Trending in Literary Fiction

The Secret History

Donna Tartt · Literary Fiction

Under the influence of their charismatic classics professor, a group of clever, eccentric misfits at an elite New England college discover a way of…

dark academia · psychological thriller · morally grey character · found family

The Correspondent

Virginia Evans · Literary Fiction

Discover the word-of-mouth hit hailed by Ann Patchett as “A cause for celebration”—an intimate novel about the transformative power of the written…

slow burn · second chance romance · workplace romance

1984

George Orwell · Literary Fiction

"Big Brother is Watching You." In a world where truth is dictated by the Party, freedom is slavery, and war is peace, Winston Smith dares to think…

dystopian society · psychological thriller · political intrigue · survival

Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil

V. E. Schwab · Literary Fiction

This is a story about hunger. 1532. Santo Domingo de la Calzada. A young girl grows up wild and wily—her beauty is only outmatched by her dreams of…

magical realism · historical fiction · gothic atmosphere · twist ending

Atmosphere

Taylor Jenkins Reid · Literary Fiction

Joan Goodwin has been obsessed with the stars for as long as she can remember.

historical fiction · coming of age · forbidden romance

Yesteryear

Caro Claire Burke · Literary Fiction

***'My name is Natalie Heller Mills, and I was perfect at being alive…'*** Natalie lives a traditional lifestyle – and has the social media…

dark academia · psychological thriller · twist ending · unreliable narrator · gothic atmosphere

Nowhere Burning

Catriona Ward · Literary Fiction

Nowhere Burning is a harrowing tale of survival that places the dark fairy tale of Peter Pan and the ruthless dangers of Lord of the Flies into the…

dark academia · coming of age · survival · morally grey character

The Favorites

Layne Fargo · Literary Fiction

**To the world, they were a scandal.

enemies to lovers · coming of age · slow burn · obsessive love · forbidden romance

Jane Eyre

Charlotte Brontë · Literary Fiction

The novel is set somewhere in the north of England.

gothic atmosphere · slow burn · workplace romance · forbidden romance · second chance romance

Half His Age

Jennette McCurdy · Literary Fiction

**From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of *I’m Glad My Mom Died* comes a sad, funny, thrilling novel about sex, consumerism, class, desire,…

age gap · dark romance · trauma recovery · morally grey character · psychological thriller

The Reformatory

Tananarive Due · Literary Fiction

"Gracetown, Florida. June 1950. Twelve-year-old Robbie Stephens, Jr., is sentenced to six months at the Gracetown School for Boys, a reformatory, for…

coming of age · historical fiction · trauma recovery · survival

Great Big Beautiful Life

Emily Henry · Literary Fiction

Alice Scott is an eternal optimist still dreaming of her big writing break.

slow burn · romantic comedy · found family · coming of age

Little Women

Louisa May Alcott · Literary Fiction

Louisa May Alcott wrote Little Women in two parts, each resoundingly popular and receiving critical acclaim.

coming of age · historical fiction · found family

Kin

Tayari Jones · Literary Fiction

A Most Anticipated Book for 2026 according to the New York Times, New Statesman, NPR, Guardian, Independent, Financial Times, Daily Express, Mirror,…

coming of age · found family

The Nightingale

Kristin Hannah · Literary Fiction

Despite their differences, sisters Vianne and Isabelle have always been close.

historical fiction · coming of age · survival

Hamnet

Maggie O'Farrell · Literary Fiction

England, 1580: The Black Death creeps across the land, an ever-present threat, infecting the healthy, the sick, the old and the young alike.

historical fiction · trauma recovery · forbidden romance

My Friends

Fredrik Backman · Literary Fiction

Fredrik Backman, who “captures the messy essence of being human” (The Washington Post), returns with an unforgettably funny, deeply moving tale of…

coming of age · found family · multiple timelines

Remarkably Bright Creatures

Shelby Van Pelt · Literary Fiction

After Tova Sullivan's husband died, she began working the night cleaner shift at the Sowell Bay Aquarium.

found family · coming of age · missing person · cozy vibes

If We Were Villains

M. L. Rio · Literary Fiction

Entreated to tell his side of the story to a detective who put him in prison a decade earlier for a murder he may not have committed, Oliver Marks…

enemies to lovers · friends to lovers · dark academia · obsessive love · found family · revenge plot

East of Eden

John Steinbeck · Literary Fiction

Steinbeck considered East of Eden to be his masterpiece.

historical fiction · coming of age · redemption arc

The Song of Achilles

Madeline Miller · Literary Fiction

This is the story of the seige of Troy from the perspective of Achilles best-friend Patroclus.

slow burn · historical fiction · coming of age · forbidden romance · found family

Heart the Lover

Lily King · Literary Fiction

*You knew I’d write a book about you someday.* Our narrator understands good love stories—their secrets and subtext, their highs and their free…

historical fiction

King of Ashes

S. A. Cosby · Literary Fiction

When eldest son Roman Carruthers is summoned home after his father’s car accident, he finds his younger brother, Dante, in debt to dangerous…

historical fiction · revenge plot · morally grey character · trauma recovery

The Bright Years

Sarah Damoff · Literary Fiction

Ryan and Lillian Bright are deeply in love, recently married, and now parents to a baby girl, Georgette.

coming of age · found family · trauma recovery

The Future Saints

Ashley Winstead · Literary Fiction

A most anticipated book from Goodreads, Woman's World, Brit + Co, and more!

found family · coming of age · redemption arc

Cleopatra

Saara El-Arifi · Literary Fiction

Cleopatra tells her own story in this evocative and sensuous historical epic from the bestselling and award-winning author of Faebound and The Final…

historical fiction · forbidden romance

The Names

Florence Knapp · Literary Fiction

**The extraordinary novel that asks: Can a name change the course of a life?** In the wake of a catastrophic storm, Cora sets off with her…

psychological thriller · trauma recovery · survival

Theo of Golden

Allen Levi · Literary Fiction

“[A] word-of-mouth smash hit.” —The New York Times One spring morning, a stranger arrives in the small southern city of Golden.

magical realism · small town

The Women

Kristin Hannah · Literary Fiction

Women can be heroes. When twenty-year-old nursing student Frances “Frankie” McGrath hears these words, it is a revelation. Raised in the…

historical fiction · coming of age · found family · survival

Bunny

Mona Awad · Literary Fiction

Samantha Heather Mackey couldn't be more of an outsider in her small, highly selective MFA program at New England's Warren University.

dark academia · magical realism · gothic atmosphere · coming of age · grimdark

Crescent City

Belva Plain · Literary Fiction

The master storyteller and best-selling author of <em>Evergreen</em>, <em>Random Winds</em>, and <em>Eden Burning</em> has now written a novel that…

historical fiction · coming of age

The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion: Vol 3

Beth Brower · Literary Fiction

historical fiction

Beloved

Toni Morrison · Literary Fiction

Toni Morrison--author of Song of Solomon and Tar Baby--is a writer of remarkable powers: her novels, brilliantly acclaimed for their passion, their…

historical fiction · magical realism · trauma recovery · haunted setting · ghosts

James

Percival Everett · Literary Fiction

**A brilliant reimagining of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn—both harrowing and satirical—told from the enslaved Jim's point of view** When Jim…

historical fiction · coming of age · quest · redemption arc

The Great Alone

Kristin Hannah · Literary Fiction

historical fiction · survival · high stakes survival

The Wedding People

Alison Espach · Literary Fiction

It’s a beautiful day in Newport, Rhode Island, when Phoebe Stone arrives at the grand Cornwall Inn wearing a green dress and gold heels, not a bag in…

found family · coming of age · cozy vibes

Small Things Like These

Claire Keegan · Literary Fiction

A stunning new edition of Claire Keegan's multi-award-winning, bestselling novel Small Things Like These.

historical fiction · trauma recovery

Normal People

Sally Rooney · Literary Fiction

At school Connell and Marianne pretend not to know each other.

friends to lovers · slow burn · coming of age · he falls first

Yellowface

R.F. Kuang · Literary Fiction

White lies. Dark humor. Deadly consequences… Bestselling sensation Juniper Song is not who she says she is, she didn’t write the book she claims she…

psychological thriller · unreliable narrator · morally grey character · revenge plot · twist ending

Brave New World

Aldous Huxley · Literary Fiction

Aldous Huxley's "Brave New World" presents a chilling vision of a dystopian future characterized by the pervasive influence of technology and state…

dystopian society · political intrigue

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo

Taylor Jenkins Reid · Literary Fiction

"Aging and reclusive Hollywood movie icon Evelyn Hugo is finally ready to tell the truth about her glamorous and scandalous life.

dark romance · historical fiction · forbidden romance · revenge plot

Stoner

John Williams · Literary Fiction

The critic Morris Dickstein has said that John Williams’s Stoner “is something much rarer than a great novel—it is a perfect novel,” and in the last…

coming of age · historical fiction · redemption arc

Station Eleven

Emily St. John Mandel · Literary Fiction

One snowy night Arthur Leander, a famous actor, has a heart attack onstage during a production of "King Lear." Jeevan Chaudhary, a…

post apocalyptic · found family · multiple timelines · survival

Daisy Jones and the Six

Taylor Jenkins Reid · Literary Fiction

A gripping novel about the whirlwind rise of an iconic 1970s rock group and their beautiful lead singer, revealing the mystery behind their infamous…

historical fiction · found family · road trip · coming of age

We Have Always Lived in the Castle

Shirley Jackson · Literary Fiction

Shirley Jackson's beloved gothic tale of a peculiar girl named Merricat and her family's dark secret Taking readers deep into a labyrinth of dark…

unreliable narrator · psychological thriller · gothic atmosphere · small town · morally grey character

Demon Copperhead

Barbara Kingsolver · Literary Fiction

Set in the mountains of southern Appalachia, Demon Copperhead is the story of a boy born to a teenaged single mother in a single-wide trailer, with…

coming of age · trauma recovery · redemption arc

Sunburn

Chloe Michelle Howarth · Literary Fiction

It's the early 1990s, and in the Irish village of Crossmore, Lucy feels out of place.

coming of age · small town · forbidden romance · historical fiction

Audition

Katie Kitamura · Literary Fiction

Two people meet for lunch in a Manhattan restaurant.

psychological thriller · obsessive love · unreliable narrator · morally grey character

Cursed Daughters

Oyinkan Braithwaite · Literary Fiction

When Ebun gives birth to her daughter, Eniiyi, on the day they bury her cousin Monife, there is no denying the startling resemblance between the…

magical realism · coming of age · redemption arc · twist ending

Keeper of Lost Children

Sadeqa Johnson · Literary Fiction

Very good read

historical fiction · trauma recovery

The Hive

Melissa Scholes Young · Literary Fiction

The Hive is a story of survival, sisters, and secrets.

found family · coming of age · small town · survival

Girl Dinner

Olivie Blake · Literary Fiction

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Atlas Six, Girl Dinner is a darkly-fun novel about power, lust, and eating your fill, as wealthy…

dark academia · psychological thriller · morally grey character · twist ending

Vigil

George Saunders · Literary Fiction

An electric novel from the #1 New York Times bestselling, Booker Prize–winning author of Lincoln in the Bardo, taking place at the bedside of an oil…

magical realism · unreliable narrator · psychological thriller

The Emperor of Gladness

Ocean Vuong · Literary Fiction

One late summer evening in the post-industrial town of East Gladness, Connecticut, nineteen-year-old Hai stands on the edge of a bridge in pelting…

coming of age

Lost Lambs

Madeline Cash · Literary Fiction

Rippling with humor, warmth, and style, Lost Lambs is a new vision of the charms and pitfalls of family dysfunction.

coming of age · found family

Lady Tremaine

Rachel Hochhauser · Literary Fiction

IndieNext Pick • LibraryReads Pick "A bold and beautifully written examination of a mother's love told through the eyes of Cinderella's 'wicked'…

historical fiction · redemption arc · coming of age

Of Mice and Men

John Steinbeck · Literary Fiction

Two men, migrant farmworkers, dream of a home of their own.

coming of age · found family · survival · historical fiction

The Book Witch

Meg Shaffer · Literary Fiction

Rainy March is a proud third-generation book witch, sworn to defend works of fiction from all foes real and imaginary.

magical realism · slow burn · portal fantasy · romantic comedy

The Picture of Dorian Gray

Oscar Wilde · Literary Fiction

**The Picture of Dorian Gray** is a philosophical novel by Irish writer Oscar Wilde.

dark academia · obsessive love · gothic atmosphere

The Midnight Library

Matt Haig · Literary Fiction

Between life and death there is a library, and within that library, the shelves go on forever.

magical realism · multiple timelines · trauma recovery · redemption arc

We Love You, Bunny

Mona Awad · Literary Fiction

Longlisted for the 2025 Giller Prize Named a Must-Read Pick by The New York Times, Oprah Daily, People, Associated Press, Marie Claire, Bustle, The…

dark academia · psychological thriller · unreliable narrator · closed circle · morally grey character

Death of the Author

Nnedi Okorafor · Literary Fiction

Preorder now and receive the stunning DELUXE LIMITED EDITION while supplies last―featuring a special alternate cover design on the hardcover case,…

magical realism · paranormal romance

The Road

Cormac McCarthy · Literary Fiction

The searing, postapocalyptic novel destined to become Cormac McCarthy's masterpiece.

post apocalyptic · coming of age · survival · found family

The Compound

Aisling Rawle · Literary Fiction

Lily—a bored, beautiful twenty-something—wakes up on a remote desert compound, alongside nineteen other contestants competing on a massively popular…

psychological thriller · morally grey character · closed circle · twist ending

We Burned So Bright

T. J. Klune · Literary Fiction

Husbands Don and Rodney have lived a good long life.

found family · coming of age · survival

Animal Farm

George Orwell · Literary Fiction

Animal Farm is a brilliant political satire and a powerful and affecting story of revolutions and idealism, power and corruption.

political intrigue · morally grey character

The Ministry of Time

Kaliane Bradley · Literary Fiction

In the near future, a civil servant is offered the salary of her dreams and is, shortly afterward, told what project she'll be working on.

magical realism · time travel · romantic comedy · multiple timelines

The Bluest Eye

Toni Morrison · Literary Fiction

Each night Pecola prayed for blue eyes.

coming of age · historical fiction · trauma recovery

The Bell Jar

Sylvia Plath · Literary Fiction

The Bell Jar is the only novel written by American poet Sylvia Plath.

coming of age · trauma recovery · unreliable narrator

To Kill a Mockingbird

Harper Lee · Literary Fiction

Harper Lee's classic novel of a lawyer in the Deep South defending a black man charged with the rape of a white girl.

coming of age · historical fiction

Woman Down

Colleen Hoover · Literary Fiction

Her words used to set the page on fire.

Foster

Claire Keegan · Literary Fiction

A small girl is sent to live with foster parents on a farm in rural Ireland, without knowing when she will return home.

coming of age · historical fiction · trauma recovery

The Midnight Train

Matt Haig · Literary Fiction

When your life flashes before your eyes, where would you stop?

magical realism · time travel · second chance romance · trauma recovery

Slaughterhouse-Five

Kurt Vonnegut · Literary Fiction

Billy Pilgrim returns home from the Second World War only to be kidnapped by aliens from the planet Tralfamadore, who teach him that time is an…

historical fiction · time travel · trauma recovery · anti hero · psychological thriller

Honey

Jack Woodford · Literary Fiction

historical fiction

Odessa

Gabrielle Sher · Literary Fiction

In a powerfully imagined Russia at the height of the pogroms, a grief-stricken family turn to ancient magic to bring their daughter back from the…

magical realism · historical fiction · trauma recovery · grimdark

The Wilderness

Angela Flournoy · Literary Fiction

Desiree, Danielle, January, Monique and Nakia are in their early twenties and at the beginning.

coming of age · found family

A Guardian and a Thief

Megha Majumdar · Literary Fiction

In a near-future Kolkata, Ma, her two-year-old daughter, and her elderly father are just days from leaving the collapsing city behind to join Ma's…

historical fiction · coming of age

Flashlight

Susan Choi · Literary Fiction

One summer night, Louisa and her father take a walk on the breakwater.

unreliable narrator · multiple timelines · psychological thriller · twist ending · trauma recovery

The Benefactors

Wendy Erskine · Literary Fiction

AN OBSERVER BEST DEBUT NOVEL 2025 'I couldn't put this book down' Sheena Patel, author of I'm a Fan 'A powerful, moving, compelling, utterly…

found family · coming of age · small town

Moderation

Elaine Castillo · Literary Fiction

Girlie, a thirty-something Filipinx-American, works a day job at a social-media moderation centre, flagging and removing the very worst that makes it…

morally grey character · workplace romance · coming of age · psychological thriller

Sula

Toni Morrison · Literary Fiction

Two girls who grow up to become women.

coming of age · found family · morally grey character

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow

Gabrielle Zevin · Literary Fiction

On a bitter-cold day, in the December of his junior year at Harvard, Sam Masur exits a subway car and sees, amid the hordes of people waiting on the…

coming of age · found family

Pachinko

Min Jin Lee · Literary Fiction

In the early 1900s, teenaged Sunja, the adored daughter of a crippled fisherman, falls for a wealthy stranger at the seashore near her home in Korea.

historical fiction · coming of age · found family · trauma recovery

Martyr!

Kaveh Akbar · Literary Fiction

God may give the toughest battles to the strongest warriors, but not always.

coming of age · trauma recovery · redemption arc

Cleopatra and Frankenstein

Coco Mellors · Literary Fiction

Life and love among the creative class in Manhattan during the early 21st century.

romantic comedy · marriage of convenience · slow burn · opposites attract

Writers & Lovers

Lily King · Literary Fiction

#ReadWithJenna Book Club Pick as Featured on Today Emma Roberts Belletrist Book Club Pick A New York Times Book Review’s Group Text Selection "I…

coming of age · found family

Is This a Cry for Help?

Emily Austin · Literary Fiction

Emily Austin, the bestselling “queen of darkly quirky, endearingly flawed heroines” (Sarah Haywood, author of The Cactus), returns with a luminous…

coming of age · trauma recovery · small town

My Year of Rest and Relaxation

Ottessa Moshfegh · Literary Fiction

It's early 2000 on New York City's Upper East Side, and the alienation of Moshfegh's unnamed young protagonist from others is nearly complete when…

psychological thriller · unreliable narrator · trauma recovery · morally grey character

The Great Gatsby

F. Scott Fitzgerald · Literary Fiction

Here is a novel, glamorous, ironical, compassionate – a marvelous fusion into unity of the curious incongruities of the life of the period – which…

historical fiction · love triangle · forbidden romance

Intermezzo

Sally Rooney · Literary Fiction

Aside from the fact that they are brothers, Peter and Ivan Koubek seem to have little in common.

slow burn

Middlemarch

George Eliot · Literary Fiction

Eliot’s epic of 19th century provincial social life, set in a fictitious Midlands town in the years 1830-32, has several interlocking storylines…

historical fiction · small town · coming of age

Land

Maggie O'Farrell · Literary Fiction

The award-winning, bestselling author of Hamnet and The Marriage Portrait, returns with a soaring historical novel set in Ireland in the years before…

historical fiction · small town

Sense and Sensibility

Jane Austen · Literary Fiction

When Mr. Dashwood dies, he must leave the bulk of his estate to the son by his first marriage, which leaves his second wife and three daughters…

romantic comedy · historical fiction · slow burn · second chance romance · opposites attract

The Mad Wife

Meagan Church · Literary Fiction

THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER From bestselling author Meagan Church comes a haunting exploration of identity, motherhood, and the…

psychological thriller · unreliable narrator · trauma recovery · twist ending

The Pillars of the Earth

Ken Follett · Literary Fiction

The Pillars of the Earth is a historical novel by Welsh author Ken Follett published in 1989 about the building of a cathedral in the fictional town…

historical fiction · political intrigue · found family

My Dark Vanessa

Kate Elizabeth Russell · Literary Fiction

"2000. Bright, ambitious, and yearning for adulthood, fifteen-year-old Vanessa Wye becomes entangled in an affair with Jacob Strane, her magnetic and…

unreliable narrator · coming of age · trauma recovery · twist ending

Burn Down Master's House

Clay Cane · Literary Fiction

Inspired by true, long-buried stories of enslaved people who dared to fight back, a searing portrayal of resistance for readers of Colson Whitehead,…

historical fiction · revenge plot · survival

Paradiso 17

Hannah Lillith Assadi · Literary Fiction

The intimate, sweeping tale of one man’s restless search for home the world over, as the pendulum of fate swings between loss and life, grief and…

coming of age · road trip

A Beast Slinks Towards Beijing

Alice Evelyn Yang · Literary Fiction

LONGLISTED FOR THE 2026 WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION A dark, magical realist debut family saga that moves through the Japanese occupation of Manchuria,…

magical realism · historical fiction · coming of age · trauma recovery

Kingfisher

Rozie Kelly · Literary Fiction

LONGLISTED FOR THE 2026 WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION She smelled like jasmine.

obsessive love · workplace romance · morally grey character · forbidden romance

Lord of the Flies

William Golding · Literary Fiction

Introduction by E.M. Forster.

coming of age · survival · closed circle · grimdark

The Remains of the Day

Kazuo Ishiguro · Literary Fiction

In the summer of 1956, Stevens, the ageing butler of Darlington Hall, embarks on a leisurely holiday that will take him deep into the countryside and…

historical fiction · unreliable narrator · coming of age · trauma recovery

Sing, Unburied, Sing

Jesmyn Ward · Literary Fiction

**A SEARING AND PROFOUND SOUTHERN ODYSSEY BY NATIONAL BOOK AWARD WINNER JESMYN WARD** In Jesmyn Ward's first novel since her National Book…

coming of age · found family · trauma recovery · magical realism · ghosts

Boy Parts

Eliza Clark · Literary Fiction

One of Granta's Best Young British Novelists 2023 An incendiary debut novel from a brash new talent—a pitch-black comedy, both shocking and…

dark academia · coming of age · morally grey character · unreliable narrator

Natural Beauty

Ling Ling Huang · Literary Fiction

Our narrator produces a sound from the piano no one else at the Conservatory can.

dark academia · coming of age · trauma recovery · morally grey character

Make Me Better

Sarah Gailey · Literary Fiction

Sarah Gailey's MAKE ME BETTER is an eerily seductive look at the desire for community connection and self-improvement---and the darkest places inside…

American Fantasy

Emma Straub · Literary Fiction

NAMED A MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK OF 2026 BY THE NEW YORK TIMES, PEOPLE, AND TIME, AND HARPER'S BAZAAR "I can hardly remember the last time I read…

magical realism · coming of age · found family · fish out of water

Shroud

John Banville · Literary Fiction

From the Booker Prize-winning author of The Sea comes a splendidly moving, "hypnotic" exploration (The New York Times) of identity, duplicity, and…

unreliable narrator · psychological thriller · twist ending

Good People

Patmeena Sabit · Literary Fiction

“Good People is a stunning read.

historical fiction · political intrigue · trauma recovery

The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny

Kiran Desai · Literary Fiction

When Sonia and Sunny first glimpse each other on an overnight train, they are immediately captivated yet also embarrassed by the fact that their…

coming of age · historical fiction

Boy's Life

Robert McCammon · Literary Fiction

An Alabama boy's innocence is shaken by murder and madness in the 1960s South in this novel by the New York Times–bestselling author of Swan Song.

coming of age · small town · trauma recovery · historical fiction

Us Against You

Fredrik Backman · Literary Fiction

Have you ever seen a town fall? Ours did. Have you ever seen a town rise? Ours did that, too. A small community tucked deep in the forest,…

found family · coming of age · trauma recovery · small town

The Burning Side

Sarah Damoff · Literary Fiction

When their house goes up in flames, family secrets and thorny histories emerge as they are forced to decide what is worth salvaging.

coming of age · trauma recovery · secret identity

Gloria Don't Speak

Lucy Apps · Literary Fiction

Gloria has a learning disability.

coming of age · found family · trauma recovery · small town

A Short Stay in Hell

Steven L. Peck · Literary Fiction

An ordinary family man, geologist, and Mormon, Soren Johansson has always believed he’ll be reunited with his loved ones in an eternal hereafter.

magical realism · survival

The Grapes of Wrath

John Steinbeck · Literary Fiction

Steinbeck’s classic novel of the Great Depression is as vivid now as ever.

historical fiction · survival · coming of age · political intrigue

Still Life

Sarah Winman · Literary Fiction

"From the acclaimed author of Tin Man comes a captivating, lively new novel of people brought together across four decades of love, war, art, flood,…

found family · historical fiction · coming of age

If I Ruled the World

Amy DuBois Barnett · Literary Fiction

A fast-paced, juicy debut novel that peeks behind the curtain at the cutthroat world of hip-hop music and the glamorous magazine scene in the late…

coming of age · historical fiction · fish out of water

Endling

Maria Reva · Literary Fiction

Ukraine, 2022. Yeva is a loner and a maverick biologist who lives out of her mobile lab. She scours the country’s forests and valleys, trying and…

magical realism · historical fiction · trauma recovery

Moby Dick

Herman Melville · Literary Fiction

A literary classic that wasn't recognized for its merits until decades after its publication, Herman Melville's Moby-Dick tells the tale of a whaling…

revenge plot · obsessive love · survival · historical fiction

On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous

Ocean Vuong · Literary Fiction

Nominated for the National Book Award for Fiction • Ocean Vuong’s debut novel is a shattering portrait of a family, a first love, and the redemptive…

coming of age · historical fiction · found family · trauma recovery

This Book Made Me Think of You

Libby Page · Literary Fiction

A woman receives an unexpected gift from the man she loved and lost—a year of books, one for every month—launching a reading-inspired journey to…

second chance romance · coming of age · trauma recovery

Meet the Newmans

Jennifer Niven · Literary Fiction

From #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING author Jennifer Niven, a novel about America’s favorite TV family, whose perfect façade cracks "I LOVED Meet the…

found family · historical fiction

The Others

Sheena Kalayil · Literary Fiction

Secrets, lies and love as the DDR collapses.

coming of age · historical fiction · found family · forbidden romance

Whidbey

T Kira Madden · Literary Fiction

coming of age

Daughter of Egypt

Marie Benedict · Literary Fiction

Known for her “delightful blend of historical fiction and suspense” (People), New York Times bestselling author Marie Benedict, returns with a…

historical fiction · quest

Love

Toni Morrison · Literary Fiction

The epitome of a group of women's ideals about love, fatherhood, and friendship, wealthy hotel owner Bill Cosey finds his life compromised by his…

forbidden romance · dark romance · trauma recovery · obsessive love · morally grey character

Lessons in Chemistry

Bonnie Garmus · Literary Fiction

Chemist Elizabeth Zott is not your average woman.

historical fiction · coming of age · workplace romance · opposites attract

North and South

Elizabeth Gaskell · Literary Fiction

When her father leaves the Church in a crisis of conscience, Margaret Hale is uprooted from her comfortable home in Hampshire to move with her family…

historical fiction · slow burn · opposites attract

Homegoing

Yaa Gyasi · Literary Fiction

The unforgettable New York Times best seller begins with the story of two half-sisters, separated by forces beyond their control: one sold into…

historical fiction · coming of age · multiple timelines

The Girls Who Grew Big

Leila Mottley · Literary Fiction

Adela Woods is sixteen years old and pregnant.

coming of age · historical fiction · found family · small town · trauma recovery

The Goldfinch

Donna Tartt · Literary Fiction

"The Goldfinch is a rarity that comes along perhaps half a dozen times per decade, a smartly written literary novel that connects with the heart as…

dark academia · coming of age · morally grey character · trauma recovery · found family

A Tale of Two Cities

Charles Dickens · Literary Fiction

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times." Charles Dickens' classic novel tells the story of two Englishmen--degenerate lawyer Sydney…

forbidden romance · historical fiction · love triangle

The Calamity Club

Kathryn Stockett · Literary Fiction

Oxford, Mississippi, 1933. Eleven-year-old Meg Lefleur has learned the hard way to rely on no one. Ever since her beloved mother failed to come home…

coming of age · found family · historical fiction · trauma recovery

The Seven Daughters of Dupree

Nikesha Elise Williams · Literary Fiction

"It's 1995, and fourteen-year-old Tati is determined to uncover the identity of her father.

coming of age · historical fiction

The Pretender

Jo Harkin · Literary Fiction

A sweeping historical novel in the vein of Hilary Mantel and Maggie O’Farrell set during the time of the Tudors’ ascent.

historical fiction · secret identity · political intrigue · coming of age

The Catcher in the Rye

Jerome David Salinger · Literary Fiction

Story of Holden Caufield with his idiosyncrasies, penetrating insight, confusion, sensitivity and negativism.

coming of age · small town · anti hero · unreliable narrator

A Christmas Carol

Charles Dickens · Literary Fiction

A Christmas Carol in Prose, Being a Ghost-Story of Christmas, commonly known as A Christmas Carol, is a novella by Charles Dickens.

redemption arc · ghosts · gothic atmosphere · coming of age

Flesh

David Szalay · Literary Fiction

"Teenaged Istvâan lives with his mother in a quiet apartment complex in Hungary.

coming of age · forbidden romance · small town · trauma recovery

Hamlet

William Shakespeare · Literary Fiction

Hamlet is Shakespeare’s most popular, and most puzzling, play.

dark academia · revenge plot · twist ending

Heart of Darkness

Joseph Conrad · Literary Fiction

In Joseph Conrad's seminal work, "Heart of Darkness," readers embark on a harrowing journey through the depths of the Congo River, exploring the…

historical fiction · psychological thriller · grimdark · morally grey character

A Gentleman in Moscow

Amor Towles · Literary Fiction

He can’t leave his hotel. You won’t want to. From the New York Times bestselling author of Rules of Civility—a transporting novel about a man who…

historical fiction · coming of age · found family

The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion, vol. 1

Beth Brower · Literary Fiction

A humorous, charming series of novels set in 1880s London, taking the form of the diary entries of plucky, bookish Emma M. Lion

historical fiction · coming of age

The Yellow Wallpaper

Charlotte P. Gilman · Literary Fiction

Specially printed limited edition release for the Miskatonic Literary Society.

psychological thriller · unreliable narrator · historical fiction · trauma recovery

All the Light We Cannot See

Anthony Doerr · Literary Fiction

From the highly acclaimed, multiple award-winning Anthony Doerr, a stunningly ambitious and beautiful novel about a blind French girl and a German…

historical fiction · multiple timelines · survival · psychological thriller

Almost Life

Kiran Millwood Hargrave · Literary Fiction

“Captivating...an entrancing read packed with the extreme highs and lows of an all-encompassing love.” —People Two young women meet in Paris one…

coming of age · slow burn · second chance romance · forbidden romance

The Faithful and the Fallen

Seb Wolff · Literary Fiction

A boy is taken in by the monastery at Steepwood, where he discovers a world of sanctity, secrets and sin.

dark academia · coming of age · found family · forbidden romance · historical fiction

Go Gentle

Maria Semple · Literary Fiction

'I ADORED THIS NOVEL' NINA STIBBE 'LOADED WITH MARIA SEMPLE'S SIGNATURE WIT' BONNIE GARMUS 'SMART, FUNNY AND DEVASTATING IN A GREAT WAY' JENNETTE…

coming of age · small town · found family

The First Time I Saw Him

Laura Dave · Literary Fiction

romantic comedy · second chance romance

SHE WHO REMAINS

Rene Karabash · Literary Fiction

High in the Accursed Mountains, in a village ruled by the ancient laws of the Kanun, Bekija escapes an arranged marriage by becoming a sworn virgin,…

historical fiction · coming of age · forbidden romance · trauma recovery

Finding Grace

Loretta Rothschild · Literary Fiction

A July Indie Next Pick • "A strikingly original and deeply moving debut." —People • "Begins with such a gasp-inducing twist that it's almost…

psychological thriller · unreliable narrator · twist ending · trauma recovery

The Blue Castle

L.M. Montgomery · Literary Fiction

Valancy Stirling is 29, unmarried, and has never been in love.

coming of age · historical fiction · small town

The Book of Records

Madeleine Thien · Literary Fiction

One of Barack Obama's Favorite Books of the Summer A Literary Hub, Esquire, and Washington Post Most Anticipated Book of 2025 One of Time's and…

magical realism · multiple timelines

With Love from Harlem

ReShonda Tate · Literary Fiction

"Tate blends fact and fiction with elegance...A captivating, emotionally resonant portrait of a singular woman who refused to be diminished." —…

historical fiction · coming of age

The Winter King

Bernard Cornwell · Literary Fiction

Uther, the High King of Britain, has died, leaving the infant Mordred as his only heir.

historical fiction · quest · political intrigue

What You Are Looking For Is in the Library

Michiko Aoyama · Literary Fiction

２０２１年本屋大賞第２位！！　「お探し物は、本ですか?　仕事ですか?　人生ですか?」　仕事や人生に行き詰まりを感じている5人が訪れた、町の小さな図書室。彼らの背中を、不愛想だけど聞き上手な司書さんが、思いもよらない本のセレクトと可愛い付録で、後押しします。　自分が本当に「探している物」に気がつき、明…

found family · magical realism · cozy vibes · coming of age

Lady Tan's Circle of Women

Lisa See · Literary Fiction

*NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER!* From “one of those special writers capable of delivering both poetry and plot” (The New York Times Book Review) an…

historical fiction · coming of age

Mrs. Dalloway

Virginia Woolf · Literary Fiction

Mrs. Dalloway is the portrait of a single day in a woman's life.

coming of age · trauma recovery

Firefly Lane

Kristin Hannah · Literary Fiction

Inseparable best friends Kate and Tully, two young women who, despite their very different lives, have vowed to be there for each other forever, have…

found family · coming of age · multiple timelines · trauma recovery

Orlando

Virginia Woolf · Literary Fiction

In her most exuberant, most fanciful novel, Woolf has created a character liberated from the restraints of time and sex.

historical fiction · magical realism · secret identity · multiple timelines

The Fourth Princess

Janie Chang · Literary Fiction

From the internationally bestselling author of The Porcelain Moon comes a haunting Gothic novel set in 1911 China.

gothic atmosphere · historical fiction · missing person · psychological thriller · haunted setting

To the Moon and Back

Eliana Ramage · Literary Fiction

One young woman’s relentless quest to become the first Cherokee astronaut will irrevocably alter the fates of the people she loves most in this tour…

coming of age · historical fiction · found family · quest · redemption arc

The Winners

Fredrik Backman · Literary Fiction

A breathtaking new novel from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Anxious People and A Man Called Ove, The Winners returns to the close-knit,…

second chance romance · found family · small town · coming of age

Homebound

Portia Elan · Literary Fiction

'A work of joyous and serious invention' KALIANE BRADLEY 'Gripping...

magical realism · historical fiction · multiple timelines

Daughters of the Sun and Moon

Lisa See · Literary Fiction

Beloved New York Times bestselling author Lisa See draws on the vibrancy and turmoil of post-Civil War Los Angeles to tell the story of three Chinese…

historical fiction · coming of age · survival

The True True Story of Raja the Gullible (and His Mother)

Rabih Alameddine · Literary Fiction

”—NPR From the winner of the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction comes a tragicomic love story set in Lebanon, a modern saga of family, memory, and the…

found family · historical fiction · romantic comedy

Helm

Sarah Hall · Literary Fiction

Helm is a ferocious, mischievous wind — a subject of folklore and awe, part-elemental god, part-aerial demon blasting through the sublime landscape…

Giovanni's Room

James Baldwin · Literary Fiction

In Paris, France, a young American is caught between relationships with both a woman and a man and the struggle with conventional morality.

coming of age · forbidden romance · historical fiction · trauma recovery

Mansfield Park

Jane Austen · Literary Fiction

Fanny Price is born to a poor family, but is sent to her mother's rich relations to be brought up with her cousins.

historical fiction · slow burn · morally grey character

Cherry Baby

Rainbow Rowell · Literary Fiction

Rainbow Rowell returns with a breathtakingly honest novel about how imperfectly we fall in love.

romantic comedy · second chance romance

A Family Matter

Claire Lynch · Literary Fiction

A READ WITH JENNA BOOK CLUB PICK AS FEATURED ON TODAY • “Burns like a sparkler, quick and mesmerizing.” —The New York Times • Longlisted for the…

psychological thriller · twist ending

Into the Blue

Emma Brodie · Literary Fiction

'The truth is there's no such thing as a normal life.

coming of age · small town · slow burn

A Far-flung Life

M.L. Stedman · Literary Fiction

about tragedy, family secrets, and the enduring power of love.

historical fiction · trauma recovery

Crux

Gabriel Tallent · Literary Fiction

Dan e Tamma sono all’ultimo anno di liceo nella loro cittadina in California, all’ombra del Joshua Tree National Park, una delle mecche mondiali…

coming of age · psychological thriller · small town · trauma recovery

Once There Were Wolves

Charlotte McConaghy · Literary Fiction

"Inti Flynn arrives in Scotland with her twin sister, Aggie, to lead a team of biologists tasked with reintroducing fourteen gray wolves into the…

coming of age · magical realism · trauma recovery

The Lion Women of Tehran

Marjan Kamali · Literary Fiction

When Homa, a girl from her childhood, reappears in her privileged world, Ellie, amidst Iran's political turmoil, joins her in pursuing their goals…

coming of age · historical fiction · political intrigue · trauma recovery

The Book Thief

Markus Zusak · Literary Fiction

It is 1939. Nazi Germany. The country is holding its breath. Death has never been busier, and will be busier still. By her brother's graveside,…

historical fiction · coming of age · found family · trauma recovery

Beautiful World, Where Are You

Sally Rooney · Literary Fiction

Three friends and a hanger-on gradually coalesce into two couples.

slow burn · friends to lovers · coming of age

Moon of the Crusted Snow

Waubgeshig Rice · Literary Fiction

"A daring post-apocalyptic novel from a powerful rising literary voice.

dystopian society · coming of age · survival · post apocalyptic

Sky Daddy

Kate Folk · Literary Fiction

“[A] bizarre and endearing debut .

coming of age · romantic comedy · fish out of water

What Hunger

Catherine Dang · Literary Fiction

A haunting coming-of-age tale following the daughter of Vietnamese immigrants, Ronny Nguyen, as she grapples with the weight of generational trauma…

coming of age · trauma recovery · found family

Practical Magic

Alice Hoffman · Literary Fiction

For more than two hundred years, the Owens women had been blamed for everything that went wrong in their Massachusetts town.

forbidden romance · witches · magical realism · coming of age

Exit Party

Emily St. John Mandel · Literary Fiction

COMING AUTUMN 2026 From the bestselling author of Station Eleven, Exit Party is Emily St.

magical realism · multiple timelines · twist ending

Migrations

Charlotte McConaghy · Literary Fiction

"Franny Stone has always been a wanderer.

slow burn · magical realism · survival · trauma recovery

As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow

Zoulfa Katouh · Literary Fiction

Salama Kassab was a pharmacy student when the cries for freedom broke out in Syria.

coming of age · historical fiction · slow burn · found family

The Vanishing Half

Brit Bennett · Literary Fiction

"The Vignes twin sisters will always be identical.

coming of age · found family · historical fiction

Garden Spells

Sarah Addison Allen · Literary Fiction

**In a garden surrounded by a tall fence, tucked away behind a small house in the smallest of towns, is an apple tree rumored to bear a very special…

magical realism · small town · found family · cozy vibes

The Little Stranger

Sarah Waters · Literary Fiction

Abundantly atmospheric and elegantly told, *The Little Stranger* is Sarah Waterss most thrilling and ambitious novel yet.

psychological thriller · historical fiction · gothic atmosphere · haunted setting

Nesting

Roisin O'Donnell · Literary Fiction

Longlisted for the 2025 Women’s Prize for Fiction From an unforgettable new voice in Irish fiction, a heart-pounding, life-affirming story about one…

coming of age · psychological thriller · trauma recovery · redemption arc

The River Is Waiting

Wally Lamb · Literary Fiction

Corby Ledbetter is struggling. New fatherhood, the loss of his job, and a growing secret addiction have thrown his marriage to his beloved Emily into…

coming of age · trauma recovery · redemption arc · morally grey character

The Bee Sting

Paul Murray · Literary Fiction

An unhappy Irish family plumbs the depths of their unhappiness, each in their own way.

coming of age

Universality

Natasha Brown · Literary Fiction

Late one night on a Yorkshire farm, in the midst of an illegal rave, a young man is nearly bludgeoned to death with a solid gold bar.

unreliable narrator · political intrigue · psychological thriller

The Overstory

Richard Powers · Literary Fiction

*The Overstory* unfolds in concentric rings of interlocking fable that range from antebellum New York to the late-twentieth-century Timber Wars of…

historical fiction · political intrigue · multiple timelines

Agnes Grey

Anne Brontë · Literary Fiction

In her Introduction to an edition of "Agnes Grey," Barbara A.

historical fiction · coming of age

Meet Me at the Lake

Carley Fortune · Literary Fiction

**INSTANT #1 NATIONAL BESTSELLER INSTANT #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER SHORTLISTED FOR CANADA READS 2024** In this breathtaking new novel from…

slow burn · second chance romance · coming of age · found family

The Tenant of Wildfell Hall

Anne Brontë · Literary Fiction

**Librarian note: Alternate cover editions for this ISBN are: "Woman in white dress" (with the title on white and black background), "Woman at the…

forbidden romance · second chance romance · historical fiction

Buckeye

Patrick Ryan · Literary Fiction

'Funny and tender ... Patrick Ryan has long been one of my favourite writers' ANN PATCHETT 'I love this novel with my entire heart ... Wise and…

historical fiction · coming of age · found family

The Remembered Soldier

Anjet Daanje · Literary Fiction

INTERNATIONAL BOOKER PRIZE LONGLIST NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALIST—THE NEW YORK TIMES 100 NOTABLE BOOKS OF 2025—THE WALL STREET JOURNAL THE 10 BEST…

historical fiction · trauma recovery

Seascraper

Benjamin Wood · Literary Fiction

Thomas lives a slow, deliberate life with his mother in Longferry, working his grandpa’s trade as a shanker.

coming of age · small town

Private Rites

Julia Armfield · Literary Fiction

A NEW YORK TIMES Editors' Choice!

magical realism · forbidden romance · portal fantasy

84, Charing Cross Road

Helene Hanff · Literary Fiction

It all began with a letter inquiring about second-hand books, written by Helene Hanff in New York, and posted to a bookshop at 84, Charing Cross Road…

slow burn · found family · historical fiction

The Forgotten Midwife

Laura Anthony · Literary Fiction

Set in the dual timelines of present-day and 1950s Ireland and based on real historical events, a powerful, poignant novel of feminism and resilience…

historical fiction · coming of age · trauma recovery · multiple timelines

The Enchanted April

Elizabeth von Arnim · Literary Fiction

A 1922 women's adventure and travel novel by British-American novelist Elizabeth von Arnim.

coming of age · historical fiction · found family · cozy vibes · road trip

Train Dreams

Denis Johnson · Literary Fiction

Denis Johnson’s Train Dreams is an epic in miniature, one of his most evocative and poignant fictions.

historical fiction · coming of age · trauma recovery · survival

What Kind of Paradise

Janelle Brown · Literary Fiction

*The first thing you have to understand is that my father was my entire world.* Growing up in an isolated cabin in Montana in the mid-1990s, Jane…

psychological thriller · coming of age · twist ending · unreliable narrator

Chosen Family

Madeleine Gray · Literary Fiction

An exuberant and irreverently funny novel about one gorgeously messy friendship-feud-unrequited-love-affair set in Sydney across eighteen years.

found family · coming of age · friends to lovers · slow burn

Lone Women

Victor LaValle · Literary Fiction

Blue skies, empty land—and enough wide-open space to hide a horrifying secret.

historical fiction · survival · trauma recovery · gothic atmosphere · psychological thriller · grimdark

The Warm Hands of Ghosts

Katherine Arden · Literary Fiction

During the Great War, a combat nurse searches for her brother, believed dead in the trenches despite eerie signs that suggest otherwise, in this…

historical fiction · magical realism · quest · ghosts

Lincoln in the Bardo

George Saunders · Literary Fiction

February 1862. The Civil War is less than one year old. The fighting has begun in earnest, and the nation has begun to realize it is in for a long,…

historical fiction · magical realism · found family · trauma recovery

Catch-22

Joseph Heller · Literary Fiction

*Catch-22* is like no other novel.

historical fiction · anti hero · grimdark

Skylark

Paula McLain · Literary Fiction

! The New York Times bestselling author of The Paris Wife weaves a mesmerizing tale of Paris above and below—where a woman’s quest for artistic…

historical fiction · slow burn · multiple timelines · quest

The Poppy Fields

Nikki Erlick · Literary Fiction

Welcome to the Poppy Fields, where there’s hope for even the most battered hearts to heal.

found family · magical realism · trauma recovery · coming of age

The Measure

Nikki Erlick · Literary Fiction

Eight ordinary people. One extraordinary choice. It seems like any other day. You wake up, drink a cup of coffee, and head out. But today, when…

slow burn · found family · multiple timelines

Shark Heart

Emily Habeck · Literary Fiction

For Lewis and Wren, their first year of marriage is also their last.

slow burn · magical realism · trauma recovery

I Capture the Castle

Dodie Smith · Literary Fiction

Cassandra, the 17-year-old narrator, lives an eccentric existence in a crumbling castle in the English countryside in the 1930s.

coming of age · historical fiction · found family

Immaculate Conception

Ling Ling Huang · Literary Fiction

What if you could enter the mind of the person you love the most?

coming of age · psychological thriller · unreliable narrator · trauma recovery

The Stationery Shop

Marjan Kamali · Literary Fiction

"A novel set in 1953 Tehran, against the backdrop of the Iranian Coup, about a young couple in love who are separated on the eve of their marriage,…

historical fiction · coming of age · trauma recovery

The Sunflower Boys

Sam Wachman · Literary Fiction

A poignant coming-of-age story with the sensitivity and haunting power of What Belongs to You and Swimming in the Dark, about a young boy wrestling…

coming of age · historical fiction

And Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer and Longer

Fredrik Backman · Literary Fiction

Grandpa and Noah are sitting on a bench in a square that keeps getting smaller every day.

historical fiction · trauma recovery · found family · coming of age

Isola

Allegra Goodman · Literary Fiction

A young woman and her lover are marooned on an island in this epic saga of love, faith, and defiance from the bestselling author of Sam.

historical fiction · forbidden romance · survival · coming of age

This Here Is Love

Princess Joy L. Perry · Literary Fiction

“A luscious storyteller, Princess Joy L.

coming of age · trauma recovery

Culpability

Bruce Holsinger · Literary Fiction

A suspenseful family drama about moral responsibility in the age of artificial intelligence

morally grey character

Butcher's Crossing

John Williams · Literary Fiction

In the 1870s, Will Andrews, fired up by Emerson to seek "an original relation to nature," drops out of Harvard and heads west.

historical fiction · survival

Loved One

Aisha Muharrar · Literary Fiction

"[Loved One] is special...full of wildly astute, delectably thorny questions about love and loss and possession." --Maggie Shipstead, author of Great…

coming of age · trauma recovery

Kate & Frida

Kim Fay · Literary Fiction

Sometimes a book can change your life...

found family · historical fiction · coming of age

Lake Effect

Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney · Literary Fiction

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Nest and Good Company comes a wry and tender portrait of two families forever changed by one…

historical fiction · found family · small town

Yellow Wife

Sadeqa Johnson · Literary Fiction

Born on a plantation in Charles City, Virginia, Pheby Delores Brown has lived a relatively sheltered life.

historical fiction · survival · revenge plot

An American Marriage

Tayari Jones · Literary Fiction

OPRAH’S BOOK CLUB 2018 SELECTION One of the most anticipated novels of 2018 according to Entertainment Weekly * Goodreads * Esquire * Elle *…

historical fiction · trauma recovery · twist ending

salt slow

Julia Armfield · Literary Fiction

In her brilliantly inventive and haunting debut collection of stories, Julia Armfield explores bodies and the bodily, mapping the skin and bones of…

magical realism · coming of age

No One Is Talking About This

Patricia Lockwood · Literary Fiction

"From "a formidably gifted writer" (The New York Times Book Review), a book that asks: Is there life after the internet?

coming of age · trauma recovery

Clear

Carys Davies · Literary Fiction

“Tender, riveting, and inventive is Clear, the newest offering and masterpiece from the brilliant Carys Davies.

magical realism · coming of age

Margo's Got Money Troubles

Rufi Thorpe · Literary Fiction

coming of age · small town · romantic comedy · friends to lovers

Shōgun

James Clavell · Literary Fiction

After Englishman John Blackthorne is lost at sea, he awakens in a place few Europeans know of and even fewer have seen--Nippon.

historical fiction · fish out of water · political intrigue · survival

Gliff

Ali Smith · Literary Fiction

From a literary master, a moving and genre-bending story about our era-spanning search for meaning and knowingAn uncertain near-future.

dystopian society · magical realism · portal fantasy · political intrigue

The Four Winds

Kristin Hannah · Literary Fiction

Texas, 1921. A time of abundance. The Great War is over, the bounty of the land is plentiful, and America is on the brink of a new and optimistic…

historical fiction · survival · coming of age

Burial Rites

Hannah Kent · Literary Fiction

Set against Iceland's stark landscape, Hannah Kent brings to vivid life the story of Agnes, who, charged with the brutal murder of her former master,…

historical fiction · gothic atmosphere · closed circle · trauma recovery

Brain Damage

Ava Stewart · Literary Fiction

Ava and her Mother began a wintry Tahoe Christmas with skis and smiles, but would end their foray with a life-flight to the traumatic care ward of a…

trauma recovery

Destination Funeral

Paige Harbison · Literary Fiction

The Big Chill meets About Time in this laugh-out-loud funny and equally heartbreaking novel, following a friend group so damaged that only a funeral…

found family · coming of age

Homeseeking

Karissa Chen · Literary Fiction

Haiwen is buying bananas at a 99 Ranch Market in Los Angeles when he looks up and sees Suchi, his Suchi, for the first time in sixty years.

historical fiction · coming of age · second chance romance · found family

The Academy

Elin Hilderbrand · Literary Fiction

It’s move-in day at Tiffin Academy and amidst the happy chaos of friends reuniting, selfies uploading, and cars unloading, shocking news: America…

dark academia · coming of age · closed circle · revenge plot

The Eights

Joanna Miller · Literary Fiction

They knew they were changing history.

found family · historical fiction · coming of age · chosen one

Hello Beautiful

Ann Napolitano · Literary Fiction

Best friends and sisters, the four Padavano girls bring loving chaos to their close-knit Italian American neighbourhood.

found family · coming of age · slow burn

Discipline

Larissa Pham · Literary Fiction

A taut, electrifying debut about a woman forced to confront unsettling truths about herself, her past, and the life she rebuilt following a ruinous…

psychological thriller · trauma recovery · unreliable narrator

Breakfast at Tiffany's

Truman Capote · Literary Fiction

Published with three short stories this novella cemented Capote’s position at the forefront of American literature.

coming of age · small town

The Great Disillusionment of Nick and Jay

Ryan Douglass · Literary Fiction

“Douglass sets a classic on fire with an inspired recasting that strips away time and all expectations." — Rita Williams-Garcia, New York Times…

coming of age

Taipei Story

Rebecca F Kuang · Literary Fiction

TAIPEI STORY is the electrifying new novel by bestselling literary phenomenon Rebecca F.

coming of age · romantic comedy · fish out of water

Whistler

Ann Patchett · Literary Fiction

FROM THE INTERNATIONALLY BESTSELLING, PRIZE-WINNING AUTHOR OF THE DUTCH HOUSE AND TOM LAKE 'One of the most beloved authors of her generation' SUNDAY…

slow burn · second chance romance · found family

Monster

Walter Dean Myers · Literary Fiction

While on trial as an accomplice to a murder, sixteen-year-old Steve Harmon records his experiences in prison and in the courtroom in the form of a…

coming of age · unreliable narrator · psychological thriller · trauma recovery

Red Clay

Charles B. Fancher · Literary Fiction

An astounding multigenerational saga, Red Clay chronicles the interwoven lives of an enslaved Black family and their white owners as the Civil War…

historical fiction · coming of age · trauma recovery · multiple timelines

The Bookbinder's Secret

A. D. Bell · Literary Fiction

Every book tells a story. This one tells a secret. A young bookbinder begins a hunt for the truth when a confession hidden beneath the binding of a…

historical fiction · forbidden romance · revenge plot

Appalachian Song

Michelle Shocklee · Literary Fiction

Forever within the memories of my heart.

historical fiction · coming of age · found family

Playground

Richard Powers · Literary Fiction

A New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice • One of the Ten Best Books of the Year, according to the Washington Post and AARP • A Time Must-Read…

coming of age · found family

He's the Devil

Tobi Coventry · Literary Fiction

An exhilarating, darkly comic debut novel about a do-gooder whose world is turned inside out when his new roommate—who might be possessed by the…

psychological thriller · dark academia · unreliable narrator · grimdark

Invisible Man

Ralph Ellison · Literary Fiction

Invisible Man is the story of a young black man from the South who does not fully understand racism in the world.

coming of age · anti hero · morally grey character · political intrigue

No Friend to This House

Natalie Haynes · Literary Fiction

'Haynes is the modern embodiment of the best of Homer' – Radio Times No Friend to This House is an extraordinary reimagining of the myth of Medea…

historical fiction · revenge plot

The Intrigue

Silvia Moreno-Garcia · Literary Fiction

From the New York Times bestselling author of Mexican Gothic and Velvet Was the Night comes a sizzling noir about desire, danger, and greed, in which…

dark romance · heist · cat and mouse · obsessive love

Happy Land

Dolen Perkins-Valdez · Literary Fiction

A woman learns the incredible story of a real-life American Kingdom—and her family’s ties to it—in this enthralling novel from the New York Times…

historical fiction · found family · coming of age · trauma recovery

Orbital

Samantha Harvey · Literary Fiction

A slender novel of epic power and the winner of the Booker Prize 2024, Orbital deftly snapshots one day in the lives of six women and men traveling…

space opera

Hum

Helen Phillips · Literary Fiction

A Most Anticipated Book for The New York Times, The Washington Post, Time, Goodreads, LitHub, and Book Riot A Best Book of the Summer for Esquire,…

magical realism · trauma recovery

Woodworking

Emily St. James · Literary Fiction

LONGLISTED FOR THE CENTER FOR FICTION FIRST NOVEL PRIZE 2025 Named A Best Book of 2025 by Vox, Elle, NPR, Bustle, Marie Claire, Chicago Review of…

coming of age · found family

The Waves

Virginia Woolf · Literary Fiction

Tracing the lives of a group of friends, this novel follows their development from childhood to middle age.

multiple timelines · coming of age

Minor Black Figures

Brandon Taylor · Literary Fiction

From the Booker Prize finalist and bestselling author: a perceptive novel about a gay Black painter navigating the worlds of art, desire, and…

coming of age · found family · fish out of water

Old Man And The Sea

Ernest Hemingway · Literary Fiction

A Scribner Classics Edition Told in his famed powerful and minimalist prose, this story of courage and personal triumph remains one of Ernest…

survival · coming of age

Miss Buncle’s Book

D.E. Stevenson · Literary Fiction

Who Knew One Book Could Cause So Much Chaos?

romantic comedy · small town · coming of age

The Iliad

Homer · Literary Fiction

With this translation of the Iliad, employing an English version of the powerful meter that gave life to HOmer's original, Rodney Merrill enables…

historical fiction · quest · high stakes survival · revenge plot

The Testaments

Margaret Atwood · Literary Fiction

15 years after the sons of Jacob seized power in the USA and became Gilead.

dystopian society · political intrigue · revenge plot

Alone with You in the Ether

Olivie Blake · Literary Fiction

From Olivie Blake, the New York Times bestselling author of The Atlas Six, comes an intimate and contemporary study of time, space, and the nature of…

trauma recovery · slow burn · morally grey character

Infinite Jest

David Foster Wallace · Literary Fiction

A gargantuan, mind-altering comedy about the Pursuit of Happiness in America Set in an addicts' halfway house and a tennis academy, and featuring the…

found family · trauma recovery

Electra

Jennifer Saint · Literary Fiction

Três mulheres enredadas numa maldição antiga.

historical fiction · dark academia

Angel Down

Daniel Kraus · Literary Fiction

A NEW YORK TIMES TOP TEN BOOK OF THE YEAR NATIONAL BESTSELLER “A thunderous gallop of a war novel, a new classic, a best-in-class example of…

historical fiction · survival · trauma recovery · quest

Village Diary

Miss Read · Literary Fiction

Here, the characters include dictatorial Amy, an old college friend, Mr Mawne, whom the village sees as a possible husband for the unwilling Miss…

small town · historical fiction · cozy vibes

Fairydale

Veronica Lancet · Literary Fiction

"I might be evil personified, but you're the only one I'll ever be good to." August 1955, When Miss Darcy O’Sullivan, an orphaned English teacher…

historical fiction · magical realism · coming of age · small town

Transcription

Ben Lerner · Literary Fiction

Named a Novel Everyone Will Be Talking About in 2026 by the New York Times • One of Literary Hub's Most Anticipated Books of 2026 From the “most…

unreliable narrator · twist ending · psychological thriller

The Love Songs of W. E. B. Du Bois

Honorée Fanonne Jeffers · Literary Fiction

The great scholar, W. E. B. Du Bois, once wrote about the Problem of race in America, and what he called “Double Consciousness,” a sensitivity that…

coming of age · historical fiction · found family · trauma recovery

Underground Railroad

Colson Whitehead · Literary Fiction

Cora is a slave on a cotton plantation in Georgia.

historical fiction · survival · quest

Lightbreakers

Aja Gabel · Literary Fiction

Named a Most Anticipated Book by LA Times, LitHub, and Harper's Bazaar What would you give to relive the past?

slow burn · multiple timelines · trauma recovery

Just Watch Me

Lior Torenberg · Literary Fiction

Fleabag meets Big Swiss in this visceral, darkly hilarious, and surprisingly moving debut novel about a charismatic misfit who livestreams herself…

dark academia · coming of age · morally grey character · trauma recovery · unreliable narrator

The House We Grew Up In

Lisa Jewell · Literary Fiction

All four children have an idyllic childhood: a picture-book cottage in a country village, a warm, cosy kitchen filled with love and laughter,…

found family · coming of age · trauma recovery · twist ending

Tinkers

Paul Harding · Literary Fiction

On his deathbed, surrounded by his family, George Washington Crosby's thoughts drift back to his childhood and the father who abandoned him when he…

coming of age · trauma recovery

Far from the Madding Crowd

Thomas Hardy · Literary Fiction

historical fiction · love triangle · coming of age

The Antidote

Karen Russell · Literary Fiction

From Pulitzer finalist, MacArthur Fellowship recipient, and bestselling author of Swamplandia!

historical fiction · found family

The Paper Menagerie

Ken Liu · Literary Fiction

Presents the author's selection of his best short stories, as well as a new piece.

magical realism · coming of age

The Things We Never Say

Elizabeth Strout · Literary Fiction

Pulitzer Prize–winning, #1 New York Times bestselling author Elizabeth Strout’s new novel tells the story of a chance incident that sparks a powerful…

coming of age · small town · found family

Kala

Colin Walsh · Literary Fiction

ONE OF NPR'S BEST BOOKS OF 2023 • INSTANT IRISH TIMES #1 BESTSELLER • ONE OF ELECTRIC LITERATURE'S MOST ANTICIPATED BOOKS OF THE YEAR • “A…

dark academia · psychological thriller · unreliable narrator · cat and mouse · twist ending

Tilt

Emma Pattee · Literary Fiction

Longlisted for the Andrew Carnegie Medal of Excellence in Fiction A New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice A USA TODAY Bestseller A Best Book of…

psychological thriller · twist ending · unreliable narrator

Paradise Logic

Sophie Kemp · Literary Fiction

**A hilarious, surreal, and devastating journey into the mind of Reality Kahn, a young woman on a quest to be the greatest girlfriend of all…

magical realism · coming of age · psychological thriller

Song of Solomon

Toni Morrison · Literary Fiction

A cloth bag containing ten copies of the title, that may also include a folder with miscellaneous notes, discussion questions, biographical…

coming of age · magical realism · found family · quest

The Jungle

Upton Sinclair · Literary Fiction

Upton Sinclair's dramatic and deeply moving story exposed the brutal conditions in the Chicago stockyards at the turn of the nineteenth century and…

historical fiction · survival

True Grit

Charles Portis · Literary Fiction

There is no knowing what lies in a mans heart.

coming of age · historical fiction · quest · revenge plot

Winter Solstice

Rosamunde Pilcher · Literary Fiction

Elfrida Phipps, once on the London stage and retired at 62, never anticipates going off with a man.

found family · historical fiction · cozy vibes

Stone Yard Devotional

Charlotte Wood · Literary Fiction

. . A powerful, generous book' GUARDIAN 'Beautiful, strange and otherworldly' PAULA HAWKINS, bestselling author of A Slow Fire Burning 'It extends…

coming of age · trauma recovery

There Are Rivers in the Sky

Elif Shafak · Literary Fiction

From the Booker Prize finalist, author of The Island of Missing Trees, an enchanting new tale about three characters living along two great rivers,…

magical realism · historical fiction

The Things We Leave Unfinished

Rebecca Yarros · Literary Fiction

When Georgia Stanton discovers that her late grandmother, Scarlett, the infamous romance author, didn't get the chance to finish her last book, she…

slow burn · historical fiction · multiple timelines · second chance romance · trauma recovery

Oliver Twist

Charles Dickens · Literary Fiction

Oliver Twist; or, The Parish Boy's Progress, is the second novel by English author Charles Dickens.

coming of age · historical fiction · survival · found family

The Bride

Samuel Rowlands · Literary Fiction

Reproduction of the original: The Bride by Samuel Rowlands

historical fiction

Canticle

Janet Rich Edwards · Literary Fiction

* LONGLISTED FOR THE 2026 CAROL SHIELDS PRIZE FOR FICTION * NEW YORK TIMES EDITORS’ CHOICE * REAL SIMPLE BEST BOOKS OF 2025 * SPOTIFY BEST DEBUTS OF…

coming of age · historical fiction · trauma recovery

Winter Garden

Kristin Hannah · Literary Fiction

Can a woman ever really know herself if she doesn't know her mother?

found family · coming of age · historical fiction · trauma recovery

Stay with Me

Ayobami Adebayo · Literary Fiction

"A novel about a married Nigerian couple who must grapple with staggering levels of loss and betrayal in their quest to create a family for…

coming of age · small town · trauma recovery

My Cousin Rachel

Daphne du Maurier · Literary Fiction

Orphaned at an early age, Philip Ashley is raised by his benevolent older cousin, Ambrose.

gothic atmosphere · psychological thriller · forbidden romance

The Infamous Gilberts

Angela Tomaski · Literary Fiction

The Remains of the Day meets The Royal Tenenbaums in this darkly funny debut novel about a wealthy, eccentric family in decline and the secrets held…

dark academia · historical fiction · gothic atmosphere · found family

A Long Winter

Colm Toibin · Literary Fiction

Available for the first time in a beautiful standalone edition, one of Colm Tóibín’s finest short stories and “the most striking example of Tóibin’s…

historical fiction · small town

This Is Where the Serpent Lives

Daniyal Mueenuddin · Literary Fiction

Moving from Pakistan’s dazzling chaotic cities to its lawless feudal countryside, This Is Where the Serpent Lives powerfully evokes contemporary…

historical fiction · revenge plot · political intrigue

I See You've Called in Dead

John Kenney · Literary Fiction

The Office meets Six Feet Under meets About a Boy in this coming-of-middle-age tale about having a second chance to write your life's story.

coming of age · redemption arc · second chance romance

Pick a Color

Souvankham Thammavongsa · Literary Fiction

Henry Award winner and two-time Giller Prize winner Souvankham Thammavongsa comes a revelatory novel about loneliness, love, labor, and class, an…

coming of age · small town

Last Light

Claire Kent · Literary Fiction

It only took four years for the world to fall apart.Now the last member of my family has died, and I'm forced to travel across what's left of three…

post apocalyptic · psychological thriller · survival · trauma recovery