The Best and Most Anticipated Books of May
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New month, means new reads. With the summer approaching it’s time to build your TBR pile for the month of May. And if you’re trying to prepare your reading list for that vacation, lazy weekend, or afternoon of relaxing reading you want to do start with our list of most anticipated books of May.

Fiction Most Anticipated Books of May
The Half Moon by Mary Beth Keane

Taking place over the course of one week when Malcolm, bartender at the Half Moon learns shocking news about Jess, his wife, a patron of the bar going missing, and a blizzard hits the town of Gillam, trapping everyone in place.
Undoubtedly with a generous spirit, Keane explores the disappointments and unexpected consolations of midlife, the many forms forgiveness can take, the complicated intimacy of small-town living, and what it means to be a family.
The Half Moon releases on May 2nd.
Fantasy Most Anticipated Books of May
Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros

Surely, we cannot go on without saying that the first print edition COMES WITH SPRAYED STENCILED EDGES AS A STANDARD EDITION!
Twenty-year-old Violet Sorrengail was supposed to enter the Scribe Quadrant, living a quiet life among books and history. Now, the commanding general has ordered Violet to join the hundreds of candidates striving to become the elite of Navarre: dragon riders.
With fewer dragons willing to bond than cadets, most would kill Violet to better their own chances of success. The rest would kill her just for being her motherâs daughter?like Xaden Riorson, the most powerful and ruthless wing leader in the Riders Quadrant.
Sheâll need every edge her wits can give her just to see the next sunrise.
In fact, the war outside grows more deadly, the kingdom’s protective wards are failing, and the death toll continues to rise. Even worse, Violet begins to suspect leadership is hiding a terrible secret.
Fourth Wing releases on May 2nd.
Witch King by Martha Wells

Next, is Witch King by Martha Wells.
After being murdered, his consciousness dormant and unaware of the passing of time while confined in an elaborate water trap, Kai wakes to find a lesser mage attempting to harness Kaiâs magic to his own advantage. That was never going to go well.
But why was Kai imprisoned in the first place? What has changed in the world since his assassination? And why does the Rising World Coalition appear to be growing in influence?
Kai will need to pull his allies close and draw on all his pain magic if he is to answer even the least of these questions.
Heâs not going to like the answers.
Witch King releases on May 30th
Greek Mythology Most Anticipated Books of May
Atalanta by Jennifer Saint

It is true that when Princess Atalanta is born, a daughter rather than the son her parents hoped for, she is left on a mountainside to die. But even then, she is a survivor. Raised by a mother bear under the protective eye of the goddess Artemis, Atalanta grows up wild and free, with just one condition: if she marries, Artemis warns, it will be her undoing.
As she is swept into a passionate affair, in defiance of Artemis’s warning, she begins to question the goddess’s true intentions. Can Atalanta carve out her own legendary place in a world of men, while staying true to her heart?
Atalanta releases on May 9th.
Young Adult Most Anticipated Books of May
Warrior Girl Unearthed by Angeline Boulley

In addition, here’s a YA book that we had to add to the list. Perry Firekeeper-Birch has always known who she is – the laidback twin, the troublemaker, the best fisher on Sugar Island. Her aspirations won’t ever take her far from home, and she wouldn’t have it any other way. But as the rising number of missing Indigenous women starts circling closer to home, as her family becomes embroiled in a high-profile murder investigation, and as greedy grave robbers seek to profit off of what belongs to her Anishinaabe tribe, Perry begins to question everything.
In order to reclaim this inheritance for her people, Perry has no choice but to take matters into her own hands. She can only count on her friends and allies, including her overachieving twin and a charming new boy in town with unwavering morals. Old rivalries, sister secrets, and botched heists cannot – will not – stop her from uncovering the mystery before the ancestors and missing women are lost forever.
Warrior Girl Unearthed releases on May 2nd.
Romance Most Anticipated Books of May
Meet Me at the Lake by Carley Fortune

Of course, there had to be Meet Me at the Lake on this list of most anticipated books of May.
Meet Me at the Lake has complete The Lake with Keanu Reeves vibes. A random connection sends two strangers on a daylong adventure. Where they make a promise one keeps and the other breaks. There are life-changing effects, in this breathtaking new novel.
Meet Me at the Lake releases on May 2nd.
Thriller Most Anticipated Books of May
The New Mother by Nora Murphy

Next, is The New Mother by Nora Murphy.
Isolated. Lonely. Tired. It’s hard being The New Mother. Sometimes it’s murder.
Nothing is simple about being a new mom alone in a new house, especially when your baby is colicky. Natalie Fanning loves her son unconditionally, but being a mother was not all she wanted to be.
A relatable and nerve-wracking, sympathetic and bone-chilling story â a fresh new twist on motherhood and murder in suburbia.
The New Mother releases on May 30th.
Thank you to Minotaur Books for sending me a copy in order to review. Stay tuned for my review of The New Mother!
The Chateau by Jaclyn Goldis

This next one is perfect for fans of Lucy Foley, Ruth Ware, and Lisa Jewell. A dream girlâs trip to a luxurious French chateau devolves into a deadly nightmare of secrets and murder.
Welcome to picturesque Provence, where the Lady of the Chateau, SĂŠraphine Demargelasse, has opened its elegant doors to her granddaughter Darcy and three friends. Twenty years earlier, the four girlfriends studied abroad together in France and visited the old woman on the weekends, creating the groupâs deep bond. But why this sudden invitation?
In the midst of this shocking crime, a sinister Instagram account pops up, exposing snapshots from the friendsâ intimate moments at the chateau, while threatening to reveal more.
As they race to uncover who murdered SĂŠraphineâand is now stalking themâthe friends begin to suspect each other. Because the chateau houses many secretsâŚseveral worth killing for.
The Chateau will release on May 23rd.
In summary, we are over the moon about these and so many more of these anticipated books of May.
Check out my Amazon Storefront where you can purchase all the books listed here!
Happy Reading!
Which one of these most anticipated books of May are you most excited about? Is there something you would have liked to see on the list?
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