With every new year comes the unrealistic motivation to partake in resolutions that you promise to commit to—but of course, never do.
And while vowing to complete daily workouts or bidding adieu to bread may not be a realistic long term goal for many, there’s something about curling up with a fresh crop of new novels that’ll keep you invested all year around.
Whether you’re after an education in civil rights or looking to escape into Parent Trap-like fiction, there are a myriad of new releases for this year that are sure to keep you busy for the next 12 months.
Below, we’ve rounded up our favourite new and upcoming releases for 2021.
Beautiful World, Where Are You by Sally Rooney
If you’ve found yourself desperately searching for your next fix since Normal People, look no further than Sally Rooney’s upcoming novel Beautiful World, Where Are You. The story follows yet-another millennial Irish romance that sees the main characters, Alice and Eileen and their lovers Felix and Simon, walk the line between adolescence and adulthood. And in traditional Rooney fashion, romantic entanglements and existential political commentary ensue.
Beautiful World, Where Are You is set to be released on September 7, 2021.
Open Water by Azumah Nelson
A painful love story that takes race and masculinity in its stride, Open Water follows two young people whose meeting seems like a match made in heaven. Both artists and trying to make it in London, a city where they feel neither accepted or celebrated, the two form a bond through their joint struggle to be taken seriously in a world still ruled by racism.
Pre-order it here.
The Push by Ashley Audrain
A tale of motherhood, Blythe Connor is determined to be the warm and loving mother for her baby, Violet, that she never had. This psychological drama follows a woman whose experience with motherhood is nothing like what she’d envisioned and everything that she was afraid of. The Push asks parents to question what they owe their children and what it feels like when a mother is not believed.
Buy it here.
The Portrait by Ilaria Bernardini
In a similar vein to the story of Dorian Grey, The Portrait follows the story of Martin Acla, whose recent stroke has left his mistress, Valeria Costa, beside herself. Desperate to find a way to be beside him during his last days, Valeria commissions Martin’s artist wife to paint her portrait and injects herself into the family’s mansion home. Naturally, tensions rise and a fantastic piece of literature is born.
Buy it here.
One Of The Good Ones by Maika Moulite and Maritza Moulite
After Kezi is killed while attending a social justice rally, her sisters, Happi and Genny are forced to confront the young activist’s intricate legacy. Much like reality, the media’s portrayal of Kezi is far removed from the sister they knew and loved, meaning that both Happi and Genny must embark on a memorial road trip based on Kezi’s research.
Pre-order it here.
Ida B. the Queen: The Extraordinary Legacy of Ida B. Wells by Michelle Duster
Based on the life of Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, Ida B. Wells, this biography on her life was written by none other than her great-granddaughter, Michelle Duster. She tells the incredible story of Wells’ life, including stories from her childhood in Mississippi to her later work as a pioneering journalist and anti-lynching crusader. Chronically overlooked and underestimated, the story about Wells’ influence on American history is a definite must-read.
Buy it here.
Bride Of The Sea by Eman Quotah
Years ago, Hanadi’s father left her and her mother in Cleveland when he returned to Saudi Arabia. Kidnapped by her mother, she was terrified of losing her daughter in addition to her husband. Now an adult, Hanadi is forced to reckon with the aftershocks of her parents’ decisions.
Buy it here.
Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters
Following the breakdown of Reese’s last serious relationship, Detransition, Baby chronicles her life—which is a hot mess. Now, her ex has chosen to detransition—which was the reason behind their breakup—and wants her back in her life. Left with a huge decision, Ames has returned with the request that Reese be the second mother to the child with their new partner, Katrina.
Buy it here.
The Perfect Guests by Emma Rous
Aspiring actress, Sadie, lands an easy gig playing a guest at a murder-mystery party. However, things take a turn when not everything is as it seems. From the guests at the party to the teenage girl from 30 years earlier that no one can stop talking about, Rous’ latest novel is one you won’t be able to put down.
Buy it here.
The Inland Sea by Madeleine Watts
An aimless and nameless college student is pushed centre stage in The Inland Sea, the story of a young writer as she talks to strangers who phone the emergency call center where she works. Taking its name from the mythical geographical feature that the protagonist’s ancestors disappeared while searching for, Watts’ work is a must-read.
Buy it here.
You Have A Match by Emma Lord
When a DNA test reveals that 16-year-old Abby has a sister she never knew existed, she chooses to escape to a summer camp in the Pacific Northwest. In a similar vein to The Parent Trap, she and her newly discovered sister, Savannah, use the time to get to know each other, but as it turns out, they are nothing alike. The pair must learn to co-exist when they couldn’t be more different.
Buy it here.
Faye, Faraway by Helen Fisher
In similar fashion to The Time Traveler’s Wife, Helen Fisher’s Fay, Faraway centres on a 37-year-old woman raising her two children without her own mother’s guidance. Having died when Faye was young, a miraculous temporal shift occurs and mother and daughter and forced to connect in ways neither of them could have expected.
Buy it here.
Aftershocks by Nadia Owusu
Her debut memoir, Nadia Owusu opens up about her abandonment by her mother when she was only a toddler, what it was like to travel the world with her father and sister and getting caught in the middle of natural disasters. Exploring the tangled reality of living in a multicultural heritage, Oswusu’s memoir explores race, family and belonging when identity and division dominate global politics.
Buy it here.
Before My Actual Heart Breaks by Tish Delaney
Set during The Troubles in Ireland, Delaney’s debut novel sees Mary forced t omarry a man called John in order to save her mother from familial shame. Before My Actual Heart Breaks is a fascinating look into consent, fierce female friendship and a woman’s struggle to find her voice after years of it being quashed by religion and her family.
Pre-order it here.
