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Eight Upcoming Book Releases to Keep on Your Radar This Year
M.M.LaFleur’s resident book expert shares her 2024 reading list.
Happy New Year! I’m Taylor, M.M.’s Senior Manager of Retail, and I’m excited to talk books with you all.
During the pandemic, I realized I wasn’t reading as much as I had in the past. I decided to start a bookstagram (an Instagram account focused on books and bookish things) to hold myself accountable to my reading goals and try out a new hobby. Thus, @tayreadsalot was born.
Since then, I’ve significantly increased the number of books I’m reading each year; I have been able to work with some amazing authors and publishers to post about new releases; and I’ve leaned into the creative writing I left behind in undergrad.
Originally, I was going to share look back at some of the best reads of 2023 in addition to exciting new releases this year. But when I sat down to write, I found myself more excited by what’s to come, by this year that has only just begun. Yes, it would have been fun to talk about Fourth Wing (don’t lie, I know you read it) and the Britney Spears autobiography (I read it in two days), but there’s something about 2024 that has me looking forward, with little desire to look back. I’m ready for a refreshing start packed with endless possibilities and growth.
So, with that, let’s talk about some exciting new releases coming out early this year:
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1. The Fury, Alex Michaelides
This one is for all of you who crave a good thriller. Michaelides is the author of The Silent Patient and The Maidens, and he’s back with a story about a movie star’s trip to Greece that gets upended by a murder.
2. Good Material, Dolly Alderton
If you’re unfamiliar with Dolly Alderton, I hope this is the year you’ll get to know her fondly. Her new story takes a different approach to the classic breakup topic and is written from the male perspective. The story is funny and relatable with a conversational voice, making you feel like you’re hearing from a best friend.
3. Come and Get It, Kiley Reid
After her wildly successful debut, Such a Fun Age, Reid is coming out with a new novel that promises the same character depth and entanglement. This time, an RA at the University of Arkansas who wants to graduate, get married, and buy a house gets involved with a traveling professor and writer after being offered an unusual opportunity.
4. The Curse of Pietro Houdini, Derek B. Miller
Let me share the premise of this story with you—I think it will be enough to hook you: It’s 1943, and fourteen-year-old Massimo is all alone after having survived a bombing that stole his parents from him. Pietro Houdini, who claims to be the Vatican’s confidante and “Master Artist,” comes to his rescue—and then enlists his help in preserving the monastery’s treasures.
5. Funny Story, Emily Henry
She’s back. After gifting the world Happy Place last year, Henry is sharing Daphne and Peter’s story…which ends abruptly after Peter realizes he’s actually in love with his childhood best friend, Petra. Daphne, stranded in Peter’s hometown, has no choice but to pick up the pieces of her relationship—and move in with none other than Petra’s ex. I’ll leave it at that.
6. The Familiar, Leigh Bardugo
All I needed to hear was “historical fiction set in the Spanish Golden Age” to know this was going to be a must-read for me. To explain the plot of this story as succinctly as possible: Luzia is a house servant with magical abilities. The house mistress notices her abilities and wants Luzia to use her magic to better the family’s social position; Luzia then gets noticed by the king’s secretary, who wants to use Luzia to better their position in the war. Luzia latches on to this opportunity to bring herself fortune, but she must fight to survive and work with an immortal familiar that may make staying alive that much more difficult
- Moonbound, Robin Sloan (tentatively June 2024): Robin Sloan won me over with his debut novel, Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore—a story about a little old man who runs a peculiar bookstore that is hiding a secret. He locked me in as a fan and became an auto-buy author for me after his second novel, Sourdough (yes, this book is seriously about bread), charmed me as much as his debut. So, when I found out he’d be releasing something new this year, I squealed and began to look for more info. Instead of sharing more here, I’ll encourage you to join the fun and poke around the website Sloan has created for his new release to find out what Moonbound is about. His newsletter, which comes out every 29 ½ days, will begin to have more detail, too.
- Untitled new release from Adrienne Young (2024 release date TBC): The premise of this story has me chomping at the bit. Adrienne Young’s new adult novel follows a pair of brother/sister twins in the Midwest. The brother has been studying an endangered species of owl and living in a small town to conduct his research. One day, the sister receives a call that her brother has been murdered in a hunting accident, so she goes out there to complete his work. When she arrives at the town, she finds out that it isn’t the wholesome, quaint, little town she thought it would be and stumbles into a mystery. Before her new story comes out, I recommend reading Adrienne Young’s other adult novels; they are atmospheric with a touch of romance and written in gorgeously lyrical prose. As an appetizer to her 2024 release, you can try out The Unmaking of June Farrow or Spells for Forgetting.
