Brickman, Sophie. Plays Well with Others. Morrow. Aug. 2024. 320p. ISBN 9780063371200. $28. F

Brickman’s (Baby, Unplugged) fiction debut receives a 100K-copy first printing. The epistolary novel, told through emails, texts, and more, satirizes viciously competitive NYC parenting, as Annie Lewin judges her fellow moms in her advice column—but then finds herself going to great lengths to secure a kindergarten spot for her own son.

Daré, Abi. And So I Roar. Dutton. Aug. 2024. 368p. ISBN 9780593186558. $28. F

Daré’s best-selling debut, The Girl with the Louding Voice, was an LJ Best Book and a Read with Jenna pick. Her follow-up also stars 14-year-old Adunni, who has escaped an arranged marriage and indentured servitude and is excited to start school in Lagos, where she has found refuge with Tia. But she may not be safe for long.

Fischer, Maribeth. A Season of Perfect Happiness. Dutton. Aug. 2024. 368p. ISBN 9780593474679. $28. F

After a 17-year hiatus, multiple Pushcart Prize winner Fischer returns with this story of Claire, who fled her hometown after a tragedy and started a new life in Wisconsin. There she finds love and friends, but when a person from her past shows up, Claire wonders if her new life will fall apart.

Heller, Peter. Burn. Knopf. Aug. 2024. 304p. ISBN 9780593801628. $28. F

Best-selling Heller (The Last Ranger) pens a dystopian tale. Friends Jess and Storey take their annual, off-grid trip to Maine. When they emerge from the woods, they find towns bombed and buildings burned down by secessionists. Trying to make their way home, they encounter a child, altering their paths and upping the stakes of their survival.

Picoult, Jodi. By Any Other Name. Ballantine. Aug. 2024. 512p. ISBN 9780593497210. $30. F

Best-selling Picoult (Wish You Were Here) intertwines two narratives across centuries. In the 16th century, Emilia Bassano pays William Shakespeare for the use of his name to bring her plays to the stage. In the present, playwright Melina Green, Emilia’s descendant, wrestles with giving up credit for her play to see it performed.

Redmond, Pamela. The Matriarch. Zibby. Aug. 2024. 240p. ISBN 9781958506363. $27.99. F

Redmond, author of Younger, the basis of the long-running TV show, returns with a family drama about 60-something Helena Drummond, who went from being a struggling single mom to a successful entrepreneur. Now she presides over her Santa Barbara compound, but a culmination of events upend her life. With a 75K-copy first printing.

Seltzer, Sarah. The Singer Sisters. Flatiron. Aug. 2024. 272p. ISBN 9781250907646. $28.99. F

In 1996, alt-rocker Emma Cantor, daughter of a reclusive 1960s folk legend, is touring and hoping for a record deal. As she gains fame, and also uncovers family secrets, she grapples with her relationship with her mother and her future. Journalist and Lilith Magazine editor Seltzer debuts with a 100K-copy first printing.

Steel, Danielle. Joy. Delacorte. Aug. 2024. 256p. ISBN 9780593498613. $29. F

Allegra Dixon had a joyless childhood. As an adult, she falls in love with a young West Point cadet. They marry, but he returns from Afghanistan a changed man. Allegra feels alone again but won’t give up searching for joy in the latest from best-selling Steel (Resurrection).