10 New Books to Look Forward to in April 2023

Great Books to Anticipate in April 2023: April may not necessarily be the cruelest month when it comes to all the new books that readers around the world are anticipating with bated breaths. From swooning romantic comedies to page-turning thrillers, it has not been easy to pick out the 10 best books to look forward to in April. Here’s hoping we have made the decision easy for you. Happy Reading :  )

1. The Haunting of Alejandra by V. Castro

Genre: Horror, Mythology, Fiction, Adult
Pages: 272
Publisher: Del Rey (April 18, 2023)

This horror novel follows the story of Alejandra, a daughter, wife, and mother who is constantly struggling with a darkness inside her that is haunting her and threatening to consume her. At times, a supernatural vision of a crying woman in white appears in front of her. She visits a therapist and slowly starts to unravel the family histories, heartbreaks, tragedies, and common ancestors that bind her, and all the other women in her family, to the curse of the La Llorona, a popular Mexican legend. This is a heartbreaking story of someone dealing with the debilitating effects of mental health and trying to grow out of everything holding chaining her down to deep pain.

Born in San Antonio, V. Castro was born to Mexican American parents and has been writing horror stories since childhood. She has always been fascinated by Mexican folklore and the urban legends around Texas. She is currently based out of the UK. 

2. City of Dreams by Don Winslow

Genre: Fiction, Crime, Thriller
Pages: 352
Publisher: William Morrow (April 18, 2023)

This is the second novel in the trilogy that features Danny Ryan. The latter is on the run because the mafia, cops, and the FBI all want him dead or rotting in prison. He relocates to California with his father and his little boy in the hope of a new life with peaceful existence, but he is quickly tracked down and forced to return a favor that could define his life or kill him. He also falls in love with a beautiful movie star. As a result, the world of crime meets the glitz of Hollywood, and Danny Ryan must fight for his life in a sweeping tale of love, family, revenge, survival, and the reality behind dreams.

Born in New York City, Don Winslow credits his parents for inspiring him to be a writer. He majored in African history at the University of Nebraska and later pursued a master’s degree in military history. His first novel, ‘A Cool Breeze On The Underground,’ was nominated for an Edgar Award and a Shamus Award for the best first novel. Since then, he has written 21 acclaimed bestselling books. An ex-investigator and anti-terrorist trainer, he is currently based out of California and Rhode Island.

3. A Living Remedy by Nicole Chung

Genre: Memoir, Non-fiction, Asian Literature
Pages: 256
Publisher: Ecco Press (April 4, 2023)

Nicole is a memoirist gifted with the talent of writing about the everydayness of life and everyday struggles with nuance. She navigates through the lived experiences of her family, especially her parents, as they struggled to access treatment and healthcare, exposing the incompetent healthcare system in the country. She writes about grieving and the true meaning of family connections and takes us by the hand as she walks through the difficult phases of her life, navigating emotions ranging from fear to anger. There is also a sneak peek into how Covid affected them as a family and might hit some readers on a personal note.

Born in Seattle to Korean parents and raised in Oregon, Nicole Chung attended John Hopkins University. She graduated with a bachelor’s and master’s degree from the Kreiger School of Arts & Sciences. She worked as the managing editor for The Toast from 2014 to 2016 and wrote her first book, ‘All You Can Ever Know’, in 2018, which was hailed as one of the finest books that year by The Washington Post. She and her family are currently based out of Washington D.C.

4. The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder by David Grann

Genre: Non-fiction, History, True Crime, Mystery
Pages: 352
Publisher: Doubleday Books (April 18, 2023)

This non-fiction book follows the real events of the shipwreck of His Majesty’s Ship the Wager, a British vessel off the coast of Patagonia. Two sets of crew members – starved, thirsty and marooned for months – arrived at the coast of Chile six months apart and had different accounts to narrate about the months they were stranded. Accusations of treachery and murder and countercharges flew in both directions, and Grann attempts to recreate the hidden world of the British warship rivals in this splendid, twisty new book. 

A staff writer for The New Yorker since 2003, David Elliot Grann is also a renowned bestselling author. He graduated with a bachelor’s from Connecticut College and started his career as a freelance journalist during the same time. He also received an MA in International Relations from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University in 1993 and an MA in Creative Writing from Boston University. His books, ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ and ‘The Lost City of Z,’ have gained widespread critical acclaim, and the latter has been made into a major motion picture. He currently lives with his family in New York.

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5. Happy Place by Emily Henry

Genre: Romance, Chick Lit, Contemporary Fiction
Pages: 400
Publisher: Berkley (April 25, 2023)

The novel follows the story of a perfect couple, Harriet and Wyn, who broke up for unknown reasons but have still not disclosed the same to their best friends. They take a trip, along with the latter, to the Maine cottage for their yearly getaway, to spend a week away from the world and douse themselves in copious amounts of cheese, wine and seafood. This year, however, Harriet and Wyn are playing their parts, secretly aching to be with each other and lying through their teeth. This is another charming novel from Henry, who has been redefining the generation’s love for quirky rom-com in the recent past with her magically subtle but nuanced storytelling. 

Emily Henry is a New York Times bestselling author whose books, including ‘Beach Read’, ‘People We Meet on Vacation’ and ‘Book Lovers’ have shot her to fame in contemporary times. A full-time writer and proofreader, she debuted with a young adult novel, ‘The Love That Split the World’ in 2016. She has studied creative writing at Hope College and the New York Center for Art & Media Studies (now defunct). She is currently based out of Cincinnati.

6. Before We Were Innocent by Ella Berman

Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Fiction
Pages: 384
Publisher: Berkley (April 4, 2023)

This novel follows the story of three friends, two of whom, Bess and Joni, were cleared of conviction for having murdered the third friend, Evangeline. In the current day, Joni is a motivational speaker who has capitalized on her infamy, while Bess has circumscribed her life in a small circle due to the fear of losing everything again. Joni gets tangled in an eerily similar crime and seeks Bess’ support in this pulsating, emotional rollercoaster ride of a thriller novel. The characters are fine-tuned, and you’ll find it difficult to make peace with the ambiguity that Berman promises to leave you in by the end.

Growing up in London and Los Angeles, Ella Berman previously worked at Sony Music before she began a clothing brand named, London Loves LA. She debuted with a novel, ‘The Comeback, in 2020. She currently lives in London with her family.

7. The Only Survivors by Megan Miranda

Genre: Thriller, Mystery, Adult fiction
Pages: 352
Publisher: Scribner/Marysue Rucci Books (April 11, 2023)

Over a decade ago, a tragic accident of two high school vans claimed the life of multiple high school students and teachers, leaving only nine to escape death. On the first anniversary of this crash, one of the survivors committed suicide, and since then, the eight survivors promised to meet on the anniversary of the crash each year. The novel takes place on this annual meeting day and place – a house on the Outer Banks – where one of the eight survivors, Amaya, the annual organizer, goes missing. Will the seven remaining survivors do their best to find out Amaya in the face of an impending storm? The atmospheric elements in Miranda’s story whip you into a story that promises to keep you hooked until the very last paragraph.

Megan Miranda is a New York Times bestselling author for her widely renowned books, ‘All the Missing Girls’, ‘The Last House Guest’, ‘Such a Quiet place,’ etc. Growing up in New Jersey, she graduated from MIT and is currently based out of North Carolina.

8. Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld

Genre: Romance, Fiction, Chick Lit
Pages: 320
Publisher: Random House (April 4, 2023)

The novel follows Sally Milz, a comedy writer for a late-night show called “The Night Owls.” She seems to have abandoned her search for love in the face of a few heartbreaks and settled for career success and a close relationship with her stepfather, among others. Enter Noah Brewster, a  pop music sensation. Saly and Noah hit it off immediately, knowing fully well that life is, well, not a romantic comedy. This book is full of charming insights into the life of writers of real-time sketches on television. It is keenly observant and makes for an unputdownable read, like every Sittenfeld book.

Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, Elizabeth Curtis Sittenfeld is a New York Times bestselling author of six novels, including ‘Prep’ (2005) and ‘American Wife’ (2008). She earned an MFA from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, University of Iowa, after having studied creative writing at Stanford University in Palo Alto, California. Her 2016 novel, Eligible, is a woke retelling of Jane Austen’s ‘Pride and Prejudice’ and the 2020 novel, Rodham, is an alternate historical fiction about the life of Hilary Clinton.

9. You Could Make This Place Beautiful by Maggie Smith

Genre: Memoir, Non-fiction, Poetry
Pages: 320
Publisher: Atria/One Signal Publishers (April 11, 2023)

This novel charts the coming-of-age during one’s middle age, where Smith explores the disintegration of her own marriage and her increasing commitment to herself, all through particularly lyrical vignettes. The book quickly surpasses the personal to address the collective experience of womanhood in contemporary society, addressing traditional gender roles and power dynamics. The book seeks to address the political core of the experience of being a woman and interrogates her life and experiences page after page in this insightful and beautiful memoir.

Maggie Smith is a poet, freelance writer, and editor at Large at the Kenyon Review. Her poems and essays have appeared in several prestigious publications, including the Paris Review, the Washington Post, and the Guardian. She is the author of the national bestsellers, ‘Keep Moving: Notes on Loss, Creativity and Change’ and ‘The Well Speaks of Its Own Poison’. Her poem “Good Bones” has been translated into a dozen languages. She also works on the faculty of Spalding University’s low-residency MFA program.

10. Honey, Baby, Mine: A Mother and Daughter Talk Life, Death, Love by Diane Ladd and Laura Dern

Genre: Non-fiction, Film, Memoir
Pages: 256
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing (April 25, 2023)

In this book, the mother-daughter duo, Diana and Laura, takes us through the intimate details of their relationship via the conversations shared between them, from sex to art and marriage to ambition. Along with these personal insights, the book is also resplendent with photos and family recipes to make it seem like a celebration of two lives and a loving mother-daughter bond. For any reader who’d like to pick up a book that speaks to them about the humanness behind these stars, this book should be your next read.

Born in Los Angeles, California, to famous parents Bruce Dern and Diana Ladd, Laura Dern is one of the most versatile American actresses. She embarked on an acting career in the 1980s and quickly garnered the critics’ attention with her performances in Blue Velvet (1986), Rambling Rose (1991), and her role as Ellie Sattler in Spielberg’s Jurassic Park (1993). She also won her fifth Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance as a lawyer in Marriage Story (2019).

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