Sign in with Facebook
39 Big Books of Spring
Spring is a time of renewal. So what better way for readers to rejuvenate than with a whole new bookshelf (or two) of unputdownable reading?
To create this list of must-reads, we combed through all the major genres and focused on what Goodreads members can't wait to read. From there, we measured anticipation by taking a look at how many times a book has been added to their Want to Read shelves.
With new titles from beloved authors, including Taylor Jenkins Reid, Harlan Coben, Elizabeth Gilbert, and Cassandra Clare, sparkling debuts from Candice Carty-Williams and Arkady Martine, and sophomore novels from rising stars like Helen Hoang and Elizabeth Acevedo, these are the biggest books of the season. Which ones will you be checking out?
To create this list of must-reads, we combed through all the major genres and focused on what Goodreads members can't wait to read. From there, we measured anticipation by taking a look at how many times a book has been added to their Want to Read shelves.
With new titles from beloved authors, including Taylor Jenkins Reid, Harlan Coben, Elizabeth Gilbert, and Cassandra Clare, sparkling debuts from Candice Carty-Williams and Arkady Martine, and sophomore novels from rising stars like Helen Hoang and Elizabeth Acevedo, these are the biggest books of the season. Which ones will you be checking out?
FICTION
If you had to pick five people to sum up your life, who would they be? In this debut set in Ireland, an 84-year-old man pulls up a stool at a hotel bar and raises a toast to the five people who meant the most to him, revealing a lifetime of love and regret.
Read our interview with Anne Griffin.
Release date: March 5
Read our interview with Anne Griffin.
Release date: March 5
From the author of Boy, Snow, Bird comes a tale inspired by the bewitching place gingerbread holds in classic children's stories. Perdita and Harriet Lee juggle jealousy and ambition while relying on the curious magic of their favorite family recipe.
Read our interview with Helen Oyeyemi.
Release date: March 5
Read our interview with Helen Oyeyemi.
Release date: March 5
After a messy breakup with her longtime white boyfriend, Queenie, a Jamaican British woman living in London, seeks comfort in all of the wrong places in this "Bridget Jones’s Diary meets Americanah" debut.
Read our interview with Candice Carty-Williams.
Release date: March 19
Read our interview with Candice Carty-Williams.
Release date: March 19
Based on real events, this feminist novel tells the story of eight Mennonite women and the horrors they, and a hundred other girls, endure in their isolated colony. After discovering an unspeakable truth, do they dare to escape or stay and fight?
Release date: April 2
Release date: April 2
Set in Brisbane, Australia, this debut follows a young man named Eli who tries to learn what it means to be a good man. His potential role models: a lost father; a heroin-dealer stepdad; and Slim, his most steadfast guardian—and a notorious felon.
Release date: April 2
Release date: April 2
The electricity of first love clashes with the subtleties of class as young Connell and Marianne confront the limits of their connection over the years in this thought-provoking novel from the author of Conversations with Friends.
Release date: April 16
Release date: April 16
HISTORICAL FICTION
Coming of age in Los Angeles in the late '60s, Daisy embraces the sex, drugs, and rock and roll of the era, leading her to a date with her musical destiny in this rollicking oral history from the author of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo.
Read our interview with Taylor Jenkins Reid.
Release date: March 5
Read our interview with Taylor Jenkins Reid.
Release date: March 5
The bestselling author of Snow Flower and the Secret Fan tells the story of two Korean girls who join their village's all-female diving collective, creating a close bond of friendship that begins in the 1930s and spans across many decades.
Release date: March 5
Release date: March 5
Set a generation before The Lilac Girls, this novel focuses on Eliza Ferriday as she embarks on a trip of a lifetime to the turbulent streets of St. Petersburg and the avenues of Paris under the shadow of World War I.
Release date: April 9
Release date: April 9
This new novel from the author of Next Year in Havana follows a sugar heiress who will do anything to reclaim all she lost in the Cuban Revolution—even if it means risking her life to infiltrate a dictator's inner circle.
Release date: April 9
Release date: April 9
The author of Eat, Pray, Love returns to fiction with a tale of glamour and adventure set in New York during the 1940s. Here, a young woman meets the eccentric characters of the Lily Playhouse theater and makes a mistake that leads to a scandal.
Release date: June 4
Release date: June 4
MYSTERY & THRILLER
In this new domestic thriller from the bestselling author of Tell No One, a wealthy Manhattanite's daughter disappears into a world of drugs. In an effort to save her, he discovers family secrets he never suspected.
Read our interview with Harlan Coben.
Release date: March 19
Read our interview with Harlan Coben.
Release date: March 19
A suburban wife with a history of psychological instability fears her new neighbor might be a murderer. Could the unsettling signs she pieces together be actual clues or are they symptoms of an unraveling mind?
Release date: March 5
Release date: March 5
A prizewinning journalist reluctantly returns to his childhood town in this new standalone from the author of the Penn Cage series. What begins as a tense homecoming turns into a deadly uncovering of crime and corruption.
Release date: March 5
Release date: March 5
This contemporary courtroom drama follows a Korean immigrant family whose medical-treatment device ends up killing two people. The ensuing murder trial raises more questions than answers as to who is truly responsible.
Release date: April 16
Release date: April 16
The husband of a well-known actress goes missing in this new suspense novel from the author of Sometimes I Lie. The police suspect she's hiding something—and she is. As the case grows more dire, can she keep her secrets and her career intact?
Release date: April 23
Release date: April 23
A lot of people have complicated relationships with their in-laws. Most of them don't end in murder. A perplexing autopsy report and a last-minute will change are only the beginning in this book from The Family Next Door author.
Release date: April 23
Release date: April 23
FANTASY & SCIENCE FICTION
Ambassador Mahit's predecessor is dead. As the threat of interstellar war looms, she investigates the murder and finds herself drawn to the secrets of an alien culture in this debut, the first installment in the Teixcalaan space opera series.
Release date: March 26
Release date: March 26
Set during the Spanish Inquisition, this epic fantasy from the Hugo Award-winning author of Ms. Marvel follows the friendship of a Circassian concubine and a palace mapmaker who can bend reality. Both wish for freedom, but at what price?
Release date: March 12
Release date: March 12
Clare, the author of the popular The Mortal Instruments YA series, and Chu, the author of The Lives of Tao, team up to deliver a new adult fantasy trilogy about an ancient warlock, his mortal lover, and a dangerous spell book of dark magic.
Release date: April 2
Release date: April 2
Inspired by the nostalgia of Stranger Things, the fantasy author of Prince of Thorns takes readers to an alternate 1986 in his first sci-fi series. It begins with boy genius Nick as he unravels a mystery of quantum proportions with his friends.
Release date: May 1
Release date: May 1
Roger knows words, and Dodger knows numbers. The eccentric twins are more than human and less than gods—for now. Playing with dangerous alchemy, they attempt an "upgrade" in this dark fantasy from the author of Every Heart a Doorway.
Release date: May 1
Release date: May 1
From the author of Dark Matter comes a sci-fi thriller about a mysterious disease that afflicts people with vivid memories of a life they never lived. But are the memories really false—or is someone trying to rewrite history?
Release date: June 11
Release date: June 11
Check out more of spring's biggest science fiction & fantasy books here.
NONFICTION
The bestselling author of The Four Tendencies and The Happiness Project shares more than 100 insights, strategies, and tips for taking control over life's outward clutter to make space for inward peace.
Release date: March 5
Release date: March 5
Taking readers into the streets of a neighborhood blighted by drugs, gangs, and violence, this candid memoir explores how the cultural forces of race and class drove a struggling family to make impossible choices.
Release date: March 5
Release date: March 5
O'Meara reveals the life and legacy of Milicent Patrick, whose pioneering achievements as one of Disney's first female animators and the creator of one of Hollywood's most iconic monsters was largely omitted from film history.
Release date: March 5
Release date: March 5
Inspired by fans of her 1999 novel, Speak, which gave voice to a young sexual-assault survivor, and enraged by how little has changed since that book's publication, Anderson pens this lyrical memoir, part poetry collection and part call to action.
Release date: March 12
Release date: March 12
As a follow-up to last year's bestselling Girl, Wash Your Face, Hollis sounds a wake-up call in this inspiring self-help book, urging women to live to their full potential by identifying common excuses and obstacles.
Release date: March 12
Release date: March 12
Stay Sexy & Don't Get Murdered: The Definitive How-To Guide
by Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark
by Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark
From the hosts of the hit podcast My Favorite Murder comes this frank, funny, and illuminating reflection on true-crime, formative life events, and the importance of valuing personal safety over being "nice" or "helpful."
Release date: May 28
Release date: May 28
YOUNG ADULT
Jack and Kate don't have a typical love story. For one, Kate dies and their happily-ever-after should have ended. Except, it doesn't. When time rewinds to the moment they first met, Jack realizes that saving his dream girl has consequences.
Release: March 5
Release: March 5
The first book in this debut fantasy trilogy intertwines the stories of a young girl who can speak to gods, a prince surrounded by enemies, and a boy with a monstrous secret. Together they will bring an end to a centuries-long war.
Release date: April 2
Release date: April 2
The bestselling coauthors behind the Illuminae Files return with a new sci-fi series that follows Tyler Jones, the star cadet of the Aurora Academy. He's ready to recruit the squad of dreams. Instead he gets the dregs nobody else will touch.
Release date: May 7
Release date: May 7
In this debut novel from a popular YouTube "BookTuber," Shane commits to a semester of adventure, moving to London on a whim to make new friends, fall in love, and confront the complicated realities of living outside her bubble.
Release date: May 7
Release date: May 7
Ever since she got pregnant freshman year, Emoni Santiago has had to set aside her dreams, including becoming a chef once she graduates. What follows is a journey of faith and resilience from the National Book Award-winning author of The Poet X.
Release date: May 7
Release date: May 7
Check out more of spring's biggest young adult books here.
ROMANCE
An unforeseen tragedy forces young lovers Annika and Jonathan apart, leaving them to navigate their lives alone. A decade later, they are reunited. She is now a librarian, and he is a Wall Street whiz—but can anything of their old relationship be salvaged?
Release date: April 2
Release date: April 2
Step aside, Mr. Grey. The author of Fifty Shades of Grey is back with a new love story and a new wealthy hunk. Maxim Trevelyan, a mysterious London aristocrat, only has eyes for the musically gifted Alessia, who's holding secrets of her own.
Release date: April 16
Release date: April 16
Hoang follows up The Kiss Quotient with another tale of modern love. When Khai's mother worries his autism is hindering his relationships, she goes to Vietnam to find him the perfect bride. Instead she comes back with Esme.
Release date: May 7
Release date: May 7
When the bride and groom get food poisoning, their all-expenses-paid honeymoon is up for grabs. Maid of honor Olive can't believe her luck—until she realizes she'll be sharing the dreamy getaway with her sworn enemy, the best man.
Release date: May 14
Release date: May 14
In this delightful debut, Tiffy and Leon live in the same apartment, though they've never met. Between day and night shifts, they write each other notes, from establishing leftover rules and toilet seat etiquette to forming a tentative friendship.
Release date: May 28
Release date: May 28
Check out more of spring's biggest romance books here.
Which books are you most excited to read this spring? Let us know in the comments!
Check out more recent articles:
Spring's Most Epic YA Books
Spring's Big Sci-Fi & Fantasy Books
The Sweetest (and Sexiest) Romance Books of Spring
Check out more recent articles:
Spring's Most Epic YA Books
Spring's Big Sci-Fi & Fantasy Books
The Sweetest (and Sexiest) Romance Books of Spring
Comments Showing 51-73 of 73 (73 new)
date
newest »
newest »
heidi wrote: "i love liz gilbert. i did NOT love "eat pray love"… i wish they would make note of her other great writing--"the signature of all things" is one of my favorite books."I agree 10000%!!!
Linda wrote: "Girl stop apologizing is everything I hoped it would be. Can’t wait to finish it to post a full review" Make sure to check it for plagiarizing... Hollis is always claiming others' quotes as her own.
Melissa wrote: "Greg Illes is one of my favorite writers. Look forward to reading his new book!"Oh gosh me too!!!
Angelica wrote: "May feels like forever because I can't wait to read "The Bride Test". Helen Hoang's "The Kiss Quotient" was sweet, funny and cute af. I want more!!!"Me too!!!! I pre-ordered it. Can't wait for May 7th!
Chang wrote: "Katie wrote: "Linda wrote: "This list is very disappointing because it seems to consist of mediocre books by mediocre authors - popular but not literary, entirely plot-driven, and lacking in any ch..."I agree with Chang.
Can't wait to look at some nice spring reads!
Wrong place for this post!!!!!!!! This is GoodReads.
I have just read Delia's Gift -Virginia Andrews. Set in USA and about Mexicans , I enjoyed the book overall, the characters quite well defined. The plot good and the ending I enjoyed
The Love Letter- Lucinda Riley. An excellent read. A very involved plot with well defined characters. Lucinda Riley always proves a good read
I met G. Willow Wilson on Saturday at Politics & Prose. What a nice lady!
heidi wrote: "i love liz gilbert. i did NOT love "eat pray love"… i wish they would make note of her other great writing--"the signature of all things" is one of my favorite books."I so agree. I could not finish Eat, Pray, Love - wondering how someone so self-involved could write a book as great as "The Signature of All Things."
Mark wrote: "I met G. Willow Wilson on Saturday at Politics & Prose. What a nice lady!"Mark that is so cool! Also, I grew up in Wash DC, so I miss that store!
You were missing some "lighter" mystery options...I'm most excited for The Loch Ness Papers by Paige Shelton. It's the fourth in the series and I LOVED the first three!
I wish there were more nonfiction books offered. They seem to take a backseat to fiction these days, . Roger.
I resent having to sign into goodreads just to be able to read this article, which was an article offered to me as I signed into my kindle. If you're going to put in popup boxes, I should be able to close them. If the article must be read in goodreads, just say so at the top. My choice, not yours. And I'm a fan of goodreads. Very annoying.
My biggest wishis that you and amazon start indicating intended reader age ranges in your reviews.
Looking for recent bk which has "Mars" in title.
James Hogan wrote: "Looking for recent bk which has "Mars" in title."James is it this one? The Mars Room
I've selected several that look promising, the start to the summer should be interesting!
I'm most excited to read With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo and The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren this Spring.
Homer? Really? Read it in high school...move on!