Man by Raine Holt]()
Sheltered By The Forbidden Mountain Man by Raine Holt
I’ve fought fires my whole damn life.But nothing’s ever burned me like her.Grace Delaney should’ve been off-limits.My best friend’s daughter. Twenty years younger. Sweet as sugar and too damn innocent for the things I’ve done.But when wildfire season rolls in and she collapses from an asthma attack in the woods, I do the only thing I know—protect.I carry her to my cabin. Away from the smoke... -
![These Memories Do Not Belong to Us by Yiming Ma]()
These Memories Do Not Belong to Us by Yiming Ma
For fans of Cloud Atlas and The Power, a hauntingly beautiful and profoundly prescient debut set in a future where China is the sole global superpower and citizens can record and transfer memories between minds.When I was a boy, my mother used to tell me stories of a world before memories could be shared between strangers…Decades from now, the world is run by an authoritarian state called Qin...sci-fi · fiction · mystery · dystopia · poc-author · horror · technology · supernatural · literary-fiction · crime -
![The Violet Hour by Victoria Benton Frank]()
The Violet Hour by Victoria Benton Frank
A heartwarming and empowering novel about thriving after tragedy, from the author of the “enchanting, hilarious, and insightful” (Patti Callahan Henry, New York Times author) My Magnolia Summer.Violet Adams is the perfect, youngest child in a family of loud, passionate women on Sullivan’s Island, South Carolina...fiction · contemporary · womens-fiction · literary-fiction · female-author · female-mc · family · book · adult
