Book Buzz
10 Debut Novels Of 2022
We Thought You'd Love
From mystery to historical fiction, we hope you’ll find the books you’d add to your to-read list!
More Than You'll Ever Know
by Katie Gutierrez
The Publisher’s Pitch: An evocative drama about a woman caught leading a double life after one husband murders the other, and the true-crime writer who becomes obsessed with telling her story—this masterful work of literary suspense marks the debut of an extraordinary new writer.
The Blurb: “Masterful . . . Elegance, darkness, even fear are deftly intertwined . . . A wonderful read.” — Luis Alberto Urrea, Pulitzer Prize finalist and bestselling author of The House of Broken Angels.
The BookWalker’s Verdict: It’s a thoughtful exploration of marriage, family and love and what one can do! Beautifully written debut!
Nightcrawling: A novel
by Leila Mottley
The Publisher’s Pitch: Rich with raw beauty, electrifying intensity, and piercing vulnerability, Nightcrawling marks the stunning arrival of a voice unlike any we have heard before.
The Blurb: “Leila Mottley has a poet’s delicate touch when she tells us the most brutal, heart-crushing truths. This is an electrifying debut.” — Dave Eggers, author of The Every.
The BookWalker’s Verdict: Bold, lyrical and heartrending. A powerful story of a struggle for survival. Certified good read!
The School for Good Mothers: A Novel
by Jessamine Chan
The Publisher’s Pitch: One lapse in judgement lands a young mother in a government reform program where custody of her child hangs in the balance, in this “surreal” (People), “remarkable” (Vogue), and “infuriatingly timely” (The New York Times Book Review) debut novel.
The Blurb: “A terrifying novel about mass surveillance, loneliness, and the impossible measurements of motherhood—The School for Good Mothers is a timely and remarkable debut.” — Carmen Maria Machado, author of In the Dream House.
The BookWalker’s Verdict: The story of one woman battling the system to get her daughter back. Inspiring story yet terrifying because it is so close to the realities of our time. This is a keeper!
Hope and Glory: A Novel
by Jendella Benson
The Publisher’s Pitch: A brilliant debut by a British-Nigerian author—a heartfelt family drama that will delight book club readers and fans of books like The Girl with the Louding Voice and Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows.
The Blurb: “A compelling and compassionate book that’s at once heartbreaking and hopeful. Jendella Benson paints a family portrait that’s tender and messy and true.” — Chloe Ashby, author of Wet Paint.
The BookWalker’s Verdict: So authentic and real! A book full of insight and emotions!
The Tobacco Wives: A Novel
by Adele Myers
The Publisher’s Pitch: Shedding light on the hidden history of women’s activism during the post-war period, at its heart, The Tobacco Wives is a deeply human, emotionally satisfying, and dramatic novel about the power of female connection and the importance of seeking truth.
The Blurb: “Adele Myers brings mid-century North Carolina vividly to life in her impressive, beautifully detailed debut novel, The Tobacco Wives, a suspenseful coming-of-age story of a brave young woman’s search for dangerous truths obscured by corporate deceit and betrayal.” — Jennifer Chiaverini, New York Times bestselling author of Resistance Women.
The BookWalker’s Verdict: The kind of historical fiction we love best! This book reminds us that we all have the power and responsibility to stand up for what is right!
The Maid: A Novel
by Nita Prose
The Publisher’s Pitch: A Clue-like, locked-room mystery and a heartwarming journey of the spirit, The Maid explores what it means to be the same as everyone else and yet entirely different—and reveals that all mysteries can be solved through connection to the human heart.
The Blurb: “It took only a few lines for me to fall hopelessly in love with hotel maid Molly Gray. Being in Molly’s mind is like eating ice cream on a hot summer day: delicious and refreshing.” — Samantha M. Bailey, USA Today bestselling author of Woman on the Edge.
The BookWalker’s Verdict: Charming and endearing character, Molly!
The Hacienda
by Isabel Cañas
The Publisher’s Pitch: Mexican Gothic meets Rebecca in this debut supernatural suspense novel, set in the aftermath of the Mexican War of Independence, about a remote house, a sinister haunting, and the woman pulled into their clutches.
The Blurb: “A haunted history, a gory gothic, a forbidden romance. This book kept me up at night, and it was worth every second of lost sleep.” — Alix E. Harrow, New York Times bestselling author of The Once and Future Witches.
The BookWalker’s Verdict: Impressive debut!
Remarkably Bright Creatures: A Novel
by Shelby Van Pelt
The Publisher’s Pitch: For fans of A Man Called Ove, a charming, witty and compulsively readable exploration of friendship, reckoning, and hope that traces a widow’s unlikely connection with a giant Pacific octopus. Shelby Van Pelt’s debut novel is a gentle reminder that sometimes taking a hard look at the past can help uncover a future that once felt impossible.
The Blurb: “Shelby Van Pelt has done the impossible. She’s created a perfect story with imperfect characters, that is so heartwarming, so mysterious, and so completely absorbing, you won’t be able to put it down because when you’re not reading this book you’ll be hugging it.” — Jamie Ford, author of The Many Daughters of Afong Moy and The Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet.
The BookWalker’s Verdict: This story is so endearing. A delight to read, a novel with so much heart. It lovingly examines how loneliness and emotional isolation can transform someone. Nursing and nurturing!
Lessons in Chemistry: A Novel
by Bonnie Garmus
The Publisher’s Pitch: A must-read debut! Meet Elizabeth Zott: a “formidable, unapologetic and inspiring” (PARADE) scientist in 1960s California whose career takes a detour when she becomes the unlikely star of a beloved TV cooking show in this novel that is “irresistible, satisfying and full of fuel. It reminds you that change takes time and always requires heat” (The New York Times Book Review.)
The Blurb: “The enchanting story of Elizabeth Zott never belittles the offence of sexism, but neither – miraculously – does it ever take you more than a few sentences away from a smile, a chuckle, or a laugh out loud. Bonnie Garmus’ gift is to expose the sting and injustice of being a woman in a man’s world with a feather light touch that keeps our spirits buoyant and our hearts strong. I honestly don’t know how she does it. This is a remarkable book by a remarkable writer.” — Jo Browning Wroe, author of A Terrible Kindness.
The BookWalker’s Verdict: A big hearted debut with all the unadulterated elements of love, family, prejudice, and mental health. It’s an adorable read, undiluted fun and giggle!
The Violin Conspiracy
by Brendan Slocumb
The Publisher’s Pitch: Ray McMillian is a Black classical musician on the rise—undeterred by the pressure and prejudice of the classical music world—when a shocking theft sends him on a desperate quest to recover his great-great-grandfather’s heirloom violin on the eve of the most prestigious musical competition in the world.
The Blurb: “I loved The Violin Conspiracy for exactly the same reasons I loved The Queen’s Gambit: a surprising, beautifully rendered underdog hero I cared about deeply and a fascinating, cutthroat world I knew nothing about—in this case, classical music.” —Chris Bohjalian, New York Times bestselling author of The Flight Attendant and Hour of the Witch
The BookWalker’s Verdict: A big hearted debut with all the unadulterated elements of love, family, prejudice, and mental health. It’s an adorable read, undiluted fun and giggle!
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