Summer has finally arrived, and you know what that means…we can get excited about summer reading! This year’s summer releases are bountiful, with something for every type of reader. What are you in the mood to carry around with you this summer? A chilling thriller or a spicy romance? Or maybe you want to keep the stress at a minimum? With the recommended titles, you will not only be lacking in entertainment, but you will also be able to relax this summer with a good book in your hand!
End of June Releases
The Princess Diaries: The Graphic Novel by Meg Cabot and illustrated by Bethany Crandall
Mia Thermopolis is pretty sure there’s nothing worse than being a five-foot-nine frizzy-haired freshman, who also happens to be flunking algebra.
Is she ever in for a surprise.
First, her mom announces that she’s dating Mia’s algebra teacher. But her dad’s announcement is even worse: he is the crown prince of Genovia, and guess what that makes Mia?
A frizzy-haired freshman who is flunking algebra, and also happens to be a PRINCESS.
Mia might not be ready for the throne, but one thing totally rules: #1 New York Times bestselling author Meg Cabot has adapted her classic The Princess Diaries into a royally hilarious graphic novel with art by Bethany Crandall! (Credit: HarperAlley)
Slasher Summer by E.L. Chen
The sleepy town of Cedar Lake is best known as the shooting location of the campy ’80s horror flick Slasher. In high school, preppy Patrick, jock Jason, cheerleader Tiffany, stoner Freddy, goth Jennifer, and nerdy Mikey had played the cast of Slasher during midnight showings, with virginal Carrie as the Final Girl, of course.
Years later, the friends reunite at the remote cabin where Slasher was filmed. They’ve changed since high school—Carrie found a boyfriend, Patrick came out, Mikey bulked up, and, well, Freddy’s still stoned—and they’re looking forward to a weekend to catch up. But when night falls, and the eponymous masked killer is spotted, the reunion takes a deadly turn. The friends discover their tires deflated and the phone line disconnected, and soon they’re being stalked by a mysterious assailant. Is someone trying to make their Slasher experience as authentic as possible?
One thing is for sure. Before the night is over, they each will have to take on the role they thought they’d left behind. (Credit: Crown)
Winners & Liars by Aleema Omtoni
Derin’s acceptance into Cambridge University is the end of an era—just not the one she expected.
When she and her ultra-competitive Uni prep group, the Kenfield Set, were first invited to Professor Darnley’s summer ball, they planned on celebrating the group’s success, surrounded by the riches of his historical Kenfield estate—not kicking off the festivities with the professor’s will reading.
But when the Darnleys’ aristocratic children are disinherited, the students are offered the opportunity of a lifetime: compete in a Victorian, literary-inspired inheritance competition to be named the new heir—winner takes all!
For Derin, it’s a chance to help her working-class family. But the remaining Darnleys won’t take losing their stately home and its multimillion-pound inheritance lying down. And added to the mix, a mysterious note is slipped under Derin’s door alluding to a dark family secret lying in wait.
Now Derin must balance the cutthroat games; scheming relatives; and a cute Kenfield intern amid her dawning realization that the history of this inheritance might be soaked in lies . . . and blood. (Credit: HarperCollins)
- It Could Have Been Her by Lisa Jewell (Expected Publication Date: June 23)
- Keep Them Close by David Ellis (Expected Publication Date: June 30)
- Champions of the Galaxy by Tolá Okogwu (Expected Publication Date: June 30)
- School Bus Graveyard, Volume 1: (A Graphic Novel) by Red (Expected Publication Date: June 30)
- Rules for Aging and Larceny by Julia London (Expected Publication Date: June 30)
- The Housewife by Natalie Barelli (Expected Publication Date: June 30)
July Releases
It’s For Your Own Good by Kate Francis
Expected Publication Date: July 2
In the middle of the night, Liv Walker is kidnapped from her bedroom by two masked figures. As she’s dragged into an unmarked van, she’s met with an even more horrifying sight: her family are waving goodbye.
Camp Smiling Skies is a wilderness therapy camp for “troubled teens”. At least, that’s what it says in the brochure. In truth, it’s filled with dark secrets, cruel counsellors and no chance of escape.
Things seem as bad as they can get…until, one by one, people start to die.
Liv has already been betrayed by her family, but it seems like they’re not the only traitors in her life.
There’s a murderer in the camp, and everyone’s a suspect. (Credit: Usborne Publishing)
Deliverance by Saima Mir
Expected Publication Date: July 2
She makes the rules, and God help anyone who dares to break them…
Jia Khan has seized a power most only dare to dream of. In a world dominated by self-posturing men, she gave women a voice, and built a criminal empire that spans the globe. But now the time has come to legitimise her business. To protect the people she loves, she must escape the very chains her life was forged from.
Freedom, however, is never easily won. Her blood runs too deep in the underworld, and powerful enemies have no intention of letting her walk away.
When one of her own is murdered, the danger becomes more real than ever. Forced into uneasy alliances with those she once despised, Jia faces enemies pressing in from every side.
Is her reign destined to end in blood?
For Jia Khan, life has always been a fight, but this is the one battle she cannot afford to lose. (Credit: Oneworld Publications)
- A Clean Kill by B.V. Pearce (Expected Publication Date: July 2)
- Queenie Is Working On It by Candice Carty-Williams (Expected Publication Date: July 2)
- A Neighbor’s Guide To Murder by Louise Candlish (Expected Publication Date: July 7)
- Sycamore Gap by L.J. Ross (Expected Publication Date: July 7)
- The Devil’s Banquet: The Piccadilly Noir Series by Phil Lecomber (Expected Publication Date: July 7)
- Matcha On Monday by Michiko Aoyama (Expected Publication Date: July 7)
- King of Lost Dreams by Nevin Holness (Expected Publication Date: July 7)
- Our Wicked Gifts by Kathryn Foxfield (Expected Publication Date: July 7)
- Miss Bates by Catherine Cliff (Expected Publication Date: July 7)
- The Mysterious Affair of Judith Potts by Robert Thorogood (Expected Publication Date: July 7)
Heartstopper Vol. 6 by Alice Oseman
Expected Publication Date: July 7
Boy meets boy. Boys become friends. Boys fall in love. The final installment in the bestselling LGBTQ+ graphic novel series about life, love, and everything that happens in between.Everyone in school knows Nick and Charlie. Everyone knows they’re going to be together forever. But Charlie’s busy with his bid to become head boy. And while Nick is preparing to leave for college, he’s starting to wonder who he’ll be… without Charlie.
Contains discussions around mental health and eating disorders, and sexual references. (Credit: Graphix)
The Love Dare by Abiola Bello
Expected Publication Date: July 7
Popular girl Eva Òjó is used to boys falling for her without her even trying. So when her friend dares her to dance with a random guy at Notting Hill Carnival, she meets Saint.
Comic obsessed Saint Rowe-Falade thinks Eva is cute, but he’s not interested in her in that way. He’d rather get lost in stories than look for romance.
When Eva’s birthday party gets out of control and causes damage to her dad’s beloved car, her friends set the ultimate dare: get Saint to take her on one date and they’ll help her pay to fix her dad’s car. Operation fall-in-love-with-Eva is set in motion and Eva makes it her mission to make Saint fall head over heels. But just as Saint starts to warm to Eva, and her own feelings towards him grow, Saint finds out about the dare. Can Eva convince Saint she’s truly into him, or has she lost him for good? (Credit: Simon & Schuster Children’s UK)
To Dance the Moon and Stars by Tasia M S and Barbara Perez Marquez
Expected Publication Date: July 14
Eighteen-year-old Myra has spent her entire life training to succeed her grandmother as high priestess. But with her ascension rapidly approaching, she’s worried about the path ahead. How can she become the herald of the god Alrun when he forbids the thing she loves most: dancing?
Her people can’t afford her self-doubt, though. A peace treaty is dependent on Myra receiving Alrun’s wisdom, and the forces of darkness are seeping through the barrier between worlds. The only source of light Myra has is her childhood best friend, the crown prince. Without his support and . . . love, she may not be able to stop what’s coming.
Myra must dig deep into her kingdom’s forgotten history for answers, even if it means defying the law. But the key to saving her people may require her to make the biggest sacrifice of all. (Credit: Joy Revolution)
- You Had Me At Bigfoot by Nancy Campbell Allen (Expected Publication Date: July 7)
- The Intrigue by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (Expected Publication Date: July 14)
- Cross My Heart, I Hope You Die by Mallory Arnold (Expected Publication Date: July 14)
- Eternally Yours by Anika Hussain (Expected Publication Date: July 16)
- The Parkwood Murders by Chris Chibnall (Expected Publication Date: July 16)
- The Princess Trap by Talia Hibbert (Expected Publication Date: July 21)
- Savvy Summers and the Po’boy Perils by Sandra Jackson-Opoku (Expected Publication Date: July 21)
- If Books Could Kill by Kate Eberle (Expected Publication Date: July 21)
- Three Reasons For Revenge by Dervla McTiernan (Expected Publication Date: July 21)
- Aarzu All Around by Marzieh Abbas (Expected Publication Date: July 29)
Paint Me Like Your Dead Girls by Cynthia Murphy
Expected Publication Date: July 21
When aspiring crime journalist Fliss Keller attends an estate sale and uncovers a disturbing painting by a mysterious artist, she wants nothing to do with it. Unfortunately for her, her Art History professor dad buys it immediately. The portrait has been lost for decades and completes a set of four existing paintings of women by the same artist already hanging in the town’s gallery.
But when a series of gruesome crimes rock the community and her father’s gallery becomes the epicenter of a deadly game, Fliss discovers that the paintings may hold the key to a killer’s identity.
Haunted by the specter of a serial killer, Fliss races against time to solve the mystery before it claims another victim. In a world where every brushstroke hides a sinister secret, can she unravel the clues before she becomes a killer’s muse? (Credit: Delacorte Pres)
The Masala Chai Mystery Club by MJ Soni
Expected Publication Date; July 21
Retired librarian Neeti Shah was hoping for a restful life with her chai-loving friends, but when the body of a neighbor, a childhood friend of Neeti’s, turns up dead and the killer’s MO is similar to that of Neeti’s most recent book club read, things start to get out of control.
When Neeti hears a commotion at a neighbor’s house, she finds Rohit’s body sprawled across the bottom of the staircase with Agatha Christie’s Dumb Witness nearby. Blackmailing his neighbors, threatening them with lawsuits, and calling them by nasty nicknames were only some of the hateful things that made him so disliked. But were they angry enough to kill?
Neeti is indebted to her old friend, and she’s determined to find his killer. But she can’t do it alone, so she enlists her mystery-loving friends, the Masala Chai Mystery Club, to get to the bottom of the murder.
But Neeti and her club members need to be careful. As more bodies turn up and more suspects start to appear, they’ll need to find the killer before they end up in hot water! (Credit: Crooked Lane Books)
Buyer Beware by Catherine Ryan Howard
Expected Publication Date: July 28
If these walls could talk, they’d scream…
When Ellie moves to 1 Delaney Row, she hopes to find a fresh start—a place where no one knows her name, her history, or her secrets. But what she doesn’t know is that her new home is already hiding someone else’s secrets—and the people determined to keep them are watching her.
As Ellie starts to unravel the house’s disturbing backstory, coming closer to the shocking mystery at its center, she unwittingly puts herself on a deadly collision course not just with her new home’s history, but with her own as well.
A puzzle box of a thriller full of mind-boggling twists and turns, Buyer Beware is a chilling exploration of the dark secrets that any house can hold—and of the lengths we’ll go to start over. (Credit: Simon & Schuster)
- Shrink Solves Murder by Philippa Perry (Expected Publication Date: July 28)
- Black Girls Don’t Cry by Alex Travis (Expected Publication Date: July 28)
- What Happens In The Dark by Kia Abdullah (Expected Publication Date: July 28)
- The Whisper by Chelsea Iversen (Expected Publication Date: July 28
August Releases
Liars In Paradise by Olesya Lyuzna
Expected Publication Date: August 4
New York City, 1925. A night of high-stakes gambling at the Empire Club ends in gunfire and Jack Crawford is found at the center of the carnage—covered in blood, gun in hand. The club’s ruthless owner offers Jack an ultimatum: find the real shooters within five days, or die for their crimes.
Ginny Dugan hasn’t known Jack long, but as his partner in their detective agency, she needs to believe she’s trusted the right man this time. Their only lead is Lila, the sole survivor of the massacre. They follow her to a queer dance hall in Glen Cove, a Long Island Gold Coast town whose glittering summer estates now stand empty in the November chill. Among those who knew Lila, one name keeps surfacing: Echelon, a seductive society where fortune is promised to those who surrender everything. Convinced the answers they seek lie within, Ginny and Jack infiltrate its ranks, where they encounter silent masked attendants, serpents sliding over bare skin, and members who seem to know more than they should—especially about Jack.
As the body count climbs and Jack’s past resurfaces in unsettling ways, Ginny begins to doubt everything: her instincts, her partner, even her own reality. Maybe she was never in control. Maybe she was brought here to play someone else’s game. (Credit: The Mysterious Press)
Fruit Fly by Josh Silver
Expected Publication Date: August 4
Mallory Maddox is buried under seven years of writer’s block. With her status as a literary sensation fizzling, she’ll do anything she can to resurrect her career. Inspiration needs to strike—and fast.
Enter Leo. He’s a struggling addict sleeping under bridges and trading sex for survival. He’s vulnerable. He’s enigmatic. He’s exactly what Mallory has been looking for.
Mallory needs Leo if she wants another bestseller. The world needs Leo’s story right now, and Mallory believes she deserves to tell it. Really, it’s her story—she’s the one who wrote it, after all.
But as secrets threaten to unravel more than just her career, Mallory must decide how far she will go to pen the perfect story. (Credit: Crooked Lane Books)
Bridget & Gabe Are Not Okay by Lex Croucher
Expected Publishing Date: August 11
They fell in love. They fought a great battle. And they won. Now, Camelot’s famous couples have fallen apart.
Newly crowned King Gabriel is having panic attacks in cupboards in-between council meetings. He can’t tell Arthur just how not okay he is—so he’s set him free, to find love with someone who can get through the day without breaking down.
Bridget has lost her spark for sparring, forfeiting again and again in the lists. When she’s invited to join Gabriel’s round table, she hopes it’ll be the change she needs. But trying to navigate the post-happily-ever-after reality of a relationship with Gwen, when Bridget no longer feels like the dashing knight Gwen fell in love with, feels impossible.
With the kingdom still reeling from an attempted uprising, and rumored sightings of the holy grail, the questing beast, and the green knight happening across the country, the gang depart on a PR tour destined for disaster. Can Gabriel be the king his country deserves? Can Bridget get her jousting groove back? And will they find their way back to the courtly love that once seemed fated? (Credit: Wednesday Books)
- Survival Show by Juno Dawson (Expected Publication Date: August 4)
- How the Rivermaid Grew Her Tail and Other West African and Caribbean Myths by Jessica Wilson and illustrated by Sophie Bass (Expected Publication Date: August 4)
- One Of The Family by Mark Edwards (Expected Publication Date: August 4)
- Everything That Is Beautiful by Louise Nealon (Expected Publication Date: August 4)
- If We Survive The Night by Jo Salazar (Expected Publication Date: August 4)
- The Secret Dinner by Raphael Montes (Expected Publication Date: August 4)
- Murder Bites by Mimi Montgomery (Expected Publication Date: August 4)
- Ghost In The Night by Tiffany D. Jackson (Expected Publication Date: August 4)
- Stepping Up: A Graphic Memoir by Kiara Valdez and illustrated by Diana Tsai Santos (Expected Publication Date: August 4)
- An Illustrated Guide to Tacos and Burritos: A Comic Book with Stories, Recipes, and More by Mauricio Velázquez de León and Liz Saunders and illustrated by Francesco Gallo (Expected Publication Date: August 11)
My Name Is Zayn by Fidan Meikle
Expected Publication Date: August 20
“I’ll find you, Samim,” I whispered again and again into the dark.
Thirteen-year-old Zayn is a loyal friend, a gifted football player — and a refugee.
Zayn endures a long, dangerous journey from war-torn Afghanistan with his best friend Samim, only to lose him when their dinghy sinks in the English Channel. Zayn arrives in the UK, alone, but convinced Samim is alive — somewhere.
Sent to live in a hotel with other asylum seekers, Zayn starts to find small pieces of normal life — he goes to school, joins the football team and is making friends. Then children begin disappearing from the hotel, including Zayn’s roommate. When the police struggle to find them, Zayn feels he’s the only one who can.
Hounded by a local gang, as well as demons from his past, Zayn finds hope and help in unlikely places. But can he find his missing friends, old and new, as well as the safe home he’s been searching for? (Credit: Floris Books)
The Silent Appeal by Janice Hallett
Expected Publication Date: August 25
Welcome back to Lower Lockwood. The Fairway Players return with Sarah-Jane and Kevin MacDonald as committee cochairs. This year, they have chosen to stage Agatha Christie’s The Hollow. But auditions aren’t their only problem: Sarah-Jane’s sister, Nicky-Rose, is suddenly back in town under mysterious circumstances, having sold her home in Barbados, left her business providing entertainment on cruise ships, and moved back into their mother Carol’s house.
As always, they’re short on men, and new Player Fran Elroy-Jones enlists a young married couple and the husband’s cousin to join. But no one wants to play the part of the hated Gerda, leaving Kevin and Sarah-Jane with no option but to reach out to an old member they know would be happy to perform in any role.
As with any production, tensions run high, and our intrepid lawyers Femi and Charlotte are tasked with uncovering exactly what happened on the opening night of The Hollow—and whether the correct person has taken the blame. (Credit: Atria Books)
- Death Writ Large by Susie Dent (Expected Publication Date: August 13)
- My Giant Nerd Boyfriend: Volume 1 by Yen He (Expected Publication Date: August 18)
- The Five of Us by Sian Gilbert (Expected Publication Date: August 25)
- The Dog Park Murders by Angela Barker (Expected Publication Date: August 25)
- The Brunch Shift by Adrienne Thurman and illustrated by Mags DerRoma (Expected Publication Date: August 25)
- Books, Iced Coffee & a Side of Dragons by Amanda Lovelace and illustrated by Raquel Trave (Expected Publication Date: August 25)
- The Opposite of Murder by Sophie Hannah (Expected Publication Date: August 26)
- The Woman Who Wouldn’t Die Quietly by Katarina Bivald (Expected Publication Date: August 25)
- Mission Manta Ray by Philip Kavvadias (Expected Publication Date: August 25)
- Traitor’s Nest by Frances Hardinge (Expected Publication Date: August 27)
All these titles and more can be found at my store on Bookshop.org
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