16 must-read books to look out for in 2021

There’s never not a good time to pick up a book. For many, reading is an escape —and a soothing break from staring at our phone, computer, and TV screens all day. The first half of 2021 brought us tons of great stories like Christina McDonald’s heart-racing novel Do No Harm and Emily Henry’s slow-burn romance People We Meet on Vacation, and there’s a lot more where that came from!

Whether you’re on the lookout for a murder mystery/thriller that’ll keep you on the edge of your seat, or in the mood for something completely opposite like a tear-jerking, swoony love story, or even a novel that’ll teleport you to another decade or country, we’ve got you covered. Plus, books always make for a great gift. So if you want to do a little birthday or early holiday shopping, or you just want to treat someone in your life to a good read, now’s the chance!

Here are 16 forthcoming 2021 book titles to pre-order now.

The Lost and Found Necklace by Louisa Leaman

Amazon

Jess is in a pickle. Though she’s more than ready to settle down and begin a life with her boyfriend, Jess’s ill grandmother has a different plan for her: Find and return their family heirloom necklace, which is known for playing cupid’s arrow. Luckily, tracking down the necklace isn’t all too difficult. Except, the only way the current owner will hand it over is if Jess agrees to go on a date with him first. She’s already found her future husband, so there’s no harm in saying yes to a friendly dinner—right?

On sale: July 13

$16.99

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Kill All Your Darlings by David Bell

Amazon

When English professor Connor Nye’s student disappears and leaves behind her manuscript depicting a thrilling murder case, he jumps on the opportunity to pass it off as his own. And it works! But things quickly take a turn for the worse when readers and authorities come to learn the novel is actually recounting the story of an unsolved sexual harassment case that happened on his campus… and Connor is depicted in the book. Then, the missing student reappears, demanding justice for not only her work, but the victims in her novel, too.

On sale: July 6

$23.49

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The Other Passenger by Louise Candlish

Amazon

Jamie Buckby and his good friend and neighbor, Kit Roper, take the 7:30 AM commuter ferry to work together every morning. In fact, they’re seat buddies. So when Kit doesn’t show one morning and his wife says he’s gone missing, Jamie is perplexed. He just saw him last night on the ride home. Then another passenger comes forward and alerts police they saw Kit and Jamie in a scuffle while departing the ferry the night prior.

On sale: July 20

$14.49

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So We Meet Again by Suzanne Park

Amazon

Jess Kim is over her high-brow legal job and arrogant coworkers, so she leaves for good (and with no backup plan). Soon enough, she finds herself living under her mom’s roof starting a Korean cooking YouTube channel with Daniel Choi, a young man her mom tried to previously set her up with. Before she knows it, Jess has gone viral and has interest in being bought out by a larger corporation. When it comes time to settle the deal, she finds Daniel sitting opposite of her as the law firm’s new head legal counsel. Oh, and it’s the same firm she up and left prior.

On sale: August 3

$13.99

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In My Dreams I Hold a Knife by Ashley Winstead

Amazon

It’s Duquette University’s homecoming weekend and Jessica Miller has an agenda: Convince everyone she’s the best she’s ever been—a complete 180 from the last time they saw her, which was right after student Heather Shelby was killed. Heather’s murder still hasn’t been found, and those returning to their old college stomping grounds aren’t ready to let it go. Their late best friend deserves justice and that’s exactly what they’ll fight for, no matter who tries to stop them.

On sale: August 3

$22.99

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The Show Girl by Nicola Harrison

Amazon

Olive McCormick is trading in her Midwestern suburban lifestyle for the glitz and glam of New York City, where she lands a spot in the Ziegfeld Follies. Everything seems to be going her way when she meets the wealthy Archie Carmichael. He loves her and supports her ambitions, so of course she says yes when he pops the question. But as time passes in their engagement Archie begins to change, and Olive will have some tough decisions to make.

On sale: August 10

$22.49

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The Last Mona Lisa by Jonathan Santlofer

Amazon

Luke Perrone is a true art connoisseur and is on the hunt to dig up as much information as possible on Vincent Peruggia, his ancestor who was involved in the 1911 Mona Lisa art heist. Luke’s persistent search only leads him into the hands of an INTERPOL detective. Lucky for him, this detective needs a win under her belt and may or may not also find Luke extremely charming. It’s the two of them versus the underground world of art thieves and con artists.

On sale: August 17

$27.99

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The Bennet Women by Eden Appiah-Kubi

Amazon

Meet EJ, a young Black woman craving to make her mark in the engineering field; language arts and theater student Jamie, who is a newly out trans woman; and Filipina student Tessa, who’s current love story is clearly not written in the stars, even despite her being an astronomy major. This forthcoming title follows the lives of three women at the elite Longbourn University and their journey to love, feminism, and self-discovery.

On sale: September 1

$9.99

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Paper Doll Lina by Robyn Lucas

Amazon

The Henry family comes across as your picture-perfect, cookie-cutter family next door, but that’s far from the reality. Lina is stuck in an abusive marriage and her husband, David, takes his anger out on Lina without hesitation. To save her and her children’s lives, she’ll need to escape. But first, she’ll need to establish a plan with the help of a reacquainted friend and a new man she’s begun to grow close to.

On sale: September 1

$10.99

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In Every Mirror She’s Black by Lolá Ákínmádé Åkerström

Amazon

What do marketing exec Kemi Adeyemi, flight attendant Brittany-Rae Johnson, and cleaning staff personnel and Somali refugee Muna Saheed all have in common? They all know marketing firm CEO Jonny von Lundin, who lives and breathes for wealth and fame. Follow these women as they look to rebuild their individual lives in Jonny’s country, Sweden, and as they illustrate “what it means to be a Black woman navigating a white-dominated society.”

On sale: September 7

$21.49

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The Night She Disappeared by Lisa Jewell

Amazon

At a wild, massive college party gone wrong, a woman and her boyfriend go missing. Fast forward one year later, and a writer moves into a quaint home situated on the outskirts of the woods that lead to the house that hosted the party the year prior. While on a walk to refresh her writer’s brain, she finds a crumpled note that says, “DIG HERE.”

On sale: September 7

$22.49

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In Another Light by A.J. Banner

Amazon

What would you do if you saw your doppelgänger—and in a mortuary, at that? As a mortuary cosmetologist, Phoebe is used to being around dead people. But when the body of Pauline Steele arrives, Phoebe lost for words. The woman she’s looking at looks just like her, including a tattoo with an unsettling familiarity. Then, while organizing Pauline’s personals, an old tattered photo of Phoebe is uncovered. How does Pauline know Phoebe, and why was her photograph on her when she passed?

On sale: October 5

$10.99

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Grace Reservations by Cherie Priest

Amazon

Travel agent by day and psychic by night Leda Foley and Seattle PD detective Grady Merritt are an unlikely duo, but together they may have the charm and wits to find Leda’s fiancé’s unknown murderer—the very case Grady has been trying to crack for years. Grady doesn’t know everything about Leda (like the fact that she was engaged to the victim) and the two are about to find out just how intertwined their lives really are.

On sale: October 26

$26.00

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A Certain Appeal by Vanessa King

Amazon

Liz Bennet wasn’t looking for love when she joined Manhattan’s elite burlesque venue, but she can’t help the heat and butterflies she feels after catching Will Darcy’s eyes on her from across the room. As cupid and fate would have it, they run into each other at their best friends’ engagement party. Liz takes this as a sign—that is, until unfavorable claims are made about Will. Liz will have to decide whether the rumors are just that or if she should fall into the sultry temptation that is Will Darcy.

On sale: November 2

$16.00

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Everything We Didn’t Say by Nicole Baart

Amazon.com

College-aged Juniper Baker couldn’t bear to stay in her hometown after her brother was pinned as the prime suspect in their neighbors’ murder. It’s been 15 years since she came home, and now she’s back. However, she’s only visiting and only for a short time, and only to visit her daughter… And to finally rehash the Murphy murder mysteries. When history starts to repeat itself, Juniper will have to force herself to do anything but run away (again). Her daughter’s life depends on it.

On sale: November 2

$17.00

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Smile and Look Pretty by Amanda Pellegrino

Amazon

Best friends and assistants Cate, Lauren, Olivia, and Max all work for the wealthiest and most powerful men in entertainment. Exhausted and fed up with the way their bosses treat them and other female employees, they create a blog under incognito usernames to vent about their toxic workplace. Here’s the thing: They’re not the only women who have been taken for granted by a man in power. As their little blog gains popularity among women who feel the same, their real-life identities face jeopardy.

On sale: December 28

$14.99

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