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Every month, I make pretty accurate (80-100%) predictions about which books will be featured by Book of the Month (BOTM). I take a lot of time to research upcoming releases, analyze past selections, and choose books that are solid bets.
It is that time of the year when the publishing calendar is full of new releases hoping to be seen across beaches and vacations this summer. This translates to a lot of big thriller releases along with a strong literary and contemporary fiction contingent. There is no shortage of books for BOTM to choose from this month.
Don’t forget to take a look at my June Predictions for books that may still be selections in July, like The Compound, Among Friends, and Don’t Let Him In.
I think that July books will most likely drop on Monday, June 30 or Tuesday, July 1.
Contemporary & Literary Fiction
I wavered whether to include a few books but ultimately ruled them out (including My Train Leaves at Three by Natalie Guerrero, Greenwich by Kate Broad, Sisters of Fortune by Esther Chehebar, The Payback by Kashana Cauley, Love Forms by Claire Adams, The Greatest Possible Good by Ben Brooks, Archive of Unknown Universes by Ruben Reyes Jr., and If You Love It, Let It Kill You by Hannah Pittard) that I do not think will be among the selections. If there is another early release, I think it will be My Other Heart by Emma Nanami Strenner.
Bitter Sweet
Hattie Williams
Synopsis: A young book publicist finds herself in an all-consuming workplace affair with her literary idol in this very impressive debut. Tender and poignant, Bitter Sweet is an intimate exploration of power, of vulnerability, of what it means to love another person and what it means to love yourself.
Debut
Finding Grace
Loretta Rothschild
Synopsis: Honor seems to have everything: she adores her bright and beautiful daughter, Chloe, and her charming, handsome husband, Tom, even if he works one hundred hours a week. Yet Honor’s longing for another baby threatens to eclipse all of it―until a shocking event changes their lives forever. Finding Grace is a sweeping love story that explores the price of a new beginning, how the ghosts of our past shape our future, and whether redemption can be found in the wreckage of what we’ve lost.
Debut
Maggie; or, a Man and a Woman Walk Into a Bar
Katie Yee
Synopsis: A Chinese American woman spins tragedy into comedy when her life falls apart in a taut, wry debut novel that grapples with grief, motherhood, and myths—perfect for fans of Joan Is Okay and Crying in H Mart. In the style of Jenny Offill and the tradition of Nora Ephron’s hilarious and devastating writing on heartbreak and womanhood, Maggie is a master class in transforming personal tragedy into a form of defiant comedy.
Debut
Bring the House Down
Charlotte Runcie
Synopsis: A theater critic at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe writes a vicious one-star review of a struggling actress he has a one-night stand with in this sharply funny, feminist tinderbox. A brilliant Trojan horse of a book about art, power, misogyny, and female rage, Bring the House Down is a searing, insightful, and often hilarious debut that captures the blurred line between reality and performance.
Debut
The Satisfaction Cafe
Kathy Wang
Synopsis: How do we live so that we are satisfied? How can people connect during moments of loneliness? This is the story of Joan Liang, a woman who moves across the world to America, and in trying to answer these questions builds a wildly original life.
Spectacular Things
Beck Dorey-Stein
Synopsis: Two sisters examine what they owe each other and what they are willing to sacrifice to make their dreams come true—from a New York Times bestselling author whose writing has been called witty, heartfelt, lively and intelligent.
The Homemade God
Rachel Joyce
Synopsis: With sparkling wit and insight, this powerful novel from the bestselling author of The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry reminds us that family is everything, even when it falls apart. Wonderfully atmospheric, at heart this is a novel about the bonds of siblinghood—what happens when they splinter, and what it might take to reconnect them.
Repeat Author
The View from Lake Como
Adriana Trigiani
Synopsis: From the beloved New York Times bestselling author Adriana Trigiani, a dazzling storyteller, and a comedy writer with a heart of gold, comes a novel about one woman’s quest to build her own life before it’s too late.
Repeat Author
Historical Fiction
I considered a few June books that did not make ultimately make it into my predictions: Wayward Girls by Susan Wiggs, The Silence and the Rage by Pierre Lemaitre, The One and Only Vivian Stone by Melissa O’Connor, The Letter Carrier by Francesca Giannone, and Etiquette for Lovers and Killers by Anna Fitzgerald Healy.
Jamaica Road
Lisa Smith
Synopsis: A transformative love story about two best friends who fall for each other, fall apart, and try to find their way back together in their tight-knit British-Jamaican community. Spanning one tumultuous decade, Jamaica Road is a deftly plotted and emotionally expansive debut novel about race and class, the family you’re born with and the family you choose, and the limits of what true love can really conquer.
Debut
A Resistance of Witches
Morgan Ryan
Synopsis: As World War II rages around her, a witch abandoned by her coven must journey to find a book of unspeakable power before it lands in Nazi hands.
Debut
Our Last Vineyard Summer
Brooke Lea Foster
Synopsis: From the great storyteller Brooke Lea Foster, a captivating new novel set in 1965 and 1978 about a graduate student who returns with her sisters to their family’s summer home on Martha’s Vineyard and begins to unravel old family secrets.
Under the Stars
Beatriz Williams
Synopsis: When a daughter and her famous mother return to Winthrop Island to confront their complicated past, they discover a secret trove of paintings that connect them to a mysterious woman who vanished on a luxury steamship two centuries earlier. From the New York Times bestselling author of Husbands & Lovers comes an epic tale of family legacy, love, and truths that echo down generations.
Repeat Author
Typewriter Beach
Meg Waite Clayton
Synopsis: Set in Carmel-by-the-Sea and Hollywood, Typewriter Beach is an unforgettable story of the unlikely friendship between an Oscar-nominated screenwriter and a young actress hoping to be Alfred Hitchcock’s new star.
Repeat Author
Romance
I also waffled about a couple of books, primarily Gracie Harris is Under Construction by Kate Hash, Let’s Make A Scene by Laura Wood, An Irish Summer by Alexandra Paige, and Finding Mr. July by Anna Collins. If there is an early release, it may be August Lane by Regina Black.
How Freaking Romantic
Emily Harding
Synopsis: In this sharply funny solo debut, an aspiring lawyer is forced to work alongside the opposing counsel in her best friend’s divorce case, which leads to the biggest irreconcilable difference of all: love.
Debut
Slanting Towards the Sea
Lidija Hilje
Synopsis: Spanning twenty years and one life-altering summer in Croatia, at once an unforgettable love story and a powerful exploration of what it means to come of age in a country younger than oneself. Set against the mesmerizing Croatian coastline, Slanting Towards the Sea is a cinematic, emotionally searing debut about the fragile nature of potential and the transcendence of love.
Debut
Where You’re Planted
Melanie Sweeney
Synopsis: From the author of the “phenomenal achievement” (Kirkus) Take Me Home, a children’s librarian must temporarily move her public library into a shed in the county botanic gardens, where her archnemesis is the assistant director.
These Summer Storms
Sarah MacLean
Synopsis: From New York Times bestselling author Sarah MacLean, a razor-sharp, wildly sexy novel about a wealthy New England family’s long-overdue reckoning . . . and the one week that threatens to tear them apart.
Thrillers, Mysteries, & Crime Fiction
I also waffled about a couple of books, primarily Until Alison by Kate Russo, This Stays Between Us by Sara Ochs, Love You to Death by Christina Dotson, The Namaste Club by Asha Elias, Sunburned by Katherine Wood, and Our Last Resort by Clémence Michallon. If there is another early release, it may be Mean Moms by Emma Rosenblum.
Her Many Faces
Nicci Cloke
Synopsis: When four influential members are poisoned at London’s most exclusive private club, a young waitress is charged with their murder. Her personal life and upbringing are dissected, and five men begin to question how well they really knew her.
Our Secrets Were Safe
Virginia Trench
Synopsis: Ten years after Sofia was killed in a tragic accident, her college ex Caroline and her former roommate Brooke almost have what they’ve always wanted. But unless the two best friends can cheat fate a second time, one night’s secrets could unravel everything. Someone knows what really happened the night Sofia Eliades died. The guilty have escaped unscathed for a decade. Can you untangle this web of lies and discover the terrible truth?
Debut
Night Watcher
Daphne Woolsoncroft
Synopsis: In what Jeneva Rose declares a “chilling and atmospheric” tale, Nola Strate, a late night radio host in Portland, Oregon, listens to stories of hauntings and cryptic sightings for a living. But one foggy evening, a caller describes an eerie scene that triggers memories of Nola’s childhood escape from a serial killer, and she fears he’s back to finish what he started.
Debut
Everyone Is Lying to You
Jo Piazza
Synopsis: The #tradwife murder mystery we’ve all been waiting for. From the bestselling author of The Sicilian Inheritance and the creator of the Under the Influence podcast comes an explosive thriller about two estranged friends, a grisly murder, a sudden disappearance, and the truly shocking revelation that everyone is lying to you about something . . .
Not Quite Dead Yet
Holly Jackson
Synopsis: The #1 New York Times bestselling author of A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder returns with her first novel for adults: a twisty thriller about a young woman trying to solve her own murder.
Repeat Author
The Woman in Suite 11
Ruth Ware
Synopsis: In this follow-up to #1 New York Times bestselling author Ruth Ware’s multi-million copy mega-hit The Woman in Cabin 10, Lo Blacklock returns to attend the opening of a luxury hotel, only to find herself in a white-knuckled race across Europe.
Repeat Author
You Belong Here
Megan Miranda
Synopsis: Memories fade, but on this campus, legacies are never forgotten…or forgiven. Beckett Bowery never thought she’d return to Wyatt Valley, a picturesque college town in the Virginia mountains steeped in tradition. Her roots there were strong: Beckett’s parents taught at the college, and she never even imagined studying anywhere else—until a tragedy her senior year ended with two local men dead, and her roommate on the run, never to be seen again…
Repeat Author | Early Release
Fantasy, Science Fiction, & Magical Realism
I wavered whether to include a few books but ultimately ruled them out, including The Secret Market of the Dead by Giovanni De Feo, Beasts of Carnaval by Rosália Rodrigo, Never the Roses by Jennifer K. Lambert, The Library at Hellebore by Cassandra Khaw, and The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy by Brigitte Knightley.
In the Veins of the Drowning
Kalie Cassidy
Synopsis: An “atmospheric and evocative” (Rachel Gillig) romantasy about a threatened Siren who forges a bond with a brooding, self-righteous king in order to flee the king who raised her. Perfect for fans of One Dark Window and For the Wolf.
Debut
Arcana Academy
Elise Kova
Synopsis: A woman who wields magical tarot cards lands herself in a false engagement with the headmaster of a mysterious academy in this first installment of an enthralling fantasy romance series from the bestselling author of A Deal with the Elf King.
The Peculiar Gift of July
Ashley Ream
Synopsis: With a dash of magic and a cast of oddball, small-town characters, this feel-good novel explores forgiveness, family, and the sense of humor it takes to live with the ones we love the most.
A Forbidden Alchemy
Stacey McEwan
Synopsis: This stunning slow-burn romantasy follows a fated pair who uncover a world-changing secret and are thrust into a violent class war, navigating love, loss, and devastating betrayals.
Silvercloak
L.K. Stevens
Synopsis: From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Our Infinite Fates comes an addictive new fantasy series where magic is fueled by pleasure and pain and an obsessive detective must infiltrate a brutal gang of dark mages—knowing that one wrong move will get her killed…
Repeat Author
Young & New Adult
I also considered Soul of Shadow by Emma Noyes but ultimately ruled it out as a possibility.
The Goldens
Lauren Wilson
Synopsis: A delicious, intoxicating debut thriller about a young woman who is swept into a glamorous world of fascinating influencers, glittering parties―and possibly murder.
Debut
Grave Birds
Dana Elmendorf
Synopsis: The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampiresmeets Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil in this twisty, fresh take on a Southern gothic that follows a mysterious, charming bachelor as he makes his way into a small town, bringing a plague and the devil with him.
Nonfiction
You Wanna Be on Top?: A Memoir of Makeovers, Manipulation, and Not Becoming America’s Next Top Model by Sarah Hartshorne
A Marriage at Sea: A True Story of Love, Obsession, and Shipwreck
Sophie Elmhirst
Synopsis: A vivid and propulsive memoir about finding courage and meaning in a life outdoors, by a world-class whitewater rafting guide.
Debut
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