33 Hot New Debut Novels to Devour Now

Posted by Cybil on March 23, 2022


Finding a favorite new writer is one of the cherished perks of a dedicated Book Person. It’s a lot like finding a favorite new musical artist, actually. If you discover a new author early, on your own, you collect cool points that you can use to lord over all the others that eventually hop on the bandwagon. Don’t feel guilty. This is all sanctioned by publishing industry bylaws.

To expedite the process, we’ve collected below 33 new debut novels published between January to March of this year. There’s plenty of options to choose from – lots of contemporary and historical fiction, plus some options for mystery and SFF fans. Chinese historical epics! Nigerian magical realism! Literary postapocalyptic sci-fi! And for the truly daring: Academia intrigue at Oxford.

Scroll over the book covers to learn more about each title, and add the ones that pique your interest to your Want to Read shelf



Comments Showing 1-6 of 6 (6 new)

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message 1: by PinkPanthress (last edited Mar 23, 2022 01:12PM) (new)

PinkPanthress I yet have to get my hands on their books, but N. Prose & S. Willingham might become my new fave authors. :)


message 2: by Audrey (new)

Audrey Tobacco Wives was a huge miss for me :( I was really excited for it, and I hate to say it, but MAN was is boring!


message 3: by Serewyn (new)

Serewyn Except for 2 or 3 all I see in this list are very dull or just plain ugly covers. What gives? Call me nutty but I love beautiful covers.


Marc *Dark Reader with a Thousand Young! Iä!* Serewyn wrote: "Except for 2 or 3 all I see in this list are very dull or just plain ugly covers. What gives? Call me nutty but I love beautiful covers."

It's the current aesthetic that all the trad publishers have bought into. All those blocky sans-serif fonts, titles just slightly tucked behind the abstract graphics, the color pallettes. The first books to use these styles stood out in a bookstore, but now they all blur together. I think it's also part of an attempt to make thumbnails pop out for online selling. What is the difference between any of these covers?:

Truth and Other Lies by Maggie Smith Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson Tell Me an Ending by Jo Harkin Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng Wahala by Nikki May


message 5: by Janet (new)

Janet Grimes Marc *Dark Reader of the Woods* wrote: "Serewyn wrote: "Except for 2 or 3 all I see in this list are very dull or just plain ugly covers. What gives? Call me nutty but I love beautiful covers."

It's the current aesthetic that all the tr..."


I agree completely. I stood in a bookstore the other day and the entire rack looked exactly the same. Made me keep on walking, and that's not really what we want, right?


message 6: by H.L. (new)

H.L. Amaral Serewyn wrote: "Except for 2 or 3 all I see in this list are very dull or just plain ugly covers. What gives? Call me nutty but I love beautiful covers."

I agree with you tbh. Most covers do not catch my eye at all, even though some of the stories themselves have. The book industry needs to change this.


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