Get ready to look forward to some great fiction book releases in 2025! We’ve rounded up just a few fiction books releasing between January and June from thrillers and historical fiction, to stories of friendship and family, and more. With releases from Megan Collins, Scott Turow, Kate Alice Marshall, Jojo Moyes, Elle Cosimano, Stephen Graham Jones, Alex North, Fredrik Backman, Maggie Stiefvater, and many more, plus those making their debut.

Read on to discover new books hitting shelves in the first half of the year and be sure to check out our other 2025 round-ups too, including our Most Anticipated, Romance, Fantasy & Sci-Fi and Young Adult lists.

JANUARY 2025 FICTION BOOK RELEASES

Old Soul by Susan Barker

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The Historian meets Under the Skin in this searingly provocative literary horror novel about one woman’s determination to stay alive at any terrifying cost.

The Stolen Queen by Fiona Davis

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From New York Times bestselling author Fiona Davis, an utterly addictive new novel that will transport you from New York City’s most glamorous party to the labyrinth streets of Cairo and back.

A Serial Killer’s Guide to Marriage by Asia Mackay

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Two former serial killers trying to keep their past buried realize that old habits die hard in this “wildly original, razor-sharp thriller” (Chris Whitaker, New York Times bestselling author of All the Colors of the Dark).

Tell Me What You Did by Carter Wilson

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From the USA Today bestselling author of The Dead Girl in 2A and The New Neighbor comes a chilling new thriller that forces the question: are murderers always the bad guys?

The Inheritance by Trisha Sakhlecha

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A billionaire is primed to announce the succession plan for his company to his family at a lavish reunion, but at least one person won’t make it through the week alive. . . Most family reunions end in tears. This one will end in murder. 

Head Cases by John McMahon

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Head Cases follows an enigmatic group of FBI agents as they hunt down a murderer seeking his own justice in this electrifying―and commercial―series debut.

We Rip the World Apart by Charlene Carr

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Weaving the women’s stories across multiple timelines, We Rip the World Apart reveals the ways that simple choices, made in the heat of the moment and with the best of intentions, can have deep and lasting repercussions―especially when people stay silent.

The Three Lives of Cate Kay by Kate Fagan

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The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo meets First Lie Wins in this electric, voice-driven debut novel about an elusive bestselling author who decides to finally confess her true identity after years of hiding from her past.

Cross My Heart by Megan Collins

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She has his wife’s heart; the one she wants is his. The author of The Family Plot brings her signature “taut, emotionally charged, and propulsive” (Jeneva Rose, New York Times bestselling author) prose to a twisty novel about a heart transplant patient who becomes romantically obsessed with her donor’s husband.

We Could Be Rats by Emily Austin

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A moving story about two very different sisters, and a love letter to childhood, growing up, and the power of imagination—from the bestselling author of Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead and Interesting Facts About Space.

Presumed Guilty by Scott Turow

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New from the author of Presumed Innocent, the #1 bestseller that redefined the legal thriller and is the basis for Apple TV+’s most-watched drama series ever.

The Crash by Freida McFadden

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A gut-wrenching story of motherhood, survival, and twisted expectations, #1 New York Times bestselling author Freida McFadden delivers a snowbound thriller that will chill you to the bone.

FEBRUARY 2025 FICTION BOOK RELEASES

A Killing Cold by Kate Alice Marshall

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A woman invited to her wealthy fiance’s family retreat realizes they are hiding a terrible secret―and that she’s been there before, by the bestselling author of What Lies in the Woods.

Junie by Erin Crosby Eckstine

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A young girl must face a life-altering decision after awakening her sister’s ghost, navigating truths about love, friendship, and power as the Civil War looms.

Maya & Natasha by Elyse Durham

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This stunning debut novel set in the fascinating world of Cold War Soviet ballet follows the fates of twin sisters whose bond is competitive, complicated, but never broken.

The Garden by Nick Newman

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An eerie, hypnotic, darkly beautiful novel about two elderly sisters living alone at the edge of the world and how their lives unravel when their sanctum is breached, for fans of Piranesi and The Testaments.

The Lamb by Lucy Rose

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From an incendiary new talent, a contemporary queer folktale about a mother and daughter living in the woods, for fans of Angela Carter, Margaret Atwood, and Julia Armfield.

Last Twilight in Paris by Pam Jenoff

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A Parisian department store, a mysterious necklace and a woman’s quest to unlock a decade-old mystery are at the center of this riveting novel of love and survival, from New York Times bestselling author Pam Jenoff.

We All Live Here by Jojo Moyes

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The #1 New York Times bestselling author, whose books so many love, brings us a fresh, contemporary story of a woman and her unruly blended family.

Harlem Rhapsody by Victoria Christopher Murray

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She found the literary voices that would inspire the world…. The extraordinary story of the woman who ignited the Harlem Renaissance, written by Victoria Christopher Murray, New York Times bestselling coauthor of The Personal Librarian.

You Are Fatally Invited by Ande Pliego

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An exclusive thriller writer’s retreat hosted on a private island turns lethal when one of the authors is found murdered.

The Lost Passenger by Frances Quinn

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An immersive historical drama about a young mother who starts a new life with her son in New York after faking their deaths on the Titanic—the U.S. debut of acclaimed British novelist Frances Quinn.

Three Days in June by Anne Tyler

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A new Anne Tyler novel destined to be an instant classic: a socially awkward mother of the bride navigates the days before and after her daughter’s wedding.

Isola by Allegra Goodman

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A young woman and her lover are marooned on an island in this breathtaking saga, an epic story of love, faith, and defiance from the bestselling author of Sam

MARCH 2025 FICTION BOOK RELEASES

The King’s Messenger by Susanna Kearsley

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New York Times, USA Today and international bestselling author Susanna Kearsley explores romance, court alliances, and the limits of one’s duty in this rich story of an honorable man in service to a treacherous king, and the mission that brings him to love and his true calling.

Broken Country by Clare Hall

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A sweeping love story with the pace and twists of a thriller, Broken Country is a novel of simmering passion, impossible choices, and explosive consequences that toggles between the past and present to explore the far-reaching legacy of first love.

Jane and Dan at the End of the World by Colleen Oakley

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Date night goes off the rails in this hilariously insightful take on midlife and marriage when one unhappy couple find themselves at the heart of a crime in progress, from the USA Today bestselling author of The Mostly True Story of Tanner & Louise.

This Book Will Bury Me by Ashley Winstead

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From the national bestselling author of In My Dreams I Hold a Knife and Midnight is the Darkest Hour comes a chilling, compulsive story of five amateur sleuths, whose hunt for an elusive killer catapults them into danger as the world watches.

The Story She Left Behind by Patti Callahan Henry

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Inspired by a true literary mystery, New York Times bestselling author of the mesmerizing The Secret Book of Flora Lea returns with the sweeping story of a legendary book, a lost mother, and a daughter’s search for them both.

Finlay Donovan Digs Her Own Grave by Elle Cosimano

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From New York Times bestseller and Edgar-Award nominee Elle Cosimano, comes Finlay Donovan Digs Her Own Grave―the hugely anticipated next installment in the fan-favorite Finlay Donovan series.

Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy

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A novel of breathtaking twists, dizzying beauty, and ferocious love, Wild Dark Shore is about the impossible choices we make to protect the people we love, even as the world around us disappears.

Count My Lies by Sophie Stava

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A read-in-one-night suspense thriller narrated by a compulsive liar whose little white lies allow her to enter into the life and comfort of a wealthy married couple who are harboring much darker secrets themselves. For the millions of us still chasing those gone girls, this is perfect for fans of Lisa Jewell, Lucy Foley, and Laura Dave.

The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones

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A chilling historical horror novel set in the American west in 1912 following a Lutheran priest who transcribes the life of a vampire who haunts the fields of the Blackfeet reservation looking for justice.

Retreat by Krysten Ritter

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A beautiful con artist insinuates herself into a wealthy socialite’s life . . . with deadly consequences, in this serpentine thriller about identity and obsession, from actress, director and bestselling author Krysten Ritter.

Dissolution by Nicholas Binge

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A woman dives into her husband’s memories to uncover a decades-old feud threatening reality itself in this staggering technothriller from the bestselling author of Ascension.

Early Thirties by Josh Duboff

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A hilarious and painfully relatable debut novel about two thirtysomething best friends’ messy search for connection and love in New York, perfect for fans of Rebecca Serle, Gabrielle Zevin, and Dolly Alderton.

APRIL 2025 FICTION BOOK RELEASES

The French Honeymoon by Anne-Sophie Jouhanneau

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The Paris Apartment meets A Simple Favor in an unputdownable thriller about a honeymoon gone horribly wrong.

Coram House by Bailey Seybolt

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Sharp Objects meets I Have Some Questions for You in this haunting novel—inspired by a true story—about a crime writer who risks everything as she investigates the mystery of two deaths, decades apart, at a crumbling Vermont orphanage.

Passion Project by London Sperry

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A compassionate and hopeful romantic comedy, Passion Project is a reminder that love is waiting for us to let it in.

Happy Land by Dolen Perkins-Valdez

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A woman learns the astonishing truth of her family’s ties to a vanished American Kingdom in this riveting new novel from the New York Times bestselling, NAACP Image Award-winning author of Take My Hand.

Bad Nature by Ariel Courage

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Armed with a terminal diagnosis, a grudge, and a rental car, Hester sets out to fulfill her lifelong dream of killing her father in this brilliantly subversive and bleakly funny debut novel.

What If I Never Get Over You by Paige Toon

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One Day meets a contemporary Bridgerton in this high-drama, escapist wonder of a love story, Paige Toon’s best yet.

A Town with Half the Lights On by Page Getz

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For readers of J. Ryan Stradal and The Music of Bees (with a dash of FX’s The Bear) comes a quirky and refreshing epistolary novel about family of culture-shocked Brooklynites transplanted to Goodnight, Kansas and their fight for their unexpected lifeline: the legendary May Day Diner.

The Bright Years by Sarah Damoff

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One family. Four generations. A secret son. A devastating addiction. A Texas family is met with losses and surprises of inheritance, but they’re unable to shake the pull back toward each other in this big-hearted family saga perfect for readers of Mary Beth Keane and Claire Lombardo.

Bearer of Bad News by Elisabeth Dini

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A sharply funny and moving debut in which a young woman accepts a job that takes her though the Italian Dolomites and into an international mystery far greater—and more personal—than she could have ever expected.

The Strange Case of Jane O. by Karen Thompson Walker

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In this spellbinding and provocative novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Age of Miracles, a young mother is struck by sudden and puzzling psychological symptoms that illuminate the mysterious dimensions of the human mind—and of love.

The Murder Show by Matt Goldman

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The Murder Show is a pulse-racing novel about secrets, old friends, and how the past never leaves us by New York Times bestselling and Emmy Award winning author Matt Goldman.

The Amalfi Curse by Sarah Penner

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Powerful witchcraft. A hunt for sunken treasure. Forbidden love on the high seas. Beware the Amalfi Curse…

MAY 2025 FICTION BOOK RELEASES

Austen At Sea by Natalie Jenner

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Two pairs of siblings, devotees of Jane Austen, find their lives transformed by a visit to England and Sir Francis Austen, her last surviving brother and keeper of a long-suppressed, secret legacy.

All the Mothers by Domenica Ruta

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From New York Times bestselling author Domenica Ruta comes a heartfelt, hilarious novel about a single mom reimagining what the perfect family can look like.

Girls of Good Fortune by Kristina McMorris

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A captivating tale of resilience and hope, The Girls of Good Fortune explores the complexity of family and identity, the importance of stories that echo through generations, and the power of strength found beneath the surface.

The Retirement Plan by Sue Hincenbergs

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Three middle-aged best friends turn to murder in order to collect on their husbands’ life insurance policies…but are unaware that their husbands have a devious plan of their own, in this darkly funny debut—perfect for fans of The Thursday Murder Club and Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone.

The Manor of Dreams by Christina Li

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Mexican Gothic meets The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo in Christina Li’s haunting novel about the secrets that lie in wait in the crumbling mansion of a former Hollywood starlet, and the intertwined fates of the two Chinese American families fighting to inherit it.

Aftertaste by Daria Lavelle

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What if you could have one last meal with someone you’ve loved, someone you’ve lost? Combining the magic of Under the Whispering Door with the high-stakes culinary world of Sweetbitter, Aftertaste is an epic love story, a dark comedy, and a synesthetic adventure through food and grief.

The Missing Half by Ashley Flowers

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Two women haunted by their sisters’ unsolved disappearances band together in this captivating mystery from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of All Good People Here and host of the #1 true crime podcast Crime Junkie.

Immaculate Conception by Ling Ling Huang

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From the author of Natural Beauty, set in the fiercely competitive art world, a novel about an obsessive friendship upended by a cutting-edge technology purported to enhance empathy and connection

My Name Is Emilia del Valle by Isabel Allende

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In this spellbinding historical novel from the New York Times bestselling author of A Long Petal of the Sea and The Wind Knows My Name, a young writer journeys to South America to uncover the truth about her father—and herself.

The Man Made of Smoke by Alex North

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With his signature shock and suspense, Alex North brings us The Man Made of Smoke. In turn emotional, introspective, and utterly terrifying, this is a story of fathers and sons, shadows and secrets, and the fight we all face to escape the trauma of the past.

Slaying You by Michelle Gagnon

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A wildly funny thriller about reluctant partners who hit the danger jackpot when they discover that a serial killer is on their heels . . . again.

The Night Birds by Christopher Golden

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The next gripping, atmospheric horror novel from New York Times bestselling author Christopher Golden, set in a deteriorated, half-sunken freighter ship off the coast of Galveston, TX.

JUNE 2025 FICTION BOOK RELEASES

My Friends by Fredrik Backman

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#1 New York Times bestselling author Fredrik Backman returns with an unforgettably funny, deeply moving tale of four teenagers whose friendship creates a bond so powerful that it changes a complete stranger’s life twenty-five years later.

Don’t Let Him In by Lisa Jewell

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From #1 New York Times bestseller Lisa Jewell, an author “at the very top of her game” (Lucy Foley)—three women are connected by one man in this kaleidoscopic thriller.

The Listeners by Maggie Stiefvater

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#1 New York Times bestselling novelist Maggie Stiefvater dazzles in this mesmerizing portrait of an irresistible heroine, an unlikely romance, and a hotel—and a world—in peril.

A Language of Limbs by Dylin Hardcastle

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A beautifully inventive, tender novel—the author’s first to be published in the U.S.—following two lives as they almost intersect over three heartbreaking yet euphoric decades

The Accidental Favorite by Fran Littlewood

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From the New York Times bestselling author of Amazing Grace Adams comes a wryly resonant and deeply moving family dramedy investigating the question so many of us have asked ourselves: do my parents have a favorite?

The Stolen Life of Colette Marceau by Kristin Harmel

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Kristin Harmel, the New York Times bestselling author who “is the best there is at sweeping historical drama” (Kelly Harms, author of The Seven Day Switch), returns with an electrifying new novel about two jewel thieves, a priceless bracelet that disappears in 1940s Paris, and a quest for answers in a decades-old murder.

The Bachelorette Party by Camilla Sten

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Scream meets The Guest List in this wickedly compelling and compulsively page-turning thriller of friendship and murder from the author of The Lost Village, Camilla Sten.

Confessions of a Grammar Queen by Eliza Knight

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There are no female publishing CEOs in 1960’s New York. And that is exactly what savvy, ambitious Bernadette Swift plans to change.

Tell Me Something Good by Court Stevens

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This is a story of the rich and the very poor. This is a story of an illegal auction with dire consequences. This is a story of murders past and present. This is a story of intertwined relationships and the silent ripples they leave behind, where love becomes a guiding force, revealing the lengths one will go to protect those they cherish.

The Ghostwriter by Julie Clark

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A blistering literary suspense novel about a ghostwriter who is hired to write the last book for her estranged father and finds herself investigating the brutal murder of both his siblings in the summer of 1975.

The Other Side of Now by Paige Harbison

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A hilarious and heartfelt novel about how loves and lives are never truly lost, for fans of Rebecca Serle and Taylor Jenkins Reid.

Park Avenue by Renée Ahdieh

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#1 NYT-bestselling YA author Renee Ahdieh’s adult debut novel, about a young lawyer who gets pulled in to manage a crisis with her firm’s biggest client, a family whose Korean beauty brand is worth a billion dollars, pitched as Crazy Rich Asians meets Succession.

What releases are you looking forward to? Any other recommendations for us? Tell us in the comments below!

The post Fiction Book Releases To Check Out In 2025 appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Intrigued? Well read on to discover the synopsis and an excerpt from Lisa Jewell’s Breaking The Dark, which is out now.

Meet Jessica Jones: Retired super hero, private investigator, loner. She tried her best to be a shiny spandex crimefighter, but that life only led to unspeakable trauma. Now she avoids that world altogether and works on surviving day-to-day in Hell’s Kitchen, New York.

The morning a distraught mother comes into her office, Jessica would prefer to nurse her hangover and try to forget last night’s poor choices. But something about Amber Randall’s story strikes a chord with her. Amber is adamant that something happened to her teenage twins while they were visiting their father in the UK. The twins don’t act like themselves, and they now have flawless skin, have lost their distinctive tics and habits, and keep talking about a girl named Belle. Amber insists her children have been replaced by something horrible, something “perfect.”

Traveling to a small village in the British countryside, Jessica meets the mysterious Belle, who lives a curiously isolated life in an old farmhouse with a strange woman who claims to be her guardian. Can this unworldly teenager really be responsible for the Randall twins’ new personas? Why does the strange little village of Barton Wallop seem to harbor dark energies and mysteries in its tight-knit community?

A mother’s intuition is never wrong. And Jessica knows that nothing in life is perfect—not these kids, not her on-again, off-again relationship with Luke Cage, and certainly not Jessica herself. But even as she tries to buy into the idea that better days are ahead, Jessica Jones has seen all too clearly that behind every promise of perfection trails a dark, dangerous shadow.

Breaking the Dark, the first book in the brand-new Marvel Crime series, introduces fans to a grittier, street-level side of the Marvel Universe, and will continue with original novels featuring fan-favorite characters like Luke Cage, written by S.A. Cosby, and Daredevil, written by Alex Segura.

EXCERPT

THE SENSATION OF waking the next morning in Luke’s bed with a clear head and an unsullied memory of the night before is novel. She turns toward Luke and props her head on her hand. He’s lying on his back, looking at his phone, and his face opens up at the sight of her. He puts the phone down and turns so that he is facing her fully.

“Good morning, Jessica Jones.”

“Good morning, Luke Cage.”

“So this is what you look like in the mornings when you don’t have a stinking hangover.”

“Yeah. Pretty, huh?” She pulls a cheesy smile.

“Yeah,” says Luke, moving his face closer to hers. “So pretty.”

She pushes his face away from hers playfully. “What are you doing today?”

“Oh, you know, putting up shelves.”

“Putting up shelves? Seriously?”

“Yeah. Seriously. You might have noticed that I do not have any shelves. And I also have things that need to go on shelves. So I am putting up shelves.”

“And where are you going to get the shelves from?”

“I already have the shelves. I got them last weekend from IKEA.”

“You went to IKEA?”

“Er, yeah. Where else do you think I’d get shelves from?”

“I really can’t say I’ve ever thought about it. Maybe I just thought you’d hack down a tree and carve it into slices with your bare hands.”

“Really?” He laughs. “You think that?”

“No. I don’t think that. But you know, self-assembly hell, even you might need some help with that. Would you like my assistance? I could use one of those things with the thing in it?”

“One of those things with the thing in it?”

“Yeah. For straight lines. It has like a little blob of oil in the middle? I think?”

“A spirit level?”

“Yeah! A spirit level! I can do that if you need me to?”

Luke smiles lazily at her and finds her hands. He picks them up and squeezes them gently. “Jessica Jones. I would love to put up shelves with you today. Thank you.”

“No. Thank you. It’s nice to have someone to spend time with. I’ve just been feeling . . . since I gave up drinking . . . just so . . .”

“Bored?”

“Yeah. Bored. Time goes slowly, doesn’t it?”

Luke laughs. “It can.”

“Just so slowly. And rooms feel so . . . hollow. And my mind. It goes places. And plays tricks on me. And I keep seeing this girl. . . .”

She pauses, unsure for a moment, but then she glances up and sees Luke’s soft gaze on her, so she continues. “A little girl. She looks about five. And at first, I thought she was real? But now I’m not sure. And it feels like maybe my brain made her up? I can’t . . . I can’t explain it.”

“What makes you think she’s not real?”

“I don’t know. Because she sure as hell looks real to me. But whenever I see her, she is always alone, and what sort of five-year-old is always alone? Like no five-year-old, that’s who. I dunno. Maybe I’m losing my mind a little.”

“We’re all losing our minds a little.”

“Are you losing your mind, Luke?”

“Of course I am. Every minute of every day.”

“Like, right now?”

“No, not right now. But the rest of the time.”

“Why not right now?”

Luke rolls his eyes. “Duh,” he says. “Because you’re here.”

Jessica’s stomach reacts to this with a sickly sweet lurch. “Ha,” she says. “Interesting.”

“In what way interesting?”

“In the way that it sounds like you’re saying something nice to me.”

“And why wouldn’t I be saying something nice to you?”

“Because . . .”

She stops. She wants to say Because I’m a loser. But she feels for a moment like maybe she isn’t a loser, especially here, in Luke’s fragrant bed, with a clear head and a shaft of golden morning sun cutting through a gap in his drapes, with his eyes on her like that, like she is a good thing, not a bad thing, and the soft, shocking secret that may be growing inside her right now.

“No,” she says instead. “You’re right. I’m freaking amazing.”

“Well, I did not say that precisely,” he replies with a twinkle and Jessica rolls her eyes and play-pushes him before sighing and leaning back into the pillows.

“Do you ever think about the next ten years, Luke?”

“What aspect of the next ten years?”

“I don’t know, I guess the substance of it? What they’re going to be for? I mean, did you ever think about, I don’t know, having kids? With any of your exes?”

“Kids?” Luke lets out a small dry laugh. “No. No, I never did think about kids. I mean, what sort of a world is this to bring new life into? This shitty, disgusting world. No. It was never on the agenda.”

Jessica feels the playful mood dip and she stifles a sigh. “And now?”

“Well, I don’t see the world getting any better, do you?”

“So you don’t think a child’s world is what you make it?”

“Hey, I know I have super-powers, but I’m not sure they extend to ending poverty, racism, war, and disease.”

“But you can protect your children, can’t you? Surely?”

“I’m not sure you can. Especially a child of mine, whose skin would be the wrong color for this world. Maybe it would be unbreakable like mine, but damn sure everyone would try to test that. Every day would be an uphill battle. And I’m tired enough fighting for myself, let alone for a child that didn’t ask to be born.”

Jessica nods, mutely.

“What about you?” he asks. “You ever think about having a child?”

She smiles tightly. “Yeah, I mean sometimes, I guess. But then I think, what sort of mother would I be? You know. With all my issues.”

“Well, yeah, there’s that too. Not just the world that can mess up a kid. Moms and dads can do a pretty good job of that too.”

Jessica reels slightly at his words, not the words she expected, not what she was looking for—instead, confirmation of every doubt she’s ever had about herself and her place in this world. She feels tears spring hard behind her eyes and pushes them back down and then, thank God, her phone buzzes and Malcolm’s name appears on her screen.

“Sorry,” she says. “I have to take this. It’s work.”

The post Read An Excerpt From ‘Breaking the Dark’ by Lisa Jewell appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Releasing on December 1, The Last Caretaker is an empowering and harrowing story about a woman in search of a new beginning who is put to the test in ways she never imagined.

I don’t always have a personal connection to the subject matter of my novels: With a background in magazine journalism, I’m not afraid to tackle research-intensive topics I know little about to start. I’ve written fiction about the fraught search for a kidney donor (A Million Reasons Why), the fascinating role of end-of-life doulas (The Next Thing You Know), and even parental kidnapping (Almost Missed You). But when it comes to domestic violence, I found out the hard way that we’re all just one tragedy away from the worst kind of crash course—into warning signs we must have missed.

My favorite novels that draw awareness to this important—and shockingly common—issue don’t merely use an abusive spouse as an antagonist but give meaningful insight into the slow-burn danger of abuse and what it takes to break the cycle. And they do it by being empowering and engaging rather than heavy-handed or depressing.

Two of my own novels feature women on the run, but from entirely different perspectives: Not That I Could Tell, in which a young mom’s neighbors are baffled by her disappearance after a backyard bonfire, and my latest, The Last Caretaker, in which a woman accepts a job as resident caretaker at a nature reserve only to realize her new home doubles as a safehouse for a secret network that helps women in danger escape. Here’s a shortlist of other such page-turners from authors I admire:

Dear Wife by Kimberly Belle

Many readers know Kimberly Belle from her blockbuster The Marriage Lie, but of all her riveting novels, this is my favorite. One woman is finally enacting her carefully laid escape plan, while another has gone missing—and the way their stories twist together is jaw-droppingly clever. The authentic voices of the hunted—and the hunter—will chill you to the bone.

Goodbye Earl by Leesa Cross-Smith

The subtitle, written right on the cover in smashed cherry pie, says it all: This is “A Revenge Novel,” and it’s every bit as irreverent (and dare I say fun) as the “Chicks” song it borrows its title from. Goodbye Earl is a celebration of friendship, tight-knit circles, and how far we’ll go to protect the people we love.

A Light in the Forest by Melissa Payne

Motherhood is at the heart of this story, where a woman flees her abusive husband with little but her baby in her arms—and ends up tracing her own mother’s footsteps back into a past she knows little about. Payne builds a community around her characters while keeping us guessing if they’ll ever feel safe.

Hadley and Grace by Suzanne Redfearn

I adore road trip stories, as well as characters who make unlikely, mismatched pairs. Hadley and Grace has both: Two very different women who find themselves on the run from a common enemy, each with her own reasons—and secrets. There’s a Thelma and Louise quality to this story that I bet you’ll love as much as I do.

The Drowning Woman by Robyn Harding

This story begins with an irresistible premise: A homeless woman saves a rich attorney’s wife from throwing herself into the ocean to escape the husband she thinks of as her captor. But if you think you know where this story is going, think again: It’s one of the most twisty books I’ve ever read.

The Night She Disappeared by Lisa Jewell

It’s not just a woman who goes missing here, it’s a young couple: But the story immediately raises questions of obsession, control, and the reckless nature of any crime of passion. Lisa Jewell masterfully populates her trail of clues with seemingly unrelated characters who are so authentic, you won’t soon forget them.

It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover

There’s a reason Colleen Hoover is dominating the bestseller lists: Her novels are compulsively readable, and this one makes a tough topic accessible and sympathetic, without simplifying a complicated issue. There’s romance, there’s danger—and there’s strength and determination readers will relate to.

Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty

If you haven’t read the book or seen the HBO adaptation, you’re missing out on one of the best ensemble cast stories of domestic abuse where we least expect it—and the shame that keeps it behind closed doors.

Dreamland by Sarah Dessen

For the young adult reader in your life, this book is an important and accessible foray into how it all starts. Dessen is wonderful at writing vulnerable teenage characters who find themselves in over their heads, and breaking down perceptions that abusive relationships only happen to “other people.”

Giving the Devil His Due: A Charity Anthology

I confess I’m not an avid short story reader, but I’m including this anthology because of its mission: Proceeds support The Pixel Project global nonprofit to stop gender-based violence. Stories contributed by sixteen award-winning fantasy, science-fiction and horror writers offer different spins on a theme: predators and abusers who “meet their comeuppance in uncanny ways.”

The post Empowering Page Turners About Women Who’ve Had Enough appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

I’m Not Done With You Yet by Jesse Q. Sutanto
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Some friends–and friendships–are worth killing for in this dark, twisty suspense novel by national bestselling author Jesse Q. Sutanto.

The Invisible Hour by Alice Hoffman
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From the beloved New York Times bestselling author of The Marriage of Opposites and the Practical Magic series comes an enchanting novel about love, heartbreak, self-discovery, and the enduring magic of books.

None of This Is True by Lisa Jewell
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Lisa Jewell returns with a scintillating new psychological thriller about a woman who finds herself the subject of her own popular true crime podcast.

The Hurricane Blonde by Halley Sutton
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A former child starlet is plunged back into the dangerous glitter of Hollywood after discovering a young actress’s body in this scorching thriller about the deadly sides of both fame and family.

Oh God, The Sun Goes By David Connor
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Oh God, the Sun Goes is a hallucinatory and deadpan picaresque that suddenly swerves into a love story of soaring poignance. Truly “the stuff that dreams are made of” – or maybe nightmares?

Under the Tamarind Tree by Nigar Alam
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A compellingly heartbreaking debut novel about the echoes of Partition and four friends whose dark secrets lead to a life-changing night that comes back to haunt them decades later.

The Trap by Catherine Ryan Howard
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From award-winning, internationally bestselling crime writer Catherine Ryan Howard comes The Trap: an unsettling mystery inspired by a series of still-unsolved disappearances in Ireland in the nineties, wherein one young woman risks everything to catch a faceless killer.

Learned by Heart by Emma Donoghue
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A heartbreakingly gorgeous novel based on the true story of two girls who fall secretly, deeply, and dangerously in love at boarding school in 19th century York, from the bestselling author of Room and The Wonder.

The Continental Affair by Christine Mangan
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With gorgeous prose, European glamour, and an expansive wanderlust, Christine Mangan’s The Continental Affair is a daring literary caper that is quick on its feet and delightfully surprising.

After That Night by Karin Slaughter
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Will Trent and Sara Linton are back in an electrifying thriller featuring GBI investigator Will Trent and medical examiner Sara Linton from New York Times bestselling author Karin Slaughter.

Dark Corners by Megan Goldin
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Rachel Krall, the true crime podcaster star of Megan Goldin’s acclaimed The Night Swim, returns to search for a popular influencer who disappears after visiting a suspected serial killer.

Good Bad Girl by Alice Feeney
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Our Queen of Twists, bestselling author of Daisy Darker and Rock Paper Scissors Alice Feeney, returns with another thrilling mystery filled with drama and her trademark surprises.

Family Lore by Elizabeth Acevedo
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From the bestselling, National Book Award–winning author Elizabeth Acevedo comes her first novel for adults, the story of one Dominican American family told through the voices of its women as they await a gathering that will forever change their lives.

The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride
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From James McBride, author of the bestselling Oprah’s Book Club pick Deacon King Kong and the National Book Award–winning The Good Lord Bird, a novel about small-town secrets and the people who keep them

Tom Lake by Ann Patchett
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In this beautiful and moving novel about family, love, and growing up, Ann Patchett once again proves herself one of America’s finest writers.

Mister Magic by Kiersten White
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Who is Mister Magic? Former child stars reunite to uncover the tragedy that ended their show—and discover the secret of its enigmatic host—in this dark supernatural thriller from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Hide.

What August fiction releases are you looking forward to reading? Tell us in the comments below!

The post August 2023 Fiction Book Releases appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Hello second half of 2023 and hello to all the incredible upcoming book releases we can look forward to!

In this round up, we take a look at some of the most exciting titles to be released between the months of July and December with releases from the likes of Rachel Lynn Solomon, Temi Oh, Chuck Wendig, VE Schwab, Cassandra Clare, Rebecca Yarros, Christina Henry, and many more, along with delightful debuts from new authors you should keep on your radar!

Read on to discover just a few of our favourite July to December 2023 releases and tell us in the comments if you’re looking forward to any of them! Looking for our January to June releases? Check them out here.

JULY

Business or Pleasure by Rachel Lynn Solomon
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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.

Immortal Longings by Chloe Gong
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Inspired by Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra, Immortal Longings is a fiery collision of power plays, spilled blood, and romance amidst a set of deadly games.

Dead of Winter by Darcy Coates
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From bestselling author Darcy Coates comes Dead of Winter, a remote cabin in the snowy wilderness thriller that will teach you to trust no one. There are eight strangers. One killer. Nowhere left to run.

Give Me a Sign by Anna Sortino
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Jenny Han meets CODA in this big-hearted YA debut about first love and Deaf pride at a summer camp.

Camp Damascus by Chuck Tingle
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A searing and earnest horror debut about the demons the queer community faces in America, the price of keeping secrets, and finding the courage to burn it all down.

Bonesmith by Nicki Pau Preto
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Gideon the Ninth meets the Game of Thrones White Walkers in this dark young adult fantasy about a disgraced ghost-fighting warrior who must journey into a haunted wasteland to rescue a kidnapped prince.

Light Bringer by Pierce Brown
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Darrow returns as Pierce Brown’s New York Times bestselling Red Rising series continues in the thrilling sequel to Dark Age.

The Summer of Songbirds by Kristy Woodson Harvey
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Four women come together to save the summer camp that changed their lives and rediscover themselves in the process in this moving new novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Wedding Veil and the Peachtree Bluff series.

Small Worlds by Caleb Azumah Nelson
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An exhilarating and expansive new novel about fathers and sons, faith and friendship from Caleb Azumah Nelson, the no.1 bestselling, award-winning author of Open Water.

Hello Stranger by Katherine Center
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From New York Times bestselling author Katherine Center comes Hello, Stranger, a novel about finding love, confronting a haunting past, and figuring out what, and who, really matters…

The Air Raid Book Club by Annie Lyons
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From the USA Today bestselling author of The Brilliant Life of Eudora Honeysett comes a heartwarming story of found family, love, and making connections through books set against the bombing of London during WWII.

The Jasad Heir by Sara Hashem
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A fugitive queen strikes a bargain with her greatest enemy that could resurrect her scorched kingdom or leave it in ashes forever in this unmissable Egyptian-inspired epic fantasy debut. 

AUGUST

Together We Rot by Skyla Arndt
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A teen girl looking for the truth about her missing mother forms a reluctant alliance with her former best friend…in exchange for hiding him from his cult-leading family.

I’m Not Done With You Yet by Jesse Q. Sutanto
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Some friends–and friendships–are worth killing for in this dark, twisty suspense novel by national bestselling author Jesse Q. Sutanto.

The Water Outlaws by S.L. Huang
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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.

Accidentally in Love by Danielle Jackson
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A delightful rom-com where grumpy-meets-sunshine collides with enemies-to-lovers in this perfect summer novel, written for fans of Kate Stayman-London, Olivia Dade, and Denise Williams.

Guardians of the Dawn: Zhara by S. Jae-Jones
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Sailor Moon meets Cinder in Guardians of Dawn: Zhara, the start of a new, richly imagined fantasy series from S. Jae-Jones, the New York Times bestselling author of Wintersong.

The Blonde Identity by Ally Carter
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The New York Times bestselling YA author of the beloved Gallagher Girls series bursts onto the adult scene with a fast-paced, hilarious road trip rom-com about a woman with amnesia who discovers she’s the identical twin sister of a rogue spy… and must team up with a rugged, grumpy operative to stay alive.

More Perfect by Temi Oh
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A reimagining of the Greek myth of Eurydice and Orpheus, for fans of Becky Chambers and William Gibson by Alex Award–winning author Temi Oh.

Delicate Condition by Danielle Valentine
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The Push meets The Silent Patient in a gripping thriller that follows a woman convinced a sinister figure is going to great lengths to make sure her pregnancy never happens—while the men in her life refuse to believe a word she says.

Actually Super by Adi Alsaid
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A globetrotting novel that takes a determined teen from Japan to Australia and to Argentina and Mexico on a quest to prove that humanity is more good than bad from the author of Let’s Get Lost and Before Takeoff.

The Invisible Hour by Alice Hoffman
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From the beloved New York Times bestselling author of The Marriage of Opposites and the Practical Magic series comes an enchanting novel about love, heartbreak, self-discovery, and the enduring magic of books.

Thornhedge by T. Kingfisher
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From USA Today bestselling author T. Kingfisher, Thornhedge is the tale of a kind-hearted, toad-shaped heroine, a gentle knight, and a mission gone completely sideways.

None of This Is True by Lisa Jewell
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Lisa Jewell returns with a scintillating new psychological thriller about a woman who finds herself the subject of her own popular true crime podcast.

SEPTEMBER

This Spells Disaster by Tori Anne Martin
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Fake dating gets a magical twist in this enchanting queer romantic comedy where a witch worries that the real feelings brewing between her and her crush were sparked by an accidental love potion, and the only way out of the disastrous spell is a healthy dose of the truth–drink up, witches.

The Fragile Threads of Power by V. E. Schwab
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V. E. Schwab, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, opens another door to a new fantasy series set in the dazzling world of Shades of Magic.

Dreambound by Dan Frey
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In this thrilling contemporary fantasy novel, a father must uncover the secret magical underbelly of Los Angeles to find his daughter, who has seemingly disappeared into the fictional universe of her favorite fantasy series.

The September House by Carissa Orlando
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A woman is determined to stay in her dream home even after it becomes a haunted nightmare in this compulsively readable, twisty, and layered debut novel.

The Salvation Gambit by Emily Skrutskie
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A hotheaded hacker must outwit the AI at the heart of a rogue warship–turned–penal colony if she and her crew of con women want to escape with their lives in this electrifying sci-fi thriller from the acclaimed author of Bonds of Brass.

Black River Orchard by Chuck Wendig
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A small town is transformed by dark magic when a strange tree begins bearing magical apples in this new masterpiece of horror from the bestselling author of Wanderers and The Book of Accidents.

The Forest Grimm by Kathryn Purdie
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A spellbinding YA fantasy from #1 New York Times bestselling author Kathryn Purdie, where fairy tales come to life with dark, deadly twists.

The Long Game by Elena Armas
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A disgraced soccer exec reluctantly enlists the help of a retired soccer star in coaching a children’s team in this smalltown love story in the vein of Ted Lasso and It Happened One Summer —from the New York Times bestselling author of The Spanish Love Deception.

The Pomegranate Gate by Ariel Kaplan
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The first adventure in the Mirror Realm Cycle, a Spanish Inquisition-era fantasy trilogy inspired by Jewish folklore, with echoes of Naomi Novik and Katherine Arden.

Mermaids Never Drown: Tales to Dive For
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14 Young Adult short stories from bestselling and award-winning authors make a splash in Mermaids Never Drown – the second collection in the Untold Legends series edited by Zoraida Córdova and Natalie C. Parker – exploring mermaids like we’ve never seen them before!

Fly With Me by Andie Burke
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A sparkling and steamy opposites-attract romance, Fly with Me by Andie Burke is filled with sharp banter and that sweet, swooping feeling of finding “the one” when and where you least expect it.

Champion of Fate by Kendare Blake
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#1 New York Times bestselling author Kendare Blake is back with an epic duology starter that follows a young woman training to join a fabled order as she attempts to lead a hero to his critical first victory. A must-read for fans of Alexandra Bracken and Victoria Aveyard.

OCTOBER

Stars in Your Eyes by Kacen Callender
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The National Book Award-winning author of  Felix Ever After  delivers a beautifully tender story of two grumpy/sunshine, fake-dating actors navigating their love story both on and offscreen—perfect for fans of Casey McQuiston and Alexis Hall.

Making It So: A Memoir by Patrick Stewart
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A revealing portrait of an artist whose astonishing life—from his humble beginnings in Yorkshire, England, to the heights of Hollywood and worldwide acclaim—proves a story as exuberant, definitive, and enduring as the author himself

Unholy Terrors by Lyndall Clipstone
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Midnight Is The Darkest Hour by Ashley Winstead
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From the critically acclaimed author of In My Dreams I Hold A Knife and The Last Housewife comes a gothic Southern thriller about a killer haunting a small Louisiana town, where two outcasts—the preacher’s daughter and the boy from the wrong side of the tracks—hold the key to uncovering the truth.

Throne of the Fallen by Kerri Maniscalco
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The adult debut of #1 New York Times bestselling author Kerri Maniscalco, Throne of the Fallen is a seductive new standalone novel set within her fan-favorite Kingdom of the Wicked world, perfect for readers of fantasy, romance, and mystery alike.

Sword Catcher by Cassandra Clare
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Two outcasts find themselves caught in a web of forbidden love, dangerous magic, and dark secrets that could change the world forever in the start of a riveting epic fantasy series from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Shadowhunter Chronicles.

Wildfire by Hannah Grace
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The latest in the TikTok sensation and deliciously “swoonworthy” (Elena Armas, New York Times bestselling author) Maple Hills series follows two summer camp counselors who reconnect after a sizzling one-night stand.

The Scarlet Alchemist by Kylie Lee Baker
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New from the author of The Keeper of Night comes a YA fantasy duology set in an alternate Tang Dynasty China, where a poor biracial girl with the ability to raise the dead gets caught up in the dangerous political games of the royal family.

The Dead Take the A Train by Cassandra Khaw and Richard Kadrey
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Bestselling authors Cassandra Khaw and Richard Kadrey have teamed up to deliver a dark new story with magic, monsters, and mayhem, perfect for fans of Neil Gaiman and Joe Hill.

Wrath Becomes Her by Aden Polydoros
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Frankenstein meets Inglourious Basterds in this stunning Jewish historical horror novel from the award-winning author of The City Beautiful.

The Intern by Michele Campbell
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A young Harvard law student falls under the spell of a charismatic judge in this timely and thrilling novel about class, ambition, family and murder.

Juniper’s Christmas by Eoin Colfer
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From acclaimed, mega-bestselling author Eoin Colfer comes a Christmas classic-in-the-making–a beautifully illustrated novel about an eleven-year-old girl’s wild adventure to find her mother, protect a public park, and save Christmas.

NOVEMBER

Check & Mate by Ali Hazelwood
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In this clever and swoonworthy YA debut from the New York Times bestselling author of The Love Hypothesis, life’s moving pieces bring rival chess players together in a match for the heart.

Temple of Fortuna by Elodie Harper
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Amara’s journey has taken her far; from a slave in Pompeii’s wolf den to a high-powered courtesan in Rome… though her story is not over yet. While Amara plays for power in Rome’s imperial palace, those dearest to her remain in Pompeii. But it is AD 79, and mighty Mount Vesuvius is about to make itself known…

Good Girls Don’t Die by Christina Henry
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A sharp-edged, supremely twisty thriller about three women who find themselves trapped inside stories they know aren’t their own, from the author of Alice and Near the Bone.

The Future by Naomi Alderman
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From the award-winning, bestselling author of The Power comes a white-knuckle tour de force and dazzling exploration of the world we have made and where we are going.

Sun of Blood and Ruin by Mariely Lares – Publication has now changed to February 20, 2024
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Rumor has it on the streets of sixteenth-century New Spain, there’s a new vigilante in town serving justice. This reimagining of Zorro–featuring a heroic warrior sorceress–weaves Mesoamerican mythology and Mexican history two decades after the Spanish conquest into a swashbuckling, historical debut fantasy with magic, intrigue, treachery, and romance.

Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros
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Murtagh by Christopher Paolini
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Master storyteller and internationally bestselling author Christopher Paolini returns to the World of Eragon in this stunning epic fantasy set a year after the events of the Inheritance Cycle. Join Dragon Rider—and fan favorite—Murtagh and his dragon as they confront a perilous new enemy!

Didn’t See That Coming by Jesse Q. Sutanto
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A hilariously fresh and romantic send-up to You’ve Got Mail about a gamer girl with a secret identity and the online bestie she’s never met IRL until she unwittingly transfers to his school, from the bestselling author of Dial A for Aunties, The Obsession, and Well, That Was Unexpected.

What the River Knows by Isabel Ibañez
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The Mummy meets Death on the Nile in What the River Knows, Isabel Ibañez’s lush, immersive historical fantasy set in Egypt and filled with adventure, a rivals-to-lovers romance, and a dangerous race.

Gorgeous Gruesome Faces by Linda Cheng
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Yellowjackets meets She Is a Haunting in this debut speculative thriller that follows a disgraced teen idol who comes face-to-face with the demons of her past in a glittering, cutthroat K-pop competition.

The Fascination by Essie Fox
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The estranged grandson of a wealthy collector of human curiosities becomes fascinated with teenaged twin sisters, leading them into a web of dark obsessions. A dazzlingly dark gothic novel from the bestselling author of  The Somnambulist.

Emmett by L. C. Rosen
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A modern-day gay YA Emma, with the spikey social critique of Austen plus the lush over-the-top romance of Bridgerton.

DECEMBER

Raiders of the Lost Heart by Jo Segura
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Rival archaeologists must team up on a secret Aztec expedition, or it could leave their careers—and hearts—in ruins.

The Ruined by Renée Ahdieh
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The stunning conclusion to the instant New York Times bestselling quartet that began with The Beautiful.

A River of Golden Bones by A.K. Mulford
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From bestselling author and TikTok sensation A.K. Mulford comes the first riveting, enchanting book in the all-new Golden Court romantasy trilogy–A River of Golden Bones begins a journey of self-discovery, romance, and adventure for a young heir as she/they comes out of hiding to save her sister from a malicious, powerful sorceress and her dangerous sleeping curse.

Perfect Little Lives: A Novel by Amber and Danielle Brown
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Every Time You Go Away by Abigail Johnson
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Perfect for fans of Jennifer Niven, Abigail Johnson draws a searing and lyrical portrait of grief, forgiveness, and the kind of love that blooms in the aftermath.

Second Chances in New Port Stephen by T.J. Alexander
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A trans man returns to his Florida hometown for Christmas after his career goes up in flames, only to cross paths with his high school ex in this charming rom-com about family and second chances from the author of the “delectable” (Time) Chef’s Kiss.

The Fake Mate by Lana Ferguson
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Two wolf shifters agree to be fake mates but unexpectedly find something real in this steamy paranormal romantic comedy by Lana Ferguson.

The Fairytale Life of Dorothy Gale by Virginia Kantra
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A woman learns to follow her own road in this heartwarming novel inspired by The Wizard of Oz by New York Times bestselling author Virginia Kantra.

What July to December book releases are you looking forward to? Tell us in the comments below!

The post Get Your Hands On These Anticipated July To December 2023 Book Releases appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

The opening chapter of The Night She Disappeared by Lisa Jewell poses just this question, introducing us to Kim, the mother of 19-year-old Tallulah, who tries, with an increasing sense of dread, to piece together where her 19-year-old daughter went when she doesn’t come home. The next chapter flashes forward to approximately fifteen months later when Sophie, who has just moved in to the boarding school where her boyfriend has just started as the head teacher, sees a sign nailed to the back fence, saying ‘dig here.’ Thus begins the unravelling of what actually happened to Tallulah.

Jewell tells the story across multiple voices and multiple points in time in order to play with the reader’s expectations which are established by the first chapter from the perspective of missing Tallulah’s mother, Kim, and the impressions and assumptions generated from the findings of her informal investigation. While I don’t always love a non-linear narrative structure, I felt Jewell generally did this quite well, as she also introduced the perspective of Tallulah, which deftly provided insight into her internal world, and the secrets she herself kept from her mother. The result is that, as a reader, we know the truth is obscured by lies and misperception, and become increasingly curious as to what exactly happened on…you guessed it, the night she disappeared.

One of the things I really liked about this book was the way it drew attention to coercive control; behaviour that is—finally—being discussed as something that falls under the umbrella of abusive behaviour and regulated accordingly in some jurisdictions. However, it felt as though this message was somewhat lost, as the book’s focus was also on a question of class divide, with a critical focus on the behaviour of the wealthy, the impunity with which they live their lives, and the disposability of other people to them. The multiplicity of such themes might have been intended to be red herrings, or at the very least, elements of ambiguity as to the ‘who,’ ‘how’, and ‘why’ dunnit, but it instead felt as though the book couldn’t quite decide what it was trying to say.
This felt even more so when considering the Sophie’s arc. Her presence in the village and involvement in the case is because she has moved in with her boyfriend of six months, who has just accepted the position of headmaster. It’s obvious from the start that moving from London to a rural environ after only being together for six months is careering toward disaster, and Jewell makes clear that, while the relationship may be a good one, the decision to rush into living together in this fashion is a poor idea. While it was an interesting and, I suppose, enriching point to the character of Sophie, its resolution felt abrupt, and it didn’t necessarily contribute that much to the unravelling of the mystery at the centre of the book.

While The Night She Disappeared does have the problem of confusingly entangled messages, which aren’t necessarily properly teased out to their fullest extent, the ending is particularly pleasing in its subversion of women’s victimhood. Moreover, when reading about the way Kim’s life almost becomes suspended following her daughter’s disappearance, I was reminded of a conversation I had with Katherine Firkin, when she spoke to the way cold cases have a particularly horrendous effect on the lives of the families. The depiction of Kim’s grief and the derailing of her life is handled with just the right amount of nuance to add an extra hook to the story, because we want answers for her sake.  Often, thrillers don’t necessarily place full emphasis on the fact that when someone disappears, the effect of that disappearance is devastating to their loved ones.

By chance, I’ve read a lot of thrillers recently. While The Night She Disappeared is not the title that springs to mind as the best that has passed through my hands, it is far from the worst. If you are looking for a reasonable story with a couple of elements that move beyond the stock-standard thriller, then this is the one for you.

The Night She Disappeared is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore.

Will you be picking up The Night She Disappeared? Tell us in the comments below!

Synopsis | Goodreads

2017: 19 year old Tallulah is going out on a date, leaving her baby with her mother, Kim.

Kim watches her daughter leave and, as late evening turns into night, which turns into early morning, she waits for her return. And waits.

The next morning, Kim phones Tallulah’s friends who tell her that Tallulah was last seen heading to a party at a house in the nearby woods called Dark Place.

She never returns.

2019: Sophie is walking in the woods near the boarding school where her boyfriend has just started work as a head-teacher when she sees a note fixed to a tree.

‘DIG HERE’ . . .

A cold case, an abandoned mansion, family trauma and dark secrets lie at the heart of Lisa Jewell’s remarkable new novel.

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Lisa Jewell’s twelfth novel The House We Grew Up In is a masterpiece of domestic fiction that reminds the reader that life is unpredictable and that all families are dysfunctional. The novel follows the Bird family throughout the lives of the four children: Meg, Beth, Rory, and Rhys as they grow up in a dysfunctional family when all their mother wanted for them was the best life possible. The matriarch of the family is the laidback and eccentric Lorelei who has a lifelong affliction with hoarding. Lorelei feels like there is nothing wrong with keeping all of her stuff, but as the story progresses, so does the hoarding and the family secrets get deeper and darker. With the recent passing of Lorelei, Meg and her eldest child Molly venture to Lorelei’s home to clean up the hoarded items and learn about family secrets along the way and where things went so wrong to cause a tragedy in the Bird house on one particular Easter Sunday. The reader learns about the Bird family through Meg, Beth, and Rory sharing bits and pieces of their lives as they grow up which in turn leads the children through some very interesting and dark times in their family. The reader also has the opportunity to learn about Lorelei herself through emails to her online lover, Jim. The Bird family comes together after years of being apart to uncover where things went wrong in their family and to hopefully recover and find peace in the end.

As the story progresses, the reader has the opportunity to learn about each of the children’s lives and their own suffering that was brought on by the family dysfunction in the Bird house. Each of the children shares their fears, hopes, struggles, and successes with the reader and Jewell brings to light different highs and lows in each of their lives. What is so well done is that Jewell connects each of these things to their shared childhood between the Bird children. Jewell brings in themes such as intergenerational trauma, mental illness, and family dynamics into The House We Grew Up In. Lorelei shares her life as the story progresses and as it goes on it is easy to see that the trauma she had endured as a child has directly influenced each of her children’s mental health and the family dynamics amongst the entire Bird family.

Jewell is a master with words and has created a beautifully haunting story about how family provides both the building blocks and destruction for each individual person. Family is the reason for all that goes right and all that goes wrong in our lives and because of that, we need to be aware of what has happened in our childhood and try to learn from it, to not let is fester. There is no perfect family but family makes us perfectly who we are meant to be.

This novel is a thought provoking story that sheds light on how intergenerational trauma influences each family member and how family dynamics can dictate how we perceive ourselves throughout life. Personally I have found this to be Jewell’s most enticing, in-depth, and inspired story. The House We Grew Up In has taught me that we are truly the by-product of our childhood and that life is going to do as it pleases, we are just along for the ride.

The House We Grew Up In is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers.

Will you be picking up The House We Grew Up In? Tell us in the comments below!

Synopsis | Goodreads

Meet the Bird family. They live in a honey-colored house in a picture-perfect Cotswolds village, with rambling, unkempt gardens stretching beyond. Pragmatic Meg, dreamy Beth, and tow-headed twins Rory and Rhys all attend the village school and eat home-cooked meals together every night. Their father is a sweet gangly man named Colin, who still looks like a teenager with floppy hair and owlish, round-framed glasses. Their mother is a beautiful hippy named Lorelei, who exists entirely in the moment. And she makes every moment sparkle in her children’s lives.

Then one Easter weekend, tragedy comes to call. The event is so devastating that, almost imperceptibly, it begins to tear the family apart. Years pass as the children become adults, find new relationships, and develop their own separate lives. Soon it seems as though they’ve never been a family at all. But then something happens that calls them back to the house they grew up in — and to what really happened that Easter weekend so many years ago.

Told in gorgeous, insightful prose that delves deeply into the hearts and minds of its characters, The House We Grew Up In is the captivating story of one family’s desire to restore long-forgotten peace and to unearth the many secrets hidden within the nooks and crannies of home.

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I Found You is Lisa Jewell’s fourteenth novel, which published in 2016, and it is both extremely mystifying and very well done. The novel follows three narratives throughout the story as the reader tries to figure out who this mysterious man is and why he ended up on a beach not remembering anything about himself, where he came from, or why he is alone on a beach in the pouring rain. The story is told from four perspectives: Alice, the mystery man that Alice’s daughter names Frank, and Lily (which are told in the present), and Gray, who is telling his story from 1993. It’s apparent that these people are somehow connected and Jewell does a wonderful job at not giving away anything as she navigates between these character’s narratives.

Each of the four narrators in I Found You are each so unique and Jewell does a wonderful job balancing the overall plot between the four of them while also finding a way to connect them all. Alice is the first person that the reader will learn about. Alice is a single mother with three kids and a herd of dogs. She has a big heart which has led her to some questionable decisions in her life, but Alice means well and is such a loving and caring person, even if she is a little scatterbrained. The reader will then learn about Frank who ends up on the beach outside of Alice’s house. Alice originally goes down to give Frank a jacket and to offer him a warm place to stay overnight. What was supposed to be a one night of kindness turns into Alice helping Frank recall what has happened to him.

Lily is the next character that the reader gets to learn about. She is a brash Ukrainian woman who has recently moved to the United Kingdom to live with her husband she has just married. When Lily’s husband doesn’t return home from work one evening, she heads out on a frantic search to find him. Lastly, the reader learns about Gray who is telling his story in 1993. Gray is a teenager who is on a family trip with his parents and sister. The reader learns that Gray’s sister Kirsty ends up dating a young man who is not who he seems. All of these characters have some kind of connection to one another and the reader slowly unravels that connection as the story progresses.

Jewell is a huge fan of writing stories from multiple perspectives and points-of-view. She never disappoints on creating unique and well thought out voice for each of her characters and for her stories in general as well. While it’s apparent that each of the characters in I Found You are connected on some level, Jewell keeps the reader guessing right up to the point where everything is revealed. Personally, this is my favourite of Lisa Jewell’s work so far.

I found the story to be incredibly engaging, the characters were fascinating to learn more about, and the mystery was filled with suspense and I was stumped on who this mystery man was until Jewell revealed his identity near the end. Readers will also notice that I Found You ends on a happier note that some of Jewell’s other novels don’t necessarily end on. It was really nice to read a mystery novel that has some happiness to it after a very sad story overall. The more that I read Jewell’s work, the more I like her. I cannot wait to read more of her novels and see what she comes up with next.

I Found You is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers.

Have you read I Found You? Tell us in the comments below!

Synopsis | Goodreads

‘How long have you been sitting out here?’
‘I got here yesterday.’
‘Where did you come from?’
‘I have no idea.’

East Yorkshire: Single mum Alice Lake finds a man on the beach outside her house. He has no name, no jacket, no idea what he is doing there. Against her better judgement she invites him in to her home.

Surrey: Twenty-one-year-old Lily Monrose has only been married for three weeks. When her new husband fails to come home from work one night she is left stranded in a new country where she knows no one. Then the police tell her that her husband never existed.

Two women, twenty years of secrets and a man who can’t remember lie at the heart of Lisa Jewell’s brilliant new novel.

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Published in 2017, Lisa Jewell’s 15th novel Then She Was Gone follows the disappearance of fifteen-year-old Ellie Mack and her mother, Laurel Mack, as she learns to cope with life without her ‘Golden Girl’ and how it is okay to move on in life after a tragedy. Then She Was Gone is both a mystery and a domestic thriller that the author has broken up into five different parts with multiple narrators. Jewell manages to juggle each of the unique perspectives with different points-of-view while also bringing them together seamlessly to create a suspenseful storyline, but one that feels predicable. She takes themes such as grief and family dynamics and incorporates them well with various characters that provide some depth to the plot and help move the story along.

Jewell uses the disappearance of Ellie as a way to explore what happens to a family after a child goes missing and then not receiving answers for many years. She shows how differently people experience grief and how that impacts the family dynamic in a way that can become catastrophic to the family unit. Laurel Mack, mother of three, wife, and caretaker is portrayed as a typical mother who has lost her daughter and doesn’t have any answers. Laurel grieves intensely to the point where she pushes her aloof husband away because they are grieving differently and Laurel believes that they need to continue to be sad and not move on with their lives. She also damages her relationship with her other daughter, Hanna, because Laurel makes it clear that Ellie was her favourite and she admits that she wishes that it was Hanna that went missing all those years ago. There is also a third sibling, Jake, who is there but is a very forgettable character. The reader will learn that he is really only part of the story to move the plot along.

As the story progresses, Laurel slowly discovers how for so many years she wallowed in the disappearance of Ellie that she had basically forgotten about the relationships with her other children, and by the end of the novel she has rekindled a friendship with them all. At the end of the novel the reader will learn about Hanna’s wedding and how each of the family members in the Mack family come together and finally feel like a family again after years of being torn apart. Laurel also meets a love interest, Floyd Dunn, and allows herself to finally be happy after years and years of feeling the need to be constantly depressed. But are things too good to be true?

Then She Was Gone lacks themes that make the story feel very predictable and done before. This lack of depth has the reader guessing pretty quickly what is going to happen as the story progresses. Some of the characters feel slightly under developed as well which leads the reader to wonder why some characters are even part of the story. There are a couple of times that a character is solely there for one purpose which in turns brings the plot down slightly because there are some very well developed characters throughout the novel. Even though the story is pretty predictable, and there are some characters that lack complexity, Then She Was Gone is still a very entertaining story where the reader wants to know what’s going to happen even if they have an idea of what is going on. Jewell writes in a way that captivates the reader from start to end.

This is the second novel that I’ve read by Lisa Jewell and while I think she is a fabulous author, and I find her work entertaining, I’m finding that her stories in general can be a tad predictable and not as enriching as I would like. If you enjoy mysteries then you need to check out Then She Was Gone and other works by Lisa Jewell.

Then She Was Gone is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers.

Have you read Then She Was Gone? Tell us in the comments below!

Synopsis | Goodreads

THEN
She was fifteen, her mother’s golden girl. She had her whole life ahead of her. And then, in the blink of an eye, Ellie was gone.

NOW
It’s been ten years since Ellie disappeared, but Laurel has never given up hope of finding her daughter.

And then one day a charming and charismatic stranger called Floyd walks into a café and sweeps Laurel off her feet.

Before too long she’s staying the night at this house and being introduced to his nine year old daughter.

Poppy is precocious and pretty – and meeting her completely takes Laurel’s breath away.

Because Poppy is the spitting image of Ellie when she was that age. And now all those unanswered questions that have haunted Laurel come flooding back.

What happened to Ellie? Where did she go?

Who still has secrets to hide?

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The Family Upstairs, which published in 2019, is written by well-known British author, Lisa Jewell. The story follows three different narrators: Libby Jones, Lucy Lamb, and Henry Lamb. Libby’s point-of-view is written in third person and in the present where the reader learns that on her 25th birthday, she inherits the house of her biological parents. Libby knows nothing of her birth family and sets out on a journey of self-discovery to find out who she really is and what happened in the home she was born in.

Lucy’s point-of-view is also written in third person and in the present where the reader learns about how and why Lucy, her children, and her dog are homeless and are trying to get out of France and back to England. The reader learns that Lucy intends to go back to England because of “the baby’s” 25th birthday. Henry Lamb’s point-of-view is told in first person and in the past, explaining what happened in the house that Libby has now just inherited. Near the end of the novel, Henry’s point-of-view changes to second person as he starts to tell his story as if the reader is Libby herself. It was easy enough to go between the three different narratives and keep track of each character’s story without feeling lost. What was interesting was Jewell’s choice of writing only one point-of-view in first person while the other two were in third person point-of-views.

While The Family Upstairs is considered a thriller, the plot felt more like a coming-of-age story and a family drama. Each of the three main characters experience and describe events happening to them, in their respectable timelines, which help shape them into the people they are at the end of the novel. Jewell is able to do this by using her incredibly detailed writing to have each of the main characters transform using the characteristics they each lack the most at the beginning, to become the thing that enhances them by the end. She does take the reader on a path of twists and turns that, may be slightly predictable, tell a dark and twisty story using the plots main theme: family dysfunction. One thing the reader will notice is the lack of other themes in The Family Upstairs. Throughout the novel, family dysfunction is focused on significantly and it becomes a tad predictable because of that. The story would’ve been enhanced if Jewell focused on some other themes to help tell the story. There are a few times in the novel where the reader may feel lost as there are some loose ends that never seem to be resolved, which in turn leads the reader to believing some parts of the plot could have been left out altogether, or done in a way that made a little more sense to the plot. Jewell’s writing paints a picture for the reader, however this picture lacks fluidity at times and feels choppy because she goes into such detail that some points become moot.

The Family Upstairs kept me interested enough to want to know what was going to happen in the end, but overall I was not thrilled by this thriller and felt it fizzle as the story went on. I was yearning for something more sinister to take place, and while there were a lot of sinister things that do happen throughout the plot, they never really hit the mark as unpredictable or jaw-dropping. Jewell does a great job of telling a story about a family using family dysfunction as her main theme, but lacks other themes in the story that could’ve enriched the plot further. If you enjoy coming-of-age stories or stories that focus on family drama, then The Family Upstairs should be on your to-be-read list.

The Family Upstairs is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers.

Have you read The Family Upstairs? Tell us in the comments below!

Synopsis | Goodreads

From the New York Times bestselling author of Then She Was Gone and Watching You comes another page-turning look inside one family’s past as buried secrets threaten to come to light.

Be careful who you let in.

Soon after her twenty-fifth birthday, Libby Jones returns home from work to find the letter she’s been waiting for her entire life. She rips it open with one driving thought: I am finally going to know who I am.

She soon learns not only the identity of her birth parents, but also that she is the sole inheritor of their abandoned mansion on the banks of the Thames in London’s fashionable Chelsea neighborhood, worth millions. Everything in Libby’s life is about to change. But what she can’t possibly know is that others have been waiting for this day as well—and she is on a collision course to meet them.

Twenty-five years ago, police were called to 16 Cheyne Walk with reports of a baby crying. When they arrived, they found a healthy ten-month-old happily cooing in her crib in the bedroom. Downstairs in the kitchen lay three dead bodies, all dressed in black, next to a hastily scrawled note. And the four other children reported to live at Cheyne Walk were gone.

In The Family Upstairs, the master of “bone-chilling suspense” (People) brings us the can’t-look-away story of three entangled families living in a house with the darkest of secrets.

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