All the Books That Should Be on Your June To-Read List

Suzanne Park’s new novel is a funny, own-voices, Gen-Z social-media comedy about a wannabe influencer who accidentally causes a minor scandal with a video that wasn’t supposed to be uploaded. Sent to a digital “detox” camp for a month in Iowa, she finds herself learning to connect offline. Out June 1.

Pick up Rachel Griffin’s YA novel that mixes classic fantasy tropes with witchy folklore and modern-day climate change allegory. The witches who control the seasons are losing their strength as the climate becomes unpredictable, and Clara, a rare witch with power in all four seasons, might be the only hope—the only problem is, she wants no part of it. Out June 1.

Casey McQuiston is back with another delightful romantic comedy. Cynical August is tired of NYC not living up to her ideals, but she’s shaken out of her apathy when she encounters Jane, a dazzling and mysterious stranger on the subway. As August and Jane keep running into each other, it quickly becomes obvious that there’s something very strange about Jane—and helping her, August realizes, might mean losing her. Out June 1.

Addie Woolridge’s romantic comedy begins with the heroine upstaging her vindictive boss at an important meeting. Then- corporate consultant Dylan gets sent on the assignment she most hoped to avoid: trying to save an eccentric tech maven’s company in her hometown of Seattle. While there, she’s stuck reliving her strained relationship with her hippie family—plus there’s the matter of her neighbors’ frustrating but gorgeous son. Out June 1.

Told in graphic novel format, Rebecca Hall’s new book is the story of women through history who led slave revolts, reconstructed from previously unnoticed historical records to paint a picture of women who rebelled throughout dark eras in human history. Out June 1.

This YA thriller by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé is a modern-day Gossip Girl with a dark thriller twist. After two students are chosen as prefects, an anonymous account begins revealing secrets about both of them, forcing them to team up to try to stop “Aces” as their threats go from gossipy to downright dangerous. Out June 1.

Facing a devastating diagnosis, Shakespeare scholar Lizzie plans one last vacation with her BFF and his celebrity boyfriend in Mary Bly’s new novel. When she slips away from the rich and famous, she meets chef Dante and his daughter, who become her companions as she struggles to make sense of what may or may not come next for her. Out June 1.

Zakiya Delila Harris’s debut novel is one of the summer’s buzziest must-reads. Assistant Nella is thrilled to no longer be the only Black employee at the book company where she works, but soon threatening messages begin appearing, leaving Nella to unravel what’s happening before her whole career goes up in smoke. Out June 1.

Brina Starler gives us a contemporary new-adult retelling of the classic Anne of Green Gables. Anne is a grad student in New York who’s equally horrified and intrigued that her lifelong rival, Gilbert Blythe, has transferred into her program. Forced to work together on their theses, the onetime enemies unravel old misunderstandings and start to realize what they’ve really felt all along. Out June 1.

Poet and author Clint Smith traces the history of American slavery, from the Founding Fathers to a plantation converted to a prison to today’s descendants of people who were enslaved and more. A historical take that links together centuries of stories to raise questions about how this part of American history is looked at even today. Out June 1.

In Rachel Lynn Solomon’s latest YA novel, harpist Quinn is dying to be free of her family’s wedding business, but she doesn’t see any way out from her well-meaning but controlling parents’ dreams for her future. With the help of her old friend Tarek, however, Quinn starts moving closer towards independence and figuring out what her own dreams are. Out June 8.

Gideon Defoe’s quirky nonfiction book is exactly what it says on the label: an in-depth exploration of countries that no longer exist. The book mixes historical fact with tongue-in-cheek “obituaries” describing exactly why these countries don’t exist anymore, no matter how ridiculous. Out June 8.

As Eleanor Ray’s novel begins, would-be artist Amy has become a hoarder in the years since her dreams were deferred and faded away. When a new family moves in next door, she begins to question the choices she’s made in her life and whether it’s finally time to learn to let go. Out June 8.

Marissa Levien’s sci-fi tale depicts a future where humankind leaves a dying Earth on an enormous spaceship, bound for a new home. Myrra, a woman born into servitude in exchange for passage to the new world, learns something devastating about their world on the same day her wealthy employers die. She flees with their young daughter, hoping to find a way to save the future, if not for herself, then for the child. Out June 15.

Jonathan Lee explores turn-of-the-century New York City in this epic based on the true story of Andrew Haswell Green, a “self-made man” who defined the city, then was murdered in it. The story unravels his history, his legacy, and the mystery of who killed him—and why. Out June 15.

If you’ve ever thought that historical novels could use more flying pirate ships and secret societies of lady thieves, then India Holton’s new novel is the book for you. When Cecilia is sent on the run from assassins trying to kill her, she gets swept up in a plot to rid society of her and all her compatriots and takes matters into her own well-gloved hands. Out June 15.

Lacie Waldon’s beach read features a tropical destination and a summer romance. On her last flight after a decade as a flight attendant, Ava finds herself stranded when the plane has mechanical failures. Complicating matters further? Her company on this unexpected weekend in Belize is Jack, a former pilot with ties to a part of Ava’s past she’d rather forget. Out June 15.

Alex Michaelides writes this thriller with a dark academia twist, centered on a charmingly, apparently untouchable classics professor, the female secret society he has in thrall, and the therapist who becomes obsessed with uncovering the truth about the strange group and the professor’s possible ties to murder. Out June 15.

Kerry Winfrey’s latest is a charming rom-com about a children’s show host and a woman who works at a vintage toy shop. As they develop a friendship (and more) via an unexpected pen pal relationship, both of them have no idea that their real lives are about to intersect. Out June 15.

Want a classic Hollywood romance? Try Bridget Morrissey’s fizzy novel, featuring a down-on-her-luck star from a Hollywood dynasty and a former costar with a reputational for unprofessionalism. Cast together in a historical romance, they start to revise their terrible first impressions, but the lines between acting and reality get blurred and could lead to trouble. Out June 22.

Jamie Brenner creates a thrilling and scandalous tale of three generations of women, connected by family ties, a vineyard that has seen secrets for decades, and a set of newly discovered journals from an ’80s book club that threaten to reveal long-held secrets—or might have just the solution to the family’s problems. Out June 22.

A thriller spanning generations of the Harrington family, Eve Chase’s latest tells the story of family secrets and complicated women. In one generation, they take in an abandoned infant, only to find a dead body on their property soon after. In another, a woman seeks answers about the mysteries of her own life and finds herself drawn to a strange forest, where she might get the answers, but not the ones she expects. Out June 29.

If you’re looking for a multilayered story about American experiences, pick up Jason Mott’s new novel. As a Black author travels the country to promote his new book, we also get glimpses into the lives of his characters and a mysterious figure that appears to him, all against a backdrop of a real-life reckoning with the tensions built into the very fabric of an entire nation. Out June 29.