This summer’s forecast is in: clear skies and good books from here on out.
As you pack those travel bags, don’t forget a captivating new read with your sunscreen and snacks. Here are the 15 books we’re most excited for this summer.
‘Whistler’ By Ann Patchett
Daphne, 53, has a chance run-in with her former stepfather, who was in her life only for a brief, impactful year when she was 9. She hasn’t seen him since a fateful event that changed both their lives, and she has no plans to let him go again. Out now
‘Puck’ By Samantha Allen
In this “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”-inspired novel, a nonbinary reality dating TV show producer brings their talent for orchestrating plot twists into their personal life. Out now
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‘Sublimation’ By Isabel J. Kim
In the vein of “Severance,” this thriller imagines a world where immigration creates duplicate bodies, called “instances,” where one copy lives in a new country and one is remains in the old. Though many opt to stay in touch with their other self, some, like Soyoung Rose, want to move on. But her "instance" has plans to steal her body and life. Out now
‘Land’ By Maggie O’Farrell
This historical novel from the author of “Hamnet” follows a man and his son as they attempt to map the entirety of Ireland in 1865, just after the Great Hunger. But after an unsettling encounter, Tomás’ life — and work — will never be the same. Out now
‘The Open Era’ By Edward Schmit
If you loved “Challengers” or “Heated Rivalry,” check out this debut queer sports romance novel. In “The Open Era,” tennis player Austin Hardy is the first openly gay man to compete in a Grand Slam. And as if managing the spotlight wasn’t enough, Austin trips and falls right in front of Diego Cruz, his flirty rival. Out now
‘Pool House’ By Mary H.K. Choi
“Pool House” is a story of mothers and daughters, specifically a Hollywood star named Moon and her daughter, Stevie, who can’t wait to get out of her shadow. The pair is forced to live in their pool house while renting out their house, and the tension only increases when Moon’s lover and TV husband dies and her TV son (Stevie’s crush) arrives for the funeral. Out now
‘The Yahoo Boys’ By Carlos Barragán
A New York Times reporter investigates romance scammers in Nigeria in “The Yahoo Boys.” Barragán originally set out to find the man who scammed his mother, but now interrogates four of these young men, illuminating their tactics, economic hardships and moral dilemmas. Out now
‘The Missed Connection’ By Tia Williams
A casting agent can find a perfect fit for every role except for her romantic partner. But after a missed connection on a flight to Paris, she’ll embark on an unexpected journey to find her attractive seatmate. Out now
‘It Could Have Been Her’ By Lisa Jewell
Ain’t no twist like a Lisa Jewell twist. In “It Could Have Been Her,” a woman finds a dog belonging to a missing teenager. But upon returning the dog, she realizes the address is for a house that played a dark role in her past.
‘The Shampoo Effect’ By Jenny Jackson
A newcomer arrives in a coastal Massachusetts town and falls into an established group of locals. A budding romance, an unexpected pregnancy and exposed secrets shake up the small-town status quo. June 30
‘Crash Into Me’ By Robinne Lee
Cecilia — a wife, mother and artist — grapples with her identity in glitzy, toxic Los Angeles. But when she has a chance reunion with the model she first met 20 years ago, their new and intense entanglement might finally give her some clarity. July 7
‘Famous Men’ By Julie Buntin
A young woman flees her small Michigan town to follow the famous writer in New York she believes might be her father. There, she’s swept into an all-consuming relationship that comes with a dizzying social scene among writers and a potential career of her own — at a cost. July 14
‘Cool Machine’ By Colson Whitehead
The third and final book of Whitehead’s Harlem Trilogy follows furniture salesman Ray Carney and his partner in crime, Pepper, entangled with criminal masterminds and scheming to save loved ones in the streets of 1980s New York. July 21
‘Under the Falls’ By Richard Russo
The frontman of a famous band returns to Stone Mountain, the hometown he left 18 years ago without looking back, and is faced with a former lover, an old friend and a tragedy that’ll upend all their lives. Aug. 11
'Big Little Truths' By Liane Moriarty
Learn what the women of “Big Little Lies” are up to 10 years down the line in this sequel. “Big Little Truths” follows the now high school-age children of Madeline, Celeste, Jane, Renata and Bonnie after the principal receives a severed finger in the mail. Aug. 25
