Debut Novels

Playing Books & Bites Bingo? Try these debut novels.

Updated August 8, 2025
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33 Place Brugmann
Austen, Alice
Paper Book
NATIONAL BESTSELLER "Alice Austen uses her considerable gifts to remind us that the past and the present are more connected than we wish to believe, and that vigilance, loyalty and art hold the key to survival. This is a beautiful and deeply engaging novel." -- Ann Patchett, #1...
The ministry of time
Bradley, Kaliane
Paper Book
ONE OF BARACK OBAMA'S FAVORITE BOOKS OF SUMMER 2024 * A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * HUGO AWARD FINALIST FOR BEST NOVEL * WINNER OF THE GOODREADS CHOICE AWARD FOR SCIENCE FICTION * A GOOD MORNING AMERICA BOOK CLUB PICK * A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: NPR, VANITY FAIR, ESQUIRE<...
The book of doors : a novel
Brown, Gareth
Paper Book
A debut novel full of magic, adventure, and romance, The Book of Doors opens up a thrilling world of contemporary fantasy for readers of The Midnight Library, The Invisible Life of Addie Larue, The Night Circus, and any modern story that mixes the wonder of the unknown...
To gaze upon wicked Gods
Chang, Molly X.
Paper Book
NATIONAL BESTSELLER * In this magical epic fantasy, the gripping first novel of the Gods Beyond the Skies series, a young woman gifted with the power of Death must decide if saving her family is worth betraying her country. The gorgeous first edition hardcover of To...
Loneliness & Company : a novel
Dyroff, Charlee
Paper Book
"An inventive and perceptive story about human connection and being alive." - Emily Austin, author of Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead "Sharply etched and strangely propulsive" - Leslie Jamison, New York Times bestselling author of The Empathy...
Junie : a novel
Eckstine, Erin Crosby
Paper Book
GOOD MORNING AMERICA BOOK CLUB PICK * As the Civil War looms, a young girl must face a life-altering decision after awakening her sister's ghost in this "poignant story of love, family and friendship [that] celebrates the power of liberation" (People). "An...
All that life can afford : a novel
Everett, Emily
Paper Book
A REESE'S BOOK CLUB PICK "An effervescent debut chock full of Austenian nods. Swoonworthy!" --Sarah McCoy, New York Times bestselling author of Mustique Island "All That Life Can Afford is about love, ambition, and the cost of belonging, and I cannot...
Mrs. Quinn's rise to fame : a novel
Ford, Olivia
Paper Book
"As cozy as a cup of tea and cake."--People "One of those books you just want to hug to your chest. I loved it so much."--Jasmine Guillory, New York Times bestselling author of While We Were Dating A huge-hearted, redemptive coming-of-old-age tale, a...
Lessons in chemistry
Garmus, Bonnie
Paper Book
#1 GLOBAL BESTSELLER WITH MORE THAN 8 MILLION COPIES SOLD * Meet Elizabeth Zott: "a gifted research chemist, absurdly self-assured and immune to social convention" (The Washington Post) in 1960s California whose career takes a detour when she becomes the unlikely star of a ...
The husbands : a novel
Gramazio, Holly
Paper Book
INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * READ WITH JENNA'S APRIL BOOK CLUB PICK * NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF 2024 BY THE WASHINGTON POST, NPR, PEOPLE, PARADE, AND BOOKRIOT The Husbands delights in asking: how do we navigate life, love, and choice in a world of...
The life cycle of the common octopus /
Knight, Emma
Paper Book
AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER | READ WITH JENNA BOOK CLUB PICK AS FEATURED ON TODAY "Undeniably delicious." --The New York Times "A spellbinding debut about friendship, motherhood, first love, and the choices that bind us. . . I couldn't put...
River east, river west : a novel
Lescure, Aube Rey
Paper Book
SHORTLISTED FOR THE WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION Set against the backdrop of developing modern China, this mesmerizing literary debut is part coming-of-age tale, part family and social drama, as it follows two generations searching for belonging and opportunity in a rapidly changing world-...
Oye : a novel
Mogollon, Melissa
Paper Book
A coming-of-age comedy. A telenovela-worthy drama. A moving family saga. All in a phone call you won't want to hang up on. "A portrait of love, heartache, and hilarity that transcends its medium."--Elle (The Best Literary Fiction Books of 2024, So Far) "Brilliant...
How to solve your own murder : a novel
Perrin, Kristen
Paper Book
A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER A Jimmy Fallon's Book Club Finalist for 2024 | A Goodreads Choice Awards Finalist | A GMA Buzz Pick | A USA Today Bestseller One of Jimmy Fallon's favorite books for Spring 2024, The Top LibraryReads pick for March 2024, A...
Greta & Valdin
Reilly, Rebecca K.
Paper Book
A TIME MUST-READ BOOK OF THE YEAR * A NEW YORK TIMES EDITORS' CHOICE * AN NPR BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR * A KIRKUS REVIEWS BEST FICTION BOOK OF THE YEAR "A heartfelt portrait of a complex family." --People * "Laugh-out-loud-funny." --Harper's Bazaar *...
Sugar, baby : a novel
Saintclare, Celine
Paper Book
NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF 2024 BY VOGUE, ELLE, NYLON, NPR, PURE WOW, SHONDALAND, BOOK RIOT and more! In the vein of Luster and Queenie, an unflinching portrayal of high-paid sex work in the age of the internet-an intoxicating, bold debut from a...
Lincoln in the bardo : a novel
Saunders, George
Paper Book
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * WINNER OF THE MAN BOOKER PRIZE The "devastatingly moving" (People) first novel from the author of Tenth of December: a moving and original father-son story featuring none other than Abraham Lincoln, as well as an unforgettable cast...
White teeth
Smith, Zadie.
Paper Book
On New Year's morning, 1975, Archie Jones sits in his car on a London road and waits for the exhaust fumes to fill his Cavalier Musketeer station wagon. Archie--working-class, ordinary, a failed marriage under his belt--is calling it quits, the deciding factor being the flip of a 20-pence coin. When...
The Secret history /
Tartt, Donna.
Paper Book
ONE OF TIME MAGAZINE'S 100 BEST MYSTERY AND THRILLER BOOKS OF ALL TIME * INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER * A contemporary literary classic and "an accomplished psychological thriller ... absolutely chilling" (Village Voice), from the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Goldfinch. ...
Listen for the lie
Tintera, Amy
Paper Book
A New York Times Bestseller * A Good Morning America Book Club Pick * An NPR Best Book of the Year * A Washington Post Best Thriller of 2024 "I read this in one sitting! Such a fun and engaging read, with an ending that blew my mind!" --<...
Ours
Williams, Phillip B.
Paper Book
Named a Best Book of the Year by The New Yorker, People, Los Angeles Times, NPR, and more "An inventive ode to self-determination and also a surrealistic vision of Black life as forged within the crucible of American history . . . [written in] lush, ornamental...
The dictionary of lost words : a novel
Williams, Pip
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * REESE'S BOOK CLUB PICK * "Delightful . . . [a] captivating and slyly subversive fictional paean to the real women whose work on the Oxford English Dictionary went largely unheralded."--The New York Times Book Review "A marvelous...
The safekeep : a novel
Wouden, Yael van der
Paper Book
* SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2024 BOOKER PRIZE * * WINNER OF THE NATIONAL JEWISH BOOK AWARD FOR DEBUT FICTION * * WINNER OF THE 2025 WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION * Shortlisted for the 2025 Dylan Thomas Prize and Aspen Words Literary Prize * A Best Book...

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