Summer reading is officially in full swing on It’s Book Talk and I can’t wait to share with you some of the books that have come across my radar recently. I’ve been really looking forward to putting together this post because, in my opinion, this summer’s crop of books is the best I’ve seen in the last couple summers. Now comes the hard part…choosing my MOST anticipated reads. After much back and forth with myself I’ve decided the following books are the ones I’m super excited about and maybe you will be to…as always I’d love to hear from you in the comments if any of these are also on your summer tbr as well as others you think I should add! I literally can’t wait to sit on my patio or at the pool with a chilled glass of wine and dive into each one of these books! **this super cute summer reading photo is courtesy of Susie at Novel Visits**
JUNE
The Salt House by Lisa Duffy (June 13, Touchstone Books) In the tradition of Jodi Picoult and Lisa Genova, this gorgeously written, heartbreaking, yet hopeful debut set during a Maine summer traces the lives of a young family in the aftermath of tragedy. Told in alternating voices, The Salt House is a layered, emotional portrait of marriage, family, friendship, and the complex intersections of love, grief, and hope.
The Force by Don Winslow (June 20, William Morrow) All Denny Malone wants is to be a good cop. He is “the King of Manhattan North,” a highly decorated NYPD detective sergeant and the real leader of “Da Force.” What only a few know is that Denny Malone is dirty: he and his partners have stolen millions of dollars in drugs and cash in the wake of the biggest heroin bust in the city’s history. This is a haunting story of greed and violence, inequality and race, crime and injustice, retribution and redemption that reveals the seemingly insurmountable tensions between the police and the diverse citizens they serve
The Fourth Monkey by J.D. Barker (June 27, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt) For over five years, the Four Monkey Killer has terrorized the residents of Chicago. When his body is found, the police quickly realize he was on his way to deliver one final message, one which proves he has taken another victim who may still be alive.
The Confusion of Languages by Siobhan Fallon (June 27, G.P. Putnam’s Sons) Both Cassie Hugo and Margaret Brickshaw dutifully followed their soldier husbands to the U.S. embassy in Jordan. When a fender-bender sends Margaret to the local police station, Cassie reluctantly agrees to watch Margaret’s toddler son. But as the hours pass, Cassie’s boredom and frustration turn to fear: Why isn’t Margaret answering her phone, and why is it taking so long to sort out a routine accident? Written with emotional insight and stunning prose, The Confusion of Languages is a shattering portrait of a collision between two women and two worlds, as well as a poignant glimpse into the private lives of American military families living overseas.
JULY
The Final Girls by Riley Sager (July 11, Dutton) Ten years ago, college student Quincy Carpenter went on vacation with five friends and came back alone, the only survivor of a horror movie–scale massacre. In an instant, she became a member of a club no one wants to belong to—a group of similar survivors known in the press as the Final Girls. Lisa, who lost nine sorority sisters to a college dropout’s knife; Sam, who went up against the Sack Man during her shift at the Nightlight Inn; and now Quincy, who ran bleeding through the woods to escape Pine Cottage and the man she refers to only as Him. The three girls are all attempting to put their nightmares behind them, and, with that, one another. Stephen King calls The Final Girls the first great thriller of 2017!
The Almost Sisters by Joshilyn Jackson (July 11, William Morrow) With empathy, grace, humor, and piercing insight, the author of Gods in Alabama pens a powerful, emotionally resonant novel of the South that confronts the truth about privilege, family, and the distinctions between perception and reality—the stories we tell ourselves about our origins and who we really are.
Fitness Junkie by Lucy Sykes and Jo Piazza (July 11, Doubleday) From the bestselling authors of The Knockoff, an outrageously funny novel about one woman’s attempt–through clay diets, naked yoga, green juice, and cultish workout classes–to win back her career, save her best friend, and lose thirty pounds. A hilarious send-up of the health and wellness industry, Fitness Junkie is a glorious romp through the absurd landscape of our weight-obsessed culture.
Let the Dead Speak by Jane Casey (July 25, Minotaur Books) When eighteen-year-old Chloe Emery returns to her West London home she finds her mother missing, the house covered in blood. Everything points to murder, except for one thing: there’s no sign of the body. As a body fails to materialize, Maeve must piece together a patchwork of testimonies and accusations. Who is lying, and who is not? With Let the Dead Speak, Jane Casey returns with another taut, richly drawn novel that will grip readers from the opening pages to the stunning conclusion.
Yesterday by Felicia Yap (August 1, Mulholland Books) How do you solve a murder when you only remember yesterday? Imagine a world in which classes are divided not by wealth or religion but by how much each group can remember. Told from four different perspectives, that of Mark, Claire, the detective on the case, and the victim—Felicia Yap’s staggeringly inventive debut leads us on a race against an ever-resetting clock to find the killer. With the science-fiction world-building of Philip K. Dick and the twisted ingenuity of Memento , Yesterday is a thriller you’ll never forget.
Young Jane Young by Gabrielle Zevin (August 22, Algonquin Books) From the bestselling author of the beloved The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry comes another perfect fable for our times–a story about women, choices, and recovering from past mistakes.Young Jane Young’s heroine is Aviva Grossman, an ambitious Congressional intern in Florida who makes the life-changing mistake of having an affair with her boss‑‑who is beloved, admired, successful, and very married‑‑and blogging about it.
All the Wicked Girls by Chris Whitaker (August 24, Bonnier Zaffre) Everyone loves Summer Ryan. A model student and musical prodigy, she’s a ray of light in the struggling small town of Grace, Alabama – especially compared to her troubled sister, Raine. Then Summer goes missing. Grace is already simmering, and with this new tragedy the police have their hands full keeping the peace. Only Raine throws herself into the search, supported by a most unlikely ally. But perhaps there was always more to Summer than met the eye . . .
My Absolute Darling by Gabriel Tallent (August 29, Riverbed Books) A brilliant and immersive, all-consuming read about one fourteen-year-old girl’s heart-stopping fight for her own soul. Turtle Alveston is a survivor. At fourteen, she roams the woods along the northern California coast. But while her physical world is expansive, her personal one is small and treacherous. Shot through with striking language in a fierce natural setting, My Absolute Darling is an urgently told, profoundly moving read that marks the debut of an extraordinary new writer.
**All summaries are from Goodreads**
I’d love to hear your thoughts and other summer book recommendations!
HAPPY SUMMER READING!
Fourth Monkey and Final Girls are on my most anticipated reads list too! I have a similar post coming tomorrow for Top Ten Tuesday!! Awesome list Renee!!
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Great choices! You’re going to love Final Girls ;-). I love the sound of Let The Dead Speak and All The Wicked Girls, because I know they are written by two wonderful authors.. I look forward to your reviews this summer!
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Thanks Inge! I’ve already started Let the Dead Speak, I just can’t wait until July on that one:)
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I only have 4th Monkey from this list but I love the sound of all these books especially Final Girls and All the Wicked Girls. Actually, all do sound great so I hope that you will enjoy all of them. Happy reading 🙂
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I’ll be sure to let you know about Final Girls if you don’t get it, I know you like thrillers so it may be for you:)
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Really great choices here Renee!
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Thanks Chelsea!
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My TBR does not appreciate posts like this Renee haha but I’m super looking forward to The Fourth Monkey (although I don’t like the title). I really want to read Let The Dead Speak but I’m going back to start at book one, obviously 😁
I’m looking forward to reading Persons Unknown by Susie Steiner, I really enjoyed Missing Presumed (book one) so I’m hoping book 2 is just as good if not better.
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I love to increase your TBR Janel and I hope you hop on the Jane Casey series soon…you only have 7 to catch up:)
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That’s not too bad considering how many books I have to read before I can read the Gunnar Staaleson book I have lol
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For that series I say make an exception…jump in where I did…book 17😳
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🤣 I’m reluctant to but…. I just might have to!
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The only one from that list I currently have on my TBR is All The Wicked Girls. But I may add The Salt House. And maybe The Fourth Monkey. And like Janel, I am interested in Let The Dead Speak but I need to read the other ones first. 😄
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I’m reading The Salt House next so that seems to be one most people are curious about and I am to:) Like Janel, I hope you jump into the Jane Casey series soon, they’re just so awesome!!
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Great list! I’ve found some new ones to add to my summer reading list!
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Thanks, I’m so glad you found some that looked good…I hope they all turn out as good as they sound!
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Yikes! You’ve just added 4 books to my TBR. I’ll get even! 🙂 Just kidding. Thank you. Some of those are pretty awesome. Let the Dead Speak looks the best. And The Salt House.
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HaHa, I’m always happy to increase others TBR’s:) I’m reading Let the Dead Speak now and The Salt House next so I’ll be sure to post reviews soon:)
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sounds good, thanks!
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Great titles! I was excited to see a new title by Gabrielle Zevin.
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Me to! My request is still pending on net galley but I really hope I get that one:)
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Will wait for your review for The Salt House, I think I could enjoy that one! And ohhh the 4th monkey, can’t wait! We share some 😀
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The only one I’ve read is Let the Dead Speak, and it’s great of course! Of your others, The Final Girls stands out from the blurb, but I look forward to hearing about them all as you get to them. Have a great summer of reading! 😀
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Thanks so much, you to!
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Great list! Now my TBR just got bigger, lol! I already had Final Girls and Almost Sisters on my list, but I am going to add The Salt House and All The Wicked Girls! Thanks! 🙂
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I’m so glad you found some new books to add to your tbr! The Salt House does sound amazing and I also really loved Chris Whitaker’s first book Tall Oaks so I can’t wait for Wicked Girls.
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Thanks! I think I’m adding books every day, lol, but that is the joy of being a book lover, right? I’ve not read anything by Chris Whitaker, but I did read the blurb for Tall Oaks when I added Wicked Girls to my Goodreads list, and it sounded good too! I’m really enjoying finding new, wonderful authors! The Salt House does sound amazing! 🙂
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Love the new header image! Great choices for your summer TBR!
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Thanks Nikola!
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Salt Houses looks really good and so does Young Jane Young. Yesterday is on my TBR list even though it wasn’t in my most anticipated books. I’ll definitely read it. You’re so right that this summer’s crop is amazing!
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I only have 4th Monkey but I love the sound of these books. Salt House looks really good. I hope that you will enjoy all these books if you get a chance to read them. Great list!
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Thanks Diana! I actually just finished The Salt House and it wasn’t quite as good as I’d hoped. I think the Fourth Monkey will be a winner for us
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Love the list and I LOVE summer reading in general. You’ve got all sorts of good ones on here. I plan to make a list but just need to carve out a little time to sit and think about it.
I do know this, usually I read heavy stuff in the summer but not this summer. I want quick and good with decent characters. Page-turners, I guess.
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Thanks so much! Page turners sound awesome for summer reading, I’m hoping I have some on mine although a couple sound dark for sure…I’ll be on the lookout for your list
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I’m loving your list! I can’t wait for Final GIrls!
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Thanks so much! I’m really curious to find out if it lives up to Stephen King’s praise:)
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