Monday, May 11, 2026

The best new books according to readers

 
Readworthy by BookBub
This Month’s Best New Reader Favorites
What are readers saying about the buzziest books of the month? We’ve rounded up their top-rated picks — including a highly anticipated new novel from Elizabeth Strout, a page-turning whodunit, and more!
 
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Book cover for John of John by Douglas Stuart
‘One of 2026’s literary triumphs’ (The Boston Globe) is wowing readers everywhere
WHY IT’S READWORTHY:
  • Oprah’s latest book club pick comes highly anticipated by The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, Time, and more
  • Returning to his home on a remote Scottish island, John-Calum becomes caught between his desires and his religious father’s expectations
  • “So immersive, so all-encompassing, that I felt like I was living in it” (Ann Patchett)
Learn more...
Media mentions for John of John by Douglas Stuart MEDIA MENTIONS: Oprah's Book Club, The New Yorker, Time Magazine, NPR, CBS Mornings, The New York Times/The New York Times Book Review, Oprah Daily, People, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Associated Press, Vogue, Elle, Vulture, Los Angeles Times, The Times, Indie Next List, Library Reads, Publishers Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, Library Journal, Booklist, Literary Hub
GET EBOOK ON:
Amazon Other formats and retailers
Book cover for The Things We Never Say by Elizabeth Strout
The Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Olive Kitteridge is back — and readers are calling this her best yet
WHY IT’S READWORTHY:
  • Artie, a profoundly lonely high school teacher, finds his world upended by a shocking secret…
  • Readers say: “Strout captures the unique loneliness that comes with being known but not truly seen in Artie. The story sticks with you”
  • “Let’s hope that this fine author continues steadily along her path, delivering unto her loyal readers story upon story, gift upon gift” (The Guardian)
Learn more...
Media mentions for The Things We Never Say by Elizabeth Strout MEDIA MENTIONS: Time Magazine, The New York Times/The New York Times Book Review, Oprah Daily, The Atlantic, People, Financial Times, Town & Country, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, The Guardian, The Boston Globe, Indie Next List, Publishers Weekly, Booklist, Literary Hub
GET EBOOK ON:
Amazon Other formats and retailers
Book cover for Homebound by Portia Elan
Glowing reviews are pouring in for this sweeping GMA Book Club pick
WHY IT’S READWORTHY:
  • Readers say: “It’s inventive, original, [and] powerful… It makes you ask what it really means to feel connected”
  • Four lives across centuries are intertwined by a mysterious story saved onto a floppy disk in the 1980s
  • Take it from Madeline Miller: “Powerful and clear-eyed, it kept me up all night!”
Learn more...
Media mentions for Homebound by Portia Elan MEDIA MENTIONS: Good Morning America Book Club, Book of the Month, NPR, Locus, New Scientist, People, Town & Country, Harper's Bazaar, Los Angeles Times, San Francisco Chronicle, The Guardian, Indie Next List, Publishers Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, Library Journal, Booklist, Literary Hub
GET EBOOK ON:
Amazon Other formats and retailers
Book cover for A Deadly Episode by Anthony Horowitz
A fan-favorite mystery author pens a ‘brilliant’ new whodunit (Publishers Weekly)
WHY IT’S READWORTHY:
  • Hollywood has finally come knocking — but as the movie adaptation of Hawthorne and Horowitz’s first case begins to film, the star is murdered…
  • Readers say: “Horowitz, as usual, delivers superior dialogue and pairs it with a great plot that offers enough twists to keep the audience on its toes”
  • A must-read for anyone who loves classic British mysteries
Learn more...
Media mentions for A Deadly Episode by Anthony Horowitz MEDIA MENTIONS: NPR, The New York Times/The New York Times Book Review, The Times, Publishers Weekly
GET EBOOK ON:
Amazon Other formats and retailers
Book cover for Summer State of Mind by Kristy Woodson Harvey
Booklovers are raving about this poignant tale that’s perfect for your beach bag
WHY IT’S READWORTHY:
  • Searching for a fresh start, burned-out nurse Daisy arrives in a coastal North Carolina town — but when she rescues an abandoned baby, her world turns upside down
  • “With wonderfully memorable characters and surprises around every corner” (New York Times bestselling author Marie Bostwick)
  • Readers say: “It’s an emotional story that may find you reaching for some Kleenex. I couldn’t put it down!”
Learn more...
Media mentions for Summer State of Mind by Kristy Woodson Harvey MEDIA MENTIONS: Good Morning America, People, Library Journal
GET EBOOK ON:
Amazon Other formats and retailers
Book cover for Redbelly Crossing by Candice Fox
This gritty procedural is guaranteed to keep you guessing until the very end
WHY IT’S READWORTHY:
  • In a small Australian town, a dysfunctional family of police detectives must unravel a young journalist’s high-profile murder
  • From an author who counts Lee Child, James Patterson, and Harlan Coben among her many fans
  • Readers say: “Its intriguing interplay between characters, and numerous surprising revelations, make for a truly absorbing read”
Learn more...
Media mentions for Redbelly Crossing by Candice Fox MEDIA MENTIONS: Book of the Month, Kirkus Reviews, Booklist
GET EBOOK ON:
Amazon Other formats and retailers
Book cover for Extra Sauce by Zahra Tangorra
An unforgettable memoir that’s capturing readers’ hearts
WHY IT’S READWORTHY:
  • A beloved Brooklyn chef and writer looks back on her life — moments rich and messy — through the lens of memorable meals and meaningful loves
  • Readers say: “The words and stories are delicious, as are the recipes that accompany many of the chapters”
  • “Reading this book is like sitting down with [a] friend who always has a rollicking, tragicomic story to tell” (The New York Times Book Review)
Learn more...
Media mentions for Extra Sauce by Zahra Tangorra MEDIA MENTIONS: The New York Times/The New York Times Book Review, Eater, Publishers Weekly, Booklist
GET EBOOK ON:
Amazon Other formats and retailers
Book cover for The Island Club by Nicola Harrison
Calling all fans of Taylor Jenkins Reid!
WHY IT’S READWORTHY:
  • At a tennis club, the lives of three disparate women — a wife in a crumbling marriage, a society matriarch in trouble, and a loner with dark secrets — dramatically intertwine
  • With rave reviews from Kristy Woodson Harvey, Steven Rowley, and Fiona Davis, who calls it “a beautifully written, nuanced story that explores the power of female friendship”
  • Readers say: “I was still smiling when I finished reading, and I know this is one book I will never forget!”
Learn more...
Media mentions for The Island Club by Nicola Harrison MEDIA MENTION: People
GET EBOOK ON:
Amazon Other formats and retailers
Book cover for The Radiant Dark by Alexandra Oliva
A stunning speculative novel that readers can’t stop thinking about
WHY IT’S READWORTHY:
  • As human researchers begin communication with a far-off alien civilization, generations of the Girard family seek meaning amid the knowledge that we’re not alone
  • Wild Dark Shore meets Arrival in this “atmospheric, imaginative, and riveting” tale (Adriana Trigiani)
  • Readers say: “If you’re looking for a beautiful commentary on family, mother-daughter relationships, and growing up, this might totally be for you”
Learn more...
Media mentions for The Radiant Dark by Alexandra Oliva MEDIA MENTIONS: The New York Times/The New York Times Book Review, Locus, New Scientist, People, Parade, Indie Next List, Publishers Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, Booklist, Literary Hub
GET EBOOK ON:
Amazon Other formats and retailers
Book cover for The Midnight Show by Lee Kelly and Jennifer Thorne
Saturday Night Live fans are devouring this immersive page-turner
WHY IT’S READWORTHY:
  • In 1980s Manhattan, comedian Lillian is making waves in a male-dominated field. Forty years later, journalist Madeline decides to reexamine the legend’s unsolved disappearance…
  • “Kelly and Thorne expertly capture the cutthroat world of late-night comedy in juicy, hilarious detail” (Amy Tintera, author of Listen for the Lie)
  • Readers say: “This is possibly one of the few reads for me that really deserves a comparison to Daisy Jones & The Six
Learn more...
Media mentions for The Midnight Show by Lee Kelly and Jennifer Thorne MEDIA MENTIONS: Oprah Daily, People, Publishers Weekly
GET EBOOK ON:
Amazon Other formats and retailers
 
   
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Your ebook bargains for Monday

 
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Your Ebook Deals
 
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The Cuban Heiress
The Cuban Heiress
By Chanel Cleeton
“An unforgettable read that should be at the top of every TBR list” (NPR): In 1934, two women cross paths aboard a luxury cruise from New York to Havana and back — and find their secret pasts colliding. “As soon as I’d finished it, I wanted to read it again. Do not miss this book” (Natasha Lester).
Because you're interested in Bestsellers, Historical Fiction, Women's Fiction, and Literary Fiction  (Edit)
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The Sun Down Motel
The Sun Down Motel
By Simone St. James
A “deliciously creepy” New York Times bestseller (Riley Sager): In 1982, Carly Kirk’s aunt mysteriously vanished from the Sun Down Motel in upstate New York. Decades later, Carly is retracing her steps to discover the truth… An “engrossing” thriller “with myriad surprising twists” (Associated Press) and over 57,000 five-star Goodreads ratings!
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The One Man
The One Man
By Andrew Gross
“An overwhelming, immersive, suspenseful success” (Lee Child): In the midst of World War II, Nathan Blum is selected to break into Auschwitz and rescue Professor Alfred Mendl — a man with knowledge that could change the war. “A winner on all fronts” (Booklist starred review).
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$1.99  $14.99
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The House of Closed Doors
The House of Closed Doors
By Jane Steen
In the 19th-century American Midwest, 17-year-old Nell Lillington is sent away to a farm when she becomes pregnant. There, she uncovers the bodies of another unwed mother and her newborn child — and realizes she might be in danger… With over 4,700 five-star Goodreads ratings.
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You Are Here
You Are Here
By David Nicholls
“The genius who gave us One Day has written another classic” (Matt Haig). To cope with loneliness, Michael wanders aimlessly, while Marnie holes up in her book-filled apartment. But soon the strangers are tossed together on a 10-day hike through England’s rolling hills! “Especially tender, wise, and joyful. I inhaled it” (Jojo Moyes).
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So Far Gone
So Far Gone
By Jess Walter
A “must-read” Vogue Best Book of 2025 (The New York Times) from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Beautiful Ruins: Sexagenarian Rhys lives off the grid in an isolated cabin — until he’s forced back into the real world to save his kidnapped grandchildren! “Warm, funny, loving” (Ann Patchett).
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$1.99  $14.99
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You and Me and Us
You and Me and Us
By Alison Hammer
A “poignant family drama” (Library Journal): After her partner is diagnosed with terminal cancer, working mom Alexis reevaluates her life — and her relationship with her teenage daughter. “Hammer is an expert at both tugging heartstrings and keeping the reader utterly immersed in a world of hope and heartbreak” (Kristin Harmel).
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The Town I Call Home
The Town I Call Home
By Veronica Mixon
An unputdownable small-town mystery that kicks off a series! After his childhood friend is accused of murder, attorney Jackson Taylor returns to the community where he grew up. But the case may reveal the unimaginable secrets of those closest to him…
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The Growing Dark
The Growing Dark
By Mike Kraus with Aiden Cross
An edge-of-your-seat thriller: With a terrifying outbreak spreading fast, Steven, his father, and his son must race across the country to their farm in Virginia, where the rest of their family are in peril…
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Free!  $2.99
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Old Bones
Old Bones
By Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child
While searching the site of the notoriously ill-fated Donner Party, the young curator of an archaeology museum discovers there’s more to the story than anyone knows — leading to a wave of violence that will draw in a rookie FBI agent. From a #1 New York Times bestselling writing team.
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The Whispers
The Whispers
By Heidi Perks
“I couldn’t put it down” (Lisa Jewell). When Anna disappears after a night with her closest friends, Grace is the only one who’s worried. Could someone in their group be hiding something? “I was knocked for six by the twist in this book” (Rosamund Lupton, author of Sister).
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See all 19 deals
 
   
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