June 2025 Anticipated Book Releases
23 new books on my reading radar, plus my Weekly What
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Summer reading is heating up and June book releases are on the horizon!
May and June are an embarrassment of riches when it comes to new releases. Luckily we have all summer (and beyond) to enjoy them! Read on for all the June books on my reading radar.
June 3
We Don’t Talk About Carol by Kristen L. Berry. A dedicated journalist unearths a generations-old family secret—and a connection to a string of missing girls that hits way too close to home—in this gripping debut novel.
What Kind of Paradise by Janelle Brown. A teenage girl breaks free from her father’s world of isolation to discover that her whole life is a lie in this propulsive new novel.
The Other Side of Now by Paige Harbison. A hilarious and heartfelt novel about how loves and lives are never truly lost, for fans of Rebecca Serle and Taylor Jenkins Reid.
A Family Matter by Claire Lynch. A young wife following her heart. A husband with the law on his side. Their daughter, caught in the middle. Forty years later, a family secret changes everything in this debut novel.
Flashlight by Susan Choi. A novel tracing a father’s disappearance across time, nations, and memory, from the author of Trust Exercise.
Notes on Infinity by Austin Taylor.* A singular, extraordinary debut about Zoe and Jack, Harvard students who find themselves propelled into the intoxicating biotech startup world when they announce they’ve discovered the cure for aging. A different kind of love story where the thirst for achievement consumes and the stakes are forever.
Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid.* An epic novel set against the backdrop of the 1980s space shuttle program about the extraordinary lengths we go to live and love beyond our limits.
The Listeners by Maggie Stiefvater. A mesmerizing portrait of an irresistible heroine, an unlikely romance, and a hotel—and a world—in peril.
The Ghostwriter by Julie Clark. Decades after a brutal family tragedy in 1975 left Vincent Taylor the sole survivor—and prime suspect—his daughter Olivia, a ghostwriter hiding her identity, is asked to help him pen his final book. But instead of fiction, Vincent is finally ready to reveal the truth about that night.
Parallel Lines by Edward St. Aubyn.* A hilarious and moving story about a group of wildly different characters whose fates are improbably yet inextricably linked—a novel about extinction and survival, inheritance and loss.
How to Lose Your Mother: A Daughter’s Memoir by Molly Jong-Fast. A ferociously honest and disarmingly funny memoir about her elusive mother’s encroaching dementia and a reckoning with her complicated childhood.
June 10
King of Ashes by S.A. Cosby.* A Godfather-inspired Southern crime epic and dazzling family drama.
With a Vengeance by Riley Sager. One train. No stops. A deadly game of survival and revenge.
The River Is Waiting by Wally Lamb.* The propulsive story of a young father who, after an unbearable tragedy, reckons with the possibility of atonement for the unforgivable.
Confessions of a Grammar Queen by Eliza Knight. There are no female publishing CEOs in 1960's New York. And that is exactly what savvy, ambitious Bernadette Swift plans to change.
So Far Gone by Jess Walter. A hilarious, empathetic, and brilliantly provocative adventure through life in modern America, about a reclusive journalist forced back into the world to rescue his kidnapped grandchildren.
Slow Burn Summer by Josie Silver. A talent agent hires an actress to play the part of “novelist” on a book tour for his agency’s publicity-shy client in this delightful rom-com.
June 17
Sounds Like Love by Ashely Poston. A hitmaking songwriter and a bitter musician share a startling and inexplicable connection that they’ll do anything to shake.
Crown by Evanthia Bromiley. A suspenseful, lyrical debut novel tracking three days leading up to the eviction of a pregnant single mother and her nine-year-old twins from a trailer park in the American Southwest.
June 24
El Dorado Drive by Megan Abbott. A simmering, atmospheric novel of friendship and betrayal, following a women-led pyramid scheme in suburban Detroit.
Sunny Side Up by Katie Sturino.* Sunny Greene is thirty-five, recently divorced, facing the looming prospect of going solo to her little brother’s wedding, and currently trying to find anything plus-sized in the Bergdorf Goodman swimsuit department that doesn’t make her want to cry. It’s not going well. But isn’t rock bottom the perfect place to start a climb?
The Compound by Aisling Rawle. Nothing to lose. Everything to gain. Winner takes all.
Among Friends by Hal Ebbott.* What begins as celebration gives way to betrayal, shattering the trust between two families.
Browse these titles: Bookshop | LibroFM
*denotes I have a complimentary advanced review copy
Tell me:
Which June releases are you looking forward to? I am most excited for Atmosphere—I’m a huge TJR fan!
What are you planning to read in June? (Front or backlist!)
Reading
Fun for the Whole Family by Jennifer E. Smith. A family saga with This is Us vibes about 4 adult siblings reuniting after a mostly unintentional multi-year estrangement after life and resentments both old and new led them to grow apart. This is a dual timeline story with present day set in snowy February North Dakota with intermittent, brief flashbacks to summer trips with their largely absent mother. I found this to be more of a cold season book despite the April pub date (if you’re a seasonal reader like me.) I found this fine, I enjoyed it alright, though it didn’t make much of an impression. I’ve seen a number of rave reviews from other readers though so maybe it was just a case of right book, wrong time for me. Lauren Graham narrates the audiobook.
The Names by Florence Knapp. Thanks to the publisher for providing a complimentary review copy. A sliding doors story with 3 alternate timelines following the life of a baby born into an abusive marriage. In one, the baby is named after his abusive, but well respected doctor father as is family tradition, in another he is named by his older sister, in another by his mother. Each timeline is less about the name itself, more about the choice and how that act shapes decisions moving forward. I liked this debut and can easily see why it’s getting attention. There’s enough to chew on here to be satisfying even if I found the story relying a little heavily on the sliding door structure and plot and less on characterization than I prefer.
The Road to Tender Hearts by Annie Hartnett. I enjoyed this so much! My first experience with Annie Hartnett was reading Unlikely Animals when it published back in 2022. I recall reading it and feeling as though it was a story I really should love, but not really liking it that much (in fact, my review substantiates this.) Well, I’m glad I gave Hartnett another try because I found Tender Hearts delightful!
After unexpectedly becoming guardian to his estranged brother’s grandkids, gruff but lovable PJ Halliday sets off as planned on a cross country roadtrip from his home in Massachusetts to an Arizona retirement community where he will declare his long burning love for his recently widowed almost-high school sweetheart. Along for the ride are his two wards, his semi-estranged adult daughter, and Pancakes the cat, who has an uncanny knack of predicting impending death. This journey is somehow a delightful romp despite a good bit of darkness and sorrow, the story opens with a murder-suicide, for example, but somehow Hartnett manages to infuse warmth, humor, and loveable if sometimes frustrating characters, crafting a bittersweet story I couldn’t get enough of.
This doesn’t happen often but I could not help picturing PJ as Nick Offerman. I think this absolutely should be adapted to a limited series and Offerman should star. You have to let me know if you agree if you read this!
Listening
The Tell by Amy Griffin. A poignant memoir from a middle-aged woman grappling with long repressed memories of sexual abuse in her adolescence and the patriarchal culture in Texas where she was raised. I also found this related Vox piece interesting: Are repressed memories real? A hit memoir clashes with the science.
We Lived on the Horizon by Erika Swyler. Speculative sci-fi fiction with interesting world building and exploration of morality, altruism, purpose, and humanity. One of the best books of the year so far according to Esquire.
Book Riot Podcast: Power Ranking the Books of 2005. A delightful trip down memory lane!
Watching
Madmen, Season 2 (DVD!) We are cruising towards the end of season 2 on our rewatch.
Eating & Drinking
Nice weather on Sunday called for our smoker to come out of winter hibernation. We had BBQ Ribs and quick Mac and Cheese from the Instant Pot.
I used some Just Bare Chicken Tenders I picked up on sale to make Crispy Chicken Wraps. I like to eat mine with on a wheat tortilla with lettuce, tomato, shredded cheddar, and a drizzle of buffalo sauce and Bolthouse Farms ranch. I served it with Ranch Potato Wedges (cut potatoes into wedges, drizzle with EVOO, mix with half packet of ranch seasoning, bake at 375 for ~40 mins, stir halfway through.)
Another round of these BBQ Salmon Bowls
And our favorite Sloppy Joes with Sweet Potato “Fries”
Links + Loves
I started using the Merlin app last year (I believe on
‘s recommendation—thanks, Renee!) This free app helps identify birds around you. I primarily use the sound ID feature, which identifies birds by listening to their calls. It’s so fun and I use it frequently!Speaking of birds, (yes, I’m an aging millennial, but also my hobbies have always trended Old Lady. This is a lifestyle for me 😎) we finally put up this hummingbird feeder that was actually a pandemic era purchase that I just couldn’t settle on a spot for in a timely manner 😬 It’s so pretty in person and I think I chose the right spot because we’ve already had some visits! And we added this bird feeder which so far seems bird approved but squirrel proof. (Well, until yesterday when a squirrel managed to knock the entire feeder down, but that’s not the fault of the feeder, rather the way we hung it—a fix is in the works.)
Chicago Sun-Times Prints AI-Generated Summer Reading List With Books That Don't Exist (404 Media) This headline says so much about the current state of media, none of it good. The Present Age (Substack) has echoed my own thoughts in this thoughtful response.
Speaking of books lists, Esquire and the New York Times have both released best books of the year (so far) lists. I’m not sure how I feel about this as the year isn’t yet even halfway over, but that didn’t stop me from browsing the lists.
More interesting to me currently are summer reading lists! (We all agree summer reading is elite, right?) Look, my TBR is forever out of control but I’ll never tire of browsing these lists—gimme all the recs! Book Riot has a roundup of all the summer reading lists from traditional publications.
And speaking of summer reading my favorite summer reading guide is hot off the presses as of yesterday.
of Fiction Matters’ Paperback Summer Reading Guide offers 45 fully vetted and enthusiastically recommended (by a real, live, human reader—amazing!) titles with a range of vibes across 3 centuries of pub dates. Many are deep backlist titles, most are titles I’ve never heard of, which I greatly appreciate, 10 are new titles, and 14 are translated fiction. All that to say, this is a gem of a resource and I look forward to browsing it every year—summer reading can now officially begin!A Michigan community takes a novel approach to moving 9,100 books for shop's next chapter (NBC News) Once again proving book people are the best people.
Which summer reading lists are you browsing?
What are you reading, listening to, eating, watching, liking, and/or linking this week? Let’s chat!
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Until next time!
The Summer We Ran, The Ghostwriter (which I just chose for my June BOTM), Park Avenue, Atmosphere, The Poppy Fields, The Compound… I think there are more June book releases I’m excited about than the first 5 months of the year combined! ;)
The Merlin App is so fun, glad you're enjoying it. I've been so happy to see my hummingbirds back for the season. I'm very much looking forward to Atmosphere!