Between books like Gone Girl, Girl on the Train, and All The Missing Girls, shows like Twin Peaks and Veronica Mars, and podcasts like Serial, it's pretty easy to see that America is obsessed with dead girls. Among this week's best new books is an essay collection that examines why dead girls are so fascinating — and what that says about male and female power. Dead Girls by Alice Bolin might be the nonfiction book everyone is talking about this week, but there are plenty of other new releases that you need to know.
On the fiction side of things, #1 New York Times bestselling author Emily Giffin is back with a story about family, community, and the struggle to define a life on your own terms. Giffin may already be a household name for many readers, but there are plenty of new authors who came to play this week too, including Elite Daily's Dating Editor Hannah Orenstein, whose debut novel Playing With Matches might just be the best rom-com of the season.
There's a little bit of everything on this week's list of best new books — graphic memoirs, horror novels, history books with more thrills than a James Bond movie, and more. Here are the 10 new books you need to know:
'Dead Girls: Essays On Surviving An American Obsession' by Alice Bolin
In Dead Girls, Alice Bolin dissects the role of the capital-D Dead Girl in movies, books, literature, and examines what this collective cultural fascination with dead women actually means.
'Playing With Matches' by Hannah Orenstein
This rom-com, written by a former professional matchmaker, is overflowing with charm and heart. Playing with Matches centers on Sasha Goldberg, a 20-something with an NYU degree, the perfect boyfriend, and big dreams for her future. Unfortunately, for the moment, the only job she can land is one as a professional matchmaker. Nevertheless, she's determined to help her clients find The One — but when her relationship blows apart, she falls unexpectedly head-over-heels for a guy she already set up with someone else.
Disclosure: Hannah Orenstein is an editor at Bustle Digital Group.
'Many Love: A Memoir Of Polyamory And Finding Love(s)' by Sophie Lucido Johnson
Love looks different for everyone, and in her graphic memoir Many Love, Sophie Lucido Johnson illustrates — literally! — what it looks like for her, as someone is polyamorous.
'Any Man' by Amber Tamblyn
I admittedly have mixed feelings about the premise of this book, which centers on the male victims of a female serial rapist. However, Amber Tamblyn has undeniably written a novel meant to start conversations about sexual assault, about how the media treats victims, and about how each and every person can do their part to stop rape culture.
'All We Ever Wanted' by Emily Giffin
The author of Something Borrowed is back this summer with another tale about the fragile bonds of family and tenuous line between right and wrong. The book centers on two characters from opposite worlds in Nashville: Nina has the perfect life, complete with the rich husband and Princeton-bound son, while Tom is just struggling to make ends meet for his daughter, who's been accepted on a scholarship to an elite private school. Their two worlds collide when one photograph, snapped at a wild party, causes a controversy neither could predict.
'Remind Me Again What Happened' by Joanna Luloff
Remind Me Again What Happened is disorienting and haunting, in all the best ways. The story centers on Claire, who wakes up in a hospital in the Florida Keys with no recollection of how she got there. Although this may sound like the beginning of a thriller, her memory loss actually sets the stage for a poignant story about love, friendship, and the secrets that keep people apart — and keep people together.
'The Summer List' by Amy Mason Doan
Laura and Casey used to be inseparable. Every summer — until the night a betrayal forced them apart — the two friends would spend the summer solving extravagant scavenger hunts in their hometown. It's been 17 years since they last spoke, but now they're back for one more game.
'The Race to Save the Romanovs: The Truth Behind the Secret Plans to Rescue the Russian Imperial Family' by Helen Rappaport
If you grew up in the '90s, there's a solid chance you've seen the animated film Anastasia and perhaps have some... misguided ideas about the tragic fate of this family. (Spoiler: Rasputin wasn't magic, and he didn't have a pet bat.) In The Race to Save the Romanovs, Helen Rappaport investigates the secret failed plots to save the Romanovs from execution.
'Cabin at the End of the World' by Paul Tremblay
Horror master Paul Tremblay is back with a book that will satisfy your cravings for more Hereditary-level scares. The Cabin at the End of the World follows seven-year-old Wen and her parents, Eric and Andrew, who are all vacationing at a remote cabin in New Hampshire. Everything is perfect — until the day Wen meets a man who outside who tells her, with no explanation, that "none of what's going to happen is your fault."
'My Plain Jane' by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows
Five words: Jane Eyre retelling with ghosts.
