35 2021 Releases I Can’t Wait to Read (fiction and nonfiction!)

Nothing in life is certain, but if there’s one thing I can tell you about 2021, it’s this: I’m going to read a whole lot of good books.

You guys, there are SO MANY GOOD BOOKS scheduled to come out this year (and this quarter, and this month, and this week, and even TODAY?! My mind is blown in the best way possible). I’ve been adding titles to this list for the last few weeks and honestly at this point it’s a miracle I have any Christmas money left. Anyway… here are (approximately) 35 books coming out in 2021 (mostly Q1 releases) that I’m super excited to read!

Fiction You Have A Match , Emma Lord (release date: January 5th)

I absolutely loved Tweet Cute, so I’m SO excited to read this one! It also sounds like a classic summer story, which you know I’m all about–and I saw some reviews explaining the plot as a Parent Trap-type situation? Basically, I’m counting down the days until my hold request comes in at my library!

Roman and Jewel, Dana L. Davis (release date: January 5th)

This is basically like a YA book about Hamilton and I AM SO HERE FOR IT. Give me all the theatre books forever and ever amen. (Also why did I not think to write this myself. It’s fine.)

Written in Starlight, Isabel Ibanez (release date: January 26th)

I read most of Woven in Moonlight last night (it’s SO good) and was looking at it on Goodreads today. I discovered this book, which is a standalone in the same universe–then discovered my library didn’t have it–then discovered it’s not out yet–then discovered it actually comes out TODAY (the 26th). What a wild ride! Hoping my library gets it in soon!

A Vow So Bold and Deadly, Brigid Kemmerer (release date: January 26th)

Brigid Kemmerer is one of my auto-buy authors (although I mostly just get her books at the library LOL) and the Cursebreakers series is a really strong set of books so far. I can’t wait to see how it ends.

Payback, Kristen Simmons (release date: February 2nd)

Conveniently, for the last few years Kristen Simmons has put a new book out right around the time of my birthday each year. This year is the last one, though–I can’t believe the Vale Hall trilogy is already drawing to an end! I very much can’t stand the new covers, but I’m excited to see how the story finishes.

Sing Me Forgotten, Jessica S. Olson (release date: March 9th)

A genderbent Phantom retelling? What the heck?! Um, yes please! (And how beautiful is the cover?!)

Kisses and Croissants, Anne-Sophie Jouhanneau (release date: April 6th)

Paris, ballet, TATBILB meets American Royals meets Love and Gelato… ummm, was this book written SPECIFICALLY for me or what?! I’ve never read anything by this author, but I’m SO excited to!

What’s Not to Love , Emily-Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka (release date: April 20th)

I was so excited to see that Emily and Austin have another book coming out! I love a good YA contemporary romance in the spring.

Realm Breakers, Victoria Aveyard (release date: May 4th)

One word: Pirates! I’m very excited to read something from Victoria Aveyard that’s outside the Red Queen universe. I think it’s going to be really good.

Realm Breaker by Victoria Aveyard
CR: OrionSix Crimson Cranes, Elizabeth Lim (release date: July 6th)

I discovered Elizabeth Lim via Spin the Dawn in late 2019 and fell in love with her writing. I’m looking forward to reading something new from her.

Honorable mentions:Happily Ever Afters, Elise Bryant (release date: January 5th) (this looks so cute!)Wings of Ebony, J. Elle (release date: January 26th)A Taste For Love, Jennifer Yen (release date: February 2nd)The Gilded Ones, Namina Forna (release date: February 9th)A Pho Love Story, Loan Le (release date: February 9th) (looks so cuuute)The Stolen Kingdom, Jillian Boehme (release date: March 2nd) Bones of a Saint, Grant Farley (release date: March 2nd) (oooh getting Outsider vibes from this one) Once Upon A Quinceanera , Monica Gomez-Hira (release date: March 2nd) (pitched as Jenny Han meets Jane the Virgin)The Secret Recipe for Moving On, Karen Bischer (release date: March 23rd)Rule of Wolves, Leigh Bardugo (release date: March 30th) (I feel like it’s so been so long since we’ve had a new Leigh Bardugo book and I am very pleased)Kate in Waiting, Becky Albertalli (releaste date: April 22nd) (another theatre book! High expectations for this one!)Indivisible, Daniel Aleman (release date: May 4th)Tokyo Ever After, Emiko Jean (release date: May 25th) (Princess Diaries but make it Japanese) We Can’t Keep Meeting Like This, Rachel Lynn Solomon (release date: June 1st)An Emotion of Great Delight, Tahereh Mafi (release date: June 1st) (so here for this)Nonfiction Fighting Forward: Your Nitty-Gritty Guide to Beating the Lies That Hold You Back, Hannah Brencher (release date: January 5th)

Somehow I didn’t know this book was a thing until the day it came out (I live under a rock apparently?), but I’m so excited to read it!

Sensing God: Experiencing the Divine in Nature, Music, Food, and Beauty, Joel Clarkson (release date: January 12th)

I pre-ordered this book because I knew it was going to be amazing, just like everything the Clarkson family does! The subtitle sums up the content of the book pretty well. I started it last week and it’s great so far.

That Sounds Fun: The Joys of Being an Amateur, The Power of Falling in Love, and Why You Need A Hobby, Annie F. Downs (release date: February 2nd)

I read some books (a book?) by Annie Downs when I was younger, but over the past several years I’ve only interacted with her via Instagram. I definitely want to check this one out!

The Whole Life: 52 Weeks of Biblical Self-Care, Esther Smith and Eliza Huie (release date: July 26th)

Last summer, one of Esther Smith’s books changed my life, and I’m ready for this summer to do it again! This is a book about Biblical self-care and I’m SO excited for it; I know I personally really need it.

Honorable mentions:Turn Your Season Around: How God Transforms Your Life, Darryl Strawberry (release date: January 12th) (a family friend ghostwrote this!)Walking Through Fire: A Memoir of Loss and Redemption, Vaneetha Rendall Risner (release date: January 19th)Growing Boldly: Dare to Build A Life You Love, Emily Ley (release date: February 9th)The Life You Long For: Learning to Love From A Heart of Rest, Christy Nockels (release date: February 16th) (thoughts on living FROM God instead of FOR God)

I wanted to include some middle grade books in this post as well, but I was having trouble finding any (I’m always a little fuzzy on what technically counts as MG). The only one I could find was The Lion of Mars by Jennifer L. Holm, which came out on January 5th. If you know of any middle grade books coming out this year, please let me know in the comments!

I could keep talking about new books forever, so I’m going to cap this here (although I may do another post like this in a few months to highlight releases coming later this year). 2021 is going to be an amazing reading year and I’m so excited about all of these new books!

What 2021 releases are you most excited for? Did any of the titles on this list catch your eye? Let me know in the comments!