Your Spring 2023 Reading List: 10 New Books We Love

Recommending books is a privilege I do not take lightly. When considering the slew of spring titles, I wanted to find fresh voices—writers who are telling stories in new ways or from different perspectives. Some of my picks are written by first-timers, others by seasoned pros hitting their stride. Some you can devour now, others you’ll have to wait for (worth it!). You’ll find smart social commentary, thrillers with a twist, heart-stopping sagas and a cozy mystery just begging for a cup of tea.

A Death at the Party by Amy Stuart

Nadine Walsh just wants her perfect summer garden party to go well, so the dead body in her basement is a real head-scratcher. Told over the course of one day, the party—for Nadine’s mother’s birthday, as well as some other, secret anniversary—will reveal all. A taut, female-forward drama from a bestselling author. March 7.

Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutanto

Vera Wong lives alone above her tea shop in San Francisco’s Chinatown, sharpening her detective skills by keeping up with her Gen-Z son online. A dead body in her shop puts those skills to use, then she finds herself becoming friends with her suspects in this cozy mystery. March 14.

How I’ll Kill You by Ren DeStefano

Triplet Sissy loves her identical sisters, Moody and Iris, despite the fact they’re serial killers, murdering their male lovers across America. (Sissy cleans up their messes and keeps quiet.) When it’s her turn to join her sisters’ crime spree, she accidentally falls in love with her mark. A black romantic killer comedy you won’t forget. March 21.

The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters

Fifty years ago, a four-year-old Mi’kmaq girl from Nova Scotia went missing while berry picking in Maine. Her loss reverberates throughout her family over the decades as the case remains unsolved. Meanwhile, a young woman grows up with memories that feel like mysteries her parents can’t solve. This emotional debut is a beautifully told story of identity, loss and the power of love. April 4.

Related: After My Partner Broke Up With Me Out of Nowhere, I Wrote A Book About It

The Do-Over by Suzanne Park

Bestselling career guide author Lily Lee graduated college a decade ago—right? Wrong. Publically embarrassed, she returns to finish her degree, only to connect with her new TA—and former boyfriend—Jake. This delightful second-chance romance is sparkling with humour and heart. April 4.

Life and Other Love Songs by Anissa Gray

This is the story of the Armsteads, a Black American family, and the traumas and triumphs that bind them. Ozro Armstead walks out of their house on his 37th birthday and never returns home to his wife and young daughter. What happens in the following years is an engrossing saga spanning generations. April 11.

Meet Me at the Lake by Carley Fortune

Fortune, a former Chatelaine editor, returns to a lakeside setting in her second swoony romance. Fern Brookbanks spent a dreamy, whirlwind 24 hours with Will Baxter. A year later, he jilts her at their planned rendezvous. When he shows up at her mother’s flailing Muskoka resort a decade after they first met, will Fern see past his secrets? May 2.

The Nigerwife by Vanessa Walters

When high-society housewife Nicole Oruwari—part of a glam group of expats married to wealthy Nigerian men—goes missing, her aunt flies to Lagos to find her. But Nicole’s perfect life is a front for something darker. Fast-paced and addictive, Walters’ debut is made for TV. Just ask HBO—a series is already in the works. May 2. Related: Five Sexy Reads To Spice Up Your Month

Yellowface by R.F. Kuang

Writer June Hayward was supposed to be a success, but a fellow college alumna, Athena Liu, hits the bestseller jackpot instead. When Athena dies in a freak accident, June passes off one of Athena’s manuscripts as her own, publishing it under the ethnically ambiguous name Juniper Song. Kuang’s sharp take on race, identity and cultural appropriation will be on everyone’s TBR pile. May 16.

The Whispers by Ashley Audrain

After a neighbourhood barbecue in a well-to-do suburb, a child falls from a window, and four families are forever changed. This hidden-secrets drama examines motherhood, envy and what happens when women want too much for themselves. From the author of The Push. June 6.