Top new literary-fiction books in January 2025
Last updated:
January 31, 2025
January 2025 featuring new releases by Kate Fagan, Charmaine Wilkerson, Fiona Davis, Tracey Lange, Heather O'Neill, Kira Jane Buxton, Adam Haslett, Karissa Chen, Lisa Genova, Samantha Crewson and many more.
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The Three Lives of Cate Kay by Kate Fagan
An alternative cover edition for this ISBN can be found here.The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo meets First Lie Wins in this electric, voice-driven debut novel about an elusive bestselling author who decides to finally confess her true identity after years of hiding from her past. Cate Kay knows how to craft a story...north-america · usa · california · fiction · mystery · contemporary · lgbtq · audiobook · literary-fiction · romantic-love -
![Good Dirt by Charmaine Wilkerson]()
Good Dirt by Charmaine Wilkerson
The daughter of an affluent Black family pieces together the connection between a childhood tragedy and a beloved heirloom in this moving novel from the New York Times bestselling author of Black Cake, a Read with Jenna Book Club PickWhen ten-year-old Ebby Freeman heard the gunshot, time stopped...historical-fiction · fiction · audiobook · literary-fiction · mystery · contemporary · family · poc-mc · slavery · grief -
![The Stolen Queen by Fiona Davis]()
The Stolen Queen by Fiona Davis
From New York Times bestselling author Fiona Davis, an utterly addictive new novel that will transport you from New York City’s most glamorous party to the labyrinth streets of Cairo and back. Egypt, 1936: When anthropology student Charlotte Cross is offered a coveted spot on an archaeological dig in Egypt’s Valley of the Kings, she leaps at the opportunity...historical-fiction · fiction · mystery · historical · fantasy · action-adventure · audiobook · crime · literary-fiction · sci-fi -
![What Happened to the McCrays? by Tracey Lange]()
What Happened to the McCrays? by Tracey Lange
From New York Times bestselling author Tracey Lange, a poignant story about the resilience of family, the importance of community, and the magic of middle school hockeyWhen Kyle McCray gets word his father has suffered a debilitating stroke, he returns to his hometown of Potsdam, New York, where he doesn’t expect a warm welcome...romance · fiction · contemporary · literary-fiction · audiobook · family · drama · season-winter · domestic-drama · young-adult -
![The Capital of Dreams by Heather O'Neill]()
The Capital of Dreams by Heather O'Neill
“The Capital of Dreams is not so much a novel to read but one to live (and dream) in. A dark, wistfully comic fable that's as imaginative as it is poignant. An entire world that only Heather O'Neill could create.”—Iain Reid, bestselling author of We Spread and FoeFrom the hugely acclaimed author beloved by literary lights, including Emily St...fantasy · fiction · historical-fiction · literary-fiction · dystopia · historical · myths · humor · coming-of-age · crime -
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![Tartufo by Kira Jane Buxton]()
Tartufo by Kira Jane Buxton
A fantastical and endlessly funny story featuring a cast of colorful characters in a dying Italian village and a giant truffle that changes their fate forever. After nearly losing the election to a geriatric but wildly popular donkey named Maurizio, newly installed Mayor Delizia Miccuci can’t help but feel like the sun has finally set on the rural Italian village of Lazzarini Boscarino...fiction · humor · audiobook · contemporary · literary-fiction · mystery · cozy · realistic · animals · season-summer -
![Mothers and Sons by Adam Haslett]()
Mothers and Sons by Adam Haslett
A mother and son, estranged but yearning for reunion, reckon at last with the secret that has kept them apart for decades in this highly anticipated novel by "one of the country's most talented writers" (Wall Street Journal) At forty, Peter, an asylum lawyer in New York City, is overworked and isolated...fiction · lgbtq · literary-fiction · audiobook · contemporary · family · 21st-century · coming-of-age · friendship · book -
![Homeseeking by Karissa Chen]()
Homeseeking by Karissa Chen
Alternate cover edition of ISBN 9780593712993.An epic and intimate tale of one couple across sixty years as world events pull them together and apart, illuminating the Chinese diaspora and exploring what it means to find home far from your homeland.A single choice can define an entire life...romance · historical-fiction · fiction · literary-fiction · historical · audiobook · family · war · coming-of-age · violent-conflict -
![More or Less Maddy by Lisa Genova]()
More or Less Maddy by Lisa Genova
A breathless, riveting novel about a young woman diagnosed with bipolar disorder who rejects the stability and approval found in a traditionally “normal” life for a career in stand-up comedy.Maddy Banks is just like any other stressed-out freshman at NYU. Between schoolwork, exams, navigating life in the city, and a recent breakup, it’s normal to be feeling overwhelmed...north-america · usa · connecticut · urban · new-york-state · fiction · mental-illness · audiobook · contemporary · family -
![Every Sweet Thing Is Bitter by Samantha Crewson]()
Every Sweet Thing Is Bitter by Samantha Crewson
A woman with a violent past gets a chance at redemption in this upmarket suspense debut, perfect for fans of Lisa Taddeo and Tiffany McDaniel.Thirteen years ago, Providence Byrd threw the family car in reverse and ran over her mother. Even though she survived, that single instant of teenage madness made Providence a felon and irrevocably altered her life...mystery · fiction · audiobook · lgbtq · suspense · crime · contemporary · thriller · family · literary-fiction -
![Good Girl by Aria Aber]()
Good Girl by Aria Aber
An electric debut novel about the daughter of Afghan refugees and her year of nightclubs, bad romance, and self-discovery—a portrait of the artist as a young woman set in a Berlin that can't escape its historyA girl can get in almost anywhere, even if she can’t get out...europe · western-central-europe · germany · urban · fiction · literary-fiction · contemporary · lgbtq · coming-of-age · audiobook -
![A Sea of Unspoken Things by Adrienne Young]()
A Sea of Unspoken Things by Adrienne Young
A woman investigates her brother's mysterious death while coming to terms with her own haunting past in this atmospheric novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Unmaking of June FarrowThe only thing James and Johnny Golden have ever had is each other...fantasy · fiction · mystery · magical-realism · female-mc · suspense · romance · literary-fiction · book · adult -
![Playworld by Adam Ross]()
Playworld by Adam Ross
A big and big-hearted novel—one enthralling, transformative year in the life of a child actor coming of age in a bygone Manhattan, from the critically acclaimed author of Mr. Peanut (“A brilliant, powerful, and memorable book” —The New York Times)“In the fall of 1980, when I was fourteen, a friend of my parents named Naomi Shah fell in love with me... -
![I'll Come to You by Rebecca Kauffman]()
I'll Come to You by Rebecca Kauffman
A story of family, I'll Come to You chronicles intersecting lives over the course of 1995, anchored by the anticipation and arrival of a child... -
![Save Me, Stranger: Stories by Erika Krouse]()
Save Me, Stranger: Stories by Erika Krouse
From Edgar Award-winning author Erika Krouse, a visceral, dazzling collection of stories set across the globe, about characters desperate for salvation.Erika Krouse's Edgar Award-winning debut memoir, Tell Me Everything, was hailed by The New York Times Book Review as “lyrical, jarring, propulsive,” and The Washington Post as “mesmerizing on every page...asia · southeast-asia · thailand · fiction · audiobook · literary-fiction · contemporary · anthologies · crime · humor -
![Isaac's Song by Daniel Black]()
Isaac's Song by Daniel Black
The beloved author of Don’t Cry for Me and Perfect Peace returns with a poignant, emotionally exuberant novel about a young queer Black man finding his voice in 1980s Chicago—a novel of family, forgiveness and perseverance, for fans of The Great Believers and On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous.Isaac is at a crossroads in his young life...north-america · usa · illinois · urban · arkansas · historical-fiction · fiction · lgbtq · historical · literary-fiction -
![We Rip the World Apart by Charlene Carr]()
We Rip the World Apart by Charlene Carr
From the acclaimed author of Hold My Girl comes a sweeping multi-generational story about motherhood, race, and secrets.When 24-year-old Kareela discovers she's pregnant with a child she isn't sure she wants, her struggle to understand her place in the world as a person who is half-Black, half-white—yet feels neither—is amplified...fiction · historical-fiction · contemporary · audiobook · suspense · drama · family · literary-fiction · poc-mc · mystery -
![Blob: A Love Story by Maggie Su]()
Blob: A Love Story by Maggie Su
'A modern-day Mrs. Caliban, BLOB is a book that looks at identity and desire in profoundly interesting ways'Kevin Wilson, author of Nothing to See HereA hilarious and moving debut novel about a young woman who decides to turn a sentient blob into her perfect boyfriend... The daughter of a Taiwanese father and white mother, Vi Liu has never quite fit into her Midwestern college town...romance · fiction · fantasy · contemporary · magical-realism · sci-fi · literary-fiction · audiobook · coming-of-age · horror -
![A Gorgeous Excitement by Cynthia Weiner]()
A Gorgeous Excitement by Cynthia Weiner
A dazzling debut novel set in 1980s New York, when cocaine is as easy to get as ice cream, about one young woman’s summer of infinite possibility—and looming danger.It was the summer of 1986, when the girl was found dead in Central Park behind the Metropolitan Museum—half-naked, legs splayed, arms flung over her head. Larynx crushed... -
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![La próxima vez que te vea, te mato by Paulina Flores]()
La próxima vez que te vea, te mato by Paulina Flores
Una oda al disparate en tiempos de incertidumbre y desamor. Javiera es una joven chilena que ha llegado a Barcelona gracias a una beca de posgrado en Literatura. Estudiar es el pretexto más decente, y genuino, que ha encontrado para dejar su país y descubrir el hemisferio del bienestar...fiction · audiobook · postmodernism · polyamory · suicide · humor · literary-fiction · philosophical · romantic-love · book -
![The Artist and the Feast by Lucy Steeds]()
The Artist and the Feast by Lucy Steeds
A captivating novel of love, art, food, desire and thwarted ambition, which builds propulsively over one scorching French summer in 1920s Provence.During a scorching summer in 1920s Provence, a young journalist, Joseph Adelaide, turns up at the farmhouse of reclusive artist Edouard Tartuffe, hoping to write an article about him... -
![How to Sleep at Night by Elizabeth Harris]()
How to Sleep at Night by Elizabeth Harris
A sharply observed comedy of manners about straight marriage, gay marriage, and family ties stretched thin by politics, How to Sleep at Night is a witty and whip-smart debut reminiscent of Fleishman Is in Trouble and Emma Straub, by the New York Times book reporter.Meet Ethan and Gabe...north-america · usa · new-jersey · romance · fiction · lgbtq · contemporary · literary-fiction · politics · audiobook -
![We Lived on the Horizon by Erika Swyler]()
We Lived on the Horizon by Erika Swyler
A novel about a bio-prosthetic surgeon and her personal AI as they are drawn into a catastrophic war. The city of Bulwark is aptly a walled city built to protect and preserve the people who managed to survive a series of great cataclysms, Bulwark was founded on a system where sacrifice is rewarded by the AI that runs the city...sci-fi · fiction · dystopia · mystery · literary-fiction · ai · futuristic · pollution-climate-change · audiobook · post-apocalyptic -
![Nesting by Roisín O’Donnell]()
Nesting by Roisín O’Donnell
On a bright spring afternoon in Dublin, Ciara Fay makes a split-second decision that will change everything. Grabbing an armful of clothes from the washing line, Ciara straps her two young daughters into her car and drives away. Head spinning, all she knows for certain is that home is no longer safe.This was meant to be an escape...fiction · contemporary · literary-fiction · audiobook · family · feminism · abuse · parenthood · drama · book -
![Cause of Action : Hamilton Brothers Series, Book One by Sandi Lynn]()
Cause of Action : Hamilton Brothers Series, Book One by Sandi Lynn
RomanI built my career by being ruthless in the courtroom and meticulous in my strategies. I was a powerful and commanding attorney and never met a case I couldn’t win. My self-control is iron-clad, or it was until I met Morgan Ashley, a beautiful private investigator and gifted hacker with a past as secretive as her methods...romance · contemporary · legal · law-enforcement · alpha-mc · fiction · family · literary-fiction · epic · book -
![Let's Call Her Barbie by Renée Rosen]()
Let's Call Her Barbie by Renée Rosen
She was only eleven-and-a-half inches tall, but she would change the world. Barbie is born in this bold new novel by USA Today bestselling author Renée Rosen.When Ruth Handler walks into the boardroom of the toy company she co-founded and pitches her idea for a doll unlike any other, she knows what she’s setting in motion. It might just take the world a moment to catch up...historical-fiction · fiction · historical · season-winter · female-mc · literary-fiction · friendship · book · adult -
![The Heart of Winter by Jonathan Evison]()
The Heart of Winter by Jonathan Evison
The extraordinary new novel by Jonathan Evison, about a married couple in their golden years, from when they met across big ups, deep downs, and survive-it-all, opposites-attract loveAbe Winter and Ruth Warneke were never meant to be together—at least if you ask Ruth...romance · fiction · literary-fiction · contemporary · season-winter · family · audiobook · historical-fiction · book · adult -
![Confessions by Catherine Airey]()
Confessions by Catherine Airey
For fans of The Goldfinch and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, an ambitious and absorbing debut that follows three generations of women from New York to rural Ireland and back again.New York City, late September 2001. The walls of the city are papered over with photos of the missing. Cora Brady’s father is there, the poster she made taped to columns and bridges...urban · new-york-state · fiction · historical-fiction · literary-fiction · contemporary · audiobook · family · grief · season-spring -
![Old Soul by Susan Barker]()
Old Soul by Susan Barker
In Osaka, two strangers, Jake and Mariko, miss a flight, and over dinner, discover they’ve both brutally lost loved ones whose paths crossed with the same beguiling woman no one has seen since...horror · fiction · mystery · fantasy · literary-fiction · audiobook · supernatural · suspense · paranormal · lgbtq -
![Vantage Point by Sara Sligar]()
Vantage Point by Sara Sligar
Succession meets Megan Abbott in this seductive Gothic suspense novel about the dramatic downfall of one of America’s most affluent families.The old-money Wieland family has it all—wealth, status, power. They’re also famously cursed. Clara and her brother Teddy grew up on a small island in Maine in the shadow of their parents’ tragic deaths, haunted by rumors and paparazzi...fiction · mystery · gothic · horror · suspense · contemporary · family · literary-fiction · drama · book -
![We Could Be Rats by Emily R. Austin]()
We Could Be Rats by Emily R. Austin
A moving story about two very different sisters, and a love letter to childhood, growing up, and the power of imagination—from the bestselling author of Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead and Interesting Facts About Space...fiction · contemporary · lgbtq · literary-fiction · wlw · mental-illness · realistic · family · dark-humor · humor -
![El monte de las furias by Fernanda Trías]()
El monte de las furias by Fernanda Trías
Una mujer vive en la ladera de la montaña, entre la neblina que baja y el follaje feraz. Su misión es cuidar los linderos, avisar al celador de cualquier anomalía. En sus cuadernos escribe sobre su rutina parsimoniosa y los recuerdos de una infancia marcada por una madre brutal y por el deseo insatisfecho de aprender... -
![Los nombres de Feliza by Juan Gabriel Vásquez]()
Los nombres de Feliza by Juan Gabriel Vásquez
El 8 de enero de 1982, la escultora colombiana Feliza Bursztyn murió en un restaurante de París. Tenía cuarenta y ocho años. En el momento de su muerte repentina la acompañaban su marido y cuatro amigos. Uno de ellos, el escritor Gabriel García Márquez, publicó días después un artículo que incluía tres palabras en apariencia simples, pero misteriosas en el fondo: «Murió de tristeza»... -
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![The Naming of the Birds by Paraic O'Donnell]()
The Naming of the Birds by Paraic O'Donnell
Something is troubling Inspector Henry Cutter. Sergeant Gideon Bliss is accustomed to his ill-tempered outbursts, but lately the inspector has grown silent and withdrawn.Then, the murders begin. The first to die is the elderly Sir Aneurin Considine, a decorated but obscure civil servant who long ago retired to tend his orchids...mystery · historical-fiction · fiction · gothic · historical · crime · audiobook · law-enforcement · industrial-era · victorian -
![Death of the Author by Nnedi Okorafor]()
Death of the Author by Nnedi Okorafor
The future of storytelling is here.Disabled, disinclined to marry, and more interested in writing than a lucrative career in medicine or law, Zelu has always felt like the outcast of her large Nigerian family...sci-fi · fiction · contemporary · literary-fiction · family · disability · female-mc · post-apocalyptic · black-mc · supernatural -
![The Two Roberts by Damian Barr]()
The Two Roberts by Damian Barr
A BBC RADIO 2 BOOK CLUB PICK A BEST FICTION BOOK OF 2025 FOR THE GUARDIAN, THE OBSERVER, THE HERALD AND THE BBCHe will stay like this forever, Robert’s arm draped round him. They will be forever twenty. Scotland, 1933. Bobby MacBryde is on his way. After years grafting at Lees Boot Factory, he’s off to the Glasgow School of Art, to his future...europe · british-isles · united-kingdom · england · urban · historical-fiction · historical · fiction · lgbtq · audiobook -
![Number Six by Lee Winter]()
Number Six by Lee Winter
What happens when a mysterious former spy with seemingly little interest in sex meets a provocative expert in sexual fantasies? An opposites-attract, spicy lesbian romance set in Lee Winter’s Villains series and Hotel Queens worlds.All cool, pragmatic Ottilie Zimmermann has been dreaming of for years is retiring from her top-secret, morally gray job to sip Mai Tais on a Pacific island...wlw · classics · children-books · literary-fiction · fiction · anthologies · black-mc · young-adult · romantic-love · poc-mc -
![This Love by Lotte Jeffs]()
This Love by Lotte Jeffs
A debut novel spanning ten years of extraordinary friendship, about soulmates, unconventional families, and the limitless, ever-changing forms love can takeWhen Mae and Ari meet outside a crowded gay bar during their final year of university, their connection is instant, sparking a lifetime friendship...romance · fiction · lgbtq · contemporary · literary-fiction · audiobook · wlw · friendship · family · book -
![Mask of the Deer Woman by Laurie L. Dove]()
Mask of the Deer Woman by Laurie L. Dove
To find a missing young woman, the new tribal marshal must also find herself. At rock bottom following her daughter’s murder, ex-Chicago detective Carrie Starr has nowhere to go but back to her roots. Starr’s father never talked much about the reservation that raised him, but they need a new tribal marshal as much as Starr needs a place to call home...mystery · fiction · horror · indigenous-mc · suspense · audiobook · magical-realism · thriller · poc-mc · crime -
![Las vigilantes by Elvira Liceaga]()
Las vigilantes by Elvira Liceaga
Las vigilantes narra las relaciones que entretejen tres mujeres heridas por la pérdida. Julia acaba de regresar a Ciudad de México y no encuentra su lugar...
