Welcome to the Debutiful’s Most Anticipated Debut Books of 2024, Part One! This preview will cover a wide array of debut novels, debut story collections, and debut memoirs that are to be published between January and June. Some feature writers who recently published their first book but are debuting in a new genre and those books will be noted as such.
A majority of these books were read by founder Adam Vitcavage in late 2023, others are ones he is currently in the middle of, and finally, there a select few that are ones he is desperate to get his hands on based on the buzz generated by others who have read them including previous Debutiful authors and booksellers across America.
In the end, 60 titles across the first six months of 2024 were listed. Sit back, relax, and get ready for a damn good debut book year.
As always, you can pre-order each book at Debutiful’s Bookshop.org page, which will help fund the website and podcast while keeping it ad-free!
January
The Storm We Made by Vanessa Chan (Marysuu Rucci; January 2)
In her captivating debut, Chan unleashes a perfect storm of beauty, devastation, secrets, and success. Set during and before WWII, Chan follows an unlikely spy and how her actions may save a country but tear her family apart. This should be every reader’s first book of 2024. Everyone I know who has read it has been flabbergasted by its brilliance.
Rabbit Hole by Kate Brody (Soho Crime; January 2)
Soho Crime has been putting out a lot of thrilling bangers and Body’s debut continues that trend. It takes true crime fandom and turns it on its head in this page-turning binge that will shock and awe you.
River East, River West by Aube Rey Lescure (William Morrow; January 9)
Rey Lescure’s debut has a beautiful coming-of-age story nestled in a brilliant generational saga that touches on race, class, and place in the world. It is as equally intimate as it is an expansive note on today’s culture.
Sugar, Baby by Celine Saintclare (Bloomsbury; January 9)
This is a steamy and spellbinding story that will leave you hot under the collar, but also provide a sense of hopefulness regarding our own autonomy over this world. Saintclare follows a sex worker on a path of self-discovery. Sexiness sells, but the author’s sensitive portrayal of sexuality is what makes this book stand out.
Holiday Country by İnci Atrek (Flatiron; January 9)
A summer romance is the backbone of Atrek’s plot, but she unravels that trope and breathes fresh life into while also exploring family secrets and identity, and the different worlds we can inhabit at the same time. Atrek’s prose is lush and is a pitch-perfect match with the sensuality of the plot.
Sex with a Brain Injury by Annie Liontas (Scribner; January 16)
Liontas is the author of the novel Let Me Explain You, and has shifted gears to debut an essay collection about life after multiple concussions. Her writing is exquisite and this collection is unforgettable.
City of Laughter by Temim Fruchter (Grove; January 16)
Fruchter is a breath of fresh air. There is a remarkable sense of originality in the pages of this debut that follows generations of Jewish women and a shapeshifter. Nothing about this debut felt forced and there is an easiness to the surprises and binge-worthiness of the story.
Broughtupsy by Christina Cooke (Catapult; January 23)
Cooke’s grasp on grief, language, dialogue, and queerness is unparalleled. The strained sibling relationship at the novel’s core, as estranged sisters traverse their native Jamaica after the death of their brother, is marvelously moving. The world Cooke brings you into is immersive and readers will feel the emotions swelling up and bursting off the page.
How We Named the Stars by Andrés N. Ordorica (Tin House; January 30)
It’s no surprise that Ordorica’s prose is luxuriant and lyrical. After publishing a poetry collection, this is his first novel and it’s undeniably clear he has a master’s grasp on the written word.
February
Greta and Valdin by Rebecca K. Reilly (Avid Reader; February 6)
A luminous comedy that was already a smash hit in New Zealand. This is a laugh-so-hard-you-‘ll-cry story about found family, siblings, and queerness.
Ways and Means by Daniel Lefferts (Overlook; February 6)
What happens when the American Dream fails you almost instantly? Lefferts explores a finance bro who wasn’t while he tackles ambition and drive in a biting expose.
I Love You So Much It’s Killing Us Both by Mariah Stovall (Soft Skull; February 13)
There is so much bang for your buck in Stovall’s debut. It is an ode to growing up and letting music guide you. It is about an estranged friendship that can only be overcome through the perfect mix-tape. It’s a captivating play on friendship, anxiety, and the beauty of music.
The Blueprint by Rae Giana Rashad (Harper; February 13)
In an alternate version of America where choice no longer exists, Rashad offers a story about concubines and power. It’s a twisty dystopian tale about the power of Black women and the turmoil they go through daily.
Ours by Phillip B. Williams (Viking; February 20)
An epic, sweeping, historical novel about a mystical woman who destroys plantations in the 1800s, frees the enslaved who are held there, and then creates a haven for them called Ours. It is surreal and striking. For those who love long novels, this is definitely a doorstopper you need to pick up.
Slow Noodles by Chantha Nguon, with Kim Green (Algonquin; February 20)
Nguon’s memoir about being a Cambodian refugee surviving a genocide to discovering hope and faith through her mother’s recipes will move you to tears. It’s not all down notes though and the story beams with hope, pride, and determination.
The Turtle House by Amanda Churchill (Harper; February 20)
A stunning coming-of-age that shifts through time and touches upon different generations. Churchill’s characters will resonate with readers of all ages.
The highly acclaimed author’s fiction is finally available in English for the first time.
Green Dot by Madeleine Gray (Henry Holt; February 27)
Gray’s debut is a laugh-out-loud, messy love affair that is a refreshing take on younger women and older married men.
The Other Valley by Scott Alexander Howard (Atria; February 27)
Enlightening and uplifting. It’s a quiet novel about young love and growing up but also plays with time and memory. Howard’s town where the novel takes place is situated between decades and people can see the outcomes of their lives while revisiting the past.
March
But the Girl by Jessica Zhan Mei Yu (Unnamed Press; March 5)
What happens when a girl is finally free? Free of the pressures of her family’s hopes and dreams. Free of the expectations of her community. This novel explores that with elegance and grace.
The Extinction of Irena Rey by Jennifer Croft (Bloomsbury; March 5)
The renowned translator and memoirist turns her attention to a novel about eight translators attempting to find a writer who went missing in a Polish forest. Croft has already had a luminous career, and if her Guggenheim Fellowship for this novel is any indication, this novel will be equally as delicious as her translation work.
Victim by Andrew Boryga (Doubleday; March 12)
A sharp and biting satire about the truths and lies we can hide behind in the digital age. The voice of the narration is wickedly perfect and propels this novel with ease. Boryga understands tone, pace, and voice better than most.
Headshot by Rita Bullwinkel (Viking; March 12)
Bullwinkel lit the scene on fire with her debut story collection Belly Up and returns with a first novel that is a stone-cold stunner. Using the bustling boxing world as her backdrop, the author examines how our desires and drive can push us to great success but also send us spiraling. It is a sensational sports novel for both those who love sports as well as those who hate sports.
Green Frog by Gina Chung (Vintage; March 12)
Chung’s debut book was a Best Debut of 2023. Like her novel, her collection touches upon animals but also explores human bodies, womanhood, and survival. Fans of her novel should be ready for an amazing experience equal to Sea Change.
These Letters End in Tears by Musih Tedji Xaviere (Catapult; March 12)
This is a gut punch of a novel. Every now and then one story will consume every part of you and this will do it. Set in Cameroon where being queer is punishable by law, readers meet a Christian girl and a Muslim girl. One goes missing and their love never blossoms. Years later, passion is reignited in a beautiful and wrenching story.
A Small Apocalypse by Laura Chow Reeve (Northwestern University Press; March 15)
Laura Chow Reeve has been on Debutiful’s radar ever since she was a winner of the Pen/Robert J. Dau Short Story Prize for Emerging Writers before Debutiful was even born. Her stories are astonishing and delightful.
Annie Bot by Sierra Greer (Mariner; March 19)
Annie Bot is meant to be the perfect girlfriend. She’s also a robot. Greer’s debut is one hell of a banger. It boldly explores sex, autonomy, relationships, and technology like no other book has tried to do. It’s the kind of book you will hand your friends and just say, “trust me.”
Fervor by Toby Lloyd (Avid Read; March 19)
A close-knit family suspects they have a witch among them. Tinged with horror, this is a fresh take on the family drama with unexpected twists and turns.
Nearly All the Men in Lagos Are Mad by Damilare Kuku (HarperVia; March 19)
Kuku is going to take America by storm in 2024 with this riotous and raunchy debut story collection followed up by a first novel titled Only Big Bumbum Matters Tomorrow later in July. It’s a one-two punch that will knock you out.
Worry by Alexandra Tanner (Scribner; March 26)
The voice! The tone! The humor! Tanner woos with wonderful writing from the first to the last page. It follows two twenty-something siblings in a darkly funny existential crisis. Tanner deftly explores adult sibling friendship like I’ve never seen on the page. Worry could very well be the Great Millennial Novel.
Like Happiness by Ursula Villarreal-Moura (Celadon; March 26)
Told through two narratives – one in the present day and another a letter between two characters – Villarreal-Moura puts gender, race, and class under the microscope. It is an examination of our society and the power people have within it due to their status.
All the World Beside by Garrard Conley (Riverhead; March 26)
Conley’s memoir has been seared in my brain ever since I read it. He has turned his attention to a novel set in Puritanical America where two men fall in love.
April
A Good Happy Girl by Marissa Higgins (Catapult; April 2)
Insert the hot face emoji here. A young woman becomes entangled with a married couple in one of the sexiest, most sensual, and sapphic books in recent memory. She wraps erotic moments in thoughtful explorations of how our desires can shape us. Come for the tantalizing text but stay for the subtle, soft humane moments in between.
Women! In! Peril! by Jessie Ren Marshall (Bloomsbury; April 2)
Debutiful dubbed 2023 the Year of the Short Story. Marshall continues the onslaught of delectable debut story collections with Women! In! Peril! It’s weird, it’s wild, and it’s wonderful. She touches on identity, queerness, and relationships of all kinds (parental, sibling, romantic).
Henry Henry by Allen Bratton (Unnamed Press; April 2)
Take some father-son dynamics and add a queer, messy romance and you’ll get a highlight of the Spring. Bratton explores relationships in vibrant, thoughtful, and precise prose.
Bones Worth Breaking by David Martinez (MCD; April 9)
A searing memoir about brotherly love and the opioid crisis that broke them apart. Martinez went on a two-year mission trip while his brother stayed in America where he found himself in prison, where he eventually died. It’s a story that is all too familiar to those who had loved ones struggle with addiction, but a story that needs to be shared.
The Band by Christine Ma-Kellams (Atria; April 16)
This could very well be the first great K-Pop literary phenomenon. Expect a stylized, pop culture romp.
Your Presence Is Mandatory by Sasha Vasilyuk (Bloomsbury; April 23)
An absorbing historical drama that spans from WWII to the current Russian-Ukraine conflict. Vasiluk is tender and caring with her characters and her setting. Fans of All The Light We Cannot See will find the perfect historical novel with this book.
Mean Boys by Geoffrey Mak (Bloomsbury; April 30)
A timely memoir-in-essays about our obsessive nature, sexuality, art, and politics. Mak has a unique point of view and displays it vividly throughout this book.
May
Women and Children First by Alina Grabowski (SJP Lit; May 7)
Ten women nimbly narrate this tale of tragedy. Grabowski is a maestro who manipulates voice, tone, and dialogue with ease. The voices leap off the page and create a memorable and meditative book. There’s no doubt Grabowski will be a writer that readers will love for years to come.
Cinema Love by Jiaming Tang (Dutton; May 7)
Tang’s beautiful and kind story of two men in rural China (and later America) is an ode to perseverance, honesty, and intimacy. Simply put: this book is exquisite.
The Skunks by Fiona Warnick (Tin House; May 7)
Set during the summer after graduating college where the weight of possibility is crushing, Warnick’s book is a breath of fresh air. It is a loving laugh toward the mistakes we make in our early 20s and how each moment is equally a grand, romantic moment as well as laughably not of consequence.
Loneliness & Company by Charlee Dyroff (Bloomsbury; May 7)
Dryoff’s near future-set book is a bewitching story about technology and isolation. It will grip readers with mesmerizing writing and a tautly-paced plot.
Ghostroots by ‘Pemi Aguda (WW Norton; May 7)
These Nigerian-set stories have been called “inventive” and “gorgeous” by Lauren Groff. It’s set to be a promising start to an award-winning writer.
The Witches of Bellinas by J. Nicole Jones (Catapult; May 14)
Jones’s memoir was a Best Debut of 2021 and I’ve been eagerly awaiting what comes next from this brilliant writer. She turns her wit and masterful writing toward a fictitious cult in her first novel.
Oye by Melissa Mogollon (May 14; Hogarth)
Mogollon’s book is a swoon-worthy family saga that will make you fall in love with the characters. It’s bursting with heart on every page and it is so warm and alive. It’s a reminder that though life can drag you down, there is hope lurking around every corner.
We Were the Universe by Kimberly King Parsons (Knopf; May 14)
Black Light is an all-timer when it comes to short story collections and her novel has been at the top of my list of must-reads for ages. King Parsons can go from hilarity to heartbreak, sexy to somber, and cozy to cringe with ease within the span of a page. Kimberly King Parsons is a queen of storytelling.
Mood Swings by Frankie Barnet (Astra House; May 21)
They say not to judge a book by its cover but this one stopped me dead in my tracks. The cover, like the book, is absurd and witty. It is a laugh-out-loud masterpiece.
Cactus Country by Zoë Bossiere (Abrams; May 21)
Bossiere’s memoir about coming-of-age in a trailer park in the desert has been recommended to me by three different booksellers across the country. For me, that’s an instant pre-order. In booksellers we trust.
Housemates by Emma Copley Eisenberg (Hogarth; May 28)
Emma Copley Eisenberg was the first guest on the podcast when it launched back in 2020 and her nonfiction The Third Rainbow Girl was one of the best debuts that year. Housemates is a brilliant book about friendship, found family, and jawns. It’s an ode to our bonds told through exquisite character work that makes the world feel so lived in.
June
Amerikaland by Danny Goodman (Leftover Books; June 4)
A striking story that uses sports as a lens to understand our histories and desires. This book is a home run.
Fire Exit by Morgan Talty (Tin House; June 4)
Night of the Living Rez is going to go down as one of the greatest short story collections of the decade. It might be hard to follow up on such a masterpiece, but if anyone can do it, Talty can.
The Sisters K by Maureen Sun (Unnamed Press; June 11)
Three estranged sisters are at the center of this reimagining of The Brothers Karamazov that finds them at their father’s deathbed in a literary soap opera about family drama, sisterly bonds, and vengeance.
Mouth by Puloma Ghosh (Astra House; June 11)
This surreal collection of stories will blow your mind. Both with the content and how well Ghosh has mastered the short story. Each story in this collection bends genre and weaves through expectations. Each one left my jaw on the floor.
Out of the Sierra: A Story of Rarámuri Resistance by Victoria Blanco (Coffee House; June 11)
Based on two years of collecting stories and field research, Blanco’s story of a displaced family in Mexico is a searing portrait of life not often seen in the media. It’s an honest, tender, and powerful book of reported nonfiction all readers should pick up.
Catalina by Karla Cornejo Villavicencio (June 18; One World)
The National Book Award finalist of The Undocumented Americans turns her attention to a novel that draws and expands on her experiences as an undocumented student.
God Bless You, Otis Spunkmeyer by Joseph Earl Thomas (Grand Central; June 18)
Thomas’s debut memoir was a Best Debut of 2023 and his first novel is guaranteed to be just as dazzling. While you’re waiting for this powerful novel, revisit the memoir which will help calibrate your brain for this story.
Craft: Stories I Wrote For the Devil by Ananda Lima
Lima offers unique stories that will leave you questioning many things. They’re strange, shocking, and downright satisfying. The slim collection hits above its weight class and does more in less than 200 pages than most books do in double the length.
The Liquid Eye of a Moon by Uchenna Awoke (Catapult; June 25)
Pitched as the Nigerian Catcher in the Rye, Awoke delivers a poignant and punching coming-of-age with bewitching prose and memorable characters.
Hombrecito by Santiago Jose Sanchez (Riverhead; June 25)
This was originally listed on 2023’s anticipated list but it was pushed back. Luckily, readers can finally get their hands on this queer coming-of-age this summer!
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