The Best New Books Out The Week Of August 17

Dismayed that their older daughters remain unmarried, Mr. and Mrs. Techavachara lift their infamous ban on dating — and set Winnie up with her ex-BFF, Mat. Mrs. Techavachara has planned out all their dates, based around her own favorite rom-coms, but is this all just a disaster waiting to happen?

Years after he dumped her, Thomas tries to reconcile with Roz. Apprehensive at first, and more so after the C.I.A. asks her to report on his activities, the brilliant scientist finds herself at the center of an espionage game in mid-century Chicago in Atomic Love.

Inspired by the life of Tiffany McDaniel's mother, Betty is a coming-of-age story set against the backdrop of mid-century Appalachia. Born into a large, mixed-race family, McDaniel's eponymous heroine must confront the dark recesses of the past in this striking new novel.

Fie and the Crows live in the shadows, and their only royal ally, Jasimir, may be of no help after all. The evil Queen Rhusana is rising to power, and it will take a nearly flawless plan to protect the Crows from her dark magic. Will Jasimir keep his promise to Fie? Find out in The Faithless Hawk.

Rookie video game producer Melody stumbles into success when a joke about a potential IP becomes her studio's next focus. Forced to work with Nolan, an annoying intern born with a silver spoon in his mouth, Melody will have to muster her courage if she wants to come out on top in this debut rom-com.

Poet Khadijah Queen's new collection explores the body and its relationship to family, community, society, and the world. Insightful on every level, Anodyne will stay with you long after you turn its final page.

Blending fact with fiction, Alice Randall's Black Bottom Saints centers on Ziggy, formerly the voice of Detroit's Black Bottom neighborhood. Now approaching the end of his life in a hospital, Ziggy recounts the lives and accomplishments of the 52 eponymous figures in this imaginative new novel.

Madeleine Ryan's #OwnVoices debut follows its autistic narrator to a party, where she masks for neurotypicals, voicing her true thoughts and feelings to the reader. Romance and "radical self-acceptance" are on the docket in this can't-miss new novel.

The sequel to Silver in the Wood, Emily Tesh's Drowned Country centers once again on Henry Silver, the Wild Man of Greenhollow. When Henry's mother, Adela, and his old flame, Tobias, show up at his door with a mystery on their hands, he has no choice but to join them in their quest for answers.

One of the most anticipated books of 2020, Emma Jane Unsworth's messy coming-of-age story finally lands in bookstores this week. An epistolary novel for the modern era, Grown Ups will resonate with late-blooming and struggling-to-launch Millennials everywhere.