There are lots of fabulous May 2021 book releases to add to your TBR list! Personally, I can’t wait for new books from Andy Weir and Emily Henry. But there are lots of other great books and debut authors, too!
In this list, as usual, I’m focusing on fiction books only. Let’s dive in to the list!
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May 2021 Book Releases
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
Genre: Science Fiction
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“A lone astronaut must save the earth from disaster in this incredible new science-based thriller from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Martian.”
Release date: May 4th, 2021
The Siren by Katherine St. John
Genre: Thriller/Contemporary Fiction
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“From Katherine St. John, author of The Lion’s Den, comes another sublimely escapist thriller: When dangerously handsome megastar Cole Power hires his ex-wife, Stella Rivers, to act in his son’s film, he sparks a firestorm on an isolated island that will unearth long-buried secrets — and unravel years of lies.”
Release date: May 4th, 2021
Great Circle by Maggie Shipstead
Genre: Historical Fiction
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“Spanning Prohibition-era Montana, the Pacific Northwest, Alaska, New Zealand, wartime London, and modern-day Los Angeles, Great Circle tells the unforgettable story of a daredevil female aviator determined to chart her own course in life, at any cost.”
Release date: May 4th, 2021
Hurricane Summer by Asha Bromfield
Genre: YA Contemporary
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“Hurricane Summer is a powerful coming of age story [set in Jamaica] that deals with colorism, classism, young love, the father-daughter dynamic—and what it means to discover your own voice in the center of complete destruction.”
Release date: May 4, 2021
Six Weeks to Live by Catherine McKenzie
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
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“A gripping psychological suspense novel about a woman diagnosed with cancer who sets out to discover if someone poisoned her before her time is up.”
Release date: May 4th, 2021
Sorrowland by Rivers Solomon
Genre: Fantasy/Horror/Gothic
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“Rivers Solomon’s Sorrowland is a genre-bending work of Gothic fiction. Here, monsters aren’t just individuals, but entire nations. It is a searing, seminal book that marks the arrival of a bold, unignorable voice in American fiction.”
Release date: May 4th, 2021
It Had to Be You by Georgia Clark
Genre: Contemporary Romance
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“The author of the novel The Bucket List returns with a witty and heartfelt romantic comedy featuring a wedding planner, her unexpected business partner, and their coworkers in a series of linked love stories—perfect for fans of Christina Lauren and Casey McQuiston.”
Release date: May 4th, 2021
Hour of the Witch by Chris Bohjalian
Genre: Historical Fiction
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“A young Puritan woman–faithful, resourceful, but afraid of the demons that dog her soul–plots her escape from a violent marriage in this riveting and propulsive historical thriller from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Flight Attendant.“
Release date: May 4th, 2021
The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
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“We all have stories we never tell. Before Owen Michaels disappears, he manages to smuggle a note to his beloved wife of one year: Protect her.“
Release date: May 4th, 2021
Just Last Night by Mhairi McFarlane
Genre: Contemporary Fiction/Romance
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“International bestseller Mhairi McFarlane explores lifelong friendships, long-buried secrets, and unexpected love in a heartfelt, emotional new novel, perfect for fans of Evvie Drake Starts Over, The Two Lives of Lydia Bird, or In Five Years.“
Release date: May 4th, 2021
Ariadne by Jennifer Saint
Genre: Mythology/Retelling
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“A mesmerising retelling of the ancient Greek myth of Theseus and the Minotaur. Perfect for fans of CIRCE, A SONG OF ACHILLES, and THE SILENCE OF THE GIRLS.”
Release date: May 4th, 2021
A Special Place for Women by Laura Hankin
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
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“It’s a club like no other. Only the most important women receive an invitation. But one daring young reporter is about to infiltrate this female-run secret society, whose beguiling members are caught up in a dark and treacherous business.”
Release date: May 11th, 2021
Mary Jane by Jessica Anya Blau
Genre: Historical Fiction/Young Adult
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“”Almost Famous” meets Daisy Jones and the Six in this funny, wise, and tender novel about a fourteen-year-old girl’s coming of age in 1970s Baltimore, caught between her strait-laced family and the progressive family she nannies for—who happen to be secretly hiding a famous rock star and his movie star wife for the summer.”
Release date: May 11th, 2021
That Summer by Jennifer Weiner
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
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“From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Big Summer comes another timely and deliciously twisty novel of intrigue, secrets, and the transformative power of female friendship, set on beautiful Cape Cod.”
Release date: May 11th, 2021
The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
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“Hailed as breathtakingly suspenseful, Jean Hanff Korelitz’s The Plot is a propulsive read about a story too good not to steal, and the writer who steals it.”
Release date: May 11th, 2021
People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry
Genre: Contemporary Romance
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“Two best friends. Ten summer trips. One last chance to fall in love. From the New York Times bestselling author of Beach Read, a sparkling new novel that will leave you with the warm, hazy afterglow usually reserved for the best vacations.”
Release date: May 11th, 2021
Tokyo Ever After by Emiko Jean
Genre: YA Contemporary/Romance
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“Izumi Tanaka has never really felt like she fit in—it isn’t easy being Japanese American in her small, mostly white, northern California town. But then Izzy discovers a clue to her previously unknown father’s identity…and he’s none other than the Crown Prince of Japan. Izzy soon finds herself caught between worlds, and between versions of herself—back home, she was never “American” enough, and in Japan, she must prove she’s ‘Japanese’ enough. Will Izumi crumble under the weight of the crown, or will she live out her fairytale, happily ever after?”
Release date: May 18th, 2021
The Hunting Wives by May Cobb
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
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“The Hunting Wives share more than target practice, martinis, and bad behavior in this novel of obsession, seduction, and murder.”
Release date: May 18th, 2021
Yes, Daddy by Jonathan Parks-Ramage
Genre: Contemporary Fiction/Suspense
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“A propulsive, scorching modern gothic, Yes, Daddy follows an ambitious young man who is lured by an older, successful playwright into a dizzying world of wealth and an idyllic Hamptons home where things take a nightmarish turn.”
Release date: May 18th, 2021
The Summer Job by Lizzy Dent
Genre: Contemporary Romance
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“Have you ever imagined running away from your life? Well Birdy Finch didn’t just imagine it. She did it. And the life she’s run into? Her best friend, Heather’s. Can Birdy carry off a summer at a luxury Scottish hotel pretending to be her best friend (who incidentally is a world-class wine expert)? [The Summer Job is] a snort-out-loud romcom for fans of The Flatshare.”
Release date: May 18th, 2021
Local Woman Missing by Mary Kubica
GenreL Mystery/Thriller
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“In this smart and chilling thriller, master of suspense and New York Times bestselling author Mary Kubica takes domestic secrets to a whole new level, showing that some people will stop at nothing to keep the truth buried.”
Release date: May 18th, 2021
The First Day of Spring by Nancy Tucker
Genre: Fiction/Thriller/Drama
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“Chrissie is eight and she has a secret: she has just killed a boy. Chrissie rules the roost — she’s the best at wall-walking, she knows how to get free candy, and now she has a feeling of power that she never gets at home, where food is scarce and attention scarcer. Twenty years later, adult Chrissie is living in hiding under a changed name. A single mother, all she wants is for her daughter to have the childhood she herself was denied. That’s why the threatening phone calls are so terrifying. People are looking for them, the past is catching up.”
Release date: May 18th, 2021
The Ivies by Alexa Donne
Genre: YA Thriller
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“Alexa Donne delivers a nail-biting and timely thriller about teens who will stop at nothing to get into the college of their dreams. Too bad no one told them murder isn’t an extracurricular.”
Release date: May 25th, 2021
The Guncle by Stephen Rowley
Genre: Contemporary Fiction/Humor
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“From the bestselling author of Lily and the Octopus and The Editor comes a warm and deeply funny novel about a once-famous gay sitcom star whose unexpected family tragedy leaves him with his niece and nephew for the summer.”
Release date: May 25th, 2021
The Kingdoms by Natasha Pulley
Genre: Fantasy/Historical Fiction/Sci-Fi
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“For fans of The 7 ½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle and David Mitchell, a genre bending, time twisting alternative history that asks whether it’s worth changing the past to save the future, even if it costs you everyone you’ve ever loved.”
Release date: May 25th, 2021
You Will Remember Me by Hannah Mary McKinnon
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
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“Lily Reid thinks she knows her boyfriend, Jack. Until he goes missing one night, and her frantic search reveals that he’s been lying to her since they met, desperate to escape a dark past he’d purposely left behind. Shared fates intertwine in a twisty, explosive novel of suspense, where unearthing the past might just mean being buried beneath it.”
Release date: May 25th, 2021
Click here to view my full list of new book releases in May 2021.
I hope this list has helped you narrow down which new book releases you’re most excited about this month. Stay healthy and keep on 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!