Bookworms, bibliophiles, and fan girls, it’s that time of year when book releases are popping up like daisies. These 2021 spring book releases come from all genres and are penned by authors both new and well-known, but they’re all highly anticipated springtime reads that will keep you turning their pages until there aren’t any left.
Whether you’re a lifelong book lover or you’ve gotten more into reading during quarantine, it’s always nice to have a new book on hand for when you finish your current read. Audiobooks count, too, so don’t feel left out if you prefer to be read to while you drive, clean, or work. Book critics and entertainment magazines are already touting some of this spring’s titles, and there’s something for everyone among their top-ranked works.
So, what’s your genre of choice? If you’re into thrillers, there are countless ones coming out in March and April that should catch your eye (like the next installment in the You series, which you may have gotten into thanks to Penn Badgley and the hit Netflix series). Or, if you’re more of the To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before type, a light romance novel may be what does it for you, and titles like Slingshot and Kisses & Croissants will be your top picks.
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A Sisterhood Thriller
Do you like fantasy, YA, or thrillers? This book sounds like it includes the best of all three genres. Iris Hollow and her two sisters disappeared when they were young, reappearing after a month with no memory of what had happened. Over time, their appearances start changing, and one of them vanishes again. So, who or what are they really, and where do they belong?
Poetry Collection On Race, Feminism, & Queerness
Black Girl, Call Home is one of the most highly anticipated spring releases by Oprah Magazine, Essence, Elle, and more. Jasmine Mans is a renowned spoken word poet, and this poetry collection focuses on race, feminism, and queerness, and what it’s like to wrap so many identities into one woman seeking a place to belong.
A Story Of Perseverance & Fortune Tellers
If you love The Handmaid’s Tale, When She Woke, and Red Clocks, Body of Stars should top your list of spring releases. In the book’s world, a woman’s future is determined based on the freckles, birthmarks, and moles on her body, which are interpreted by fortune tellers during puberty. Celeste’s brother is a fortune teller, and she’s coming of age. By the end of the book, Celeste decides to fight back against the system.
A Thriller With Stranger Things Vibes
Missing simpler times when Stranger Things was still the most-talked about show? Down World is based on a similar premise: the local high school, formerly a military base, is supposedly the doorway to an experimental universe called the Down World. But that’s just urban legend, right? Marina O’Connell, still reeling from the death of her brother, is about to find out.
The Next Installment Of You
Fans of the book series You, you can now preorder the next installment of Joe’s story! In You Love Me, Joe moves to a more idyllic, Pacific Northwestern island and takes a job working at the local library. When he meets Mary Kay, he feels like she may be the one. This time, he swears he’ll win her heart the right way, but fans of the hit Netflix show already know his idea of “right” is a little wrong.
A Book On Choosing Motherhood
Rose Napolitano never wanted to become a mother. But when her husband says it’s have kids or break up, she imagines all the ways her life could play out based on her decision. How do all of our choices affect the trajectory of our lives? As for Rose, which life will be the one she chooses?
The Sequel To The Ice Cream Girls
All My Lies Are True was released on March 9, the sequel to The Ice Cream Girls, and it’s already receiving rave reviews. If you’re a fan of Big Little Lies, this web of women forced to keep some pretty serious secrets sounds like a surefire choice for your next binge read.
A Story For Chasing Dreams In Paris
What makes a good spring read? Well, a romantic novel set in Paris, starring a ballerina and her charming French love interest, sounds like the perfect choice. Mia comes to Paris to pursue her dream of professional ballet, but runs up against a tough rival (and a tougher instructor). And then, she meets Louis *heart eyes*.
A Beach Story Set In The 1980s
Ultimate beach read alert: Malibu Rising, available for preorder now. Set in August of 1983, this book follows four famous siblings throwing their annual end-of-summer bash. But each sibling has their own ghosts and secrets coming to the party with them, and by the time the sun comes up, their house is ablaze. So, how did it get there? You’ll have to read to find out.
A Story Full Of Nostalgia & Video Stores
Are throwback novels your thing? Then once you finish Malibu Rising, dive into Baby & Solo, the story of two teens in the 1990s working together at their local video store. Joel is new in town and coming off of some personal tragedy, and he meets the snarky Nicole once he lands his job. Reviewers love the way this book tackles tough topics, like mental illness and homophobia, with impressive nuance.
A Romance Novel Full Of Dancing
Evie isn’t a big believer in love after what she’s been through. But one day, she sees a couple kiss and can envision how they met, and how their love will end. While she’s trying to understand what’s happening to her, she begins falling for her dance partner, X. As the two prepare for competition, Evie wrestles with the age-old question of whether love is worth the risk of a broken heart.
A Story On Family, Heritage, & Summer
Gender, wealth, and race collide in Asha Bromfield’s debut novel. Every six months, Tilla’s father visits his home island of Jamaica, and this summer her mother is sending her along with him. What will she learn about her father, can they salvage their relationship, and what about the hurricane barreling towards the shore?
When Loneliness Clouds Your Judgment
Aaron feels pretty alone. His mom, brother, and his friends have all left the sleepy mountain town where he lives and works, alongside his dad, and their secondhand bookstore. From the author of If I Stay, this story brings all kinds of new characters into Aaron’s life to help him see the good in all he has.
William Shakespeare As You’ve Never Seen Him Before
Hamnet is set in 1580s England, mid-Black Plague (hello, relevant theme), and tells the story of a young Latin tutor who falls in love with his student. Ultimately their son dies, causing the tutor to turn writer, and he becomes the William Shakespeare we know today, writing the infamous play in which a father dies and the son avenges him instead of the other way around.
A Honeymoon Thriller
Abigail Baskin is getting married to Bruce Lamb, and he’s absolutely perfect for her. But then she has a drunken one-night stand on the eve of her wedding, and the mysterious stranger won’t let her go. When he shows up on her honeymoon with Bruce, Abigail has to decide if she tells the truth and ruins her new marriage, or tries to handle her stalker on her own.
The Legacies Women Carry With Them
Jeanette struggles with addiction. Her mother, Carmen, is a Cuban immigrant. Jeanette longs to know more about her family’s history, which will bring her mother to reckon with her displacement and relationship with her own mom, while the two care for a neighbor’s daughter after ICE raids their home. Of Women and Salt is all about family ties, both with the people you can see and those from long ago, and the legacies women carry with them.
A Multiple-Personality Thriller
D.J. Palmer is an acclaimed thriller author, and this story of one teen girl’s multiple personalities is no exception. Dr. Mitchell McHugh is a psychiatrist (with his own secrets, naturally) determined to help Grace Francone after her daughter, Penny, is found guilty of murder. Is she a cold-blooded killer, or is she just unwell?
Sharon Stone’s Autobiography
Sharon Stone’s autobiography is available for preorder now, and fans of the actress will get to know her like never before. After a nearly fatal stroke in 2001, Stone lost her promising career, her home, and more. Here she writes about how she rebuilt it all while recovering her health, and how the events of that year steered her toward activism. And, yes, in true celeb memoir fashion, you can find her insights on her roles, peers, and accomplishments.
A Motherhood Thriller
When a terrifying woman dressed in black appears outside her window one morning, it’s easy for Bree to explain the sighting away as her mind playing tricks in the early light of day. When the same woman appears later that day and vanishes with her infant son, she knows the woman is real, and that her little boy is in danger. The instructions for how to get him back are clear, but what will it cost Bree in the end?
A Story About Finding Your Person
Grace Welles attends a Florida boarding school where she makes a point to keep to herself. If you don’t have friends, you can’t lose any, right? When she unintentionally befriends the new kid, Wade, her perfectly curated isolation is shattered. Not only can they talk about anything, but she feels...comfortable around him. She’s falling for him, so she breaks his heart. This book is all about finding your person, messing it up, and first love.
A Spooky Boarding School
Fans of Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children may enjoy this story. Caldonbrae Hall, a boarding school for girls, prides itself on turning out excellent young ladies. Rose is the new classics teacher who quickly finds she doesn’t mesh well with the old-school culture here, and begins to suspect her predecessor may have met a more sinister end than she was told. Read on as Rose tries to uncover what the school is really up to, and to meet the dynamic cast of women who carry the narrative.
A Palm Beach Thriller
Florida-born author Carl Hiaasen is known for his books set in the sunshine state (remember Hoot?), and Squeeze Me transports readers to charity ball season in Palm Beach, where the elite wine and dine in the name of whatever cause gets them out of the house today. When a high-profile guest vanishes from one such gala and is found dead, her passing sends ripples all the way up to the White House. Meanwhile, a wildlife wrangler is called in to the area to deal with an influx of invasive pythons. You’ll have to read the book to find out how all these characters connect.
When You Adult With Your Friends
Chase London is an actress with a promising future, but it’s derailed by another failed rehab stay and a parole violation. But life coach Olivia is positive she can get Chase’s life and career back on track through her “adulting” boot camp method of therapy. However, all the time she pours into rebuilding Chase’s life is just a way to distract herself from improving her own. And the two women hash that out, and more, when they visit Olivia’s remote cabin to work on it and themselves.
The Real Cost Of The American Dream
Gentrification is a buzzword in the news, but what does it look like when it happens to someone? Lynnette has multiple jobs (some legal, some not) to pay her bills as Portland’s housing prices continue to rise. She just needs a little more money to purchase her home and feel secure, she’ll be pushed to the edge trying to get it. The Night Always Comes is all about the American Dream, what it costs, and if it’s even real.
Life After Loss
This book is a must-read for fans of Me Without You, P.S. I Love You, and similar titles. Anna and Spencer were perfect for each other, but after Spencer is killed in an accident, Anna can’t seem to move on. And how can she? Her soulmate is just... gone. She dials his old number to hear his voicemail like usual, but this time, someone answers. The two of them continue chatting, and Anna starts to wonder if she could love again.
A Thriller Pulling From Your Own Trauma
Did you like Room? Lies We Bury includes some similar themes. Marissa Mo was born a captive, and years after her escape, she’s working as a photographer and using a different name. When she’s asked to cover a string of murders, the details of the crimes strike a familiar cord, and she’ll have to remember everything about her own past to help find the killer before he finds her.
When Your Pretend World Turns Real
Twin sisters Cat and El grew up in the house on 36 Westeryk Road where they often played in Mirrorland, a made-up world under the stairs where witches, clowns, and more all came to life in their imaginations. El and her husband Ross still live in the house until El disappears without a trace. Cat comes home to help look for her, and it seems all the clues are leading her to Mirrorland.
A Thriller About Cults
Detective novels can start to feel the same after a while, but this one starring a hostage negotiator sounds like a fresh take on the topic. Lieutenant Abby Mullen is the hostage negotiation instructor for the NYPD. She sees the worst in people all the time, so not much fazes her until a call from Eden Fletcher. Both women are survivors of the same cult, and now that Eden’s daughter is missing, she needs Abby’s help.
A Battle For Life & Equality
Love and Fury takes readers back to 1797, when an experienced midwife arrives at Mary Wollstonecraft’s home to deliver her baby. Over the next 11 days, she will fight to save the lives of both mother and baby. Meanwhile, the new mom recounts her life, her battle for women’s equality, and her hopes for her daughter.
(Side note: Mary Wollstonecraft was a real person, a feminist writer and advocate, whose daughter, Mary Shelley, grew up to write Frankenstein.)
Losing Memories & Finding More
In Amanda Dennis’ first novel, protagonist Elena is reeling from a recent trauma that caused memory loss. She leaves her long-term relationship, drops out of grad school, and accepts the strange task of trying to find a missing girl, Ella. Elena begins rewriting Ella’s journals to retrace her last steps, but when Ella’s memories start filling in the gaps her own left behind, things begin to spiral out of control.
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