Baker, Angelica. When We Grow Up. Flatiron. Feb. 2025. ISBN 9781250345776. 288p. $28.99. FICTION

In Baker’s (Our Little Racket) sophomore novel, Clare and five of her long-time friends reunite for a vacation in Hawai‘i. She seems to have her life together and has everything she thought she wanted, but somehow she isn’t content. When a terrifying news alert disrupts their reunion, their friendship will be tested. With a 75K-copy first printing.

Brickley, Holly. Deep Cuts. Crown. Feb. 2025. ISBN 9780593799086. 288p. $28. FICTION

In this buzzy debut, college students Percy Marks and Joe Morrow meet at a bar in Berkeley during the fall of 2000. Percy has no musical talent but is full of opinions about it, while Joe, a songwriter, asks for Percy’s feedback on his song, leading to a creative and romantic partnership that might not stand the test of time and simmering resentment.

Butler, Nickolas. A Forty Year Kiss. Sourcebooks Landmark. Feb. 2025. ISBN 9781464221248. 352p. $27.99. FICTION

Butler, author of the bestselling Shotgun Lovesongs, offers another small-town tale with a love story at its heart. Charlie and Vivian divorced after four years of marriage. Forty years later, hoping for a fresh start and a second chance, Charlie returns to Wisconsin, intent on reconnecting with Vivian.

Clancy, Christina. The Snowbirds. St. Martin’s. Feb. 2025. ISBN 9781250284952. 304p. $29. FICTION

After being a couple for 30 years and with their daughters grown and gone, Kim and Grant are at a crossroads in their relationship. They decide to escape the Midwest winter for sunny Palm Springs, but Kim wonders if their relationship will survive the season. Clancy’s (Shoulder Season) latest receives a 75K-copy first printing.

D’Addario, Daniel. The Talent. Scout. Feb. 2025. ISBN 9781668075470. 336p. $28.99. FICTION

D’Addario, chief correspondent at Variety and a moderator of the “Actors on Actors” series, debuts with a novel about five actors facing awards season. There’s Adria, a movie veteran; Bitty, experiencing alcohol-use disorder; former child star Contessa; Davina, who traded the London stage for Hollywood; and underdog Jenny. As they compete for the top honor, they’ll confront themselves and each other.

Franklin, Alice. Life Hacks for a Little Alien. Little, Brown. Feb. 2025. ISBN 9780316576055. 336p. $29. FICTION

In her debut, Franklin, who is neurodivergent, explores how language shapes and connects people through the story of a girl who thinks of herself as Little Alien because she feels different from others. When she learns about an ancient tome in an indecipherable language, she has hope that there are others like her, launching her on a quest to find the mysterious manuscript.

Holmes, Linda. Back After This. Ballantine. Feb. 2025. ISBN 9780593599259. 320p. $30. FICTION

Bestselling Holmes (Evvie Drake Starts Over, a Read with Jenna pick), host of NPR’s Pop Culture Happy Hour, writes a novel featuring podcast producer Cecily Foster, who faces a dilemma between love and career success when she falls for the wrong guy, jeopardizing a new podcast about her dating life.

Johnson, Nancy. People of Means. Morrow. Feb. 2025. ISBN 9780063157514. 368p. $30. FICTION

Two generations of Black women pursue their college and career dreams while experiencing racism and fighting injustice. Freda finds her way during the civil rights movement in Nashville; her daughter Tulip is on her own journey in 1992 Chicago, following the Rodney King verdict. Johnson’s second novel, after The Kindest Lie, a Target Book Club, Indie Next, and LibraryReads pick, receives a 75K-copy first printing.

Koval, Kristin. Penitence. Celadon. Feb. 2025. ISBN 9781250342997. 320p. $28.99. FICTION

Koval’s debut delves into themes of grief, mercy, love, and forgiveness, as a murder shatters the lives of Angie and David Sheehan. They hire lawyer Martine Dupont to defend them; she happens to be the mother of Angie’s first love, Julian, and so Angie is also forced to confront their past and a tragic accident from years ago. With a 125K-copy first printing.

Montimore, Margarita. The Dollhouse Academy. Flatiron. Feb. 2025. ISBN 9781250320650. 320p. $28.99. FICTION

Montimore (Oona Out of Order, a GMA Book Club pick) writes a dark academia–tinged title set at the Dollhouse Academy, an elite boarding school that turns out star performers. When best friends and aspiring actors Ramona and Grace join the Dollhouse, Ramona finds it unexpectedly unsettling and begins to wonder what is really going on. With a 100K-copy first printing.

Moyes, Jojo. We All Live Here. Viking: Pamela Dorman. Feb. 2025. ISBN 9781984879325. 464p. $30. FICTION

Bestselling Moyes (Someone Else’s Shoes) tells the story of Lila Kennedy and her quirky family. At midlife, Lila has a lot going on, with a broken marriage, challenging daughters, and a falling-apart house. Plus, her elderly stepfather seems to have moved in, and then her estranged biological dad shows up, bringing unexpected lessons on love and family.

Murray, Victoria Christopher. Harlem Rhapsody. Berkley. Feb. 2025. ISBN 9780593638484. 400p. $29. FICTION

After coauthoring the bestsellers The Personal Librarian and The First Ladies with Marie Benedict, Murray offers her first solo historical, inspired by real-life Jessie Redmon Fauset, who played a crucial role in the Harlem Renaissance as literary editor at The Crisis magazine, founded by W. E. B. Du Bois, her boss and lover.

Sittenfeld, Curtis. Show Don’t Tell: Stories. Random. Feb. 2025. ISBN 9780593446737. 304p. $28. FICTION

Bestselling Sittenfeld (Romantic Comedy) is well known for her novels, but her short fiction has also been popular, including the multi-best-booked You Think It, I’ll Say It, a Reese’s Book Club pick. Her latest collection contains 12 stories (three never before published) that explore marriage, friendship, fame, and artistic ambition. Lee Fiora, the main character from Prep, also makes an appearance.

Tyler, Anne. Three Days in June. Knopf. Feb. 2025. ISBN 9780593803486. 176p. $27. FICTION

Bestselling and Pulitzer Prize–winning Tyler (French Braid) returns with a novella about the joys and heartbreaks of love and family. On the eve of her daughter’s wedding, Gail Baines is having a bad day: she loses her job and has to deal with her ex-husband. Then a secret about the groom throws the whole wedding into question.

Walker, Karen Thompson. The Strange Case of Jane O. Random. Feb. 2025. ISBN 9781984853943. 304p. $28. FICTION

The latest from bestselling Walker, author of the multi-best-booked The Age of Miracles and The Dreamers, draws inspiration from the case notes of psychiatrist Oliver Sacks. After her child is born, Jane experiences strange episodes, including amnesia, premonitions, and hallucinations. As her psychiatrist delves further into her mysterious condition, it brings into question his own ideas of reality.