The Nerd Daily may obtain commissions for qualifying purchases from the links included in this article, but it’s so important to remember to shop local and indie!
2023 is here, so get ready to be amazed by the incredible books heading your way! In this round up, we take a look at an array of highly anticipated books releasing between the months of January and June from authors such as Leigh Bardugo, Holly Black, Jesse Q. Sutanto, Harlan Coben, Emily Henry, Rachel Lynn Solomon, Kalynn Bayron, and many more plus some dazzling debuts.
You’ll be sure to find quite a few exciting new reads within this list and be sure to check out our other January to June 2023 lists, including 2023 Romance, 2023 Young Adult, 2023 Middle Grade, and 2023 Queer Books!
Looking for our July to December picks? Check them out here!
Read on to discover our picks and tell us in the comments below what books you are looking forward to!
JANUARY
What Lies in the Woods by Kate Alice Marshall
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
Kate Alice Marshall’s What Lies in the Woods is a thrilling novel about friendship, secrets, betrayal, and lies – and having the courage to face the past.
Lunar Love by Lauren Kung Jessen
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
This sweet, enemies-to-lovers debut rom-com filled with Chinese astrology will undoubtedly prove to be a perfect match with readers of Helen Hoang, Jasmine Guillory, and Helena Hunting.
How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
New York Times bestselling author Grady Hendrix takes on the haunted house in a thrilling new novel that explores the way your past—and your family—can haunt you like nothing else.
Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute by Talia Hibbert
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
From the New York Times bestselling author of the Brown Sisters trilogy, comes a laugh-out-loud story about a quirky content creator and a clean-cut athlete testing their abilities to survive the great outdoors—and each other.
Hell Bent by Leigh Bardugo
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
Wealth. Power. Murder. Magic. The Ivy League is going straight to hell in the sequel to the smash New York Times bestseller Ninth House from #1 bestselling author Leigh Bardugo.
Begin Again by Emma Lord
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
Filled with a friend group that feels like family, an empowering journey of finding your own way, and a Just Kiss Already! romance, Emma Lord’s Begin Again is an unforgettable YA novel of love and starting again.
Exes and O’s by Amy Lea
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
A romance novel–obsessed social media influencer revisits her exes on her hunt for true love in this romantic comedy from the author of Set On You.
The Stolen Heir by Holly Black
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
Return to the opulent world of Elfhame, filled with intrigue, betrayal, and dangerous desires, with this first book of a captivating new duology from the #1 New York Times bestselling author Holly Black.
Behind the Scenes by Karelia Stetz-Waters
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
Fans of Abby Jimenez and Meryl Wilsner will fall in love with this hilarious and refreshingly authentic novel about second chances, pugs, and finding the perfect muse . . .
Episode Thirteen by Craig DiLouie
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
From the macabre mind of a Bram Stoker Award-nominated author, this heart-pounding novel of horror and psychological suspense takes a ghost hunting reality TV crew into a world they could never have imagined.
Promise Boys by Nick Brooks
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
The Hate U Give meets One of Us Is Lying in Nick Brooks’s Promise Boys, a trailblazing, blockbuster YA mystery about three teen boys of color who must investigate their principal’s murder to clear their own names―for fans of Jason Reynolds, Angie Thomas, and Karen McManus.
Vampire Weekend by Mike Chen
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
About a Boy meets What We Do In The Shadows in the next fun genre-mashup from Mike Chen, featuring a punk-rock vampire learning to connect to the world again when her surly teenaged grand-nephew needs her, and her music, to get him through a tough time.
FEBRUARY
A Day of Fallen Night by Samantha Shannon
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
Intricate and epic, Samantha Shannon sweeps readers back to the world of A Priory of the Orange Tree, showing us a course of events that shaped it for generations to come.
Secretly Yours by Tessa Bailey
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
From #1 New York Times bestselling author and TikTok favorite Tessa Bailey comes a steamy new rom-com about a starchy professor and the bubbly neighbor he clashes with at every turn…
The Shadow of Perseus by Claire Heywood
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
Nationally bestselling author of Daughters of Sparta Claire Heywood returns with an imaginative and female-centered reinterpretation of the myth of the great hero Perseus, told through the voices of three women who are sidelined in the traditional version—his mother, Danae; his trophy, Medusa; and his wife, Andromeda—but whose viewpoints reveal a man who is not, in fact, a hero at all.
The House Guest by Hank Phillippi Ryan
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
The House Guest is another diabolical cat-and-mouse thriller from USA Today bestselling author Hank Phillippi Ryan―but which character is the cat, and which character is the mouse?
The Magician’s Daughter by H.G. Parry
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
In the early 1900s, a young woman is caught between two worlds in H. G. Parry’s spellbinding tale of miracles, magic, and the adventure of a lifetime.
Nightbirds by Kate J. Armstrong
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
In a dazzling new fantasy world full of whispered secrets and political intrigue, the magic of women is outlawed but four girls with unusual powers have the chance to change it all.
Delicious Monsters by Liselle Sambury
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
The Haunting of Hill House meets Sadie in this evocative and mind-bending psychological thriller following two teen girls navigating the treacherous past of a mysterious mansion ten years apart.
I Have Some Questions for You by Rebecca Makkai
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
In the riveting new novel from the author of the Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award finalist The Great Believers, a woman must reckon with her past when new details surface about a tragedy at her elite New England boarding school.
Best Served Hot by Amanda Elliot
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
Two restaurant critics learn their opposing tastes might make for a five-star relationship in the next foodie romantic comedy from the author of Sadie on a Plate.
Seven Faceless Saints by M. K. Lobb
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
Discover what’s lurking in the shadows in this dark fantasy debut with a murder-mystery twist, perfect for fans of Leigh Bardugo and Kerri Maniscalco.
The Last Tale of the Flower Bride by Roshani Chokshi
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
A sumptuous, gothic-infused story about a marriage that is unraveled by dark secrets, a friendship cursed to end in tragedy, and the danger of believing in fairy tales—the breathtaking adult debut from New York Times bestselling author Roshani Chokshi.
Not Your Ex’s Hexes by April Asher
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
In April Asher’s next Supernatural Singles novel, Not Your Ex’s Hexes, a one-night-stand between a willful witch and a broody half-demon conjures an adventure that wouldn’t be complete without several magical mishaps.
MARCH
The Foxglove King by Hannah F. Whitten
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
In this lush, romantic epic fantasy series from a New York Times bestselling author, a young woman’s secret power to raise the dead plunges her into the dangerous and glamorous world of the Sainted King’s royal court.
Hamra and the Jungle of Memories by Hanna Alkaf
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
For fans of Ikegna and A Tale Dark and Grimm comes a story of a brave heroine, a beguiling villain, fantastical worlds, magical adventures, and a journey that will remind you that hope, friendship, and love endures all.
The Love Wager by Lynn Painter
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
Two people make a wager on who can find love first, not realizing what they should be betting on is each other, in this new romantic comedy by Lynn Painter, New York Times bestselling author of Mr. Wrong Number.
Clytemnestra by Costanza Casati
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
For fans of Madeline Miller’s Circe, a stunning debut following Clytemnestra, the most notorious villainess of the ancient world and the events that forged her into the legendary queen.
Chaos & Flame by Tessa Gratton and Justina Ireland
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
From New York Times bestselling author Justina Ireland and Tessa Gratton comes the first book in a ferocious YA fantasy duology featuring ancient magic, warring factions, and a romance between the two people in the world with the most cause to hate one another.
Jane & Edward: A Modern Reimagining of Jane Eyre by Melodie Edwards
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
This powerful reimagining of Jane Eyre, set in a modern-day law firm, is full of romance and hope as it follows the echoing heartbeats of the classic story.
Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutanto
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
A lonely shopkeeper takes it upon herself to solve a murder in the most peculiar way in this captivating mystery by Jesse Q. Sutanto, bestselling author of Dial A for Aunties.
The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi by S.A. Chakraborty
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
Shannon Chakraborty, the bestselling author of The City of Brass, spins a new trilogy of magic and mayhem on the high seas in this tale of pirates and sorcerers, forbidden artifacts and ancient mysteries, in one woman’s determined quest to seize a final chance at glory—and write her own legend.
The Mostly True Story of Tanner and Louise by Colleen Oakley
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
A “wildly surprising, entertaining” (Jodi Picoult) novel featuring a college dropout and an eighty-four-year-old woman on the run from the law, full of tremendous heart, wit, and wisdom from the USA Today bestselling author of The Invisible Husband of Frick Island.
My Dear Henry: A Jekyll & Hyde Remix by Kalynn Bayron
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
A teen boy tries to discover the reason behind his best friend’s disappearance―and the arrival of a mysterious and magnetic stranger―in misty Victorian London, in Kalynn Bayron’s My Dear Henry, a gothic YA remix of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde, sixth in the Remixed Classics series.
I Will Find You by Harlan Coben
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
An innocent father serving life for the murder of his own son receives evidence that his child may still be alive, and must break out of prison to find out the truth in #1 New York Times bestselling author Harlan Coben’s latest breathtaking thriller.
A House With Good Bones by T. Kingfisher
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
A haunting Southern Gothic from an award-winning master of suspense, A House With Good Bones explores the dark, twisted roots lurking just beneath the veneer of a perfect home and family.
APRIL
Blood Debts by Terry J. Benton-Walker
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
Terry J. Benton-Walker’s contemporary fantasy debut, Blood Debts, is “an extravaganza from start to finish” (Chloe Gong) with powerful magical families, intergenerational curses, and deadly drama in New Orleans.
In the Lives of Puppets by T.J. Klune
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
New York Times bestselling author TJ Klune invites you deep into the heart of a peculiar forest and on the extraordinary journey of a family assembled from spare parts.
Happy Place by Emily Henry
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
A couple who broke up months ago pretend to still be together for their annual weeklong vacation with their best friends in this glittering and wise new novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Emily Henry.
The Only Survivors by Megan Miranda
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
From the New York Times bestselling author of All the Missing Girls and “master of suspense, Megan Miranda”, a thrilling mystery about a group of former classmates who reunite to mark the tenth anniversary of a tragic accident—only to have one of the survivors disappear, casting fear and suspicion on the original tragedy.
Silver In The Bone by Alexandra Bracken
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
#1 New York Times bestselling author Alexandra Bracken cements her status as one of the top fantasy authors writing today in this stunning series opener inspired by Arthurian legend and fueled by love, revenge, and pure adrenaline!
The Golden Doves by Martha Hall Kelly
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
Two former female spies, bound together by their past, risk everything to hunt down an infamous Nazi doctor in the aftermath of World War II—an extraordinary novel inspired by true events from the New York Times bestselling author of Lilac Girls.
Ana María and the Fox by Liana De la Rosa
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
A forbidden love between a Mexican heiress and a shrewd British politician makes for a tantalizing Victorian season.
The Thick and the Lean by Chana Porter
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
In Lambda Award finalist Chana Porter’s highly anticipated new novel, an aspiring chef, a cyberthief, and a kitchen maid each break free of a society that wants to constrain them.
Jasmine and Jake Rock the Boat by Sonya Lalli
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
An impulsive decision to join an Alaskan cruise getaway brings the chance for an onboard romance in this new enemies-to-lovers romance from the author of A Holly Jolly Diwali.
Some Desperate Glory by Emily Tesh
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
A thrillingly told queer space opera about the wreckage of war, the family you find, and who you must become when every choice is stripped from you, Some Desperate Glory is Astounding Award Winner and Crawford Award Finalist Emily Tesh’s highly anticipated debut novel.
Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
A novel of terrible first impressions, hilarious second chances, and the joy in finding your perfect match from “a true talent” (Emily Henry, #1 New York Times bestselling author).
Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
A comedy writer thinks she’s sworn off love, until a dreamy pop star flips the script on all her assumptions—a hilarious, observant, and deeply tender novel from the New York Times bestselling author of Eligible, Rodham, and Prep.
MAY
The Water Outlaws by S.L. Huang
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
Inspired by a classic of martial arts literature, S. L. Huang’s The Water Outlaws are bandits of devastating ruthlessness, unseemly femininity, dangerous philosophies, and ungovernable gender who are ready to make history―or tear it apart.
The Daydreams by Laura Hankin
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
A deliciously entertaining novel about the stars of a popular teen show from the early 2000s—and the reunion special, thirteen years after their scandalous flameout, that will either be their last chance at redemption, or destroy them all for good.
The Ferryman by Justin Cronin
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
From the New York Times bestselling author of The Passage comes a riveting standalone novel about a group of survivors on a hidden island utopia—where the truth isn’t what it seems.
Practice Makes Perfect by Sarah Adams
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
A small-town sweetheart and an emotionally unavailable bad boy try to find some common ground in this chemistry-filled romance from the author of The Cheat Sheet and When in Rome.
The Isles of the Gods by Amie Kaufman
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
Magic, romance, and slumbering gods clash in the start of a riveting fantasy series that spans gangsters’ dens, forgotten temples, and the high seas from the New York Times bestselling author of the Aurora Cycle and the Illuminae Files.
Killing Me by Michelle Gagnon
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
Utterly original and wildly entertaining, with a protagonist whose life is a total mess, Killing Me is the laugh-out-loud funny thriller that we never knew we needed.
The Celebrants by Steven Rowley
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
A Big Chill for our times, celebrating decades-long friendships and promises—especially to ourselves—by the bestselling and celebrated author of The Guncle.
Of Light and Shadow by Tanaz Bhathena
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
Of Light and Shadow is a novel about magic, mayhem, love, and betrayal―the story of a bandit and a prince who change each other in unexpected ways.
The Girls of Summer by Katie Bishop
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
Joining a post #MeToo discourse, The Girls of Summer grapples with themes of power, sex, and consent, as it explores the complicated nature of memory and trauma––and what it takes to reframe, and reclaim, your own story.
Venom & Vow by Anna-Marie McLemore and Elliott McLemore
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
Two enemy kingdoms are forced to work together to break a curse in this lush YA fantasy, featuring a transgender prince and a bigender dama/assassin in the lead roles.
Dragonfall by Laura Lam
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
Long-banished dragons, revered as gods, return to the mortal realm in the first in this magical new epic fantasy trilogy from a bestselling author
The True Love Experiment by Christina Lauren
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
Sparks fly when a romance novelist and a documentary filmmaker join forces to craft the perfect Hollywood love story and take both of their careers to the next level—but only if they can keep the chemistry between them from taking the whole thing off script—from the New York Times bestselling authors of The Soulmate Equation and The Unhoneymooners.
JUNE
Garden of the Cursed by Katy Rose Pool
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
In this romantic, edge-of-your-seat YA fantasy/mystery, cursebreaker Marlow Briggs reluctantly pretends to be in love with a powerful noble to gain entry into an illustrious―and deadly―society that holds clues to her mother’s disappearance. Perfect for fans of Veronica Mars, These Violent Delights, and Chain of Iron.
The Only One Left by Riley Sager
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
Bestselling author Riley Sager returns with a Gothic chiller about a young caregiver assigned to work for a woman accused of a Lizzie Borden-like massacre decades earlier.
Girls and Their Horses by Eliza Jane Brazier
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
Set in the glamorous, competitive world of showjumping, a novel about the girls who ride, their cutthroat mothers, and a suspicious death at a horse show…from the author of Good Rich People
Unfortunately Yours by Tessa Bailey
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
#1 New York Times bestselling author Tessa Bailey returns with the hilarious follow-up to Secretly Yours, in which a down-on-her-luck Napa heiress suggests a mutually beneficial marriage of convenience to a man she can’t stand… only to discover there’s a fine line between love and hate.
Maddalena and the Dark by Julia Fine
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
For fans of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue and Mexican Gothic, a novel set in 18th-century Venice at a prestigious music school, about two girls drawn together by a dangerous wager
Business or Pleasure by Rachel Lynn Solomon
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
A ghostwriter and a struggling actor help each other on the page and in the bedroom in this steamy romantic comedy from the New York Times bestselling author of The Ex Talk.
What Remains by Wendy Walker
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
Detective Elise Sutton is drawn to cold cases. Each crime is a puzzle to solve, pulled from the past. Steeped in guilt, and on a leave of absence from work, she’s numb, even to her husband and daughters, until she connects with Wade Austin, the tall man whose life she saved. But Elise soon realizes that he isn’t who he says he is.
Where Echoes Die by Courtney Gould
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
Two sisters travel to an isolated Arizona town to investigate its connection to their mother’s death, but uncover more than they bargained for in this supernatural thriller from the author of The Dead and the Dark.
The Drowning Woman by Robyn Harding
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
The bestselling author of The Party returns with a deliciously twisted story of friendship, retribution, and betrayal about a homeless woman fleeing a dangerous past—and the wealthy society wife she saves from drowning, who pulls her into a dark web of secrets and lies.
You’re Not Supposed to Die Tonight by Kalynn Bayron
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
At Camp Mirror Lake, terror is the name of the game . . . but can you survive the night? This heart-pounding slasher by New York Times bestselling author Kalynn Bayron is perfect for fans of Fear Street.
The First Bright Thing by J.R. Dawson
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
If you knew how dark tomorrow would be, what would you do with today? The First Bright Thing is a spellbinding debut for fans of The Night Circus and The Invisible Life of Addie La Rue.
Threads That Bind by Kika Hatzopoulou
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
In a world where the children of the gods inherit their powers, a descendant of the Greek Fates must solve a series of impossible murders to save her sisters, her soulmate, and her city.
Will you be updating this list for the second half of 2023?
Sarah Waters?en2023?merci
It feels like a cop out to say but my board game RomCom debut Playing For Keeps is coming in June! Also Love Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood which comes out in June as well
Threads that bind