Theft Heft

The week’s biggest debut is The Stolen Heir by Holly Black, #1 on our children’s fiction list and #6 in the country. It kicks off a duology based in the world of her Folk of the Air series, and though the setting may be high fantasy, the book-by-book gains are all real.

Meet Cute

Adult romance author Talia Hibbert makes the move to YA with Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute, an “enemies-to-lovers romance with whip-smart banter, British sensibilities, and energetic verve,” per our review, which said Hibbert strikes “a quintessential balance of romance and comedy.” It debuts at #16 on our children’s fiction list and is the first book from Joy Revolution, headed by married authors Nicola Yoon and David Yoon. The Random House imprint formed in 2020 to publish YA romances written by and starring people of color; Amalie Howard’s Queen Bee follows in April.

In Clubland

The new year ushered in a new round of book club picks, and this week, novels by a first-timer and a veteran make our hardcover fiction list.

The Reese’s Book Club pick, The House in the Pines by Ana Reyes, lands at #3. “Well-developed characters and a nice balance between the main narrative and the backstories draw the reader in, but the action builds to an implausible and disappointing ending,” per our review of this debut thriller. “Reyes shows enough talent to suggest she can do better next time.”

Allegra Goodman lands at #20 with Sam, the Read with Jenna pick. “A competitive rock climber comes of age at the turn of the 21st century in the bracing latest from Goodman,” according to our review. “It’s impressive how much emotional power is packed into this relatively contained story.”

NEW & NOTABLE

MYTH AMERICA
Edited by Kevin M. Kruse and Julian E. Zelizer
#16 Hardcover Nonfiction
“Historical truths counteract America’s crisis of disinformation in these illuminating and sharply written essays gathered by Princeton historians Kruse and Zelizer,” per our starred review. “Distinguished by its impressive roster of contributors and lucid arguments, this ought to be required reading.”

THE VILLA
Rachel Hawkins
#16 Hardcover Fiction
Our review said that “friendship and professional jealousy fuel this nail-biter” about childhood best friends who as adults reconnect at the site of a notorious murder. “Intense characters complement the brisk plot, which shifts smoothly between the present and 1974.”