11 Books That Are Finally Out — Here's Why You Should Read Them

Where do I even begin??

Alexa Fishman / Via BuzzFeed

Hello, book lovers! Each week, dozens and dozens of new releases hit the shelves. Below are some of the reads BuzzFeed Books writers and contributors loved the most:

Alexa Fishman / Via BuzzFeed

1. Zara Hossain Is Here by Sabina Khan

Scholastic Press

Zara Hossain is a 17-year-old Pakistani immigrant living in Corpus Christi, Texas, who is waiting on her family's green card approval. Despite facing Islamophobia at school, Zara knows she should lie low. But when football player Tyler Benson takes things too far and gets suspended, Tyler and his friends vandalize Zara's house with racist graffiti as an act of retaliation, putting Zara's future at risk. Khan delicately and emotionally takes a layered look at being an immigrant in America in this tender story. —Farrah Penn

Alexa Fishman / Via BuzzFeed

2. Hummingbird Salamander by Jeff VanderMeer

MCD

If you’re looking for a creepy speculative thriller, it doesn’t get much better than Jeff VanderMeer. In Hummingbird Salamander, he tackles climate change, tech, and conspiracies, told from the perspective of a security consultant (she doesn't tell us her real name and offers "Jane Smith" instead) who receives a mysterious package from a dead ecoterrorist that sets her on a dangerous treasure hunt. VanderMeer expertly plays with the timeline here, teasing details through Jane's narration, which explicitly acknowledges the reader. We know she's recounting this story from a specific point in the future and we know that wherever that is, things are not going well. But the journey to that future is exhilarating. —Arianna Rebolini

3. In a Book Club Far Away by Tif Marcelo

Gallery Books

Once upon a time, army wives Regina Castro, Adelaide Wilson-Chang, and Sophie Walden bonded over book club and instantly became best friends. But after a shocking betrayal, the group fell apart and they haven't spoken since...until now. Eight years later, Adelaide reaches out to Regina and Sophie for help caring for her young daughter when she has to undergo emergency surgery. The pair put aside their differences and agree, and when the trio are reunited, old feelings come to the surface and they have to face them head-on to save the future of their friendship. —Shyla Watson

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4. To Love and to Loathe by Martha Waters

Atria Books

The widowed Diana, Lady Templeton, and Jeremy, Marquess of Willingham, are known for flirting with fire. But their sharp-witted barbs spark a wager: If Jeremy marries within a year, Diana will owe him £100. The widow accepts his terms. But after Jeremy's most recent lover criticizes his bedroom skills, he suggests a different proposal: Diana takes him as a lover and teaches him a few things. With Jeremy distracted in her bed, he won't be wooing potential brides. So Diana agrees, thinking that this will help her win their bet. But their feelings get more tangled than bedsheets and with their hearts on the line, all bets are off. —Shyla Watson

5. Winner Takes All by Sandra Kitt

Sourcebooks Casablanca

When Jean Travis is tasked with announcing the latest lottery winners on TV, she never expects to be reunited with her childhood crush Patrick Bennett, an athlete turned sportscaster who's now $75 million richer. Patrick is thrilled to be reunited with his old study buddy, especially since his influx of cash causes more drama than he expected and he needs someone close he can trust. Jean is worried that their close connection will cause her old feelings to return... But this time, they may be reciprocated. —Shyla Watson

6. Twice Shy by Sarah Hogle

G.P. Putnam's Sons

Maybell Parish is a romantic with big dreams living a lackluster life. So when she inherits a house in the Smokies from her great-aunt Violet, she sees it as the perfect opportunity to make a fresh start. But when she arrives, she finds that not only does the house need work, but she also has to share it with the grumpy groundskeeper Wesley Koehler. Trying to play nice is like pulling weeds, but as they're forced to interact, Maybell starts to see beneath Wesley's grouchy exterior and finds a sweetness that changes everything. —Shyla Watson

7. Life's Too Short by Abby Jimenez

Forever

Vanessa is all too familiar with how short life can be, so she's spent the last few years living it to the fullest: traveling around the world and vlogging about it to her millions of followers. But all that comes to a screeching halt when she finds herself living in a small apartment, suddenly responsible for a baby. After a night filled with screams and tears — from both her and the baby — her neighbor Adrian, a hot lawyer who owns the building, comes to her rescue. A friendship sparks between the two of them and they find themselves playing house. Their pretending quickly turns real but with Vanessa's future uncertain, the two are forced to learn a lesson about taking risks in life and love while you can. —Shyla Watson

8. The Intimacy Experiment by Rosie Danan

Berkley

Naomi Grant has become an international sensation since her sex-positive startup took off. She wants to extend her educational platform to live lecturing, but no will give her a chance — except for Ethan Cohen. The new rabbi, who was also dubbed one of LA's hottest bachelors, was hired for his out-of-the-box ideas and tasked with getting more millennials to the faith. But his ideas have fallen flat and he's running out of time. With only three months left to prove himself, he pairs with Naomi to host a seminar series called "Modern Intimacy." While the series takes off, so do their feelings for each other. —Shyla Watson

Alexa Fishman / Via BuzzFeed

9. Finding Napoleon by Margaret Rodenberg

She Writes Press

Two hundred years after his death and inspired by his own attempt to write a novel, this book explores the true events of Napoleon Bonaparte's life after his defeat and exile. Narrated by his last lover, the oft-forgotten Albine de Montholon, we follow the couple as they plot to escape their isolation and rescue his young son. Together, they face treachery and betrayal from the British opposition, their own ranks, Albine's husband, and even from each other. As their plot thickens, Albine and Napoleon both have to decide what they're willing to do to succeed — and survive. —Kirby Beaton

10. The Duke Undone by Joanna Lowell

Berkley

When Lucy, an art student, stumbles upon a naked, drunk man in an alley, she covers him up and tries to forget about it. But ever the artist, her mind can't help but memorize — and then draw — the unexpected figure. When Anthony — the newly minted duke of Weston after the death of his cruel father — accidentally stumbles upon a copy of Lucy's drawing of him, their lives collide in a huge way. Anthony decides to make Lucy a deal: He promises to save her family business...if she helps him find his missing sister. As animosity turns into attraction and they both land in some sticky situations, they'll have to decide how much they're willing to risk for their forbidden love. —Kirby Beaton

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11. Blow Your House Down: A Story of Family, Feminism, and Treason by Gina Frangello

Counterpoint LLC

Gina Frangello's no-holds-barred debut memoir delves into the affair that ultimately upsets her entire life, examining factors that might have influenced her decision (her mother's unhappy marriage, a history of trauma, the death of her best friend) and recounting the blowback in devastating detail. Underlying this generous and intimate personal history is a censure of the broad cultural suppression (and demonization) of women's rage, passion, and autonomy; and the gleeful eagerness to punish women who have transgressed. Frangello presents rationalizations for her actions but she isn't asking to be excused: This isn't so much about seeking absolution — though she knows she's being judged — as much as it's about reclaiming a story that is too easily appropriated and rewritten by outsiders, often through a lens of misogyny. It's a powerful, electric testimony. —Arianna Rebolini

For more new-release recommendations from this month, click here, or catch up on all of our weekly favorites on Bookshop. What's the best book you read this week? Tell us in the comments!