Top new literary-fiction books in July 2024
Last updated:
July 31, 2024
July 2024 featuring new releases by Jessica Anthony, John Marrs, Karla Cornejo Villavicencio, John Boyne, J. Courtney Sullivan, Kate Quinn, Emily Giffin, Anna Johnston, Marjan Kamali, Taffy Brodesser-Akner and many more.
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The Most by Jessica Anthony
It’s November 3, 1957. As Sputnik 2 launches into space, carrying Laika, the doomed Soviet dog, a couple begin their day. Virgil Beckett, an insurance salesman, isn’t particularly happy in his job but he fulfills the role. Kathleen Beckett, once a promising tennis champion with a key shot up her sleeve, is now a mother and homemaker...north-america · usa · delaware · fiction · historical-fiction · literary-fiction · audiobook · historical · marriage · season-summer -
![The Family Experiment by John Marrs]()
The Family Experiment by John Marrs
From the acclaimed author of The One and The Marriage Act, The Family Experiment is a dark and brilliant speculative thriller about families: real and virtual.Some families are virtually perfect…The world's population is soaring, creating overcrowded cities and an economic crisis. And in the UK, the breaking point has arrived...sci-fi · mystery · fiction · dystopia · suspense · audiobook · technothriller · literary-fiction · book · adult -
![Catalina by Karla Cornejo Villavicencio]()
Catalina by Karla Cornejo Villavicencio
A year in the life of the unforgettable Catalina Ituralde, a wickedly wry and heartbreakingly vulnerable student at an elite college, forced to navigate an opaque past, an uncertain future, tragedies on two continents, and the tantalizing possibilities of love and freedomWhen Catalina is admitted to Harvard, it feels like the fulfillment of destiny: a miracle child escapes death in Latin... -
![Fire by John Boyne]()
Fire by John Boyne
On the face of it, Freya lives a gilded existence, dancing solely to her own tune. She has all the trappings of wealth and privilege, a responsible job as a surgeon specialising in skin grafts, a beautiful flat in a sought-after development, and a flash car. But it wasn’t always like this. Hers is a life founded on darkness...fiction · contemporary · literary-fiction · audiobook · mystery · crime · psychological · book · adult -
![The Cliffs: A novel by J. Courtney Sullivan]()
The Cliffs: A novel by J. Courtney Sullivan
On a secluded bluff overlooking the ocean sits a Victorian house, lavender with gingerbread trim, a home that contains a century’s worth of secrets. By the time Jane Flanagan discovers the house as a teenager, it has long been abandoned. The place is an irresistible mystery to Jane...fiction · historical-fiction · contemporary · literary-fiction · gothic · womens-fiction · family · season-summer · ghosts · horror -
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![The Briar Club by Kate Quinn]()
The Briar Club by Kate Quinn
A haunting and powerful story of female friendships and secrets in a Washington, D.C. boardinghouse during the McCarthy era. Washington, D.C., 1950. Everyone keeps to themselves at Briarwood House, a down-at-the-heels all-female boardinghouse in the heart of the nation’s capital, where secrets hide behind white picket fences... -
![The Summer Pact by Emily Giffin]()
The Summer Pact by Emily Giffin
In the wake of tragedy, a group of friends make a pact that will cause them to reunite a decade later and embark upon a life-changing adventure together—from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Meant to Be.Four freshmen arrive at college from completely different worlds: Lainey, a California party girl with a flair for drama; Tyson, a brilliant scholar and law school hopeful from D.C...romance · fiction · womens-fiction · contemporary · season-summer · grief · audiobook · literary-fiction · female-mc · friendship -
![The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife by Anna Johnston]()
The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife by Anna Johnston
For readers of Remarkably Bright Creatures and A Man Called Ove, a warm, life-affirming debut about a zany case of mistaken identity that allows a lonely old man one last chance to be part of a family.‘Would you mind terribly, old boy, if I borrowed the rest of your life? I promise I’ll take excellent care of it.'Frederick Fife was born with an extra helping of kindness in his heart...fiction · contemporary · audiobook · humor · family · literary-fiction · mental-illness · friendship · aging · found-family -
![The Lion Women of Tehran by Marjan Kamali]()
The Lion Women of Tehran by Marjan Kamali
From the nationally bestselling author of the “powerful, heartbreaking” (Shelf Awareness) The Stationery Shop, a heartfelt, epic new novel of friendship, betrayal, and redemption set against three transformative decades in Tehran, Iran.In 1950s Tehran, seven-year-old Ellie lives in grand comfort until the untimely death of her father, forcing Ellie and her mother to move to a tiny home downtown...historical-fiction · fiction · historical · literary-fiction · season-summer · poc-author · friendship · 20th-century · book · adult -
![Long Island Compromise by Taffy Brodesser-Akner]()
Long Island Compromise by Taffy Brodesser-Akner
From the Sunday Times and New York Times bestselling author of Fleishman Is in Trouble comes Long Island Compromise, a darkly exhilarating novel about an American family and its inheritance - the safety and wealth that they fought for, and the precarity of their survival that is their legacy...fiction · literary-fiction · historical-fiction · contemporary · family · audiobook · satire · humor · book · adult -
![The Heart in Winter by Kevin Barry]()
The Heart in Winter by Kevin Barry
Award-winning writer Kevin Barry’s first novel set in America, a savagely funny and achingly romantic tale of young lovers on the lam in 1890s Montana.October 1891. A hard winter approaches across the Rocky Mountains. The city of Butte, Montana is rich on copper mines and rampant with vice and debauchery among a hard-living crowd of immigrant Irish workers...north-america · usa · montana · romance · historical-fiction · fiction · western · literary-fiction · audiobook · historical -
![Nicked by M.T. Anderson]()
Nicked by M.T. Anderson
From the award-winning and bestselling author of Feed comes a raucous and slyly funny adult fiction debut. Based on a bizarre but true quest to steal the mystical corpse of a long-dead saint, Nicked is a fantastical, genre-defying, and delightfully queer historical romp"Miracles, marvels, saints, sinners, love, plague, and treachery! M. T...historical-fiction · fiction · fantasy · historical · lgbtq · audiobook · medieval · horror · action-adventure · religion -
![The Anthropologists by Aysegül Savas]()
The Anthropologists by Aysegül Savas
Asya and Manu are looking at apartments, envisioning their future in a foreign city...romance · fiction · literary-fiction · contemporary · audiobook · female-author · 21st-century · family · season-summer · poc-mc -
![All This & More by Peng Shepherd]()
All This & More by Peng Shepherd
From the critically acclaimed, bestselling author of The Cartographers and The Book of M comes an inventive new novel about a woman who wins the chance to rewrite every mistake she’s ever made… and how far she’ll go to find her elusive “happily ever after.” But there’s a twist: the reader gets to decide what she does next to change her fate.One woman. Endless options... -
![The Same Bright Stars by Ethan Joella]()
The Same Bright Stars by Ethan Joella
Three generations of Schmidts have run their family’s beachfront restaurant, and Jack has been at the helm since his father's death. He puts the demands of the restaurant above all else, with a string of failed relationships, no hobbies, and no days off as proof of his commitment to the place. He can’t remember the last time he sat on the beach or enjoyed a moment to himself...north-america · usa · delaware · fiction · literary-fiction · contemporary · family · realistic · season-summer · friendship -
![Welcome to Glorious Tuga by Francesca Segal]()
Welcome to Glorious Tuga by Francesca Segal
Passionate about conservation and fleeing an argument with her mother, newly qualified London vet Charlotte Walker has taken up a fellowship on the tiny South Atlantic island of Tuga de Oro to study the endangered gold coin tortoises in the jungle interior. She can claim the best of reasons for this year in paradise—What better motivation than to save a species?—but the reality is more complex...romance · fiction · contemporary · audiobook · animals · action-adventure · season-summer · humor · mystery · outdoors -
![The Seventh Veil of Salome by Silvia Moreno-Garcia]()
The Seventh Veil of Salome by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
A young woman wins the role of a lifetime in a film about a legendary heroine — but the real drama is behind the scenes in this sumptuous historical epic from the author of Mexican Gothic .1950s Every actress wants to play Salome, the star-making role in a big-budget movie about the legendary woman whose story has inspired artists since ancient times...romance · historical-fiction · fiction · historical · mystery · drama · fantasy · latinx-mc · poc-author · retellings -
![Glory Days: Stories by Simon Rich]()
Glory Days: Stories by Simon Rich
The new collection of stories capturing the travails of aging Millennials from “one of the funniest writers in America” (NPR) From the author of New Teeth, hailed as "a triumph of sustained humor" (Sarah Lyall, New York Times Book Review), comes a hilarious new collection of short stories chronicling modern mayhem...humor · fiction · audiobook · comedy · anthologies · literary-fiction · male-author · super-powered · adult -
![State of Paradise by Laura van den Berg]()
State of Paradise by Laura van den Berg
A heart-racing fun house of uncanniness hidden in Florida’s underbelly, from a reality-warping storyteller.Along with her husband, a ghostwriter for a famous thriller author returns to her mother's house in the Florida town where she grew up. As the summer heat sets in, she wrestles with family secrets and memories of her own troubled youth...north-america · usa · florida · fiction · sci-fi · horror · mystery · literary-fiction · contemporary · audiobook -
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![The History of Sound by Ben Shattuck]()
The History of Sound by Ben Shattuck
A stunning collection of interconnected stories set in New England, exploring how the past is often misunderstood and how history, family, heartache, and desire can echo over centuriesIn twelve luminous stories set across three centuries, The History of Sound examines the unexpected ways the past returns to us and how love and loss are entwined and transformed over generations...fiction · historical-fiction · audiobook · literary-fiction · lgbtq · historical · romantic-love · anthologies · 21st-century · adult -
![Rosarita by Anita Desai]()
Rosarita by Anita Desai
A beautiful, haunting novel that explores memory, grief, and a young woman’s determination to forge her own path.A young student sits on a bench in a park in San Miguel, Mexico. Bonita is away from her home in India to learn Spanish. She is alone, somewhere she has no connection to. It is bliss.And then a woman approaches her... -
![Becoming Marlow Fin by Ellen Won Steil]()
Becoming Marlow Fin by Ellen Won Steil
The pieces of a troubled actress’s mysterious life come together in a riveting novel about family secrets and unspeakable lies by the author of Fortune.Marlow Fin is as famous for her beauty and success as she is infamous for her past, some of which is a mystery even to her...mystery · fiction · audiobook · suspense · crime · thriller · family · womens-fiction · domestic-drama · female-mc -
![The Windsor Conspiracy: A Novel of the Crown, a Conspiracy, and the Duchess of Windsor by Georgie Blalock]()
The Windsor Conspiracy: A Novel of the Crown, a Conspiracy, and the Duchess of Windsor by Georgie Blalock
Georgie Blalock, the acclaimed author of The Other Windsor Girl, delivers an enchantingly reimagined fictional portrait of Wallis Simpson through the lens of her cousin who is engaged to spy on the Duchess of Windsor for her alleged Nazi sympathies and finds much more than she bargained for!American Amelia Montague defied her family five years ago to marry the man she loved, but that decision...historical-fiction · fiction · historical · royalty · ww2 · espionage · audiobook · politics · 20th-century · female-mc -
![The Bad Man by Alexa Riley]()
The Bad Man by Alexa Riley
It’s Mia Kennedy’s first day working at Bellevue Asylum and she couldn’t be more excited to begin her nursing career. If only she knew that the man she should be most afraid of would turn out to be the one she couldn’t let go.Jamison Coy has been shut away for ten years in the asylum with no hope of escape. He never cared about leaving until he saw her...romance · contemporary · dark · steamy · insta-love · multi-pov · age-gap · forced-proximity · prison · military -
![Everyone I Know is Dying by Emily Slapper]()
Everyone I Know is Dying by Emily Slapper
A razor-sharp, bleakly funny exploration of mental health crises, the societal pressures on young women, and toxic sexual and romantic relationships from one of the most exciting new literary voices. Perfect for fans of Sorrow and Bliss or Cleopatra and Frankenstein.When she’s having sex with her boss, Iris likes to have the lights on so he can see how much younger she is than his wife... -
![Only One Survives by Hannah Mary McKinnon]()
Only One Survives by Hannah Mary McKinnon
"Rock'n'roll with a dash or two of murder...mystery · fiction · suspense · horror · psychological · audiobook · thriller · season-winter · contemporary · survival -
![The Townsend Family Recipe for Disaster by Shauna Robinson]()
The Townsend Family Recipe for Disaster by Shauna Robinson
From the acclaimed author of The Banned Bookshop of Maggie Banks and Must Love Books comes a heartfelt bookclub read following one woman's journey to reconnect with her Black family in the south, just as it's on the brink of falling apart, perfect for fans of The Chicken Sisters and The Last Summer at the Golden Hotel.One estranged family. One lost recipe. One last barbecue on the line...romance · fiction · contemporary · audiobook · family · poc-author · black-mc · literary-fiction · female-mc · poc-mc -
![Gold Rush by Olivia Petter]()
Gold Rush by Olivia Petter
We give celebrities a power they don’t deserve. Power they haven’t earned. What happens when they exploit it?Imagine you’ve just spent the night with the most famous man on the planet. Except you don’t quite remember it. That is what happens to Rose, a twenty-something woman who seemingly has everything going for her...romance · fiction · contemporary · literary-fiction · feminism · audiobook · womens-fiction · book · adult -
![The Wedding People by Alison Espach]()
The Wedding People by Alison Espach
A propulsive and uncommonly wise novel about one unexpected wedding guest and the surprising people who help us start anew.It's a beautiful day in Newport, Rhode Island, when Phoebe Stone arrives at the grand Cornwall Inn wearing a green dress and gold heels, not a bag in sight, alone...romance · fiction · contemporary · humor · womens-fiction · literary-fiction · season-summer · friendship · family · female-mc -
![Grown Women by Sarai Johnson]()
Grown Women by Sarai Johnson
In this stunning debut novel, four generations of complex Black women contend with motherhood and daughterhood, generational trauma and the deeply ingrained tensions and wounds that divide them as they redefine happiness and healing for themselves. Erudite Evelyn, her cynical daughter Charlotte, and Charlotte’s optimistic daughter Corinna see the world very differently... -
![Whoever You Are, Honey by Olivia Gatwood]()
Whoever You Are, Honey by Olivia Gatwood
This darkly brilliant debut novel explores how women build themselves—beneath the gaze of love, friendship, and the algorithm—showcasing Olivia Gatwood as a thrilling feminist voice for our hyper-digital age.Only when Lena stepped into that house did she realize what she’d been missing. A life. An entire life. There’s no way Sebastian would have planned for that epiphany... -
![Toward Eternity by Anton Hur]()
Toward Eternity by Anton Hur
What does it mean to be human in a world where technology is quickly catching up to biology?In a near-future world, a new technological therapy is quickly eradicating cancer: The body’s cells are entirely replaced with nanites—robot or android cells that not only cure those afflicted but leave them virtually immortal...sci-fi · fiction · lgbtq · dystopia · audiobook · ai · literary-fiction · genetic-engineering · crime · psychological -
![Teddy by Emily Dunlay]()
Teddy by Emily Dunlay
Lessons in Chemistry meets Mad Men in this wildly entertaining debut novel, set in glamorous Rome in the late 1960s, which follows the free-spirited wife of an American diplomat as she desperately tries to contain a scandal of her own making... -
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![Wicked Waters by Becca Steele]()
Wicked Waters by Becca Steele
From USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author, Becca Steele, comes an all-new standalone M/F academy romance.Roman Cavendish. The bad boy of Hatherley Hall. Once we were friends. Once I thought I meant something more to him. Once I was the person who knew him best.Until I left without an explanation, ruining everything between us...romance · sports · contemporary · enemies-to-lovers · angst · multi-pov · lgbtq · suspense · steamy · small-town -
![Where Are You, Echo Blue? by Hayley Krischer]()
Where Are You, Echo Blue? by Hayley Krischer
A smart, juicy, and page-turning novel about celebrity, fandom, and the price of ambition following a journalist's obsessive search for a missing Hollywood starletWhen Echo Blue, the most famous child star of the nineties, disappears ahead of a highly publicized television appearance on the eve of the millennium, the salacious theories instantly start swirling... -
![Dirrayawadha: Rise Up by Anita Heiss]()
Dirrayawadha: Rise Up by Anita Heiss
From the bestselling author of Bila Yarrudhanggalangdhuray (River of Dreams) comes another groundbreaking historical novel about resistance, resilience and love during the frontier wars. Miinaa was a young girl when the white ghosts first arrived. She remembers the day they raised a piece of cloth and renamed her homeland ‘Bathurst’...romance · historical-fiction · fiction · audiobook · historical · literary-fiction · racism · killer · grief · friendship -
![My Mother Cursed My Name by Anamely Salgado Reyes]()
My Mother Cursed My Name by Anamely Salgado Reyes
Three generations of fiercely strong and stubborn Mexican American women face grief head-on as they attempt to shed generational trauma and discover the true meaning of home in this lyrical novel that features magical realism in the tradition of The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina and The House of the Spirits...fiction · magical-realism · fantasy · audiobook · literary-fiction · family · paranormal · latinx-mc · contemporary · magic -
![We Carry the Sea in Our Hands by Janie Kim]()
We Carry the Sea in Our Hands by Janie Kim
Told with poetic prose and an imaginative voice, this “beautifully composed [and] original” (Joyce Carol Oates, New York Times bestselling author) debut novel explores family, trauma, and belonging through one woman’s journey to reconnect with her roots.Abby Rodier was a “drop-box baby,” a Korean orphan whose mother could not take care of her and left her as an infant...fiction · contemporary · literary-fiction · audiobook · family · sci-fi · realistic · coming-of-age · book · adult -
![Sin Like The Devil by J. Rose]()
Sin Like The Devil by J. Rose
“Look into the camera, Ripley.Tell us what happened in Harrowdean Manor.”Serving a three-year sentence after a violent manic episode, I own this psychiatric institute and every last patient in it. Dealing contraband to the desperate and disturbed has earned me this kingdom. To survive, I simply sacrificed my soul. They all fear me.Worship me.Hate me...romance · mental-illness · reverse-harem · dark · crime · suspense · contemporary · enemies-to-lovers · forced-proximity · revenge -
![Summer in Kentbury by Claudia Y. Burgoa]()
Summer in Kentbury by Claudia Y. Burgoa
When life is too much, and you can’t hack it, what do you do?Go back home, right?It’s just the logical thing to do.At a young age, I learned that Kentbury is kind of magical—and great at maple syrup.I packed my things, drove to my parents’ house and …I found Sinclair McFolley— irresistibly brooding, and dangerously handsome.He and his siblings took possession of my childhood home.What the f. .romance · family · contemporary · humor · friends-to-lovers · slow-burn · audiobook · small-town · billionaire · forced-proximity
