I’m sharing 23 new releases that you should be adding to your TBR this year. Whether you’re looking for a romance, fantasy, literary fiction, or thriller, you’ll find a book perfect for you.
Contemporary Romance
Sorry, Bro by Taleen Voskuni
Welcome, bro! Taleen Voskuni is making her debut this year with what looks to be a touching LGBT romantic comedy that will be sure to pull on your strings as much as make you laugh out loud. I’m excited to jump into Nar’s world and all the culture and beauty it comes with, watch her grapple with her identity, and find a balance between her desires and her family’s happiness. I hope you’re ready to jump along with me!
An Armenian-American woman rediscovers her roots and embraces who she really is in this vibrant and heartfelt queer rom-com by debut author Taleen Voskuni.
Release Date: January 31, 2023 | ,Goodreads
Just My Type by Falon Ballard
Falon Ballard made her debut in 2022 with her novel Lease on Love. Now she’s back with a lovers to enemies to lovers, workplace rivals romance that is sure to hit you in all the feels. Just My Type‘s protagonist has a twist because unlike most of the women we see in rom-coms, she is a serial dater who’s a relationship expert and uses that in her work as a relationship columnist. I’m looking forward to picking this up soon and if you’re looking for a fun romance to get your head out of your first bout of 2023 stress, you should too.
To win the job of her dreams, a relationship-prone journalist needs to learn how to stay single in this heartwarming and hilarious new romantic comedy from the beloved author of Lease on Love.
Release Date: February 7, 2023 | ,Goodreads
The Neighbor Favor by Kristina Forest
Kristina Forest is flexing her writing muscles, taking a step back from Young Adult and making her Adult debut this year. If you’re anything like me, you probably always have an eye out for another great bookish story. It looks like Forest is set to deliver in her new novel, especially if you like hidden identity stories. This is a new-to-me author, but I’m looking forward to giving her a try.
In this heart-fluttering romance by Kristina Forest, a shy bookworm enlists her charming neighbor to help her score a date, not knowing he’s the obscure author she’s been corresponding with.
Release Date: February 28, 2023 | ,Goodreads
Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez
Abby Jimenez is following up on her 2022 novel Part of Your World with Bri’s story in this upcoming release. If you too fell in love with Jimenez’s characters and compelling storytelling in the last year, then this novel is sure to have that same magic embedded in its pages. If you haven’t, I would implore you to pick up her last novel (but maybe skip her others) and set yourself up to fall in love two times over when Yours Truly comes out.
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).
Release Date: April 11, 2023 | ,Goodreads
Happy Place by Emily Henry
Emily Henry is back with another novel this year, following the success of 2022’s Book Lovers and the announcement of her upcoming film adaptation of People We Meet on Vacation. In recent years, Henry has found her stride and made a name for herself in the Adult Romance genre and continues to earn praise and top spots in end-of-year lists and book awards. This is set to be her biggest release yet and is sure to be another hit with its fake dating, breaking up & making up, vacation getaway premise.
A couple who broke up months ago make a pact to 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.
Release Date: April 25, 2023 | ,Goodreads
Meet Me at the Lake by Carley Fortune
Carley Fortune splashed onto the scene in 2022 with her novel Every Summer After. Her next book is set up to be another summer read, but one which follows a chance encounter, missed connection, and reconnection years later. Prepare to lay back, relax, and follow this decade-long love story in the making.
A random connection sends two strangers on a daylong adventure where they make a promise one keeps and the other breaks, with life-changing effects, in this breathtaking new novel from the New York Times and #1 Globe and Mail bestselling author of Every Summer After.
Release Date: May 2, 2023 | ,Goodreads
The True Love Experiment by Christina Lauren
Coauthor duo Christina Lauren is back at it again with this follow-up novel to 2021 hit The Soulmate Equation. After over a dozen novels written together, readers can be sure to expect great banter, compelling conflicts, and sweet moments that will lead to a beautifully tied-together conclusion. I’ve had a complicated relationship with reading Christina Lauren’s books, but even I’m looking forward to planning a back-to-back double feature weekend when this novel comes out.
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.
Release Date: May 16, 2023 | ,Goodreads
Fake Dates and Mooncakes by Sher Lee
I’ll be honest, this book had me at Fake Dates. This looks to be an adorably sweet LGBT romance that seems like a perfect summer read. Fake dating, cooking competitions, and family drama… what more could you need? Make sure to add this to your TBR now so you’re ready to read it as soon as it comes out.
Heartstopper meets Crazy Rich Asians in this heartfelt, joyful paperback original rom-com that follows an aspiring chef who discovers the recipe for love is more complicated than it seems when he starts fake-dating a handsome new customer.
Release Date: May 16, 2023 | ,Goodreads
Love, Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood
Ali Hazelwood is bringing us a new STEMinist novel this year! She burst onto the scene in 2021 with The Love Hypothesis and has since released another novel and trio of novellas. Hazelwood has found success in writing romances that are witty, while also bringing women in STEM to the forefront. Her love interests are also always crowd pleasers so I won’t lie and say I’m not looking forward to meeting our new hero Jack. I very much cannot wait. In short, Ali makes science sexy so you should give her a round of applause and pick up this book.
Rival physicists collide in a vortex of academic feuds and fake dating shenanigans in this delightfully STEMinist romcom from the New York Times bestselling author of The Love Hypothesis and Love on the Brain.
Release Date: June 13, 2023 | ,Goodreads
The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston
Ashley Poston is back at it again after she skyrocketed to fame with her latest novel The Dead Romantics in 2022. Once again, this is a contemporary story with just a bit of a paranormal twist. What would you do if the man you fell in love with lived in the past? This brings to mind films like The Lake House and Just Like Heaven (though those are just the vibes I’m getting, not what has been put out by the author or publisher). But if any of that sounds interesting, this might just be the book for you.
An overworked book publicist with a perfectly planned future hits a snag when she falls in love with her temporary roommate…only to discover he lives seven years in the past, in this witty and wise new novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Dead Romantics.
Release Date: June 27, 2023 | ,Goodreads
Forget Me Not by Julie Soto
I would be completely remiss if I didn’t mention Julie Soto’s debut novel on this list. I can personally say that Soto’s writing has everything you want and everything you don’t know you need in order to read an enticing and beautifully executed romance. I will gladly jump at the chance to read any work she puts out and you should too.
An ambitious wedding planner must work with her grumpy florist ex, whose heart she broke, on the most high-profile wedding of her career, in this spicy and emotional romance from popular fanfic author Julie Soto.
Release Date: July 11, 2023 | ,Goodreads
Fantasy
Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett
We have another author making her Adult debut this year! Heather Fawcett has found success writing both Middle Grade and YA and has decided to tackle another genre much to my delight. I can admit I’m a sucker for fantasy romances, especially ones centering around academics that team up and maybe find love along the way. (If you know what series I’m thinking of, please comment down below!) I’m hoping that this novel, and what looks to be the start of a series, will provide all the wonderful tension, magic, and heartwarming relationships I’m looking for. If any of that sounds appealing to you, add this to your TBR immediately.
A curmudgeonly professor journeys to a small town in the far north to study faerie folklore and discovers dark fae magic, friendship, and love, in this heartwarming and enchanting fantasy.
Release Date: January 10, 2023 | ,Goodreads
Atalanta by Jennifer Saint
Jennifer Saint is releasing a new Greek mythology retelling after already finding acclaim with her two previous novels. This is a reimagining of the story of Atalanta—a strong, larger-than-life, multifaceted figure among Greek heroes. If you, like me, loved The Song of Achilles and have since been looking for any and every story to fill that void, give this one a try because it might be a new favorite.
From the beloved, bestselling author of Elektra and Ariadne, a reimagining of the myth of Atalanta, a fierce huntress raised by bears and the only woman in the world’s most famous band of heroes, the Argonauts Princess, Warrior, Lover, Hero
Release Date: April 13, 2023 | ,Goodreads
Bring Me Your Midnight by Rachel Griffin
Rachel Griffin’s new witchy book is coming out this summer and it may be her best one yet. This atmospheric fantasy is all about the forbidden romance, grappling between your desires and those of your family, and features what looks to be a love interest that you’ll need to make room for on your list of bad-but-actually-not book boyfriends.
From the New York Times bestselling author of The Nature of Witches and Wild is the Witch comes a lush romantic fantasy about forbidden love, the choices we make, and the pull between duty and desire.
Release Date: August 1, 2023 | ,Goodreads
Literary Fiction
My Last Innocent Year by Daisy Alpert Florin
This debut novel tells a coming-of-age story that doesn’t shy away from featuring sexuality, assault, affairs with power imbalances, and what it means to find yourself as you become an adult. Personally, I’m very interested to see where this story takes us and how it tackles these very real and complicated issues.
An incisive, deeply resonant debut novel about a nonconsensual sexual encounter that propels one woman’s final semester at an elite New England college into controversy and chaos—and into an ill-advised affair with a married professor
Release Date: February 14, 2023 | ,Goodreads
Yellowface by R.F. Kuang
Kuang’s newest novel crosses genres and addresses the hard questions that face our society today such as the importance of diversity and the all too frequent presence of cultural appropriation. R.F. Kuang is branching out in this story which is part Literary Fiction and part Thriller.
What’s the harm in a pseudonym? New York Times bestselling sensation Juniper Song is not who she says she is, she didn’t write the book she claims she wrote, and she is most certainly not Asian American–in this chilling and hilariously cutting novel from R. F. Kuang in the vein of White Ivy and The Other Black Girl.
Release Date: May 16, 2023 | ,Goodreads
Family Lore by Elizabeth Acevedo
Elizabeth Acevedo is set to make a stunning Adult debut following the heels of her latest YA success Clap When You Land. This novel centers around the women of a Dominican-American family, featuring magical realism and a gathering that could change everything. Acevedo is a master with words, her debut The Poet X skillfully told in verse, and her newest addition is set to live up to the precedent she has set for her work. As a side note, I will always recommend Acevedo’s self-read audiobooks as the best way to consume her stories.
From 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.
Release Date: August 1, 2023 | ,Goodreads
Thriller
What Lies in the Woods by Alice Marshall
Alice Marshall makes her Adult Thriller debut with her new novel. A chilling tale about three childhood friends, an attempted murder, a serial killer put behind bars, and the lies that threaten to reveal themselves years later. This is sure to be a perfectly captivating pick for fans of the genre.
They were eleven when they sent a killer to prison . . . They were heroes . . . but they were liars.
Release Date: January 17, 2023 | ,Goodreads
The Writing Retreat by Julia Bartz
What happens when a writing retreat goes horribly wrong? Bartz, a debut author and practicing therapist, is sure to deliver in this Psychological Thriller. I’m always looking for the next best suspense to put me on the edge of my seat and this winter-set novel is arriving just in time. Grab a cup of cocoa, wrap your blanket just a bit tighter around yourself, and settle in to read as the clock ticks on Alex’s attempt to make it out alive.
The Plot meets Please Join Us in this psychological suspense debut about a young author at an exclusive writer’s retreat that descends into a nightmare.
Release Date: February 21, 2023 | ,Goodreads
The Last Word by Taylor Adams
Any book reviewer’s nightmare comes to light in Taylor Adams’s new thriller. The Last Word is sure to have all the heart-pounding suspense of his previous novels. With a premise that might hit a little too close to home for readers, this is one you won’t want to miss.
After posting a negative book review, a woman living in a remote location begins to wonder if the author is a little touchy—or very, very dangerous—in this pulse-pounding novel of psychological suspense and terror from the critically acclaimed author of No Exit and Hairpin Bridge.
Release Date: April 25, 2023 | ,Goodreads
With My Little Eye by Joshilyn Jackson
In Jackson’s newest novel, actress and mother Meribel must contend with a stalker that gets increasingly sinister and intrusive. With every man a suspect and nobody she can trust, Meribel must do everything she can to protect her daughter and herself from the unknown figure she can always feel watching. For me, thrillers in which the culprit is nothing much more than a phantom are some of the most suspenseful to read so I’m looking forward to picking this one up once it’s out.
From the New York Times bestselling author of Never Have I Ever comes the hair-raising story of a mother who moves herself and her daughter across the country to lose a dangerous stalker—only to discover that it will take more than distance to escape him.
Release Date: April 25, 2023 | ,Goodreads
Zero Days by Ruth Ware
What would you do if the police suspected you of killing your husband? One of the genres leading authors, Ruth Ware has another novel on the way which seeks to answer that question. Its comparisons to a few thrilling and action-packed films are also sure to draw in a few extra readers. If you have yet to pick up one of Ware’s books, this seems as good a place to start as any.
The New York Times bestselling “new Agatha Christie” (Air Mail) Ruth Ware returns with this adrenaline-fueled thriller that combines Mr. and Mrs. Smith with The Fugitive about a woman in a race against time to clear her name and find her husband’s murderer.
Release Date: July 11, 2023 | ,Goodreads
Dark Corners by Megan Goldin
Rachel Krall is back in Goldin’s follow-up to her most acclaimed novel Night Swim. Released in 2020, Night Swim still has its place as the best thriller I’ve read and continue to recommend to everyone, fans of the genre or not. In Dark Corners, the famed podcaster is back and this time, she goes undercover and finds herself entangled in a suspected serial killer’s latest crime. Perfect for any true crime enthusiast, those fascinated by influencer culture, or anyone looking for the next best thing to sate their serial killer curiosity.
Rachel Krall, the true crime podcaster star of Megan Goldin’s acclaimed Night Swim returns to search for a popular social media influencer who disappeared after visiting a suspected serial killer.
Release Date: August 8, 2023 | ,Goodreads
This is by no means a comprehensive list of all the wonderful books that are coming out this year. I know I’ve got my eye on way too many to include in just one list. Stick around for other release lists I’ll post throughout the year and leave a comment letting me know which of these books you’re most excited to add to your TBR!
