24 new books we can't wait to read in 2024
Nothing beats visiting a bookshop with book tokens at the ready and a long list in your hand. We've listed 24 of the best new books arriving in bookshops during the first half of the year, from stories of friendship and epic love, to secret spies and space hotels – plus, check out our team's star picks!
January
The Storm We Made by Vanessa Chan
When discontented housewife Cecily becomes Japanese general Fujiwara’s personal spy, she unwittingly alters the fate British Malaya by welcoming in a punishing form of dictatorship under the Japanese.
Piglet by Lottie Hazel
For Piglet – an unshakable childhood nickname – getting married is her opportunity to reinvent. Together, Kit and Piglet are the picture of domestic bliss – effortless hosts, planning a covetable wedding. But if a life looks too good to be true, it probably is.
Come and Get It by Kiley Reid
From the Sunday Times bestselling author of Such a Fun Age comes a fresh and provocative story about a residential assistant and her messy entanglement with a professor and three unruly students.
February
Where They Lie by Claire Coughlan
This atmospheric debut is as much a murder mystery story as a look at a young woman’s struggle to succeed in a man’s world.
Red Side Story by Jasper Fforde
Imagine a world where your position in society depended on what bit of the colour spectrum you could see. From the author of Shades of Grey comes the long-awaited sequel in which we return to Chromatacia.
Fourteen Days: A Collaborative Novel edited by Margaret Atwood & Douglas Preston
In Fourteen Days, set in a Lower East Side tenement in the early days of the pandemic, each character has been secretly written by a different, major literary voice, from Margaret Atwood and Douglas Preston to Dave Eggers and Celeste Ng.
Jaded by Ela Lee
Jade has become everything she ever wanted to be: successful lawyer, dutiful daughter, beloved girlfriend, loyal friend. She is perfectly in control of her life. Until one terrible night changes everything. A thoughtful, hard-hitting exploration of race, identity, and the rippling effects of sexual assault.
The Women by Kristin Hannah
From the bestselling author of The Four Winds and set during the Vietnam War, The Women is a story of devastating loss and epic love. It is both an intimate portrait of a woman coming of age in a dangerous time and a story of a nation divided by war.
A Love Song for Ricki Wilde by Tia Williams
Set against the backdrop of modern Harlem and Renaissance glamour, A Love Song for Ricki Wilde is a swoon-worthy love story of two passionate artists drawn to the magic, romance, and opportunity of New York.
Tales of the Celestial Kingdom by Sue Lynn Tan and illustrated by Kelly Chong
From the magical world of Daughter of the Moon Goddess and Heart of the Sun Warrior comes a new compilation of nine spellbinding stories, filled with magic and mythology, friendship and love.
Whether you're a casual reader or your bookshelves are overflowing, you'll discover brilliant book recommendations, quizzes, and competitions at National Book Tokens Discover – your ultimate destination for all things books! Sign up to receive our newsletter and you'll be entered to win a £100/€120 National Book Token every month.
Sign up
March
The Last Murder at the End of the World by Stuart Turton
From the bestselling author of The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle comes a new high-concept murder mystery involving the murder of a scientist on an idyllic island, the only part of the world that hasn't been destroyed.
The Best Way to Bury Your Husband by Alexia Casale
Four new friends. Four dead bodies. One big problem… The Best Way to Bury Your Husband takes four very different women, one unexpected friendship and several spades to unravel a complex issue with a light touch.
Plot Twist by Breea Keenan
When fellow writer Riley O'Connell invites Becca Taylor to the charming Irish countryside, she can't pack her bags fast enough, even though they have never met. A heart-warming and hilarious Scottish-Irish romantic comedy.
Until August by Gabriel García Márquez
From Gabriel García Márquez, the master of South American literature and magical realism, comes a profound meditation on freedom, regret, and the mysteries of love. The Nobel Prize-winning author of Love in the Time of Cholera and One Hundred Years of Solitude, this is his lost novel.
Floating Hotel by Grace Curtis
The Grand Budapest Hotel in space, Floating Hotel is a hopeful story of misfits, rebels and found family.
April
You Are Here by David Nicholls
From the author of One Day comes a stunning new love story starring Marnie and Michael; a novel of first encounters, second chances, and finding the way home.
The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo
From the author of Ninth House comes a bewitching historical novel set in the Spanish Golden Age, brimming with peril and dark deeds. As the notoriety surrounding Luzia Cotado's magical powers grows, so does the danger that her Jewish blood will doom her to the Inquisition's wrath.
A Game of Lies by Clare Mackintosh
Clare Mackintosh's latest thriller is out in paperback. Stranded in the Welsh mountains, seven reality show contestants have no idea what they've signed up for. Each of these strangers has a secret. If another player can guess the truth, they won't just be eliminated – they'll be exposed live on air. But the disappearance of a contestant wasn't supposed to be part of the drama…
James by Percival Everett
From the shadows of Huck Finn's mischievous spirit, Jim emerges to reclaim his voice, defying the conventions that have consigned him to the margins. An enthralling and ferociously funny novel that will inspire us to see Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn in a wholly new and transformative light.
May
Enlightenment by Sarah Perry
From the author of The Essex Serpent comes a story of love and astronomy, told over the course of twenty years through the lives of two improbable best friends.
Ghost Mountain by Rónán Hession
From the author of Leonard and Hungry Paul comes a simple fable-like novel about a mountain that appears suddenly and the way in which its manifestation ripples through the lives of characters in the surrounding community.
June
Someone in the Attic by Andrea Mara
A brand-new thriller from the author of the bestselling thriller No One Saw a Thing. Anya is enjoying a relaxing bath when she hears a noise in the roof and she sees the attic hatch swing open. A masked figure drops to the floor. Thirty seconds later, Anya is dead. Across town, Anya's old school friend, Julia, sees an online video of a masked figure climbing out of an attic. She suddenly realises why the footage is eerily familiar: it was filmed inside her house.
Under Your Spell by Laura Wood
The debut adult rom-com from the bestselling YA romance author. When Clemmie’s sisters get her drunk and suggest reviving a childhood ritual called the breakup spell, she doesn’t see the harm in it. But now she’s accidentally ruined a funeral, had her first one-night stand, and she’s stuck spending six weeks alone with the gorgeous and very-off-limits rock star, Theo Eliott…
Private Rites by Julia Armfield
The bestselling author of Our Wives Under the Sea returns with a stunning, unsettling novel following three sisters navigating queer love and faith at the end of the world.
