I’m an admitted book hoarder. I load up my Kindle with a ton of books that there is no way for me to get through everything I’d like to read in my lifetime. But there are some books that bypass the queue of novels awaiting me every year, and this list is a shrine to the shortlist of 2021 releases! Today, we will list our Amazon Affiliates link, as well as Los Angeles-based Eso Won Books, a Black-owned bookstore that caters to Black readers in Leimert Park. Finally, for easy access to a buyable list of any books on this list, check out this Bookshop list.
One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston
Fans of Red, White & Royal Blue will be thrilled to hear that Casey McQuiston is back at it again with a 2021 release we certainly don’t want to miss! Another queer love story, One Last Stop is about a girl named Jane who is displaced from the 1970’s and must be helped by August. A sprinkling of sci-fi, this one is going to be a must-read sophomore novel.
Expected Publication: June 1, 2021
Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro
Have you ever wanted to read a book by a Nobel Prize winner? Klara and the Sun is your chance! Written by Kazuo Ishiguro, a British novelist of Japanese descent, this one is a sci-fi novel that will tickle fans of Ex Machina’s fancies. Klara is an Artificial Friend that is waiting to be chosen by a customer, leading to a different sort of coming-of-age novel. We look forward to exploring what exactly defines humanity in this much-awaited release.
Expected Publication: March 2, 2021
Concrete Rose by Angie Thomas
Angie Thomas rightfully rose to fame with her 2017 debut novel The Hate U Give and follow-up novel On the Come Up in 2019. Now, Concrete Rose builds on the same world created in The Hate U Give in an exploration of Black boyhood and manhood. Readers of The Hate U Give will be familiar with Maverick Carter who suddenly finds himself as a father and decides to leave the gang he’s a part of. We just know that Concrete Rose is going to be equally as incredible as Thomas’ other work.
Expected Publication: January 12, 2021
One of the Good Ones by Maika Moulite and Maritza Moulite
Two sisters mourn the loss of their other sister, Kezi, who is killed after attending a social justice rally, by going on a roadtrip that Kezi had planned prior to her untimely death. Written by a Black sister duo, this story explores grief, Black history and sisterhood. Plus, it’s got some thriller aspects to it! Billed as a combo of The Hate U Give and Get Out, we highly doubt you’re going to want to skip this one.
Expected Publication: January 5, 2021
The Heart Principle by Helen Hoang
The third in The Kiss Quotient series, we know a ton of people are excited for this one. Helen Hoang, who was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder in 2016, writes neurodiverse characters and The Heart Principle is no exception, touching on a character who struggles with OCD and anxiety. If you haven’t read the other two in the series, fret not—they all work as stand-alone novels too!
Expected Publication: August 17, 2021
The Removed by Brandon Hobson
An enrolled citizen of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, Hobson’s 2018 National Book Award Finalist Where the Dead Sit Talking featured a Cherokee boy front and center. The Removed similarly revolves around a Cherokee family, struggling with loss. Drawing on folklore and myth, Hobson is ready to impress with this one.
Expected Publication: February 2, 2021
Island Queen by Vanessa Riley
We love a good historical fiction, especially one that takes place during a time not usually written about. Island Queen is based on a true rags-to-riches story about Dorothy Kirwan Thomas, a free woman who goes from slavery to immense wealth. Vanessa Riley is no stranger to writing a good historical fiction, so this one is sure to be a good read.
Expected Publication: July 6, 2021
Milk Fed by Melissa Broder
Sex, disordered eating, Judaism and bold humor – what more could anyone want in a book? Melissa Broder’s Milk Fed comes swinging out of the gate with a hard look at our human interdependent instincts. Taking place in Los Angeles, Milk Fed also features a queer romance. We seriously cannot wait!
Expected Publication: February 2, 2021
