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What are the hottest upcoming 2021 new book releases you don’t want to miss this year? Uncover the most anticipated new books publishing in 2021.
Although I love finding older books that I missed, nothing is better than getting in front of the hype for a new book release. No one wants to be unfashionably late to the party… Or, boozy book club.
Plus, with so many new and upcoming 2021 book releases, how do you choose?
The upcoming 2021 new book releases won’t disappoint. I’m sharing the year’s hottest titles that I am most excited for — and think TUL readers will love, too.
Some of these upcoming book releases might top the bestseller charts. Others will remain more hidden gems.
All of 2021’s newest books will inspire and transport you to different lives, times, and destinations. The Uncorked Librarian focuses on diverse books to inspire travel.
We’ll frequently update this 2021 booklist. Be sure to check back, and join our mailing list & 2021 Reading Challenge. Let’s get started!
Don’t miss our lists by month, too, with even more of 2021’s best new books:
January 2021 Book Releases | February 2021 New Books | March’s 2021 Book Releases | April’s Upcoming Books | May’s Hottest New Releases
Winter’s Most-Anticipated 2021 Book Releases
*Books marked with an asterisk are upcoming 2021 new book releases and ARCs that we requested in exchange for a fair and honest review or were freely gifted/offered by the author or publisher.
Please remember that for all upcoming book releases, publishing dates are subject to change.
January’s Newest Books
Your Story, My Story by Connie Palmen (Translated by Eileen J. Stevens & Anna Asbury)
Biographical Fiction
Expected Publication: January 1, 2021
TUL Rating: 4.5 Stars
I grabbed a copy of My Story, Your Story from Amazon’s December First Reads. Palmen tells a fictionalized story of Ted Hughes’s fiery and manic relationship with Sylvia Plath –through his eyes. Amazon | Goodreads | Read More→
Our Darkest Night by Jennifer Robson
WWII Historical Fiction Set In Italy
Expected Release Date: January 5, 2021
Antonina Mazin has one chance to survive when the Nazis invade Italy. She leaves Venice to hide in the countryside with Nico Gerardi. They pretend that they are married to survive, but is it convincing enough to save them? Are they hiding secrets from each other? Amazon | Goodreads
Lore by Alexandra Bracken
YA Greek & Roman Fantasy Set In NYC
Expected Release: January 5, 2021
One of the 2021 new book releases that looks amazing in mythological fantasy includes Bracken’s Lore. As punishment for their rebellion, nine Greek gods are banished to earth as mortals. Blood descendants hunt the gods hoping to gain their powers. Amazon | Goodreads
The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins
Gothic Southern Thriller & Women’s Fiction | Book Set In Alabama
Expected Release Date: January 5, 2021
Jane pursues the wealthy and recently widowed Eddie Rochester. However, his wife just won’t stay buried, and Jane’s worried that she won’t measure up. Will Jane get caught with her own schemes? Amazon | Goodreads
Nick by Michael Farris Smith
World War 1 Pre-Classic Gatsby ‘Retelling’
Expected Release Date: January 5, 2021
Before moving to Gatsby’s West Egg, Nick Carraway fights in WW1. Returning home, he heads to Paris and New Orleans where he finds alcohol, romance, and heartbreak. Amazon | Goodreads
People Like Her by Ellery Lloyd
Social Media Thriller Set In London
Expected Publication: January 12, 2021*
TUL Rating: 3.75 Stars
One of the first 2021 new book releases I’ve read, People Like Her will creep you out if you are a blogger and Instagrammer like me. InstaMom Emmy Jackson is a popular mom influencer. Her popularity isn’t always good, though, and she seems to have a revenge-seeking stalker… Amazon | Goodreads | Read More→
Waiting For The Night Song by Julie Carrick Dalton
Literary Fiction Set In New Hampshire
Expected Publication: January 12, 2021*
TUL Rating: 3 Stars
Waiting For The Night Song has been compared to Where The Crawdads Sing. Cadie Kessler must face a dark childhood secret while trying to protect the people and places that she loves. If you love nature and forestry, you’ll love spending a youthful summer in New Hampshire. Amazon | Goodreads | Read More→
Beauty Among Ruins by J’nell Ciesielski
WW1 Historical Romance Set In Scotland
Expected Publication: January 12, 2021*
TUL Rating: 5 Stars
A Beauty and the Beast retelling set in Scotland during the Great War. Watch as a socialite attempts to save a crumbling castle and its brooding owner while helping soldiers heal. Amazon | Goodreads | Read More
Worried you missed 2020’s best books? Head over to our Best Of 2020 book list to see which books we devoured.
Concrete Rose by Angie Thomas
YA 20th Century Historical Fiction Set In Mississippi
Expected Release Date: January 12, 2021
One of the YA 2021 new book releases that I am most anticipating is Thomas’s Concrete Rose. Set 17 years prior to the events in The Hate U Give, Maverick Carter deals drugs for the King Lords to support his family. At 17 and now with a child of his own on the way, he decides that he wants to forge a new path. Amazon | Goodreads
The Children’s Train by Viola Ardone & Translated by Clarissa Botsford
WW2 Historical Fiction Set In Italy
Expected Publication: January 12, 2021
Inspired by true events, this upcoming 2021 WW2 book release shares the story of children sent from poverty-stricken southern Italy to the north. With a chance at a better future and a safer winter, Amerigo decides to become a permanent part of his new adoptive family, leaving behind his biological family. Amazon | Goodreads
Yellow Wife by Sadeqa Johnson
Historical Fiction Set In Virginia
Expected Publication: January 12, 2021
Born and raised on a plantation in Virginia, Pheby is set apart from the others because of her mother’s position as a medicine woman. Instead of her promised freedom, though, Pheby finds herself in a cruel jail trying to survive. Amazon | Goodreads
Looking For The Best New Book Releases Straight To Your Inbox?
Never miss a hot new book release again. Pop on our mailing list to get updates on the newest books and join our 2021 Uncorked Reading Challenge — with a printable to encourage diverse reading all year long. Read around the world, and read more with our fun bookish community. Join us here→
Enjoy The View by Sarah Morgenthaler
Rom-Com Set In Alaska | Book 3
Expected Publication: January 19, 2021*
TUL Rating: 4 Stars
Last year, I fell in love with Morgenthaler’s Moose Spring series, The Tourist Attraction and Mistletoe & Mr. Right. While you should consider reading the entire series, you don’t have to in order to pick up any of the novels. River Lane is set to film a documentary in Moose Springs, Alaska. Of course, this is Moose Springs and locals vs tourists have always been a thing. What happens when River begins falling for one of the GIANT locals with an even bigger heart? Amazon | Goodreads | Read More→
You can see 20 top January 2021 upcoming new book releases here.
The Ardent Swarm by Yamen Manai
Translated by Lara Vergnaud
Book Set In North Africa | Translated Literature
Expected Translated Publication: February 1, 2021
Original French Publication: 2017
TUL’s Rating: 5 Stars
An allegory set in North Africa, watch as a lovable beekeeper tries to save his bees from murder hornets as his country struggles with their first democratic elections. A brilliant and powerful short read. Amazon | Goodreads | Book Information→
The Removed by Brandon Hobson
Inspired by Cherokee Folklore | Book Of The Month | Book Set In Oklahoma
February 2, 2021
TUL Rating: 4 Stars
A somber and obscure yet beautiful novel, Hobson tells the horrific tale of how soldiers brutally removed Cherokee families from the land. After Ray-Ray is murdered at the hands of a racist police officer, his family cannot overcome their grief and addiction. Amazon | Goodreads | Book Information→
February’s Newest & Hottest Books
The Four Winds By Kristin Hannah
Historical Fiction Set In Texas
Expected Release Date: February 2, 2021
It’s 1934 in Texas during the Great Depression and Dust Bowl Era. Elsa Martinelli must decide if she’ll stay at fight or move further out west. Amazon | Goodreads
Four Hundred Souls edited by Ibram X. Kendi & Keisha N. Blain
Black & African American History
Expected Publication: February 2, 2021
Four Hundred Souls is a volume of 90 writers that each talk about 5 years of African American and Black history in a 400-year span. Amazon | Goodreads
This Close To Okay by Leesa-Cross Smith
Southern Fiction Set In Kentucky
Expected Publication: February 2, 2021
Newly divorced Tallie Clark is heading home when she saves a man from jumping off of a bridge. He doesn’t know that she is a therapist. Told through both of their perspectives, these two strangers help each other through a powerful weekend. Amazon | Goodreads
The Project by Courtney Summers
YA Thriller Set In Upstate New York
Expected Publication: February 2, 2021*
TUL Rating: 5 Stars
You know me and cult fiction…When their parents die, Lo’s sister Bea joins The Unity Project — a cult disguised as a seemingly charitable organization. Can Lo expose the group or will she fall under its leader’s charm? This is fast-paced thriller with an ending that’s expected but still shocking. Amazon | Goodreads | Read More
The Paris Library by Janet Skeslien Charles
WW2 Historical Fiction Set In Paris
Expected Publication: February 9, 2021*
TUL Rating: 4 Stars
Pushed back as a 2021 book release, The Paris Library is based on a true story of a group of librarians that join the French Resistance during WW2. Flash forward to Montana in 1983 to learn more about Odile’s past during the war. If you love librarians, you’ll swoon for The American Library In Paris. Amazon | Goodreads | Book Information→
A Pho Love Story by Loan Le
YA Vietnamese-American Rom-Com
Expected Release Date: February 9, 2021*
My Rating: DNF
Bao Nguyen works at his parent’s pho restaurant and considers himself pretty average. Linh Mai is the exact opposite and would love to pursue a career in art instead of working for her family’s pho restaurant. The two restaurants are rivals, but what happens with these teenagers fall for each other? Amazon | Goodreads
The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna
YA Fantasy Set In/Inspired by West Africa
Expected Release: February 9, 2021*
TUL Rating: 5 Stars
One of the most-anticipated fantasy 2021 new book releases, Deka fails her blood ceremony. She must decide if she wants to accept a fate worse than death or fight for the emperor in an army of young women. Feminism meets fantasy in a thrilling new series. One of my favorite of 2021, so far. Amazon | Goodreads | Book Information→
The Paris Dressmaker by Kristy Cambron
WW2 Historical Fiction Set In Paris
Expected Publication: February 16, 2021
Head to Paris in 2021 WWII book release, The Paris Dressmaker. Based on true accounts of how Parisiennes resisted the Nazis, meet two women fighting in the war effort through the fashion of the elite. Amazon | Goodreads
The Kitchen Front by Jennifer Ryan
WW2 Historical Fiction Set In England
Expected Release Date: February 23, 2021
Four women compete for a spot to host a WW2 cooking program sponsored by BBC, The Kitchen Front. Watch as a young widow, kitchen maid, lady of the manor, and trained chef compete to better their lives. Amazon | Goodreads
While Paris Slept by Ruth Druart
WW2 Historical Fiction Set In CA and Paris
Expected Release Date: February 23, 2021
Set in 1953 Santa Cruz and 1944 Paris and told through two different perspectives, a young Jewish woman pushes a baby into the arms of a railroad worker. Their lives are forever changed. Amazon | Goodreads
Uncover all of February’s most-anticipated new books.
March 2021 New Book Releases To Love
The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner
Historical Fiction Set In London
Expected Publication: March 2, 2021*
In 18th-century London, Nella sells secret poisons to women who need protection from abusive and oppressive men. In present-day London, Caroline receives a clue to the historic and unsolved apothecary murders. Amazon | Goodreads | Book Information
Klara And The Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro
Contemporary Fiction
Expected Release: March 2, 2021
Klara is an Artificial Friend — a human-like robot designed for a child. When she goes home with Josie, who is ill, Klara asks the sun to help. Amazon | Goodreads
The Soul Of A Woman by Isabel Allende
Nonfiction Feminist Theory and Memoir
Expected Release: March 2, 2021
Watching her mother raise three children alone and growing up in the 1960’s second wave of feminism, Allende hopes to light a fire for women today about how to love, live, and have control over their lives. Amazon | Goodreads
Later by Stephen King
Paranormal Thriller Set In New York
Expected Publication: March 2, 2021
Jamie has the ability to see and learns things that others cannot. An NYPD detective draws Jamie into a case, forcing him to grow up more quickly. Amazon | Goodreads
The Rose Code by Kate Quinn
WWII Historical Fiction Set Across Europe
Expected Release Date: March 9, 2021*
One of our most-anticipated WWII 2021 new book releases, The Rose Code follows three women recruited to help crack German military codes. War and betrayals test their friendship. When the women reunite, they must crack one more code as Britain prepares for a royal wedding. Amazon | Goodreads | Book Information
How Beautiful We Were by Imbolo Mbue
Cultural Heritage Fiction Set In Africa
Expected Publication: March 9, 2021
Pushed back from 2020, the land in the (fictional) African village of Kosawa is destroyed by an American oil company. Watch as the people of Kosawa fight back against corruption and colonialism. Amazon | Goodreads
Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley
Multicultural YA
Expected Release Date: March 16, 2021*
After witnessing a murder, Daunis goes undercover for the FBI. She finds herself torn apart from her community, the Ojibwe reservation, her crush on Jaime, and a potentially deceiving and harmful investigation. Amazon | Goodreads | Read More
Eternal by Lisa Scottoline
World War 2 Historical Fiction Set In Italy
Expected Publication: March 23, 2021
Three best friends – Elisabetta, Marco, and Sandro – and all that they know is tested when the Nazis invade Rome. Spanning across decades, watch as anti-Semitism and fascism penetrate the streets of Italy and the effects of war on friendships and families. Amazon | Goodreads
See all 18 of our Most-Anticipated March Books.
Looking For The Best New Book Releases Straight To Your Inbox?
Never miss a hot new book release again. Pop on our mailing list to get updates on the newest books and join our 2021 Uncorked Reading Challenge — with a printable to encourage diverse reading all year long. Read around the world, and read more with our fun bookish community. Join us here→
Spring’s Most-Anticipated Upcoming 2021 New Book Releases
April’s Books To Look Out For
The Perfect Marriage by Adam Mitzner
Domestic Thriller Set In NYC
Publication: April 1, 2021
TUL Rating: 3 Stars
A Whodunit domestic thriller, James and Jessica Sommers know that they have the perfect marriage. Too bad they cheated on their spouses to make it happen. Now karma or one ticked-off person is out to get them. The suspects are quite plentiful. Amazon | Goodreads | Read More
The Elephant of Belfast by S. Kirk Walsh
WW2 Historical Fiction Set In Ireland
Expected Release Date: April 6, 2021
Inspired by Denise Austin, meet Irish zookeeper, Hettie Quin. Hettie works for the Bellevue Zoo in Belfast. With the 1941 German blitz of the city, Hettie is determined to save her elephant. Amazon | Goodreads
The Venice Sketchbook by Rhys Bowen
WWII Historical Fiction Set In Italy
Expected Release Date: April 13, 2021
Caroline Grant heads to Venice, Italy to scatter her great-aunt, Lettie’s, ashes. Lettie arrived in Venice in the late 1930s hoping to connect with the man she loved. Unfortunately, his future was already set. Armed with three keys and a sketchbook, Caroline learns more about her great-aunt as well as herself. Amazon | Goodreads
Whereabouts by Jhumpa Lahiri
Translated Literature
Expected Release: April 27, 2021*
The first novel Lahiri has written in Italian and translated into English, explore the story of an everyday woman who receives a change of perspective. Lahiri’s The Namesake is one of my all-time favorite books. Amazon | Goodreads | Read More
Grab all of the April 2021 Book Releases We Think You’ll Love.
May’s Books To Love
The Most Beautiful Girl In Cuba by Chanel Cleeton
Biographical Historical Fiction Set In Cuba
Expected Release Date: May 4, 2021*
Inspired by true events and the infamous life of Evangelina Cisneros, watch as three revolutionary women fight for freedom. Cisneros is wrongfully imprisoned in a women’s jail, and an American reporter works to set her free. Amazon | Goodreads
Arsenic And Adobo by Mia P Manansala
Suspense & Filipino-American Mystery
Expected Release: May 4, 2021
What happens when your ex-boyfriend/food critic ends up dead after a confrontation? Can Lila clear her name and save her aunt’s struggling restaurant? Amazon | Goodreads
Gilded Age Cocktails by Cecelia Tichi
Nonfiction Cocktail Recipe Book & U.S. History
Expected Release May 4, 2021*
Learn the history behind the cocktails, their patrons, and the bartenders during the Gilded Age in the United States. Amazon | Goodreads
People We Meet On Vacation by Emily Henry
Rom-Com Set In NYC
Expected Release May 11, 2021*
From the author of Beach Read, even though she has her dream travel job, Poppy isn’t happy. Can Poppy repair her relationship with Alex and find travel inspiring once again? Amazon | Goodreads
Grab our Complete May 2021 Book Releases Reading List Here.
More Upcoming 2021 New Book Releases
The One Hundred Years Of Lenni And Margot by Marianne Cronin
Women’s Friendship Fiction
Expected Publication: June 1, 2021
Doctors tell seventeen-year-old Lenni that she is dying. Lenni lives in the Terminal Ward at the Glasgow Princess Royal Hospital and meets 83-year-old Margot in an arts and crafts class. Both are determined to leave their mark on the world before they die. Amazon | Goodreads
Save This Post For Later
What upcoming 2021 new book releases are you most anticipating?
What new books you are most looking forward to? If you read advanced copies, tell us what you are reading. What can we add to our radar?
Loving These 2021 New Book Releases? Don’t Miss:
Join Our Uncorked 2021 Reading Challenge
Most-Anticipated 2021 WW2 Fiction
Best New Books Of 2020
Upcoming 2021 Book Releases By Month
January Books
February’s Releases
March New Books
April’s Book Releases
May 2021 Book Releases
Thanks for the great post! I love seeing what’s going to be released. There’s so many great ones, how can I possibly pick?? I hope Santa brings me some gift certificates :). I’m definitely looking foward to diving into many of these. Thanks again!
Yes, I hope Santa brings me some gift certificates, too, and a BOTM renewal lol! Happy Holidays, and Happy Reading.
Great list of 2021 book releases! I’m looking forward to Act Your Age, Eve Brown by Talia Hibbert. Her Brown Sisters books have been among my most favorite books in 2019 and 2020. I think you’d like them, too 🙂
I’ll have to check them out. Thanks so much for the book recommendations. Cheers to 2021!
Wow, so many amazing sounding books coming out next year. I am so glad you share these lists, as I don’t entirely pay a ton of attention to new releases so I might have missed hearing about some of these. I will have to add a few of these to my TBR. I’m looking forward to checking back later and seeing what new releases for the second half of the year look like.
Yes! I will definitely add the new books as they come, too. I try not to get too far ahead with the new book releases just because the further out you go this early on, the more the dates change (I learned this the hard way last year lol). I’m going to try to add a few more summer and fall ones this week, though. I want to know what to look for ASAP. Thanks so much!
I’m so excited for all of this – so much to add to my list! I’ve read The Gilded Ones and LOVED IT. I feel like I waited forever for it?! The other one I read was A Pho Love Story. My dad’s Viet/Chinese so I felt all of this and the writing was UH-MAZING. Shared it with all of my cousins 🙂
But now there’s a bunch of 2021 books I have to request Arcs for!
I just started A Pho Love Story — but so far, I sadly have not been able to get into it — ek! It feels a bit younger than I was expecting, and I’m not sure the characters are fleshed out enough, for me. I am glad that you loved it, though. It’s a super cute plot. AND PHO!
2021 has a ton of fabulous books! Happy reading!