Look no further for your next read. The amount of great new books hitting shelves each month can be overwhelming but we’ve rounded up twelve of the buzziest books coming out this February—no matter what genre you’re interested in. Have you read any of these new releases? If not, you’ll want them on your TBR!
Weather by Jenny Offill
With three starred trade reviews, Jenny Offill’s latest is one of this month’s buzziest novels. Brooklyn librarian Lizzie Benson is juggling a lot (from raising her son to helping her brother with addiction recovery to checking in on her mother), but she can’t say no when an old mentor calls and asks for help. Sylvia Liller’s podcast Hell and High Water receives more mail than Sylvia can manage, and she’d like Lizzie to answer it. But as the questions about climate change and the apocalypse start coming in, Lizzie finds herself beginning to believe that doomsday truly is around the corner.
Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line by Deepa Anappara
This debut novel by Indian journalist Deepa Anappara follows nine-year-old Jai as he and his friends investigate the disappearance of a classmate. Jai’s love of reality police shows inspires him to take action, especially when it becomes clear that the local police aren’t spending much time on the case. Though Jai fancies his friends his assistants, it’s bookish Pari’s attention to detail that leads them down the right paths. Things turn dangerous for the trio when more children go missing and clues begin to point to a serial killer.
The Gravity of Us by Phil Stamper
Seventeen-year-old Cal dreams of becoming a journalist. He’s been using social media to get his start, and with half a million followers and an upcoming internship at BuzzFeed, he feels right on track. That is until his father is selected to be an astronaut on NASA’s upcoming mission to Mars and his entire family is relocated to Texas. Looking on the bright side, Cal realizes he has the inside scoop on the mission and starts sharing his experience, despite the fact that NASA offered another outlet exclusive coverage and ordered him to stop broadcasting. Along the way, he meets Leon, the son of another astronaut, and he falls head-over-heels faster than you can say “Houston, we have liftoff.”
The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James
Viv Delaney vanished without a trace from the Sun Down Motel in Fell, New York. Thirty-five years later, her 20-year-old niece Carly is searching for answers. Carly takes on a graveyard shift at the motel and begins digging for clues, along the way learning that a string of local women were murdered shortly before her aunt disappeared. Through flashbacks, readers see that Viv was investigating the murders and possibly getting close enough to the truth to put herself in danger.
Upright Women Wanted by Sarah Gailey
Hugo award winner Sarah Gailey draws inspiration from pulp Westerns in this near-future story. Esther stows away in a traveling Librarian’s book wagon after Beatriz, her best friend and the woman she loved, is executed for possessing illegal reading materials. To Esther’s surprise, the Librarians are queer spies en route to rescuing a group of refugees. Under the guise of distributing government-approved propaganda, the Librarians are able to safely move from town to town. But Esther soon uncovers that one of their own could be hiding secrets that put them all at risk. This novella has us at “librarian spies.”
A Cowboy to Remember by Rebekah Weatherspoon
After the death of her grandmother, chef Evie Buchanan left the dude ranch in Charming, California where she grew up and headed straight for New York City. Ten years later, she’s back home after an accident at a party results in the loss of her memories. Zach Pleasant knows he broke Evie’s heart years ago, and after he takes her in to help her recover he starts to wonder if he finally has a chance to make things right and win her heart once and for all.
Deathless Divide by Justina Ireland
Justina Ireland returns this month with the sequel to Dread Nation, which introduced readers to an alternate 1880s America where the dead rose up at the battle of Gettysburg and turned the war between the North and South into one between the living and the dead. This volume picks up with shambler-slayer Jane McKeene on the hunt for her mother with the help of Katherine Deveraux. The friendship between Jane and Katherine is still tentative after years of sniping at each other in combat school, but they’ll need to rely on each other if they hope to survive.
Stormsong by C.L. Polk
Fans of C.L. Polk’s fantasy debut Witchmark will be excited to find the follow-up on shelves this month. Aeland, a fictional country set in a world inspired by Edwardian England, is reeling after the events of the last book. The power’s gone out and winter storms are on the horizon. New Chancellor Dame Grace Hensley is preparing to lead a group of mages out to calm the storms, while trying to figure out the best and safest path forward for her country. It’s a job made harder by the attractive reporter, Avia Jessup, breathing down her neck.
Chasing Cassandra by Lisa Kleypas
Historical romance fans have been eagerly awaiting this sixth installment in Lisa Kleypas’ Ravenels series. Lady Cassandra Ravenel believes in true love, and she has no desire to settle for anything less. It’s why she ignores a proposal from railway magnate Tom Severin. Despite the attraction between them, Tom’s made it clear that love isn’t for him. But when Cassandra’s reputation is threatened, Tom finds he’s willing to do anything to protect her and he begins to realize that he may already care for her far more than he ever thought he could.
We Unleash the Merciless Storm by Tehlor Kay Mejia
Tehlor Kay Mejia’s We Set the Dark on Fire was one of the buzziest YA reads of 2019—transporting readers to Medio, where men have two wives: a Primera to serve as his partner in business and a Segunda to care for his home and family. The second and final volume in this duology picks up with Carmen, once the Segunda to Mateo (one of the most powerful men in Medio), on the run. She’s been undercover for years, secretly fighting for the resistance. But falling for Dani, Mateo’s Primera, wasn’t part of the plan and soon she’ll have to choose between the girl she loves and the future she’s fighting for.
Things in Jars by Jess Kidd
Looking for a gothic mystery? The latest from Jess Kidd takes readers to 1863 London where detective Bridie Devine is looking into the disappearance of a local six-year-old. The girl’s father believes that she’s a merrow, and while Bridie isn’t inclined to believe the child is a thing from folktales, she uncovers reports of Christabel’s sharp teeth, unearthly voice, and odd eyes. The fact that Bridie’s partner on the case is the ghost of boxer Ruby Doyle, who won’t reveal why he’s begun haunting her, makes her inclined to think there may be something supernatural going on with this disappearance after all.
Foul Is Fair by Hannah Capin
At 16, Elle and her friends, who call themselves the ‘coven’, feel as though they own Los Angeles. But everything changes when Elle is drugged and raped by three boys at a prep school party. In the aftermath, Elle decides to exact revenge with the help of the coven: She’ll take the boys down one-by-one and let another friend in their circle (Mack, who wasn’t involved in the assault) take the fall. Elle doesn’t feel any qualms about her decision to murder her attackers, and she only falters when she realizes, impossibly, she’s begun to fall for the boy she hoped to use as a scapegoat. Fans of the Bard are sure to be drawn to this modern young adult retelling of Macbeth.
I’ve got my fingers crossed for approval for Things In Jars by Jess Kidd. I love her books!
All these books seems to have a strong and original storyline.
It’s wonderful to see We Are Bookish championing such great fiction!
— Tony Bassett (author of The Lazarus Charter)
I like the prospects of Foul is Fair. I hope it is as good as they say.