The 38 books we're excited to read in 2024

EW rounds up 38 new titles that we can't wait to add to our TBR pile.

The new year is around the corner, and the end of the year is an odd time — one where we're never quite sure what day of the week it is, we rarely change out of our pajamas, and we take some time to reflect on the year that was.

But one year-end tradition we always love is looking ahead to the next, particularly when it comes to what pop culture has in store. In the publishing world, there are enough books on hand to fill a library — so we've rounded up 40 2024 titles we can't wait to add to our TBR pile.

"The Heiress" by Rachel Hawkins

Rachel Hawkins is the reigning queen of the Gothic thriller, and we can’t wait for her latest. In The Heiress, she turns her eyes to Jules and Camden McTavish, a married couple who are pulled into the thrall of a mysterious inheritance at a family estate in the Blue Ridge mountains. Cam once rejected everything his adoptive mother, Ruby, left to him — but when he has no choice to confront his past, what will he discover as he learns that it is not only material property that we inherit, but the sins of our parents too? (Jan. 9) —Maureen Lee Lenker

"Shut Up, This Is Serious" by Carolina Ixta

Carolina Ixta makes a splash with her debut novel Shut Up, This Is Serious! Teenage best friends Belén and Leti are having trouble seeing a path forward. Belén is making bad choices and may not graduate, while Leti is pregnant by a boyfriend her racist parents don’t know about. All they have is one another as they try to figure out what comes next for them. Ixta’s YA novel is about chosen family, fierce friendship and how young people can break generational cycles to carve out their own futures. (Jan. 9) —Alamin Yohannes

"Don't Want You Like a Best Friend" by Emma R. Alba

If you’ve been wishing Bridgerton had more LGBTQ+ storytelling, you’ll want to put Don’t Want You Like a Best Friend on your TBR immediately. Facing destitution, debutante Beth needs to find a solution to her family money problems ASAP — and it comes in the unlikely shape of Gwen, the daughter of a rakish earl who is on her fourth season with no intention of ever marrying. When the two team up to parent trap their mother and father, they instead accidentally catch feelings for each other. Whoops. (Jan. 9) —MLL

"The Atlas Complex" by Olivia Blake

The Library of Alexandria awaits and with it, the grand finale of Olivie Blake’s dark academia trilogy. Now that Libby has made an explosive return to the present, the six initiates are again vulnerable to the lethal terms of their recruitment: a sacrifice must be made. Their two years within the library walls have been completed, but the story is far from over. This final chapter sees them unleashed into the world, some still wrestling with the ethics of their astronomical abilities while others cling to the false safety of the archives. Elsewhere, an unlikely pair partner to influence politics on a global stage — and all the while, the sacrifice awaits fulfillment. Alliances old and new will be put to the test as the deadly bargain threatens to collect. Not to mention the issue of Atlas Blakely, the caretaker determined to proceed with his decades-long plan, no matter the world-ending stakes. Intrigue, betrayals and even a few love confessions may be in store for those who dare read the tantalizing finale. (Jan. 9) —Shania Russell

"The Night of the Storm" by Nishita Parekh

Jia Shah is in trouble! She goes to her sister's fancy house to avoid a hurricane and keep her son safe, only to get trapped in that house with a murderer. Nishita Parekh gives the locked-room thriller a fresh take in her debut novel,The Night of the Storm, by putting a multigenerational Indian American family at the center. Jia was already dealing with an ex who wants custody of her son, a child suspended from school for fighting, and a disapproving family before murder entered the mix. Will she keep herself and her son safe while also making sure she doesn’t go down for a crime she didn’t commit? (Jan. 16) —AY

"The Fury" by Alex Michaelides

Alex Michaelides, author of bestsellers The Silent Patient and The Maidens, is back with another thriller. In The Fury, reclusive ex-movie star Lana Farrar goes on her annual Greek getaway with her closest friends only for it to be ruined by murder. The narrator isn't Lana, but unreliable narrator Elliott Chase, whose identity remains a mystery. The tale tests the bonds of friendship, and true feelings emerge as a cat and mouse game puts them all in grave danger. (Jan. 16) —AY

"Come and Get It" by Kiley Reid

Kiley Reid goes full Secret History with her follow-up to her critically acclaimed Such a Fun Age. In 2017, Millie Cousins is a senior RA at the University of Arkansas with simple goals — graduate, get a job, buy a house. But when visiting professor and writer Agatha Paul presents Millie with an unusual opportunity, Millie is drawn into a world of money, vengeful pranks, indiscretions, and a whole bucket full of bad behavior. Reid employs her signature sharp eye and sardonic wit to spear academia in Come and Get It, a biting comedy of manners. (Jan. 30) —MLL

"House of Flame and Shadow" by Sarah J. Maas

No one is doing Literary Multi-Verse quite like Sarah J. Mass! The Crescent City series is an epic urban-fantasy abundant with magic, murder, and snarky flirting. House of Flame and Shadow follows the global bestsellers House of Earth and Blood and House of Sky and Breath, and picks up after a devastating cliffhanger that left fans (including this reader) screaming and eager for more. Bryce Quinlain enters a whole new world unlike one she’s ever known, and Hunt Athalar will do anything to find her. Surrounded by enemies and strangers, there’s no telling who they can trust until they find their way back to each other. (Jan. 30) —Morgan Sanguedolce

"Wander in the Dark" by Jumata Emill

Amir is looking for an escape from his problems when he decides to spend the night with Chloe after attending his estranged half-brother Marcel’s birthday party. While he cannot remember what happened the night before, Amir does wake up to find Chloe stabbed to death. In Jumata Emill’s New Orleans-set thriller Wander in the Dark, this Black teenager is in a terrible predicament as the only suspect in the death of a rich white girl. His only hope is the half-brother he doesn’t get along with. who also happens to be the only one who believes in his innocence. (Jan. 30) —AY

"A Love Song for Ricki Wilde" by Tia Williams

Tia Williams (Seven Days in June) returns with another lush love story set against the backdrop of New York City. Impulsive, artistic Ricki Wilde is the black sheep of her powerful Atlanta family. So when she’s invited to rent the bottom floor of a Harlem brownstone, she jumps at the chance to follow her dream of opening a flower shop. There, she encounters a mysterious stranger with ties to the Harlem Renaissance who knocks her world off kilter. Williams draws a poignant portrait of Black excellence in Harlem, as well as a tale of love forged by a shared passion for art, big dreams, and the city that never sleeps in A Love Song for Ricki Wilde. (Feb. 6) —MLL

"Cocktails With George and Martha: Movies, Marriage and the Making of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf" by Philip Gefter

Philip Gefter studies the arc of one of the most famous plays in the American theatrical canon, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, from its origins in New York’s Greenwich Village to its troubled Broadway production process and onto its new life as a film starring the then most famous married couple in the world. Gefter situates Woolf within its crucial 1960s cultural context, digging into its impact as both play and film, particularly examining the parallels between the relationship of George and Martha and that of stars Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. Cocktails is a tale as raucous, unpredictable, wild, and affecting as a night of drinks with George and Martha. (Feb. 13) —MLL

"What Have We Here" by Billy Dee Williams

First off, if there is a book cover featuring a picture of a guy wearing a giant flowing cape, we’re buying it. And when that guy is Lando Calrissian, we’re savoring it. In his perfectly titled memoir, What Have We Here, Billy Dee Williams recounts his prolific career, starring in such cultural touchstones as Brian’s Song and the original Star Wars trilogy. How can anyone resist a date with the smoothest customer this side of Cloud City? Answer: They can’t. (Feb. 13)—Dalton Ross

"An Education in Malice" by S.T. Gibson

From the author who delivered A Dowry of Blood comes another tale of lust, darkness and insatiable secrets. This time around, S.T. Gibson is bringing readers to the forgotten hills of Massachusetts for a seductive retelling of Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu’s Carmilla. This version follows Laura Sheridan, a young woman thrust into an intense academic rivalry with her enigmatic classmate. As a dark fascination blooms, their feud blossoms into something delicious, eventually forcing Laura to confront some strange new desires. With an innately gothic atmosphere, Gibson's indelible lyricism, and the addictive promise of Carmilla’s presence, Laura’s story is begging to be consumed. (Feb. 13) —SR

"Sex, Lies and Sensibility" by Nikki Paine

Nikki Payne (Pride and Protest) is back with another Jane Austen retelling, this time inspired by Sense and Sensibility. When Nora’s father dies, she and her sister are left with nothing but a dilapidated inn in backwoods Maine that they must revamp on a deadline or risk losing everything. Nora’s path collides with  Native Abenaki eco-tour guide Ennis “Bear” Freeman, who expects the two city girls to give up quickly. But as Nora shows her true mettle, Bear can’t help but fall for her, even as his silence about his past threatens to send Nora packing. In Sex, Lies, and Sensibility, Payne takes Austen’s eye for social satire and couches it within the added layer of race in America, giving a potent political backdrop to her love stories. (Feb. 13) —MLL

"Lore of the Wilds" by Analeigh Sbrana

An enchanted library, the pursuit for magic, and a love triangle with two handsome Fae vying for one woman’s affections? Sign me up. Analeigh Sbrana’s romantasy debut transports readers to a land ruled by ruthless Fae, where 21-year-old Lore Alemeyu’s village is trapped in a forested prison. Though escape seems inconceivable, she manages to strike a desperate deal with a powerful Fae lord, sending her to catalog the contents of an enchanted library untouched for thousands of years. But as she secretly pursues magic of her own, Lore must navigate the hostile world with nothing to rely on but the help of two Fae males. As flirting ensues and chemistry ignites, Lore confronts the possibility of losing  not just her life, but her own heart to the creatures that have imprisoned her land. (Feb. 27) —SR

"The House of Hidden Meanings" by RuPaul

If you’re ready to sashay *snaps* through a deep-dive into Mama RuPaul’s house-boots-mama-yas-gawd tenure as the reigning queen of drag, this book is… not for you — and that’s exactly what excites us. The Emmy-winning RuPaul’s Drag Race host goes deep into her personal history for an introspective look at the man — and lovely lady — behind the supermodel and super-mogul in The House of Hidden Meanings, which chronicles RuPaul’s life long before Drag Race. The book charts his first four decades alive, from growing up in San Diego to cutting his teeth on the punk scenes of Atlanta and New York City. House of Hidden Meanings is not a companion beach read skimming through what you already know about RuPaul; it’s primed to be Mother’s manifesto of existence, a peek at foundation for the person under all that… well… foundation. (March 5) —Joey Nolfi

"The Poisons We Drink" by Bethany Baptiste

Venus Stoneheart is breaking the law. Making love potions is a crime punishable by death, but it’s the only way she can support her family. After her mother is murdered, Venus is given the chance to brew these dangerous and illegal substances — while getting back at those who killed her mother. She takes it. Bethany Baptiste’s YA debut The Poisons We Drink explores how far we will go to keep our loved one safe as Venus brews poisonous potions to use against influential figures in DC. (March 5) —AY

"Anita De Monte Laughs Last" by Xochitl Gonzalez

First generation Ivy league student Raquel feels like an outsider. As a woman of color, she has to work twice as hard for a tiny sliver of the opportunities offered to those around her. After becoming romantically involved with a well-connected student, suddenly her star is on the rise. But then she discovers the story of Anita de Monte, who died under suspicious circumstances but was ultimately forgotten by the world. As Raquel ponders the eerie similarities between her relationship and Anita’s, she starts to ask who gets to leave a legacy behind in Anita De Monte Laughs Last. (March 5) —Yolanda Machado

"Not Your China Doll: The Wild and Shimmering Life of Anna May Wong" by Katie Gee Salisbury

In life and death, Anna May Wong has remained criminally undiscovered — a trailblazing Asian American actress who refused to play along with stereotypes on screen and called out the industry’s blatant racism. At last, Wong gets the biography she deserves in Not Your China Doll, a well-researched, thoughtful portrait of a groundbreaking woman whose ambition and artistic integrity far exceeded the limitations and challenges of her lifetime. (March 12) —MLL

"The Morningside" by Téa Obreht

Téa Obreht has spellbound readers with her bestselling mythic-proportion epics The Tiger’s Wife and Inland. Obreht blesses us again with The Morningside, a coming-of-age novel about a displaced mother and daughter making a new life in the once vibrant, now half-underwater, place called Island City. Silvia doesn’t remember her now demolished ancestral home, and her mother is secretive about their family’s history. But her aunt Ena, who is also the superintendent of The Morningside that they now call home, shares the folktales and magical beauty of their homeland. What Silvia learns about her family, her homeland, and her enigmatic aunt Ena, may cost her everything. (March 19) —MS

"The Divorcees" by Rowan Beaird

Rowan Beaird digs into the idiosyncrasies of midcentury Reno, Nevada when it was the divorce capital of the world in this journey into an oft-untapped era in fiction. When Lois Saunders travels to Golden Yarrow “divorce” ranch, she expects to spend her days riding horses and flirting with cowboys while she waits to establish the six-week residency required to secure an end to her marriage. But when unconventional Greer Lang arrives, it cracks her world open and gives her a glimpse of what true independence could actually look like. Through the eyes of a more glamorous world, Beaird examines the true meaning of friendship and freedom in The Divorcees. (March 19) —MLL

"Cancelled' by Farrah Penn

Brynn Whittaker didn’t do it. She is NOT the one in the viral video hooking up with her former best friend’s boyfriend, but no one will believe her. In Cancelled, a high school senior’s clear path to Stanford gets messed up by broken friendships, losing customers at her “flirt coach” business, and the rampant misogyny at her school. Brynn teams up with her friends to take down the students coming for her, but she struggles with whether she wants to expose the actual girl in the video. Farrah Penns’ novel is equal parts witty and unapologetic as it examines the double standards plaguing young women. (March 19) —AY

"Finding Margaret Fuller" by Allison Pataki

Margaret Fuller led a life so vibrantly full that if she were a man she’d be central in every history textbook. Luckily for us, Pataki is here to breathe life into Fuller’s story via this sweeping new novel. Finding Margaret Fuller charts Fuller’s life from her time with Henry David Thoreau and the Transcendentalist movement to her work as the cofounder of The Dial magazine to her time abroad as the first female foreign news correspondent where she is thrown into Italy’s fight for unification. Pataki gives voice to a woman who bucked convention and an activist who sought to change history on her own terms. (March 19) —MLL

"Where Sleeping Girls Lie" by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé

After her thrilling debut with Ace of Spades, Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé is back! This time, Sade Hussein is at the center of the mystery when her roommate goes missing on the high school junior’s first night at the prestigious Alfred Nobel Academy. Not only is Sade the new girl, but she’s been homeschooled all her life. In order to find out what happened to Elizabeth, she will have to navigate being around other kids for the first time, in addition to the rumors swirling around the new girl on campus. (March 19) —AY

"The Cemetery of Untold Stories" by Julia Alvarez

Let's get literal! From the critically acclaimed author of In the Time of Butterflies comes a story about Alma Cruz, a writer who decides to bury her unfinished stories in a small plot of land in the Dominican Republic she just inherited. In The Cemetery of Untold Stories, Alma's decision stems from her fear that she nearly lost her sanity trying to get her book published. But, despite her intentions to let her characters die, some of them refuse to stay buried and start rewriting themselves, and Alma learns a truism about storytelling — nothing is ever finished. (April 2) —YM

"Dancing on the Edge" by Russ Tamblyn

In Hollywood history, Russ Tamblyn holds a unique position as both a surviving star of Hollywood’s Golden Age and a symbol of the American counterculture movement. Now, Tamblyn tells his own story in his memoir, Dancing on the Edge: A Journey Living, Loving, and Tumbling Through Hollywood, from his early days at MGM and studying gymnastics to his starring role in West Side Story to his work as a fine artist and his role as a husband and father. It’s a rare inside look at the life of one of the last Golden Age legends. (April 9) —MLL

"The House on Biscayne Bay" by Chanel Cleeton

Chanel Cleeton has built a steady reputation for writing emotional, intoxicating historical yarns. In he House on Biscayne Bay she delves further into thriller territory with this atmospheric tale of a glamorous seaside estate. In the past, Robert Barnes and his wife, Anna, build the estate, Marbisa, in the early days of the Roaring Twenties. Year later, orphaned Carmen Acosta travels from Havana to Marbisa, now the home of her estranged older sister, Carolina, and her husband Asher Wyatt. But as Carmen uncovers the house’s horrifying legacy, she starts to fear for her own life. (April 9) —MLL

"How To End a Love Story" by Yulin Kuang

Screenwriter and director Yulin Kuang (Emily Henry's Beach Read and People We Meet on Vacation) makes her contemporary romance debut with How to End a Love Story, a novel about regrets and second chances. Helen Zhang and Grant Shepard were thrown together in the wake of a tragic accident that changed their lives forever, but they haven’t seen each other in the 13 years since. When Helen, now a bestselling novelist, is offered a spot in the writers’ room for the TV adaptation of her hit YA series, she says yes, not realizing that Grant is one of the lead writers on the project. The two are exactly as they remember each other, but can they make peace with their past long enough to find true connection in their present? (April 9) —MLL

"One of Us Knows" by Alyssa Cole

In One of Us Knows, the latest from bestselling author Alyssa Cole, Kenetria Nash, aka Ken, takes the job as resident caretaker of a historic home in an attempt to get her career back on track. Determined not to mess up this chance, Ken faces trouble when a group of possibly dangerous figures including a man from her past. When that man ends up dead, Ken, who suffers from dissociative identity disorder, must work with her alters to get to the truth while racing against time. (April 16) —AY

"When I Think of You" by Myah Ariel

Myah Ariel makes her highly anticipated debut with When I Think of You, a contemporary romance about a woman with big Hollywood dreams who finds herself in the crosshairs of Hollywood politics and a second chance at love. Kaliya Wilson is ready to give up on her movie-making aspirations when she is offered a job on hotshot director Danny Prescott’s next film, a gift of an opportunity even if Kaliya and Danny once shared a whirlwind romance that flamed out spectacularly. But as the two open up to each other and begin to forge a real connection, Kaliya is faced with the prospect of letting Danny go to save the production and her career. Inspired by her own experiences as a Hollywood receptionist, Ariel brings readers into the world of her characters with vibrant emotionality. (April 16) —MLL

"Funny Story" by Emily Henry

The queen of rom coms is back with a new romance story that is sure to tug at your heartstrings! Emily Henry returns with her fifth romance novel, Funny Story, that follows the tale of Daphne and Miles as they navigate heartache by trying to get back at their exes. When the pair discover their ex-significant others are dating each other, they devise a plan to fake a relationship in order to make their exes jealous. You can only walk the line of fake and real for so long though, right? (April 23) —Jessica Leon

"When Among Crows" by Veronica Roth

Fairytale lovers will feast on this new modern fantasy by Divergent author Veronica Roth. One of the most accomplished dystopian authors of her generation, Roth delivers a new twist on the Slavic legend of Baba Jaga, crafting an enchanting world full of monsters, knights, and witches. When Among Crows follows Dymitr, a knight who sacrificed half his soul to wield a sword made of his own spine, on a mission to slay monsters including the legendary witch Baba Jaga. He offers a bargain to Ala, a woman with a fatal curse inherited from her late mother who just might find a cure in an enchanted flower. One dangerous witch in exchange for a magic flower is the price Ala agrees to pay to rid her curse, if she can break it before the flower dies in one day's time. (May 14) —MS

"Lies and Weddings" by Kevin Kwan

Kevin Kwan weaves another tale of crazy rich Asians in Lies and Weddings — only this time, wealthy protagonist Rufus Leung Gresham, the future Earl of Greshambury, has a conundrum: he’s nearly broke. The family trust has been depleted by decades of excess spending, leaving the Greshams with a mountain of debt. His scheming mother, a former Hong Kong supermodel, puts forth a proposal: attend his sister’s wedding at a tropical luxury resort and seduce a woman with money among the who’s who of the affluent. When a volcanic eruption disrupts the nuptials and exposes an explosive affair, the Greshams’ plans go up in flames — as does their reputation. A shocking twist then presents itself in Kwan’s comedic tale about love, money, murder, and the lies we tell. (May 21) —Jessica Wang

"Enlightenment" by Sarah Perry

Sarah Perry, author of the bestselling The Essex Serpent, returns with this tale of improbable friends cast against a backdrop of scientific discovery, love, and astronomy. Despite their three decade age difference, Thomas Hart and Grace Macauley are fast friends caught between their faith and their desire to explore the world. When their world is torn apart, Thomas loses himself in an obsession with the mystery of a vanished 19th-century astronomer and Grace leaves their small town of Aldleigh for London. But over the next 20 years, the two find their lives brought back into each other’s orbit in Enlightenment, a novel that examines love, fate, and the power of what’s written in the stars. (June 4) –MLL

"One Last Summer" by Kate Spencer

Author of In a New York Minute and cohost of the Forever35 podcast, Kate Spencer returns with the summer camp rom-com of our dreams, One Last Summer. Clara Millen is desperately in need of a vacation, and can’t wait to join her friends on their annual summer vacation to her childhood sleepaway camp. But when she arrives to find the property is up for sale it sends her into a spiral of reminisces that ends with a passionate night with her old camp nemesis, Mack. But summer camp is a break in reality, even if it is the most alive Clara’s felt in years — what will happen when she has to choose between this escape and the life she thinks she’s always wanted? (June 11) —MLL

"Children of Anguish and Anarchy" by Tomi Adeyemi

It’s been four years since the second book in Tomi Adeyemi’s Legacy of Orïsha trilogy, but longtime readers should be pleased to know that the conclusion is finally on the way in 2024. As Adeyemi teased to EW earlier this year, Children of Anguish and Anarchy will find Zélie and her fellow maji going up against an enemy that “they never could have anticipated.” The plot description seems to evoke the Atlantic slave trade, and Adeyemi also channeled her feelings about female autonomy in the wake of the fall of Roe v. Wade. (June 25) —Christian Holub

"The Blackbird Oracle" by Deborah Harkness

Deborah Harkness is back with her first new novel since 2018, the fifth installment in her All Souls series, The Blackbird Oracle. Harkness returns readers to the tale of Diana Bishop and Matthew de Clairmont as they now face a demand from the Congregation to test the magic of their twins, Pip and Rebecca. But when Diana receives word from long-lost great-aunt Gwyneth Proctor, she decides to forge a new path and finally confront her family’s dark past and her own fears of wielding her extensive power. Which all sounds great, but really, you had us at more Matthew and Diana. (July 16) —MLL

"The Truth According to Ember" by Danica Nava

Danica Nava is blazing a trail as one of the first Native American authors writing romance for a major publisher, and The Truth According to Ember sounds swoony as all get out. When Ember Lee Cardinal lies about her identity (passing as white) on a job application, she lands her dream job. But things get messy when Ember connects with IT guy Danuwoa Colson, a fellow Native American. But work relationships are verboten and when the two are caught in a compromising position on a work trip, Ember finds herself at the center of a blackmail scheme that will have her questioning her identity and whether to stay silent or finally tell the truth. (Aug. 6) —MLL

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Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly.