The most anticipated fiction of 2021!

Now that we’ve wrapped up our Best Books of 2020 lists, we’re starting to look towards what the new year might hold for books. Let’s just say it’s looking real good – especially when it comes to fiction! There are new novels coming from amazing authors like Kazuo Ishiguro, Sarah J. Maas, Paula Hawkins, Lisa Taddeo and more … and those are just the ones we know about! To get a taste of the most anticipated fiction of 2021 (most of which are available to pre-order now), simply scroll on down.

Outlawed by Anna North – 5th January

On the day of her wedding-dance, Ada feels lucky. But her luck will not last. After a year of marriage and no pregnancy, in a town where barren women are hanged as witches, Ada’s survival depends on leaving behind everything she knows.

Beware of Dogs by Elizabeth Flann – 5th January

‘Not much daylight left now’. So begins the field diary of Alix Verhoeven, whose impulsive acceptance of an offer to spend Easter on a remote island has turned into a terrifying ordeal. Hiding in a tiny cave, she carefully rations out her meagre supplies, while desperately trying to figure out how to escape the men hunting her.

The Prophets by Robert Jones Jr. – 12th January

On the Halifax plantation, two young enslaved men, Samuel and Isaiah, use the barn as their haven, a space of radiance and love where they can be alone together. But, Amos – a fellow slave – has begun to direct suspicion towards the two men and their refusal to bend …

The Death of Francis Bacon by Max Porter – 2nd February

Madrid. Unfinished. Man Dying. A great painter lies on his deathbed. In a burst of literary brilliance, Max Porter translates into seven written pictures the explosive final workings of the artist’s mind.

The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah – 9th February

Texas, 1934. Elsa Martinelli had finally found the life she’d yearned for. A family, a home and a livelihood on a farm on the Great Plains. But when drought threatens all she and her community hold dear, Elsa’s world is shattered to the winds.

A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J. Maas – 16th February

Nesta Archeron has always been prickly – proud, swift to anger and slow to forgive. And since the war – since being made High Fae against her will – she’s struggled to forget the horrors she endured and find a place for herself within the strange and deadly Night Court.

Later by Stephen King – 1st March

Jamie Conklin is no ordinary child. Born with an unnatural ability his mother urges him to keep secret, Jamie can see what no one else can see and learn what no one else can learn. But the cost of using this ability is higher than Jamie can imagine.

Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro – 2nd March

This is the story of Klara, an Artificial Friend with outstanding observational qualities, who, from her place in the store, watches carefully the behaviour of those who come in to browse, and of those who pass in the street outside.

You Love Me by Caroline Kepnes – 7th April

Joe Goldberg is done with cities, done with the muck and the posers, done with Love. Now, he’s saying hello to nature on a cosy island in the Pacific Northwest. He gets a job at the local library – he does know a thing or two about books – and that’s where he meets her: Mary Kay DiMarco.

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir – 4th May

Ryland Grace is the sole survivor on a desperate, last-chance mission – and if he fails, humanity and the earth itself will perish. Except that right now, he doesn’t know that. He can’t even remember his own name, let alone the nature of his assignment or how to complete it.

How to Mend a Broken Heart by by Rachael Johns – 5th May

Felicity Bell has struggled to move on after her marriage broke down. Her ex has found love again, her children have their own lives, and it’s beginning to feel like her only comfort comes from her dog and her job as a taxidermist. So when Flick gets an offer to work in New Orleans for a few months, she’s drawn to the chance to make a fresh start.

Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid – 1st June

Malibu – August, 1983. It’s the day of Nina Riva’s annual end-of-summer party, and anticipation is at a fever pitch. By morning, the Riva mansion will have gone up in flames. But before that, the alcohol will flow, the music will play, and the loves and secrets will all come bubbling to the surface.

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood by Quentin Tarantino – 29th June

Quentin Tarantino’s long-awaited first work of fiction – at once hilarious, delicious, and brutal – is the always surprising, sometimes shocking new novel based on his Academy Award-winning film.

Animal by Lisa Taddeo – 22nd July

Joan has spent a lifetime enduring the cruel acts of men. But when one of them commits a shocking act of violence in front of her, she flees New York City in search of Alice, the only person alive who can help her make sense of her past.

Billy Summers by Stephen King – 3rd August

Billy Summers is a man in a room with a gun. He’s a killer for hire and the best in the business. But he’ll do the job only if the target is a truly bad guy. And now Billy wants out. But first there is one last hit …

A Slow Fire Burning by Paula Hawkins – 31st August

Laura has spent most of her life being judged. And Miriam knows that just because Laura is witnessed leaving the scene of a horrific murder with blood on her clothes, that doesn’t mean she’s a killer. Innocent or guilty, everyone is damaged. Some are damaged enough to kill.

The Heart Principle by Helen Hoang – 17th August

To most, Quan is a surly, underachieving playboy. Anna will never admit that she harbours a secret crush on him. But when Quan discovers Anna’s true intentions, he’s forced to confront his own hurtful past, while Anna must face her greatest challenge: truly opening herself up to love.

Beautiful World, Where Are You by Sally Rooney – 7th September

Alice, Felix, Eileen and Simon are still young-but life is catching up with them. They desire each other, they delude each other, they get together, they break apart. They have sex, they worry about sex, they worry about their friendships and the world they live in. Will they find a way to believe in a beautiful world?

Empire of the Vampire by Jay Kristoff – 7th September

Twenty-seven years have passed since the last sunrise, and for almost three decades, the creatures of the night have walked the day without fear. Gabriel de León is the last of the Silversaints, a holy order dedicated to defending realm and church, now utterly destroyed. Imprisoned for the murder of the vampiric king, Gabriel is charged with telling the story of his life.

Harlem Shuffle by Colson Whitehead – 14th September

To his customers and neighbours on 125th street, Carney is an upstanding salesman of reasonably-priced furniture, making a life for himself and his family. Few people know he descends from a line of uptown hoods and crooks, and that his facade of normalcy has more than a few cracks in it …

Better Off Dead (Jack Reacher: Book 26) by Lee Child and Andrew Child – 26th October

Relentless action, a gripping mystery and a host of evil new enemies who are soon going to learn . . . they’d be better off dead.

Crossroads: A Key to All Mythologies, Volume 1 by Jonathan Franzen – expected October 2021

Hogarth Shakespeare untitled Hamlet retelling by Gillian Flynn – expected late 2021

Which 2021 book are you most looking forward to? Tell us below in the comments!

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About the Contributor

Olivia Fricot

Olivia Fricot (she/her) is Booktopia's Senior Content Producer and editor of the Booktopian blog. She has too many plants and not enough bookshelves, and you can usually find her reading, baking, or talking to said plants. She is pro-Oxford comma.

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