SPRING READS

DISCOVER THE BEST NEW RELEASES OF THE SEASON, FROM A CRUISE-SHIP MURDER MYSTERY TO A LAUGH-OUT-LOUD ANTI-ROMANCE

THE MYSTERY:

THE ANNIVERSARY

by Stephanie Bishop

Novelist JB Blackwood has always lived in the shadow of her film-director husband Patrick, but as she gets close to winning a huge literary prize, their roles switch.

The pair go on a dream cruise to celebrate their anniversary, but it turns into a nightmare… For fans of:

Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult.

THE DIVORCE-COM:

REALLY GOOD, ACTUALLY by Monica Heisey

Despite the breakdown of her marriage, Maggie’s life is really good, actually, and she is determined to make a success of her first year as a divorcée. A funny and tender representation of friendship, love and loneliness. For fans of: Everything I Know About Love by Dolly Alderton.

THE DYSTOPIAN HIT:

ARE YOU HAPPY NOW by Hanna Jameson

Four friends are waiting to get their lives on track – until they witness the world as they know it ending. At a wedding, they watch as one of the guests sits down and is unable to get up again. Soon the bizarre phenomenon is spreading across the world. Is it a choice or a disease? A story of hope in times of crisis.

For fans of: Station Eleven by Emily St John Mandel.

THE MODERN ROMANCE: ROSEWATER by Liv Little

Set in south London, this queer love story with subtle social commentary follows Elsie, a poet working at a gay bar but still falling behind on rent. Rejected by her family and struggling to make ends meet, Elsie is evicted and things get confusing when she’s forced to move in with a childhood friend. For fans of: The Bricks that Built the Houses

by Kae Tempest.

THE INSPIRING DEBUT:

MAAME by Jessica George Maddie’s nickname is ‘Maame’; she is a carer to her father, who has Parkinson’s disease, while her mother ricochets between Ghana and London. Stuck in a dead-end job, she yearns for better – and to be away from her family. This coming-of-age story is witty, poignant and inspiring. For fans of: How to Kill Your Family by Bella Mackie.

THE SWELTERING SUSPENSE: BRUTES by Dizz Tate

In the Florida town of Falls Landing is a tight-knit group of teenage girls, an alligator-infested lake and a dark secret. When one girl goes missing, her friends become consumed by the mystery. A haunting debut about the corruption of innocence. For fans of: The Virgin Suicides by

Jeffrey Eugenides.

THE FAMILY SAGA:

WEYWARD by Emilia Hart This spellbinding book follows three generations of women striving for empowerment. Kate escapes her abusive relationship to a cottage in Cumbria, which she inherited from her great-aunt Violet. While there, she discovers her ancestor Altha was tried as a witch in 1619. Their stories may be centuries apart, but they are woven together seamlessly.

For fans of: The Island of Missing Trees by Elif Shafak.