The best new books out this week 📚
 Hello, book lovers! Each week, dozens of new releases hit the shelves. Here are our favorites. ❤️📚 –The BuzzFeed Books team
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 Credit: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, Knopf Publishing Group Beautiful World, Where Are You by Sally Rooney
Rooney's much-anticipated third novel lives up to the hype, which is not an easy thing to do for a novelist who has been dubbed the actual voice of her generation. Set in Ireland, her newest novel touches on similar themes as her previous two — friendship, love (unrequited and requited), and class politics — but Rooney's cast of characters have found themselves cresting 30 and facing a new sense of urgency in their lives. After a stint in New York, Alice, a famous novelist, absconds to a seaside Irish town and meets Felix, a warehouse worker, whom she takes on a publicity tour through Rome. Her best friend Eileen, who has had her own entanglements, pines for Simon, a man she's known since childhood and who has always been just a little bit out of reach. Rooney's signature crisp writing depicts these characters as they misread cues, awkwardly try to navigate their relationships, and find their place in the world as aging millennials. What's exciting and fresh here is insight into Alice — a woman who is wrestling with literary fame so seismic that she has nearly lost herself because of it. One can't help but think Rooney is grappling with the double-edged sword of her own fame, and it's fascinating to be able to contemplate it along with her. —Karolina Waclawiak
Get it from Bookshop or from your local indie at Indiebound here.
The War for Gloria by Atticus Lish
In Lish's follow-up to Preparation for the Next Life, his PEN/Faulkner Award–winning debut, 15-year-old Corey's mother Gloria is diagnosed with ALS and his estranged, mysterious father, Leonard, comes back. Told over Corey's teenage years, The War for Gloria begins as a poignant narrative about confronting mortality and the fragility of life and evolves into a taut, mesmerizing thriller. Vividly realized and researched, Gloria uses an intimate level of detail to describe making ends meet as a single mother, prolonged neuromuscular degeneration, life in crummy apartments, and the connections one makes in the working-class Boston suburbs. Lish draws from personal experience serving in the Marines and competing in mixed martial arts fights to tell the gripping story of Corey's youth and young adulthood as his coping leads to hormonal rage and delinquency. —Emerson Malone
Get it from Bookshop or from your local indie at Indiebound here.
 Credit: G.P. Putnam's Sons, Atria Books, Berkley The Shaadi Set-Up by Lillie Vale
Six years after their break-up, Rita is certainly not expecting her high school sweetheart Milan to walk back into her life, especially now that she's got a near-perfect boyfriend and a career in furniture restoration. Milan needs her help to flip a hard-to-sell house, but Rita is determined to prove she's over him. By signing herself and her boyfriend Neil up for a Desi matchmaking site, she'll be able to show that Neil is the one for her, but the site comes back with a different (and perfect) match for her...Milan. —Rachel Strolle
Get it from Bookshop or from your local indie at Indiebound here.
The Charm Offensive by Alison Cochrun
Cochrun's debut has a delightfully soapy premise--the star of a Bachelor-esque reality show falls for his earnest (male) handler rather than any of the contestants--but amid genuine laughs, a whirlwind trip around the world, and all the drama of reality TV are tough, honest, and beautifully depicted conversations about both mental health and (a)sexuality. Dev and Charlie make an adorable couple, with a connection that goes well beyond physical chemistry, and it's impossible not to root for them. But both Charlie's public image and Dev's dream job are on the line, and sharing their love with the world could spell doom for them both. —Dahlia Adler
Get it from Bookshop or from your local indie at Indiebound here.
Portrait of a Scotsman by Evie Dunmore
After aspiring artist and heiress Hattie Greenfield is caught in a compromising position with Lucian Blackstone, a darkly handsome and ruthless businessman, she's forced to be his bride in a marriage of convenience. Lucian has business and revenge on the brain, and no time for a wife with desire for romance or happily ever afters. When a sudden trip to Scotland puts them in closer proximity than they're used to, Lucian learns that his wife is more passionate, talented, and curious than he ever realized. Now he wants nothing more for his wife to fall in love with him, but a secret exposed threatens their future, forcing him to choose between love and revenge. —Shyla Watson
Get it from Bookshop or from your local indie at Indiebound here.
 Credit: Simon Schuster Three Girls from Bronzeville by Dawn Turner
Chicago journalist Dawn Turner charts the divergent paths of three little girls — her younger sister Kim, her childhood best friend Debra, and Dawn herself — in this powerful memoir. Growing up together in a housing complex in 1970s Bronzeville, Turner is an ambitious student, while her younger sister Kim skips school and mouths off to their mother. Debra, meanwhile, is a class clown, who, as she ages, becomes more interested in partying and drugs. While Turner goes on to become an accomplished journalist, Kim, who has an alcohol addiction, dies of a heart attack at only 24, while Debra is eventually imprisoned for killing a man. How these girls — who grew up in the same building in a working-class neighborhood once famous for its Black luminaries but besieged by institutional neglect, violence, and drug addiction — had such different life experiences is the central question of this book. Turner provides no easy answers while passing no judgment. —Tomi Obaro
Get it from Bookshop or from your local indie at Indiebound here.
 Credit: Flatiron Books, Atria Books Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney
Anyone who has read Feeney's books knows she's the queen of Twists You Didn't See Coming, and I am pleased to report that there was not only one but TWO twists that completely took me by surprising in her latest. Rock Paper Scissors is a psychological thriller that takes place in an isolated church in Scotland in the dead of winter. When Adam and his wife Amelia win a retreat, they both believe this is the break they need to work on their marriage. Adam is a workaholic screenwriter with face blindness while Amelia is a homely woman who works at an animal shelter. We see their marriage unfold through the years through letters, leading up to the marriage's breaking point. But something sinister is happening during their stay, something that implies that they didn't randomly win this trip. But who is lying — and why? (Content warning: Animal abuse and neglect.) —Farrah Penn
Get it from Bookshop or from your local indie at Indiebound here.
The Night She Disappeared by Lisa Jewell
Jewell's latest jumps back and forth in time over a span of three years, following three different characters. In 2017, 19-year-old Tallulah leaves on a date and never comes home. Her mother Kim's distress over her missing daughter spans through 2018 and into 2019, when a popular mystery author named Sophie moves into town with her long-term boyfriend only to find a big clue to Tallulah's disappearance in her own backyard. Slowly, as the timelines begin to line up, we get the full story of what happened that night. Jewell has an expert way of hooking readers in with her thrillers, and this one is no different. It's hard to put down until you finally start to understand what happened. —Farrah Penn
Get it from Bookshop or from your local indie at Indiebound here.
 Credit: Simon Pulse, Feiwel and Friends, Blackstone, Atria Books, Gallery/Saga Press, Mad Creek Books Bones of Ruin by Sarah Raughley
Iris is an African tightrope walker in Victorian England, and she has a secret: She cannot die. When she gets drawn into the circle of Adam Temple, and with him the mysterious order of the Enlightenment Committee, it seems like he could have the answers to who she really is. But the Committee claims that the world is ending, and that they are responsible for deciding who lives. To choose a leader, they are holding the Tournament of Freaks, and Adam wants Iris to be his champion. —Rachel Strolle
Get it from Bookshop or from your local indie at Indiebound here.
A Clash of Steel by C.B. Lee
Treasure Island gets a fresh historical update in this remix by Sidekick Squad author Lee, set among pirates in the South China Sea. When Xiang's heirloom necklace is stolen by a girl named Anh, only to return when Anh needs help figuring out the map it held inside, she discovers that there was more to the deceased father who gave her that necklace than she ever knew. He was a member of the dastardly Dragon Fleet, a thing of legend that now becomes very real for the two girls determined to hunt down the treasure it's rumored to have left behind. But no treasure hunt is without its dangers, especially at sea. —Dahlia Adler
Get it from Bookshop or from your local indie at Indiebound here.
No Gods, No Monsters by Cadwell Turnbull
Laina reels when she receives a call that her brother — who she hadn't seen in many years — has been shot and killed by Boston cops. In anger, she lashes out at those she loves, but when a mysterious voice leaves her a recording of her brother's death, what she finds is far stranger than she could ever imagine. The tape reveals that monsters are alive, and Laina can never unsee them again. Meanwhile, a professor quits his job to move back to his hometown and find his missing friend. He discovers a world of secret societies and hidden magic. This harrowing and lyrical novel combines elements of urban fantasy with biting social commentary. —Margaret Kingsbury
Get it from Bookshop or from your local indie at Indiebound here.
Among Thieves by M.J. Kuhn
Avid fantasy readers will love this fun heist debut rich in world building with a rotating cast of characters and a complex magic system. Ryia, Nash, Ivan, and Tristan are all thieves and members of the Saints syndicate. They also all hide deadly secrets. They're hired to steal a magical object from the Guildmaster's stronghold, but they all have their own reasons for agreeing to this job, and they all rightfully mistrust one another's motives. Fans of Six of Crows should check this one out. —Margaret Kinsgsbury
Get it from Bookshop or from your local indie at Indiebound here.
The Inheritance of OrquÃdea Divina by Zoraida Córdova
This rich, intergenerational novel steeped in magical realism is my favorite novel thus far from this prolific fantasy author. In 1960, OrquÃdea Divina, born in Ecuador under unlucky stars, created a house for herself in the dying town of Four Rivers. The house seemed to appear out of nowhere, and the land around it suddenly prospered in a way no one in Four Rivers had ever seen. Decades later, she sends three of her grandchildren letters to return to Four Rivers for her funeral and collect their inheritance. Marimar and Rey both live in New York City, struggling to find their place and a sense of who they are in the bustling city. Tatinelly lives in Oregon and is expecting her first child. Seven years after the three cousins attend their grandmother's funeral, their magical inheritance begins to surface. Then someone begins murdering the OrquÃdea family, and the cousins — including Tatinelly's daughter Rhiannon — must travel to Ecuador to trace their grandmother's origin and save their family. Readers of Isabel Allende will love this breathtakingly beautiful novel. —Margaret Kingsbury
Get it from Bookshop or from your local indie at Indiebound here.
Speculative Fiction for Dreamers: A Latinx Anthology edited by Alex Hernandez, Matthew David Goodwin, and Sarah Rafael GarcÃa
Packed with 38 YA pieces by Latinx authors, this anthology is a must for short story readers. Spanning genres from science fiction to fantasy to magical realism and also including comics, poetry, and plays, these stories are breathtaking in their expansiveness. Visit wormholes, follow characters as they trace their origins to their indigenous ancestors, cross borders, and more. This is the first published collection of YA Latinx speculative fiction and continues the editors' mission to expand Latinx voices in SFF that began with the anthology Latinx Rising. —Margaret Kingsbury
Get it from Bookshop or from your local indie at Indiebound here.
 Credit: Wednesday Books, Running Press Kids, Feiwel Friends, Penguin Never Saw You Coming by Erin Hahn
After finding out a secret about her parents, one that makes her feel her childhood was a lie, Meg heads up north to meet family she never knew instead of taking her planned gap year. There, she meets Micah, the son of a currently imprisoned former pastor, who also has a complicated relationship with faith. —Rachel Strolle
Get it from Bookshop or your local indie through Indiebound here.
The March sisters live in the Freedmen's Colony of Roanoke Island, a haven for the recently emancipated in 1863. Meg, the oldest, dreams of love and a family of her own. Jo writes nonfiction about being Black in America, and is questioning the stipulations of a publishing offer. Beth is a seamstress, searching for a purpose and dealing with a mysterious illness. And the youngest, Amy, is a dancer, wanting to explore life outside their home. But no matter what the future holds, they will face it all together. —Rachel Strolle
Major Detours by Zachary Sergi
This choose-your-own-adventure tale sees four friends on a Tarot-driven journey unlike anything you've ever seen, forcing tough choices and relationship shifts all while their mysterious journey takes on new life. When Amelia inherits a gorgeous Tarot deck upon her beloved grandmother's death, she knows there's a higher purpose to it, and it's going to steer the perfect road trip with her best friend, Chase; Chase's boyfriend, Logan; and another friend, Clio. But when they stumble into the incredible fandom surrounding the designer of the deck, it sends them on a wild, thrilling chase for the four missing cards that would complete it. And, in a fun narrative twist, it's the readers who make the choices about who they trust, what inspires the mission, and who the characters will be beyond the final page. —Dahlia Adler
The Hawthorne Legacy by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
You can finally exhale: The follow-up to last year's bestselling The Inheritance Games is just around the corner, and it's full of even more twists and turns than its predecessor. Avery's made a huge discovery, but it's only the tip of the iceberg, and she still doesn't have the proof she needs behind it, or the answer to why she was chosen to receive a tremendous inheritance. She and the Hawthorne boys, including the two who take turns tugging at her heart, still have plenty to figure out, if they can trust each other and keep their emotions in check long enough to do it. But when betrayal comes from inside the house and clues begin sending them to unexpected places, they'll all learn much, much more than they bargained for. —Dahlia Adler
Get it from Bookshop or a local bookstore through Indiebound here.
 Credit: Riverhead Books, Tachyon Publications, Algonquin Books Matrix by Lauren Groff
When seventeen-year-old Marie de France is kicked out of the royal court, she ends up the new prioress of what appears to be England's most impoverished abbey, its nuns on the brink of starvation and disease. Despite this, Marie finds herself falling in love with her new life, one of devotion to her sisters and conviction in her own visions. Marie is determined to lead (and protect) her new sisters, but in a constantly changing world that pushes women like her aside, will her faith be enough? A gripping look into an often overlooked time period and even more often overlooked historical figures. —Kirby Beaton
Get it from Bookshop or through your local indie through Indiebound here. The Peculiarities by David Liss
This peculiar (sorry) blend of fantasy and historical fiction is as weird as it is captivating. Twenty three year old Thomas Thresher has had a cushy life, but now he's stuck adulting in the boring clerical job at his family's London bank. Plus, he's expected to marry a wealthy woman he has no interest in. But when mysterious occurrences start happening, Thomas has more to worry about than marriage; his best friend dies, irregularities pop up at the bank, and he begins sprouting leaves from his skin. As Thomas' conspiracies about what's happening grow, so does his paranoia about who he can — and can't — trust. —Kirby Beaton
The author of the short story collection A House is a Body makes her novel debut with this intimate portrait about being an artist and a woman in Bombay during the 1960s and '70s. Vidya's complicated relationship with her mother defines her life: her mother's absence after the birth of her brother, her mother's return and disdain for Vidya, her mother's death. But before her death, Vidya's mother instructed her to become a mother to her brother and devote herself to dance. Vidya becomes consumed by dance, aspiring to be an artist like her teacher. Her absorption with dance continues once she's in college studying electrical engineering, where she begins to fall in love with a fellow female student, though she eventually marries a wealthy English man. Vidya holds onto one truth: She will not have a child; she will dance and be free, unlike her mother. Swamy brings Bombay to life with her rich descriptions of food and setting, and the richness of her prose continues with its portrayal of Vidya's inner life. Despite the historical setting, Vidya's struggles with how to be a wife, mother, and artist are equally relevant today. It's a gorgeous, sumptuous novel. —Margaret Kingsbury Get it from Bookshop or through your local indie through Indiebound here.
 Credit: Quill Tree Books, Scholastic Press Yusuf Azeem is Not a Hero by Saadia Faruqi
Yusuf has been waiting nearly his whole life to compete in, and win, the regional robotics competition. But as the 20th anniversary of the attacks on 9/11 approaches, and with it comes a hostile group of people protesting the new mosque, Yusuf's Muslim community is on edge. Yusuf gets a better understanding of the events that followed the attacks when he reads the journal of his uncle, who was a teen at the time. Can Yusuf stand up for his community and hold onto his joy in the face of prejudice and heartache? —Rachel Strolle
Get it from Bookshop or through your local indie through Indiebound here.
A Touch of Ruckus by Ash Van Otterloo
Van Otterloo once again strikes a magical chord with a middle-grade mystery full of Southern charm and cottagecore vibes starring a girl named Tennessee who gets some space from her family by moving in with her grandmother. In her new mountain town, Tennie makes fast friends with a charismatic kid named Fox who's obsessed with ghosthunting--a perfect fit for Tennie, who's got a supernatural secret: she can relive memories by touching an object. When their ghosthunting combined with Tennie's gift leads them to discover there's more to the town's history than meets the eye, the two will have to dig into its ugly past to prevent the town from facing an equally haunting future. —Dahlia Adler
Get it from Bookshop or through your local indie through Indiebound here.
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