Are you looking for the best upcoming books in 2021? Find out my top 10 most-anticipated books to read in 2021.
Are you sick of 2020 yet?
A pandemic, a contentious election, earthquakes, hurricanes, and even murder hornets. It’s certainly been an unforgettable year.
With the election over and everyone now looking to 2021, let’s follow suit. Here’s look ahead at my top 10 most-anticipated books to read in 2021!
I’m constantly on the lookout for exciting new book releases for 2021 and I sure haven’t been disappointed so far. Today, I wanted to take a deeper look at some of my favorite authors who have books publishing in 2021.
If you didn’t see your favorite author, you are always welcome to take a look at my full upcoming release list. On that list, you’ll find more details about the new books from such authors as Sarah J. Maas, Helen Hoang, and Alma Katsu. Plus, rumors are spinning that Colson Whitehead and Liane Moriarty might have book releases in 2021.
As of now, here are my top 10 most-anticipated books to read in 2021. I’d love to hear what yours are!
See All the Upcoming Books of 2021!
Best Books to Read in 2021
The Four Winds
Kristin Hannah
In the Texas panhandle in 1934, severe drought plagues the land. With crops failing, dust storms whip up, leaving the farmers fighting for survival. In the perilous times of the Great Depression, Elsa Martinelli must decide whether to stay and fight for her land or head west to California which offers her family a better life. If you are looking for book club books for 2021, you’ll want to keep your eye out for this one.
The Good Sister
Sally Hepworth
A quirky free-spirited librarian with Asperger’s, Fern Castle likes to keep her life strictly regimented. On the other hand, Fern’s twin sister Rose is the responsible one with the perfect house and the perfect marriage, a sister who would do anything to protect Fern from their abusive mother. When Fern discovers her sister cannot get pregnant, she decides she can have the baby for her. As Fern starts making more choices on her own, she begins to think that Rose might not be the good sister after all.
The Survivors
Jane Harper
Coming home to help his parents move, Kieran Elliott is haunted by old memories and past mistakes. His reckless teenage decision ended up costing the lives of three people during a storm. Now, a body is discovered on the beach of his hometown and the police think it might be connected to the previous deaths. Harper’s character-driven mysteries are always on the top of my to-read list.
Books to Look Out for In 2021
Malibu Rising
Taylor Jenkins Reid
One of the most anticipated books to read in 2021 is this new novel from the author of Daisy Jones & The Six and The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. In 1983, four famous siblings throw an epic summer party at their Malibu mansion that will change their lives forever. As the clock approaches midnight, their secrets come out, the party gets out of control, and a fire will destroy everything they have built.
Project Hail Mary
Andy Weir
In a last-ditch effort to save Earth from an extinction-level event, a group of astronauts is sent on a desperate mission in a cobbled-together spacecraft. But when astronaut Ryland Grace wakes up, he has no memory of his mission or why the rest of the crew is dead. The sole survivor, he must take on an impossible task with no margin for failure.
How Beautiful We Were
Imbolo Mbue
If you want good books to read in 2021, you don’t want to miss this second novel by Imbolo Mbue, author of the bestselling novel Behold the Dreamers. In Kosawa, a small African village, an American oil company has ruined the farmland and polluted the drinking water. Tired of receiving empty promises from the company and being ignored by the country’s dictator, the people of Kosawa are determined to fight back.
Book Recommendations for 2021
All the Children Are Home
Patry Francis
In a small town in Massachusetts in the 1950s, Dahlia and Louie Moscatell have finally found a rhythm as long-term foster parents to three boys. Then a social worker begs them to take on one more foster child – a six-year-old indigenous girl who will change their family dynamics forever. One of the lesser-known books to read in 2021, I absolutely loved Patry Francis’ novel, The Orphans at Race Point, and can’t wait to read this one.
Klara and the Sun
Kazuo Ishiguro
In his first novel since winning the Nobel Prize in Literature, Kazuo Ishiguro ponders the meaning of love through an unusual narrator. Klara is an Artificial Friend waiting to be bought and taken home. From her position in the store, Klara loves to observe the browsing customers and the hopeful window-shoppers, always trying to understand what it means to love.
Survive the Night
Riley Sager
In 1991, Charlie Jordan gets a ride home to Ohio through a stranger on the college campus rideshare board. Charlie is desperate to get away from campus after her best friend is murdered by the Campus Killer, a serial killer plaguing the college. Yet, the more time she spends with Josh in his car, the more she becomes suspicious. Is she just being paranoid or could she have stumbled right into the hands of the killer? I’ve loved Sager’s recent thrillers, and this premise sounds amazing.
The Rose Code
Kate Quinn
I can’t seem to get enough of World War II stories, and unsurprisingly I have one in my top books to read in 2021. During the war, three women become unlikely friends while working as code breakers at Bletchley Park: Osla is desperate to prove she’s more than just a society girl; Mab is determined to rise above the poverty of her birth; and both encourage Beth, a shy local spinster, to step up and use her brilliant mind. Years after the war, the three women must come together one more time to help uncover a spy who was working in their midst.
What are your most-anticipated books to read in 2021?
Karen Sargent says
Ooohhh…book chills! These look good!
Sheree @ Keeping Up With The Penguins says
VERY ready for 2021! The Survivors is already out down here in Australia, and it’s lived up to everyone’s expectations. Jane Harper is going to be a force to be reckoned with in Australian lit and crime fic for a long time! I’m particularly looking forward to the new Ishiguro, it sounds fascinating!
Rachel @ Never Enough Novels says
A lot of these are on my list too! I won a copy of The Survivors from Goodreads so I cannot wait til it comes in the mail! I’ve been trying to get a copy of The Four Winds too! This is the first I’ve heard of the new Taylor Jenkins Reid, but I’m sure that’ll be a smash hit too.