The Most Anticipated Fiction of July 2024
Four novels you need to read ASAP.
Having trawled the depths of early book reviews, I am excited to share the most awaited fiction releases set to be published this month.
From marital suspense to dystopian sad-girl fiction, here’s your guide to the top contemporary picks filling the shelves this month.
Whoever You Are, Honey by Olivia Gatwood
Dark and unique, this debut outlines dystopian themes through the lives of people on the outskirts of Silicon Valley, where nothing is off-limits.
The book explores the deceptive luxuries of tech-founder living, a mix of science and literary fiction already linked to Stepford Wives for the artificial intelligence age.
I can’t wait to get my hands on this — unpacking the relationship between technology, power and perfection, Whoever You Are, Honey is set to be a proper late-night read.
Publication date: July 2, 2024
The Coin by Yasmin Zaher
A book like no other, The Coin follows a Palestinian woman pursuing her dream of living in New York while challenging the perceptions of materiality, inherited trauma and self-image.
From crossing boundaries to participating in fraudulent schemes, the bold narrator pushes herself to the edge in a stream of first-person consciousness while exploring the cost of being human.
Early reviews deem The Coin unusual and divisive, with the narrator unravelling into gradual madness — to me, it sounds like a must-read.
Publication date: July 9, 2024
Liars by Sarah Manguso
Particularly well received among advance readers, Liars is an immediate hit. The book follows Jane, an aspiring writer who wants to have it all — to be in love, to be happy and to maintain a successful life. Among marriage and motherhood, Jane finds herself increasingly lost and inevitably has to start all over again.
Liars exposes the dark side of interpersonal relationships, the gradual failure of marriage, and the fear of being undervalued. Raving reviews highlight its masterful depiction of manipulation and resentment — and lying to oneself in order to cope.
I love everything about this premise — and I am here for it.
Publication date: July 23, 2024
The Wedding People by Alison Espach
Last but absolutely not least, The Wedding People tells a story about Phoebe, the only guest at the Cornwall Inn who is not part of an upcoming wedding at the venue. When Phoebe meets the bride during a chance encounter, their paths merge.
Touching upon themes of infidelity, loneliness and belonging, The Wedding People is praised as immensely enjoyable and endearing.
The novel sounds like a match — bits of sad-girl fiction combined with witty characters and raw observations.
Publication date: July 30, 2024
