The best days of the year are upon us — sinking into a lounge chair, feeling the warmth of the sun on our bodies after an especially long winter, and diving headfirst into a good book. Whether your summer plans take you to the beach, the neighborhood pool, or a patio chair in your backyard (hey, whatever it takes), there are plenty of good books coming out for every type of reader.
From romance to thriller, these are the new reads debuting this summer that we are putting in our beach bag… including a few releases that are already on shelves.
New(ish) Releases Out Now
Ready to jump into a good book now? These titles have been published within the last six months and are some of our favorites.
Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke
Natalie, a trad-wife influencer with a following of more than 8 million, depicts a traditional lifestyle online — despite hiding her immense privilege behind-the-scenes, which includes producers and nannies. She’s fine to relish in her success, until one day she wakes up living the lifestyle she portrays… and none of it is curated anymore.
Kin by Tayari Jones
Motherless daughters Annie and Vernice have been best friends and neighbors their entire lives, but when the girls follow different life paths — one to Spelman College and the other to locate her absent mother — the distance between them is tested, ultimately revealing the true definition of family.
The Place Where They Buried Your Heart by Christina Henry
When Jessie Campanelli dares her younger brother Paul to enter an abandoned haunted house, she never anticipates it will upend her family’s entire life. Paul never makes it out and Jessie cannot explain what happened inside, but she knows one thing for certain: the house is hungry for more.
Into the Blue by Emma Brodie
AJ Graves has big city dreams, but she’s stuck in her hometown working at a video rental store — until actor Noah Drew walks in one day. The duo develop a deep bond, which shatters when Noah disappears without a word. Seven years later, the pair are reunited when both AJ and Noah are cast as co-stars, forcing them to confront the truth of what happened years ago.
Judge Stone by Viola Davis and James Patterson
Judge Mary Stone holds two things sacred in her small Alabama hometown: taking care of her family’s farm and upholding the law in her courtroom. When she is forced to preside over a controversial abortion case that splits her town down the middle, she finds herself caught between duty and devotion.
Books To Look Forward To In May
The Calamity Club by Kathryn Stockett
In Depression-era Mississippi, three women — an orphan, an outsider, and an out-of-luck drifter — join forces in a bid for independence that risks everything in a society where the odds are stacked against them. The Calamity Club hit shelves May 5.
June Baby by Shannon Garvey
When Ruth loses her mom to cancer at 17, her dad sends her to Block Island, where she falls in love for the first time. A decade later, a new tragedy unfolds, and a mysterious inheritance forces Ruth to ask herself if she has what it takes to rewrite her future. June Baby debuts May 12.
Books To Look Forward To In June
The Someday Garden by Ashley Poston
Sophie Mear has escaped to coastal Maine for the summer for a seasonal job restoring the grounds of Lilymoor House, where she dreams about falling in love with the land and flowers… not a man. But when a magical door appears — along with a man trapped inside the garden — Sophie is forced to reconcile love, loss, and the leap it takes to stop waiting for “someday.” The Someday Garden hits shelves June 2.
Whistler by Ann Patchett
When Daphne Fuller unexpectedly runs into her former stepfather at the Metropolitan Museum of Art decades after an abrupt childhood separation, their resurfaced relationship reignites a connection neither of them is willing to let go of a second time. Whistler debuts June 2.
The Lake Club by Lina Patton
At the elite Aldon Lakes Country Club, picture-perfect Danika Crawley and down-on-her-luck Augie Elling become dangerously entangled with Danika’s male nanny, Chat, unraveling a long-buried scandal that threatens to blow up their curated lives. The Lake Club hits shelves June 16.
It Could Have Been Her by Lisa Jewell
When a local teenager goes missing, Jane Trevally is led to a house in London she knows all too well. The mysterious house tied to her own past forces Jane to confront childhood trauma and buried secrets that threaten life as she knows it. It Could Have Been Her comes out June 23.
Books To Look Forward To In July
Helpless by Jessica Knoll
Former lovers Faye and Henry reunite after a whirlwind college romance, but everything is not as it seems. When a disturbing act of betrayal traps Faye in Henry’s dangerous orbit, she is forced to confront everything she thought she believed about their past. Helpless arrives July 7.
Crash Into Me by Robinne Lee
In the midst of a strained marriage and full-blown identity crisis among Los Angeles’ elite, Cecilia Chen’s life is upended when she reunites with Anouk Ferrand, a former lover. The chance encounter forces Cecilia to confront the past and ask herself who she truly is. Crash Into Me is available July 7.
Hot Girl Murder Club by Ashley Winstead
When Scout Sage, a rising star in Hollywood, is accused of a string of L.A. murders, she is determined to clear her own name. But a detective on the case is about to uncover a pattern of industry-wide violence that has been kept a secret for decades — including a link to the death of Scout’s sister 10 years ago. Hot Girl Murder Club debuts July 14.
Books To Look Forward To In August & Beyond
August typically means back to routines, schedules, and school, but that doesn’t mean there won’t be a late-season beach trip or a girls’ weekend on the horizon. Bookmark these new releases for August and beyond.
The Unknown by Riley Sager
When actress Marin Keane joins a film crew investigating an unsolved mystery on an isolated Vermont island, she becomes trapped in a new wave of eerie disappearances that suggest the island’s past is ready to repeat itself. The Unknown is available August 4.
You’ll Love It Here by Natalie Sue
In a single day, Mona’s life as she knows it is gone. After losing her job and reluctantly taking over as the super of her chaotic apartment building, Mona is pulled into the messy lives of her neighbors and discovers connection where she least expected it, forcing her to rethink what home really means. You’ll Love it Here debuts August 11.
Exit Party by Emily St. John Mandel
After the collapse of the United States, a rare night of post-curfew celebration in Los Angeles turns frightening for Ari Walker when a doppelgänger appears and the party’s host mysteriously disappears — drawing her into a disorienting unraveling of reality, identity, and the power in resilience. Exit Party hits shelves September 15.
