Hi! We’re Novellic 👋 New to Substack, but expert book recommenders and book club community-builders since 2020.
Our mobile app is our bread and butter (you can download it here), but we couldn’t resist joining Substack—the coziest, most bookish corner of the internet we’ve found in ages. Here, we’ll be sharing thoughtfully curated collections of new releases across literary, genre fiction, and non-fiction, tailored for real readers, not algorithms.
So if you’re overwhelmed by BookTok or craving something more personal than endless lists, subscribe for straightforward, genuinely engaging recommendations—handpicked by us, for you. Without further ado… twelve exciting books releasing this month!
🌱 UK Book Releases: April 🌱
It’s a brilliant month for books — and finally, for weather.
Longer days, sunnier mornings, and just enough warmth to take your reading outside. Coffee shop corners, park benches, a patch of grass turning green again…
Get your TBRs at the ready, you’re going to want to write these down.
Into the Blue — Emma Brodie — April 07
In the summer of 2000, seventeen-year-old AJ dreams of becoming a writer and escaping her small town. Working in a video rental store, everything changes when she meets Noah—intense, enigmatic, and from a family of famous actors. Their bond deepens from friendship into something more… until Noah disappears without a word.
Seven years later in New York City, AJ is stunned to be cast alongside Noah—now a Hollywood star—in the same intergalactic TV show. As their on-screen romance grows, the line between fiction and reality begins to blur.
Drawn irresistibly back together, AJ and Noah must confront the truth of their past—and the devastating secret that could tear them apart once again.
The Paris Match — kate clayborn — April 07
Layla has spent a year convincing herself she’s moved on from her divorce—until she’s invited to a wedding in Paris, alongside her ex and the family she once called her own.
When a late-night confession gives the bride cold feet, Layla is thrown together with Griffin, the groom’s brooding best man, who’s determined to keep the wedding on track. Tasked with bringing the couple back together, they find themselves roaming Paris—through candlelit dinners, moonlit streets, and the gardens of Versailles.
As the city works its magic, Layla and Griffin begin to confront their own heartbreak. But is a second chance at love worth the risk?
Joyful, Anyway — Kate Bowler — April 09
After surviving a stage-four cancer diagnosis, Kate Bowler knew she was supposed to be grateful. Alive. Blessed. But she still ached – for more connection, more surprise, less resentment on an ordinary day. So she went looking for joy. Not the toxic positivity kind. Not a five-step plan. But the type that sneaks in unexpectedly, seemingly out of nowhere.
In Joyful, Anyway, Bowler takes us on a hilarious and tender journey through big questions and small delights. With wry wit and deep honesty, she explores how joy can surprise us even in the middle of pain, boredom, and longing.
Yesteryear — caro claire burke — April 09
‘My name is Natalie Heller Mills, and I was perfect at being alive…’
Natalie’s life looks flawless—her picturesque ranch, her handsome cowboy husband, her perfect sourdough—all carefully curated for her devoted social media following. What they don’t see are the nannies, producers, and the machinery behind the scenes.
Then one morning, everything shifts. Her home, her family—familiar, but disturbingly wrong. Is it a hoax? A reality show? A test from God? Natalie knows only two things: this isn’t her life, and she’ll do anything to escape.
Now being adapted into a major film starring Anne Hathaway!
The Ending Writes Itself — Evelyn Clarke — April 09
It’s the perfect plot. All it needs is a killer ending.
Six authors. One private island. Seventy-two hours to finish the most anticipated novel in history.
When legendary writer Arthur Fletch dies, his final manuscript is left unfinished. Six struggling authors are invited to his remote Scottish island with an irresistible challenge: write a worthy ending and win a life-changing book deal—and two million dollars.
But why were they chosen? Who is really behind the invitation? And how far will they go to win? With only a typewriter and a ticking clock, all they have to do is write… but getting to the end could be murder.
The Wreck — Lizzy Stewart — April 09
Charlotte and Francesca were once inseparable at university in the 1970s, but old tensions—and Fran’s relationship with Charlotte’s friend Adrian—pulled them apart. Years later, Fran reappears with an unexpected invitation: to join her and Adrian in their rambling English countryside home.
Charlotte persuades her partner, Bill, to take the leap, drawn by the promise of a new kind of shared life. At first, it feels idyllic—open, generous, full of possibility. But it isn’t long before buried resentments resurface, illusions fracture, and each of them is forced to confront uncomfortable truths.
The Wreck is a striking, genre-defying illustrated novel about love, envy, desire, and the fragile foundations of even our closest relationships.
The Book Witch — Meg Shaffer — April 09
Rainy March is a third-generation book witch, sworn to protect works of fiction from harm. Armed with her magical umbrella and feline familiar, she slips in and out of novels to fix broken plots and keep characters on track. But book witches live by strict rules: never interfere too deeply, never linger—and never fall in love with a fictional character.
Rainy has broken that last rule. Hard. Her heart belongs to the Duke of Chicago, a dashing detective from her favorite noir series. When their forbidden romance is discovered, she’s banned from ever seeing him again—or risk losing her magic forever.
Then a priceless book is stolen, and there’s only one person she trusts to help her get it back: the Duke. Their search takes them through the worlds of Alice in Wonderland, The Great Gatsby, and beyond—where hidden enemies and long-buried secrets await.
Into The Wreck — Susannah Dickey — April 09
Siblings Anna, Gemma, and Matthew are reunited for their distant father’s funeral, gathering under one roof with their formidable mother, Yvonne, and awaiting the arrival of their enigmatic aunt Amy, a celebrated poet.
But as the funeral approaches, everyday tensions refuse to fade. Gemma wrestles with desire and direction, Anna navigates an undefined relationship back in London, and Amy’s past threatens to disrupt everything—while Yvonne clings to plans for a perfect post-funeral dinner.
Told from five perspectives, Into the Wreck explores the tangled dynamics of family with sharp wit and emotional insight.
Secure: The Revolutionary Guide to Creating a Secure Life — Amir Levine — April 14
How do you become more connected to the people around you, without the fear of being hurt? How can you stop overthinking and letting your emotions impair your judgement? Is it possible to learn emotional resilience?
In Secure, Dr. Amir Levine – multimillion-copy-bestselling author of Attached, and the world’s leading expert on the clinical application of attachment science – introduces a transformative framework feeling more secure in your career, your friendships, your romantic life and beyond. Along the way, he makes a simple, revolutionary argument: when you harness the power of secure mode, you can create the life you want.
Famesick: A Memoir — Lena Dunham — April 14
For the last decade, as she’s spent countless hours in doctor’s waiting rooms searching for diagnoses, treatments, and relief, being the owner and operator of Lena Dunham’s body has felt, as she puts it, ‘like towing a wrecked car across town at midnight.’ As she takes us through her journey, tracking her rise to fame – from selling the pilot of Girls to the present – in three acts, it becomes clear that the spotlight casts long shadows, distorting the relationships she once held dear and isolating everyone in its glare. When an endless supply of drugs can’t protect you from pain – and begins to control your every move – being famous doesn’t stand a chance against the darker corners of the human experience.
In Famesick, Dunham asks herself what the cost of fulfilling her dreams has really been, and whether it was worth it. What she finds is deeper than physical relief, and more lasting, as she learns to live with what she can’t change and turn her regrets into wisdom that can carry her forward, as she reconnects to what, and who, she loves.
Cherry Baby — Rainbow Rowell — April 16
Cherry and Tom had built a quiet, contented life together in Omaha, until Tom’s semi-autobiographical webcomic went viral and turned their marriage into public property. Now the world knows Baby, the character based on Cherry, better than Cherry knows herself – and Tom and Cherry have been separated for months.
That’s when Russ Sutton shows up. Floppy-haired, blue-eyed Russ Sutton, who Cherry had a crush on in college, and who now seems to have a crush on her. All that’s left is for Cherry to rewrite her own story. Because if she isn’t Baby, and she isn’t Tom’s wife, then who can she be?
Told with deep tenderness and abundant wit, Cherry Baby is Rainbow Rowell’s most affecting, most surprising, sexiest novel yet.
Dogs, Boys, and Other Things I’ve Cried About — Isabel Klee — April 30
At twenty, Isabel Klee leaves college upstate for a grungy Manhattan apartment, chasing a lifelong dream of living in New York City. A childhood obsession with dogs soon turns into a calling when she lands a job assisting a dog photographer—and begins working with rescue dogs, helping them heal and find homes.
Amid the chaos of her twenties—friendships, parties, and complicated romances—Isabel searches for love and belonging. Through it all, her constant is Simon, a fluffy puppy rescued from the meat trade, who keeps her grounded as she builds a community of dog lovers around her.
In this honest and moving memoir, Isabel weaves together stories of the dogs she’s fostered with her own journey through heartbreak, growth, and finding her place in New York—leading, ultimately, to a hard-won happy ending for both her and her pups.
We hope you’ve found something that piques your interest! Let us know in the comments. And be sure to download the Novellic app to peruse all of our curated collections.
Happy reading, book friends!