Our Most Talked-About Spring Book Releases

“Rachel Khong’s first book, “Goodbye Vitamin,” is a slim volume about the young protagonist’s year spent at home caring for her aging parents (I loved it). Her sophomore novel is anything but slim. It’s an ambitious, spacious book that starts with the tale of a young woman, Lily Chen, in pre-Y2K New York City, and her romance with a down-to-earth (but extremely wealthy) guy named Matthew. From there it fast forwards twenty years to follow Lily and Matthew’s son in San Francisco, and then reverses to cover Lily’s parents in Mao’s China. I was entirely entranced by this book from the start, and I talked about it endlessly to anyone who would listen when I finished. I’d like to announce that this will be the buzzy book of the season (it should be, anyway!), and you don’t want to miss out.” –Jana Pollack, Skimm Reads editor

“I will follow Leigh Bardugo to the ends of the earth…including 16th-century Madrid. In her new novel, the literary fantasy queen transports us to Inquisition-Era Spain, where housemaid Luzia Cotado harbors two dangerous secrets: her Jewish heritage, and that she practices magic using refranes, a form of Hebrew-Spanish spellwork. But when her ambitious employer discovers Luzia’s powers, she doesn’t sentence her to her death — instead, she enters her into a competition to become the king’s personal miracle worker, where Luzia trains with a wealthy merchant’s similarly powerful (and magically cursed) servant. Did I mention this is a master-and-protege romance, too? This elegant blend of historical fiction, magical realism, and good old-fashioned literature is truly a must-read.” –Caroline Goldstein, Skimm Reads editor

“You might know Freya Sampson for her feel-good books like “The Lost Ticket” and “The Last Chance Library” but I was introduced to her by way of her newest release, “Nosy Neighbors.” It’s the ultimate cozy mystery that follows 70-year-old Dorothy and 25-year-old Kat, neighbors and frenemies who take it upon themselves to solve a crime that occurred in their beloved apartment building. I don’t know how to describe this other than it feels appropriate for spring. And if you love “Only Murders in the Building,” you’ll love this” –Margo Ghertner, Skimm Reads editor

“Ready for a trip to the ‘50s? This is the story of Lois, a smart and quietly determined woman who has just divorced her husband with no grounds but misery. To exit the marriage, she must spend six weeks in Reno, Nevada, the only state that will legally let her out of marital hell. That’s how she ends up at The Golden Yarro, a “divorce ranch,” with other women who are going through their own versions of the same thing. Lois seems destined to live out the whole mandated time a loner until the sophisticated, mysterious Greer shows up, changing the vibes (and Lois’ trajectory) forever. I loved this book almost as much as I love saying the name “Greer,” which I think is long overdue for a comeback.” –Jana Pollack

"There’s nothing like a sweeping intergenerational saga, especially when rendered by a master of the craft — and Claire Messud is one of the greats. In her forthcoming novel, Messud draws on her own family history to tell the story of Gaston and Lucienne Cassar, a French-Algerian couple forced into exile during World War II, then again after Algerian independence. The story continues with their children, François and Denise, and culminates in 2010 with François’ daughter Chloe, an avatar for Messud herself. It’s a saga of the highest order, spanning seven decades and almost as many continents, but at its heart it’s a delicate study of how our family systems shape our most intimate relationships." –Caroline Goldstein

“I have a hunch that this one will be a bestseller for spring and summer. The plot unfolds between past and present when two former high school classmates end up working in the same writer’s room for a teen drama years later. Trope-wise: think of it as enemies-to-lovers meets SNL. But don’t take this romantic comedy at face value. Kuang is the screenwriter adapting Emily Henry’s cult-favorite novels into movies, and her chops show here with thought-provoking prose about how our past selves evolve over time.” –Margo Ghertner

“Jin Han, a photographer who is struggling to find inspiration, has been with her husband Philip since college. They’re at a crossroads in their relationship — though they’d long since agreed they didn’t want children, Philip now does, and Jin still does not — when they arrive at a party in the hills of San Francisco. That’s where Jin connects with Lidija Jung, an injured ballerina on hiatus. The two artists talk all night, and Jin finds herself sharing secrets, like the story of an old familial curse, with Lidija. It’s the beginning of a relationship that becomes an obsession, cracking Jin’s whole life open. There’s a dreamy quality to this novel that kept me sucked into the story’s atmosphere — it’s a special one.” –Jana Pollack

Percival Everett is one of the most prolific writers working today — he’s written almost 40 books to date — and, as a finalist for both the Booker and the Pulitzer Prizes, one of the most celebrated. (He also wrote “Erasure,” which was recently adapted into the star-studded movie “American Fiction.”) “James” retells Mark Twain’s “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” from the perspective of Jim, a Black man who escapes slavery and joins Huck’s picaresque journey. Somehow my English major skirted around “Huck Finn” (rare!), but familiarity with the source material is not required to appreciate Everett’s singular blend of dark humor and formal ingenuity. –Caroline Goldstein

“I just about gobbled this up within the span of two days, and I cannot stop talking about it. Amanda Montell is a linguist and a bestselling author (you might know her fan-favorite, “Cultish”), and in her latest, she unpacks the loopholes in the mental tricks and cognitive biases that we all tend to use as coping mechanisms. Montell connects the halo effect to Taylor Swift, the way sunk cost fallacy keeps us in situations we simply should not be in anymore, and so much more. And she writes about it all so gorgeously that you’ll be reaching for a pen to annotate.” –Margo Ghertner

“Before I get into the plot, I’ll just say: this debut novel is unassuming — easy to read, easy to get into — but it’s full of such feeling that I almost stopped reading because it made me too sad. It follows Vega Gopalan, an Indian-American grad student at Columbia University. The central sadness of her life (and the grief that almost kept me away) is the death of her sister, Ashwini, who died of a heart condition when Vega was 17. The book follows Vega to America, a marriage, a divorce, and motherhood, and quietly asks questions about identity and what “home” really means. I’m so glad I kept going.” –Jana Pollack

This 👏book 👏has 👏everything 👏. Intergalactic climate refugees! Slow-burn queer romance! Gender-fluid aliens! Political intrigue with a whiff of murder! Natasha Pulley’s newest seems to defy categorization, but I’d venture to guess it’ll appeal to fans of Ursula K. Le Guin, N.K. Jemisin, and Mary Doria Russell. Plus, Pulley wrote one of my favorite books of 2015, “The Watchmaker of FIligree Street” — a twisty-turny steampunky historical fiction tale — that I still think about often. This one promises to be just as thrilling. –Caroline Goldstein

“PSA: the queen of the romantic comedy is back — this time with a fake dating, roommate of convenience trope (so you know it’s going to be both heartwarming and steamy). After Daphne’s fiance breaks up with her for his childhood best friend, Petra, she somehow ends up roommates with Petra’s ex-fiance, Miles. What unfolds is a will-they-won’t-they love story in a cozy cottage town in Michigan that’ll have you stupidly smiling at the page as you binge it (or at least, that’s how it was for me).” –Margo Ghertner