There are so many good 2020 book releases that compiling them into a digestable list was pretty much impossible. Narrowing down to 20 books was not easy!
There’s a little bit of everything here from fantasy and sci fi to romance and nonfiction! I hope you find a new read to love, and remember that the best way to support authors is through pre-ordering their work!
Happy New Year! If you’re looking for backlist titles to add to your TBR, I have you covered there, too!
Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid
Release date: December 31, 2019
As soon as I read the synopsis for this book, I knew I had to add it to this list. I don’t even know a simple way to sum it up, so I’ll share the synopsis here:
Alix Chamberlain is a woman who gets what she wants and has made a living, with her confidence-driven brand, showing other women how to do the same. So she is shocked when her babysitter, Emira Tucker, is confronted while watching the Chamberlains’ toddler one night, walking the aisles of their local high-end supermarket. The store’s security guard, seeing a young black woman out late with a white child, accuses Emira of kidnapping two-year-old Briar. A small crowd gathers, a bystander films everything, and Emira is furious and humiliated. Alix resolves to make things right.
But Emira herself is aimless, broke, and wary of Alix’s desire to help. At twenty-five, she is about to lose her health insurance and has no idea what to do with her life. When the video of Emira unearths someone from Alix’s past, both women find themselves on a crash course that will upend everything they think they know about themselves, and each other.
Come Tumbling Down by Seanan McGuire
Release date: January 7, 2020
This is probably one of my favorite series of all time. I don’t know how Seanan McGuire manages to pack so much greatness into such tiny books, but she does.
This is the fifth book in the series, and focused on Jack (of Jack and Jill), who’s dealing with the consequences of her actions. If you haven’t read the first books, avoid the synopses of these because SPOILERS!
Woven in Moonlight by Isabel Ibañez
Release date: January 7, 2020
This magical realism novel is inspired by Bolivian politics and history. Fun fact: I did a project on Bolivia in 6th grade and kind of became obsessed with the culture. So this release seemed perfect for me!
It follows a decoy for a royal who also has the power to spin moonlight into thread. Her people lost everything when the royals were usurped, so she risks everything to seek revenge and get her people’s power back, and return the rightful royal to the throne.
Followers by Megan Angelo
Release date: January 14, 2020
The content creator in me is both drawn to and freaked out by this novel.
Two friends, Orla and Floss are willing to become celebrities by any means necessary. Thirty-five years after they meet, in a closed California village where government-appointed celebrities live every moment of the day on camera, a woman named Marlow discovers a shattering secret about her past.
We follow Orla, Floss and Marlow through their lives, which all lead to a catastrophic event. This book hones in on what happens when we’re more concerned about online personas and people we’ll never meet than real, human connection.
Hitting a Straight Lick with a Crooked Stick by Zora Neal Hurston
Release date: January 14, 2020
I haven’t read nearly enough Zora Neal Hurston. After we lost Toni Morrison, I made a promise to go back and add more classic Black women writers to my shelves.
Hitting a Straight Lick with a Crooked Stick is a collection of stories about love and migration, gender and class, racism and sexism that proudly reflect African American folk culture.
The Fight of the Century – Anthology
Release date: January 28, 2020
I’m so excited for this collection of essays! The ACLU teamed up with a pretty epic list of writers to share essays on landmark ACLU cases.
Don’t Read the Comments by Eric Smith
Release date: January 28
Here we follow Divya, a big deal in the online gaming world using her sponsorships to help her single mom cover the bills. Aaron is also a big deal in the same gamer world, and regular “meets up” with Divya online to share their common issues. When a group of online trolls start to seep into their real lives, Aaron and Divya work together to block out the threat.
Blue Flowers by Carola Saavedra
Release date: January 28, 2020
I feel like I don’t read a ton of books with a male main character. Is it me or is it publishing?
Synopsis: Marcos has just been through a divorce and moved into a new apartment. He feels alienated from his ex-wife, from his daughter, from society; everything feels flat and fake to him. He begins to receive letters at his new address from an anonymous troubled woman who signs off as A. and who clearly believes she is writing to the former tenant, her ex-lover, in the aftermath of a violent heartbreak. Marcos falls under the spell of the manic, hypnotic missives and for the first time in years, something moves him.
Hood Feminism: Notes from the Women That a Movement Forgot by Mikki Kendall
Release date: February 25, 2020
On the strength of the title alone, this book had to make the list!
I think anyone who is drawn to feminism, but also exists in an intersectional identity has struggled with the overwhelming whiteness that the movement exudes. Hood Feminism fully examines the movement and calls everyone to live out its true mandate.
Upstream: The Quest to Solve Problems Before They Happen by Dan Heath
Release date: March 3, 2020
At some point, my reading shifted to being almost exclusively fiction. And when I do read fiction, it’s usually memoirs. I want to mix it up this year, and this book looked like a great place to start.
Upstream delivers practical solutions for preventing problems rather than reacting to them. How many problems in our lives and in society are we tolerating simply because we’ve forgotten that we can fix them?
House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J. Mass
Release date: March 3, 2020
I haven’t picked up an SJM book since I binged the first two books in the ACOTAR series like the junk food they are. And to be honest, I didn’t plan picking up anything else from her. Until I heard about this new series.
This is an adult fantasy novel set in a world with humans and fae. Knowing Mass’ style, it will be packed with hot romance, lots of action and a lot of adjectives. I’m excited!
The City We Became by N.K. Jemison
Release date: March 24, 2020
I’m not a huge sci-fi reader, but think the right book would draw me into the genre. I’ve heard nothing but rave reviews for this award winning author, but honestly, her books intimidate me a bit! The synopsis for her newest release drew me and and hopefully will be a hit.
Five New Yorkers must come together to protect their city from an ancient evil that threatens to destroy it. It’s being talked about as more of an urban fantasy than sci-fi, which is right up my alley!
The Honey Don’t List by Christina Lauren
Release date: March 24, 2020
My favorite author duo is at it again with another romance release! This one focuses on Carey and James, who work together at a home remodeling company. The owners of their company are a married couple who can’t stand each other, but have to go on tour to promote a new book. Both Carey and James would much rather quit, but aren’t in position to leave. So they band together to try to keep the tour running smoothly.
You know I love a good workplace romance!
If I Never Met You by Mhairi McFarland
Release date: March 24, 2020
I’ve never picked up anything by Mhairi McFarland before, but I’ve heard good thing and tend to enjoy British rom coms! This book follows Laurie, who’s longtime boyfriend and coworker, suddenly dumps her after a ten year relationship. When she finds out he also is expecting a child with someone else, she almost loses it, until she meets James. James isn’t a romantic, but needs a girlfriend to help impress his bosses. So he and Laurie link up in a fake relationship to each try and get what they need.
I love the fake lovers troupe so much, when it’s done well! I’m looking forward to giving a new author a try!
The Beauty of Your Face by Sahar Mustafah
Release date: April 17, 2020
Because I’m consciously trying to read from as many authors of diverse backgrounds as possible, I knew that this release had to make the list.
We follow our main character Afaf, the daughter of Palestinian immigrants and a principal at a high school for Muslim girls in Chicago. One day, there’s an alt-right motivated shooting in the school. Afaf unfolds how the shooter became motivated to commit a hate crime, and has to re-live elements of her past as a Muslim-American.
Girl Gone Viral by Alisha Rai
Release date: April 28, 2020
The Right Swipe was one of my favorite reads of 2019 and I will probably pick up anything Alisha Rai writes moving forward!
After her date with a cute guy in a coffee shop is live streamed by a stranger and goes viral, Katrina is an internet sensation and hating it. To try and manage the chaos, Jas, a bodyguard and family friend, comes to her rescue. He takes her to his family home in a remote location for some peace. Literally a perfect recipe for romance!!
Conditional Citizens by Laila Lalami
Release date: April 28, 2020
This non-fiction is inspired by the author’s own experiences with American immigration. Conditional Citizens are the people that America embraces with one arm, and pushes away with the other.
The Heart Principle by Helen Hoang
Release date: May 4, 2020
I’ve really enjoyed all of the books in this companion series. The representation for people on the spectrum is awesome and the writing is solid. Recipe for a great romance book!
In this final book, we follow Anna who’s working hard to overcome her OCD and seduce Quan, a bad boy CEO who only has eyes for her younger sister. Anna doesn’t want Quan to ruin her sisters chances for an engagement. Quan discovers Anna’s true intentions, he’s forced to confront his own hurtful past and learn to forgive, while Anna must face her greatest challenge: truly opening herself up to love.
The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
Release date:June 2, 2020
I have been waiting for this release for years. The Mothers, Brit Bennett’s debut, is one of my favorite books of all time for so many reasons.
This novel follows the Vignes twin sisters who run away from their Black southern small town at 16. Years later, one sister has returned to the town to raise her daughter and the other is passing for White, living with her White husband who knows nothing about her past. I’m so excited to see how Bennett brings this story to life.