The best part about summer is summer reads, books that make for the best reading by the beach or pool or wherever you relax this season. From chilling horror to high concept fantasy, there’s so much to choose from for this season’s new releases.
This Place Is Still Beautiful by XiXi Tian (June 7)
When Margaret’s family becomes the target of a hate-crime, she begins to investigate their small Midwestern community in this moving, complex novel about sisterhood, identity, and transitioning from teenager.
Before Takeoff by Adi Alsaid (June 7)
During a long layover, James and Michelle are drawn to a blinking green light in this thrilling and original YA novel. After Michelle presses it, strange things start happening in the airport. Drawn together, the teens have to battle snowstorms and jungles in the terminals and the adults acting weird as they fight to find their families and escape the airport.
Screams From The Dark edited by Ellen Datlow (June 7)
If you like chills and thrills in your summer reading, you need to check out Ellen Datlow’s horror anthology, A Scream In The Dark. Contributors range from award-winning and established to up-and-coming names in horror such as Cassandra Khaw and Stephen Graeme Jones.
The Silence That Binds Us by Joanna Ho (June 14)
Joanna Ho wrote one of the most gorgeous picture books of the last few years, Eyes That Kiss The Corners, and I’m among many eager readers excited for her YA debut. Confronting racism, classism, and mental health, this powerful novel combines Joanna’s heart-rending writing and characters in a novel you won’t be able to stop thinking about.
Thank You, Next by Andie Christopher (June 14)
You should read Andie J. Christopher. You’ll love her witty style and penchant for hate-to-love romances. Her rom-coms are perfect for fans of Talia Hibbert and Jasmine Guillory. And Thank You, Next features one of my favorite tropes: the childhood best friends trope, so if you too can’t resist the angsty pining that trope creates, you need to check this one out.
Onyeka and The Academy of The Sun by Tolá Okogwu (June 14)
This highly-anticipated middle-grade has all the magic of Amari and The Night Brothers with the futuristic wonder of Black Panther. Super original and fun, this series debut will delight readers of all ages.
Love and Other Great Expectations by Becky Dean (June 14)
When soccer player Britt Hanson gets an opportunity to participate in a scavenger hunt in England, she meets bookish London boy, Luke Jackson. Though he can’t help her play, she invites him to join her as they travel the countryside and she tries to outwit her fellow competitors. Britt might be living out multiple readers’ fantasies and I’ll definitely be reading to live vicariously through her fictional adventures.
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Valiant Ladies by Melissa Grey (June 14)
Based on the seventeenth century Latinx teenagers, this adventurous novel features vigilantes, Sapphic romance, and a mystery set in Peru. I can think of no better escape this summer than Melissa Grey’s new novel.
The Final Strife by Saara El-Arifi (June 21)
A sapphic love story. An epic fantasy inspired by a combination of Ghanian folklore and Arabian mythology. Readers have so much to look forward to in this debut in a new exciting trilogy.
This Vicious Grace by Emily Thiede (June 21)
Only a young girl and her chosen partner can save her island from destruction in this thrilling and romantic YA debut. But The Finestra, Alessa, can’t control her gift enough to keep a partner alive. Desperate to save herself from threats, she hires a boy to be her bodyguard and together they discover more about her gift and her role in the island’s salvation.
A Year To The Day by Robin Benway (June 21)
Any book compared to I’ll Give You The Sun is a book I’m going to read. Any book by Robin Benway is also a book I’m going to read. Her writing is emotional and heartfelt and I’m prepared for her latest, about grief and love and sisterhood, to make its way to the list of my favorite books soon enough.
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A Taste of Gold and Iron by Alexander Rowland (June 21)
A m/m bodyguard romance with a mix of political intrigue and fantasy? Sign us up. Alexandra Rowland knows their tropes and how to craft them, writing a perfect book for fanfiction fans and fans of any fantasy romance.
Half A Soul by Olivia Atwater (June 28)
This book description had me at the comparison to both Pride and Prejudice and Howl’s Moving Castle. Historical fantasy romance is my jam and I’m sure there are many readers out there who love this brand of the fantastic, sweet and swoony.
The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston (June 28)
A charming and fun romance with a killer meet-cute. Romance ghostwriter, Florence Day, doesn’t expect to find the ghost of her handsome new editor at the door to her family’s funeral parlor. She also never expected to go back home to her small southern hometown again, but after a family tragedy she goes back only to be haunted by more than her past.
The Clackity by Lora Senf (June 28)
An eerie middle grade that might give you a chill to cool you off this summer. Set in the seventh most haunted town in America, Evie makes a deal with a creature to save her missing aunt in exchange for the ghost of a serial killer. She must embark on a journey into the otherworld to collect the ghost before he collects her.
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Blood and Moonlight by Erin Beaty (June 28)
Catrin, an orphan with a unique gift, and a brilliant detective must work together to stop a murderer in this medieval inspired fantasy thriller. Come for the plot and stay for the slow burn romance and intriguing mystery.
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