Top new literary-fiction books in July 2025
Last updated:
July 31, 2025
July 2025 featuring new releases by Ellen Marie Wiseman, Benjamin Wood, Katie Yee, Lidija Hilje, Megan Abbott, Jessa Hastings, Beck Dorey-Stein, Susan Wiggs, Kathy Wang, Jess Lourey and many more.
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The Lies They Told by Ellen Marie Wiseman
In rural 1930s Virginia, a young immigrant mother fights for her dignity and those she loves against America’s rising eugenics movement – when widespread support for policies of prejudice drove imprisonment and forced sterilizations based on class, race, disability, education, and country of origin – in this tragic and uplifting novel of social injustice, survival, and hope for readers of Susan... -
![Seascraper by Benjamin Wood]()
Seascraper by Benjamin Wood
Tom lives a slow, deliberate life with his mother in Longferry, working his grandfather’s trade as a shanker. His heart is in his music, but these ambitions seem far away from the dreary town around him...fiction · historical-fiction · literary-fiction · audiobook · historical · coming-of-age · season-winter · 21st-century · book · adult -
![Maggie; or, A Man and a Woman Walk Into a Bar by Katie Yee]()
Maggie; or, A Man and a Woman Walk Into a Bar by Katie Yee
A man and a woman walk into a restaurant. The woman expects a lovely night filled with endless plates of samosas. Instead, she finds out her husband is having an affair with a woman named Maggie. A short while after, her chest starts to ache. She walks into an examination room, where she finds out the pain in her breast isn’t just heartbreak—it’s cancer. She decides to call the tumor Maggie...fiction · contemporary · literary-fiction · audiobook · humor · grief · family · marriage · friendship · book -
![Slanting Towards the Sea by Lidija Hilje]()
Slanting Towards the Sea by Lidija Hilje
Spanning twenty years and one life-altering summer in Croatia, Slanting Towards the Sea is at once an unforgettable love story and a powerful exploration of what it means to come of age in a country younger than oneself.Ivona divorced the love of her life, Vlaho, a decade ago. They met as students at the turn of the new millennium, when democratic Croatia was alive with hope and promise... -
![El Dorado Drive by Megan Abbott]()
El Dorado Drive by Megan Abbott
From the New York Times bestselling author of The Turnout comes a simmering, atmospheric novel of friendship and betrayal, following a women-led pyramid scheme in suburban Detroit.“Abbott is a superstar of the suspense genre.” —NPRAll I want is to be innocent again. But that’s not how it works. Especially not after the Wheel... -
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![Time of Your Life by Jessa Hastings]()
Time of Your Life by Jessa Hastings
She wasn't supposed to meet someone like him. He wasn't supposed to be her undoing.It's 1995, Joah Harrigan is the brash, enigmatic frontman of the biggest band in the world, and Ysolde is the iconic face of a generation. She's who people write their songs about—the kind of girl who could ruin a man.He doesn't fall, and she doesn't chase...europe · british-isles · united-kingdom · england · urban · romance · audiobook · contemporary · fiction · season-summer -
![Spectacular Things by Beck Dorey-Stein]()
Spectacular Things by Beck Dorey-Stein
Two sisters examine what they owe each other and what they are willing to sacrifice to make their family dreams come true. What would you give up for the person you love most? What would you expect in return? Mia and Cricket have always been close. The gifted daughters of a young single mother, the “Lowe girls” are well-known in the small Maine town they call home...north-america · usa · maine · fiction · contemporary · womens-fiction · family · literary-fiction · coming-of-age · friendship -
![Wayward Girls by Susan Wiggs]()
Wayward Girls by Susan Wiggs
From New York Times bestselling author Susan Wiggs, a wrenching but life-affirming novel based on a true story of survival, friendship, and redemption when six girls come together in a Catholic reform school in 1960s Buffalo, NY. Perfect for fans of Before We Were Yours, Orphan Train, and The Berry Pickers... -
![The Satisfaction Café by Kathy Wang]()
The Satisfaction Café by Kathy Wang
Joan Liang’s life is a series of surprising developments: She never thought she would leave Taiwan for California nor did she expect her first marriage to implode—especially as quickly and spectacularly as it did. She definitely did not expect to fall in love with and marry an older, wealthy American and have children with him... -
![The Laughing Dead by Jess Lourey]()
The Laughing Dead by Jess Lourey
Two murder investigations, decades apart, threaten to expose a cold case agent’s darkest secrets in a pulse-pounding thriller by the Edgar Award–nominated author of The Taken Ones.The bodies of three teenage girls are found in central Minnesota—each with her mouth fixed in a ghoulish grin, smiling at a deadly joke no one can hear...mystery · fiction · suspense · audiobook · crime · thriller · killer · young-adult · psychological · literary-fiction -
![Hot Girls with Balls by Benedict Nguyễn]()
Hot Girls with Balls by Benedict Nguyễn
In this outrageous and deeply serious satire, two star indoor volleyball players juggle unspoken jealousies in their off-court romance ahead of their rival teams’ first rematch in a yearSix is 6’7”, scheming to rejoin the starting lineup, and barely checks her phone. Green is 6’1”, always building her brand, and secretly jealous of her more famous girlfriend...romance · fiction · lgbtq · contemporary · sports · literary-fiction · trans-mc · audiobook · wlw · humor -
![If You Love It, Let It Kill You by Hannah Pittard]()
If You Love It, Let It Kill You by Hannah Pittard
A refreshingly irreverent novel about art, desire, domesticity, freedom, and the intricacies of the twenty-first-century female experience, by the acclaimed novelist Hannah PittardDivorced and childless by choice, Hana P. has built a cozy life in Lexington, Kentucky, teaching at the flagship university, living with her boyfriend ( a fellow academic ) and helping raise his pre-teen daughter...fiction · literary-fiction · humor · contemporary · sad · female-mc · disability · family · book · adult -
![ë by Jehona Kicaj]()
ë by Jehona Kicaj
Ein stilles und zugleich sprachmächtiges Buch, das vom Verlust der Heimat durch Krieg, von Schmerz und Sprachverlust erzählt. In diesem ergreifenden Debüt findet die Autorin eine großartige eigene Sprache.Der ungewöhnliche Titel »ë« steht für einen Buchstaben, der in der albanischen Sprache eine wichtige Funktion hat, obwohl er meist gar nicht ausgesprochen wird... -
![A Bookseller in Madrid by Mario Escobar]()
A Bookseller in Madrid by Mario Escobar
Books will always be a refuge.Madrid, 1934. The winds of change are blowing in the Spain of the Second Republic when Bárbara, a young German woman who has managed to flee Berlin after the victory of the Nazi party in the elections, opens a small bookstore...europe · south-europe · spain · historical-fiction · fiction · audiobook · historical · ww2 · war · missing-people -
![The Sandy Page Bookshop by Hannah McKinnon]()
The Sandy Page Bookshop by Hannah McKinnon
The return of a prodigal daughter to her sleepy Cape Cod town brings the community together in this heartwarming all-new beach read from the acclaimed author of the “absolute treasure of a novel” (Kristy Woodson Harvey, New York Times bestselling author) The Darlings...romance · fiction · contemporary · humor · family · literary-fiction · audiobook · womens-fiction · female-mc · book -
![Crashing Waves by Kelsey Kingsley]()
Crashing Waves by Kelsey Kingsley
Every child deserves to be loved. Every child deserves parents who love them. Yet, for as long as I can remember, I’ve harbored an insatiable craving for that one simple thing. Love. I was desperate for it. Through years of mistreatment and degradation, I longed for the affection I saw others receive...romance · military · contemporary · abuse · found-family · disability · angst · mental-illness · slow-burn · male-mc -
![Dovetails in Tall Grass by Samantha Specks]()
Dovetails in Tall Grass by Samantha Specks
As war overtakes the frontier, Emma’s family farmstead is attacked by Dakota-Sioux warriors; on that same prairie, Oenikika desperately tries to hold on to her calling as a healer and follow the orders of her father, Chief Little Crow. When the war is over and revenge-fueled war trials begin, each young woman is faced with an impossible choice...historical-fiction · fiction · historical · indigenous-mc · war · racism · audiobook · new-adult · literary-fiction · poc-mc -
![Angel Down by Daniel Kraus]()
Angel Down by Daniel Kraus
The critically acclaimed author of the “crazily enjoyable” (The New York Times) Whalefall returns with an immersive, cinematic novel about five World War I soldiers who stumble upon a fallen angel that could hold the key to ending the war...horror · historical-fiction · fantasy · fiction · historical · ww1 · war · sci-fi · angels · mystery -
![Killer on the Road / The Babysitter Lives by Stephen Graham Jones]()
Killer on the Road / The Babysitter Lives by Stephen Graham Jones
A must-have collector’s item for horror fans, comprised of two novellas, The Babysitter Lives and Killer on the Road, from the new master of horror Stephen Graham Jones...horror · fiction · audiobook · lgbtq · mystery · paranormal · anthologies · supernatural · indigenous-mc · poc-mc -
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![Her Many Faces by Nicci Cloke]()
Her Many Faces by Nicci Cloke
For readers of Girl A and Notes on an Execution comes a whip-smart and suspenseful story of a woman on trial for murder, as told through the eyes of the most important men in her own life.Daughter, client, lover. Monster. Victim. You were a sweet girl.You were the prettiest girl I’d ever seen.You were a bomb going off in my life.You were a challenge.You were the story of a lifetime... -
![Bring the House Down by Charlotte Runcie]()
Bring the House Down by Charlotte Runcie
A theater critic at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe writes a vicious one-star review of a struggling actress he has a one-night stand with in this sharply funny, feminist tinderbox.Alex Lyons always has his mind made up by the time the curtain comes down at a performance—the show either deserves a five-star rave or a one-star pan. Anything in between is meaningless...europe · british-isles · united-kingdom · scotland · urban · fiction · contemporary · literary-fiction · feminism · humor -
![Mayra by Nicky Gonzalez]()
Mayra by Nicky Gonzalez
An eerie, hypnotic literary debut about friendship, desire, and memory set against the sultry backdrop of Florida’s swamplandsIt's been years since Ingrid has heard from her childhood best friend, Mayra, a fearless rebel who fled their hometown of Hialeah, a Cuban neighborhood just west of Miami, for college in the Northeast...north-america · usa · florida · horror · gothic · fiction · literary-fiction · contemporary · mystery · paranormal -
![Not Your Girl by Samantha Brinn]()
Not Your Girl by Samantha Brinn
It was a normal morning flight back home, until a gorgeous stranger took the seat next to mine. Then, what was normal became the opposite of that. In six hours of conversation at thirty-five thousand feet, I saw my entire life ahead of me, and every part looked like her.But when the plane landed in Boston, she disappeared without a trace, leaving me with nothing but her first name. Amelia... -
![A Summer for the Books by Michelle Lindo-Rice]()
A Summer for the Books by Michelle Lindo-Rice
Fans of Jennifer Weiner and Sunny Hostin will love this emotional dual-timeline novel about two former besties finding their way back to each other.To heal their friendship, they’ll have to face their past.Jewel Stone has it all—the perfect marriage, a bestselling author career, her dream home—or so she likes everyone to believe...fiction · contemporary · friendship · audiobook · season-summer · womens-fiction · crime · realistic · amnesia · romantic-love -
![The Original by Nell Stevens]()
The Original by Nell Stevens
In a grand English country house in 1899, an aspiring art forger must unravel whether the man claiming to be her long-lost cousin is an impostor.An unwanted guest of her uncle’s family since childhood, Grace has grown up on the periphery of a once-great household. She has unusual predilections: for painting, particularly forgery; for deception; for other girls...historical-fiction · wlw · lgbtq · historical · mystery · fiction · family · young-adult · literary-fiction · industrial-era -
![The Rogue by Maisey Yates]()
The Rogue by Maisey Yates
What's a little honeymooning between friends?Rue Matthews has it all. A cute little yarn store to call her own, her upcoming wedding and the best friend on earth. Sure, most people might not understand her relationship with Justice King, but he’s always been there for her. And now he’s going to be her best man…until her fiancé calls off the wedding just before the guests arrive...romance · contemporary · western · small-town · friends-to-lovers · fiction · literary-fiction · female-mc · industrial-era · book -
![Run for us: Masked men Novella by Jaye Pratt]()
Run for us: Masked men Novella by Jaye Pratt
Sometimes life hands you a fork in the road. Mine feels more like a tidal wave crashing down on me, just as I’m about to turn thirty. Until now, I’ve been trying to live up to my mother’s impossible standards while drowning in deadlines, but I’ve finally had enough.Bluebell Bay is my escape plan. It’s a chance to figure out what I want from life, a place I don’t have to pretend...romance · steamy · reverse-harem · lgbtq · fantasy · polyamory · multi-pov · mlm · contemporary · dark -
![An Oral History of Atlantis by Ed Park]()
An Oral History of Atlantis by Ed Park
A deadpan, wildly imaginative collection of stories that slices clean through the mundanity and absurdity of modern life, from the author of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize–winner and Pulitzer Prize finalist Same Bed Different Dreams In “Machine City,” a college student’s role in a friend’s movie causes lines to blur between his character and his true self...fiction · literary-fiction · contemporary · humor · audiobook · fantasy · sci-fi · 21st-century · magical-realism · anthologies -
![The Peculiar Gift of July by Ashley Ream]()
The Peculiar Gift of July by Ashley Ream
With a dash of magic and an ensemble cast of oddball, small-town characters, this feel-good novel explores forgiveness, family, and the sense of humor it takes to live with the ones we love the most. Ebey’s End is a small town on an island off the Pacific coast, reachable only by ferry (assuming the gods are with you and it’s not a Tuesday)...magical-realism · fantasy · fiction · cozy · family · female-mc · action-adventure · literary-fiction · paranormal · friendship -
![Bitter Sweet by Hattie Williams]()
Bitter Sweet by Hattie Williams
When a young book publicist finds herself in an all-consuming workplace affair with her literary idol, she learns that the things you love most can sometimes be the very things that tear you apart in this intoxicating and moving debut novel.Charlie hasn’t always had high hopes for herself...europe · british-isles · united-kingdom · england · urban · romance · fiction · literary-fiction · contemporary · obsession -
![Saving Sparrow by C.P. Harris]()
Saving Sparrow by C.P. Harris
A missing husband.A deadly storm.A stranger he shouldn’t trust.Miguel Ramirez was living his happily ever after with husbands Quentin and Elliott, when tragedy struck. He’s left reeling after waking up in a hospital bed to find both his husbands gone—but only one is missing... -
![Kloster Northanger: Roman by Jane Austen]()
Kloster Northanger: Roman by Jane Austen
Jane Austen entführt in die Welt der siebzehnjährigen Catherine Morland, die mit ihrer frischen, naiven Art den jungen Geistlichen Henry Tilney beeindruckt. Doch bevor Henry und Catherine ein Paar werden können, muss Catherine erst lernen, Realität und Fantasie zu unterschieden. Austens posthum veröffentlichter Roman ist eine persönliche Hommage an die Schauerliteratur im Europa des 18... -
![Carved in Blood by Michael Bennett]()
Carved in Blood by Michael Bennett
From the Barry Award nominee and Ngaio Marsh Award winner, a new thriller bringing danger ever closer to Hana WestermanWhen Detective Inspector Jaye Hamilton stops at an Auckland liquor store for a bottle of champagne, it is supposed to be his daughter Addison has just gotten engaged...mystery · crime · indigenous-mc · law-enforcement · police-procedural · audiobook · suspense · female-mc · alpha-mc · dark -
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![Red Rabbit Ghost by Jen Julian]()
Red Rabbit Ghost by Jen Julian
An impulsive young outcast confronts his small town’s dark secrets in this atmospheric and haunting debut horror novel from brilliant new voice Jen Julian.Eighteen years ago, an infant Jesse Calloway was found wailing on the bank of a river, his mother dead beside him. The mystery of her death has haunted him all his life, and despite every effort, he has never been able to uncover the truth...horror · fiction · lgbtq · mystery · fantasy · dark · dark-fantasy · literary-fiction · gothic · magical-realism -
![The Payback by Kashana Cauley]()
The Payback by Kashana Cauley
When Jada Williams is relentlessly pursued by the Debt Police, she is left with no choice but to take down her student loan company with the help of two mall coworkers—from the author of the “lethally witty” (The New York Times Book Review) The Survivalists.Jada Williams is good at judging people by their looks...fiction · contemporary · humor · literary-fiction · heist · sci-fi · audiobook · season-summer · black-mc · female-mc -
![Seductive Nights by Ashley Rayne]()
Seductive Nights by Ashley Rayne
JonasFive years ago, after I lost my husband, I barricaded my heart, not strong enough to let another person get close to it. When our sweet but clumsy bartender, Preston, needs somewhere to stay, I offer him my spare bedroom. We’re friends, nothing more. Now, though, the more time I spend with my new roommate, the more he tears down the walls I’ve built...romance · mlm · friends-to-lovers · lgbtq · age-gap · boss-employee · humor · found-family · contemporary · love-after-loss -
![Absence by Issa Quincy]()
Absence by Issa Quincy
An elusive narrator is beguiled by a poem that returns to him in mysterious ways, echoing across the years... -
![The Art of Vanishing by Morgan Pager]()
The Art of Vanishing by Morgan Pager
A stunningly original love story between a museum employee and the man in a masterpiece hanging on the walls—a breathtaking debut about time, art, and the enduring power of love.Jean’s life is the same day in and day out...romance · fantasy · fiction · magical-realism · time-travel · magic · historical-fiction · historical · action-adventure · paranormal -
![The House at Devil's Neck by Tom Mead]()
The House at Devil's Neck by Tom Mead
In this latest locked room mystery from the author of Cabaret Macabre, amateur sleuth Joseph Spector pits his knowledge of stage magic against the seemingly supernatural when a seance at an isolated old hospital turns deadly...mystery · fiction · historical-fiction · literary-fiction · suspense · whodunit · investigator · historical · ghosts · law-enforcement -
![The Night Sparrow by Shelly Sanders]()
The Night Sparrow by Shelly Sanders
In 1941, Elena Bruskina, an ambitious university student, sees her world collapse when the Nazis invade the Soviet Union. She and her Jewish family are forced into the Minsk ghetto, where thousands are immediately murdered, including her father and her brother...historical-fiction · ww2 · historical · fiction · audiobook · 20th-century · mystery · literary-fiction · female-mc · friendship
