The Indie Next List

Yellowface

“I hated every character in this book but could not put it down. It was so compelling and truly made you think about how awful people can be. The main character basically murdered her friend and stole her manuscript. Wanting the celebrity that her friend afforded, she is overwhelmed with the publishing world. Such great storytelling”

Suzanne, Page 158 Books

Good Night, Irene

“In 1943, author Luis Urerra's mother volunteered for the war effort. To make donuts. For the troops. In a war zone. Good Night Irene is Urrea's version of this amazing story. With adventure, a fabulous friendship tale, and, well, donuts, this will be THE historical fiction everyone will be reading in Fall 23.”

Angie, The Country Bookshop

"The reigning queen of STEM romance."—The Washington Post

An Indie Next and Library Reads Pick!

Rival physicists collide in a vortex of academic feuds and fake dating shenanigans in this delightfully STEMinist romcom from the New York Times bestselling author of The Love Hypothesis and Love on the Brain.
 
The many lives of theoretical physicist... Read more »

Lady Tan's Circle of Women

“Another winner from Lisa See! This fictionalized version of Lady Tan, a real Chinese doctor from the 15th century, is a fascinating dive into a world I knew nothing about. Fans of Snow Flower and the Secret Fan will enjoy this one as well. ”

Amber, Quail Ridge Books

Witch King

“This is true high fantasy complete with a diverse character list, explanations of magics used, descriptions of the world and the different factions operating to bring about events...The narrator speaking with Kai's POV was fantastic. His voice was perfect and conveyed real feeling through the words. I feel I liked this one so much because I listened to it and may have missed some of the nuances had I just been reading. The story starts with Kai awakening after being murdered. Buy hey, he's a demon and that's how he rolls. The story takes off immediately and through a series of time jumps from present to past and back again, all the information is provided to not only allow the reader to join Kai and his friends on the journey to figure out the mystery of who betrayed them, but how they all met each other and became friends in the first place. These POV time jumps are perfectly aligned to give the reader all the necessary information at just the right moment in the story. ”

Linda, Love Your Shelf

All the Sinners Bleed

“S.A. Cosby has given us an early favorite for the best crime fiction novel of the year with All the Sinners Bleed. We are big fans of his two previous books (Blacktop Wasteland and Razorblade Tears), and Cosby knocks it out of the park as he writes from the perspective of a town’s first black sheriff and his descent into the mid of a serial killer. It’s riveting while also exploring major issues like race, policing, and religion.”

Jason, Reads & Company

Deep as the Sky, Red as the Sea

“Who doesn't like pirates and who doesn't love a Pirate Queen?! ”

Jayne, Mystery to Me

A young woman pretends to be someone she isn’t in this “spellbinding” (Vogue), “smoldering” (The Washington Post) novel by the New York Times bestselling author of The Girls.
 
“Under Cline’s command, every sentence as sharp as a scalpel, a woman toeing the line between welcome and unwelcome guest becomes a fully destabilizing force.”—The New... Read more »

NAMED A MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK OF THE YEAR BY VOGUE, ELLE, OPRAH DAILY, THE WASHINGTON POST, BUZZFEED AND VULTURE

“Erudite, intimate, hilarious, poignant . . . A gorgeously written novel of youth’s promise, of the quest to find one’s tribe and one’s calling.” —Leigh Haber, Oprah Daily

The Booker Prize finalist and widely acclaimed author of... Read more »

“He was a hectic, unprincipled bird, but it was impossible not to love him.” From poet and painter Frieda Hughes, a memoir of love, obsession, and feathers.

When Frieda Hughes moved to the depths of the Welsh countryside, she was expecting to take on a few projects: planting a garden, painting, writing her poetry column for The Times (London),... Read more »

A hilarious and poignant memoir grappling with family, disability, and coming of age in two closets—as a gay man and as a man living with cerebral palsy

Greg Marshall's early years were pretty bizarre. Rewind the VHS tapes and you'll see a lopsided teenager limping across a high school stage, or in a wheelchair after leg surgeries,... Read more »

A TODAY Show #ReadWithJenna Book Club Pick

A Big Chill for our times, celebrating decades-long friendships and promises—especially to ourselves—by the bestselling and beloved author of The Guncle.

It’s been a minute—or five years—since Jordan Vargas last saw his college friends, and twenty-eight years since their graduation when their adult lives... Read more »

The Book of Charlie

“For seven years, David Von Drehle listened to his 102 year old neighbor Charlie White’s stories. Early tragedy helped form Charlie’s stoic nature because he had already learned that nothing is certain, so he lived his life with an optimistic, carpe diem approach. He lived most of his life in the Kansas City area where he faced and overcame tremendous obstacles. His mother had given him just one basic piece of advice that he lived by: do the right thing. Charlie White didn’t just survive a century of tremendous change and conflict but actually thrived. Over and over again, Charlie White bet on himself…and it almost always paid off. This is an uplifting book for our troubled times, a rewarding and enriching reading experience that gives us a lesson on how to live a long and meaningful life. ”

Shirley, Watermark Books

"This is gory and brutal and beautiful and painful and terrifying and a pure delight." —Stephen Graham Jones, New York Times bestselling author

A provocative debut that is both a blood-soaked love letter to Los Angeles and a gleeful send-up to iconic horror villains, Maeve Fly will thrill fans of My Heart is a Chainsaw and Caroline Kepnes’ You... Read more »

“Extraordinarily brave...plain funny as hell, too.” —Zakiya Dalila Harris, New York Times bestselling author of The Other Black Girl

“A subtle, ironic, wise, state-of-the-nation novel, sharp enough to draw blood, hidden inside a moving, intimate, sincere and very real love story--or vice versa.” —Nick Hornby

On Jess’s first day at Goldman Sachs,... Read more »

“Ingenious…fresh and unpredictable…My Murder shakes up the same-old, same-old conventions of every genre it touches and has a ton of fun doing so.” – Maureen Corrigan, The Washington Post

What if the murder you had to solve was your own?

Lou is a happily married mother of an adorable toddler. She’s also the victim of a local serial killer.... Read more »

Crow Mary

“Based on actual events, the author of The Kitchen House has written a novel about a strong, fiery woman torn between her native people and her husband’s culture. A wonderful story just waiting to be told! ”

Beth, Lake Forest Book Store

Chef's Choice

“The perfect fake dating book does exist, and it's Chef's Choice. I absolutely loved their banter throughout. This book had the perfect balance of humor and heart.”

Laura, Second Flight Books

Reality and the supernatural collide when an expert puzzle maker is thrust into an ancient mystery—one with explosive consequences for the fate of humanity—in this suspenseful thriller from the New York Times bestselling author of Angelology

“In short: The Puzzle Master = (The Da Vinci Code + The Silent Patient + sprinkle of Stephen King) x... Read more »

"Confident, compassionate, and incredibly engrossing, Ink Blood Sister Scribe grabbed me with its first pages and put me completely under its spell. . . . The plot zigs and zags along with just the right amount of twists and reveals. . . . A stellar and original debut novel." – NPR“Follow where this novel leads and you will be lost in a... Read more »