All the April 2025 Prepub Alerts in one place, plus a downloadable spreadsheet of all titles from every post.

Fiction

Pop Fiction

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Guerrero, Tanya. Cat’s People. Delacorte. Apr. 2025. ISBN 9780593873847. 304p. $29. FICTION

Guerrero (Adrift) makes her adult fiction debut. Brooklyn barista Núria volunteers for the Meow-Yorkers, a group that takes care of stray cats, including a black cat named Cat. She begins finding Post-It notes from a secret admirer at a spot where Cat lives, and when the cat falls ill, Núria and her potential admirers forge connections as they care for him together.

Hooper, Elise. The Library of Lost Dollhouses. Morrow Paperbacks. Apr. 2025. ISBN 9780063382145. pbk. 320p. $18.99. FICTION

In Hooper’s (Angels of the Pacific) latest, Tildy Barrows loves her job as curator at an archival library in San Francisco, but the organization is on the verge of bankruptcy. When she discovers two historical dollhouses in the collection that contain hidden clues, she uncovers secrets and finds a new future for herself. With a 100K-copy first printing.

Huynh, Carolyn. The Family Recipe. Atria. Apr. 2025. ISBN 9781668033043. 320p. $28.99. FICTION

Huynh’s debut, The Fortunes of Jaded Women, was a GMA book club pick and is being adapted for television. Her new novel features Duc Tran, founder of a Vietnamese sandwich chain. He’s ready to retire and decides to make his estranged children compete for their inheritance. As they work to revitalize run-down sandwich shops, the siblings also uncover family secrets.

Jerkins, Morgan. Zeal. Harper. Apr. 2025. ISBN 9780063234086. 416p. $28.99. FICTION

Bestselling Jerkins (Caul Baby) tells a story of star-crossed lovers and their descendants. In 1865, Harrison is discharged from the Union Army as a free man and hopes to reunite with Tirzah, but tragedy and obstacles keep them apart. When Ardelia and Oliver meet in the present, their connection could satisfy the unfulfilled desires of their ancestors.

Perkins-Valdez, Dolen. Happy Land. Berkley. Apr. 2025. ISBN 9780593337721. 368p. $29. FICTION

Award-winning and bestselling Perkins-Valdez (Take My Hand, an LJ Best Book) returns with another novel inspired by true events, this time about a woman who discovers her family’s legacy as part of the Kingdom of the Happy Land, a self-sustaining community of formerly enslaved men and women who were ruled by a king and queen high in the mountains of the Carolinas before vanishing.

Shipman, Viola. The Page Turner. Graydon House. Apr. 2025. ISBN 9781525804878. pbk. 304p. $18.99. FICTION

Shipman (Famous in a Small Town), a pseudonym for Wade Rouse, pens a bookish family drama. Emma Page’s parents are snobby literary authors. Knowing that her family would disapprove, Emma hides her romance manuscript from them. Then she unearths secrets at the family cottage that could ruin her parents’ reputation and has to decide what to do. With a 75K-copy first printing.

Smith, Jennifer E. Fun for the Whole Family. Ballantine. Apr. 2025. ISBN 9780593358306. 368p. $30. FICTION

Bestselling Smith (The Unsinkable Greta James) offers a sibling story. Gemma, Connor, Roddy, and Jude grew up inseparable and with an often-absent mother, who would return to take them on road trips across the country each summer. Now adults, the siblings haven’t spoken in years, but Jude brings them back together—and has a secret that could change everything.

Strong, Lynn Steger. The Float Test. Mariner. Apr. 2025. ISBN 9780063390737. 272p. $28.99. FICTION

After a major loss, the Kenner siblings reunite. Jenn is an overwhelmed mom, Fred a novelist with writer’s block, Jude a former lawyer (with a grudge against her sister Fred), while George is estranged from his wife. Together they must overcome the secrets and betrayals that have pushed them apart. Strong’s (Flight) latest receives a 100K-copy first printing.

Thayer, Nancy. Summer Light on Nantucket. Ballantine. Apr. 2025. ISBN 9780593724040. 336p. $30. FICTION

Bestselling Thayer (The Summer We Started Over) returns with another Nantucket-set novel. Blythe Benedict is a teacher and divorced mom of four. As the Benedicts make their annual summer trip to Nantucket, Blythe is in for far more than sunny days at the beach. There’s teenage angst, an ailing in-law, a secret involving Blythe’s ex, and multiple love interests.

Weiner, Jennifer. The Griffin Sisters’ Greatest Hits (Deluxe Limited Edition). Morrow. Apr. 2025. ISBN 9780063342446. 384p. $30. FICTION

Bestselling Weiner’s latest receives a deluxe limited edition with a 250K-copy first printing. Sisters Cassie and Zoe Grossberg formed the pop supergroup the Griffin Sisters in the early 2000s, but tragedy broke up the band. Twenty years later, the two sisters still aren’t speaking, and Zoe’s daughter Cherry is determined to find out what happened.

Literary Fiction

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Carr, Garrett. The Boy from the Sea. Knopf. Apr. 2025. ISBN 9780593802885. 336p. $29. LITERARY FICTION

Carr makes his debut with a novel that has seen hot auctions and preempts across the globe. It is set in 1970s Donegal, Ireland, and centers on a baby boy found on the beach who is adopted by fisherman Ambrose Bonnar and his family. This one family becomes a lens for the changing world, as well as Irish village life and much more.

Courage, Ariel. Bad Nature. Holt. Apr. 2025. ISBN 9781250360885. 304p. $28.99. LITERARY FICTION

Courage, an assistant fiction editor at AGNI, debuts with the story of Hester, a woman facing a terminal disease, holding a grudge, and plotting to kill her father—a lifelong desire. She decides to head toward California but does not get far before she meets environmental activist John, who hitches a ride with her to get to different superfund sites across the country.

Edwards, Kyle. Small Ceremonies. Pantheon. Apr. 2025. ISBN 9780593701515. 368p. $29. LITERARY FICTION

Edwards, an award-winning Anishinaabe journalist who has worked for Native News Online, ProPublica, and Maclean’s, debuts with this story set in the north end of Winnipeg, centered on the Tigers’ last season. Tomahawk Shields, known as Tommy, feels the loss of his hockey team acutely, a metaphor for his community, his innocence, and his quest to find his own sense of place.

Haigh, Jennifer. Rabbit Moon. Little, Brown. Apr. 2025. ISBN 9780316577137. 288p. $29. LITERARY FICTION

Award-winning and bestselling Haigh (Mercy Street) sets her newest in Shanghai, where a hit-and-run crash begins unspooling the secrets and traumas of a family consisting of bitterly divorced Claire and Aaron, their youngest daughter Grace, adopted as an infant from China, and 22-year-old Lindsey, now fighting for her life in a hospital bed.

Hewitt, Seán. Open, Heaven. Knopf. Apr. 2025. ISBN 9780593802847. 224p. $28. LITERARY FICTION

Award-winning poet and memoirist Hewitt (Tongues of Fire; All Down Darkness Wide) makes his fiction debut with a novel about sexual awakening set in a remote village in northern England. The novel traces the lives of two teenage boys—James, sheltered, shy, and wishful, and Luke, abandoned, wounded, a bit older, and charismatic—across one transformational year.

Hickey, Jon. Big Chief. S&S. Apr. 2025. ISBN 9781668046463. 320p. $28.99. LITERARY FICTION

Hickey, an enrolled member of the Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians, debuts with the story of Mitch Caddo and Mack Beck, who run the government of the Passage Rouge Nation and the tribe’s casino. Their power is put in doubt, and an all-out political fight sets the stage for multiple realizations, about limits, costs, and, ultimately, bonds.

Kitamura, Katie. Audition. Riverhead. Apr. 2025. ISBN 9780593852323. 208p. $28. LITERARY FICTION

Kitamura (author of the National Book Award–longlisted Intimacies) writes a novel built on an open question. Two characters meet for lunch. One is an actress, in rehearsals for her newest premiere. The other is an attractive young man who could almost be her son. Who are these characters, and how do they connect? Two stories play out and question truth, roles, and performance.

Millet, Lydia. Atavists: Stories. Norton. Apr. 2025. ISBN 9781324074410. 256p. $27.99. LITERARY FICTION

Millet (author of the National Book Award finalist Children’s Bible) offers a collection of linked stories that explore generational conflict, class, and the era of mass overwhelm from tender, joyful, and alienated perspectives. There are characters in families and characters living alone, and each of them is an “-ist” of some kind: a futurist, a plagiarist, an insurrectionist, a cosmetologist.

Murata, Sayaka. Vanishing World. tr. from Japanese by Ginny Tapley Takemori. Grove. Apr. 2025. ISBN 9780802164667. 240p. $28. LITERARY FICTION

Award-winning Murata (Convenience Store Woman) sets her newest in a version of Japan where all children are born via artificial insemination. Amane and her husband Saku move to the mysterious Experiment City, or Paradise-Eden, where everyone is considered a Mother to every child, men use artificial wombs, and children are nameless.

Natsukawa, Sosuke. The Cat Who Saved the Library. tr. from Japanese by Louise Heal Kawai. HarperVia. Apr. 2025. ISBN 9780063419247. 208p. $24. LITERARY FICTION

Bestselling Natsukawa returns with a sequel to The Cat Who Saved Books. Thirteen-year-old Nanami spends her time reading in the library until one day she notices that books are disappearing. Determined to save them, she is joined by Tiger, a talking tabby on the same mission. Together they fight the faceless gray soldiers who steal books and burn them.

Norris, Denne Michele. When the Harvest Comes. Random. Apr. 2025. ISBN 9780593729601. 304p. $28. LITERARY FICTION

Norris, the editor in chief of Electric Lit, debuts with a novel that blossoms out from a celebration and a tragedy. All Davis can think about is his wedding to his beloved Everett, but their reception is interrupted by the news that Reverend Dr. John Freeman, Davis’s disapproving father, has died in a car accident, bringing up decades of memories and trauma.

Puchner, Eric. Dream State. Doubleday. Apr. 2025. ISBN 9780385550666. 448p. $28. LITERARY FICTION

Short story author Puchner (Last Day on Earth) pens a novel that spans 50 years as it follows two generations. Cece plans to marry Charlie, but when she meets his best friend from college, she runs off with him instead, on the eve of her wedding. Years later, Charlie invites them back into his life, but it’s difficult to let go of the past.

Mystery

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Anderson-Wheeler, Claire. The Gatsby Gambit. Viking. Apr. 2025. ISBN 9780593831632. 368p. $30. MYSTERY

Anderson-Wheeler, a former literary agent who has written relationship fiction under the pen name Claire Amarti, writes a Jazz Age murder mystery featuring Jay Gatsby’s 21-year-old sleuthing younger sister, plucky Greta, in which death comes to West Egg. The release date will coincide with the 100th anniversary of The Great Gatsby.

Courage, Rachel Ekstrom. Murder by Cheesecake: A Golden Girls Cozy Mystery. Hyperion Avenue. Apr. 2025. ISBN 9781368102988. pbk. 304p. $16.99. MYSTERY

Publishing on the 40th anniversary of the first episode of The Golden Girls, this debut from literary agent Courage is a cozy mystery series that stars the indomitable Blanche, Rose, Dorothy, and Sophia. Rose is hosting a wedding for her cousin, but when Dorothy’s date is found dead, the friends will have to find the killer to save the day.

Dini, Elisabeth. Bearer of Bad News. Gallery. Apr. 2025. ISBN 9781668063576. 352p. $28.99. MYSTERY

Faced with dwindling funds and a cheating fiancé, hairdresser Lucy accepts a job that offers a trip to the Italian Dolomites in exchange for her delivering a message, but it lands her in an old mystery and a world of secrets. A debut novel from Dini, a lawyer and former prosecutor of war crimes at the International Criminal Court.

Hegarty, Louise. Fair Play. Harper. Apr. 2025. ISBN 9780063360556. 288p. $28.99. MYSTERY

Following her prize-winning short fiction, Hegarty makes a buzzy international debut with this detective novel. Benjamin’s sister and friends gather at a rented mansion to celebrate his birthday with a Jazz Age murder mystery–themed party, but in the morning, Benjamin is found dead. With a house full of suspects, an eminent detective arrives to find the culprit.

Lumley, Sam. How To Have a Killer Time in DC. (Oliver Popp’s Travel Guides to Murder, bk. 1). Kensington Cozies. Apr. 2025. ISBN 9781496753557. 288p. $27. MYSTERY

Lumley’s debut stars Oliver Popp, a 24-year-old gay autistic travel writer. He’s most comfortable with a schedule, but on an assignment in Washington, DC, his well-ordered life is upended by adorable photographer Ricky Warner and then an unexpected death, which Oliver and Ricky team up to solve.

Mullen, Kelly. This Is Not a Game. Dutton. Apr. 2025. ISBN 9780593854471. 320p. $29. MYSTERY

With publisher plans to make this a splashy global release, Mullen debuts with a locked-room mystery on Michigan’s Mackinac Island, where game designer Addie is visiting her grandma Mimi for the weekend. They’re attending a charity auction when a storm arrives, trapping all the guests in the mansion. When the host is murdered, Mimi and Addie turn sleuth.

Nee, John Shen Yen & SJ Rozan. The Railway Conspiracy. Soho Crime. Apr. 2025. ISBN 9781641296601. 304p. $27.95. MYSTERY

Nee and Rozan follow up The Murder of Mr. Ma with this second adventure featuring Judge Dee and Lao She, a Holmes and Watson–like duo who use their powers of deduction and martial arts skills to solve crime in 1920s London. This time they’re trying to unravel a conspiracy as they also investigate two deaths.

Patterson, James & Candice Fox. 2 Sisters Murder Investigations. (A 2 Sisters Detective Agency Mystery, bk. 2). Little, Brown. Apr. 2025. ISBN 9781538758496. 368p. $35. MYSTERY

Patterson and Fox offer a second story featuring Rhonda and her half-sister Barbara “Baby” Bird, who run 2 Sisters Detective Agency in Los Angeles. Troy Hansen hires them to search for his missing wife and brings them clues that point to a serial killer. When Troy is charged with murder, the sisters will have to fight to find the truth.

Perrin, Kristen. How To Seal Your Own Fate. Dutton. Apr. 2025. ISBN 9780593474044. 368p. $28. MYSTERY

In the sequel to How To Solve Your Own Murder, a LibraryReads Top Pick and GMA Buzz Book, Annie Adams is settling into the English country estate she inherited. When local fortune teller Peony Lane ends up dead inside the manor, Annie will once again put her great-aunt’s diaries to good use to solve the murder.

Phillips, Maha Khan. The Museum Detective. Soho Crime. Apr. 2025. ISBN 9781641296564. 336p. $27.95. MYSTERY

Phillips makes her U.S. debut with a story inspired by a real-life antiquities scandal in Pakistan. Archaeologist Dr. Gul Delani, a curator at the Museum of Heritage and History in Karachi, is called on to examine a seemingly authentic mummy found during a drug bust. As she investigates the mummy’s origins, she uncovers a dangerous conspiracy.

Sullivan, Emily. A Death on Corfu. Kensington. Apr. 2025. ISBN 9781496751416. 288p. $27. MYSTERY

Sullivan (“League of Scoundrels” series) turns from historical romance to a mystery set on a Greek island at the turn of the 20th century. Widow Minnie Harper accepts a typist job from new neighbor Stephen Dorian, a famously grumpy mystery writer. When a maid is murdered, Minnie launches her own investigation, with some help from Stephen.

Sutanto, Jesse Q. Vera Wong’s Guide to Snooping (on a Dead Man). (Vera Wong, bk. 2). Berkley. Apr. 2025. ISBN 9780593546253. pbk. 352p. $19. MYSTERY

Sutanto offers a sequel to the award-winning and bestselling Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers. After solving a murder in her teahouse, Vera’s life has been good, if boring. When she encounters a young woman looking for her missing friend, who’s a jet-setting social media influencer, Vera is on the case.

Forthcoming Series Titles

Brown, Rita Mae. Sealed with a Hiss. (Mrs. Murphy, bk. 33). Bantam. Apr. 2025. ISBN 9780593874080. 224p. $30. MYSTERY

Cambridge, Colleen. A Fashionably French Murder. (An American in Paris Mystery, bk. 3). Kensington. Apr. 2025. ISBN 9781496751195. 320p. $27. MYSTERY

Coyle, Cleo. No Roast for the Weary. (A Coffeehouse Mystery, bk. 21). Berkley. Apr. 2025. ISBN 9780593642283. 352p. $29. MYSTERY

Graves, Sarah. Death by Chocolate Pumpkin Muffin. (A Death by Chocolate Mystery, bk. 8). Kensington Cozies. Apr. 2025. ISBN 9781496744142. 320p. $27. MYSTERY

Harris, C. S. Who Will Remember. (Sebastian St. Cyr, bk. 20). Berkley. Apr. 2025. ISBN 9780593639214. 368p. $29. MYSTERY

Hillerman, Anne. Shadow of the Solstice. (Leaphorn, Chee & Manuelito, bk. 10). Harper. Apr. 2025. ISBN 9780063344853. 272p. $30. MYSTERY

Prose, Nita. The Maid’s Secret. (Molly the Maid, bk. 3). Ballantine. Apr. 2025. ISBN 9780593875414. 304p. $30. MYSTERY

Shelton, Paige. Written in Stone. (A Scottish Bookshop Mystery, bk. 10). Minotaur. Apr. 2025. ISBN 9781250336613. 304p. $28. MYSTERY

Thomas, Will. Season of Death. (Barker & Llewelyn, bk. 16). Minotaur. Apr. 2025. ISBN 9781250343604. 352p. $28. MYSTERY

Thrillers

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Baldacci, David. Strangers in Time. Grand Central. Apr. 2025. ISBN 9781538742051. 432p. $30. THRILLER

Baldacci’s newest is set in a 1944 London bookshop. Two kids, Charlie Matters and Molly Wakefield, are each adrift in the city for different reasons. They find hope with Ignatius Oliver, owner of the Book Keep, who is a bit lost himself. With a 500K-copy first printing.

Bartz, Julia. The Last Session. Atria/Emily Bestler. Apr. 2025. ISBN 9781982199494. 240p. $27.99. THRILLER

Bestselling Bartz (The Last Session; The Writing Retreat) offers a locked-room thriller about social worker Thea, who learns that her new patient, a catatonic woman, is linked to Thea’s traumatic past. The woman will lead Thea deeper into her own harrowing history and to a suspicious retreat center.

Carlstrom, Zee. Make Sure You Die Screaming. Flatiron. Apr. 2025. ISBN 9781250365675. 224p. $26.99. THRILLER

Carlstrom debuts with a 75K-copy first printing for this story with a nameless narrator who has rejected the gender binary. While on a massive bender, they are interrupted by their mother, who says their father is missing. The protagonist hits the road in a stolen car to take an epic road trip while examining capitalism and self-expression.

Graham, Heather. The Murder Machine. MIRA. Apr. 2025. ISBN 9780778387411. 320p. $30. THRILLER

Bestselling Graham gets a 75K-copy first printing for this new thriller featuring FBI agents Jude Mackenzie and Victoria Tennant. Their case features a would-be-murderous smart house and personal AI. However, as Victoria notes, machines can only do what someone programs them to do.

Grewal-Kök, Rav. The Snares. Random. Apr. 2025. ISBN 9780593446034. 320p. $29. THRILLER

Grewal-Kök debuts with a morally complicated spy thriller starring a Punjabi American lawyer named Neel Chima, a former U.S. Naval officer who has been recruited to join a new intelligence agency that has few limits. Working in the grayest of gray areas, he finds himself at a crossroads. Is he a spy or a suspect? An insider or something else?

Jouhanneau, Anne-Sophie. The French Honeymoon. Sourcebooks Landmark. Apr. 2025. ISBN 9781464229404. 288p. $27.99. THRILLER

Jouhanneau (French Kissing in New York) sets her newest in Paris, where Taylor Quinn arrives on what should have been her honeymoon, but sans husband. When she becomes obsessed with newlyweds Cassie and Olivier, she steps into a dangerous ménage with few ways out.

Kaufman, Elizabeth. Ruth Run. Penguin Pr. Apr. 2025. ISBN 9780593832646. 304p. $29. THRILLER

Kaufman, who once worked in data networking, debuts with the story of 26-year-old Ruth, a microchip expert who also robs banks, stealing millions using a hacked firewall chip she designed. When she is discovered, she hits the road with a reluctant dog and with plenty of agents in pursuit. Ruth plans to stay a step ahead.

Landau, A. J. Cold Burn. (A National Parks Thriller, bk. 2). Minotaur. Apr. 2025. ISBN 9781250877369. 368p. $28. THRILLER

Landau, the pen name of bestselling Jon Land and Jeff Ayers (who is an LJ reviewer), returns with the second “National Parks Thriller” starring ISB special agent Michael Walker. Set in Alaska’s Glacier Bay and Florida’s Everglades, the thriller circles around a deadly prehistoric microbe that killers would kill to weaponize.

Forthcoming Series Titles

Jance, J. A. OverKill. (Ali Reynolds, bk. 18). Gallery. Apr. 2025. ISBN 9781668035788. 320p. $28.99. THRILLER

Sandford, John. Lethal Prey. (Prey, bk. 35). Putnam. Apr. 2025. ISBN 9780593718407. 400p. $32. THRILLER

Romance

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ariel, Myah. No Ordinary Love. Berkley. Apr. 2025. ISBN 9780593640616. pbk. 368p. $19. CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE

Ella Simone is a pop superstar in an unhappy marriage controlled by a prenup that could end her career. To get out of it, she needs to stick to the plan, which does not include Miles Westbrook, the MLB’s most eligible player and all-around bad boy—until it suddenly does.

Guillory, Jasmine. Flirting Lessons. Berkley. Apr. 2025. ISBN 9780593100912. pbk. 416p. $19. LGBTQIA+ ROMANCE

Bestselling Guillory, author of the Reese’s Book Club pick The Proposal, returns with the story of Taylor Cameron, who agrees to teach Avery Jensen how to flirt and live the life she wants. The only problem, Taylor is falling herself—for Avery.

Henry, Emily. Great Big Beautiful Life. Berkley. Apr. 2025. ISBN 9780593441299. 384p. $29. CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE

Only ordering information is available to date for the latest from bestselling and LJ Best Book author Henry (Funny Story).

Holton, India. The Geographer’s Map to Romance. (Love’s Academic, bk. 2). Berkley. Apr. 2025. ISBN 9780593641477. pbk. 384p. $19. HISTORICAL ROMANCE

Professors Elodie Tarrant and Gabriel Tarrant, who were married for convenience a year ago, are both experts in magic disasters. Too bad their marriage is a disaster too. But when they work together to stop a catastrophic event, they might discover love. The second in bestselling and LJ Best Book author Holton’s “Love’s Academic” series.

James, Eloisa. Hardly a Gentleman. (Accidental Brides, bk. 2). Avon. Apr. 2025. ISBN 9780063347465. pbk. 384p. $9.99. HISTORICAL ROMANCE

Bestselling James returns with a 250K-copy first printing for the next in the “Accidental Brides” series. The Honorable Miss Clara Vetry and Caelan, the laird of Castle CaerLaven, find themselves in a position where they are forced to marry. That pleases Caelan, who has offered for Clara’s hand multiple times, but how will he convince her to love him?

Jimenez, Abby. Say You’ll Remember Me. Forever. Apr. 2025. ISBN 9781538759196. 368p. $28. CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE

Award-winning and bestselling Jimenez (Yours Truly) gets a 500K-copy first printing for the story of Xavier, a gorgeous veterinarian, and Samantha, to whom he says the wrong thing. On a forgive-me date, the two hit it off spectacularly. However, Samantha’s life is in crisis, and she decides to tell Xavier to forget all about her.

Wilsner, Meryl. My Best Friend’s Honeymoon. St. Martin’s Griffin. Apr. 2025. ISBN 9781250873323. pbk. 320p. $18. LGBTQIA+ ROMANCE

Wilsner, the bestselling author of Something to Talk About and Cleat Cute, writes a sexy queer romance in which best friends Elsie Hoffman and Ginny Holtz go on Elsie’s honeymoon when she calls off her wedding, only to find love with each other. With a 75K-copy first printing.

Forthcoming Series Titles

Robert, Katee. Sweet Obsession. (Dark Olympus, bk. 8). Sourcebooks Casablanca. Apr. 2025. ISBN 9781728284750. pbk. 336p. $18.99. PARANORMAL ROMANCE

Sage, Lyla. Wild and Wrangled. (Rebel Blue Ranch, bk. 4). Dial. Apr. 2025. ISBN 9780593732472. pbk. 304p. $17.99. CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE

Romantasy

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cross, Juliette. Firebird: Special Edition. (The Fire That Binds, bk. 1). Bramble. Apr. 2025. ISBN 9781250339942. 400p. $32.99. ROMANTASY

Cross (The Wraith King) gets a 250K-copy first printing for this series starter set during the Roman empire. General Julianus Dakkia, nephew to the emperor, can shift into the form of a dragon. He does so to save Malina, a Dacian dancer he has long been enthralled by, setting forth a series of complications.

Johnson, Julie. The Wind Weaver. (Reign of Remnants, bk. 1). Ace. Apr. 2025. ISBN 9780593817865. 544p. $29. ROMANTASY

Johnson (Faded), known for her self-published rom-coms, begins the “Reign of Remnants” series, a slow-burn romance set in the war-torn world of Anwyvn. Rhya Fleetwood is saved from execution by Commander Scythe and begins fighting in the far-off Northlands, where she learns she is a Remnant, one of four fated to return maegic to the land.

Kelley, Venessa Vida. When the Tides Held the Moon. Erewhon. Apr. 2025. ISBN 9781645661535. 464p. $29. ROMANTASY

Kelley debuts with an illustrated novel set on Coney Island in 1910, featuring Benigno “Benny” Caldera, an orphaned Boricua blacksmith who builds an astounding ironwork tank for a famed Coney Island side-show. The tank is a cage for the merman Río, who is being held in captivity. Río and Benny then fall in love, forcing Benny to risk everything.

Marr, Melissa. Reluctant Witch. (A Course in Magic, bk. 2). Bramble. Apr. 2025. ISBN 9781250884152. pbk. 320p. $18.99. ROMANTASY

Bestselling Marr continues her “A Course in Magic” series with a second book, which receives a 100K-copy first printing. Witch Ellie is now living in the magical but poisoned world of Crenshaw with her wife Prospero, who has enchanted her into believing all is well. But nothing is. The two must use magic, and fight for love, to save the world.

Martineau, Maxym M. House of Blight. (The Threadmender Chronicles, bk. 1). Harper Voyager. Apr. 2025. ISBN 9780063391192. 384p. $30. ROMANTASY

The author of the “Beast Charmer” series starts a new run with “The Threadmender Chronicles,” a slow-burn enemies-to-lovers story featuring threadmender Edira, who must give up a tiny bit of her own life every time she practices magic, and Orin, the leader of the powerful Fernglove family, who is hiding a dangerous secret. With a 100K-copy first printing.

RuNyx. Enigma. Bramble. Apr. 2025. ISBN 9781250334237. 464p. $29.99. ROMANTASY

Bestselling RuNyx (Gothikana) gets a 350K-copy first printing for this twisted version of the Hades and Persephone myth, set in a dark academia world. Salem goes to Mortimer University to find out how her sister died, only to encounter secret societies, more deaths, and the mysterious Cazimir van der Waal.

Science Fiction & Fantasy

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Abdullah, Chelsea. The Ashfire King. (Sandsea Trilogy, bk. 2). Orbit. Apr. 2025. ISBN 9780316369060. 432p. $30. FANTASY

The LJ-Best-Booked Abdullah returns to her “Sandsea Trilogy,” following The Stardust Thief. Magic merchant Loulie al-Nazari and banished prince Mazen bin Malik are trapped in the realm of jinn, a collapsing world they need to save as much as they need to leave it. Politics, magic, war, and friendship power their struggle.

Bennett, Robert Jackson. A Drop of Corruption. (Shadow of the Leviathan, bk. 2). Del Rey. Apr. 2025. ISBN 9780593723821. 464p. $30. FANTASY

Bestselling Bennett offers a sequel to his SF mystery The Tainted Cup. At the far edge of the Empire, an impossible crime takes place, and the only person who might be able to solve it is the brilliant Ana Dolabra, accompanied by her assistant Dinios Kol. The fates of the Empire, Titan magic, and perhaps even Ana are on the line.

Blake, Olivie. Gifted & Talented. Tor. Apr. 2025. ISBN 9781250883407. 496p. $29.99. FANTASY

Bestselling Blake (“Atlas” series) returns with the story of three telepathically and electrokinetically gifted siblings. When their father, the CEO of Wrenfare Magitech, dies, they vie to replace him. While they all seem incredibly successful, there are secrets lurking beneath their facades, and now they are forced to face their rivalries and dangerous abilities. With a 350K-copy first printing.

Fellman, Isaac. Notes from a Regicide. Tor. Apr. 2025. ISBN 9781250329103. 336p. $27.99. SCIENCE FICTION

Fellman, author of the Lambda Award–winning The Breath of the Sun, writes a far-future story of found family and trans self-discovery. Griffon was saved from his abusive family by a couple he thinks of as his parents, who taught him how to be trans and paid for his transition. Their deaths leave him devastated, and he mines his late father’s journal to learn more about his parents’ lives. With a 75K-copy first printing.

Griffin, Sarah Maria. Eat the Ones You Love. Tor. Apr. 2025. ISBN 9781250910691. 288p. $27.99. FANTASY

Award-winning YA author Griffin (Other Words for Smoke) makes her adult debut. After leaving her fiancé, losing her job, and moving back in with her parents, Shell takes a chance on a job at a flower shop—and with beautiful florist Neve—but there’s a carnivorous orchid nearby who also wants Neve. With a 125K-copy first printing.

Jiang, Ai. A Palace Near the Wind. (Natural Engines, bk. 1). Titan. Apr. 2025. ISBN 9781803369389. 192p. $22.99. FANTASY

Award-winning Jiang (Linghun) offers the first novella in a science-fantasy duology. The Feng people have bark skin, arms of braided branches, and the ability to command the wind. Feng princess Liu Lufeng is required to marry the human king in order to protect her people and their land, but instead, she’s plotting to kill him and free future princesses from this duty.

Matharu, Taran. The Tainted Khan. (Soulbound Saga, bk. 2). Harper Voyager. Apr. 2025. ISBN 9780063227620. 384p. $28. FANTASY

In bestselling Matharu’s sequel to Dragon Rider, Jai dreams of being a dragon rider and fighting for the freedom of his people, but his magic and his dragon are still growing. He’ll have to cultivate his powers and strengthen the bond with his dragon as the Empire closes in. With a 75K-copy first printing.

Okorafor, Nnedi. One Way Witch. (She Who Knows, bk. 2). Astra/DAW. Apr. 2025. ISBN 9780756418977. 176p. $23. SCIENCE FICTION

Multi-award-winning Okorafor (She Who Knows) pens the second novella in this trilogy that combines sci-fi and fantasy and is set in postapocalyptic West Africa. Najeeba is now in her forties and has just lost her beloved daughter, Onyesonwu. Najeeba seeks out sorcerer Aro to teach her the Mystic Points, powerful magic that will allow her to kill something awful.

Vo, Nghi. Don’t Sleep with the Dead. Tor.com. Apr. 2025. ISBN 9781250362612. 112p. $24.99. FANTASY

Bestselling and award-winning Vo continues the story of Nick Carraway and Jay Gatsby from her acclaimed novel The Chosen and the Beautiful, a magical, queer reimagining of The Great Gatsby. This stand-alone companion novella will be released on the 100th anniversary of Fitzgerald’s original publication. With a 100K-copy first printing.

Forthcoming Series Titles

Ford, Daniel M. Advocate. (Warden, bk. 3). Tor. Apr. 2025. ISBN 9781250815712. 368p. $32.99. FANTASY

Jensen, Danielle L. The Twisted Throne. (Bridge Kingdom, bk. 5). Del Rey. Apr. 2025. ISBN 9780593975305. pbk. 496p. $20. FANTASY

Lawrence, Mark. The Book That Held Her Heart. (Library Trilogy, bk. 3). Ace. Apr. 2025. ISBN 9780593437971. 496p. $30. FANTASY

Revis, Beth. Last Chance To Save the World. (Chaotic Orbits, bk. 3). Astra/DAW. Apr. 2025. ISBN 9780756419707. 176p. $23. SCIENCE FICTION

Wildenstein, Olivia. House of Striking Oaths. (Kingdom of Crows, bk. 3). Sourcebooks Casablanca. Apr. 2025. ISBN 9781464235894. pbk. 576p. $18.99. FANTASY

Historical Fiction

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Berest, Anne & Claire Berest. Gabriële. tr. from French by Tina Kover. Europa. Apr. 2025. ISBN 9798889660897. 368p. $28. HISTORICAL FICTION

Anne Berest (The Postcard) and her sister Claire (Artifices) jointly write a novel based on the life of their great-grandmother, Gabriële Buffet-Picabia. In 1908, during the height of the Belle Époque, artist Gabriële marries artist Francis Picabia. When they meet Marcel Duchamp and all become involved, they change art forever.

Bostwick, Marie. The Book Club for Troublesome Women. Harper Muse. Apr. 2025. ISBN 9781400344741. pbk. 384p. $18.99. HISTORICAL FICTION

Bestselling Bostwick (Esme Cahill Fails Spectacularly) sets her newest in the 1960s, in an exclusive suburb in Northern Virginia, where four women bond over The Feminine Mystique and begin reading together across a year that will change their lives.

Dallas, Sandra. Tough Luck. St. Martin’s. Apr. 2025. ISBN 9781250352309. 288p. $28. HISTORICAL FICTION

Award-winning Dallas (Where Coyotes Howl) writes an homage to True Grit. In 1863, Haidie and her brother Boots are put to work in an orphanage, their father somewhere in the West, searching for gold. They decide to go looking for him, facing dangers and finding a community.

Harkin, Jo. The Pretender. Knopf. Apr. 2025. ISBN 9780593803301. 496p. $30. HISTORICAL FICTION

Harkin (Tell Me an Ending) centers her novel on Lambert Simnel, one of the last Plantagenets. John Collan, as he was known, was raised under a false name and in disguise to keep him safe from Richard III. Eventually, he was sent to Ireland to learn politics, where he meets Joan, a woman of strong will and political savvy. Together they face, and change, history.

Lester, Natasha. The Mademoiselle Alliance. Dell. Apr. 2025. ISBN 9780593726532. pbk. 416p. $18. HISTORICAL FICTION

Lester, bestselling author of The Paris Orphan, offers a novel based on the true story of Marie-Madeleine Fourcade, who led a resistance network in France during WWII. From her early marriage years in Morocco to leading agents, conducting espionage, and saving lives, Marie-Madeleine helped change the course of the war.

Miller, Joanna. The Eights. Putnam. Apr. 2025. ISBN 9780593851418. 384p. $29. HISTORICAL FICTION

Miller debuts with a story set at Oxford University in 1920, the first year women were admitted. Beatrice, Dora, Marianne, and Otto—all rooming on the same hall—come of age as they attend courses and become fast friends while navigating the heavy weight of misogyny and a world changed by WWI.

Steel, Danielle. A Mind of Her Own. Delacorte. Apr. 2025. ISBN 9780593498705. 272p. $29. HISTORICAL FICTION

Steel’s (Triangle) newest is a historical novel that follows Alexandra Bouvier, born in Paris in 1900. Alexandra crosses two continents as she grows up to attend the University of Chicago, becomes a newspaper intern, and meets a reporter, Oliver Foster; all the while, she stays true to herself across a lifetime of change and resilience.

Todd, Milo. The Lilac People. Counterpoint. Apr. 2025. ISBN 9781640097032. 320p. $27. HISTORICAL FICTION

Todd, a Lambda Literary Fellow, debuts with a novel set during WWII, in which Bertie, a trans man, and his girlfriend, Sofie, assume the identities of an elderly couple, surviving at an isolated farm. At the end of the war, they in turn try to save a trans man from the Allies, who are rearresting queer prisoners while liberating the rest of Germany.

Horror

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Baker, Kylie Lee. Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng. MIRA. Apr. 2025. ISBN 9780778368458. 304p. $28.99. HORROR

Bestselling YA author Baker (The Scarlet Alchemist) makes her adult debut with a haunting social horror that focuses on anti-Asian hate and harassment. After Cora Zeng, a crime-scene cleaner in New York City’s Chinatown, witnesses her sister’s murder, strange occurrences begin, and she soon learns that one cannot ignore hungry ghosts.

Barnes, S. A. Cold Eternity. Tor Nightfire. Apr. 2025. ISBN 9781250884954. 304p. $28.99. HORROR

Barnes (Ghost Station) returns with another space horror. An interplanetary political scandal sends Halley into hiding on a space barge that houses the cryogenically frozen bodies of Earth’s wealthiest, but she may be trapped in an even more dangerous situation when she starts to hear disturbing sounds in the vents. With a 125K-copy first printing.

Carson, Scott. Departure 37. Atria/Emily Bestler. Apr. 2025. ISBN 9781982191481. 448p. $29.99. HORROR

Carson, author of Lost Man’s Lane and pseudonym of Michael Koryta, writes a dual-timeline novel that switches between a Cold War espionage story and contemporary horror. On a clear day, hundreds of pilots refuse to fly after receiving mysterious calls from their mothers, some of whom are long dead. This baffling occurrence may have ties to a 1962 discovery that was extraordinary—and deadly.

Cassidy, Nat. When the Wolf Comes Home. Tor Nightfire. Apr. 2025. ISBN 9781250354341. pbk. 304p. $18.99. HORROR

Cassidy, author of the multi-best-booked Nestlings, returns with a horror thriller that receives a 125K-copy first printing. Jess finds a five-year-old boy hiding outside her apartment one night, and after a violent encounter with his father, she and the boy find themselves on the run, where they’ll encounter even more horrors.

Dotson, C. J. The Cut. St. Martin’s. Apr. 2025. ISBN 9781250335449. 304p. $29. HORROR

In Dotson’s debut, pregnant Sadie Miles, with her toddler in tow, flees her abusive ex-fiancé and finds a housekeeping position at a hotel that comes with free lodging. When a guest goes missing, she digs into the suspicious occurrences, and even more guests disappear. There also seem to be creepy, slithering things in the building.

Huff, Tanya. Direct Descendant. Astra/DAW. Apr. 2025. ISBN 9780756419660. 336p. $29. HORROR

Huff (Into the Broken Lands) pens a cozy horror novel featuring a queer romance. Hundreds of years ago, the founders of Lake Argen made a bargain with an ancient evil—in exchange for their service, the town would prosper. When a visitor goes missing and a PI is sent to investigate, they may have to face off against that dangerous force.

Ryan, Lindy. Another Fine Mess. (Bless Your Heart, bk. 2). Minotaur. Apr. 2025. ISBN 9781250324238. 304p. $28. HORROR

Stoker Award winner Ryan offers a sequel to her horror/mystery blend Bless Your Heart. In a small Texas town, the Evans women run the local funeral parlor—and stop the undead from rising. As the body count mounts, Luna and Lenore Evans team up with the new sheriff to protect the town. With a 75K-copy first printing.

Turhan, Yigit. Their Monstrous Hearts. MIRA. Apr. 2025. ISBN 9780778368274. 320p. $28.99. HORROR

Turhan, born in Turkey and now based in Italy, where he is a fashion house executive, makes his English-language debut. Riccardo is struggling with writer’s block, so he leaps at the chance for a change of scenery when he learns that he has inherited his estranged grandmother’s villa in Milan. There he finds a haunted house full of secrets. With a 75K-copy first printing.

Wendig, Chuck. The Staircase in the Woods. Del Rey. Apr. 2025. ISBN 9780593156568. 400p. $30. HORROR

Bestselling Wendig (Black River Orchard) returns with another small-town horror novel. When five high school friends go on a camping trip, they find a mysterious staircase that appears to lead nowhere and disappears after one of them walks up—and doesn’t come back. Twenty years later, the staircase reappears, and the four survivors go in search of their lost friend.

Nonfiction

Biography & Memoir

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Aziza, Sarah. The Hollow Half: A Memoir of Bodies and Borders. Catapult. Apr. 2025. ISBN 9781646222438. 400p. $29. MEMOIR

Aziza, a writer, translator, and Fulbright fellow, writes a debut memoir that explores her life and her quest to understand her family legacy, tracing three generations of diasporic Palestinians. After being hospitalized for an eating disorder, Aziza experiences a series of revelations as she unearths family secrets, confronts her own trauma, and forges a new future for herself.

Boorman, Aimee & Steve Cooper. The Balance: My Years Coaching Simone Biles. Abrams. Apr. 2025. ISBN 9781419779770. 288p. $28. MEMOIR

Renowned gymnastics coach Boorman, with journalist Cooper, offers an insider’s look at the making of champion gymnast Simone Biles, whom she began coaching at age seven. Boorman also details tumultuous gymnastics history and offers lessons on coaching, leadership, and development. Includes a foreword from Biles.

Cahalan, Susannah. The Acid Queen: The Psychedelic Life and Counterculture Rebellion of Rosemary Woodruff Leary. Viking. Apr. 2025. ISBN 9780593490051. 352p. $32. BIOGRAPHY

Drawing from interviews, diaries, archives, and unpublished sources, Cahalan (Brain on Fire) tells the story of Rosemary Woodruff Leary. She was a psychedelic pioneer who lived a fraught life with her husband Timothy Leary, the former Harvard professor who was at the forefront of 1960s counterculture and an advocate for psychedelic drug use.

Gates, Melinda French. The Next Day: Transitions, Change, and Moving Forward. Flatiron. Apr. 2025. ISBN 9781250378651. 176p. $25.99. MEMOIR

Philanthropist and businesswoman Gates (Moment of Lift) considers significant transitions in her own life—becoming a parent, the death of a dear friend, and her departure from the Gates Foundation—and offers guidance on how to navigate such moments and move forward. With a 300K-copy first printing.

Gustafson, Courtney. Poets Square: A Memoir in Thirty Cats. Crown. Apr. 2025. ISBN 9780593727614. 256p. $28. MEMOIR

Bought in a preempt, this memoir from the creator of @PoetsSquareCats on TikTok and Instagram shares Gustafson’s story of unexpectedly finding 30 feral cats at her new rental house. Despite all the challenges in her life, she couldn’t resist taking care of them, leading to unexpected insights and viral posts.

Jones, Annie B. Ordinary Time: Lessons Learned While Staying Put. HarperOne. Apr. 2025. ISBN 9780063411272. 256p. $26.99. MEMOIR

Jones, host of From the Front Porch podcast and an independent bookstore owner, assumed adulthood would translate to far-flung adventures and a career in a big city. Instead, she stayed in her small town. In her first book, she offers a meditation on the beauty of an ordinary life. With a 75K-copy first printing.

Kendzior, Sarah. The Last American Road Trip. Flatiron. Apr. 2025. ISBN 9781250879882. 320p. $29.99. MEMOIR

Bestselling Kendzior (The View from Flyover Country) returns with a book that’s part memoir and part political history. She contemplates how politics, technology, and the COVID pandemic have reshaped American life as she road trips across the U.S. with her husband and kids. With a 75K-copy first printing.

Kish, Kristen. Accidentally on Purpose. Little, Brown. Apr. 2025. ISBN 9780316580915. 368p. $30. MEMOIR

Kish (Kristen Kish Cooking), winner of Top Chef season 10 and now host of the show, shares stories from her life, from growing up as a Korean adoptee in the Midwest to coming out as an adult. She also offers a behind-the-scenes look at her career in restaurants and reality TV.

Leslie, Ian. John & Paul: A Love Story in Songs. Celadon. Apr. 2025. ISBN 9781250869548. 448p. $30. BIOGRAPHY

Leslie (Conflicted: How Productive Disagreements Lead to Better Outcomes) writes a biography about music legends John Lennon and Paul McCartney. Drawing on recently released footage and recordings, Leslie offers insights into the complicated relationship between the two icons and their lives before, during, and after the Beatles. With a 100K-copy first printing.

Sheff, David. Yoko: The Biography. S&S. Apr. 2025. ISBN 9781982188245. 368p. $30. BIOGRAPHY

Bestselling Sheff (Beautiful Boy) offers a biography of artist Yoko Ono. Sheff first met Yoko in 1980 when he interviewed her and her husband John Lennon, shortly before Lennon’s murder. They became close, and Sheff draws on his experiences and interviews with Ono and her friends and family to tell the story of her remarkable life.

Shukla, Dr. Jagadish. A Billion Butterflies: A Life in Climate and Chaos Theory. St. Martin’s. Apr. 2025. ISBN 9781250289209. 288p. $30. MEMOIR

Nobel Prize winner Shukla (climate dynamics, George Mason Univ.) pens a mix of memoir and climate science. He grew up in India and ultimately studied at MIT and Princeton, where he upended beliefs about weather prediction and worked to better understand weather-induced natural disasters. With a 75K-copy first printing.

Waller, Douglas. The Determined Spy: The Turbulent Life and Times of CIA Pioneer Frank Wisner. Dutton. Apr. 2025. ISBN 9780593184424. 656p. $35. BIOGRAPHY

Bestselling Waller (Lincoln’s Spies) offers an intimate biography of early CIA leader Frank Wisner. Behind the scenes, Wisner planned some of the most daring and controversial operations in the early years of the Cold War. Waller also explores Wisner’s bipolar disorder and its effect on his work and life.

Williams, Steve & Evin Priest. Together We Roared: Alongside Tiger for His Epic Twelve-Year, Thirteen-Majors Run. Morrow. Apr. 2025. ISBN 9780063418707. 352p. $30. MEMOIR

Caddie Hall of Famer Williams, in collaboration with golf journalist Priest, recounts his 12-year tenure caddying for Tiger Woods while Woods dominated the PGA tour and won 13 major championships. Williams shares personal and professional stories of their time together, on and off the course. With a 75K-copy first printing.

History

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Atkinson, Rick. The Fate of the Day: The War for America, Fort Ticonderoga to Charleston, 1777–1780. (American Revolutionary, bk. 2). Crown. Apr. 2025. ISBN 9780593799185. 880p. $42. HISTORY

Multi–Pulitzer Prize winner Atkinson (An Army at Dawn) returns with this second in his “American Revolutionary” trilogy (after The British Are Coming), this time focused on the middle years of the Revolution, the period when George Washington had just barely kept the army fighting, the battle of Brandywine, and the winter at Valley Forge.

Ferling, John. Shots Heard Round the World: America, Britain, and Europe in the Revolutionary War. Bloomsbury. Apr. 2025. ISBN 9781639730155. 560p. $35.99. HISTORY

Ferling (Winning Independence) offers a new view of the Revolutionary War on its 250th anniversary. He looks into the actions of France, Spain, and the Dutch Republic; military leaders and private citizens and the key choices they made across the war years; and the global implications of the war, both at the time it was fought and over centuries later.

Grandin, Greg. America, América: A New History of the New World. Penguin Pr. Apr. 2025. ISBN 9780593831250. 640p. $35. HISTORY

Grandin (The End of the Myth), a professor of history at Yale, winner of both the Pulitzer and Bancroft Prizes, and a finalist for the National Book Award, offers an accessible, character-filled history of the Western hemisphere, covering 500 years, revealing how the many nations of the Americas defined themselves through engagement, reflection, and struggle with each other.

Luo, Michael. Strangers in the Land: Exclusion, Belonging, and the Epic Story of the Chinese in America. Doubleday. Apr. 2025. ISBN 9780385548571. 576p. $35. HISTORY

Luo, editor of the New Yorker website, traces more than 100 years of Chinese people in America, from the mid-19th century, when thousands of people immigrated during the gold rush, to the mid-20th century, when the U.S. welcomed immigration from Taiwan. In between are hateful periods of violence, bigotry, and expulsion.

Pember, Mary Annette. Medicine River: A Story of Survival and the Legacy of Indian Boarding Schools. Pantheon. Apr. 2025. ISBN 9780553387315. 304p. $29. HISTORY

Ojibwe journalist Pember offers a mix of history and personal biography about Indigenous boarding schools in the U.S. These religious and governmental institutions separated tens of thousands of children from their families, including Pember’s mother, and subjected them to horrible abuse. Pember considers both their history and their lasting reverberations.

Rappaport, Helen. The Rebel Romanov: Julie of Saxe-Coburg, the Empress Russia Never Had. St. Martin’s. Apr. 2025. ISBN 9781250273123. 336p. $32. HISTORY

Bestselling Rappaport (The Romanov Sisters) offers a historical biography of Julie of Saxe-Coburg, who became the bride of Constantine, Catherine the Great’s grandson. Fighting against the atmosphere of the imperial court of Russia, Julie finally was granted permission by Tsar Alexander to leave, which she did, eventually living a life of scandal and freedom.

Sorkin, Andrew Ross. 1929: The Inside Story of the Greatest Crash in Wall Street History. Viking. Apr. 2025. ISBN 9780593296967. 400p. $35. HISTORY

Sorkin, an award-winning journalist for the New York Times, coanchor of CNBC’s Squawk Box, author of Too Big To Fail, and cocreator of Showtime’s Billions, writes a character-centered social history of the stock market crash of 1929, based on new research found in letters, diaries, and notes from the time.

Walker, Shaun. The Illegals: Russia’s Most Audacious Spies and Their Century-Long Mission To Infiltrate the West. Knopf. Apr. 2025. ISBN 9780593319680. 448p. $32. HISTORY

Walker, an international correspondent for The Guardian and author of The Long Hangover: Putin’s New Russia and the Ghosts of the Past, unravels an espionage tale mixed with political history by detailing Russia’s secret spy program, begun over a century ago, which trained and planted Soviet citizens as deep-cover spies and sent them on missions that could last for decades.

Wilkinson, Toby. The Last Dynasty: Ancient Egypt from Alexander the Great to Cleopatra. Norton. Apr. 2025. ISBN 9781324052036. 352p. $37.99. HISTORY

Bestselling Egyptologist Wilkinson (The Rise and Fall of Ancient Egypt) writes about the Ptolemaic Period (332–30 BCE), including the founding of Alexandria, scientific discoveries, royal and palace intrigue, and the building of temples in the Nile Valley.

Self-Help

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Andrés, José. Change the Recipe: Because You Can’t Build a Better World Without Breaking Some Eggs. Ecco. Apr. 2025. ISBN 9780063436152. 208p. $26.99. SELF-HELP

Andrés (We Fed an Island), the Michelin-starred chef and founder of World Central Kitchen, shares this collection of life lessons gained from running kitchens and helping those impacted by disaster and war, written with Richard Wolffe, U.S. diplomatic correspondent for the Financial Times.

DeBaun, Morgan. Rewrite Your Rules: The Journey to Success in Less Time with More Freedom. Ballantine. Apr. 2025. ISBN 9780593725054. 336p. $30. SELF-HELP

DeBaun, founder of the media and tech company Blavity, which focuses on Black millennials, discusses how to recenter ideas of success and fulfilment away from hustle culture and toward a life of balance, energy, and values.

Heinrichs, Jay. Aristotle’s Guide to Self-Persuasion: How Ancient Rhetoric, Taylor Swift, and Your Own Soul Can Help You Change Your Life. Crown. Apr. 2025. ISBN 9780593735275. 304p. $30. SELF-HELP

Bestselling Heinrichs (Thank You for Arguing) uses rhetoric as a self-help guide and as a persuasive tool that helps readers turn negative emotions and circumstances into better ones. Filled with examples from pop culture, history, and scientific studies.

Kelmon, Christina & Ann Murray Dunning. Radical Señora Era: Ancestral Latin American Secrets for a Happier, Healthier Life. Dafina. Apr. 2025. ISBN 9781496751317. 256p. $27. SELF-HELP

Dunning and Kelmon, the cofounders of the Latina wellness brand Vamigas, offer a guide to balance and self-care that eschews expensive and exclusive wellness practices in favor of ancestral knowledge and practical, accessible advice on how to create positivity and find fulfillment.

McRaven, William H. Conquering Crisis: Ten Lessons To Learn Before You Need Them. Grand Central. Apr. 2025. ISBN 9781538771747. 224p. $26. SELF-HELP

Navy SEAL, Four-Star Admiral, and Commander of U.S. Special Operations Forces McRaven (author of the bestselling Make Your Bed) offers more advice on taking charge, meeting the moment, being a leader, and finding success, imparting his experience through personal stories, parables, and short lessons.

Moon, Tiffany. Joy Prescriptions: How I Learned To Stop Chasing Perfection and Embrace Connection. Hachette Go. Apr. 2025. ISBN 9780306834530. 224p. $29. SELF-HELP

Moon, a board-certified anesthesiologist and cast member of Bravo’s Real Housewives of Dallas, writes a mix of memoir and self-help that traces her journey to stop chasing perfection, give up the strain of overachievement, and instead reach out for connection and cultivate gratitude.

Piper, Ashlee. No New Things: A Radically Simple 30-Day Guide to Saving Money, the Planet, and Your Sanity. Celadon. Apr. 2025. ISBN 9781250382160. 288p. $24.99. SELF-HELP

Piper, a sustainability expert and author of Give a Sh*t: Do Good. Live Better. Save the Planet, offers a guide to help readers stop buying new things, based on her experiences doing so for over a year. Her book is filled with daily action items and exercises.

Rubin, Gretchen. Secrets of Adulthood: Simple Truths for Our Complex Lives. Crown. Apr. 2025. ISBN 9780593800737. 176p. $20. SELF-HELP

Bestselling Rubin (The Happiness Project), host of the podcast Happier with Gretchen Rubin, offers a book filled with short, pithy aphorisms that sum up important advice in small doses. Designed for self-improvement, but also packaged as a gift book and filled with illustrations.

Smith, Maggie. Dear Writer: Pep Talks & Practical Advice for the Creative Life. One Signal. Apr. 2025. ISBN 9781982170844. 272p. $28.99. SELF-HELP

Pushcart Prize winner Smith (You Could Make This Place Beautiful), who, in addition to publishing bestselling poetry and prose, also teaches creative writing, offers a guide to writing and creativity, intended to help writers of any genre and to expand creativity in general. Each of the book’s 10 essays focuses on one aspect of writing or creativity and is accompanied by writing prompts.

Weingarten, Elizabeth. How To Fall in Love with Questions: A New Way To Thrive in Times of Uncertainty. HarperOne. Apr. 2025. ISBN 9780063335134. 304p. $28.99. SELF-HELP

Weingarten, a journalist and applied behavioral scientist, uses the poetry of Rainier Maria Rilke and modern science to help readers come to terms with life’s big questions and uncertainties. The work is grounded in research and filled with case studies.