Best Debuts of 2017

Best Debuts of 2017


Last year, an astounding seven out of eight of my Best Debuts of 2016 also made my overall Best Books of 2016 list. That’s the most debuts that have made my overall Best Books of the Year list since I started blogging by far.

I can pretty much assure you we won’t approach that number this year, but you will be seeing a couple of these books on my overall list in a couple weeks!

Best Debuts of 2017

Dead Letters by Caite Dolan-Leach (my review)
Dead Letters was my first overwhelming winner of the year. I’ve been recommending it like crazy ever since and it’s one of the most frequently purchased books from my affiliate links.

Affiliate Link: Buy from Amazon

Dear Fahrenheit 451 by Annie Spence (my review)
This year’s winning book about books! Spence is relatable, funny, and often snarky…and you will likely have heard of most of the books she talks about.

Affiliate Link: Buy from Amazon

Goodbye, Vitamin by Rachel Khong (my review)
This tiny gem of a novel is one of the few this year that the book critics from the traditional media and I agree on! Ruth’s endearing, witty, real, and relatable voice is the star of this one.

Affiliate Link: Buy from Amazon

If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio (my review)
The The Secret History read-alike I’ve been searching for forever!

Affiliate Link: Buy from Amazon

Rabbit Cake by Annie Hartnett (my review)
A sweet, delightful, and whimsical story with a main character reminiscent of Scout Finch (To Kill a Mockingbird).

Affiliate Link: Buy from Amazon

Standard Deviation by Katherine Heiny (my review)
A debut novel with straight talk about marriage. Plus, Heiny introduces the brilliant idea of a drop-off club for houseguests (similar to the kids clubs at resorts).

Affiliate Link: Buy from Amazon

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
A rare YA (Young Adult) book that I loved! And, the rare “issue” book that is first and foremost a compelling and well-told story.

Affiliate Link: Buy from Amazon

We Were the Lucky Ones by Georgia Hunter (author interview)
Fiction based on the harrowing true story of Hunter’s family that defies statistics, explanation, and imagination. Also one of the only World War II books I’ve read recently that hasn’t felt like a slog!

Affiliate Link: Buy from Amazon

What are your favorite debuts of 2017?

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19 Comments

  1. Great list, Sarah! I completely agree with a few, and still need to read several others. It may be time for me to break my YA ban and read The Hate You Give. I debated doing debuts, but in the end decided to just do one overall best book list. It was a tough year for these lists!

    Posted 12.5.17 Reply
  2. This is a great list. The only one I’ve read is THUG, but some of the others look interesting. Maybe I should start paying attention to which books are debuts. I have no idea how many I’ve read this year.

    Posted 12.5.17 Reply
  3. Wendy wrote:

    I’ve only read Dead Letters–I’ll have to check out a few of these. I think my favorite book of the year was Life’s Too Short to Run So F*cking Slow by Susan Lacke. Wow. Just wow.

    Posted 12.5.17 Reply
  4. I’ve only read 2 of those – The Hate U Give and Goodbye, Vitamin – but I loved them both so I’m making note of the others.

    Posted 12.5.17 Reply
  5. Love your best lists! The only one I’ve read is THUG – which I absolutely loved! It also won the Goodreads Best Debut category too.

    Posted 12.5.17 Reply
    • Sarah Dickinson wrote:

      Thank you! And I saw THUG on so many posts today!

      Posted 12.8.17 Reply
  6. Ann Marie wrote:

    Great list, Sarah. The only one I’ve read is We Were the Lucky Ones. I loved that book as well! Dead Letters looks great!

    Posted 12.5.17 Reply
  7. I still need to read Dead Letters. I definitely agree about If We Were Villains. A very fresh voice.

    Posted 12.5.17 Reply
  8. renee wrote:

    Goodbye Vitamin was such a worthy debut! I’ve been waiting forever on my library hold of WE Were The Lucky Ones to come in, I really hope it’s soon, I’m looking forward to that one!

    Posted 12.5.17 Reply
    • Sarah Dickinson wrote:

      WWTLO had 40-some people on the hold list at my library! So glad to see lots of people want to read it!

      Posted 12.8.17 Reply
  9. Oh wow, I forgot that The Hate U Give is a debut! Man, Angie Thomas is great, and I can’t wait to see what she does next.

    Posted 12.5.17 Reply
    • Sarah Dickinson wrote:

      Definitely didn’t seem like a debut!

      Posted 12.8.17 Reply
  10. Madeline wrote:

    I loved We Were the Lucky Ones. While the WWII genre is getting a bit worn out for me, this book spoke so true, with emotions and feelings so close to the bone, I couldn’t put it down.

    Definitely on my ten best of the year. (Not to dis this book, but it wasn’t a great year. 100+ read and I’m having finding 10 best.)

    Posted 12.5.17 Reply
    • Sarah Dickinson wrote:

      I’m with you on being worn out by WWII fiction, but WWTLO was an exception for me too. I think that it’s more or less a true story kind of made it for me.

      Posted 12.8.17 Reply
  11. If We Were Villains, The Hate U Give and Rabbit Cake were some of my favorites of the year, too! I don’t think I realized Rabbit Cake was a debut at the time. This makes me think I need to pick up Goodbye Vitamin and Dead Letters, both of which I already own!

    Posted 12.6.17 Reply
    • Sarah Dickinson wrote:

      Yes!

      Posted 12.8.17 Reply
  12. Tara wrote:

    There have been some good ones this year, for sure; I need to check out how my list of debuts has fared this year and get ready for the next one!

    Posted 12.6.17 Reply
  13. Antia wrote:

    Great list, and I’ve read only one of these.

    Posted 12.8.17 Reply
  14. I’ve not read any of these, but at least 3 are on my TBR list. Now to just find time!

    Posted 1.3.18 Reply

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