Be sure to tune into today’s Book Gang podcast to learn more about Aisha Hassan’s research process on this compelling family saga.

Hassan’s debut reads like a period piece, and that might be why it is altogether more shocking to discover that it is not only modern but also based on a shockingly true story.

This soapy family drama takes readers to Lahore, where a family struggles to move on after losing their son and brother, his death enshrouded in mystery until the story’s conclusion, unspooling for the reader in fragments as Lalloo revisits the night of his death through his memories.

Working as a driver for a wealthy family, Lalloo is now desperate to earn enough money to help his sister get married and to help his parents out of a dire financial situation, especially as his father becomes increasingly ill in his back-breaking job.

When he’s asked to discreetly help his employer’s wife take photos as part of a personal investigation to find out if her husband is cheating, he seizes the opportunity, believing it would help his sister marry with the sum promised.

What spirals from there will leave you breathless as this plot twists and turns in ways that the reader will never expect.  Blending romance, brotherhood, adventure, and the weight of family sacrifice, this novel will be an enormous hit for fans of The Kite Runner, anxious to dive into another heart-wrenching saga.  

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Meet my first favorite book of 2026.

Fred and Fran are the proud parents of four children who embark on a family adventure opening department stores in the 1980s.

Fran's evolution into the face of their brand in commercials, with her charisma and smoking good looks, draws in their customers but also attracts public scrutiny. Fred, on the other hand, finds focus in acquisition to obsessive levels in building his department store chain, but more importantly, his wealth and social status in town, while struggling with crippling anxiety attacks.

The family's axis radically changes, though, when Fran catches feelings for a female employee at their store, and Fred finds his place in The Order of the Southern Star, a brotherhood dating to just after the Civil War, founded on the bedrock of Christian values.

Over the four hundred pages of this family drama, we are pulled into the couple's chaos and four directions as their children navigate their own sometimes-unaddressed issues and needs, with the store taking center stage in their parents’ lives. It’s absolutely unforgettable.

Release Date- 19 May 2026

Teenage Dolores and her identical twin Mita's inseparable bond is abruptly severed when Mita becomes ill and is sent to London for treatment.

With her sister gone and her parents acting as though Mita never existed, Dolores is left cast adrift in a new school and new city, struggling with grief, identity, and the silence surrounding her family’s decisions.

As the political repression of Brazil’s dictatorship intensifies and disappearances become commonplace, Dolores becomes intent on uncovering the truth about her sister and confronting the lies around her story.

Release Date- 28 April 2026

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The Rubinsteins have always kept their secrets buried—until the death of a beloved sister cracks their careful silence wide open. Suddenly, old wounds resurface, and long-simmering grudges ignite, pulling siblings and cousins alike into a whirlwind of family drama. From custody battles and heartbreak to dating mishaps and messy reunions, no one escapes the storm.

Allegra Goodman brings her signature wit and warmth to this sharp-eyed portrait of a modern family, illuminating the ways expectations, sibling rivalries, and quiet acts of love shape who we become.

Interviewing the author was certainly a highlight of my 2025, and I can’t wait to see what she has crafted for us next.

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Morris is struggling to cope with the sudden death of his husband, Fred, withdrawing into solitude and neglecting both his relationships and his once-thriving household. His stepdaughter, Sloan, still grieving her father and trying to plan her wedding, finds herself caught between family expectations and her own wish for independence.

At home, the houseplants — especially a jade named Jade — mirror Morris’s emotional state, wilting in silence until a shift begins to take root.

As Sloan reconnects with Morris and navigates conflict with her own mother over the wedding, both begin to face their grief and rediscover what it means to care for one another. Couch delivers a tender, often whimsical examination of family healing and the possibility of moving forward after loss.

Release Date- 3 March 2026

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As an infant, Suzanna’s life changed forever when her mother took part in a bank robbery with a band of radicals. Each Saturday, she joins a line of children outside the prison gates, waiting for a mother who will never come home.

Back at home, her unyielding grandmother raises her, refusing to forgive her daughter’s crime or set foot in the prison.

Through Suzanna’s eyes, Clark captures what it means to grow up between two worlds—trapped by the fallout of choices made generations before. I have heard such good things about this one, and am thrilled to have snagged an ARC for my weekend.

Release Date- 5 May 2026

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Christina Baker Kline shares a bold and personal retelling of a little-known part of American history, inspired by her own family.

When the famous Siamese twins Eng and Chang Bunker arrive in North Carolina, their quick rise from performers to landowners stirs up a community full of gossip.

Sisters Adelaide and Sarah Yates are pulled into the twins’ world, facing their own dreams and limits as their lives unexpectedly connect.

The Foursome spans five decades and promises an exciting exploration on how strict societal rules often shape people’s lives. This book was EXCEPTIONAL.

Release Date- 12 May 2026

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A missing mother. Two sisters who haven’t spoken in years. When Frankie and Mere are thrown together by a shocking disappearance in their small Northern California town, old hurts bubble to the surface, and secrets long buried claw their way to the surface.

In this quietly gripping novel, addiction, fractured marriages, and the complicated tangle of motherhood are laid bare. As the sisters are forced to confront the truths they’ve spent a lifetime dodging, they discover that even the deepest rifts can be crossed—if they’re willing to face what’s been hiding in the shadows.

If you love stories about the messiness of healing and the power of hard-won connection, this one’s for you.

Release Date- 19 May 2026

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Carson blends domestic drama with gothic psychological tension in the story of Sofia, a new mother whose real-world struggles collide with haunting reverberations from her family’s past.

Left alone with her three-week-old baby when her husband leaves on a work trip, Sofia quickly finds that motherhood is far more isolating and fear-provoking than she ever expected.

As sleep deprivation deepens and a threatening presence begins to shadow her days and nights, she realizes that the trauma and secrets of generations — especially the experiences of the eldest daughters in her lineage — are emerging in disconcerting ways.

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Told through a chorus of voices, Good People unravels the story of a missing Muslim teen and the immigrant family at its heart.

As Rahfat builds a new life from nothing and his daughter Zorah rebels against expectations, their family's struggles and hopes are dissected by the community—but the ones at the center are never heard.

Sabit’s mixed-media novel is brought vividly to life through twenty audiobook narrators who lend their voices to this compelling story. It is a memorable audiobook experience that I enjoyed this month!

In the heart of suburban Miami, the Kader family stands at a crossroads. Sakeena, sixty and fiercely independent, co-owns a Dunkin’ franchise with her husband Ramzan.

When she’s faced with a critical health crisis—nine months to live unless she accepts an organ transplant—Ramzan scrambles to bring their scattered children home, hoping unity will persuade her to fight for more time.

But the reunion stirs up more than nostalgia. Old rivalries, unspoken regrets, and the weight of unfulfilled dreams surface as the siblings grapple with the reality of losing their mother.

Each is forced to confront what they can control—and what they must surrender—in the relentless pursuit of the American dream.

Release Date- 5 May 2026

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I fell head over heels for Chong's character, Jack Jr., who spent two years in a coma and missed the pandemic entirely.

Upon his hospital discharge, he returns to his childhood home and discovers a new sense of purpose at the family restaurant. There, his father, Appa, has mastered the art of sushi in a zany yet harmonious hybrid of Korean-Japanese cuisine.

This career path marks a new beginning as Jack mends his past relationships and unexpectedly develops a love affair with his nurse. Don't sleep on this under-the-radar gem.

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April and Leo lose everything in a flash—one late-night fire, and their world is ash. Forced to start over, they pack up their kids and land at April’s childhood home in Dallas, where old memories mix with new tension

As they navigate crowded rooms and even more crowded emotions, the cracks in their marriage grow impossible to ignore. April’s big, boisterous family brings comfort and chaos in equal measure, pushing everyone to the edge of what they can forgive and rebuild.

Told in the voices of April, Leo, and April’s indomitable mother, Deb, and woven with flashbacks to the couple’s first sparks, The Burning Side is a fresh, deeply felt story about love’s limits—and the courage it takes to begin again.

Release Date- 16 June 2026

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Meet Vivi and Calla—sisters who are opposites in every way. Vivi is meticulous and measured, preserving history as an art conservator, while Calla lives for the spotlight, chasing inspiration and chaos in equal measure.

Their worlds collide when they uncover a hidden clue from their late father: a lost sketch and a letter, both pointing toward a mysterious painting by a vanished Vietnamese artist. What begins as a reluctant reunion soon morphs into a globe-trotting quest—from the shadowy woods of Wisconsin to sunlit corners of France and, finally, to their father’s homeland in Việt Nam.

As secrets unravel, old wounds resurface, and the sisters discover that art, memory, and the pull of family are stronger than distance or time. Thao Thai’s storytelling promises a vibrant journey that lingers well after the last page.

Release Date- 4 August 2025

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Cricket, a 26-year-old stuck in a life that feels neither settled nor satisfying, returns home to the Adirondacks to care for her father Arthur after he’s diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, hoping to mend their fractured relationship and find purpose.

Back in the family’s beloved lake house at Catwood Pond — a place full of both precious memories and old wounds — she confronts not only her father’s fading grip on the past, along with her own unresolved grief.

As Arthur’s condition evolves in surprising ways (including moments where he seems to predict the future), Cricket is forced to reconsider who she has been and who she wants to become, rediscovering the pleasure and pain in equal measure.

Niven takes readers behind the scenes of 1964’s biggest TV sensation, where the Newmans—America’s picture-perfect family—are barely holding it together. As ratings plummet and secrets pile up, their flawless on-screen façade starts to crumble, exposing messy realities that no camera can hide.

When patriarch Del is sidelined by a mysterious car accident, Dinah brings in a sharp, ambitious reporter to script the show’s final bow. What follows is a collision of ambition and tradition, as the evolving role of women in the workplace sparks both fresh opportunities and fierce resistance.

This novel is a dazzling, bittersweet love letter to television’s golden era. For fans of Lessons in Chemistry—and anyone fascinated by what happens when the spotlight fades.

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O’Neill’s debut brings readers into the heart of a Long Island family reunion over Thanksgiving, where three adult sisters return to the aging Ryan family home with lingering history and heavy secrets.

Two decades earlier, a devastating accident on their brother Topher’s boat and his subsequent suicide left deep scars that still shape their relationships and individual paths.

As the sisters confront old guilt and their buried resentments, new tensions surface in volatile and poignant ways in this bighearted drama. It was a big hit with my co-host on our Patreon show, FULLY BOOKED!

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Citchens builds a powerful Southern family drama centered in the fictional Mississippi town of Dominion, where patriarch Reverend Sabre Winfrey’s authority in church and community masks deeper fractures at home.

Sabre and his wife, Priscilla, have five sons, including the charismatic Emanuel (“Wonderboy”), whose life takes a shocking turn after a chance encounter with a stranger.

Told mainly through the perspectives of the women who love these men, the novel exposes how secrecy, shame, and ingrained expectations shape family dynamics along with our own identities.

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This generational family saga opens in 1970s Northern California with the Samuelson family reeling from the disappearance and subsequent death of their beloved son, Ellis.

When his pregnant girlfriend, Julia, arrives unexpectedly, it offers the family a new connection and responsibility that forces them to re-examine their relationships, priorities, and grief.

Over the ensuing decades, Huneven traces the complicated lives of parents Phil and Sybil and sisters Sally and Katie as they make peace — or fail to with this loss and the uncontrollable turns life takes.

Dive into an unforgettable journey through seven generations of Dupree women—each bound by a legacy of secrets, strength, and survival. In 1995, Tati sets out to uncover the truth about her father, but what she finds is a tapestry of stories stretching back to an ancestor who survived enslavement and forward through decades of triumphs and heartbreaks.

With echoes of Homegoing and The Love Songs of W.E.B. DuBois, The Seven Daughters of Dupree unspools a spellbinding family saga exploring the fierce love between Black mothers and daughters.

In this raw and deeply emotional novel, Corby's life unravels in the wake of a tragic accident in which he accidentally kills his toddler son while driving impaired, shattering his marriage and family.

After being sentenced to prison for involuntary manslaughter, he survives the brutality and loneliness of incarceration while forming unexpected ties with fellow inmates and a prison librarian who helps him confront his guilt and search for meaning.

Meanwhile, back home, his wife, Emily, and surviving twin, Maisie, struggle with the complicated legacy of Corby’s choices as they try to rebuild a life without him.

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Annie Hartnett delivered another zany and big-hearted tale, kicking off this literary fiction story with a death-predicting nursing home cat named Pancakes and only getting wilder from there.

When broke, sixty-something lottery winner PJ Halliday inherits his late brother's grandkids, he reluctantly includes them, his adult daughter, and the morbidly magical cat, heading west on a misguided mission to win back his high school sweetheart.

Your heart will be pulled in all different directions, especially as the story concludes with a gorgeous twist. It was a joy to interview Annie Hartnett and discuss her writing process for this darkly funny novel.

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In this gritty, character-rich thriller, Roman, a financially skilled but morally embattled man, returns to his hometown, where the family business becomes the unlikely nexus of buried secrets and escalating violence.

When his troubled younger brother Dante inadvertently draws them into a dangerous criminal world, Roman must wrestle with how far he’ll go to protect his family and his own sense of self.

Cosby uses this intimate family’s struggle to expose the corrosive effects of institutional neglect and the desperate lengths kin will go to preserve each other.

Haigh’s emotionally charged novel opens when divorced parents Claire and Aaron Litvak are shaken by news that their 22-year-old daughter, Lindsey, has been critically injured in a hit-and-run while living in Shanghai.

It's a life they knew little about, and their urgent arrival in China forces them to face both the accident and the deeper splits that splintered their marriage and pushed Lindsey away.

Their younger daughter, Grace, adopted from China as an infant, waits unaware at summer camp, discovering truths about her sister only as the family unravels around her in this page-turning reading experience.

In this intriguing family drama, what begins as a tense scene on the road with a self‑driving minivan coasting toward a lacrosse game spirals into tragedy when the Cassidy‑Shaw family crashes into an oncoming vehicle, killing an elderly couple.

As the family retreats to a Chesapeake Bay house to heal, they each struggle with their own share of guilt. Is the fault human or a technological failure? Or something deeper?

Holsinger is unafraid to blend speculative fiction with a family drama, combining his writing superpowers into this Oprah's Book Club pick. The audiobook experience is phenomenal on this title.

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This novel had my heart racing and breaking in equal measure. When a tragic accident shatters the calm of a Dorset farming village, it sets off a reckoning moment decades in the making.

Beth thought she'd put her past behind her—until Gabriel, her first love, turned bestselling author, returned to town with his son. The death of a treasured family dog may seem like a small event, but it cracks open the fault lines in Beth's marriage, her memories, and her choices.

Toggling between past and present, this story unfolds amid the simmering tension of a courtroom drama and the emotional weight of a long-buried love story. The rural setting is extremely vivid, it practically dirties your shoes.

Perfect for fans of slow-burning literary romance. It's one I've been pressing into readers' hands all year.

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Orri trades his windswept Icelandic farm for the bright lights of Reykjavík, but city life leaves him feeling out of place and adrift. When family calls him back to the familiar rhythms of the cattle farm, he returns reluctantly—and unexpectedly rediscovers what it means to belong.

Back home, Orri’s world quietly expands. He finds a kindred spirit in a fearless farmer girl—her heart set on love, even in a place where opportunities are scarce. As their friendship deepens and blossoms, Orri begins to see both the land and his family through new, grown-up eyes.

With prose as crisp as Icelandic air, this novel explores the bittersweet magic of coming home and the moment you realize your parents are just as flawed, hopeful, and human as you are. I adore Nathaniel's storytelling.

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Memory is a tricky thing—especially when it’s shaped by pain. In this powerful debut, Margaret, a journalist and mother, is forced to reckon with the ghosts of her childhood when she returns home with her daughters. At ten, she endured a shattering betrayal within her own family, a secret that festered in silence and shaped the woman she would become.

Back in the house where it all began, Margaret finds herself navigating motherhood, co-parenting, and the relentless demands of reporting on the Weinstein trials—all while old wounds push their way to the surface.

As the past and present collide, Jones delivers a raw, lyrical meditation on shame, silence, and what it takes to finally speak the truth.

I couldn’t put this novel down—it’s a fierce, unforgettable portrait of trauma and healing.

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Before Wellness, Nathan Hill won me over with this unforgettable family drama.

The story centers on Samuel, a disillusioned professor whose world is upended when he learns his estranged mother has been arrested for assaulting a politician. It’s a shocking headline—especially since Samuel hasn’t spoken to her in over twenty years.

With his own career on the rocks and desperate for a new book idea, Samuel agrees to write a memoir about his mother’s life, forcing him into an unexpected journey through her past and their fractured relationship.

Hill masterfully weaves together timelines, jumping from the free-spirited 1960s to her formative friendships, first love, and struggles in adulthood with great cinematic flair.

Mary Beth Keane’s stunning novel traces the entwined lives of Francis Gleeson and Brian Stanhope, rookie cops and next-door neighbors in 1970s New York. Their wives, Lena and Anne, are brought together by circumstance yet separated by their own internal dramas.

Despite the tension between their parents, their children—born just months apart—form a deep and lasting bond that becomes the heart of the story.

A single, devastating event shatters the fragile peace between these families, forcing them to confront impossible choices and divided loyalties. The consequences of that moment ripple across forty years, testing the limits of forgiveness, resilience, and love.

Keane’s storytelling is exquisite, rendering decades of heartbreak and hope with compassion and grace. This is an unforgettable novel that lingers long after the final page and remains my favorite of her books.

This novel is one of those books that you want others to read so you can discuss it with them. Avoid reading any reviews of this book, because half the fun of this one is making sense of this unusual family and just what makes them so remarkable.

Fowler begins with a seemingly ordinary college student who has learned to speak carefully—because she comes from a family with a secret so strange and so heartbreaking it reshapes everything you think you know about love, loyalty, and what makes us human.

A plot twist here comes late, but when it lands, it reframes the entire story. Tender, unsettling, and unexpectedly funny, it’s the kind of novel that makes you rethink your own family mythology long after you turn the last page.

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Stradal’s novels are always infused with incredible food themes, but this novel is the book that stole my heart.

When a father’s death results in an uneven inheritance, it sets off a rich and layered family drama.

Edith, blindsided by her father’s decision, is left scraping by after her husband’s death, baking pies for nursing home residents just to get through each month. Helen, her sister, transforms her inheritance into a booming light beer business, but as the craft brew scene explodes, she finds herself in over her head and in need of support.

It’s Edith’s ambitious granddaughter, Diana, who enters the IPA world next—her determination and vision might just be the missing ingredient to reunite Edith and Helen.

Their journeys are woven together with warmth, wit, and a deep adoration of the Midwest.

The novel memorably opens with Amadeo Padilla, desperate for redemption, taking on the role of Jesus in a Good Friday procession.

His redemptive plans are upended when his teenage daughter, Angel, arrives home pregnant, pushing their fractured family to face old wounds and generational pain.

While Amadeo battles alcoholism, Angel struggles to embrace motherhood, and the grandmother quietly hides a terminal diagnosis from those she loves.

Set against the vivid backdrop of New Mexico, Quade crafts a town so immersive it comes to life on every page, captivating readers from start to finish. I loved sharing this novel with my book club!

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Lange documents the rise and fall of a seemingly perfect marriage between two people who find a new purpose through their community's middle school hockey team in this winter story.

When Kyle learns that his father has suffered a debilitating stroke, he reluctantly returns to his hometown —a place he fled without warning two and a half years ago. Now, he plans to help his dad recover and disappear again, especially after realizing the love of his life is not ready to forgive and forget.

However, when a chance to jointly coach their struggling middle school hockey team arises, the couple finds new purpose and unexpected answers about why they have both struggled to find each other again.

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When a teenage boy is accused of murdering a classmate, his father, a devoted assistant district attorney, is thrust into an agonizing dilemma: uphold his sworn duty to justice, or shield his son from a system that now sees him as a suspect.

What follows is a tense, deeply layered exploration of the illusions and truths parents construct about their children... sometimes at great cost.

The final plot twist lands with breathtaking force, leaving an impression that lingers long after the book is closed.

Spanning two generations and musical eras, this soapy Jewish family drama traces Judie Zingerman’s ascent as one half of a folk-rock duo in the 1960s, then shifts to her daughter Emma, who chases alt-rock stardom in the 1990s.

Emma’s journey is transformed when she discovers her mother’s old notebooks and unreleased songs, unraveling the sacrifices Judie made at the height of her fame.

Seltzer delivers a lyrical, emotionally layered exploration of songwriting, legacy, and the ways music passed from parent to child can both heal and haunt its inheritors. I couldn't put this one down!

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Don’t be fooled by the gentle pace—this sweeping family saga is a rollercoaster of emotion, filled with unforgettable characters who leap off the page and into your heart.

At its core is the vibrant love story of David and Marilyn, whose marriage faces an electrifying upheaval when Jonah—secretly given up for adoption by one of their daughters fifteen years ago—returns to shake up everything they thought they knew.

Secrets explode, loyalties shift, and every member of the family is thrown into new, often hilarious, roles as grandparents, aunts, and mothers. The story unfolds through seven unique perspectives, each adding a fresh, irresistible layer to the drama.

Prepare yourself for more than just heart, this novel sizzles with surprising midlife passion and humor, proving that romance and desire can burn brightly at any age. You’ll be hooked until the very last page.

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This short, haunting novel brings a mother's grief to life in such memorable detail that I haven't forgotten it. Set in Nigeria, Vivek's life is shrouded in enigma and tragedy.

Through a series of interconnected narratives and flashbacks, Emezi unravels their identity as a gender-nonconforming individual. The author handles this aspect of the narrative with such beauty and care in poetic detail.

But, as Vivek grapples with societal expectations and family pressures, readers discover the beauty and pain of their journey to embrace their true self.

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This breathtaking story is my favorite Kristen Hannah novel as she takes readers into the brutal wilderness of 1970s Alaska.

When former POW Ernt Allbright returns from the Vietnam War, he is a changed man. His erratic behavior threatens to unravel the fragile fabric of his family. So, in a desperate bid for a fresh start, he uproots his wife and thirteen-year-old daughter, Leni, to live off the grid in a remote landscape filled with beauty and danger.

As they confront the relentless challenges of Alaska's brutal winters and their father's growing volatility, Leni must navigate a treacherous path between loyalty to her family and the fight for her own identity.

Hannah writes so eloquently about this impossible marriage and the honest struggle of a Vietnam veteran. While this takes some Lifetime-movie turns, I found it deeply satisfying.

Julia Whelan, as always, offers impeccable narration.

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Carter Sickels delivers a devastatingly beautiful portrait of family, shame, and resilience throughout The Prettiest Star, a novel that will live in your bones long after you finish.

When Brian returns home from New York to rural Ohio after an AIDS diagnosis, he finds himself in stages of refuge and rejection with the people who raised him.

Told through multiple perspectives—including Brian's, his sister's, and his mother's—this novel doesn't shy away from the painful realities of the 1980s AIDS crisis as well as offers grace, nuance, and moments of surprising tenderness within this unforgettable family.

The audiobook experience is exquisite, with a multi-cast narration that flawlessly captures this small-town story.

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This tender, big-hearted family drama is one of my all-time favorites, exploring what it means to love your child not for who you expect them to be—but for who they are. Rosie and Penn have five boys, loud and messy and gloriously themselves.

But when their youngest tells them a truth about her identity, the family must decide how to protect her in a world that doesn’t always understand.

Frankel writes with warmth and wit about marriage, parenthood, secrets, and the quiet bravery it takes to let your child step fully into themselves.

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Told across six decades and three perspectives, The Bright Years is a haunting, compassionate family saga exploring addiction's generational toll.

When Ryan meets Lillian at a library in the 1970s, they are young and hopeful. But both are carrying secrets: Ryan is the product of a violent, alcoholic household, while Lillian has hidden a painful decision from her past.

Together, they build a life, raise a daughter, and try to outrun their traumas. But Ryan's unspoken wounds lead him back into the cycle he swore he'd escape, leaving Lillian and their daughter Georgette to rebuild without him.

Told with elegant restraint and informed by Damoff's career as a social worker, this debut gracefully charts the arc of addiction from multiple angles in such a refreshing way that it will undoubtedly be on my best books of the year list.

Don't miss my interview with Sarah as we discuss this novel's surprising evolution and her scrappy approach to publishing that wowed me.

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The Road to Tender Hearts is Annie Hartnett's zaniest and most tender-hearted, delivering a sharp, moving road trip novel that finds humor and beauty in life's most unexpected detours.

After winning the lottery, PJ Halliday thought he had it all—until the money ran out, his ex-wife moved on, and he found himself staring down the barrel of sixty-three with nothing but regret and a nursing home cat named Pancakes who may or may not predict death.

When PJ hears that his high school sweetheart is single again, he sees one last shot at happiness and sets out for Arizona to win her back.

But sobriety on the road is no easy feat especially not with his estranged late brother's grandkids in tow, a soap-opera-obsessed tween with a sticky-fingered streak, his sharp-tongued adult daughter riding shotgun, and a feline harbinger of doom sharing the backseat.

As PJ battles old demons and new responsibilities, this novel becomes a wildly funny, deeply felt portrait of a man trying to put himself back together—one mile, one mistake, and one messy family moment at a time.

Release Date- 29 April 2025

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In Guerrieri's debut, Leah is a free-spirit artist who accidentally falls into motherhood and marriage. In the close-knit O'Connor family, some of her carefree shenanigans are beginning to lose their shine as the family is on the cusp of opening a restaurant together.

Leah feels her motherhood journey is in sharp contrast to her mother-in-law Caroline's, a measuring stick that she thinks is being held against her, but as we dive deeper into this story, we realize there is much more than meets the eye to both these women. 

The discomfort is immediate from the first unsettling moment when Leah revels in bath time with her children, not because of the bonding experience but because of the "fuzzy" relief her evening drinking brings. And as her dependency deepens, her once-careful concealment of her addiction unravels—hidden flasks multiply, empty bottles require shuffling into the neighbor's recycling bin, and moments of parenting slip away into a hazy, alcohol-soaked oblivion.

But, the novel takes an illuminating turn when Leah's sister-in-law, Amy, is forced to step in—not just as a concerned family member, but as someone who grew up with an alcoholic mother and now finds herself in an impossible position, parenting her sister-in-law. 

Release Date- 13 May 2025

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This standalone romance novel was my first introduction to the Jessa Hastings universe, but it won't be my last. It scratched the itch that this year's buzzy romances have failed to do for me this year.

Hastings crafts an estranged sibling story in which the kids return home to their traditional Southern household after their father dies, leaving a mysterious will for the family.

Georgia's brother, who identifies as gay and is currently trying to maintain his sobriety, has brought his AA sponsor, Sam, to this unexpected family gathering. While he navigates the challenges surrounding his sexuality, Georgia is also dealing with a troubling secret that has influenced her career as a skilled lie detector and body language expert. With her newfound abilities, family secrets can no longer remain hidden.

Her connection to Sam is instantaneous in this mostly closed-door romance. But the family secrets slowly unspool in this messy affair filled with unexpected love triangles you'll appreciate sorting.

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I spent an afternoon with Allison this week recording for the Book Gang podcast. I'm thrilled to share that Julia Whelan will narrate this gorgeous novel. This discovery means I must take a second loop through this magnificent story, which she describes as a bookend to The People We Keep.

Freya returns home and rekindles her friendship with her childhood friend, Jam, who has always struggled with an addiction to drugs. She still remembers his time in high school hanging with his "dirtbag friends," chasing the high.

No one realizes that Jam is still nursing his addictions as an adult until Freya. Now, she's worried that he might hide it from her when it worsens if she gets too involved.

This problem with her friend isn't her only challenge as she reluctantly returns to the crumbling house she inherited from her estranged parents amid financial hardship.

What begins as a hesitant homecoming transforms into an emotional excavation of her past as she confronts the ghosts of broken friendships and familial betrayals. But it is her discovery of Aubrey, her fifteen-year-old niece secretly living in the neglected family home, who brings Freya's journey into sharp focus as she tries to make up for what she missed when she was gone.

Release Date- 6 May 2025

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Corby is struggling as a new father, dealing with job loss and a growing addiction to prescription anxiety medication and alcohol. His marriage to Emily is in turmoil, especially after he commits an act that tears their family apart.

Sentenced to prison, Corby faces brutality but also experiences the beauty of kindness through a compassionate librarian and unexpected friendship with a fellow inmate. Encouraged by his mother's faith in him, Corby starts to rise above his circumstances, holding onto hope for mercy and reconciliation. But can his loved ones ever forgive him for his actions?

Release Date- 10 June 2025

Elle Fanning lends her voice to this quirky audiobook experience that I can't recommend enough.

At nineteen, Margo knows that a relationship with her married professor isn't ideal, but she was never prepared to be a teenage mom. Without any guidance from her mother, childcare, or financial support, she realizes that the most unlikely solution- starting an account on OnlyFans might be the only way she can pay rent and care for her child.

Jinx was once a semi-famous wrestler with a body full of pain and a mind frayed by addiction, and now he's a dad trying to stay clean while helping his daughter monetize her life online.

The unexpected support from her father, who is in recovery, helps her learn how to cultivate a fandom and helps bridge a heartwarming gap in her childcare struggles.

In Coco Mellors's new novel, I resonated with many aspects of this story and wrestled with a few of the parallels the author explored in this story around addiction. In the right book clubs, this story could yield some great conversations.

This sister story, at its root, is a messy family drama that explores substance abuse and addiction with its rippling effects across the generations, beginning with the father. Describing him as "The only man in the house, but he also was the house. They lived inside his mood," we discover the chaotic nature of his addiction at the start of the story. 

Four sisters are now three after Nicky, their strong and steady sister, dies- the least likely among these siblings who all engage in risky behaviors throughout this story.

Nicky has endometriosis that has amplified over the years, causing debilitating pain in her body. The only solution that many gaslighting practitioners have offered her is a hysterectomy, which would destroy her dreams of becoming a mother. But as her pain escalates and she struggles to find pain medication, she becomes involved in a transaction that takes her life. 

The book walks a razor-thin line as it draws parallels to their father's addiction with a woman untreated for chronic pain. Still, I appreciated some of these illuminating scenes, like the disbelief in an emergency room setting showcasing chronic pain patients' struggles.

Sometimes, meeting an author solidifies my adoration for them, and that was the case after Rob Hart joined the Book Gang Podcast to talk about his writing process for this thriller. His enthusiasm for his new series is contagious!

Hart uses the framework of Alcoholics Anonymous for an addiction of an altogether different kind. Mark, the world's deadliest hitman known as Pale Horse, has left behind his violent life of crime and joined a support group for a hodgepodge band of reformed assassins, all of who are ready to leave their former lives behind.

The rules they live by are inspired by AA groups, albeit they follow a variation of the traditional rules while embracing chips and speeches as they reach those momentous milestones. 

But in the story's opening pages, Mark is attacked by a mysterious assailant and, nursing a severe wound, gets medical treatment from a woman who has bailed him out before. Now, the two are embroiled in a life-threatening situation to not only outrun this assailant but to do that while navigating Mark's initial pledge that he will not kill.

If you fall in love with this thriller, you can continue the adventures with book 2- The Medusa Protocol.

Bahni Turpin's audiobook narration broke my heart into a million tiny pieces. I found myself hanging on Gyasi's words with tears rolling down my cheeks, easily making this book one of my all-time favorites.

Gifty is a neuroscientist trying to map the brain's reward circuits while mourning a brother who died of an opioid overdose and a mother who refuses to speak.

Gyasi threads the clinical and the spiritual with astonishing precision- the way grief metastasizes into obsession and how addiction hollows a family long after the last hit.

The book is not just an exploration of their grief but also a broader commentary on a callused indifference to the struggles of Black individuals when navigating addiction and struggles with mental health.

Several of these scenes will haunt me, especially this line that I furiously highlighted: "We were three black people in distress. Nothing to see."

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I would not categorize this novel as a thriller but more in the vein of a well-developed mystery. At almost 500 pages, Moore takes her time sharing the story of two sisters' complicated past and the redemptive nature of family.

An opioid crisis is affecting a neighborhood in Philadelphia, and Mickey is intimately familiar with it. She's the sister of someone with a substance use disorder and works professionally as a police officer.

Although the sisters have lost touch, a series of murders concerns Mickey when she discovers her sister has been missing from her regular haunts. In alternating chapters, Moore deftly lays out the challenges they've faced since the very beginning, including Kacey's drug abuse and Mickey's role in how she has stepped in for her sister.

It's a novel where what lingers isn't the crime but the haunting question of how much you can save someone who doesn't want to be saved—or worse, someone who does.

Once you finish the novel, you can dive into The Long Bright River TV series, now airing on Peacock, starring Amanda Seyfried.

Alcoholism is the storm cloud that never moves in this father-daughter reckoning, and King renders it with excruciating intimacy. This story's memoir-like portrayal offers a pitch-perfect 11-year-old perspective and the subsequent impact of her father's alcohol abuse on her adult life.

Readers experience this story through three decades of the narrator's life, bookended with the Nixon to Obama eras for timing, as it intricately weaves the haunting narrative of a daughter wrestling with her father's alcoholism.

King is masterful in capturing the seduction of addiction from the outside—the way it warps love distorts memory and rewrites childhoods in real time. I count this among my favorites and recommend it as a great option for fans of The Bright Years.

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Leah is a rising writer in a cozy community of creatives when she meets Charlie—a magnetic man freshly out of rehab who seems to promise the one thing she's longed for: belonging.

But what begins as a whirlwind romance quickly spirals into something darker as the lines between love, codependence, and addiction blur beyond recognition.

Without giving too much away, I found future relationships Leah feels drawn to as the story progresses trickier for the reader to navigate —things take some dark turns. But, much like Leah, I couldn't abandon the complexities of her story or Charlie's. 

Halperin, a National Jewish Book Award finalist, takes the reader on a riveting character-driven journey you won't forget.

There's a slow, inevitable gravity to Demon's descent into addiction—so much so that by the time the pills take hold, they feel less like a choice and more like a birthright.

Raised in a forgotten pocket of Appalachia, he's passed from foster homes to trailers to football fields, always chasing something that feels like home.

Kingsolver renders the opioid crisis with gut-punch clarity. What makes the novel so wrenching is how it charts the shape of addiction from the inside, not just as a loss of control but as a slow unraveling of self-worth.

Demon is bright, angry, hilarious, and fully aware of the system stacked against him—but knowing better doesn't mean surviving. And that's the part that sticks. I couldn't put the novel down or get this character's voice out of my head when I finished that final page!

When rising starlet Grey Brooks agrees to a PR-driven fake dating scheme with reclusive A-lister Ethan Atkins, she anticipates a career boost.

However, behind Ethan's charming facade lies a man struggling with a debilitating alcohol addiction. Since the tragic death of his best friend and the collapse of his marriage, he has retreated from the spotlight, finding solace at the bottom of a bottle.​

The two agree to the dating terms and set off on the scheduled adventures, with assigned paparazzi covering every moment of their staged love affair. But they quickly discover a deep affection for one another that goes beyond their itinerary. 

Wilder's debut doesn't shy away from the harsh realities of addiction, offering a moving exploration of how grief and substance abuse can intertwine. This open-door romance has slow-build sexual tension that picks up serious steam as this story progresses. It's a perfect page turner for fans of The Idea of You!

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Sonya is an alcoholic single mother, and her inability to do anything sober has created a tragic life for her, her child, and her animal. The tension is so thick in this story that the reader is instantly sucked into this profoundly unsettling place. 

Rehab is violent in its clarity, sobriety is a horror show, and Sonya's biggest obstacle isn't alcohol. It's herself. The writing yanks you into the jagged inner monologue of someone trying to mother, to remember joy, to exist. Shuggie Bain fans will be transfixed.

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The opioid crisis gets a high-stakes twist in this thriller, where one mother's moral lines start to blur in terrifying ways.

There is nothing we wouldn't do to protect our children, and McDonald explores that idea when a mother finds out her son has a rare form of cancer that requires a treatment that no family could ever afford.

Practicing as a physician, Emma knows that she has access to one thing that can help her bank enough money for this cancer treatment- access to opioids.

In a town plagued by the opioid epidemic, she has no trouble finding clients but also finds herself in a dark underbelly of the town that takes a surprisingly bad turn.

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This poignant novel, which won The Booker Prize, centers on young Hugh "Shuggie" Bain, who grew up in public housing in 1980s Glasgow.

Shuggie's mother, Agnes is loving and monstrous in equal measure with her addiction. Stuart doesn't romanticize the alcoholism but instead renders every blackout, every failed promise, and every glittering moment of hope, seen through the eyes of her young son, who never stops loving her, even when loving her becomes survival work.

Her story is unforgettable, but Shuggie's ache, which grows into adulthood like scar tissue, wrecks the reader.

Byron Lane worked as Carrie Fisher's assistant before he became an author. He immediately notes that this is not a memoir of that time; all is fiction. However, the uncanny parallels are hard to ignore because this story is about a personal assistant and the iconic celebrity Kathi he comes to work for in this later-in-life coming-of-age story.

Kathi's struggles with substance abuse and mental health are portrayed with raw authenticity, reflecting the real-life challenges faced by many in the spotlight. Charlie discovers he escapes his grief and anxiety by attaching himself to this famous, erratic actress—but the real addiction is his compulsive need to be needed.

As he finds his own voice, he must make more complicated decisions about how far he will go to keep his starlet happy. This journey to self-discovery is what makes this story so beautiful and sweet. Lane writes with a quippy sadness that sometimes masks the darker themes in this page-turner.

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Diavola blew me away. Labeled as a 'vacation gothic,' this book explores family dynamics and the weight of dealing with toxic relationships.

Anna, the protagonist, sets her own survival rules for the trip, knowing her twin is unreliable and her older sister is tyrannical.

Their luxurious villa in Monteperso starts as a dream escape but soon unravels into a nightmare. Strange noises, locals' chilling warnings, and a sense that Anna's horrors may have followed her after leaving.

Thorne balances oppressive gothic tension with a campy horror edge, making it both haunting and hilariously absurd in the best way.

Amy's Notes:

This book felt like American Horror Story: Murder House and White Lotus had a love child—it's that good!

Anna's prickly personality is the perfect lens through which to experience the story's genius, dark humor, and diabolical ending.

This novel was selected as a 2025 MomAdvice Book Club book, and Jennifer Thorne will share more about her story with this year's participants!

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Rachel Harrison delivers yet another hit with So Thirsty, a vampiric Thelma and Louise that's as seductive as it is thrilling.

Sloane's life is unraveling—she's stuck with a cheating husband, dreading her future, and refusing to admit her misery.

When a birthday trip with her wild-card best friend Naomi takes a dark, unexpected turn, readers experience Harrison's ability to explore complicated, even flawed friendships that is unparalleled

Harrison's sharp prose and knack for capturing messy relationships make this a standout.

Amy's Notes:

Rachel Harrison's books always hit the perfect notes for spooky season. While I haven't read So Thirsty yet, I enjoyed her novel Black Sheep immensely and can't wait to read more from the author.

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We Used to Live Here terrified me in a way few books do, delivering a chilling blend of supernatural and social horror that felt deeply personal.

The story follows a young queer couple flipping houses, only to encounter strangers claiming they used to live there—and demanding to be let in.

While the book has its share of polarizing elements, its exploration of fear, safety, and the haunting idea that sometimes 'the horror is people' stayed with me long after I finished. It's not perfect, but it's unforgettable.

Amy's Notes:

This book dives into the genre of social horror, which can hit differently depending on your personal experience.

I encourage readers to dive into our Best Social Horror Books list to discover what makes social horror books so compelling, with incredible book recommendations on race, gender sexism, and capitalism.

Coup de Grace is a haunting, visceral novella that dives deep into depression and the struggle to escape one's darkest thoughts.

Trigger warning upfront—this story is heavy and centered around themes of suicide ideation, so approach it cautiously if you need to.

The narrative follows Vicken, who, after stepping off a subway train intent on ending his life, finds himself trapped in an infinite, looping subway station. As he explores the vast yet claustrophobic environment, he becomes convinced that his entrapment isn't accidental—and he's not alone.

What makes this book so powerful is its ability to encapsulate the overwhelming feelings of depression within the surreal horror of its setting.

At just around 120 pages, it's a quick but deeply impactful read. If you want to understand depression more profoundly or appreciate experimental horror, this is a perfect, albeit intense, choice.

The compact format makes it an excellent one-sitting read, leaving plenty of room to reflect and process.

Amy's Notes:

I'm so glad Joe brought a novella! We don't celebrate them enough on our show.

A Mask of Flies is a gripping blend of crime and horror, perfect for readers who enjoy both genres.

The story follows Anne Heller, a career criminal on the run after a botched bank heist. With her badly wounded partner Jessup and a hostage, police officer Dutch, she retreats to her family's remote Colorado cabin—a place steeped in haunting memories and dark secrets.

As Anne confronts the mystery of her mother's death in that very cabin, events spiral into something far more terrifying.

Jessup goes missing, only to reappear dead—and later, something wearing his face comes back, hungry. The lines between reality and nightmare blur in this isolated, atmospheric tale, keeping you on edge as the story unfolds.

This book is perfect for fans of creepy cabin settings, survival horror, and stories where the past refuses to stay buried. This book is a phenomenal starting point if you're a crime reader looking to dip your toes into horror.

It's haunting, intense, and absolutely unforgettable.

Amy's Notes:
Matthew Lyons describes this novel as "Reservoir Dogs meets The Thing." I'm adding this to my Libby holds right now!

This horror book made my Best Books of the Year list courtesy of Joe, who shared more behind-the-scenes information in his interview with Chuck Tingle on today's podcast.

The story centers on Misha, a gay screenwriter riding high on the success of an Oscar nomination. But his moment of triumph is shattered when he's faced with a disturbing ultimatum: kill off the queer characters in his hit series "for the algorithm" or risk sabotaging his career.

Misha refuses, and his defiance unleashes a series of terrifying events—literal monsters from his horror movie past come to life, bringing with them the weight of his childhood memories.

These deeply personal and haunting manifestations add emotional depth to an already chilling premise, creating a layered narrative that critiques an industry—and a society—that too often erases queer joy in favor of trauma.

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