A new year means another chance to reach your reading goals, and with the bounty of must-read new books coming out in January [1], there are plenty of reasons to keep your reading resolutions. Whether you've resolved to read more diversely or expand your genre preferences in the new year [2], there's a book on this list for you. The first month of the year is bringing with it a fresh batch of rom-coms, thrillers, buzzy memoirs, and so much more. Trust us, January is going to be an exciting month for new releases, and picking up one of these 18 books is the perfect way to guarantee that you start the year with an engrossing read [3].
Lady Clementine
Winston Churchill's wife steps out of the shadows of history in Lady Clementine [4] by Marie Benedict. This fictionalized account of Clementine Churchill's life weaves together fact and fiction to tell the story of the woman who stood beside the famed prime minister.
Out Jan. 7
Long Bright River
One sister is a cop, and the other is an addict in Liz Moore's Long Bright River [5]. Although they're estranged, Mickey goes looking for her wayward sister when she goes missing, but what she finds is a series of murders that point to her sister being in more danger than she imagined.
Out Jan. 7
A Love Hate Thing
Don't let the cutesy cover fool you, Whitney D. Grandison's YA romance A Love Hate Thing [6] is set tackle to some weighty issues. After being shot on the streets of Lindenwood, Trice is taken in by a family in the upscale Pacific Hills community. Soon, he finds himself falling for the family's teenage daughter Nandy, even as he feels the pull to return home.
Out Jan. 7
One of Us Is Next
Karen M. McManus is back with the highly anticipated sequel to her YA thriller One of Us Is Lying, One of Us Is Next [7]. This time around the students of Bayview High find themselves engaged in a game of Truth or Dare that comes with life or death stakes.
Out Jan. 7
Why We Can't Sleep
Gen X women are set to get the attention they deserve in Ada Calhoun's Why We Can't Sleep [8]. Calhoun looked at numerous factors contributing to the midlife crises facing middle-aged women today, and then she examined those factors in a book that puts the focus on a generation of women who are often lost in the mix between boomers and millennials.
Out Jan. 7
The Better Liar
The Better Liar [9] by Tanen Jones is the story of a deception gone horribly wrong. When a woman desperately in need of her inheritance from her dying father discovers that her estranged sister is dead, she hires another woman to take her sister's place. She just needs to convince her father that her sister is still alive so that they can receive their inheritance, but unfortunately both women have secrets that put their plan in jeopardy.
Out Jan. 14
Followers
Social media takes a dark turn in Megan Angelo's Followers [10]. In the present, Orla and Floss concoct a scheme to get all the likes and fame that they crave as influencers. But their actions have a long-lasting effect on American history as 35 years in the future, another young woman named Marlow is living under constant surveillance as a government-appointed celebrity.
Out Jan. 14
Hitting a Straight Lick with a Crooked Stick
Eight of the late Zora Neale Hurston's "lost" Harlem stories have been collected in Hitting a Straight Lick with a Crooked Stick [11]. Previously, these stories covering everything from gender politics to African American folk culture were tucked away in little-read publications. This collection brings the stories together and makes them available for a wider audience for the first time.
Out Jan. 14
Little Gods
The life of a brilliant physicist named Su Lan is at the heart of Meng Jin's time and space-bending novel Little Gods [12]. When Su Lan dies unexpectedly, her American born daughter Liya takes her ashes to China where she begins to understand all of the complex elements of the complicated woman that was her mother.
Out Jan. 14
Love Her or Lose Her
Rom-com maestro Tessa Bailey returns with Love Her or Lose Her [13] this January. With their marriage in a rut, Rosie and Dominic agree to go to marriage boot camp to rediscover why they fell in love in the first place.
Out Jan. 14
Oligarchy
The privileged lives of teens girls at an exclusive boarding school is the subject of Scarlett Thomas's Oligarchy [14]. Upon arriving at the school, Natasha, the daughter of a Russian oligarch, soon realizes that special treatment is given to the thinnest girls. Soon, she finds herself drawn into a dark world of secrets, eating disorders, and dangerous cliques.
Out Jan. 14
Agency
Even if sci-fi isn't your preferred genre, William Gibson's Agency [15] should still be on your TBR. In the present, a beta tester named Verity realizes that the company she's working for has created a powerful A.I. that they don't fully understand. Meanwhile, 100 years in the future of an entirely different timeline, a woman is working to help Verity avoid an apocalyptic event.
Out Jan. 21
American Dirt
The lives of a middle-class family living in Acapulco are upended in Jeanine Cummins's American Dirt [16]. When her journalist husband writes a tell-all that exposes the head of a drug cartel, Lydia and her son become migrants as they flee Mexico for the hope of finding safety in America. Their perilous journey changes everything Lydia thought she knew about the people who risk everything for a chance at a better life.
Out Jan. 21
A Long Petal of the Sea
A Long Petal of the Sea [17] by Isabel Allende sounds like the perfect novel for anyone craving a meaty historical epic they can sink their teeth into. Roser and Victor flee the Spanish Civil War together on a ship bound to Chile. That's just the first of many trials facing this unexpected couple as they spend decades together as exiles longing to return home.
Out Jan. 21
Remembrance
Three different women in three different eras grapple with similar trials in Rita Woods's Remembrance [18]. Remembrance is said to be a hidden stop on the Underground Railroad that will offer sanctuary if you can find it, but it may be out of reach for Abigail, a slave fleeing Haiti with her mistress; Margot, a house girl sold before her 18th birthday, and an elderly women in modern day Ohio who is concerned about rising racism.
Out Jan. 21
Becoming a Man: The Story of a Transition
Becoming a Man: The Story of a Transition [19] by P. Carl is a memoir about Carl's gender transition in the age of Me Too and the Trump administration. His intimate story details not only how his transition affects his marriage and friendships, but also how the current American landscape is impacting members of the LGBTQ+ community.
Out Jan. 28
Don't Read the Comments
Eric Smith's Don't Read the Comments [20] takes on the modern day issue of doxxing head on. In the online role-playing game she's obsessed with, Divya Sharma is a queen, but as her popularity grows so does the army of trolls threatening her and her mom's lives.
Out Jan. 28
When We Were Vikings
When We Were Vikings [21], Andrew David MacDonald's debut, is set to chronicle the story of Zelda, a 21-year-old viking enthusiast who is cared for by her older brother. When Zelda discovers her brother is going to dangerous extremes to keep them afloat, she embarks on a quest worthy of the vikings she loves in hopes of becoming a legend and saving the day.
Out Jan. 28
