Beat the Heat with the Best 2022 July Book Releases

In Gabrielle Zevin’s novel, estranged childhood friends Sam and Sadie cross paths again as young adults, then impulsively launch into a video game programming partnership that changes both of their lives. Through successes, failures, and heartbreaks, their lives intertwine for years, even when unthinkable things happen. Release date: July 5

Kiki, the host of a popular student radio show, has a problem in Bolu Babalola’s new novel. Her brand is built on advising young women on how to avoid distracting and disappointing romantic entanglements, so her reputation is on the line when she’s spotted kissing one of the very guys she just denounced on air. To save their reputations, they attempt fake relationship… and we all know how that’s going to go. Release date: July 5

The lifelong friendship between two very different women is the focal point of this epic tale by Alice Elliott Dark. When Agnes, a children’s author, wants to donate a piece of land long held in trust, and she requires the consent of shareholders including her old friend Polly, a wealthy and influential wife and mother. As they revisit the memories of their lives, old secrets and revelations threaten the narrative they both have carefully constructed. Release date: July 5

Joan of Arc has been so mythologized over the centuries that it’s hard to know where the real history ends and the legend begins. In Katherine J. Chen’s new historical novel, she examines not the myth, but the real, flawed, human girl who could be a holy messenger, an ambitious human being, or something in between. Release date: July 5

Amanda Aksel’s romantic comedy takes the “comedy” part literally, following a pair of stand-up comics on a cross-country road trip. Olivia, an up-and-comer who just lost her day job, and Nick, a charming vet of the comedy circuit, spend the trip bantering, working through their pasts, and finding out just how nice it is to have someone make you laugh. Release date: July 12

In Ruth Ware’s new thriller, a group of Oxford friends have their lives turned upside down when one member of their group is shockingly murdered. Years later, they’ve all tried to move on, and their friend’s convicted killer dies in jail. But then, a journalist turns up with evidence that the so-called killer was innocent — and that the truth of what happened to their friend is much darker than anyone suspected. Release date: July 12

In most Regency-romance types of plots, the “fortune hunter” is usually portrayed as a rakish man out to entrap a wealthy young miss. In Sophie Irwin’s witty new novel, it’s the opposite. Kitty, our sly heroine, heads out on a husband-hunting mission in hopes of clearing her family’s debts — only to cross paths with the one man who sees right through her schemes. Release date: July 12

Family is complicated, especially in Eleanor Brown’s new novel. Three families are linked together when they adopt four biological siblings and try to foster relationships between the siblings, even living in different households. As they set out on their first blended “family” vacation, tensions run high and a shocking piece of news threatens the tenuous bonds they have built. Release date: July 12

Who knew bingo could be the basis of a great summer romance? After a meet-not-so-cute in a frozen foods aisle, Aja tries not to be attracted to Walker, her bingo partner’s estranged grandson. As the two of them try out a casual arrangement, they’re both surprised by the feelings that develop. Release date: July 12

Zain Khalid tells the story of three adopted boys growing up as brothers in Staten Island of the 1990s, each with their own unique identities and struggles—including one brother’s “imaginary” friend who shapeshifts into their lives. When their father returns to Saudi Arabia years later, the now-adult boys follow along, discovering a world of opulence, but one that comes at a high cost. Release date: July 12

Following the death of her secretive mother, Sutton travels to a small lakeside town to try to learn more about the mysteries of her own family past in this novel by Viola Shipman. A chance encounter with the town’s imperious “matriarch” figure leads her down an unexpected path, giving her the chance to uncover the stories she never knew and find out where she really belongs. Release date: July 12

Becoming royalty isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Inspired by tales of real-life women who married into royal families, only to find their lives strictly controlled, Barbara Bourland’s novel follows a former Olympian whose career ends with a single, devastating accident. She meets and falls in love with a charming prince, but she soon discovers the cracks beneath the surface in his tiny, hyper-controlled, glamorous-on-the-surface principality. Release date: July 19

Pulitzer winner Paul Pringle’s nonfiction, investigative tale dives into a scandal that rocked the California medical and educational world only a few years ago. A tip to a reporter about an overdose starts out seeming like a salacious piece of gossip, but instead is the thread that starts unraveling a much deeper story of crimes, lies, and cover-ups tied to one of the country’s top universities. Release date: July 19

Silvia Moreno-Garcia, one of today’s best gothic-tinged authors returns with an eerie tale set in 19^th-century Mexico. Carlota lives an isolated life as the daughter of a scientist who is either mad or brilliant (or both). Amidst a strange world of her father’s experiments, their lives are upended when his patron’s charming son arrives and sets a shocking chain of events into motion. Release date: July 19

If you like haunted-house horror stories, this novel by Matt Query & Harrison Query is for you. When a young couple leave the city behind and move onto a spacious property in Idaho, they get more than they bargained for. Their neighbors warn them of a vicious spirit, which grows stronger every season and forces them to make new plans to fight it off or lose everything trying. Release date: July 26

What’s better than a rom-com? A rom-com like Erin LaRosa’s, set in the world of chefs and reality baking shows! Co-hosts Nina and Leo loathe each other, but it’s still surprising when Nina quits on the air. When a mistaken moment accidentally makes it look like the pair are dating, they decide to lean into it to get enough positive publicity to make their individual food endeavors a success. Release date: July 26

Generations of struggles, questions, and trauma all come to a head in the person of Ever Geimausaddle, the Native American protagonist of this far-reaching story by Oscar Hokeah. As Ever struggles to figure out his place in the world and what his future looks like, stories from his parents, grandparents, and other members of his community intertwine with his in a tale that reaches far beyond just one man’s life. Release date: July 26