20 April Releases We're Excited About

And what you can read in the meantime

Reading ahead

Our TBR piles may be taking over, but we're always finding new books we want to add. From sophomore slam-dunks to thought-provoking thrillers to a boatload of big-name authors, April’s most anticipated list is littered with must-reads! Here are 20 upcoming releases across a mix of genres. These titles are available for preorder, but in the meantime, peruse our recommendations for similar reads that you can enjoy.

Literary fiction 

Juno Loves Legs by Karl Geary (April 18)

Set amidst the volatile 1980s Dublin, Juno and "Legs" grow up in the same development, where spirited, intelligent Juno is ostracized for her poverty and Legs is persecuted for his sexuality; they find safety only in each other. The friends yearn for an unbound life and together they fight to find who they really are.

What to read first:  A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara

A Symphony of Secrets by Brendan Slocumb (April 18)

A gripping page-turner about a professor who uncovers a shocking secret about the most famous American composer of all time—that his music was stolen from a young Black composer named Josephine Reed. Now he must fight a powerful organization to uncover the truth and right history's wrongs.

What to read first: The Violin Conspiracy by Brendan Slocumb

The Last Animal by Ramona Ausubel (April 18)

Tagging along on their mother's scientific expedition in Siberia isn't exactly the way teens Eve and Vera wanted to spend their summer vacation. Then, while fooling around, the sisters discover a perfectly preserved, four-thousand-year-old baby mammoth, and things start to get interesting.

What to read first: Chemistry by Weike Wang

If We're Being Honest by Cat Shook (April 18)

When Gerry, the beloved Williams patriarch, dies suddenly, his grandchildren flock from across the country to the family home in Eulalia, Georgia. But when Gerry’s best friend steps up to the microphone to deliver his eulogy, the funeral turns out unlike anyone expected.

What to read first: All Adults Here by Emma Straub

Mystery, thriller, and horror 

Before We Were Innocent by Ella Berman (April 4)

Ten years ago, after a summer spent in Greece, best friends Bess and Joni were cleared of any involvement in their friend Evangeline's death. Now Joni is tangled up in an eerily similar crime. When she asks Bess to come and support her, Bess has to decide if she's ready to face what happened back then.

What to read first: The Good Sister by Sally Hepworth

Sisters of the Lost Nation by Nick Medina (April 18)

As girls begin to go missing and the tribe scrambles to find answers, Anna Horn is under siege. From the bullies who torment her to the entitled visitors at the reservation's casino to the nameless, disembodied entity that haunts her. When Anna's own little sister also disappears, things get personal.

What to read first: White Horse by Erika T. Wurth

Small Mercies by Dennis Lehane (April 25)

It's summer of 1974 and a heat wave blankets Boston. One night, Mary Pat's daughter fails to come home after a night out. That same night, a young Black man is found dead. Propelled by a desperate search for her missing daughter, Mary Pat begins turning over stones best left untouched.

What to read first: Mystic River by Dennis Lehane

The Last Word by Taylor Adams (April 25)

Emma Carpenter lives in an isolated beach house on the rainy Washington coast. After posting a one-star review of a horror novel involving a murder, she finds herself in an online argument with the author himself. Soon after, strange incidents start to happen at night. Is it a coincidence? Or is he after her?

What to read first: No Exit by Taylor Adams

Sci-fi and fantasy

Silver in the Bone by Alexandra Bracken (April 4)

This YA urban fantasy, the first in a new series, is inspired by Arthurian legends. When her guardian disappears, Tamsin finds a way to survive and protect her brother in the magical underground of Boston, even with no magic. Ten years later, rumors of a powerful ring propels her on a desperate search.

What to read first: Lore by Alexandra Bracken

Camp Zero by Michelle Min Sterling (April 4)

Desperate to help her climate-displaced Korean immigrant mother, Rose agrees to travel to Camp Zero, a highly secretive building project in the far north of Canada, as a spy. This electrifying page-turner explores how the intersection of gender, class, and migration will impact who and what will survive in a warming world.

What to read first: Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel

Ascension by Nicholas Binge (April 25)

An enormous, snow-capped mountain has appeared in the Pacific Ocean. When Harold Tunmore, a scientist of mysterious phenomena, is contacted by a shadowy organization to help investigate, he has no idea what he is getting into. The higher Harold and his team climb, the less things make sense.

What to read first: Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer

The Lives of Puppets by T. J. Klune (April 25)

This whimsical fantasy has been described as "an enchanting tale of Pinocchio in the end times." In a strange little home built into the branches of a grove of trees, live three robots—fatherly inventor android Giovanni Lawson, a pleasantly sadistic nurse machine, and a small vacuum desperate for love and attention.

What to read first: The House in the Cerulean Sea by T. J. Klune

Historical fiction 

The House is on Fire by Rachel Beanland (April 4)

On December 26, 1811, Richmond, Virginia’s only theater is packed with holiday revelers. When the theater goes up in flames, split-second decisions by an unlikely foursome have lasting repercussions in this novel based on an incendiary tragedy that shocked a nation and tore apart a community in a single night.

What to read first: Florence Adler Swims Forever by Rachel Beanland

Homecoming by Kate Morton (April 4)

Jess is a London journalist struggling to pay the bills after being laid off when she is summoned back to Sydney to care for her beloved grandmother, Nora. At Nora's house, Jess discovers a book chronicling the police investigation into a long-buried murder mystery, and evidence tying her family to the crime.

What to read first: The Clockmaker's Daughter by Kate Morton

Coronation Year by Jennifer Robson (April 4)

It's 1953, and a new queen is about to be crowned. In this enthralling and royal-adjacent historical novel, three very different residents of London's historic Blue Lion hotel come together in a potentially explosive climax on the day of Queen Elizabeth's Coronation.

What to read first: The Gown by Jennifer Robson

The Golden Doves by Martha Hall Kelly (April 18)

Renowned spies Josie Anderson and Arlette LaRue become known as the Golden Doves for their ability to capture Nazi secrets. But their courage will cost them dearly when they are arrested and taken into custody with their loved ones. A decade later, they're back in action and hoping to settle the score.

What to read first: Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly

Romance 

Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld (April 4)

Sally, a sketch writer for a late-night live comedy show, has given up on love. When her average-looking male coworker starts dating a celebrity, she decides to write a sketch about how that would never happen to a woman. But then sparks start flying between her and the dreamy pop star hosting the show that week.

What to read first: For Her Consideration by Amy Spalding

Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez (April 11)

Dr. Briana Ortiz's life is flatlining. Her divorce is almost finalized, her brother's running out of time to find a kidney donor, and that promotion she wants? That's probably going to Jacob, the obnoxious new man-doctor at the hospital. But just when all systems are set to hate, Jacob surprises her.

What to read first: Part of Your World by Abby Jimenez

Happy Place by Emily Henry (April 25)

Harriet and Wyn have been the perfect couple since they began dating in high school. Except they broke up six months ago and still haven’t told anyone. So, not wanting to ruin their annual get-together with friends at the Maine rental they've been visiting for years, they decide to just pretend they're still together.

What to read first: Beach Read by Emily Henry

Zora Books Her Happy Ever After by Taj McCoy (April 25)

Zora has committed every inch of her life to establishing her thriving DC bookstore and she just hasn't had time for romance. But when Lawrence, a mystery author she's been crushing on for years, has an event at her store, she starts to rethink her priorities. The only problem is his grumpy best friend, Reid. 

What to read first: Get a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert

Hopefully there’s something here that you want to add to your TBR list! Let us know which new books you’re most excited about this month.

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Read more by Ashly Moore Sheldon