24 May Releases We're Excited About

And what you can read in the meantime

Reading ahead

Our TBR stacks may be taking over the house, but there are always new books that we want to find room for. From poignant found-family stories to big-name authors to beachy romances, May’s most anticipated list is packed with must-reads! Here are 24 upcoming releases across a mix of genres. These titles are available for preorder, but in the meantime, we have recs for similar reads that you can enjoy now.

Contemporary fiction

The Emperor of Gladness by Ocean Vuong (May 13)

Nineteen-year-old Hai stands on the edge of a bridge ready to jump, when he hears someone shouting. His unlikely savior is Grazina, an elderly widow succumbing to dementia. This is a bighearted novel about chosen family, unexpected friendship, and the stories we tell ourselves in order to survive.

What to read while you wait: On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong

Run for the Hills by Kevin Wilson (May 13)

Ever since her dad left them twenty years ago, it's been just Madeline and her mom. Then one day Reuben pulls up at their Tennessee farm and informs Madeline that she's his half-sister. What's more, he wants her to join him on the road to track down their dad and a string of other half-siblings.

What to read while you wait: The Family Fang by Kevin Wilson

My Friends by Fredrik Backman (May 20)

Lonely teen Louisa is an aspiring artist, one month away from aging out of foster care. When she finds herself in possession of a transcendent painting of three enigmatic figures sitting on a pier, she embarks on a surprise-filled cross-country journey to learn how the painting came to be and decide what to do with it.

What to read while you wait: Beartown by Fredrik Backman

Beach House Rules by Kristy Woodson Harvey (May 27)

When Charlotte's husband is arrested for a white-collar crime, she and her teenage daughter are locked out of their home by the authorities. With limited options, Charlotte accepts an acquaintance's offer to stay at a beachfront former bed-and-breakfast that's home to a community of single mothers. 

What to read while you wait: Silver Girl by Elin Hilderbrand

Mystery, thriller, and horror 

The Manor of Dreams by Christine Li (May 6)

Vivian Yin is dead. The first Chinese actress to win an Oscar, the trailblazing ingénue rose to fame in the eighties, only to retreat into reclusion at the height of her career. Mexican Gothic meets The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo in this haunting novel about the secrets that lie in wait in her crumbling mansion.

What to read while you wait: Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Marble Hall Murders by Anthony Horowitz (May 13)

Editor Susan Ryeland has left her Greek island, her hotel, and her Greek boyfriend Andreas in search of a new life back in England. Freelancing for a London publisher, she's given the last job she wants and soon finds herself embroiled in yet another murder mystery linking reality and fiction, past and present.

What to read while you wait: Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz

Going Home in the Dark by Dean Koontz (May 20)

As kids, outcasts Rebecca, Bobby, Spencer, and Ernie were inseparable friends in the idyllic town of Maple Grove. Three left to pursue their dreams. Only Ernie remains. When he falls into a coma, his three amigos return home to try and save him. But first they'll have to face the buried secrets of the past.

What to read while you wait: It by Stephen King

Never Flinch by Stephen King (May 27)

The beloved Holly Gibney returns along with a dynamic new cast of characters for the King of Horror's newest thriller weaving together two intertwining storylines. One is about a killer on a diabolical revenge mission. The other follows a feminist celebrity speaker in the crosshairs of a dangerous vigilante.

What to read while you wait: The Outsider by Stephen King

Hidden Nature by Nora Roberts (May 27)

Newly single and recovering from a near-fatal shooting, officer Sloane Cooper takes refuge in her parent's peaceful home. She may be down, but she's not out. So when a woman vanishes, Sloane investigates and finds a disturbing pattern. Luckily, the new man in her life shares her passion for solving this mystery. 

What to read while you wait: Mask of the Deer Woman by Laurie L. Dove

Sci-fi and fantasy

The Devils by Joe Abercrombie (May 13)

Holy work sometimes requires unholy deeds. Brother Diaz has been summoned to the Sacred City. But his new flock is made up of unrepentant murderers, practitioners of ghastly magic, and outright monsters. With a hellish journey before him, it's a good thing Brother Diaz has the devils on his side.

What to read while you wait: Best Served Cold by Joe Abercrombie

Metallic Realms by Lincoln Michel (May 13)

Michael Lincoln is perennially single, socially awkward, and drowning in debt. But these are pedestrian concerns. He has a higher calling—to promote and preserve the stories of the Metallic Realms, written by Michael's best (and perhaps only) friend, Taras K. Castle and his misfit sci-fi writing group.

What to read while you wait: Pale Fire by Vladimir Nabakov

The Knight and the Moth by Rachel Gillig (May 20)

Sybil Delling is a Diviner. She is nearing the end of her decade of service using her dreams to advise the people who come seeking to know their futures. But when her sister Diviners begin to vanish one by one, she is forced to join forces with Rodrick, a rude, heretical, and devilishly handsome knight.

What to read while you wait: Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher

Aftertaste by Daria Lavelle (May 20)

What if you could have one last meal with someone you’ve loved, someone you’ve lost? Combining the magic of Under the Whispering Door with the high-stakes culinary world of Sweetbitter, Aftertaste is an epic love story, a dark comedy, and a synesthetic adventure through food and grief.

What to read while you wait: Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi

The Grimoire Grammar School Parent Teacher Association by Caitlin Rozakis (May 27)

When Vivian's kindergartner, Aria, gets bitten by a werewolf, she is inducted into the hidden community of magical schools and the privileged New England society of magic aristocracy. But deadly terrors lay ahead—ancient prophecies, remorseless magical trials, hidden conspiracies, and the PTA bake sale.

What to read while you wait: The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna

Historical fiction 

The Names by Florence Knapp (May 6)

Cora has come to register her newborn son's birth. But when asked for his name, she hesitates. Her abusive husband, Gordon, expects the infant to be named after him. The baby's nine-year-old sister wants to name him Bear, while Cora is partial to Julian. This dazzling debut asks: Can a name change the course of a life?  

What to read while you wait: Life After Life by Kate Atkinson

My Name is Emilia del Valle by Isabel Allende (May 6)

San Francisco, 1866: An Irish nun, abandoned following a torrid relationship with a Chilean aristocrat, gives birth to a daughter. Emilia grows into an independent thinker, defying societal norms to become a journalist. When the opportunity arises to cover a brewing civil war in Chile, she seizes it.

What to read while you wait: The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende

The Martha's Vineyard Beach and Book Club by Martha Hall Kelly (May 27)

1942, Martha's Vineyard: Teenage sisters Cadence and Briar find hope in the power of storytelling when they start a wartime book club for women. In 2016, thirty-four-year-old Mari, grieving her mother's recent death, arrives on the storied island with nothing but a name on a piece of paper.

What to read while you wait: The Keeper of Hidden Books by Madeline Martin

Romance 

One Golden Summer by Carley Fortune (May 6)

Alice was seventeen, staying at a lake cottage with her grandmother, when she took the photo that would launch her career. Years later, she's back for another summer in that magical place. And the subject of that photo, Charlie Florek, is all grown up and now he's the one turning his piercing green gaze on her. 

What to read while you wait: Every Summer After by Carley Fortune

Jilted by Vi Keeland (May 6)

Ever since Sloane's fiancé abandoned her at the altar, her dream job at Bride magazine has turned into a recurring nightmare. Now a bridezilla from her latest assignment has roped her into filling in for a missing bridesmaid. What's worse, the gorgeous groomsman she's paired with is utterly obnoxious.

What to read while you wait: The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren

Can't Get Enough by Kennedy Ryan (May 13)

Book #3 in the Skyland series brings us the story of Hendrix, a woman who has it all—phenomenal friends, a loving family, and a thriving business. Always striving upwards while caring for an aging parent means she has no time for love. But then she meets tech mogul Maverick. Has she finally met her match?

What to read while you wait: Before I Let Go by Kennedy Ryan

Songs of Summer by Jane L. Rosen (May 20)

From business to love, everything seems to be falling into place for Maggie. But when she comes across a letter she wrote at thirteen to her future self, she realizes something's missing. And suddenly, she's crashing a ritzy Fire Island wedding on the arm of a charming stranger in search of her birth mother.

What to read while you wait: Seven Summer Weekends by Jane L. Rosen

It's a Love Story by Annabel Monaghan (May 27)

Jane Jackson is a former adolescent TV actress trying to be taken seriously as a Hollywood producer. When her "fake it till you make it" mantra has set her on a crash course with her past, she finds herself spending a week on Long Island with the last man she thinks could ever make her believe in love.

What to read while you wait: Beach Read by Emily Henry

Non-Fiction

Big Dumb Eyes: Stories from a Simpler Mind by Nate Bargatze (May 6)

One of the hottest stand-up comedians in the industry brings his everyman comedy to the page in this hilarious collection of personal stories, opinions, and confessions. This memoir is full of heart. It will make you laugh out loud and nod in recognition, but it probably won't make you think too much.

What to read while you wait: Leslie F*cking Jones by Leslie Jones

Mark Twain by Ron Chernow (May 13)

Born Samuel Langhorne Clemens in 1835, under Halley’s Comet, the rambunctious Twain was an early teller of tall tales. Drawing on Twain’s bountiful archives, this is a richly nuanced portrait of the magnificent and often maddening life of one of the most original characters in American history.

What to read while you wait: The Autobiography of Mark Twain by Mark Twain

We hope you find some titles 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