Here are the 25 Indie Next List and 6 Now in Paperback picks on the April 2026 Indie Next List flier.
The April title list is also viewable as a collection on Edelweiss and on the Indie Next List page as an Excel file alongside PDFs for the month’s flier and shelf-talker templates. Learn more and visit Matchbook Marketing’s program page to sign up to send the free Indie Next List e-newsletter to customers.
Additionally, to mark the start of the new month, the March Indie Next List picks are available as a flier, along with past lists, on the Indie Next List page on BookWeb.org.
The 25 April Indie Next List Picks
Yesteryear: A Novel (Indies Introduce)
By Caro Claire Burke
(Knopf, 9780593804216, $30, Apr. 7, Thriller)
“Yesteryear is a thoughtful look behind the curtain at carefully curated social media influencers. Like Natalie’s staff, I didn’t care for her ‘perfect life’ but I couldn’t quit reading this story. Hard to believe this is a debut!”
—Angela Sides, Monkey and Dog Books, Fort Worth, TX
American Fantasy: A Novel
By Emma Straub
(Riverhead Books, 9798217046850, $30, Apr. 7, Fiction)
“This is such a great story around nostalgia, identity, and how it's never too late to live the life you want to live. Annie and Keith’s relationship was so genuine. A fun and heartfelt read!”
—Emily Tuttle, Queen Takes Book, Columbia, MD
The Ending Writes Itself: A Novel
By Evelyn Clarke
(Harper, 9780063444614, $30, Apr. 7, Thriller)
“Six writers are invited to an island to compete to finish Arthur’s final novel, left incomplete after his death. Rivalries ignite, secrets emerge, the competition turns lethal, bodies begin to fall, and it becomes terrifyingly clear: someone would kill to write the conclusion.”
—Sandra Pinkney, Hills & Hamlets Bookshop, Chattahoochee, GA
Honeysuckle: A Novel (Indies Introduce)
By Bar Fridman-Tell
(Bloomsbury Publishing, 9781639736737, $28.99, Mar. 24, Fantasy)
“I truly love and appreciate when authors use horror, Gothic, and mythology to weave a complex story, and that is what Bar Fridman-Tell did perfectly here. A magnificent debut. Obsessed is an understatement.”
—Mirna Villeda, Timbre Books, Ventura, CA
Go Gentle
By Maria Semple
(G.P. Putnam's Sons, 9798217176632, $30, Apr. 14, Fiction)
“Semple is a master at creating well fleshed out middle aged women characters. If you loved Where’d You Go, Bernadette, dare I say you will like this one even more! A romantic, thriller/mystery with a side of philosophy.”
—Stephanie Kitchen, City Lit Books, Chicago, IL
Japanese Gothic
By Kylie Lee Baker
(Hanover Square Press, 9781335001559, $30, Apr. 14, Horror)
“This story pulses with emotions, creating an overwhelming atmosphere of anxiety as you accompany the protagonists on their quest to unearth the secrets haunting their lives. Lee Baker’s work reveals itself in unexpected but satisfying ways.”
—Anna Koennecke, The Open Door Bookstore, Schenectady, NY
London Falling: A Mysterious Death in a Gilded City and a Family's Search for Truth
By Patrick Radden Keefe
(Doubleday, 9780385548533, $35, Apr. 7, True Crime)
“London Falling begins with the devastating death of a 19-year-old and the secrets he took into the cold Thames with him. As this web of secrets untangles, the story widens into a gripping investigation of power, money, and the hidden systems shaping our world.”
—Nick Petrulakis, Newtonville Books, Newton Centre, MA
Under Water: A Novel
By Tara Menon
(Riverhead Books, 9798217048311, $29, Mar. 17, Fiction)
“With graceful yet sparse prose, Tara Menon has given us a wholly unique story of friendship, loss, and grief, all while artfully weaving in our interconnectedness with nature.”
—Pat Rudebusch, Orinda Books, Orinda, CA
Cherry Baby: A Novel
By Rainbow Rowell
(William Morrow, 9780063380264, $32, Apr. 14, Fiction)
“Rainbow Rowell is incomparable! Her characters are real, like they could lift off the page and have coffee with you. She doesn't shy away from their flaws, and that's what I loved so much about Cherry Baby.”
—Honor Hamilton, The Doylestown & Lahaska Bookshops, Doylestown, PA
Wolf Worm
By T. Kingfisher
(Tor Nightfire, 9781250829825, $29.99, Mar. 24, Horror)
“This was a dark, nauseating, historical read. At one point, I had to put it down and ask myself if I could really continue reading. It's a privilege to be in a world where I get to read T. Kingfisher’s novels.”
—Marisa Spence, Ballast Book Company, Bremerton, WA
The Left and the Lucky: A Novel
By Willy Vlautin
(Harper, 9780063346635, $26.99, Apr. 14, Fiction)
“In his latest novel Willy Vlautin returns to working class Portland, OR. His sensitively written characters range from troubled young neighborhood boys to a garrulous drinker, a punk guitarist, and a house painter who answers most problems with love.”
—Catherine Weller, Weller Book Works, Salt Lake City, UT
Daughter of Egypt: A Novel
By Marie Benedict
(St. Martin's Press, 9781250280732, $29, Mar. 24, Fiction)
“I love Egyptian mythology and history and that this was based on Evelyn Herbert, who was there during the opening of King Tut’s tomb. The chapters in Hatshepsut’s POV gave so much information on her life and reign.”
—Stephanie Rivera, Chapter Two...a Bookstore, Lompoc, CA
Upward Bound: A Novel
By Woody Brown
(Hogarth, 9780593979976, $28, Mar. 31, Fiction)
“A revelation. Woody Brown, a non-speaking debut author with autism, magnificently peels away stereotypes and prejudices. This sophisticated novel has the power to alter our perceptions of those who’ve been habitually and unfairly shortchanged.”
—Mike Hare, Northshire Bookstore, Saratoga Springs, NY
The Adjunct: A Novel
By Maria Adelmann
(Scribner, 9781668089972, $29, Mar. 31, Fiction)
“The Adjunct takes on academia, the #MeToo movement, late-stage capitalism’s gig economy, and the idea of living up to one’s promise. Sam’s story is thoroughly engrossing and leaves the reader with a lot to think about.”
—Claire Benedict, Bear Pond Books, Montpelier, VT
The Night We Met (Indie Exclusive Edition)
By Abby Jimenez
(Forever, 9781538780688, $30, Mar. 24, Romance) (Also avail.: 9781538759226, $30, Deluxe Ed.; 9781538780794, $28, Standard Ed.)
“Once again, Abby Jimenez has written a beautiful story. Larissa and Chris meet but the timing is all wrong. Jimenez makes what seems to be an impossible situation come together at the end.”
—Pam Crawford, Bookmiser, Marietta, GA
The Beheading Game: A Novel
By Rebecca Lehmann
(Crown, 9798217086481, $29, Mar. 24, Historical Fiction)
“I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about a book with beheading in the title, but a book about Anne Boleyn with a few changes to history was right up my alley. Pretty much a perfect novel. Well done!”
—Sue Boucher, The Cottage Book Shop, Glen Arbor, MI
A Suit or a Suitcase: Poems
By Maggie Smith
(Washington Square Press, 9781668090053, $25, Mar. 24, Poetry)
“For those who fell in love with Maggie Smith through her lyrical and fierce memoir You Could Make This Place Beautiful, this collection shows the sharp and insightful beauty of her poetry.”
—Barbara de Wilde, Frenchtown Bookshop, Frenchtown, NJ
Aicha (Indies Introduce)
By Soraya Bouazzaoui
(Orbit, 9780316582018, $18.99, Mar. 24, Fantasy)
“Aicha is an unforgettable fantasy that will have you cheering for a heroine determined to save her people and preserve their culture. Filled with resistance, sacrifice, and the raw magic of survival, this story will grip you.”
—Ambir Moore, The Book Lovers Era, Hill AFB, UT
Body Double: A Novel
By Hanna Johansson, Kira Josefsson (Transl.)
(Catapult, 9781646223138, $27, Apr. 7, Fiction)
“A chance meeting between two women in a department store cafe leads to an affair of obsession in this captivating novel by Hanna Johansson, translated by Kira Josefsson. Perfect for fans of Hitchcock and Patricia Highsmith.”
—Caitlin Baker, Island Books, Mercer Island, WA
The Creek, The Crone, and the Crow: A Novel
By Leah Weiss
(Sourcebooks Landmark, 9781464250590, $17.99, Mar. 24, Fiction)
“Set in 1980s Appalachia in a very small dying mountain town. A young teacher meets the varied characters that inhabit the back country, discovers the region’s folklore, and questions her beliefs in the supernatural.”
—Fran Ziegler, Titcomb's Bookshop, East Sandwich, MA
The Moonshine Women
By Michelle Collins Anderson
(A John Scognamiglio Book, 9781496748300, $18.95, Mar. 31, Historical Fiction)
“I love books about the strength, determination and devotion of women. This story of the incredible bonds and hardships of three sisters during Prohibition who will do what it takes to survive is all that and more.”
—Jane Simons, The Dog Eared Book, Palmyra, NY
Son of Nobody: A Novel
By Yann Martel
(W. W. Norton & Company, 9781324118138, $29.99, Mar. 31, Fiction)
“An absolutely stunning read. We follow a scholar as he pieces together a lost epic of the Trojan War: not of the mighty kings focused on during The Iliad, but of a common foot soldier's suffering during the ten long years of war.”
—Sierra Hollabaugh, The Bookery Cincy, Cincinnati, OH
The Oldest Bitch Alive
By Morgan Day
(Astra House, 9781662603372, $28, Mar. 24, Fiction)
“Probably the strangest book I’ve ever read. Think Ulysses, with a parasite-riddled old French Bulldog named Gelsomina. She’ll break your heart and make you think too hard…and look at your dog differently.”
—Vaughn Lachenauer, Main Point Books, Wayne, PA
Outsider Animals: How the Creatures at the Margins of Our Lives Have the Most to Teach Us
By Marlene Zuk, David J. Tuss (Illus.)
(Princeton University Press, 9780691264240, $29.95, Mar. 17, Science)
“Marlene Zuk takes us on a journey through the lives and behaviors of nine species often assigned labels like ‘pest’ and ‘disgusting’. Zuk introduces new ways to look at these creatures and what they teach us about pollution, adaptation, and evolution.”
—Ariel Hardee, Ruby's Books, Folsom, CA
City of Rats
By Copi, Kit Schluter (Transl.)
(New Directions, 9780811238373, $15.95, Mar. 31, Fiction)
“Imagine: Remy from Ratatouille is fed up with the high-pressure life of a chef. He quits his job, opens up a worm-selling business on a Parisian street corner, and gets into ketamine. This is the vibe of City of Rats. An absolute TREASURE.”
—Charlie Marks, Fountain Bookstore, Richmond, VA
April 2026 Indie Next List Now in Paperback
The Amalfi Curse: A Bewitching Tale of Sunken Treasure, Forbidden Love, and Ancient Magic on the Amalfi Coast
By Sarah Penner
(Park Row, 9780778308010, $19.99, Apr. 7, Historical Fiction)
“One woman caught between love and duty, another between her father’s dying wish and the deceit of her company. Both will have to use their wits, and give up a part of themselves, to surmount seemingly impossible hurdles.”
—Ariel Hardee, Ruby's Books, Folsom, CA
Audition: A Novel
By Katie Kitamura
(Riverhead Books, 9780593852347, $18, Apr. 7, Fiction)
“This novel is strange and beguiling, with an actress at the center of the novel and play that will constantly shift your perspective of what is real or not. Who is she really, and what role do other people play in our lives?”
—Keith Vient, Politics and Prose Bookstore, Washington, DC
Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng: A Novel
By Kylie Lee Baker
(Hanover Square Press, 9781335001528, $18.99, Mar. 31, Horror)
“For anyone who enjoys 2000s Japanese horror movies. This is the only work of fiction I’ve read that has successfully incorporated the COVID pandemic without feeling contrived. The commentary about anti-Asian racism is poignant.”
—Jennifer Kirnec, Old Ways Books, Bluffton, IN
A Family Matter: A Novel
By Claire Lynch
(Scribner, 9781668078907, $18, Apr. 7, Fiction)
“This is a beautiful, quiet book about being unmoored. There is so much love, and much pain — laws in 1982 England classified lesbian relationships as inappropriate. A strong reminder that our past was not so long ago and we have a responsibility to speak up.”
—Kira Wizner, Merritt Bookstore, Millbrook, NY
Open, Heaven: A Novel
By Seán Hewitt
(Vintage, 9780593688847, $17, Mar. 24, Fiction)
“Seán Hewitt washes away time’s silt to reveal cavernous torrents of desire long-withheld — now, blissfully, given voice. Open, Heaven captures the contradictions thrown into relief by first love, making this debut agonizing and euphoric and equally unforgettable.”
—Mathuson Anthony, Book Club, New York, NY
Sky Daddy: A Novel
By Kate Folk
(Random House Trade Paperbacks, 9780593231517, $18, Apr. 7, Fiction)
“Did you ever want to read a book about a woman who is irresistibly sexually attracted to commercial jetliners? Me neither, but I did. It was delightful. Twisted, hilarious, and beautiful. Come for the absurdity; stay for the tenderness.”
—Chantel McCray, Rainy Day Books, Fairway, KS