Chain Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah

I started this in May and will hopefully finish it before June gets in full swing.

Synopsis: Two top women gladiators fight for their freedom within a depraved private prison system not so far-removed from America’s own in this explosive, hotly-anticipated debut novel.

Publication Date: May 2, 2023

Our Migrant Souls: A Meditation on Race and the Meanings and Myths of “Latino” by Héctor Tobar

Synopsis: Our Migrant Souls: A Meditation on Race and the Meanings and Myths of “Latino” assembles the Pulitzer Prize winner Héctor Tobar’s personal experiences as the son of Guatemalan immigrants and the stories told to him by his Latinx students to offer a spirited rebuke to racist ideas about Latino people.

Publication Date: May 9, 2023

Yellowface by R.F. Kuang

I am hoping my friend is finally ready to start reading this with me!

Synopsis: White lies. Dark humor. Deadly consequences… Bestselling sensation Juniper Song is not who she says she is, she didn’t write the book she claims she wrote, and she is most certainly not Asian American—in this chilling and hilariously cutting novel.

Publication Date: May 16, 2023

Rogue Justice by Stacey Abrams

Synopsis: The #1 New York Times bestselling author of While Justice Sleeps returns with another riveting and intricately plotted thriller, in which a blackmailed federal judge, a secret court and a brazen murder may lead to an unprecedented national crisis.

Publication Date: May 23, 2023

Once More with Feeling by Elissa Sussman

Synopsis: A former pop star finds herself back in the spotlight—along with an old flame from her past—in this “friends to lovers” meets “enemies to lovers” romance.

Publication Date: May 30, 2023

Lady Tan’s Circle of Women by Lisa See

Synopsis: The latest historical novel from New York Times bestselling author Lisa See, inspired by the true story of a woman physician from 15th-century China.

Publication Date: June 6, 2023

The Paris Daughter by Kristin Hamel

Synopsis: A gripping historical novel about two mothers who must make unthinkable choices in the face of the Nazi occupation. The Paris Daughter is a sweeping celebration of resilience, motherhood, and love.

Publication Date: June 6, 2023

The Whispers by Ashley Audrain

Synopsis: From the author of The Push, a page-turner about four suburban families whose lives are changed when the unthinkable happens–and what is lost when good people make unconscionable choices.

Publication Date: June 6, 2023

The Talk by Darrin Bell

Synopsis: Darrin Bell was six years old when his mother told him he couldn’t have a realistic water gun. Through evocative illustrations and sharp humor, Bell examines how The Talk shaped intimate and public moments from childhood to adulthood. 

Publication Date: June 6, 2023

The Long Way Back by Nicole Baart

I loved Nicole Baart’s last novel and am excited to dive into this new one.

Synopsis: When an Instagram-famous teenager mysteriously disappears, her mother grapples with the revelation of dark secrets in this twisty, atmospheric thriller

Publication Date: June 13, 2023

The Rachel Incident by Caroline O’Donoghue

I think there may be a chance this June release may be a July BOTM pick, so I am going to try to read it before the selections are uploaded.

Synopsis: A brilliantly funny novel about friends, lovers, Ireland in chaos, and a young woman desperately trying to manage all three.

Publication Date: June 27, 2023

Birnam Wood by Eleanor Catton

The length of this book has prevented me from picking up sooner, but I am determined to do so this month.

Synopsis: A gripping psychological thriller from the Booker Prize–winning author of The Luminaries in which a landslide has closed the Korowai Pass on New Zealand’s South Island, cutting off the town of Thorndike and leaving a sizable farm abandoned. The disaster presents an opportunity for Birnam Wood, an undeclared, unregulated, sometimes-criminal, sometimes-philanthropic guerrilla gardening collective that plants crops wherever no one will notice. 

Publication Date: March 7, 2023

Pineapple Street by Jenny Jackson

Synopsis: A deliciously funny, sharply observed debut of family, love, and class, this zeitgeisty novel follows three women in one wealthy Brooklyn clan.

Publication Date: March 7, 2023

The Soulmate by Sally Hepworth

Synopsis: Gabe and Pippa’s dream home on a cliff in a sleepy coastal town. But their perfect house hides something sinister. The tall cliffs have become a popular spot for people to end their lives. Night after night Gabe comes to their rescue, literally talking them off the ledge. Until he doesn’t. When Pippa discovers Gabe knew the victim, the questions spiral… Did the victim jump? Was she pushed?

Publication Date: April 4, 2023

I Am My Country: And Other Stories by Kenan Orhan

Synopsis: Spanning decades and landscapes, from the forests along the Black Sea to the streets of Istanbul, Kenan Orhan’s ​playful stories ​conjure dreamlike worlds—of talking animals, flying houses, and omniscient prayer-callers—to ​examine humanity’s unfaltering pursuit of hope in even the darkest circumstances.

Publication Date: April 25, 2023

The Second: Race and Guns in a Fatally Unequal America by Carol Anderson

Synopsis: From the New York Times bestselling author of White Rage, an unflinching, critical new look at the Second Amendment―and how it has been engineered to deny the rights of African Americans since its inception.

Publication Date: June 1, 2021

The Guncle by Steven Rowley

Synopsis: From the bestselling author of Lily and the Octopus and The Editor comes a warm and deeply funny novel about a once-famous gay sitcom star whose unexpected family tragedy leaves him with his niece and nephew for the summer.

Publication Date: April 5, 2022

Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt

I have been intending to read this for a year now. Hopefully, this will be the month I finally do.

Synopsis: For fans of A Man Called Ove, a charming, witty and compulsively readable exploration of friendship, reckoning, and hope that traces a widow’s unlikely connection with a giant Pacific octopus.

Publication Date: May 3, 2022

While Justice Sleeps by Stacey Abrams

This month, the second book in this series will be published, and it is long past time I picked this book up.

Synopsis: A gripping, complexly plotted thriller set within the halls of the U.S. Supreme Court, where a young law clerk finds herself embroiled in a shocking mystery crafted by one of the most preeminent judges in America

Publication Date: May 11, 2021

Queerly Beloved by Brad Ricca

This is another book off of my NetGalley backlist.

Synopsis: A people-pleasing baker tries to find her place as a bridesmaid-for-hire. Will she finally find her happily ever after—and her own voice?

Publication Date: May 3, 2022

First Time for Everything by Henry Fry

Synopsis: A debut about a down-on-his-luck gay man working out how he fits into the world, making up for lost time, and opening himself up to life’s possibilities.

Publication Date: May 10, 2022