49 new books to get excited about in 2018

Set in 1920s India, The Widows of Malabar Hill follows lawyer Perveen Mistry as she investigates a strange will on behalf of the titular widows. Author Sujata Massey was partly inspired by the true story of Cornelia Sorabji, who was the first woman to study law at Oxford.

In her debut collection, Morgan Jerkins — who's written for The New Yorker, The Atlantic, and more — weaves personal experience with commentary on topics ranging from Black Girl Magic and Sailor Moon to feminism and sexuality.

It's basically impossible for two fictional characters to attend a wedding together and not start falling in love, but that doesn't make it any less fun to read about. In The Wedding Date, Alexa agrees to be Drew's last-minute date to his ex's wedding, and naturally, sparks fly.

Kick the year off with addictive YA fantasy novel The Cruel Prince, which tells the story of Jude, a mortal forced to live in the High Court of Faerie after her parents were murdered. Earning a place in the court is all she wants, but it won't come easily.

After her husband Roy goes to prison, Celestial has to learn how to live without him and turns to her childhood friend Andre for comfort. But when Roy's conviction gets overturned and he returns home sooner than Celestial expected, all three people will have trouble adjusting.

In this emotional memoir, Terese Marie Mailhot recounts her experience growing up on the Seabird Island reservation and her personal battle with PTSD and bipolar II disorder.

Zadie Smith, author of Swing Time and White Teeth, returns with a new collection of essays called Feel Free. The book will include previously unpublished writing as well as essays like "Find Your Beach" and "Joy," both of which originally appeared in The New York Review of Books.

In this YA fantasy novel, Dhonielle Clayton imagines a place called Orleans where looks are valued above all else and women called Belles help others become beautiful. Camellia Beauregard wants to become the Queen of Orleans's favorite Belle, but she soon finds out that living with the royal family isn't all it's cracked up to be.

Akwaeke Emezi's debut novel Freshwater follows a young Nigerian woman named Ada, who struggles to reconcile her multiple selves after she moves to the United States to attend college.

After their mother dies, sisters Miranda and Lucia must learn to exist without her — a task that proves difficult once Lucia begins hearing voices and making impulsive, life-changing decisions. As the older sister, Miranda feels compelled to rescue Lucia again and again, but discovers that it's hard to help someone who doesn't want it.

In the fourth book of her Ravenels series, romance queen Lisa Kleypas will tell the story of Dr. Garrett Gibson, the rule-breaking female doctor who first popped up in Marrying Winterborne. The Ravenel in question here will be Ethan Ransom, an illegitimate Ravenel son who works as a detective for Scotland Yard.

In the first book in her new Reluctant Royals series, Alyssa Cole introduces Naledi Smith, a grad student who's just going about her business when she starts getting emails from a supposed prince claiming that he's her betrothed.

The first novel in a forthcoming trilogy, Children of Blood and Bone sets up the world of Orïsha, which was full of magic until a ruthless king stamped it out. Now a young woman named Zélie will try to bring it back with help from a princess. (Read it now so you'll be an expert by the time it gets turned into a movie.)

For those Bachelor addicts who just can't get enough, Los Angeles Times journalist Amy Kaufman brings you Bachelor Nation, an unauthorized deep dive into the greatest reality dating show franchise that ever lived. (ABC once banned Kaufman from covering the show because she was "too negative.")

Girls Burn Brighter, the debut novel from Shobha Rao, tells the story of Poornima and Savitha, two girls whose friendship is tested by distance, family, and various other obstacles.

Mallory Ortberg, cofounder of beloved website The Toast, puts her signature spin on classic fairy tales. (The book is adapted from her popular Toast column "Children's Stories Made Horrific.")

This Is Us star Chrissy Metz shares her story in this memoir, which also incorporates her advice on how to be a happier, better person.

In this alternate history, zombies come to life during the Civil War and change the course of America. A new law requires black and Native American children to train as zombie slayers, which is what Jane McKeene is doing when she gets caught in a conspiracy involving missing families near Baltimore.