Congratulations to the class of 2019, the rising stars in fiction! There are plenty more new voices to discover as the year continues, but here are the 15 debuts that have earned top marks from us so far this year.
Disappearing Earth by Julia Phillips
A community reacts to two girls’ disappearances on the remote Kamchatka Peninsula.
The Doll Factory by Elizabeth Macneal
An intricate web unfolds in 1851 London, where an aspiring artist is stalked by a creepy taxidermist.
Evvie Drake Starts Over by Linda Holmes
A widow with secrets and a baseball player with the yips become roommates and begin to heal.
Fleishman Is in Trouble by Taffy Brodesser-Akner
Toby Fleishman, an Upper East Side hepatologist, is in the midst of a bitter divorce after a 14-plus-year marriage to his wife.
Gravity Is the Thing by Jaclyn Moriarty
The first adult novel from the award-winning YA author is a whimsical tale that plumbs the depths of grief, hope and self-help.
Hollow Kingdom by Kira Jane Buxton
A foul-mouthed, Cheetos-loving crow named S.T. goes on an adventure to save humanity from doom.
In West Mills by De’Shawn Charles Winslow
Throughout the decades, a small black community in North Carolina gossips and grows, fights and loves.
Miracle Creek by Angie Kim
A mystery swirls around the tragic explosion of a pressurized oxygen chamber.
Naamah by Sarah Blake
Noah’s wife, Naamah, is at the center of this surrealist, sensual story.
The Old Drift by Namwali Serpell
This hundred-year saga of three families and their fortunes is as unique as it is ambitious.
On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong
Written as a letter to a Vietnamese mother who can’t read, this poetic novel has a profound impact.
Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams
After a breakup, a highly relatable Jamaican-British woman is making some changes.
Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston
What begins as an irreverent chronicle of the first female president’s reelection year through the eyes of the FSOTUS (first son of the United States) becomes an account of the love story of said FSOTUS and England’s Henry, Prince of Wales.
Tell Me Everything by Cambria Brockman
On the campus of an exclusive New England college, six friends form a destructive connection.
When All Is Said by Anne Griffin
An elderly man makes five toasts to five people, all of whom left an impact on his life.
