It seems to be the month of genre fiction, but to be honest I’m fully okay with that. There’s so many incredible historical fiction and mystery / thriller books coming out over the next 30 days that I’ll absolutely be reading as soon possible! I love writing these posts because they help keep me up to date on books that I wouldn’t otherwise be aware of, and that’s never been more the case than this month. There’s just so many incredible June book releases on the horizon!
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Pageboy
Author: Elliot Page
Release Date: June 6th, 2023
Genre: Memoir
StoryGraph Summary: The Oscar-nominated star who captivated the world with his performance in Juno finally shares his truth.
“Can I kiss you?” It was two months before the world premiere of Juno, and Elliot Page was in his first ever queer bar. The hot summer air hung heavy around him as he looked at her. And then it happened. In front of everyone. A previously unfathomable experience. Here he was on the precipice of discovering himself as a queer person, as a trans person. Getting closer to his desires, his dreams, himself, without the repression he’d carried for so long. But for Elliot, two steps forward had always come with one step back.
With Juno’s massive success, Elliot became one of the world’s most beloved actors. His dreams were coming true, but the pressure to perform suffocated him. He was forced to play the part of the glossy young starlet, a role that made his skin crawl, on and off set. The career that had been an escape out of his reality and into a world of imagination was suddenly a nightmare.
As he navigated criticism and abuse from some of the most powerful people in Hollywood, a past that snapped at his heels, and a society dead set on forcing him into a binary, Elliot often stayed silent, unsure of what to do, until enough was enough. Full of behind the scenes details and intimate interrogations on sex, love, trauma, and Hollywood, Pageboy is the story of a life pushed to the brink. But at its core, this beautifully written, winding journey of what it means to untangle ourselves from the expectations of others is an ode to stepping into who we truly are with defiance, strength, and joy.
Find the Book: Goodreads | StoryGraph
While I don’t know if I’ve ever watched anything Elliot Page has starred in, I’ve been a huge fan of him as a person for years. I so deeply admire him for being who he is in spite of pressures from Hollywood and the political landscape, and I cannot wait to read all about that from their perspective. This is high on my list of books i want to read this year, and it’s the perfect pride month pick for those of you looking for a memoir!
Lady Tan’s Circle of Women
Author: Lisa See
Release Date: June 6th, 2023
Genre: Historical Fiction
StoryGraph Summary: The latest historical novel from New York Times bestselling author Lisa See, inspired by the true story of a woman physician from 15th-century China—perfect for fans of See’s classic Snowflower and the Secret Fan and The Island of Sea Women.
According to Confucius, “an educated woman is a worthless woman,” but Tan Yunxian—born into an elite family, yet haunted by death, separations, and loneliness—is being raised by her grandparents to be of use. Her grandmother is one of only a handful of female doctors in China, and she teaches Yunxian the pillars of Chinese medicine, the Four Examinations—looking, listening, touching, and asking—something a man can never do with a female patient.
From a young age, Yunxian learns about women’s illnesses, many of which relate to childbearing, alongside a young midwife-in-training, Meiling. The two girls find fast friendship and a mutual purpose—despite the prohibition that a doctor should never touch blood while a midwife comes in frequent contact with it—and they vow to be forever friends, sharing in each other’s joys and struggles. No mud, no lotus, they tell themselves: from adversity beauty can bloom.
But when Yunxian is sent into an arranged marriage, her mother-in-law forbids her from seeing Meiling and from helping the women and girls in the household. Yunxian is to act like a proper wife—embroider bound-foot slippers, pluck instruments, recite poetry, give birth to sons, and stay forever within the walls of the family compound, the Garden of Fragrant Delights.
How might a woman like Yunxian break free of these traditions, go on to treat women and girls from every level of society, and lead a life of such importance that many of her remedies are still used five centuries later? How might the power of friendship support or complicate these efforts? Lady Tan’s Circle of Women is a captivating story of women helping other women. It is also a triumphant reimagining of the life of a woman who was remarkable in the Ming dynasty and would be considered remarkable today.
Find the Book: Goodreads | StoryGraph
One of my favorite books of all time is Shanghai Girls, and I’m excited to read this novel written by the same author. Lisa See is so talented and I’m sure this historical fiction novel will delight. Stories of friendship, adventure, and trying to break free from tradition always resonate with me and make me emotional.
The Wind Knows My Name
Author: Isabel Allende
Release Date: June 6th, 2023
Genre: Historical Fiction
StoryGraph Summary: This powerful and moving novel from the New York Times bestselling author of A Long Petal of the Sea and Violeta weaves together past and present, tracing the ripple effects of war and immigration on one child in Europe in 1938 and another in the United States in 2019.
Vienna, 1938. Samuel Adler is five years old when his father disappears during Kristallnacht—the night his family loses everything. As her child’s safety becomes ever harder to guarantee, Samuel’s mother secures a spot for him on a Kindertransport train out of Nazi-occupied Austria to England. He boards alone, carrying nothing but a change of clothes and his violin.
Arizona, 2019. Eight decades later, Anita Díaz and her mother board another train, fleeing looming danger in El Salvador and seeking refuge in the United States. But their arrival coincides with the new family separation policy, and seven-year-old Anita finds herself alone at a camp in Nogales. She escapes her tenuous reality through her trips to Azabahar, a magical world of the imagination. Meanwhile, Selena Durán, a young social worker, enlists the help of a successful lawyer in hopes of tracking down Anita’s mother.
Intertwining past and present, The Wind Knows My Name tells the tale of these two unforgettable characters, both in search of family and home. It is both a testament to the sacrifices that parents make and a love letter to the children who survive the most unfathomable dangers—and never stop dreaming.
Find the Book: Goodreads | StoryGraph
The second historical fiction book on our roster this month is one that takes place over multiple decades, jumping between present day and the past when young Samuel Adler was trapped in Nazi-occupied Europe. Sometimes holocaust books feel a bit overplayed to me as someone who went through a deep binge-reading phase after falling in love with Code Name Verity,but this one looks unique and the cover is gorgeous.
The Bookshop by the Bay
Author: Pamela M Kelley
Release Date: June 6th, 2023
Genre: Romance / Contemporary Fiction
StoryGraph Summary: The Bookshop by the Bay is a breezy, escapist beach read from powerhouse bestselling women’s fiction author Pamela Kelley.
Two lifelong friends. One bookshop by the beach. And the summer that could change everything.
Jess loves her work as a high-profile lawyer in the respectable and austere city of Charleston. But when she finds her husband, Parker, has been cheating on her with his assistant, she retreats, with her thirty year-old daughter Caitlin for support, to her childhood home on Cape Cod, in Chatham. Caitlin has always been bright but directionless, looking for her passion but keeps coming up blank. And Jess needs to regroup with the help of good food and wine, the company of her best friend, Allison, and come up with a plan for the future.
Allison’s career has hit a low. After twenty years as an editor for the Chatham magazine, circulation is dwindling and though her boss and long-time friend, Jim, does everything to keep her, she has no choice but to take a step back. With a career on hiatus and her main relationship being with Chris, her ex-husband who is still a good friend, Allison is at a pivotal point in life. Her daughter Julia opened her own artisanal jewelry shop a year prior, and she has the kind of day-to-day fulfillment Allison yearns for.
When Allison stops into her beloved local bookstore one day and learns that the owner wants to sell, a long-held dream turns into a reality, thanks to Jess. Allison and Jess set a plan in motion and what was once a place that held warm childhood memories is now theirs to run. As the two friends, along with the help of their daughters, reopen the doors of the cherished bookstore and adjacent coffee shop to the community, they also open themselves up to the possibility of romance, the bonds of mothers and daughters, and the magic of second chances.
Find the Book: Goodreads | StoryGraph
June is ~technically~ summer, and as a result I’d be remiss if I didn’t include at least one punchy beach read for you to throw in your tote and take with you on your sunny day adventures. This book looks like a Hallmark movie in novel form, sure to fill you up with feel good vibes and keep you company as you relax by the pool.
The Spectacular
Author: Fiona Davis
Release Date: June 13th, 2023
Genre: Historical Fiction / Mystery
StoryGraph Summary: New York City, 1956: Nineteen-year-old Marion is over the moon to have been selected to be one of the Rockettes, Radio City Music Hall’s glamorous precision-dancing troupe. It’s an honor to perform in the world’s most spectacular theater, an art deco masterpiece. But with four shows a day as well as grueling rehearsals, not to mention exacting standards of perfection to live up to, Marion quickly realizes that the life of a Rockette has both extraordinary highs and devastating lows.
Then one night a bomb explodes in the theater. It’s only the latest in a string of explosions around the city orchestrated by a person the press has nicknamed the “Big Apple Bomber.” They have been terrorizing the citizens of New York for sixteen years by planting bombs in popular, crowded spaces. With the public in an uproar over the lack of any real leads after a yearslong manhunt, the police, at Marion’s urging, turn in desperation to a radical new technique: psychological profiling.
As Marion finds herself pulled deeper into the investigation, she realizes that as much as she’s been training herself to blend in—performing in perfect unison with all the other identical Rockettes—if she hopes to catch the bomber, she’ll need to stand out and take a terrifying risk. In doing so, she may be forced to sacrifice everything she’s worked for, as well as the people she loves the most.
Find the Book: Goodreads | StoryGraph
I cannot tell if this book is going to be spectacularly empowering or equally spectacularly unrealistic. The Spectacular is about a 19 year old girl in 1956 who goes from being a Rockette to influencing police searches for a bomber who has been leaving bombs around the city for over a decade. I am also increasingly skeptical of all books that include police to any extent, and I hope that their role in this story are minimal.
The Spare Room
Author: Andrea Bartz
Release Date: June 20th, 2023
Genre: Mystery / Thriller
StoryGraph Summary: Kelly’s new life in Philadelphia has turned into a nightmare: She’s friendless and jobless, and the lockdown has her trapped in a tiny apartment with the man she gave up everything for, who’s just called off their wedding. The only bright spot is her newly rekindled friendship with her childhood friend Sabrina—now a glamorous bestselling author with a handsome, high-powered husband.
When Sabrina and Nathan offer Kelly an escape hatch, volunteering the spare room of their remote Virginia mansion, she jumps at the chance to run away from her old life. There, Kelly secretly finds herself falling for both her enchanting hosts—until one night, a wild and unexpected threesome leads the couple to open their marriage for her.
At first, Kelly loves being part of this risqué new world. But when she discovers that the last woman they invited into their marriage is missing, she starts to wonder if they could be dangerous . . . and if she might be next.
Find the Book: Goodreads | StoryGraph
Oh my god I cannot explain how excited I am to read this book. A threesome turns into a throuple turns into a potential murder? I’m obsessed with the premise and I’m excited to see where the story goes.
The Only One Left
Author: Riley Sager
Release Date: June 20th, 2023
Genre: Mystery / Thriller
StoryGraph Summary: Bestselling author Riley Sager returns with a Gothic chiller about a young caregiver assigned to work for a woman accused of a Lizzie Borden-like massacre decades earlier.
At seventeen, Lenora Hope
Hung her sister with a rope
Now reduced to a schoolyard chant, the Hope family murders shocked the Maine coast one bloody night in 1929. While most people assume seventeen-year-old Lenora was responsible, the police were never able to prove it. Other than her denial after the killings, she has never spoken publicly about that night, nor has she set foot outside Hope’s End, the cliffside mansion where the massacre occurred.
Stabbed her father with a knife
Took her mother’s happy life
It’s now 1983, and home-health aide Kit McDeere arrives at a decaying Hope’s End to care for Lenora after her previous nurse fled in the middle of the night. In her seventies and confined to a wheelchair, Lenora was rendered mute by a series of strokes and can only communicate with Kit by tapping out sentences on an old typewriter. One night, Lenora uses it to make a tantalizing offer—I want to tell you everything.
“It wasn’t me,” Lenora said
But she’s the only one not dead
As Kit helps Lenora write about the events leading to the Hope family massacre, it becomes clear there’s more to the tale than people know. But when new details about her predecessor’s departure come to light, Kit starts to suspect Lenora might not be telling the complete truth—and that the seemingly harmless woman in her care could be far more dangerous than she first thought.
Find the Book: Goodreads | StoryGraph
This is not a gothic thriller, it’s a gothic chiller. I was a huge fan of Riley Sager’s “debut” novel Final Girls, but the most recent book of his I read was slightly less good. I find that sometimes thriller authors have trouble coming up with unique characters, especially when men are writing women, but I’m still hopeful that this one will be a return to Sager’s former glory.
Zero Days
Author: Ruth Ware
Release Date: June 20th, 2023
Genre: Mystery / Thriller
StoryGraph Summary: The New York Times bestselling “new Agatha Christie” (Air Mail) Ruth Ware returns with this adrenaline-fueled thriller that combines Mr. and Mrs. Smith with The Fugitive about a woman in a race against time to clear her name and find her husband’s murderer.
Hired by companies to break into buildings and hack security systems, Jack and her husband, Gabe, are the best penetration specialists in the business. But after a routine assignment goes horribly wrong, Jack arrives home to find her husband dead. To add to her horror, the police are closing in on their suspect—her.
Suddenly on the run and quickly running out of options, Jack must decide who she can trust as she circles closer to the real killer in this unputdownable and heart-pounding mystery from an author whose “propulsive prose keeps readers on the hook and refuses to let anyone off until all has been revealed” (Shelf Awareness).
Find the Book: Goodreads | StoryGraph
The only Ruth Ware book I’ve read so far is The Woman in Cabin 10, and I loved it. It was such a compelling, nuanced story of someone who is simultaneously more than her relationships and is weighed down by them. This is yet another story where the husband is a problem, except in this case, Jack’s husband is dead. I love when the man is out of the way!
Adult Drama: And Other Essays
Author: Natalie Beach
Release Date: June 20th, 2023
Genre: Memoir in Essays
StoryGraph Summary: From the writer whose New York Magazine piece “I Was Caroline Calloway” broke the internet, comes a fresh, incisive, laugh-out-loud funny memoir-in-essays about the frenzied journey to adulthood.
Natalie Beach became an internet sensation when her essay on her toxic friendship with Instagram influencer Caroline Calloway went viral. Now, for the first time, and in her own indelible voice, Beach offers a revelatory glimpse into her own life alongside a broader cultural criticism of the world we live in today. Through stories of heartbreak, odd jobs, political activism, existential crises, and low-rise jeans, Natalie Beach explores the high stakes and absurdist comedy of coming of age in a world gone mad.
Find the Book: Goodreads | StoryGraph | Review
Rather than being a memoir, this book could more accurately be described as a series of witty, enjoyable and well-researched essays from various periods across Natalie Beach’s life. I deeply enjoyed each essay as an individual entity, and think that if you’re going into it with the mindset that they do not altogether connect, you’ll have a much better experience with this book than I did. If you’re hoping for a memoir in a similar style to the one Caroline Calloway promised (that Beach was ghostwriting), you’ll be let down. As a stand alone entity, however, it’s well worth the read!
The Wife App
Author: Carolyn Mackler
Release Date: June 27th, 2023
Genre:
StoryGraph Summary: It starts as a joke during a tipsy night out, as Lauren, Madeline, and Sophie rail against everything wives do for free. Let’s build an app that monetizes the mental load. And maybe get revenge on our exes in the process? Soon, the Wife App is born, and before long, it’s the fastest growing start-up in New York City. But then life intervenes. Love intervenes. Ex-husbands intervene. And the consequences are bigger than anything Lauren, Madeline, or Sophie could have expected. Carolyn Mackler marks her debut into adult fiction with a hilarious rollercoaster ride of revenge and redemption that is at once a send-up of modern marriage and a celebration of female friendship and love in all forms.
Lauren, mother of twins, wakes up one morning to her Wife Alarm Bells sounding. She sleuths on her husband’s phone and stumbles on a dirty secret that explodes her marriage. Madeline has it all—a penthouse apartment, a perfect daughter, and no-strings-attached romps with handsome men. When she learns that she might lose her child to her ex in England, it stirs up a decades-old personal tragedy. Sophie, with too much FOMO and never enough money, obsesses over her ex-husband’s Family 2.0—all while keeping her true desires hidden, even from herself.
Three best friends decide they’re finally done with their ex-husbands taking their work as wives and moms for granted. They’re ready to monetize the mental load, stick it to their exes, and have a wild ride in the process.
Because every wife deserves a happy ending.
Find the Book: Goodreads | StoryGraph
I’m so here for this plot. We love a #GirlWhoCodes. We also love women getting revenge, and this book has both of those things! Take power back by being technologically savvy and getting rich while you do it! I’m ready for this fun summer romp.
What books are you looking forward to reading that come out this June?
