6 Great Books Coming Out This May

We’re back with more books to recommend for the upcoming months. I hope you’ve done all your spring cleaning and made plenty of room on your shelves for these amazing new books coming soon… 

1. The Last Passenger by Will Dean 

Expected 11th May 2023 (Hodder & Stoughton) 

When Caroline wakes up on board the RMS Atlantica for the first day of her luxury cruise, all she wants is to disconnect from the world. But be careful what you wish for. Caroline is totally alone, the last passenger on a floating city heading straight out to sea. She needs to figure out what’s going on, but first she needs to survive. 

The Last Passenger is a deeply isolating, claustrophobic story, with the kinds of twists you genuinely wouldn’t expect in a million years. Will Dean writes books that border on the absurd and make you roll your eyes, but you can’t stop reading. It was pure nightmare fuel and I loved it.

2. Neon Roses by Rachel Dawson

Expected 25th May 2023 (John Murray Press)

Eluned is stuck – miners and the police brutality that follows it are ravaging her community. She dreams of something more,then the LGBT+ fundraising group supporting the strikes comes to town and she meets June – a liberal activist lesbian who shows her life is bigger than she knew. 

Neon Roses is a gloriously queer coming-of-age story about finding yourself over and over again set against the nostalgic backdrop of 80’s tunes, excess hairspray, and thatcherism. It’s gritty, messy, and real – a bold statement about acceptance and love for ourselves and for the people around us.

3. Wild Things by Laura Kay

Expected 25th May 2023 (Quercus Books)

This year, El is going to break out of her boring life and be wild. So when the chance comes up to leave the city and move into a ramshackle house in the countryside with her best friends, she jumps at it. They’re going to make their own little commune with the people they love, which would be easier if she wasn’t hopelessly in love with her best friend Ramona. 

Gloriously funny and full of heart, Wild Things is about love, friendship, and self-exploration, all with a beautifully relatable and chaotic narrator. This story is all about people, how they grow and change, and how their connections keep them going through the toughest times. 

4. The Girls of Summer by Katie Bishop

Expected 25th May (Random House)

Fifteen years ago, Rachel fell in love. As a teenager on a sun-kissed island, she fell in love with freedom, with working on the beach with her friends, and with Alastair. Even 20 years later, she finds herself thinking of him. But when she finally revisits those days, the girls she met that summer, she starts to question if there was something much darker happening right in front of her.

This is an electrifying debut that authentically explores the shadowy corners of consent and coercion that aren’t always obvious. It’s not an easy read, but I think a lot of women will find some catharsis and companionship with Rachel as she learns about herself and what she’s been through. 

5. The Last Word by Katy Birchall

Expected 25th May (Hodder & Stoughton)

Harper Jenkins hasn’t seen Ryan since he betrayed her back when they were interns at their first journalism job. Now, she’s successful and happy – until Ryan turns up in her office again. Their rivalry picks up right where it left off, but Harper has to admit it’s getting harder to fight with him, especially when he isn’t fighting back anymore.

This is the recipe for the perfect romcom. It’s cosy, full of your favourite familiar tropes, hopelessly chaotic, and a lot of fun. The Last Word is a playful and fun enemies-to-lovers story that proves that some things are tried-and-true for a reason.

6. Seven Exes by Lucy Vine

Expected 25th May (Simon & Schuster)

When Esther reads an old magazine that tells her every woman will love seven different people in her life, she realises it fits her love life perfectly. So she decides to revisit the past and see if ‘the one’ is actually ‘the one that got away.’

Seven Exes is agonisingly funny, a witty exploration into modern dating and the pressure to find someone to be with. Esther is so relatable, even through all her terrible choices and questionable taste. And of course there’s a big dose of nostalgia that made me both cringe and smile at the same time. 

Happy Reading! 

[Please note: release dates for these books are estimated for UK/Europe, please check in your region for local release details]

Feature Image by Min An on Pexels