Die späten Nullerjahre, frühen 2010er Jahre in einer ostdeutschen Kleinstadt: Die schönste Version erzählt die Geschichte von Jella und Yannick, von der ersten großen Liebe, die alles richtig machen will. Bis es kippt. Wieder zurück in ihrem Kinderzimmer fragt Jella sich, wie es so weit kommen konnte. Sie schaut noch einmal genauer auf ihr Aufwachsen in der Lausitz. Kleinstadt und Kiesgruben, Gangsterrap und Glitzerlipgloss. Auf Freundinnen, die sie durch so vieles trugen. Und auf den Moment, in dem Yannicks Hände sich um ihren Hals schlossen. Die schönste Version ist die Geschichte eines Erwachens, Erkennens, Anklagens, eine große Introspektion: Ruth-Maria Thomas schreibt über das Frauwerden, Frausein, von Körpern, Begierden und tiefen Abgründen.  «Ich hatte mir das alles anders Yannick und ich hätten einfach nur in unserer schönen hellen Wohnung gelebt, viele Pflanzen, gesundes, kräftiges Grün. Es hätte für immer nach der Minze von unserem Balkon geduftet, wir hätten befreundete Pärchen gehabt, die zum Dinner zu uns gekommen wären, wir hätten Dinner gesagt, nicht Abendbrot. Lunch, Dinner, das wäre uns ganz leicht von den Lippen gegangen. Wir hätten gemeinsam Lasagne gekocht, mit Zitronenpfeffer. Unsere Gesichter wären rötlich gewesen von der Hitze der Herdplatten, dem Wein und unseren angeregten Gesprächen. Fin. Stattdessen liege ich hier in meinem alten Kinderzimmer mit pochendem Hals und einem entrückten Gefühl. Alles kaputt, nirgendwo Minze, keine Scheißlasagne.»

Aufwühlend, wütend, hellsichtig: Mareike Fallwickls neuer Roman. Helene, Mutter von drei Kindern, steht beim Abendessen auf, geht zum Balkon und stürzt sich ohne ein Wort in den Tod. Die Familie ist im Schockzustand. Plötzlich fehlt ihnen alles, was sie bisher zusammengehalten hat: Liebe, Fürsorge, Sicherheit. Helenes beste Freundin Sarah, die Helene ihrer Familie wegen zugleich beneidet und bemitleidet hat, wird in den Strudel der Trauer und des Chaos gezogen. Lola, die älteste Tochter von Helene, sucht nach einer Möglichkeit, mit ihren Emotionen fertigzuwerden, und konzentriert sich auf das Gefühl, das am stärksten ist: Wut. Drei Frauen: eine ganz junge, eine alternde und eine, die sich einfach dem entzogen hat, was das Leben einer Mutter zumutet. Ihre Schicksale verweben sich kunstvoll in Mareike Fallwickls brisantem Roman darüber, was es heißt, in dieser Gesellschaft Frau zu sein.

The apocalypse will be televised! A man. His ex-girlfriend's cat. A sadistic game show unlike anything in the universe: a dungeon crawl where survival depends on killing your prey in the most entertaining way possible. In a flash, every human-erected construction on Earth—from Buckingham Palace to the tiniest of sheds—collapses in a heap, sinking into the ground. The buildings and all the people inside have all been atomized and transformed into the dungeon: an 18-level labyrinth filled with traps, monsters, and loot. A dungeon so enormous, it circles the entire globe. Only a few dare venture inside. But once you're in, you can't get out. And what's worse, each level has a time limit. You have but days to find a staircase to the next level down, or it's game over. In this game, it's not about your strength or your dexterity. It's about your followers, your views. Your clout. It's about building an audience and killing those goblins with style. You can't just survive here. You gotta survive big. You gotta fight with vigor, with excitement. You gotta make them stand up and cheer. And if you do have that "it" factor, you may just find yourself with a following. That's the only way to truly survive in this game—with the help of the loot boxes dropped upon you by the generous benefactors watching from across the galaxy. They call it Dungeon Crawler World. But for Carl, it's anything but a game.

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo meets First Lie Wins in this electric, voice-driven debut novel about an elusive bestselling author who decides to finally confess her true identity after years of hiding from her past. Cate Kay knows how to craft a story. As the creator of a bestselling book trilogy that struck box office gold as a film series, she’s one of the most successful authors of her generation. The thing is, Cate Kay doesn’t really exist. She’s never attended author events or granted any interviews. Her real identity had been a closely guarded secret, until now. As a young adult, she and her best friend Amanda dreamed of escaping their difficult homes and moving to California to become movie stars. But the day before their grand adventure, a tragedy shattered their dreams and Cate has been on the run ever since, taking on different names and charting a new future. But after a shocking revelation, Cate understands that returning home is the only way she’ll be a whole person again.

I’m a scoundrel Playboy. Man whore. Basically, I get around, and I’m not afraid to admit it. So when my best friend opens up Salacious Players’ Club and asks me to head the construction, how could I say no? Now we’re on a cross-country road trip touring other kink clubs, and I couldn’t be happier. Life is good. Then Hunter suddenly asks me to sleep with his wife…while he watches. I’ll do anything for my best friend, but this is the one request I should say no to. Isabel is the woman of my dreams, but she’s his. And the exact reason I should say no is the one reason I say yes. Because it’s not only Isabel I want. These are the two most important people in my life, and if we go down this path, how will I ever be able to walk away? I’m not sure my best friend understands just how much I’m willing to do for him—and why.

The apocalypse will be televised! A man. His ex-girlfriend's cat. A sadistic game show unlike anything in the universe: a dungeon crawl where survival depends on killing your prey in the most entertaining way possible. In a flash, every human-erected construction on Earth—from Buckingham Palace to the tiniest of sheds—collapses in a heap, sinking into the ground. The buildings and all the people inside have all been atomized and transformed into the dungeon: an 18-level labyrinth filled with traps, monsters, and loot. A dungeon so enormous, it circles the entire globe. Only a few dare venture inside. But once you're in, you can't get out. And what's worse, each level has a time limit. You have but days to find a staircase to the next level down, or it's game over. In this game, it's not about your strength or your dexterity. It's about your followers, your views. Your clout. It's about building an audience and killing those goblins with style. You can't just survive here. You gotta survive big. You gotta fight with vigor, with excitement. You gotta make them stand up and cheer. And if you do have that "it" factor, you may just find yourself with a following. That's the only way to truly survive in this game—with the help of the loot boxes dropped upon you by the generous benefactors watching from across the galaxy. They call it Dungeon Crawler World. But for Carl, it's anything but a game.