The 10 Best New Books Of May

April showers have come and gone, and May is in full bloom. Whether you’re enjoying the extra daylight, admiring the blossoming flowers, or sneezing your way through hay fever, this month serves up new beginnings and fresh reads.

For literary fiction fans, there is a slate of engrossing and poignant novels to lose yourself in. Booker Prize-winner Douglas Stuart returns with John of John, a staggeringly honest family drama set on an isolated Scottish island. Portia Elan makes her debut with Homebound, a sweeping science-fiction saga rife with ‘80s nostalgia.

Romance readers have a treasure trove of releases to enjoy. Carley Fortune, the reigning queen of summer romance, has returned with a slow-burn friends to lovers arc for the ages. Meanwhile, The Arcane Arts, co-authored by #1 New York Times bestseller Dana Schwartz and Dan Frey using the joint pen name S.D. Coverly, blends dark academia with romantasy.

From thriller to self-help, here are Bustle’s 10 most anticipated books of May.

Honey by Imani Thompson

Out May 5. Yrsa is near her breaking point. As a Ph.D student studying Afropessimism, a critical framework investigating the structural exclusion of Blackness from broader society, she spends her days supporting ungrateful undergrads. But when her best friend reveals she’s been sleeping with a chauvinistic professor who’d stolen her research during the affair, Yrsa snaps, killing him. With her newfound taste for blood, Yrsa begins targeting men she believes are irredeemable. Weaving together commentary on racism, misogyny, and power, Thompson’s debut explores the depths of rage.

John of John by Douglas Stuart

Out May 5. Cal Macleod, an eccentric former art student, is returning to his home on a remote Scottish Island with little to show for his time away. He hides his sexuality from his family while navigating a slew of tensions: buried resentments, hushed generational secrets, the constraints of small-town life. Meanwhile, his relationships with his stern sheep farmer father and grandmother fester.

Our Perfect Storm by Carley Fortune

Out May 5. Best friends Frankie and George have had their share of spats over the years, but the two always find their ways back to one another. But on the evening of Frankie’s wedding, she’s not sure that George will show up as her best man. When Frankie’s fiancé dumps her the morning of the nuptials, George convinces Frankie to let him tag along on her honeymoon. Together on the lush Vancouver Island, the two try to save their friendship and make an unexpected discovery along the way.

Homebound by Portia Elan

Out May 5. This sweeping saga begins in Cincinnati, where Becks’ uncle dies in the early days of the AIDS crisis. Grieving and coming to terms with her own queer identity, Becks begins working on his unfinished video game, preserved on a set of cryptic floppy discs. The game will go on to reverberate across planets for centuries to come, creating a thread connecting Becks to a scientist in the 2070s, and, later, a robot and a ship captain circa 2586. A romp between space and time, Elan’s debut explores the intricacies of human connection.

Young World by Soman Chainani

Out May 5. In the near future, the youth of the United States are disillusioned with the status quo. When high school senior Benton Young posted a video urging voters to write him in as president, he incites an unexpected revolution that ultimately wins him the White House. As Benton takes power, other teenagers rise to lead the world’s most powerful nations. But when he becomes the sole suspect in a brazen murder, the future of this new world order hangs precariously in the balance.

Missed Connections by Aimie K. Runyan

Out May 26. Sabrina has spent her life crafting her resume to become an inspector for the Michelin Guide — a secret ambition she’s kept from friends, family, and partners. But after she loses her job at an upscale French restaurant, she’s spinning out (no thanks to her incessantly critical mother and sister. When she arrives at the airport in tears, a friendly face behind the ticket counter offers her an opportunity: revisiting her old life choices to see if she would choose a different path.

The Arcane Arts by S. D. Coverly

Out May 19. Ellsbeth Storer is set on studying the arcane arts, a highly taboo form of magic. In the wake of her sister’s suspicious death, she enrolls at Newlyn University, where the esteemed Professor Thaddeus Rawlins will supervise her provocative thesis. But as the two begin their work together, their mutual attraction erupts into something far more dangerous.

Men Like Ours by Bindu Bansinath

Out May 19. Willow Road, a small South Asian community in New Jersey, is stunned when one of its own, 55-year-old Matthew Pillai, is found dead. As the investigation begins, attention turns to neighborhood widow Anita Sharma and her adult daughter, Leila. The bickering mother and daughter duo share a complicated history with the deceased: it was Anita’s late husband who first introduced him to the community, and he and Leila once shared an illicit relationship. Set among the chatter of the Willow Road’s women, Bansinath’s wry debut explores the push and pull between mother and daughter, generational tension, and the enduring bond of love.

Future Rich Person by Haley Sacks

Out May 12. For many of us, financial freedom feels out of reach, but Haley Sacks (aka Mrs. Dow Jones), argues it doesn’t have to be. In this judgment-free guide, Sacks breaks down how to accumulate wealth in a realistic and sustainable way — without sacrificing your daily coffee.

Healing the Success Wound by Brooke Taylor

Out May 26. Many high-achieving women suffer from what Brooke Taylor calls the success wound: the nagging feeling that your value as a person is intrinsically linked to your professional accomplishments. In her debut book, the former Google marketing executive-turned-career coach introduces a five-step framework for identifying and releasing yourself from this pressure. For over-achievers, people-pleasers, and workaholics, this is a guide to taking control over your relationship to success.