It’s a new year, which means I have spent way too much time scrolling to found out all about the new books being released this year. And right now, there actually aren’t all that many at the top of my list to read this year. So instead of publishing a list of my most anticipated books of 2023, I thought I’d do something a bit different this time around. Because so many of the books that caught my eye when I was looking through new releases are debut novels.

I don’t really put debut novels on my “most anticipated” list just because there is so much unknown. I obviously haven’t read anything by these authors, and I don’t have a lot of reviews to refer to. However, I do really enjoy finding new authors and exploring debut books. My favorite book of last year – Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt- is a debut novel. And my favorite book so far this year – Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus – was also a debut release last year.

Clearly, I’ve had some great experiences with debut novels. So I put together a list of ten that are being released in the first half of this year. Maybe one of them will be a new favorite. I’m not sure how many of these I’ll end up reading (I have already read one of them!), but they’re all books I’m keeping an eye on this year. So let’s talk about them!

Liar, Dreamer, Thief by Maria Dong (January 10)

This is the only book on this list that I’ve already read, and I really liked it! It’s about a woman who is just not having the best time in life. Katrina Kim estranged from her family, she’s broke and living with a roommate in a one-bedroom apartment, her car door is superglued shut, she’s just not okay. She’s also really struggling with her mental health and has developed some pretty strange coping mechanisms.

But she’s definitely not a stalker. Her obsession with her coworker, Kurt, is totally innocent. But when she finds a message from Kurt that makes it seem like he knows she’s watching him, she freaks out just a little bit. She decides to embark on a late night visit to a bridge, which is her grounding ritual. And arrives just in time to see Kurt jump. But before he does, he make sure she knows his death is her fault.

Her life basically unravels in her search to find out what really happened to Kurt and why all these other strange things are happening in her life. And honestly, this book is weird. Really weird. But, as someone who has struggled with mental health, I felt this book did a great job of capturing how disorienting your own mind can become. I didn’t love this book, but I really liked it. I can’t wait to see what this author does next!

The Daughters of Izdihar by Hadeer Elsbai (January 10)

I’m going to be honest, I don’t read high fantasy all that much anymore. I just don’t have the attention span for it at this point in my life, and they tend to be really, really long. But this one got my attention for two reasons. First, it’s under four-hundred pages. And it’s part of a duology, so not a huge commitment. Because I don’t really pick up many series nowadays, either. But I was also very intrigued by a fantasy novel inspired by modern Egyptian history that revolves around women. I mean, yes please.

To be honest, a big selling point for me is that the author is Egyptian American. Because, let’s be real, too many fantasy books based off of Middle Eastern or Eastern cultures are written by authors who are not a part of those cultures. And I just don’t particularly enjoy reading them knowing that fact. I’m also really trying to read more authors of color this year, so this book feels like a good pick if I do decide to jump back into fantasy at any point in 2023.

What Remains of Elsie Jane by Chelsea Wakelyn (January 31)

This book is about a woman named Elsie Jane (duh) who lost her husband. She’s struggling with grief and suddenly finding herself a single mother. Since she can’t sleep, she spends her nights arguing with the ghosts of her husband and parents. Soon, she developed an obsession with a local murder mystery. And then attends a disastrous series of internet dates in search of a “replacement soul mate” before finally soliciting a spacetime wizard via Craigslist to help her travel back in time to her husband. I have not lost a husband, but this sounds like a pretty poignant and funny portrait of grief. And I get the feeling it’s a book I might really enjoy.

Maame by Jessica George (January 31)

Not going to lie, it was the cover of this book that drew me in. Because even though this sounds like a great novel, and it’s already getting incredible reviews… I don’t know if I’m going to be able to read it. I have a feeling this one might hit a little too close to home. It’s about a woman named Maddie who is the primary caretaker for her father, who has advanced Parkinson’s. When her overbearing mother returns from Ghana, Maddie finally decides to get out of her family home and start living her life.

A lot of this book seems to be about race, which is why I’m intrigued. But a lot of it feels a little to familiar – I’m also the daughter of an overbearing mother and a father with Parkinson’s. And I feel guilty about moving out, but I know I need to do it as soon as I can. Unlike Maddie, online dating freaks me out, though, so I will not be following in her footsteps. This book does sound amazing, so I’m debating giving it a shot. I’ve been doing really well with my reading so far this year, and I feel like this will cause a slump. And maybe not be so great for my mental health. We will see.

Endpapers by Jennifer Savran Kelly (February 7)

As soon as I started reading the synopsis and saw that this book is about a genderqueer bookbinder who works in conversation at the Met, I was sold. She spends her free time wandering around New York City looking for street art that might speak to her. But she doesn’t really find anything that fells right. Her gender is also causing her to struggle – she realizes her boyfriend is most attracted to her on days when she is most masculine, and she has to present as female at work, even when that’s not how she feels.

One day, she finds something hidden behind the endpaper of an old book: the torn-off cover of a 50s lesbian pulp novel. The cover shows a woman looking into a mirror and seeing a man’s face. On the back of the cover is a love letter. She becomes obsessed with finding the letter’s author. And is also searching for herself and her identity throughout the novel. As a straight, cis woman, I’m working to read more about the trans or queergender experience so that I can understand it better, and just be a better ally. This book sounds particularly great. And it’s also about books, so I’m already in.

The Writing Retreat by Julia Hartz (February 21)

This book is already getting some mixed reviews, but I’ve been looking for a thriller that actually thrills me, so I kind of want to give this one a shot. It’s about an aspiring author named Alex who is invited to attend a monthlong retreat at the estate of a famous feminist horror writer, Roza Vallo. Even though Alex’s former best friend and current rival is also attending, she decides to go anyway. When the attendees arrive, Roza drops a bombshell: they all must complete an entire novel from scratch during the next month. And the author of the best one will receive a seven-figure publishing deal.

Obviously, this basically devolves into a creepy thriller. The house is haunted, their host is erratic, and everyone is playing mind games. But then one of the writers vanishes during a snowstorm and things get even weirder. Honestly, I don’t expect to love this book, but I think it might be a fun read. Hopefully it scares me or shocks me or at the very least gets me excited to find out what happens.

She is a Haunting by Trang Thanh Tran (February 28)

Speaking of creepy… we have She is a Haunting. Here we follow Jade, who goes to Vietnam to visit her estranged father. She has to play her role and pretend to be a happy family for five weeks so she can leave with the college money her father promised. But the French colonial house he’s restoring has other plans. At night, Jade wakes up paralyzed. She finds bug legs all around, and the walls make a thrumming sound. And then there’s the ghost of a bride who leaves Jade warnings at night: don’t eat.

Neither Jade’s father or sister believe anything strange is happening. Jade has to investigate and prove there is something weird going on with the house to save her family. I don’t read much YA anymore, but this is giving me Wilder Girls vibes, and I really want more of that creepy weirdness in my life. So I might pick this one up, because I am very curious.

The Collected Regrets of Clover by Mikki Brammer (May 9)

This book sounds so good! It’s about death doula who spends all her time caring for others at the end of her life, she’s forgotten how to live her own. Until one of her patients, a feisty old woman, sends her on a trip across the country to uncover a forgotten love story. Which obviously ends with her own little romance. I don’t have too much to say about this other than it sounds super cute. And I love a good romance with an interesting premise. This one totally fits the bill.

Deep as the Sky, Red as the Sea by Rita Chang-Eppig (June 6)

Now this book didn’t need to do much to convince me. The second I read “for readers of Outlawed, Piranesi, and The Night Tiger” this was instantly added to my TBR. (I haven’t read Outlawed yet, but I loved The Night Tiger and adored Piranesi so much that I named it my favorite book of 2021 and reread it last year. It was my only reread of the year.) It’s about a woman named Shek Yeung who sees a sailor kill her husband, a feared pirate. She knows she has to act fast, so she marries his second in command in order to maintain power over half the fleet.

As outside threats come into play, Shek Young vies for control over the army she knows she was born to lead. She basically becomes a legendary pirate queen, and a massive problem for the Chinese Emperor. All while being a new mother. I have absolutely no idea how this is anything like Piranesi, but I am here for some badass female pirates.

The Moon Represents My Heart by Pim Wangtechawat (June 6)

Another book that is being compared to one of my favorite books, in this case, The Immortalists. So obviously I need to read it. It does sound really great though. It’s about a family of Chinese-British time travelers. When Joshua and Lily travel to the past and never return, their children are forced to deal with their grief alone. Eva tries to find her place in the present. But Tommy can’t stop looking for answers in the past. Which is further complicated when he falls in love with a women in 1930s London Chinatown.

I do like a good time travel story, and this one seems pretty unique. I’m really curious about where this ends up. I know this really isn’t a mystery, but I just need to know if they ever find out what happened to their parents.

Dominoes by Phoebe McIntosh (June 6)

This is the story about a mixed-race woman named Layla who meets a white man named Andy at a party. They start talking and can’t believe how much they have in common. Even down to their last name. A month later, they’re getting married. Layla’s best friend Sera isn’t so sure about Andy, or that her best friend is marrying a white man. (Not really the problem I saw there, but sure.) So Sera gets Layla to research her heritage more as the wedding approaches. And that’s when she finds something shocking: it’s extremely likely that Layla’s ancestors were enslaved by Andy’s in Jamaica. And that enslavement may have helped build his family’s wealth.

Now Layla’s questioning everything, and even travels to Jamaica to uncover more about her family. She has days to decide if she’s going to marry the man she loves (though do you really know in a month? just saying) or expose that shameful history. I already have a copy of this one, so I do plan on reading it. I feel like the insta love is going to bug me, but I also really want to know where this ends up.

On Earth as It Is on Television by Emily Jane (June 13)

Last, but not least, we have On Earth as It Is on Television, which is about first contact with aliens. Spaceships arrive, spur a ton of questions about what it means and why they came, and then they just leave. And basically give the entire planet a billion massive existential crises about what the hell that meant. This just sounds really fun, and I absolutely need more of that in my reading. Also, aliens. There’s also a man who doesn’t really know why he’s following a cat on a journey, and I need answers.

I don’t think I’m going to end up getting to all of the books on this list (at least not in 2023), but they are ones I’m really interested in checking out. Hopefully we all read some great new books this year, and fingers crossed they include some of the books on this list!

I’d love to hear what books you’re looking forward to this year! Any debut novels I should also be watching? Are you planning to read any of the books on this list? Let me know!

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