Below are the 42 best debuts according to Debutiful founder Adam Vitcavage. The list includes mostly fiction with a sprinkling of memoirs. It also includes debut-ish writers, who perhaps switched from nonfiction to fiction or previously wrote a short story collection and now debuted a novel. If you’re looking for more recommendations, the website, Debutiful recommends a handful of noteworthy debut books every month.
You can purchase a copy of each book by clicking on the title. A small portion of the sale will go into funding Debutiful via Bookshop.org.
Mouth by Puloma Ghosh
I was blown away by these stories’ imagination, boldness, and execution. I can’t imagine my life before reading these stories. They feel like instant classics. This is one of the best short story collections ever. It is a must-read book for anyone who loves literature. Listen to an interview with the author: Apple | Spotify
Cinema Love by Jiaming Tang
How Tang plays with time to explore queerness and love is truly exceptional. Throughout this novel, you feel tenderness on every page. It’s about love, but it’s also about understanding. I went into Tang’s novel thinking it would take my emotions to one place, but what I discovered was a world of wonder. He took so much care with the relationships and allowed them to be filled with such empathy. Reading this book made me feel so warm. Listen to an interview with the author: Apple | Spotify
Victim by Andrew Boryga
This is such a sharp and biting satire that feels so good it hurts. Diversity, media, victimhood. Nothing is safe in Boryga’s novel. He turns a hustler lying about everything and provides truth and clarity into how we view culture. It seems cynical but Boryga delivers a message with a lot of heart. My favorite part about discovering this novel was going back and reading Boryga’s journalism. A truly brilliant writer is among us. Listen to an interview with the author: Apple | Spotify
Broughtupsy by Christina Cooke
Stories about siblings will always be near and dear to my heart. Getting the complicated relationship of friends, enemies, confidants, polar opposites that all encompass what it means to be a sibling is so hard to do and Cooke got every aspect right of the sisters that grace these pages. When I first read Broughtupsy I was enamored by how she portrayed grief, but the more I think about it, the more I think about my relationship with my sister. I just can’t believe Cooke created such lively sisters on top of all of the magic she pulled off in this book. Listen to an interview with the author: Apple | Spotify
There is a Rio Grande in Heaven by Reuben Reyes Jr
This collection gives life to Salvadoran characters through gorgeous stories that run from realism to the fantastical. Reyes succeeds on every level from genre, to dialogue, to pacing. It’s a beautifully crafted collection with equally as beautiful and memorable characters. Listen to an interview with the author: Apple | Spotify
Ghostroots by ‘Pemi Aguda
Aguda’s stories are breathtaking. This collection moves readers through Lagos with interesting hooks and even more interesting structure. Aguda has such a masterful grasp on bringing readers into these worlds and letting them fumble around with the characters before shining a light to reveal the a ha moment of it all. I loved exploring Lagos with her. Listen to an interview with the author: Apple | Spotify
Blue Light Hours by Bruna Dantas Lobato
This book will sit with readers for a long time. It is quiet and haunting as it invites readers to meet a Brazilian woman who is spending her first year in America away from the comforts and love of home. She encapsulates loneliness and longing while offering a future filled with love on the horizon. Listen to an interview with the author: Apple | Spotify
Oye by Melissa Mogollon
The voice! I loved how Mogollon crafted such a memorable narrator and let readers feel they were being told a story from a friend who has the ultimate gift of gab. I found myself frantically turning pages to spend more time with Luciana. She was my best friend for over 300 pages and I still find myself wanting to shoot her a text. It was so funny and sincere even in the darkest of moments. If you need to laugh at the highs and lows of life, this is something you should have on your nightstand right now. Listen to an interview with the author: Apple | Spotify
Anyone’s Ghost by August Thompson
An expansive coming-of-age novel where Thompson isn’t afraid to lean into heartbreaking moments. It’ll make you cry but it’s so much more than that. Thompson finds the funny, the horny, and the uncomfortable in growing up and finding yourself when everything around you just doesn’t seem right. Listen to an interview with the author: Apple | Spotify
Mystery Lights by Lena Valencia
These dark and moody stories are such a treat to read. They’re quick-witted and filled with unexpected twists and turns. Valencia drops readers into evocative worlds with skillfully crafted characters. Read this if you want something a little off-kilter. It delivers on making you squirm, gasp out loud, and think hard. Listen to an interview with the author: Apple | Spotify
The Storm We Made by Vanessa Chan
There is a reason this book was the first big bestseller of 2024. It takes a popular time period for historical fiction and offers something new. Not only that, but it does it damn well. I learned so much while reading this, but also felt so moved. It reminded me of when I first read American Spy by Lauren Wilkinson for the first time. It felt familiar, but it opened a box I never knew could exist in this type of book. It sweeps through time and place effortlessly and feels like a truly cinematic book ripe with luscious imagery. Listen to an interview with the author: Apple | Spotify
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. Listen to the author read from their debut book: Apple | Spotify
Housemates by Emma Copley Eisenberg
Art, friendship, love, community. This is a love letter to all of those things and more. I fell in love with Eisenberg’s writing when her debut nonfiction book was released and this debut novel was something I was eagerly waiting for. The tenderness and rich language I expected was there… and more. Knowing how brilliant Eisenberg can tackle numerous subjects and connect them seamlessly in nonfiction, it was an amazing feeling to go page after page shouting “THIS IS BRILLIANT” and sincerely mean it. Listen to an interview with the author: Apple | Spotify
We Were the Universe by Kimberly King Parsons
I will follow Kimberly King Parsons into the abyss. Where she leads, I will follow. Her story collection from 2019 is an all-timer and now her debut novel about a horny mother and psychedelics solidifies her as one of the greatest writers working right now. I just can’t imagine anyone trying to write this novel except her. She is a voice and mind I need as often as possible. KKP, when is book three? Listen to an interview with the author: Apple | Spotify
Fire Exit by Morgan Talty
A masterpiece. Talty’s debut story collection blew me away and I put off reading this book for a few months after I got it because I was nervous he wouldn’t strike lightning twice. I was completely wrong to worry. Talty is brilliant and this solidifies him as one of the best living writers today.
I Love You So Much It’s Killing Us Both by Mariah Stovall
This book brought me home to my teenage years. It’s an ode to music, but, just as importantly, it’s an ode to friendship. Messy, loving, friendship. The best way I can describe this book to someone is if you found an old burned CD of your favorite hits and called up your friend you haven’t spoken to in years and instantly everything clicks. It feels so earnest and I loved every moment I spent in this world.
Obligations to the Wounded by Mubanga Kalimamukwento
These stories! These stories! They are opulent, clever, and ingenious. While they follow these women’s lives, they also offer insight into large themes seen across the globe. Kalimamukwento is a graceful writer who has already hit her stride. Her future is bright.
Misinterpretation by Ledia Xhoga
Xhoga provides a gorgeously written book that combines humor and suspense while letting readers watch an interpreter become entangled with one of her clients. It was taut but still left subtle moments for brilliant characterization to shine through. Listen to an interview with the author: Apple | Spotify
Hombrecito by Santiago Jose Sanchez
This is a book about a character finding themself. It’s also a book that you can find yourself in regardless of who you are as a reader. They poetically explore immigration, sexuality, and family with prose that is so stunning. It’s a book that will take you on an emotional roller coaster while you underline sentences upon sentences to note how beautiful they are.
The Fertile Earth by Ruthvika Rao
Lush and beautiful from beginning to end. Rao follows two people who bonded as children but whose social class threatens to tear them apart as adults. The exploration of these two characters amidst the chaos around them exquisitely showed how loyalty and love for friends outweigh the noise of the world. Rao’s prose is undeniably captivating. Listen to an interview with the author: Apple | Spotify
The Ministry of Time by Kailaine Bradley
This will be the book everyone is talking about this summer. Booksellers, social media, your parents, your teens. Everyone will simply love this time-traveling spy romance. It checks off all of the boxes for what a damn good book should be.
Headshot by Rita Bullwinkel
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. Listen to the author read from their debut book: Apple | Spotify
God Bless You, Otis Spunkmeyer by Joseph Earl Thomas
His memoir was one of my favorites in 2023. His novel is extraordinary and blew me away. It’s lyrical, raw, and has a one-of-a-kind voice. I will read Thomas any day of the week and always learn something new about myself as a reader.
Still Life by Katherine Packert Burke
This is a beacon of hope. Set in Texas, where trans rights are being taken away, the characters find themselves fighting for their future while struggling to confront a death in the past. Burke writes with such clarity. I felt inside this friendship and experienced the love, tension, relief, and loathing that come along with complex dynamics. It is a quintessential novel for our time and for our future. Listen to an interview with the author: Apple | Spotify
Sky Full of Elephants by Cebo Campbell
Wow. Just, wow. This book was a rush to read. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect when I picked it up, but it offered a marvelous outlook on race, social norms, and unfair structures in our society.
City of Laughter by Temim Fruchter
A lot of reviews for Fruchter’s debut called it ambitious, and by golly it is. It’s also perfectly done. So rare do multiple timelines that span generations all feel cooked to the right temperature. It’s easy for novels to drag when you as a reader want to get back to another character. There’s not a single page I felt like that wasted. Fruchter does everything possible with every single word. Listen to the author read from their debut: Apple | Spotify
Women and Children First by Alina Grabowski
I love non-mystery mystery novels. Don’t think of this as a whodunnit. Sure, there’s a death, but that is on the peripheral of the chorus of voices that narrate the grief caused by a singular act that will not define them or their town. The master one narrator is a challenge within itself, but to have ten perfectly complex and unique voices was awe-inspiring. Listen to an interview with the author: Apple | Spotify
Early Sobrieties by Michael Deagler
Deagler’s debut shines as a raw and captivating introspective journey. He blends of humor, insight, and sparkling prose to explore the complexities of sobriety and self-discovery.
A Good Happy Girl by Marissa Higgins
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. Listen to an interview with the author: Apple | Spotify
Worry by Alexandra Tanner
This list started with sisters and it will end with sisters. Tanner’s wry humor leans into the absurdity of being a Millennial where you’re just trying to figure yourself out while the world around you is in chaos. This novel made me laugh so much that it hurt because of the astute observations Tanner makes throughout. If you’re “not where you’re supposed to be” in life, this will make you feel right at home. Listen to an interview with the author: Apple | Spotify
Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar
The poet’s first novel will stab you in the heart. It is incredibly moving with prose that sings. It radiates beauty.
Women! In! Peril! by Jessie Ren Marshall
These stories do whatever they want. There are no rules in Marshall’s debut as she bounces from space stations to dance class. The collection is equally humorous and thought-provoking while it explores complex topics with ease. These stories are a breath of fresh air. Listen to the author read from their debut: Apple | Spotify
The Man in the Banana Trees by Marguerite Sheffer
The unique blend of stories in Sheffer’s collection gives new insight into our world. She uses genre and setting to explore the unfamiliar and push readers into using a mirror to see our reality in them. I never knew what to expect from story to story. Sheffer kept me on my toes and each story felt like the story of the collection. She outdid herself time and time again.
How We Named the Stars by Andrés N. Ordorica
Ordorica’s prose is luxuriant and lyrical. This novel proves he has a master’s grasp on the written word. I loved every moment in this astounding and moving story. Listen to an interview with the author: Apple | Spotify
Green Frog by Gina Chung
Like her debut 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. Listen to the author read from their debut story collection: Apple | Spotify
A Small Apocalypse by Laura Chow Reeve
These stories answer the question of what it means to not fit in and how to be okay with yourself. All of the stories bring in memorable characters and their communities to explore otherness. The sticky Florida settings come to life through gorgeous language and poignant dialogue. Listen to the author read from their debut: Apple | Spotify
Sex with a Brain Injury by Annie Liontas
This book taught me so much about our bodies, but also what it means to love someone and accept ourselves. Liontas’ essays are breathtaking and inspiring. Read this regardless if you know someone with a brain injury. It will teach you how to be a better person. Read an interview with the author.
More, Please by Emma Specter
This is the type of memoir I wish I had a decade ago. Society has its opinions and advice about food, body, weight, fat, and what’s healthy. Those opinions are, in fact, unhealthy. Specter explores our relationship with those topics and will help reshape how you think about your body and your relationship with food. Simply brilliant and a must-read.
Annie Bot by Sierra Greer
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.” Listen to an interview with the author: Apple | Spotify
Catalina by Karla Cornejo Villavicencio
This fiction debut is filled with hypnotic prose that allows a complicated character to shine page after page. Each book on this list is here for a specific reason, and this one is here because of how the main character is portrayed. One of my favorite and most complex characters to read.
The Coin by Yasmin Zaher
A lusciously written and completely captivating debut. This is one of those books that was recommended to me by so many different people from writers to booksellers for months. Once I finally got my hands on it, it wasn’t a question of whether or not it was good. It was a question of how brilliant it was. I devoured this. It will easily be a book of the year and talked about for years to come.
Sugar, Baby be Celine Saintclare
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. Listen to an interview with the author: Apple | Spotify
If you’re interested in Debutiful reading your debut book, please have your publicist reach out to Adam directly.
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