26 Brilliant Books You Should Read This Spring

Meet Andrea Bern. She's 39 years old, still single, and child-free. But she's so much more than that, especially in the hands of bestselling author Jami Attenberg. Told in smart and funny vignettes, All Grown Up is an examination of what it means to be a woman and a grown-up in today's times. This deceptively short novel will stay with you long after finishing the last page.

It was a huge thrill to interview Danielle Steel about her upcoming March book, Dangerous Games, her 108th novel. A departure for Steel, it's a political thriller about power, ambition, and the search for truth. It's a must read for Steel fans and new readers alike.

As a country is on the brink of civil war, two people meet and fall in love. A secret love affair begins as the world crumbles outside their door. Exit West is a compelling read that will make you think about the times we are living in right now.

It's a long wait between Hannah Tinti books, but it's always worth it. In her latest novel, The Twelve Lives of Samuel Hawley, we meet the titular character, Hawley, and his daughter, Loo, whom he tries to protect from his criminal past. But do our pasts always come back to haunt us? It's an unforgettable novel that is one part coming-of-age, one part mystery, and all parts utter delight.

What if you were on vacation, umbrella cocktail in hand, and returned to your hotel room, only to find that your husband and child were gone? Almost Missed You asks that question and will leave you wondering: how well do you really know your spouse? This page-turning debut is an emotional look at marriage, parenthood, and friendship.

Was it rape or was it consensual sex? That is the question Amy Hatvany unpacks in her compelling new novel, which explores the hot-button issue of acquaintance rape. Told in alternating viewpoints, we see how each side perceives the buildup and aftermath of a night that will change the lives of two best friends forever. It Happens All the Time is a must read for Sexual Assault Awareness Month.

Twenty-two years after a teenager is convicted of the gruesome murder of a black family, journalist Rebekah Roberts gets a letter that says: I didn't do it. Set against the backdrop of the Crown Heights riots, no one will help Rebekah investigate this case. But that won't stop her. Conviction is the third novel in Dahl's popular Rebekah Roberts series.

Bea seems to have it all: the husband, the two kids, and the new house in a chichi suburb. Only problem is, Bea feels like an outcast, being biracial in her new neighborhood, and her husband is cheating on her. Again. She has her childhood best friend, Awilda, for support, but when the unthinkable happens, she finds herself with nowhere to turn. And Then There Was Me is a thought-provoking novel about marriage, parenthood, and friendship.

When Phoebe meets Jake Pierce as teenagers, she's instantly drawn to the excitement. Years later, he's created a huge financial empire, and she's right there by his side. But when his success is revealed to be the result of a Ponzi scheme, everything falls apart. The Widow of Wall Street is a ripped-from-the-headlines story about love, ambition, and forgiveness.

Anita Hughes has a knack for taking us on a journey to a far-off place and making us feel like we're on vacation. In White Sand, Blue Sea, she brings us to St. Barts, where she brings the island to life. Get swept away in this story of love and adventure, and don't forget the SPF!

Based on the fires that consumed Maine in 1947, The Stars Are Fire is the story of Grace, a wife and mother who is forced out of her home when her town burns to the ground. Five months pregnant and caring for her two toddlers, Grace is devastated to learn that her husband, a volunteer firefighter, has gone missing in the fire. Left with nothing and forced to rebuild her life, Grace discovers her own strength and resilience against staggering odds.

First comes love, then comes marriage. But what comes next? In How to Be Married: What I Learned from Real Women on Five Continents About Surviving My First (Really Hard) Year of Marriage, journalist Jo Piazza travels the world to discover what the first year of marriage is truly about and how to survive it.

Elizabeth Strout blew us away last year with My Name Is Lucy Barton. She returns this year with Anything Is Possible, a novel that she wrote in tandem with that novel. Strout said: "It came to me that all the characters Lucy and her mother talked about had their own story — of course! — and so the unfolding of their lives became tremendously important to me." Anything Is Possible is a true gem by a singular talent.

This highly anticipated debut by Doree Shafrir, culture writer at BuzzFeed, takes us to the heart of the New York City startup world. (You didn't think it was just Silicon Valley, did you?) Meet Mack, the It boy of the tech world, who's got a million-dollar idea. Meet Katya, the journalist covering the goings-on in his world. When their paths cross, it will have consequences neither could have imagined. Startup is a clever novel about trying to connect in the tech-heavy world we live in now.

When a girl shows up on Marin Bishop's doorstep, claiming to be her half-sister, she sets off for a Summer of discovery at a Cape Cod bed and breakfast to meet the family she never knew. The Forever Summer is a gem of a novel about strong women, the meaning of family, and the secrets we keep. It's the perfect read to get you into a Summer state of mind.

Best friends Annie and Sarah are in desperate need of money. Solution? Create a "luxury" antiaging face cream and sell it to the wealthy members of Annie's book club. Things are going according to plan . . . until Annie decides to add a "special" (read: totally illegal) ingredient to the mix. What could possibly go wrong?! In Crimes Against a Book Club, a lot!

Were you obsessed with The Girl on the Train? (OK, yes. I know. We all were.) Well, get ready for another thrill ride from Paula Hawkins. With Into the Water, she introduces us to a town filled with secrets, where two women have drowned in the same river just months apart. What's more: they are not the first women to drown there. This will be the book everyone's talking about this May — an unputdownable, smart, thoughtful thriller.

What would you do if you won the lottery? That's what happens when Alice buys her best friend (who she's secretly in love with) Teddy a lottery ticket for his 18th birthday. Winning millions seems like a dream come true . . . or is it? Windfall is a young adult novel, but younger readers and adult readers alike will fall in love with this charmer about luck, love, and fortune.

Did you love The Rosie Project? (Of course you did!) Graeme Simsion is back with another charmer, The Best of Adam Sharp, about 50-year-old Adam Sharp, former piano player, formerly in love with Angelina Brown. But that was decades ago. Adam now has a happy life with his partner, Claire . . . or does he? When Angelina gets in touch, will Adam give things a second chance?

From the acclaimed author of Maine comes Saints for All Occasions, the story of a large Irish family and the two sisters at its core. Spanning 50 years, the story of Nora and Theresa Flynn, and the choices they made when they were 21 and 17 years old, is utterly unputdownable. It's a beautiful novel about family, secrets, and the ties that bind us to each other.

The author of Bergdorf Blondes brings us back to the wild 1980s with Party Girls Die in Pearls, a mystery set at Oxford University, which will be the first in Plum Sykes's Oxford Girls series. It's a darkly funny, delicious treat.

Gail Gideon has made a radio career out of being a single woman, divorced by her husband. Her daughter, Nic, always lived in her shadow, but after a riding accident, she wakes from a coma as a changed person. Will their ever-evolving relationship be able to change once again? Every Wild Heart is a love letter to mothers and daughters.

Who doesn't love a little celebrity gossip? (Answer: no one. We all love it!) But who's out there, getting you the scoop? Meet Ella Warren, celebrity news reporter. She loves spying on the Hollywood elite for her stories, but when one story hits a little too close to home, will she choose her job or the people closest to her? According to a Source, written by a real celebrity journalist insider, captures the Hollywood lifestyle perfectly.

What would you do if you lost everything? Seventy-year-old Bea is a widow who was barely scraping by. When a phone scam robs her of her tiny savings account, she takes to the road. She meets Allie, a 17-year-old teenager who was living a life of luxury . . . until her parents were arrested for tax fraud. Allie and Bea is a story of losing everything, only to discover what truly matters, by the New York Times bestselling author of Pay It Forward.

Joan is a 10-year-old girl who can't forget anything, thanks to an accident in Home Depot that left her with the ability to remember every day of her life in cinematic detail. Gavin is a man who is desperate to remember, after losing his partner and trying to piece together their final months together. Written by actor and songwriter Val Emmich, The Reminders is beautiful and beguiling, a story that will stay with you long after you finish reading it.

When Edsel Bronfman wins a prize, his unremarkable life takes a turn for the remarkable. He's won a free weekend in a beachfront condo, but the only catch is it's for couples only, which means he's got 79 days to find a companion. Extraordinary Adventures is a charming novel about the possibilities in life, from the author of Big Fish.