Can you believe that it is already May? It feels like it was yesterday that we were talking about new books in January. I hope these first five months of 2025 have brought you some semblance of joy and calmness through these chaotic times. But hopefully, talking about new releases will help get you some comfort and entertainment, especially now that the weather is warming up. Enough from me, let’s talk about the books!
What is your May mood? A historical fiction of a journey that will change two sisters’ lives. Or how about a parents’ weekend turns deadly? The world may be crazy at the moment, but you can momentarily forget about that when you read one of these highlighted titles:
Featured Book of the Month
Austen At Sea by Natalie Jenner
In Boston, 1865, Charlotte and Henrietta Stevenson, daughters of a Massachusetts Supreme Court Justice, have accomplished as much as women are allowed in those days. Chafing against those restrictions and inspired by the works of Jane Austen, they start a secret correspondence with Sir Francis Austen, her last surviving brother, now in his nineties. He sends them an original letter from his sister and invites them to come visit him in England.
In Philadelphia, Nicholas & Haslett Nelson—bachelor brothers, veterans of the recent Civil War, and rare book dealers—are also in correspondence with Sir Francis Austen, who lures them, too, to England, with the promise of a never-before-seen, rare Austen artifact to be evaluated.
The Stevenson sisters sneak away without a chaperone to sail to England. On their ship are the Nelson brothers, writer Louisa May Alcott, Sara-Beth Gleason—wealthy daughter of a Pennsylvania state senator with her eye on the Nelsons—and, a would-be last-minute chaperone to the Stevenson sisters, Justice Thomas Nash.
It’s a voyage and trip that will dramatically change each of their lives in ways that are unforeseen, with the transformative spirit of the love of literature and that of Jane Austen herself. (Credit: St. Martin’s Press)
I Can’t Even Think Straight by Dean Atta
Kai knows who he is to others: The good grandson, the reliable best friend, the romantic backup. But he doesn’t quite know who he is to himself.
Kai wants to come out at school, but his best friend there, Matt, stays closeted for fear of getting kicked out by his conservative parents—and wants Kai to do the same. Kai unhappily agrees, but when a rumor goes around that Kai and Matt are dating, Matt starts acting differently anyway.
Kai’s other best friend, Vass, is proudly nonbinary and thinks Matt is a negative influence—though maybe that’s just their crush on Kai talking. Kai has always turned to writing to express his emotions, but when his on-page emotions erupt into the real world, he might just be putting the delicate balance of his life at risk.
Told with Dean Atta’s signature lyricism and candor, this deeply feeling story explores the complexities of crushes, navigating identity, and coming out. (Credit: Quill Tree Books)
Parents Weekend by Alex Finlay
In the glow of their children’s exciting first year of college at a small private school in Northern California, five families gather over dinner and cocktails for the opening festivities of Parents Weekend. As the parents stay out way past their bedtimes, their kids—five residents of Campisi Hall—never show up to dinner.
At first, everyone thinks they’re just being college students, irresponsibly forgetting about the gathering or skipping out to go to a party. But as the hours tick by and another night falls with not so much as a text from the students, panic ensues. Soon the campus police call in reinforcements. Search parties are formed. Reporters swarm the small enclave. Rumors swirl and questions arise.
Libby, Blane, Mark, Felix, and Stella—The Five, as the podcasters, bloggers, and TikTok sleuths soon call them—come from very different families. What drew them out on that fateful night? Could it be the sins of their mothers and fathers come to cause them peril—or a threat to the friend group from within? (Credit: Minotaur Books)
Detective Aunty by Uzma Jalaluddin
After her husband’s unexpected death eighteen months ago, Kausar Khan never thought she’d receive another phone call as heartbreaking—until her thirty-something daughter, Sana, phones to say that she’s been arrested for killing the unpopular landlord of her clothing boutique. Determined to help her child, Kausar heads to Toronto for the first time in nearly twenty years.
Returning to the Golden Crescent suburb where she raised her children and where her daughter still lives, Kausar finds that the thriving neighborhood she remembered has changed. The murder of Sana’s landlord is only the latest in a wave of local crimes which have gone unsolved.
And the facts of the case are troubling: Sana found the man dead in her shop at a suspiciously early hour, with a dagger from her windowfront display plunged in his chest. And Kausar—a woman with a keen sense of observation and deep wisdom honed by her years—senses there’s more to the story than her daughter is telling.
With the help of some old friends and her plucky teenage granddaughter, Kausar digs into the investigation to uncover the truth. Because who better to pry answers from unwilling suspects than a meddlesome aunty? But even Kausar can’t predict the secrets, lies, and betrayals she finds along the way… (Credit: Harper Perennial)
The Tenant by Freida McFadden
Blake Porter is riding high, until he’s not. Fired abruptly from his job as a VP of marketing and unable to make the mortgage payments on the new brownstone he shares with his fiancée, he’s desperate to make ends meet.
Enter Whitney. Beautiful, charming, down-to-earth, and looking for a room to rent. She’s exactly what Blake’s looking for. Or is she?
Because something isn’t quite right. The neighbors start treating Blake differently. The smell of decay permeates his home, no matter how hard he scrubs. Strange noises jar him awake in the middle of the night. And soon Blake fears someone knows his darkest secrets…
Danger lives right at home, and by the time Blake realizes it, it’ll be far too late. The trap is already set.(Credit: Poisoned Pen Press)
It’s You Every Time by Charlene Thomas
When Sydney Michaels stops for breakfast in order to put off scholastic ruin a little longer, she never expected to–quite literally–bump into cute-boy stranger, Marcus Burke.
When Marcus invites her to have breakfast with him instead of going to class, she can’t ignore the urge to get to know him better–or the fact that this charming new acquaintance seems just as interested in her.
After a magical day together in their hometown of New York City, Sydney is finally willing to believe that maybe–just maybe–after years of loss and heartache, she’s finally reached the good part.
But when it comes time to say goodbye, as they linger in a crosswalk, something happens. An accident? Sydney isn’t sure–all she knows is that, after screeching tires, blinding headlights, and a moment of searing pain, she opens her eyes and is back in her bed. On September 24-the morning of her big exam–again. (Credit: Scholastic Press)
Audre & Bash Are Just Friends by Tia Williams
MEET AUDRE. Junior class president. Debate team captain. Unofficial student therapist. Desperately in need of a good time.
MEET BASH. Mysterious new senior. Everybody’s crush. Tall, floppy, great taste in jewelry. King of having a good time.
It’s the last day of school at Cheshire Prep, Brooklyn’s elite academy–and Audre Mercy-Moore’s life is a mess. Her dad cancelled her annual summer visit to his Malibu beach house. Now? She’s stuck in a claustrophobic apartment with her mom, stepdad, and one-year-old sister (aka the Goblin Baby).
Under these conditions, she’ll never finish writing her self-help book–ie, the key to winning over Stanford’s admissions board.
Cut to Bash Henry! Audre hires him to be her “fun consultant.” His job? To help her complete the Experience Challenge–her list of five wild dares designed to give her juicy book material. She’ll get inspo; he’ll get paid. Everybody wins.
He isn’t boyfriend material. And she’s not looking for one. Can they stay professional despite their obvious connection?
Fun fact: Audre Mercy-Moore first appeared in the New York Times bestseller Seven Days in June and now stars in her own story! (Credit: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers)
Rifters by Brian Posehn and Joe Trohman and illustrated by Chris Johnson
Fenton and Geller are a couple of part-time Wisenheimers, full-time vice time-cops who suck at rule-following but excel at busting time-travel crimes. Unfortunately, their daily grind involves tedious police work—like chasing down douchebag influencers hellbent on live-streaming illegal transtemporal trips to 1920s Chicago to steal primo bootleg hooch.
However, in a twist of fate, our heroes find themselves thrust into the heart of an inter-time serial homicide mystery, but not before things change, forcing our pair into the crosshairs of potentially lethal consequences.
The stakes are high, time is of the essence, and Fenton and Geller are about to discover that playing with the time-stream isn’t all flappers and jazz hands. Get ready for a high-octane, double-illegal adventure where the only sure thing is that RIFTERS is rewriting the rulebook on time-travel tales! (Credit: Image Comics)
Murder Land by Carlyn Greenwald
Seventeen-year-old Billie feels like she is on top of the world. She gets to spend the summer with her best friend, sparks are flying with her crush, and she has received a promotion to ride operator for one of the most buzzworthy new attractions in the theme park she works at. But the first night on the new job takes a dark turn when her creepy coworker mysteriously dies…on her ride, when she isn’t authorized to be running it.
At first, it seems like he died by heart attack, but by the time she returns to the body with help, it looks like a broken neck. Had she just imagined him sitting upright a few minutes ago? It’s as if someone is trying to pin his death on her, and she has one night to figure out who is really responsible before she is blamed.
Billie recruits the help of her friends to sneak around the park after-hours and search for the truth. But as the night stretches on and more people wind up dead, Billie realizes she may not make it out of Murder Land alive. And her friends may know more than they’re letting on. (Credit: Sourcebooks Fire)
His Face Is the Sun by Michelle Jabès Corpora
Princess. Priestess. Rebel. Thief.
Tensions run as hot as the Khamsin winds in the great kingdom of Khetara. Rumors of the pharaoh’s mysterious illness abound, and with them, murmurs of rebellion grow. Meanwhile, in the quiet desert, a forgotten oracle begins to unfold, setting a dark prophecy into action and drawing together four strangers…
Princess SITA lives in the abundance of the palace, and in a moment of passion, she unmasks a betrayal that will put her life–and the entire royal court–in grave danger.
A priestess-in-training, NEFF strives to understand her intense visions from the gods, except theirs is not the only magic at play in the grand temple.
As a farmer’s daughter, RAE knows how much the pharaoh’s men have taken from her land, her people. Still, who will step forward to confront the king?
KARIM was raised among the pyramids of the Red Lands and survives on the wealth of the dead as a tomb robber. But amid the spoils, an ancient evil awakens…
Bloodshed is coming. Only together do these four have the potential to save the kingdom from destruction. But when the dust has settled, who will sit on the throne of Khetara? (Credit: Sourcebooks Fire)
Supermassive Volume 1: A Massive-Verse Book
A visitor from another dimension arrives—with danger in tow! A quest for the Holy Grail reveals a centuries-old secret rivalry! And a rescue mission to a crumbling timeline puts our heroes in the firing line of a war for the future of the planet!
SUPERMASSIVE 2022:
While Radiant Black stands alone against the robot armies of THE CATALYST WAR…where is the rest of the Massive-Verse? With one of their own trapped behind enemy lines as time begins to unravel, it’ll take a SUPERMASSIVE team—including SHIFT, RADIANT RED, ROGUE SUN, THE DEAD LUCKY, and INFERNO GIRL RED—to turn the tide of one of the most fateful battles of the war in this crossover story.
SUPERMASSIVE 2023:
A doorway has opened. Beyond it lies the Holy Grail. Yes, that Holy Grail. But why are RADIANT BLACK, ROGUE SUN, and THE DEAD LUCKY all so desperate to get their hands on it—and who is the mysterious woman who stands in their way?
SUPERMASSIVE 2024:
While Radiant Black stands alone against the robot armies of THE CATALYST WAR…where is the rest of the Massive-Verse? With one of their own trapped behind enemy lines as time begins to unravel, it’ll take a SUPERMASSIVE team—including SHIFT, RADIANT RED, ROGUE SUN, THE DEAD LUCKY, and INFERNO GIRL RED—to turn the tide of one of the most fateful battles of the war (Credit: Image Comics)
The Moon Is Following Us Volume 1 by Daniel Warren Johnson and illustrated by Riley Rossmo
When a mysterious force kidnaps their daughter, parents Sam and Duncan must do whatever it takes to bring her home in this heartbreaking and action-packed graphic novel duology.
Sam and Duncan LaMarr love their six-year-old daughter, Penny, more than anything in the whole world. But half a year ago, she was taken by the Cascade, an evil force they barely understand. Now, Sam and Duncan must fight side by side with the magical beings Penny cherished to try and get her back…before she’s gone forever. (Credit: Image Comics)
The Thrashers by Julie Soto
Either you’re in or you’re out.
Welcome to the Thrashers, the elite friend group at New Helvetia High.
They’re everything everyone wants to be.
Jodi Dillon was never meant to be one of them. Julian, Lucy, Paige, and the infamous Zack Thrasher are rich, sophisticated, and love attention. Jodi feels out of place, but Zack’s her childhood best friend, so she’s in.
Then Emily Mills, who desperately wanted to be a Thrasher, dies—and the whispers about the Thrashers begin. As Emily’s journal surfaces, detectives close in, and Jodi faces an impossible choice: betray her friends or protect herself.
But as eerie messages and strange occurrences escalate, it becomes clear—Emily isn’t done with them yet. (Credit: Wednesday Books)
Can’t Get Enough by Kennedy Ryan
Expected Publication Date: May 13
Hendrix Barry lives a fabulous life. She has phenomenal friends, a loving family, and a thriving business that places her in the entertainment industry’s rarefied air. Your vision board? She’s probably living it.
She’s a woman with goals, dreams, ambitions–always striving upward. And in the midst of everything, she’s facing her toughest challenge yet: caring for an aging parent. Who has time for romance? From her experience, there’s a low ROI on relationships. Anyway, she hasn’t met the man who can keep up with her. Until…him.
Tech mogul Maverick Bell is a dilemma wrapped in an exquisitely tailored suit and knee-melting charm. From their first charged glance at the summer’s hottest party, Hendrix feels like she’s met her match. Only he can’t be. Mav may be the first to make her feel this seen and desired, but he’s the last one she can have. Forbidden fruit is the juiciest, and this man is off limits if she plans to stay the course she’s set for herself.
But when Maverick gives chase–pursuing her, spoiling her, understanding her–is it time to let herself have something more? (Credit: Forever)
The AI Con: How to Fight Big Tech’s Hype and Create the Future We Want by Alex Hanna and Emily M. Bender
Expected Publication Date: May 13
Is artificial intelligence going to take over the world? Have big tech scientists created an artificial lifeform that can think on its own? Is it going to put authors, artists, and others out of business? Are we about to enter an age where computers are better than humans at everything?
The answer to these questions, linguist Emily M. Bender and sociologist Alex Hanna make clear, is “no,” “they wish,” “LOL,” and “definitely not.” This kind of thinking is a symptom of a phenomenon known as “AI hype.” Hype looks and smells fishy: It twists words and helps the rich get richer by justifying data theft, motivating surveillance capitalism, and devaluing human creativity in order to replace meaningful work with jobs that treat people like machines. In The AI Con, Bender and Hanna offer a sharp, witty, and wide-ranging take-down of AI hype across its many forms.
Bender and Hanna show you how to spot AI hype, how to deconstruct it, and how to expose the power grabs it aims to hide. Armed with these tools, you will be prepared to push back against AI hype at work, as a consumer in the marketplace, as a skeptical newsreader, and as a citizen holding policymakers to account. Together, Bender and Hanna expose AI hype for what it is: a mask for Big Tech’s drive for profit, with little concern for who it affects. (Credit: Harper)
Death On The Island by Eliza Reid
Expected Publication Date: May 13
A group of international players has gathered in a tiny village off the coast of Iceland for a diplomatic dinner. There’s Kristján, the mayor reeling from a personal tragedy. Graeme, the ambassador with an agenda to push. Jane, his wife, along for the ride on another one of her husband’s many business trips. And several others, from Iceland and from abroad, each with their own reason for being there, their own loyalties and grievances. By the end of the night, one of them will be dead. And it will be up to the ambassador’s wife, Jane, to figure out how–and why.
What Jane soon comes to realize is that small communities can be the most dangerous of them all… and no one in their group is safe. With secrets around every corner and violent weather trapping the finite list of suspects together on the island, this locked-room mystery by internationally bestselling author Eliza Reid brings Agatha Christie and Nordic noir together in a brand-new twist. (Credit: Poisoned Pen Press)
Drink Water and Mind Your Business: A Black Woman’s Guide to Unlearning the BS and Healing Your Self-Esteem by Dr. Donna Oriowo
Expected Publication Date: May 13
Self-esteem ain’t self-taught–and it does see color.
Let’s be real: society was not built with the needs of Black women in mind. And as a result, we learn that the only way to feel good about ourselves is to prioritize everyone else’s needs over our own. We find our value in being the perfect partner, mother, daughter, employee, and friend. But that is exhausting. Instead of feeling good about how dope we are–regardless of our service, bank account, or looks–we only feel good about what we do for others.
Supremacy culture teaches us to hate Black people, to hate women, and to especially hate Black women… except when they need us to either save them or serve them. So in a world where our service is required for acceptance, how could we ever feel good about ourselves while also giving the middle finger to systems of power? How can we possibly live our best lives? How are we supposed to feel confident, secure, and fabulous AF in our bodies?
The answer: Self-esteem. Self-esteem as we know it has been gatekept by the white and male supremacist delusions for far too long. It’s time to put power where it actually belongs.
In Drink Water and Mind Your Business, Dr. Donna Oriowo helps readers understand the basic foundations of self-esteem–what it is, how society molds it, and how it affects us all–and offers real, meaningful solutions to feel like the most glorious and badass versions of themselves. Based on years of research and Dr. Donna’s career as a licensed sex and relationship therapist, this book will help you set boundaries, prioritize your needs, understand your immense worth, and pursue a life that brings you pleasure and joy. (Credit: Sourcebooks)
Tidemagic: Ista Flit and The Impossible Key by Clare Harlow
Expected Publication Date: May 13
In her first adventure, Ista Flit and her friends saved the town of Shelwich from a monstrous foe—but her father is still missing.
She has a new clue though: a key, engraved with mysterious symbols, and a note saying “any door with a keyhole will do.”
This key transports Ista, Nat, and Ruby to Glass Island—where creatures Ista thought were mythical turn out to be very, very real. A sinister wraith haunts the reed-beds, and deviously seductive, fairy-like marsh spinners lure people in to dance at their revels—and never let them go.
Ista is sure her father must be trapped in the marsh spinner’s lair. She’s determined to devise a plan cunning enough to infiltrate the revels and rescue Pa.
When the tide is high and magic is at its peak, Ista and her friends will face off with the trickiest creatures imaginable. Can they win Ista’s father’s freedom? Or will the revels claim three new dancers forever…? (Credit: Knopf Books for Young Readers)
Fitting Indian by Jyoti Chand and illustrated by Tara Anand
Expected Publication Date: April 15
All Nitasha’s parents want is for her to be the perfect Indian daughter—something she is decidedly not. Everything she does seems to disappoint them, especially her mom. They just don’t get that she’ll never be like her doctor older brother. To make matters worse, she’s never quite felt like she belongs at school either, and lately, her best friend, Ava, and her crush, Henry, seem to be more interested in the rich new girl than in her.
Alcohol takes the edge off, but when that doesn’t work, Nitasha turns to cutting. She can’t stop asking herself: Will she ever be enough for her friends or her family? Or even for herself?
This authentic and powerful teen graphic novel shines a light on how harmful the stigma of mental illness is and how lifesaving a community that is honest about mental health can be. (Credit: HarperAlley)
Slaying You by Michelle Gagnon
Expected Publication Date: May 13
Grace and Amber’s first encounter was anything but ordinary—they bonded over being stalked by the same psychopath. After narrowly escaping that ordeal they went their separate ways, determined to get back to their lives.
Surprise: neither of them is very good at being “normal.” Despite their best efforts, they both feel an irresistible pull toward the dark side.
So when they reunite for a Vegas wedding and discover that an even more dangerous killer is targeting their friends, it’s time to get the gang back together. Grace and Amber have outrun a murderer before . . . but can they do it again? (Credit: G.P. Putnam’s Sons)
Trans History: A Graphic Novel: From Ancient Times to the Present Day by Alex L. Combs & Andrew Eakett
Expected Publication Date: May 13
What does “trans” mean, and what does it mean to be trans? Diversity in human sex and gender is not a modern phenomenon, as readers will discover through illustrated stories and records that introduce historical figures ranging from the controversial Roman emperor Elagabalus to the swashbuckling seventeenth-century conquistador Antonio de Erauso to veterans of the Stonewall uprising Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera. In addition to these individual profiles, the book explores some of the societal roles played by trans people beginning in ancient times and shows how European ideas about gender were spread across the globe. It explains how the science of sexology and the growing acceptance of (and backlash to) gender nonconformity have helped to shape what it means to be trans today. Illustrated conversations with modern activists, scholars, and creatives highlight the breadth of current trans experiences and give readers a deeper sense of the diversity of trans people, a group numbering in the millions. Extensive source notes provide further resources. Moving, funny, heartbreaking, and empowering, this remarkable compendium from trans creators Alex L. Combs and Andrew Eakett is packed with research on every dynamic page. (Credit: Candlewick)
Making A Killing by Cara Hunter
Expected Publication Date: May 20
When Nick Vincent, producer of true-crime show Infamous, hears about an explosive new angle on a high-profile case—the 2016 murder of an eight-year-old girl in Oxford—he leaps at the chance to send a researcher to verify the claims.
Two months later, a dog walker discovers a woman’s body, bound and buried in a shallow grave in the woods. Forensic evidence links the corpse to the disappearance of that same child.
DCI Adam Fawley, the original investigating officer, is called in to run the enquiry. And he remembers the case well—he arrested the child’s mother for murder. A murder he now knows she didn’t commit.
The investigation raises more questions than answers. What connects the two crimes? Where has the dead girl been all these years? How did she manage to disappear? For Adam Fawley, this is personal…(Credit: William Morrow Paperbacks)
Hollywood High: A Totally Epic, Way Opinionated History of Teen Movies by Bruce Handy
Expected Publication Date: May 20
What influence did Francis Ford Coppola have on George Lucas’s American Graffiti? And Lucas on John Singleton’s Boyz n the Hood? How does teenage sexuality in Fast Times at Ridgemont High compare to Twilight? Which teen movies pass the Bechdel test? Why is Mean Girls actually the last great teen film of the 20th century?
In the same way that Peter Biskind’s Easy Riders, Raging Bulls connects the films of the 1970s to the period’s cultural upheaval, and David Hadju’s Positively 4th Street tells the story of the sixties through the emergence of folk music, Bruce Handy’s Hollywood High situates iconic teen movies within their times and reveals the intriguing stories, artists, and passions behind their creation. These films aren’t merely beloved stories; they reflect teens’ growing economic and cultural influence, societal panics, and shifting perceptions of youth in America.
Much more than a nostalgia trip, Hollywood High is a lively, provocative, and affectionate cultural history, spanning nearly one hundred years. Handy, an acclaimed journalist and critic who spent two decades at Vanity Fair, examines the defining films of each generation and builds connections between them. From the Andy Hardy classics (1937–1946) to the iconic Rebel Without a Cause (1955); Beach Party series (1963–1968); American Graffiti (1973); Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982); the John Hughes touchstones Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club, Pretty in Pink, and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1984–1986); Boyz N the Hood (1991); Mean Girls (2004); the Twilight saga (2008–2012); and The Hunger Games series (2012–2015); this is a captivating deep dive into the world of teen movies that captures their sweeping history and influence. We’ll hear from icons James Dean, Annette Funicello, George Lucas, Amy Heckerling, John Hughes, Molly Ringwald, John Singleton, Tina Fey, and Kristen Stewart, and discover why the most timeless teen movies resonate across generations. (Credit: Avid Reader Press / Simon & Schuster)
Heart, Be At Peace by Donal Ryan
Expected Publication Date: May 20
In a small town in Ireland, the local people have weathered the storm of economic collapse and now look to the future: The jobs are back, the dramas of the past seemingly lulled, and although the town bears the scars of its history, new stories have begun to unfold.
But an insidious menace now creeps through back-alley shadows and into the lives of the townspeople. Old grudges fester and new ones arise. Young people are lured by the promise of fast money while the generation above them tries to hold back the tide of an enemy beyond their control. And the peace of this town is about to be shattered in an unimaginable way.
A stunning, lyrical novel told in twenty-one voices, Heart, Be at Peace reveals a community that together looks to overcome the betrayals, secrets, and grudges that can divide families, neighbors, and entire generations.(Credit: Viking)
Holmes and Moriarty by Gareth Rubin
Expected Publication Date: May 20
Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson have been hired by theater actor George Reynolds to find out why the audience who comes to see him perform onstage every night are the same people–only wearing different disguises each time. Is something sinister going on and, if so, what?Meanwhile, Holmes’s archenemy, Professor James Moriarty, is having problems of his own. Implicated in a rival gang leader’s murder, Moriarty and his second, Moran, must go on the run from the police as they try to find out who’s behind the frame-up.
But their investigation puts them in the way of Holmes and Watson and it’s not long before all four realize they’re being targeted by the same person. With million of lives on the line, Holmes and Moriarty must form an uneasy alliance in order to unmask the true villain. (Credit: Union Square & Co.)
Run Like A Girl by Amaka Egbe
Expected Publication Date: May 20
Dera Edwards knows her life is over when she’s shipped off to live with her estranged father in the middle of White Suburbia. To make matters worse, Dera learns that her new school doesn’t have a girls’ track team, shattering her dreams of getting a track scholarship and, one day, competing in the Olympics.
Not one to give up easily, Dera joins the boys’ team instead. But while she has the school administration’s blessing, her new teammates and classmates are less than welcoming. Between that and her frustratingly distant father, Dera is positive her junior year is ruined.
Just as she starts to accept her status as an outsider, Dera’s approached by her classmate Rosalyn, who wants to feature Dera’s story in her blog. Eager to change the narrative and spend more time with Rosalyn’s gorgeous cousin Gael–also known as one of the few teammates who will talk to her–Dera agrees.
But when she goes viral and gains attention across the state, Dera’s new notoriety opens the door for trolls both online and at school. Paired with her deteriorating relationship with her father, she soon finds everything to be too much. Will Dera be able to keep outrunning her problems, or will her dream be the very thing that derails her? (Credit: HarperCollins)
We Live Here Now by Sarah Pinborough
Expected Publication Date: May 20
After an accident that nearly kills her, Emily and her husband, Freddie, move from London to a beautiful Dartmoor country house called Larkin Lodge. The house is gorgeous, striking—and to Emily, something about it feels deeply wrong.
Old boards creak at night, fires go out, and books fall from the shelves, and all of it stems from the terrible presence she feels in the third-floor room. But these things happen only when Emily’s alone, so are they happening at all? She’s still medically fragile; her postsepsis condition can cause hallucinatory side effects, which means she can’t fully trust her own senses. Freddie doesn’t notice anything odd and is happy with their chance at a fresh start.
Emily, however, starts to believe that the house is being haunted by someone who was murdered in it, though she can find no evidence of a wrongful death. As bizarre events pile up and her marriage starts to crumble, Emily becomes obsessed with discovering the truth about Larkin Lodge.
But if the house has secrets, so do Emily and her husband.
And they live here now. (Credit: Flatiron Books: Pine & Cedar)
My Father Always Finds Corpses by Lee Hollis
Expected Publication Date: May 27
You never forget your first corpse. For former child star Jarrod Jarvis, that discovery was twenty-plus years ago, and a lot has happened since he solved a string of real-life Hollywood murders. Now Jarrod lives in Palm Springs where he writes and directs local theatre, while quietly grieving the loss of his partner, police detective Charlie.
Jarrod hasn’t disclosed much about his sleuthing past to his daughter, Liv, who just earned a degree in criminal justice. There’s been distance between them since Charlie’s death, and Jarrod’s unsure how to bridge the gap. Liv, meanwhile, has put her career on hold in order to help her filmmaker boyfriend, Zel. His new documentary idea is to track down the surrogate who gave birth to Liv. Skeptical and annoyed by Zel’s pressure tactics, Liv goes to confront him at his apartment. But there’s no need to break things off—because someone has bludgeoned Zel to death.
Jarrod rushes to Liv’s aid, surprising his daughter with his ease around a crime scene, firing off questions like a modern-day Columbo with better hair and wardrobe. Another shock is quite how many people had motive to finish Zel off—including a Russian film professor, a former First Lady, and a sexy Secret Service agent. Together, Liv and Jarrod comb for clues across the sun-drenched Coachella valley, growing close again. But while there’s nothing like murder to bring a family together, this father-daughter reunion may be short-lived as long as a killer is on the loose . . . (Credit: Kensington Cozies)
The Busybody Book Club by Freya Sampson
Expected Publication Date: May 27
They can’t even agree on what to read, so how are they going to solve a murder?
Having recently moved from London to a small Cornish seaside village, Nova Davies started a book club at the local community center, but so far it’s a disaster. The five members disagree on everything, and to make matters worse, a significant sum of money is stolen during one of the meetings, putting the much-loved community center at risk.
Suspicion for the theft falls on book club member Michael, especially when he disappears and a dead body turns up at his house. But the book club has their own theories. Agatha Christie superfan Phyllis is determined to prove Michael’s been framed, while romance reader Arthur believes there’s a mystery woman involved, and teenage sci-fi fan Ash thinks dark forces are at play.
While trying to locate Michael, solve the murder and recover the stolen money, each of them has their own secrets to protect. But despite the danger closing in, they won’t rest until they’ve cracked the case and gotten everyone safe at home with a book, where they belong. (Credit: Berkley)
I Am Rebel by Ross Montgomery
Expected Publication Date: May 27
I’m Tom’s dog, and he’s my human. We belong to each other.
Rebel is a good dog. He loves his simple, perfect life on the farm with his owner, Tom—until one day, when the war comes too close. Tom is determined to join the rebellion to defeat the king’s men, but Rebel knows that war is dangerous, and he will stop at nothing to save his beloved human. How can he bring Tom home before it’s too late? A heartwarming adventure told from a dog’s perspective as he travels across a pseudo-Civil War Britain on his loyal mission, I Am Rebel holds sure appeal for fans of I, Cosmo; When the Sky Falls; and War Horse. (Credit: Candlewick)
Whispers of Dead Girls by Marlee Bush
Expected Publication Date: May 27
She’s right. It can never happen again. She won’t let it.
Ten years have passed, and Ren Taylor is back at square one, having accepted a job at her old high school. She’d hoped to make peace with the past but now she’s thrust back into it: her murdered teenage sister is still immortalized in town, and Ren can’t stop seeing her wherever she goes. She’s dogged by the scandal that ruined her childhood and killed her sister.
Then Ren meets physics teacher Bryson Lewis. Handsome and charismatic, all the other teachers and students seem to fall at his feet. But Ren knows men like him – she knows they can’t be trusted.
The more Ren watches him, the more suspicious she becomes. And when she notices his close relationship with a girl in one of his classes – a girl just like her sister – she worries history is about to repeat itself. This time, she won’t sit back and watch another girl be taken before her time.
This time, Ren will do what she must to save her, even if it means revealing her own darkest secrets. (Credit: Poisoned Pen Press)
Along Came Amor by Alexis Daria
Expected Publishing Date: May 27
No strings
After Ava Rodriguez’s now-ex-husband declares he wants to “follow his dreams”—which no longer include her—she’s left questioning everything she thought she wanted. So when a handsome hotelier flirts with her, Ava vows to stop overthinking and embrace the opportunity for an epic one-night-stand.
No feelings
Roman Vázquez’s sole focus is the empire he built from the ground up. He lives and dies by his schedule, but the gorgeous stranger grimacing into her cocktail inspires him to change his plans for the evening. At first, it’s easy for Roman to agree to Ava’s rules: no strings, no feelings. But one night isn’t enough, and the more they meet, the more he wants.
No falling in love
Roman is the perfect fling, until Ava sees him at her cousin’s engagement party—as the groom’s best man, no less! Maintaining her boundaries becomes a lot more complicated as she tries to hide their relationship from her family, but Roman isn’t content being her dirty little secret. With her future uncertain and her family pressuring her from all sides, Ava will have to decide if love is worth the risk—again. (Credit: Avon)
The Potting Shed Murder by Paula Sutton
Expected Publication Date: May 27
Welcome to the beautiful, bucolic village of Pudding Corner, where there’s death amongst the dahlias . . .
Daphne Brewster has gladly swapped south London for Pudding Corner, a Norfolk hamlet full of quintessentially English charm. With a mix of stone cottages, Georgian architecture, and Victorian Gothic houses all nestled together and surrounded by fields of gold and green, Pudding Corner and its neighboring village of Pepperbridge seem as far from the bustle of city living as one can get.
For Daphne, joy at moving into beautiful Cranberry Farmhouse with her husband, James, and their three young children is tempered by some concerns about being the only Black woman for miles around. But within a few short months, Daphne has become known as the parish’s “Vintage Lady” and has set up her own shop. Business is thriving, and so is her family. As for Pudding Corner, it’s rapidly revealing itself to be filled with complicated, intertwined lives on par with anything she left behind. Then the local school’s headmaster is found dead in his allotment patch, unleashing a storm of secrets and scandal.
Even a sleepy village has its social hierarchy, and as her new friend, Minerva, becomes a target of whispers and speculation, Daphne can’t resist getting involved. Fighting for the underdog comes as naturally as sourcing the perfect vintage piece. But there is more at stake here than Daphne could have guessed, and a killer who has succeeded once is all too willing to try again . . . (Credit: A John Scognamiglio Book)
Stardust Family by Aki Poroyama
Expected Publication Date: May 27
In a world set in the future, children hold the authority to determine who may become parents. Having children is illegal–unless a couple first passes a strict examination, conducted by a child, that certifies them as capable providers. It is a veritable utopia with no child abuse…or at least, so it may seem. Hikari is one such examiner in this system, spending his days evaluating prospective parents. But one day, he comes across a couple that isn’t quite like the others… (Credit: Yen Press)
A Telegram From Le Touquet by John Rude
Expected Publication Date: May 27
As he walked away from the phone there was a puzzled expression on Blampignon’s massive countenance. He was thinking: Le Touquet again!
With some trepidation Nigel Derry approaches the country house of his enigmatic and unpredictable Aunt Gwenny for an Easter holiday visit. After a tense few days in which her guests’ interactions range from awkward dinners to a knife fight, a disgruntled Aunt Gwenny departs for Europe. Receiving a telegram from Le Touquet inviting him to join Gwenny in the south of France, Nigel finds himself on a vacation cut short by murder as a cold shadow of suspicion eclipses the sunny beauty of the Côte d’Azur.
Enter Inspector Blampignon of the Sûreté Nationale, whose problems abound as the case suggests that the crime may have occurred hundreds of miles away from where the victim was discovered. Undeterred, the formidable French detective embarks on a thrilling race to discover the truth. (Credit: Poisoned Pen Press)
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