Looking for the new books released in April? You’ve come to the right spot on the internet. It’s no secret that we all have our regrets, especially when it comes to managing time in a way that boosts our wellness practice and healthy habits. If you had that extra hour, you’d start that meditation habit, make a loaf of bread from scratch, or even snooze longer instead of resorting to that second jolt of caffeine. One of the top most-desired activities by Americans? Reading.
It seems to mesh that ideal balance we crave between being productive and relaxing, both soothing and inspiring us. Studies show that just 15 minutes with a book—novel or nonfiction—reduces your stress, makes you more empathetic, and even lengthens your life. Luckily, finishing just one book starts a ripple effect, according to studies: if you finish one, you’re more likely to continue the habit.
Plenty of us collect books anyway for a rainy day, claiming we’ll get around to them when we “finally have the time.” With so many good releases this month (up ahead, don’t worry), we really have no excuse. But even so, the endless choices and bookstore shelves can seem completely overwhelming.
Luckily, we did all the work for you, gathering must-read releases out this month you just have to snap up whether as an audiobook, library loan, or purchased copy. Read on before you *read on* for our top picks.
6 April book releases you need to add to your reading list, stat
“Momfluenced: Inside the Maddening, Picture-Perfect World of Mommy Influencer Culture” by Sara Peterson — $26.00
Seeing a book tackle the nuances and cultural history of influencers—especially the complicated factors of motherhood-focused figures and lifestyles—feels long overdue. Although we’ve followed and double-tapped those seemingly picture-perfect families, we have to admit we’ve always been curious or even downright cynical about the effects displaying intimate moments so visibly on the internet might have on the kiddos and the fams, especially when considering aspects like monetization, “sad beige” minimalist aesthetics for the sake of the ‘gram, and more.
Now, we’re starting to see the first generation of those filmed, photographed, and captioned toddlers coming of age and reclaiming their own narratives. If you loved memoirs like Jeanette McCurdy’s I’m Glad My Mom Died or await Brittney Spears’s tell-all with bated breath, this read may be for you. While this won’t dish sordid details, the peek behind the curtain is definitely worthwhile. Best of all, it interrogates how aspects of whiteness, consumerism, and more inform mommy influencer culture, showing how “family as content” is all just the latest iteration of a historical daydream sold to American women as an ideal.
“Happy Place” by Emily Henry — $12.00
Uh, raise a hand if you’ve been waiting for the next Emily Henry pick all year long? No? Just us? Having solidified her status as a deliverer of beach reads with her adult contemporary romance Beach Read, Emily Henry hath blessed us all like clockwork with an annual release of a vivid love story—or in Happy Place’s case, a maybe-falling-out-of-love story.
Longtime couple Harriet and Wyn can’t stand to tell their group of best friends that they’ve broken up, not when they’ve all reunited for their annual vacation at the beloved Maine cottage they head to every year. Not when they’re sharing a bedroom, and especially not when the cottage is up for sale—so it could be their last trip ever. So how hard could it be to pretend? Except for each of them are trying so desperately not to show their ex they’re still head over heels for them. Naturally, hijinks ensue.
Henry excels at writing witty banter, sizzling chemistry, and quirky details that bathe the reader in a warm, hazy enjoyment. Think Hallmark movie, but much less corny. If you’re looking for a lighthearted yet satisfying read to catapult you into the dizzy joys of summer, look no further. Bonus points for this rom-com having the oh-so-popular “fake dating” and “exes to lovers” tropes beloved by BookTok et al.
“You Could Make This Place Beautiful: A Memoir” by Maggie Smith — $19.00
An instant New York Times bestseller, viral poet Maggie Smith tackles her newfound coming-of-age and process of rediscovery in her memoir after the disintegration of her marriage, told (of course) with the attention to detail and language that characterizes her poems. In the book, she examines her relationship with womanhood, her failed relationship, and more in a highly personal and illuminating way sure to strike a chord with many, whether they’re undergoing major life changes or simply seeking a lovely perspective full of honesty and grace.
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“The Ugly History of Beautiful Things: Essays on Desire and Consumption” by Katy Kelleher — $15.00
Through this keen collection of essays, Paris Review contributor Katy Kelleher examines our interest in beauty and consumption. Why do we buy what we do? What lends something its aura of glamour and prestige, and what does it mean for our identities when we chase it? From an overview of how silks and perfumes came to signal luxury, to the environmental cost of our consumerism, this social history of material culture reminds us to examine our relationship to “things” in a way that’s philosophical rather than judgemental, a solid reminder. All that glitters is not gold, after all.
“Where We Meet the World: The Story of the Senses” by Ashley Ward — $27.00
One key to meditation and staying “in the moment” is to really tune into each of your senses, making it a core tenet of many wellness practices. If you love a book to solidify and nourish your own routines and reflections, you might appreciate this investigation into everything we know about sight, scent, touch, taste, and hearing. Renowned biologist Ashley Ward takes the reader on a journey through the senses via the latest, most groundbreaking research across humans, plants, and animals. Ward filters his insights through sensations we’re all familiar with, like a sip of iced coffee or the sound of laughter, making it easy to connect the read with the “little things” in our daily lives.
“The Soulmate” by Sally Hepworth — $20.00
If you’re a Book of the Month aficionado, you may recognize The Soulmate, a buzzy thriller in that oh-so-popular “can you really trust your spouse?” genre appealing to fans of HBO’s The Undoing, Apple TV’s spankin’ new releaseThe Last Thing He Told Me, and the book that started it all: Gone Girl. Focused on a couple living in a coastal village, the book begins with their perfect house by the cliffs—which has tragically become a spot where people go to end their lives. The couple’s made a habit of desperately coaxing troubled individuals off the ledge, and they’ve gotten pretty good at it too. Until one day, the husband…doesn’t try. When it comes out that he knows the victim, and may be hiding an even more sinister secret, our narrator Pippa must unravel the secrets of their marriage and confront an unfortunate truth: that she may not know her soulmate at all.
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