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Books set primarily in California

California

Recommended books found: 260

California is a members-only category, so your results have been limited to 12 books. If you are a member, please log in. If not, please consider joining today!.

Porcupines

A Novel

by Fran Fabriczki

Hardcover: Apr 2026

Critics' Consensus:

A fresh and witty debut about a young immigrant mother and her increasingly inquisitive daughter, who wakes up one day and decides to find out who her father is.

Like This, But Funnier

A Novel

by Hallie Cantor

Hardcover: Apr 2026

Critics' Consensus:

For fans of Dolly Alderton and HBO's Hacks, a whip-smart, laugh-out-loud funny debut novel about faking it (and "making it") as a writer in Hollywood.

Sky Daddy

A Novel

by Kate Folk

Hardcover: Apr 2025 | Paperback: Apr 2026

Critics' Consensus:

Cross the jet bridge with Linda, a frequent flyer with an unusual obsession, in this "razor-sharp and tender-hearted" (Lily Brooks-Dalton) debut novel by the acclaimed author of Out There.

American Han

A Novel

by Lisa Lee

Hardcover: Mar 2026

Critics' Consensus:

Growing up in the San Francisco Bay Area in the 1980s, Jane Kim and her brother, Kevin, dutifully embodied the model minority myth as their parents demanded: both stellar tennis players and academically gifted, they worked hard to make their parents ...

I Am the Ghost Here

Stories

by Kim Samek

Hardcover: Feb 2026

Critics' Consensus:

Twelve women confront the mounting existential terrors of modernity—climate change, unbridled capitalism and greed, an entertainment industry that will go to surreal lengths to stay relevant—in this debut story collection set in a ...

Soft Core

A Novel

by Brittany Newell

Hardcover: Feb 2025 | Paperback: Feb 2026

Critics' Consensus:

A young woman's madcap search for her missing ex-boyfriend takes her into the sexual underground in Brittany Newell's savage, tender Soft Core.

Crux

A Novel

by Gabriel Tallent

Hardcover: Jan 2026

Critics' Consensus:

In this story of intense friendship and grit, two down-and-out teens escape their lives and chase a different future through rock-climbing -- from the New York Times bestselling author of My Absolute Darling.

The Future Saints

A Novel

by Ashley Winstead

Hardcover: Jan 2026

Critics' Consensus:

Perfect for fans of Daisy Jones and the Six and In Five Years—a beautiful, powerful, and transportive new novel about a music executive desperately trying to bring a rock band back from the brink, from bestselling author Ashley Winstead.

What a Time to Be Alive

A Novel

by Jade Chang

Hardcover: Sep 2025 | Paperback: Sep 2026

Critics' Consensus:

A deeply moving and often hilarious novel following a woman who becomes an internet folk hero in the most unexpected way, catapulting her into fame and influence just as she's finally beginning to reckon with her complicated past.

Automatic Noodle

by Annalee Newitz

Hardcover: Aug 2025 | Paperback: Aug 2026

Critics' Consensus:

A cozy near-future novella about a crew of leftover robots opening their very own noodle shop, from acclaimed sci-fi author Annalee Newitz.

Rethinking Rescue

Dog Lady and the Story of America's Forgotten People and Pets

by Carol Mithers

Hardcover: Aug 2024 | Paperback: Aug 2025

Critics' Consensus:

Rethinking Rescue boldly confronts two of the biggest challenges of our time — poverty and homelessness — in asking the question: Who deserves the love of a pet?

One of Our Kind

A Novel

by Nicola Yoon

Hardcover: Jun 2024 | Paperback: Jul 2025

Critics' Consensus:

Thrilling with insightful social commentary, One of Our Kind explores the ways in which freedom is complicated by the presumptions we make about ourselves and each other.

California is a members-only category, so your results have been limited to 12 books. If you are a member, please log in. If not, please consider joining today!

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