What it’s about: Set in 2030 during the aftermath of a climate plague virus, Nagamatsu’s collection of stories follow interconnected characters, ultimately telling a moving tale of tragedy, resilience, and the human spirit. What it’s about: The Good Place creator Michael Schur presents intriguing ethical questions and concepts, philosophical insights, and complex moral issues that strive to answer what it means to be a good person or a bad person. What it’s about: Molly is a 25-year-old hotel maid who recently lost her grandmother, but she also struggles with social skills and reading people’s intentions. She doesn’t mind her orderly life at the Regency Grand Hotel. But when she enters a wealthy guest’s suite only to find him dead, she quickly becomes the investigation’s lead suspect. But will she be able to search for clues and solid evidence before it’s too late? What it’s about: This is the third book in Muir’s Locked Tomb series, so you’ll want to start at the beginning if you haven’t already read the first two. Set within a city facing collapse, if she had it her way, Nona would prefer to have an ordinary life. But six months ago, she woke up in the body of a stranger and would prefer not to give it back. With the threat of a monstrous blue sphere, leaders would like to believe Nona is the weapon that will save them from the Nine Houses. What it’s about: Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow is easily one of my favorite books I’ve read this year. As the author puts it, it’s a story about work, and it’s a story about love — but it is so much more than that. It’s an evocative, heart-wrenching, passionate novel about creation and storytelling, collaboration and friendship, failure and grief, and a coming-of-age tale about two best friends: Sadie and Sam. The two met in the hospital in middle school, bonded over their love for video games, and were reunited in college where, shortly after, they decided to program and create a video game of their own. With the help of Sam’s roommate Marx, the three successfully produce a hit: Ichigo. In the years that follow (the book begins in the late ‘80s and spans throughout the late 2000s), the three will struggle with ambition and success, friendship fallouts and heartache, and defining what this career trajectory means for them. It’s beautifully told and unforgettable. (*Content warning: Spoiler ahead. Due to recent tragedies, it’s important for me to mention that the later third of this book does include traumatic death by gun violence. Please read with care.) What it’s about: Whelan’s contemporary romance has the perfect balance of swooniness and heart. Sewanee Chester has made a career being an audiobook narrator, which allows her to take care of her ailing grandmother. The one genre Sewanee doesn’t touch? Romance. So when news arrives in Sewanee’s inbox that the late June French, a world-renowned romance writer, wants her and Brock McKnight, the romance industry’s beloved mystery voice, to team up on her final novel, it’s an offer Sewanee can’t refuse. Mainly because it pays A LOT. Enough for her to drudge up her old pseudonym And from behind their screens, Sewanee and Brock begin to forge an emotional connection. But when reality comes crashing down, Sewanee must decide if she’s really ready to go after what she wants. What it’s about: Set in the early 1960s, chemist Elizabeth Zott is part of an all-male team at Hastings Research Institute that doesn’t fully see the importance of equality. However, the brilliant Nobel Prize–nominated Calvin Evans falls for Elizabeth for her mind. Fast-forward a few years later, when single mother Elizabeth is the star of Supper at Six, a cooking show where her unusual approach to cooking is seen as revolutionary. But Elizabeth isn’t only teaching women how to cook — she’s teaching them to challenge the ways the world has defined women. What it’s about: The author of The Guest List returns with another thriller/mystery told from multiple points of view set in Paris. Foley opens up with a twentysomething named Jess who has hit rock bottom and needs a place to stay — that place being with her brother Ben. But when she shows up to his Paris apartment, Ben isn’t there. And there are signs of a struggle. While we slowly uncover what Jess knows, we also get into the heads of Ben’s neighbors…even the ones who don’t exactly like him as a person. If you enjoy a solid mystery, you won’t want to miss this one. What it’s about: Emily Henry is a sensational writer who writes characters that (like herself) are also immersed in the world of books and writing. Book Lovers is a laugh-out-loud rom-com set within the publishing world. Nora Stephens is a cutthroat literary agent whose life revolved around books. Charlie Lastra is a brooding editor. Nora’s sister insists on taking a trip to Sunshine Falls, North Carolina, where she hopes Nora might find herself as the heroine in her own story. Instead, Nora finds Charlie. They’ve met before in New York, and it wasn’t exactly pleasant. But in this new environment, and with books as a common interest, maybe they’ll discover they’re more alike than they are willing to believe. What it’s about: There’s a good chance you’ve heard people raving about Jennette’s memoir, and with good reason. In short but profound chapters, Jennette tells her story with unflinching honesty. As a child actor who began going on auditions at the age of 6, Jennette recalls that it was her mother’s dream for her to become a star. Craving peace and harmony within her family, she wanted to keep her mother happy, especially after her mother was diagnosed with cancer. Jennette reveals the dark secrets she harbored on her rise to fame, including struggling with eating disorders, addiction, and unhealthy relationships. It’s an unforgettable, heartbreaking personal journey that showcases her resilience.
