Sneak Peek: March Indie Next List

The March 2024 Indie Next List includes EIGHT Macmillan titles!

GRIEF IS FOR PEOPLE BY SLOANE CROSLEY
9780374609849 | 2/27/24

3 starred reviews!

“[Crosley’s] characteristically whip-smart prose takes on a newly introspective quality as she reinvigorates dusty publishing memoir tropes and captures the minutiae of a complicated friendship with humor and heart. This is a must-read.”–Publishers Weekly, starred review

“The book is no hagiography—she notes harassment complaints against Russell for thoughtlessly tossed-off comments, plus critiques of the ‘deeply antiquated and often backward’ publishing industry—but the result is a warm remembrance sure to resonate with anyone who has experienced loss. A marvelously tender memoir on suicide and loss.”–Kirkus Reviews, starred review

“Crosley is a tightrope writer of devastating wit and plain devastation, a balancing act no doubt requiring even more muscle in this memoir of her grief. Also a story of the shifting sands of the last two decades in book publishing and the author’s and her friend’s changing places within it, this is a searching, impassioned, cathartic, and loving elegy.”–Booklist, starred review

ANITA DE MONTE LAUGHS LAST BY XOCHITL GONZALEZ
9781250786210 | 3/5/24

“In addition to the intrigue generated by Raquel’s search for answers about de Monte’s death, Gonzalez crafts excoriating and whip-smart commentary on the art world’s Eurocentric conceptions of beauty and the racism faced by first-generation students of color. This is incandescent.”–Publishers Weekly, starred review

THE EXTINCTION OF IRENA REY BY JENNIFER CROFT
9781639731701 | 3/5/24

“The novel’s greatest strength…lies in Croft’s energetic set pieces, demonstrated most mirthfully in the ‘catfight’ that takes place between Emi and ‘English,’ whose footnotes provide her with a juicy opportunity for revenge. This is a blast.”–Publishers Weekly, starred review

LISTEN FOR THE LIE BY AMY TINTERA
9781250880314 | 3/5/24

“Most of the novel is told from Lucy’s point of view, which allows for a natural unspooling of the layers of her life and her story. She’s strong, she’s prickly, and we gradually begin to understand just how wronged she has been. The story is a striking commentary on the insular and harmful nature of small-town prejudice and how women who don’t fit a certain mold are often considered outliers, if not straight-up villains… Smart, edgy, and entertaining as heck.”–Kirkus Reviews

PIGLET BY LOTTIE HAZELL
9781250289841 | 2/27/24

“[Hazell] offers unflinching depictions of disordered eating, including a scene in which Piglet devours a pile of burgers in a chain restaurant and her fingers fuse together from the mess, causing her hand to look more like a hoof. When [Piglet’s wedding] finally arrives, [she] finally resists the old-fashioned notions of the perfect bride. It’s an appealing cautionary tale.”–Publishers Weekly

BYE, BABY BY CAROLA LOVERING
9781250289360 | 3/5/24

“Readers will have fun with the depictions of the lifestyle of Manhattan women who seemingly have it all, with the depiction of Cassie as someone whose reality does not match what she posts, and with figuring out what is at the root of Billie’s obsession with influencer Cassie. The suspense is a shapeshifter until the very last page.”–Booklist

GREEN DOT BY MADELEINE GRAY
9781250890597 | 2/27/24

“It’s a testament to Gray’s well-honed plotting and writerly sleight-of-hand that, though Hera gives readers a pretty good idea of the entire arc of what will happen between her and Arthur on the first page, we still wonder until nearly the final one, and keep those pages flipping to find out. Hera’s friends and colleagues are worthy supporting characters, past family difficulty is exposed with a light hand, and laughs and emotional wallops coexist comfortably, all making for a more-than-promising debut.”–Booklist

WELCOME TO THE HYUNAM-DONG BOOKSHOP BY HWANG BO-REUM, TRANSLATED BY SHANNA TAN
9781639732425 | 2/20/24

“The prolonged philosophical considerations of reading, community, happiness, and the meaning of work offer moments of reflection and observation. Bo-Reum pleasantly evokes the feeling of spending an afternoon in a favorite bookstore.”–Publishers Weekly