As the weather heats up, so does our lineup for new August 2021 books! From thrillers and fantasy to historical fiction and lots more, get ready for your TBR list to blow up this month.
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New Fiction Books in August 2021
Dark Roads by Chevy Stevens
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
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“The acclaimed and beloved author of Still Missing is back with her most breathtaking thriller yet. Set on the Cold Creek Highway, stretching close to five hundred miles through British Columbia’s rugged wilderness to the west coast”, a young woman searches for the truth behind her sister’s disappearance.
Release date: August 3rd, 2021
Once There Were Wolves by Charlotte McConaghy
Genre: Environmental Fiction/Mystery
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“From the author of the beloved national bestseller Migrations, a #1 IndieNext pick, a gorgeous and pulse-pounding new novel set in the wild Scottish Highlands. Propulsive and spell-binding, Charlotte McConaghy’s Once There Were Wolves is the unforgettable story of a woman desperate to save the creatures she loves—if she isn’t consumed by a wild that was once her refuge.”
Release date: August 3rd, 2021
The Dead and the Dark by Courtney Gould
Genre: YA Horror/Paranormal
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“Courtney Gould’s thrilling debut The Dead and the Dark is about the things that lurk in dark corners, the parts of you that can’t remain hidden, and about finding home in places―and people―you didn’t expect.”
Release date: August 3rd, 2021
We Were Never Here by Andrea Bartz
Genre: Thriller
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“An annual backpacking trip has deadly consequences in a chilling new novel from the bestselling author of The Lost Night and The Herd.”
Release date: August 3rd, 2021
We Are the Brennans by Tracey Lange
Genre: Contemporary Fiction/Family Drama
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“In the vein of Mary Beth Keane’s Ask Again, Yes and Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney’s The Nest, Tracey Lange’s We Are the Brennans explores the staying power of shame—and the redemptive power of love—in an Irish Catholic family torn apart by secrets.”
Release date: August 3rd, 2021
In My Dreams I Hold A Knife by Ashley Winstead
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
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“A college reunion turns dark and deadly in this chilling and propulsive suspense novel about six friends, one unsolved murder, and the dark secrets they’ve been hiding from each other—and themselves—for a decade.”
Release date: August 3rd, 2021
Damnation Spring by Ash Davidson
Genre: Historical Fiction
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“An epic, immersive debut, Damnation Spring is the deeply human story of a Pacific Northwest logging town wrenched in two by a mystery that threatens to derail its way of life.”
Release date: August 3rd, 2021
A Lesson in Vengeance by Victoria Lee
Genre: YA Mystery/Gothic Fantasy
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“For fans of Wilder Girls and Ninth House comes a dark, twisty, atmospheric thriller about a boarding school haunted by its history of witchcraft and two girls dangerously close to digging up the past.”
Release date: August 3rd, 2021
Songbirds by Christy Lefteri
Genre: Historical Fiction/Mystery
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“From the prize-winning author of The Beekeeper of Aleppo, a stunning novel about the disappearance of a Sri Lankan nanny and how the most vulnerable people find their voices.”
Release date: August 3rd, 2021
Billy Summers by Stephen King
Genre: Crime/Thriller
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“Billy Summers is a man in a room with a gun. He’s a killer for hire and the best in the business. But he’ll do the job only if the target is a truly bad guy. And now Billy wants out. But first there is one last hit.”
Release date: August 3rd, 2021
The People We Keep by Allison Larkin
Genre: YA Historical Fiction
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“The People We Keep is about a young songwriter longing to find a home in the world. After a fight with her dad, [she] packs her stuff and leaves for good, setting off on a journey to find a life that’s all hers.”
Release date: August 3rd, 2021
All’s Well by Mona Awad
Genre: Fiction/Horror/Thriller
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“From the critically acclaimed author of Bunny, a darkly funny novel about a theater professor suffering chronic pain, who in the process of staging a troubled production of Shakespeare’s most maligned play, suddenly and miraculously recovers.”
Release date: August 3rd, 2021
The Perfect Family by Robyn Harding
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
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“The bestselling author of the The Swap explores what happens when a seemingly perfect family is pushed to the edge… and beyond in this “propulsive, constantly surprising” (Laurie Elizabeth Flynn, author of The Girls Are All So Nice Here) thriller.”
Release date: August 10th, 2021
Cul-de-sac by Joy Fielding
Genre: Contemporary Fiction/Drama/Mystery
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“A shooting lays bare the secrets harbored by five families in a sleepy suburban cul-de-sac in this riveting psychological thriller from the New York Times bestselling author of All the Wrong Places.”
Release date: August 10th, 2021
The Show Girl by Nicola Harrison
Genre: Historical Fiction
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“It’s 1927 when Olive McCormick moves from Minneapolis to New York City determined to become a star in the Ziegfeld Follies.” But things change once she accepts a marriage proposal from a man who she thought accepted her modern ways, and she is forced to make a difficult decision.
Release date: August 10th, 2021
Velvet Was the Night by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Genre: Historical Fiction/Mystery
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“From the New York Times bestselling author of Mexican Gothic comes a ‘delicious, twisted treat for lovers of noir’ about a daydreaming secretary, a lonesome enforcer, and the mystery of a missing woman they’re both desperate to find.”
Release date: August 17th, 2021
56 Days by Catherine Ryan Howard
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
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“No one knew they’d moved in together. Now one of them is dead. Will they be able to determine what really happened, or has lockdown provided someone with the opportunity to commit the perfect crime?”
Release date: August 17th, 2021
Chasing the Boogeyman by Richard Chizmar
Genre: Horror/Crime Thriller
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“A clever, terrifying, and heartrending work of metafiction, Chasing the Boogeyman is the ultimate marriage between horror fiction and true crime.”
Release date: August 17th, 2021
The Family Plot by Megan Collins
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
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“When a family obsessed with true crime gathers to bury their patriarch, horrifying secrets are exposed upon the discovery of another body in his grave in this chilling novel from the author of Behind the Red Door and The Winter Sister.”
Release date: August 17th, 2021
Getaway by Zoje Stage
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
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“A cinematic and terrifying new novel from “the master of the psychological thriller” and the bestselling author of Baby Teeth and Wonderland, about three friends who hike into the wilds of the Grand Canyon—only to find it’s not so easy to leave the world behind (Entertainment Weekly).”
Release date: August 17th, 2021
A Million Things by Emily Spurr
Genre: Contemporary Fiction/Young Adult
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“A bursting, heartfelt, debut following fifty-five days in the life of ten-year-old Rae, who must look after herself and her dog when her mother disappears.”
Release date: August 24th, 2021
The Guide by Peter Heller
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
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“The best-selling author of The River returns with a heart-racing thriller about a young man who, escaping his own grief, is hired by an elite fishing lodge in Colorado, where amid the natural beauty of sun-drenched streams and forests he uncovers a plot of shocking menace.”
Release date: August 24th, 2021
The Pariah by Anthony Ryan
Genre: Epic/Dark Fantasy
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“From the international best-selling author of the Raven’s Shadow and Draconis Memoria series comes the spectacular first novel in an all-new epic fantasy trilogy.”
Release date: August 24th, 2021
My Heart Is A Chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones
Genre: Horror
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“In her quickly gentrifying rural lake town Jade sees recent events only her encyclopedic knowledge of horror films could have prepared her for in this latest novel from the Jordan Peele of horror literature, New York Times bestselling author Stephen Graham Jones.”
Release date: August 31st, 2021
Take Me With You When You Go by David Levithan & Jennifer Niven
Genre: YA Contemporary
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“From the New York Times bestselling authors of All the Bright Places and Every Day comes a story of hope, family, and finding your home in the people who matter the most.”
Release date: August 31st, 2021
Several People Are Typing by Calvin Kasulke
Genre: Literary Fiction/Humor
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“A work-from-home, comic tour-de-force that takes place entirely in a PR firm’s Slack channels–a strange digital landscape where an employee claims to be literally trapped inside. For fans of Office Space, Then We Came to the End and Severance.“
Release date: August 31st, 2021
The Witch Haven by Sasha Peyton Smith
Genre: YA Fantasy/Historical
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“The Last Magician meets The Lady’s Guide to Petticoats and Piracy in this thrilling and atmospheric historical fantasy following a young woman who discovers she has magical powers and is thrust into a battle between witches and wizards.”
Release date: August 31st, 2021
View my full list of new fiction books in August 2021 here.
I hope this list of new August 2021 books – with a focus on fiction – has helped you narrow down which new releases you’re most excited about this month! Stay healthy and keep reading, friends.
If you’re looking for more awesome books to read, check out my list of some of the most anticipated fiction books coming in 2021!
Thank you for all the new books. I wrote down several titles that I know I will enjoy reading.
I enjoy reading your e-mail every time I receive it.
Thanks Geraldine, that mean a lot! I always love sharing book recs. 🙂