The Best Books of 2019 (So Far)

The newest suspense novel from the authors behind The Wife Between Us introduces us to Jessica Ferris. Jess just wants to make a little extra cash when she decides to participate in a study on ethics with the mysterious Dr. Lydia Shields. The premise seems simple: Answer a few questions, then collect. But soon the doctor’s questions turn from simple survey queries to something much more sinister—leaving Jess unsure of whom she can trust. An early contender for thriller of the year.

The Water Cure has drawn instant comparisons to The Handmaid’s Tale, and not just because author Margaret Atwood called it “a gripping, sinister fable.” The book centers on Grace, Lia, and Sky, three sisters who live on an isolated island with their mother and their father, whom they call King. When their father disappears, their lives—as well as everything they’ve been told about the outside world—are upended.

Set in a Southern California college town, The Dreamers begins with the odd case of a student who walks into her dorm room, passes out, and doesn’t wake up. Soon a second girl falls asleep, then a third, and on it goes. The victims are locked in a heightened dream state, having wild fantasies and hallucinations—all while a group of students, teachers, and doctors struggle to wake them.

Roupenian broke the Internet when The New Yorker published her viral short story “Cat Person” in 2017. Quick refresher: It was about a college-age girl who sleeps with an older man because she feels like she “owes” it to him, not quite because she wants to. In her debut collection, Roupenian continues to explore the inner workings of sex, trauma, kinks, and manipulation.

Growing up, Land had always planned on escaping her hometown and becoming a writer. But after an unexpected pregnancy, her dreams were put on hold. She became a housekeeper, went on food stamps, and at times lived in government housing to make ends meet. All the while she took online college classes and wrote stories about the people around her: working-class Americans. Land's memoir is this year’s Educated; you’ll love her fighting spirit and learn from her look at poverty in the United States.

If you obsessively followed the stories of Natalee Holloway, Madeleine McCann, and Jayme Closs, read The Suspect. From the author of the New York Times best-seller The Widow, Barton’s latest novel centers on what happens when two girls vanish in Thailand. With the girls’ families thrown into the international spotlight, journalists descend to crack the case. But as this thriller unfolds, it becomes clear the real danger is closer to home. The Suspect is an edge-of-your-seat suspense novel about a parent’s worst nightmare.

Jenoff, the author of New York Times best-seller The Orphan’s Tale, is back with a novel about a group of female secret agents during World War II. Based on a series of real-life events, the book opens in Manhattan in 1946, when a woman discovers a suitcase that belonged to the leader of a network of spies based in London during the war. What follows is a portrait of sisterhood, courage, and drama. A must-read.

In 2018 Thomas’ debut YA novel, The Hate U Give,, was turned into a film that starred Amandla Stenberg and Issa Rae. Now her second novel, On the Come Up, picks up in the same neighborhood and around the same time the first book leaves off. Sixteen-year-old rapper Bri is desperate to live up to her artist father, who was murdered just before his big break. But before she can make it big, she finds herself at the center of a community controversy, while her mom is struggling to make ends meet at home. Equal parts heartbreaking and full of hope, On the Come Up proves Thomas has many more stories to tell.

In this powerful collection, author and former fashion editor Wang opens up about her schizoaffective disorder. The entries paint a vivid picture of life with a chronic mental illness—from how Wang uses fashion as armor, to the relationship between smeared red lipstick and mental instability, to her long journey toward finding a diagnosis. A book that celebrates the perseverance of the human spirit.

Is “woman behaves dangerously, lives wildly” a genre? If so, The Age of Light is its latest poster child. The novel is a work of historical fiction about Lee Miller, a real-life Vogue model who became one of the first female war correspondents. Scharer’s plot takes off when Miller travels to Paris where she meets photographer Man Ray, who becomes her collaborator and lover. While most stories about Miller paint her as Ray’s muse, this one portrays her as the independent and daring artist she truly was.

The second novel from the writer behind New York Times best-seller The House Girl is a modern epic. When poet Fiona Skinner is asked about the inspiration behind her most famous work, she begins to trace the arc of her childhood. She recalls her father's unexpected death, her mother's descent into a paralyzing depression, and her siblings' determined survival. Her father's death shaped each of their lives and still haunts Fiona in her work. In the vein of Commonwealth, The Last Romantics is a sweeping look at what binds families together.

From the writer who gave us Beloved, The Bluest Eye, Sula, and so many other incredible classics, this nonfiction collection is a look back at her life and career, which ended with her death in August. In The Source of Self-Regard, Morrison compiled essays, speeches, and thoughts on culture over the past four decades. She writes about female empowerment, money, human rights, and black culture, and offers new commentary on her own novels. This book is an intimate look at this literary powerhouse—and a peek inside her mind.

Set in the 1930s in Malaysia, The Night Tiger opens when 11-year-old houseboy Ren discovers his master has just died. The master's final wish was for Ren to find the man’s finger—which he’d lost years before in an accident—so it can be buried with him. If the boy fails to find it, his master will be cursed and his soul will forever wander the earth. Across the district, Ji Lin, an apprentice dressmaker and dance hall girl by night, comes across an item that one of her dance partners has left behind, which sends her on her own adventure. Ren’s and Ji Lin’s paths soon crisscross as they embark on their journeys. It’s a book for fans of Isabel Allende and for those who love a murder mystery with a beautiful backdrop.

In Anissa Gray's debut, a trio of sisters reels from a criminal conviction. Growing up, the eldest sister, Althea, took care of her sisters after their mother died. Althea raised them to become one of the most respected families in their area, one of the few black residents in an all-white Michigan town. But now, after Althea is arrested—for food stamp fraud and embezzlement—their reputation is destroyed and the sisters must reunite in Michigan to pick up the pieces. As the family struggles to support themselves, long-buried secrets are revealed.

If you couldn't get enough of TBS's Search Party, or more recently Netflix's Russian Doll, pick up a copy of The Lost Night. Much like these two shows, this book also centers on a young woman posing as an amateur detective to solve a murder. Back in 2009 the novel's protagonist, Lindsay, partied with her friends and the queen bee of their group, Edie. After a long night of binge drinking, Lindsay woke up to find Edie dead of an apparent suicide. Now, a decade later, Lindsay discovers new evidence that could prove that Edie was murdered—and that Lindsay might have been involved. The rest of this haunting debut follows Lindsay as she tries to piece together what really happened on that awful, forgotten night.

Queue up Stevie Nicks, Janis Joplin, and Joni Mitchell, then dive headfirst into the world of Daisy Jones & the Six. The novel is structured like an oral history and tells the story of an iconic '70s band that had a meteoric rise to fame—and burned out just as quickly. Reese Witherspoon is already adapting the book into an Amazon miniseries, so get ready for this to be your next Big Little Lies–level obsession.

Best-selling author Helen Oyeyemi's latest novel centers on three generations of women and the cursed gingerbread recipe that binds them. Early on in the book, Perdita Lee attempts to re-create her family's recipe. But after she adds additional ingredients, she slips into a coma. Lee survives, and her mother is forced to come clean about their family's fantastical past.

Motherhood. Is there any experience more fraught, exhilarating, and at times frightening? This collection of stories tackles all of these complex emotions head-on. The women in it have just given birth, are struggling to get pregnant, or are deciding to become a single parent, and more. Each narrative offers a candid look into one of the most intimate choices a woman can make with humor and heart.

Millicent and her husband have been married for 15 years, and the couple has a secret. Together they…murder young women. If you binge-watched You or thought A Simple Favor was vastly underrated, you won't be able to put this twisted thriller down.

If Wild Wild Country was your number one Netflix show of 2018, then you'll love the story of Berie—a 19-year-old who finds belonging in an off-the-grid (and dangerous) collective instead of her freshman dorm. After leaving home, Berie meets Bay, a mysterious stranger who invites her to come live with the Ash Family. The homestead is run by larger-than-life leader Dice. Much like the Rajneeshees of Wild Wild Country, Berie changes her name, assimilates to join the group, and starts living on the farm. But as we've seen with other popular cult stories—it's not all as harmonious at it seems.

When Erin Lee Carr was just 27, her father unexpectedly passed away. While Carr was shattered, the rest of the world mourned as well; Carr's father was the celebrated journalist and bestselling author David Carr. By the time she caught her breath on the night of his death—and took a look at her phone—she had received both a New York Times and NPR push alert about his death. As she mourned, digital communication continued to play a huge role in her grief. Carr spent months pouring over her email correspondence with her father (1,936 items in total) to help make sense of her pain. The result is this gripping memoir—which is an ode to her father and their complicated relationship—told through his many, many emails to his daughter.

Normal People author Sally Rooney, 28, has been called the first great millennial writer. She's amassed an army of cool-girl fans like Sweetbitter author Stephanie Danler and model Emily Ratajkowski. And the critics adore her. Normal People lives up to the praise. The book centers on classmates Marianne and Connell, who despite their different personalities and circumstances can't seem to leave one another alone. You'll read it in one gulp—and love every second of it.

The Farm is what the world of the The Handmaid's Tale would be like if Serena Joy, Aunt Lydia, and the gang suddenly started reading Goop. This novel is set at a luxury retreat where for nine months you're given organic meals, trainers, and daily massages. Imagine CBD and yoni eggs galore. There's just one catch: You're carrying the perfect baby—for someone else. Oh, and you also can't leave or talk to people in your former life, and you're always being watched. Blessed be the fruit.

Disclaimer: This memoir isn't for the faint of heart. In Once More We Saw Stars, Jayson Greene lays bare his story of losing his daughter, Greta. One afternoon Greta, then two, is sitting on a park bench with her grandmother, enjoying her visit and some time outdoors, when out of nowhere, a brick crumbles from a windowsill above and strikes her unconscious. Greta is rushed to the hospital and dies there. This book is an unflinching portrait of what it's like for a couple to live through the worst kind of trauma—and survive. It belongs in the pantheon with other masterpieces on grief, like Joan Didion's The Year of Magical Thinking.

Jo. Beth. Meg. Amy. Who among us didn't grow up loving the characters of Little Women? In best-selling author Jennifer Weiner's latest novel, she takes inspiration from the adolescent classic to tell the story of Jo and Bethie Kaufman—two sisters whose lives are upended after the unexpected loss of their father. Mrs. Everything is a multigenerational story that deals with drug use, rape, abortion, and the ties of sisterhood. Warning: There will be tears.

It's an old maternal chestnut: Never have a friend group of three. No matter what, someone always feels left out. That's certainly the case in How Could She, which follows 37-year-old best friends Geraldine, Sunny, and Rachel. Geraldine still lives in Toronto at the plot's outset, while Sunny and Rachel have since moved on to New York. But when Geraldine uproots her life to join them, she realizes the grass isn't necessarily greener. Mechling depicts the relationship among close friends with cringey, brilliant attention to detail. And in the ever-shifting dynamics of a friend group, she renders the jealousies but also the love.

Admit it: You were just as captivated by the college-admissions scandal as the rest of us. While the drama around Operation Varsity Blues may have died down, The Gifted School is a just-as-juicy, fictional account of parents who will do anything to get their children an elite education. The novel opens with the founding of a new application-only magnet school in a small town and follows four close friends—and their parents—as they battle it out for those few coveted spots.

Glamour readers know something about writer Lyz Lenz's post-divorce life from her poignant essays on resigning from cooking and dating in the Me Too era. But in her debut book, Lenz sheds light on what made her leave in the first place. It was after the 2016 election when Lenz realized she could no longer be married to a man who had voted for Donald Trump or maintain her Christian faith as it had existed until then. The twin casualties inspired her to explore what religion means to those who, like her, live in the middle of a divided America. God Land is an investigation into the heartland now and a rigorous, beautiful look at what brings people together.

Jia Tolentino has made a name for herself on the internet writing for The New Yorker about hot button topics like vaping, Outdoor Voices, and why we want celebrities to run us over. These nine new essays that make up her debut collection employ the same wit and singular critical eye to scammer culture, social media, the millennial experience, and more.

Grace and Frankie actor and activist June Diane Raphael and former chief of staff at Emily's List Kate Black have teamed up to write the definitive guide for women looking to run for office. From how to dress to what to do with your naked pictures and the best ways to fund-raise, it's a hilarious and inspiring road map for the next generation of female leaders.

Pulitzer Prize–winning writer and former ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power's memoir tracks her journey from her childhood in Dublin to ending up in President Obama's cabinet. With a particular focus on the Obama era, Power (who was a Glamour Woman of the Year in 2014) looks back on how she fought to put her ideals into action and refused to be hardened by politics as usual.

The 2016 Glamour Woman of the Year Emily Doe comes forward as Chanel Miller in her powerful new memoir. Miller, who was sexually assaulted by Brock Turner after a party at Stanford University, reclaims her own narrative after years of living anonymously. She shares her journey from darkness to light, and her struggle to make sense of a criminal justice system seemingly designed to protect men—and fail their victims. If there's one thing this book makes clear, Miller was born to write.

Fans of Ali Wong have known her daughters since before they were born. Wong performed her hit Netflix comedy special Baby Cobra while pregnant with her first. She then followed it up by filming Hard Knock Wife while carrying her second. Dear Girls comprises a collection of letters to her baby girls that are barn-burning reflections on being a working mom, marriage, sex, and more. If you've ever wanted to have Ali Wong's signature voice in your head for 200-plus pages, now's your chance.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Nancy Pelosi. Jane Fonda. Glenn Close. As a culture, we're drawn to these iconic figures. Their illustrious careers, infinite wisdom, and unparalleled power. In No Stopping Us Now, New York Times columnist Gail Collins charts the history of older women in America. She examines everything from society's complicated relationship to aging to our renewed celebration of women in their golden years.

Machado challenges the idea that queer women like herself don’t endure abuse at the hands of their partners. In flash-length chapters, she unpacks her toxic relationship—and what to do when the fantasy comes crumbling down.