The Best BIPOC Books Out This Week

There have been so many deliciously dark thrillers coming out lately that look at social media and influencer life, and this is the latest. Mega-popular influencer Chloe VanHuusen makes a video where she finds her long-lost twin and buys her a house…for the views, obvi. Then, Julie Chan, the twin and a supermarket cashier with not a lot going for her, finds her twin sister dead and decides to step into her life and have everything she could have ever wanted. This means designer clothes, a bomb skincare routine, and millions of followers. It also means struggling to fit into Chloe’s social circle and attending a weeklong island retreat where things get out of control, and Julie uncovers the dark forces that led to her twin’s death. Forces that may target her next.

This is like a super duper freaky mystery/horror mashup. It follows Cora, who has been desensitized to bloody travesties because she saw her sister get pushed in front of a train by a man who was never caught, whose last words were “bat eater.” Now, Cora is surrounded by other people’s gore as a crime scene cleaner, and drifting away from the people who care about her. If she’s not careful, she could fall victim to the culprit behind the unexplained killings of East Asian women in Chinatown—or the slack-jawed shadow posted up near her door frame.

Ofosua Addo is a Ghanaian heiress who loves the vibrant cultural traditions of her people…and who also comes across one Cole Drake during a publishing party. The two flirt, and even share a little kissy-kiss that neither can stop thinking about. Problem is that Ofosua is engaged to a man even her picky mother loves, but when the big Ghanaian wedding they plan turns from a dream to too much, she’s left having to reevaluate some things. Re-enter Cole, who fits into her life differently than he did before. Now Ofosua needs to decide between true chemistry and tradition.

Yes, I am very excited for this queer, 1910s New York City-set romance and its Shape of Water essence. In it, Benny Caldera should really be labeled as an artist for the stunning ironwork tank he makes for the Coney Island playground, even if orphaned Boricua blacksmiths usually aren’t. But more awe-inspiring than his tank is the merman who comes to occupy it in captivity. Benny comes to know the merman—Río—as a kindred spirit captured from the East River, and soon the deep love that develops has him questioning his ideas around captivity and what he will sacrifice for the sake of the one he loves.