From Backman to Bargatze: New Releases May 6, 2025

The Names by Florence Knapp is a powerful literary novel that follows Cora, a mother who, in a single moment of hesitation at a birth registry, alters the course of her life and her child’s across three parallel timelines. Through these alternate realities, the story explores themes of identity, domestic abuse, motherhood, and the enduring impact of choice. Emotionally rich and deeply moving, it’s a stunning meditation on the power of one name to shape everything.

The Missing Half by Ashley Flowers is a gripping psychological thriller about two women—bound by grief and sisterhood—who team up to solve the cold cases of their missing siblings. As Nic and Jenna dig into the secrets of their small Indiana town, long-buried truths begin to surface, threatening everything they thought they knew. Tense, emotional, and full of twists, it's a haunting mystery that explores how far we’ll go for the ones we love.

Time Loops & Meet Cutes by Jackie Lau is a charming, time-loop rom-com about Noelle Tom, an overworked engineer stuck reliving the same Friday after eating a mysterious dumpling. As her days repeat, the only bright spot is Cam, a brewery owner she falls for over and over—even though he doesn’t remember her. With witty humor and heartfelt moments, this delightful romance explores burnout, second chances, and finding love in the most unexpected timeline.

The Tenant by Freida McFadden is a spine-chilling domestic thriller about a desperate man who lets a seemingly perfect roommate into his home—only to find his life unraveling. As Blake Porter’s financial troubles mount, his new tenant Whitney begins acting strangely, hinting she knows a dark secret from his past. With creepy twists, escalating paranoia, and McFadden’s signature jaw-dropping reveals, this is a gripping tale of trust gone terribly wrong.

The Manor of Dreams by Christina Li is a haunting gothic mystery where two estranged Chinese American families are brought together by the shocking will of a reclusive Hollywood legend. As they move into her crumbling Southern California estate, eerie visions and buried secrets begin to unravel, exposing a dark summer that changed everything. Told across generations, this atmospheric novel blends supernatural suspense, family drama, and the high cost of ambition.

The Last Second Chance by Lucy Score is a steamy, second-chance romance set in the delightfully nosy small town of Blue Moon Bend. When screenwriter Jax returns home to win back his high school sweetheart, Joey—who’s still nursing a grudge—the sparks fly, despite her best efforts to resist. Full of witty banter, small-town chaos, and heartfelt emotion, this laugh-out-loud love story proves that some connections are meant to last.

Old School Indian by Aaron John Curtis is a powerful debut novel about a 43-year-old Mohawk man, Abe Jacobs, who returns to his reservation after decades away, forced home by illness and personal loss. Guided by his punk-loving Uncle Budge, Abe embarks on an unexpected path of healing, identity, and reckoning with his past. Blending humor, heartbreak, and cultural insight, this deeply moving story explores what it means to come home—and to truly belong.

Girls with Long Shadows by Tennessee Hill is a haunting Southern Gothic debut about identical triplets raised in the shadow of their mother’s death on a decaying bayou golf course in Longshadow, Texas. As the sisters come of age, buried secrets, simmering desire, and a single reckless kiss ignite a chain of events that fractures their bond and shakes the town to its core. Lyrical and atmospheric, this literary thriller explores identity, obsession, and the dark complexities of sisterhood.

My Friends by Fredrik Backman is a poignant and beautifully layered novel about the hidden connections that shape our lives. When artist Louisa inherits a mysterious painting, her quest to uncover its past leads her to a seaside town and a group of teenagers whose enduring friendship left a mark far beyond their own understanding. With warmth, wit, and emotional depth, Backman weaves a story of art, healing, and the unexpected ways we save one another.

One Golden Summer by Carley Fortune is a heartfelt lakeside romance about second chances, summer nostalgia, and the love that lingers across time. When photographer Alice returns to Barry’s Bay to care for her grandmother, she’s reunited with Charlie Florek—the boy from a life-changing photo and the man who now sees her more clearly than ever. As old memories resurface and new sparks fly, Alice must choose between a fleeting summer escape and a love worth holding on to.