Wondering what to read now? Here are all the hot new April 2024 book releases for you. I’ll let you know what I’ve read, what I can’t wait to read, and what’s getting all the attention this month.
In case you’re new to Booklist Queen, every month I cover all the hottest new book releases. I try to read as many new book releases as I can to give you an honest perspective on what to read and what to skip.
However, I realize that my to-read list might not exactly match yours. That’s why I’ve also included some of the most popular April 2024 book releases from your favorite authors.
Enough from me, let’s get on to the April 2024 book releases so you can fill up your to-read list.
Top April 2024 Book Releases
Funny Story
Emily Henry
Daphne and her fiancé Peter have the perfect cute story of how they met, up until Peter leaves her for his childhood best friend Petra. Stranded in Peter’s lakeside Michigan hometown with a job as a children’s librarian she loves, Daphne needs a roommate to help pay the bills. Who better than Petra’s ex, Miles, who is completely Daphne’s opposite? And no big deal if they happen to post misleading photos to make their exes jealous, because there’s no way they would ever actually fall in love.
All We Were Promised
Ashton Lattimore
In 1837, Charlotte has escaped her life as a slave only to serve as a housemaid to her white-passing father in Philadelphia. Longing for more freedom but afraid of slave-catchers, Charlotte befriends Nell, an up-and-coming abolitionist from a prominent Black family. When Charlotte’s former mistress arrives with her slave Evie in tow, Charlotte and Nell risk losing everything to help Evie gain her freedom.
Ashton Lattimore’s promising debut is a solid historical fiction with a great setting and interesting characters. I especially enjoyed the look at racism and classism, especially within the Black community. However, All We Were Promised was a bit rough around the edges. The slow plot would have easily been improved with heavier editing, cutting the length and needless repetition down. However, my biggest complaint was that the narration always keeps you at a distance; I saw the characters struggles but never truly felt them myself. I do think Lattimore’s novels will improve with time and I’m excited to see what she has in store in the future.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Ballantine Books through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
My Rating:
Publication Date: 2 April 2024
Learn More: Goodreads | StoryGraph | More Info
Buy Now: Amazon | Apple Books
Darling Girls
Sally Hepworth
Jessica, Norah and Alicia are the luckiest girls, or so they are told. After family tragedies, each was given a second chance at a happy family, living on a peaceful farm with a loving foster mom. Yet, the foster sisters’ childhood was far from idyllic, though no one ever believed them. When a body is found buried on the farm, they soon find themselves prime witnesses and possibly prime suspects.
As usual, Sally Hepworth delivers a well-plotted page turner. Miss Fairchild proved to be a perfectly aggravating villain, fully despicable in her child abuse but clever enough to conceal everything at first glance. I was thrown by several of the revelations and loved the push-and-pull of the then and now timelines. Although the thriller obviously shows the worst scenario of foster care, Hepworth balances that out with a wonderful portrayal of Alicia as a social worker.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from St. Martin’s Press through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
My Rating:
Publication Date: 23 April 2024
Learn More: Goodreads | StoryGraph | More Info
Buy Now: Amazon | Apple Books
The Demon of Unrest
Erik Larson
Erik Larson delves into the five months between Abraham Lincoln’s election and the first shots fired on Fort Sumter that started the Civil War. In a period of betrayal, error, and miscommunication, Larson focuses on the stories of four individuals: Sumter’s commander caught between sympathy to the South and loyalty to the Union; a bloodthirsty radical promoting secession at every turn; the wife of a local planter who is conflicted about marriage and slavery; and in the thick of it all, is Abraham Lincoln, desperately trying to avert a war.
Daughter of Mine
Megan Miranda
After her father, Mirror Lake’s longtime detective, dies, Hazel Sharp unexpectedly inherits her childhood home. Returning to Mirror Lake, Hazel feels wary of the town she fled over a decade ago. When a drought causes the lake to dry up, hidden clues emerge that might help Hazel finally solve her mother’s disappearance.
How to End a Love Story
Yulin Kuang
Weeks before high school graduation, Helen Zhang and Grant Shepherd become connected for life when Helen’s sister is killed after she jumps in front of the car Grant is driving. Now a bestselling author, Helen loves working with the screenwriters adapting her popular young adult novels. When Grant shows up in the writer’s room, Helen is furious. Yet as Helen and Grant get closer, they cannot deny the chemistry, even though Helen’s family would never approve. For there’s was never meant to be a love story.
I feel like How to End a Love Story didn’t achieve the depth it was hoping for. I liked the core of the story: the people-pleasing daughter of immigrants, the mental health and trauma of dealing with a suicide. Yet the love story itself felt rather formulaic. First, they understandably hate each other. Next, they hook up too quickly, without much depth or vulnerability. The entire middle of the book is just sex scenes. Finally a cliche breakup and an eventual reunion. Honestly, both characters mostly just needed better therapists.
My Rating:
Publication Date: 9 April 2024
Learn More: Goodreads | StoryGraph | More Info
Buy Now: Amazon | Apple Books
A Calamity of Souls
David Baldacci
In Southern Virginia in 1968, white lawyer Jack Lee has never done anything to fit racism until he decides to take on the case of a Black man accused of murdering an wealthy elderly couple. With the stakes so high, Jack enlists help from Desiree DuBose, a Black lawyer from Chicago who has dedicated her life to achieving equality and justice for all. With completely opposite personalities, Jack and Desiree must work together to save an innocent man from the electric chair in a court system that is not known for fairness.
Book of the Month – April 2024
Receiving my blue box from Book of the Month Club is a highlight of every month.
Here’s how it works – each month, they pick 5 books and you get to choose one book or skip until the next month. If you want to add any extra books, then you get them at a discounted price.
Each month is usually a mix of new releases and advance copies of unreleased books. If you are interested in joining, right now you can use my Book of the Month Club affiliate link to get your first book for $5!
The April Book of the Month selections are:
See the Complete List of Upcoming Releases!
Read with Jenna Book Club April 2024 Pick
The Husbands
Holly Gramazio
On night when Lauren returns home to her London flat, she is greeted by her adoring husband Michael. Except Lauren isn’t married. But her house and her friends seem to indicate that Lauren and Michael have been together for years. Then one day Michael goes into the attic and out emerges a new husband and a new and improved life. With this magical ability to swap out husbands and lives, Lauren must now decide what she wants her life to be and when to stop trying for something perfect.
GMA Book Club April 2024 Pick
Just for the Summer
Abby Jimenez
Justin finds himself with an unusual curse: every woman he dates finds her soulmate the minute she breaks up with Justin. Emma has the same problem, so Emma and Justin hatch a plan to spend a month together in Minnesota, hoping to break each other’s curses. Things go awry when Emma’s toxic mother shows up and Justin assumes guardianship of his younger siblings. Yet, it seems Fate may have more in mind than a quick summer fling.
With her ability to hit on deeper issues, Abby Jimenez is quickly becoming one of my favorite romance writers. Although all her books inhabit the same world, each story reads as a standalone with small nods to her other books. I particularly love how Jimenez mixes in mental health and trauma, showing how our pasts can affect our current relationships. With great chemistry and adorable banter, Emma and Justin are super cute together and the fake-dating trope is so well-written, it doesn’t feel cliche.
My Rating:
Publication Date: 2 April 2024
Learn More: Goodreads | StoryGraph | More Info
Buy Now: Amazon | Apple Books
Reese’s Book Club April 2024 Pick
The Most Fun We Ever Had
Claire Lombardo
Claire Lombardo’s debut novel is sure to dazzle with a multi-generational look at Marilyn and David Sorenson’s family. Still madly in love after 40 years, the Sorensons seem to be an almost unachievable example of marriage to their four grown daughters. Although the lives of each daughter have turned out differently, each struggles to find love as easy as their parents, not realizing how much work their parents’ marriage has required.
The Most Anticipated April 2024 Book Releases
Table for Two
Amor Towles
Amor Towles returns with a collection of short stories about the consequences that can come from just brief encounters. Set in New York City around the year 2000, each of the six stories discusses the delicate nature of modern marriage. As a bonus, Table for Two ends with a novella that follows his most beloved character from Rules of Civility. In 1938, Evelyn Ross leaves New York City to return home, but instead extends her trip to Los Angeles where she creates a new future for herself in the Golden Age of Hollywood.
The Familiar
Leigh Bardugo
During the Spanish Golden Age, Luzia Cotado uses bits of magic to get through the drudgery of her life as a maid. When her mistress discovers Luzia’s abilities, she insists Luzia use her magic to enrich the family. But Luzia’s powers catch the eye of Antonio Pérez, the King’s disgraced secretary. Thrust into the world of politics and occultists, Luzia dreads her Jewish heritage will be discovered while the Inquisition rages around her.
Within Arm’s Reach
Ann Napolitano
Among the April 2024 book releases is a re-release of Ann Napolitano’s debut novel. Within Arm’s Reach follows three generations of the McLaughlins, an Irish-American family in New Jersey. Told from the points of view of six different narrators, the story hinges on how an out-of-wedlock pregnancy changes the dynamics of the Catholic family, forcing them to learn to communicate to keep the family together.
Miss Morgan’s Book Brigade
Janet Skeslien Charles
In 1987, New York Public librarian Wendy Carson stumbles across a reference to Jessie Carson in the library’s archives. During World War I, Jessie took a leave of absence from the library and traveled to France to help rebuild the communities near the frontlines. Jessie’s biggest contribution was children’s libraries, turning ambulances into bookmobiles and training the first female French librarians. Fascinated by Jessie’s story, Wendy searches to find out Jessie’s fate and discovers their stories converge in surprising ways.
The Cemetery of Untold Stories
Julia Alvarez
When Alma Cruz inherits land back home in the Dominican Republic, she sees it as an opportunity to start over. Frustrated with her work as a writer, Alma decides to create her own cemetery to bury her unpublished works and unfinished characters that never seemed to work out. Yet the local townspeople find sanctuary in the narratives and the characters begin rewriting their own stories.
A Game of Lies
Clare Mackintosh
In a sequel to The Last Party, Welsh detective Ffion Morgan returns with a case where everyone has an alibi and a reason to murder. Cut off in the Welsh mountains, seven reality stars compete in a high-stakes new show. Each star has a secret, and if one of the others can guess it, that secret will be aired live on television. After a contestant disappears and a murder occurs, Morgan must separate fact from fiction.
An Unfinished Love Story
Doris Kearns Goodwin
Having worked closely with John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson and Robert Kennedy, historian Doris Kearns Goodwin and her husband Dick had a front-row seat to the 1960s. Digging through a treasure trove of documents, diaries, and memorabilia from that decade, the Goodwins spent Dick’s last days reflecting on the achievements and failures of those great leaders. Weaving together American history and her personal life, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Doris Kearns Goodwin gives an intimate look at a tumultuous decade.
Real Americans
Rachel Khong
At the turn of the century, unpaid intern Lily Chen meets Matthew, and the two fall in love. Growing up the daughter of scientists in Tampa, Lily couldn’t be more different than East Coast Matthew, heir to a behemoth pharmaceutical company. Twenty years later, Lily’s teenage son feels trapped on their isolated Washington State island and starts searching for information on his biological father. A story of class, race, and family inheritance, Real Americans ponders how much we can shape our own destiny.
UPCOMING April 2024 BOOK RELEASES BY DATE
April 2nd Book Releases
April 9th Book Releases
April 16th Book Releases
April 23rd Book Releases
April 30th Book Releases
What April 2024 Book Releases are You Most Excited to Read?
What books can you not wait to get your hands on this month? Did I miss any April 2024 book releases that you are anticipating? As always, let me know in the comments!
More New Book Releases:
Andrea says
Somehow I got both Darling Girls and Funny Story from Libby already. I am enjoying Darling Girls so far.