January 2025 Indie Next List
Witchcraft for Wayward Girls
Grady Hendrix (Berkley)
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“A beautifully haunting, thought-provoking story about societal views and motherhood that dabbles with witchcraft. There are moments where you laugh, feel scared, and even cry. That’s the beauty of this book: everything comes with a price.”
— Caylee Wilson, Midtown Reader, Tallahassee, FL
January 2025 Indie Next List
Inspired Recommendations from Indie Booksellers
By Kate Fagan
Atria Books
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“Rarely do I care so intensely about characters in a suspense novel, but The Three Lives of Cate Kay provides mystery with hope and redemption. With characters that you connect with and grow to love, I’ll be recommending it to everyone!”
— Tamela Watkins, The Village Bookseller, Mount Pleasant, SC
By Samantha Sotto Yambao
Del Rey
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“This delectable treat of a book is a triumph of worldbuilding. Around every corner is a charming, creative new detail of how Hana — a pawnbroker who deals in choices — and her world work. Perfect for a cozy read by the fire.”
— Victoria Ford, Comma, a Bookshop, Minneapolis, MN
By Tracey Lange
Celadon Books
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“Another wonderful novel by Tracey Lange, the addictive story of a couple rediscovering love after a tragedy upended their relationship. Readers will have empathy for good-hearted Casey and Kyle, and the novel’s ties with hockey add appeal.”
— Chris Stuckenschneider, Neighborhood Reads, Washington, MO
By Layne Fargo
Random House
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“I loved everything about this exhilarating novel. I raced through this epic love story set within the demanding, cutthroat world of competitive ice dancing filled with fascinating characters and all the drama we love both on and off the ice.”
— Anderson McKean, Page and Palette, Fairhope, AL
By Alice Feeney
Flatiron Books
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“The queen of twist does it again! This book exceeded my expectations. The story is packed with tension and unexpected twists that kept me up all night. Feeney does such a great job weaving suspense with character drama.”
— Chelsea Praznik, Nacho Mama's Bookshop, Hamilton, MI
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“Fans of Ocean Vuong and Kaveh Akbar, take note. Aria Aber’s bright coming-of-age novel centers a young woman grieving her mother, falling into a dangerous romance, and navigating the push and pull as the German-born daughter of Afghan immigrants.”
— Laurel Rhame, Phoenix Books Essex, Essex Junction, VT
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“Approached by a tricky stranger, Bonita reluctantly embarks on a haunting and unpredictable stumble through a strange city and through her mother’s past. For fans of Laura van den Berg and Yoko Ogawa, this novella reads like a fever dream.”
— Ellen Woodall, Blacksburg Books, Blacksburg, VA
By Lisa Genova
Gallery/Scout Press
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“Lisa Genova pulled me into Maddy’s compelling story, and left me with a better understanding of the challenges someone with bipolar disorder faces. A fascinating read! Highly recommend.”
— Angela Sides, Monkey and Dog Books, Fort Worth, TX
By Emily Rath
Erewhon Books
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“North Is the Night is heart-pounding on every level. The worlds of Finnish gods and goddesses and mortals collide and from the ashes of the epic battle rise our heroes, Siiri and Aina. I can’t wait to see where these fierce feminists take us next.”
— Mary O'Malley, Skylark Bookshop, Columbia, MO
By Rebecca Kauffman
Counterpoint
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“Rebecca Kauffman is a master of the small, quiet moment. I’ll Come to You is the story of a year in the life of a family. Her characters change and grow and fight and feel deep sorrow and love. I’ll read everything Kauffman writes.”
— Margaret Leonard, Dotters Books, Eau Claire, WI
By Sash Bischoff
Simon & Schuster
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“Sweet Fury is sure to please readers who want a solid, twisty, character-driven thriller with a film industry background. Obsessive love, misogyny, deceit, revenge — this carefully crafted, well-written debut has it all. Dig in.”
— Kathy Mailloux, East City Bookshop, Washington, DC
By Maria Abrams
Quirk Books
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“I absolutely loved this twisty thriller! Centered in the world of a women’s beauty brand multi-level marketing company, this book had me guessing from the get-go and made me laugh out loud more times than I can count. An incredibly strong debut!”
— Valerie Partenheimer, Books Are Awesome, Parker, CO
By Paraic O'Donnell
Tin House Books
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“Soulfully Sherlockian, with skillfully delineated characters, The Naming of the Birds susurrates easefully into deeper mystery like an enchanted spool of thread through a darkling wood. This is mesmerizing, transporting historical fiction.”
— Amanda Qassar, Warwick's, La Jolla, CA
By Jonathan Evison
Dutton
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“The best stories are about ordinary people living ordinary lives and The Heart of Winter is one of the best. The characters are your friends, neighbors, family, and you. It’s about the joy and hardships of our lives. This is a timeless story.”
— Susan Hildebrandt, Edmonds Bookshop, Edmonds, WA
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“A long overdue girl’s weekend is upended when a seemingly random stranger goes missing. Old rivalries, distant connections, and very real deaths seem unrelated…at first. In this very well-crafted novel, Alafair Burke is at the top of her game.”
— Sarah Bagby, Watermark Books & Cafe, Wichita, KS
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“Playworld follows the life of teenager Griffin Hurt as he navigates the alluring, contradictory, and dangerous territories of 1980s New York and the adults who shape his life. Immersive and uncompromising, Playworld will break your heart.”
— Matt Nixon, A Cappella Books, Atlanta, GA
By Daniel Kenitz
Scribner
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“The Perfect Home delivers two characters with seemingly perfect lives, then upends the story in the most diabolical fashion. If you are looking for an addictive novel, you have found the perfect prescription for a thriller that delivers!”
— Pamela Klinger-Horn, Valley Bookseller, Stillwater, MN
By Eiren Caffall
St. Martin's Press
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“Cli-fi does one of two things for me: immediate onset panic symptoms, or a slight lessening of the ever-present climate doom. This book does the latter. Like Mister Rogers, Eiren Caffall gifts us with a propulsive and lyric story sounding in love.”
— Jennifer Carney, Sidetrack Bookshop, Royal Oak, MI
By Melissa Larsen
Minotaur Books
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“In trying to uncover old family secrets, Agnes Glin travels to Iceland. She will have to live with the answers that may be revealed. The frigid setting will have you reaching for a blanket and the dark, suspenseful story will keep you turning pages.”
— Betsy Von Kerens, The Bookworm of Omaha, Omaha, NE
By Jessie Garcia
St. Martin's Press
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“This story of two strangers meeting on a plane is full of suspense from start to finish. I read a lot of thrillers and I could not put this one down!”
— Marilyn Negip, R.J. Julia Booksellers, Madison, CT
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“A suspenseful novel, The Lotus Shoes follows Linjing and her maidservant Little Flower in 19th-century China. As the two struggle to define their own relationship, they are caught between old traditions and their desire for freedom. Completely absorbing!”
— Janet Hutchison, The Open Door Bookstore, Schenectady, NY
By Adam Haslett
Little, Brown and Company
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“Adam Haslett writes interior lives like no one else. When Peter, an asylum lawyer in New York, meets a young immigrant forced to flee his homeland because he is gay, it throws Peter’s world into chaos and forces a reckoning between mother and son.”
— Sarah Brown, Zenith Bookstore, Duluth, MN
By Marianne Cronin
Harper Perennial
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“Marianne Cronin writes her characters with such love and thoughtfulness. From Eddie’s sense of style to his kindness towards Pushkin, you fall in love with Eddie and only wish the best for him. Another winner from Cronin!”
— Sara Rishforth, Roundabout Books, Bend, OR
By Manuel Betancourt
Catapult
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“This examination of belonging, vulnerability, privacy, and modern courtship puts into words those feelings that can be too painful to voice. Betancourt’s expansive definition of friendship and intimacy is salient in this time of division and loss.”
— Viktor Hughes, Loudmouth Books, Indianapolis, IN
Now in Paperback
Indie Next List Selections Come to Paperback
