Two teenagers embark on a quest to uncover the supernatural roots of a series of homicides. A woman takes over her family's taxidermy business after the unexpected loss of her father. A non-magical detective tries to solve a brutal murder at a school for mages. And that's just a small taste of what you can expect from the 30 most anticipated new books of June 2019.
The 30 books below are guaranteed to challenge you, entertain you, thrill you, satisfy you, enrage you, and make you believe in the transformative power of love, loss, friendship, family, and, uh... black magic. They're perfect for reading alone in the sunshine or with a group of friends at your next book club meeting. Whatever adventures you have planned for this month, one of these books will be the perfect partner-in-crime.
If you're looking for more reading recommendations for the month of June, check out the 50 most anticipated books of summer, 21 dreamy rom-coms for your warm-weather reading, 20 graphic novels and memoirs to pack in your carry-on, 26 new LGBTQIA+ books to read this Pride Month, and 20 books to read this summer, according to other authors.
The Haunted by Danielle Vega (June 4)
The Hendricks family just wants a clean slate. That's why they moved to a tiny town and bought Steele House, a fixer-upper they hope to return to its former glory. Unfortunately, the townspeople know something they don't: Steele House is haunted, and now, so are they.
Mostly Dead Things by Kristen Arnett (June 4)
After the death of her father, Jessa takes over his business (a taxidermy shop), copes with the fact that the only person she's ever loved (her brother's wife) is gone without a word, and struggles to deal with her not-so-normal family while in the middle of a major life crisis.
On Being Human by Jennifer Pastiloff (June 4)
If you found yourself encouraged, inspired, and motivated to tackle the world with radical honesty and bravery after watching Brené Brown's Netflix special, you might experience the same emotions while reading Jennifer Pastiloff's new book about accepting imperfections, being vulnerable, and finding the path to self-acceptance.
Ayesha at Last by Uzma Jalaluddin (June 4)
This Pride and Prejudice retelling is set in a Muslim community in Toronto, and it centers love, family, culture, and identity. Young poet Ayesha has always balked against her family's ideas about marriage, but her life is flipped around when she unexpectedly (and infuriatingly) falls for the ultra-conservative, judgmental Khalid. When a surprise engagement is announced between Khalid and her cousin, Ayesha will have to rethink everything she believes about love.
Five Midnights by Ann Dávila Cardinal (June 4)
Based on the myth of El Cuco and set in Puerto Rico, Five Midnights follows two teens on a mission to uncover the truth behind a wave of murders on the island. Could it be supernatural? Or is there evil in their midst?
Patsy by Nicole Dennis-Benn (June 4)
When Patsy leaves Jamaica for New York City, she hopes she will build a better life and have a chance to love whom she wants, her oldest friend, Cicely. Her plan to move to America, however, doesn't include her daughter, Tru, whom she leaves behind on the island.
Magic For Liars by Sarah Gailey (June 4)
Detective Ivy Gamble doesn't have magic, but her estranged twin sister, Tabitha, does. When a murder is discovered at the magical boarding school where Tabitha teaches, Ivy is sent to investigate — and is pulled into a world of secrets she could never imagine.
Searching For Sylvie Lee by Jean Kwok (June 4)
When Sylvie goes missing, her sister, Amy, throws herself into the search. In the process of searching for her sister, she uncovers a host of secrets about Sylvie, their Chinese immigrant family, and herself.
If It Makes You Happy by Claire Kann (June 4)
When Winnie visits her Granny for the summer, she expects that it'll be the same as always: She'll work at the family diner, strut in her '50s-inspired uniform, and earn some tips. But this year is different — because this time, she's crowned Misty Haven's Summer Queen.
City Of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert (June 4)
Eat, Pray, Love author Elizabeth Gilbert is back with a work of fiction told through the eyes of 89-year-old Vivian, who has finally embraced the opportunity to tell her story about her scandalous, glamorous life in the theater world of 1940s New York City.
Like a Love Story by Abdi Nazemian (June 4)
It's 1989, and Reza has just moved to New York City. He knows he's gay, but can't tell anyone; he can barely acknowledge it himself. When he starts dating Judy, he doesn't plan for the fact that she will fall in love with him — or that he will fall in love with her best friend, the school's only out-and-proud teen, Art.
The Rest Of The Story by Sarah Dessen (June 4)
Emma Saylor is visiting her mom's family for the first time in.... well, a long time. Her mom's been dead for years, and she doesn't know much about where she came from. When she arrives, she realizes that there is so much more to her story than she realized, and that her family — and a boy from her childhood — may help her put together all the pieces of her past.
On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong (June 4)
In the highly-anticipated first novel from Night Sky with Exit Wounds poet Ocean Vuong, a young man writes a letter to his mother who can't read about his sexuality, identity, culture, race, class, and more.
Naturally Tan by Tan France (June 4)
You already know Tan France from Netflix's Queer Eye, but do you know the real story about how he became a gay fashion icon? In his memoir, France writes about growing up in one of the few South Asian, Muslim families in a predominantly white British community, coming out at the age of 34, marrying a Mormon cowboy, and finding his life path in helping others through fashion.
I Wanna Be Where You Are by Kristina Forest (June 4)
Chloe's mom has forbidden her from applying for the dance conservatory of her dreams, but that hasn't stopped her from plotting a secret plan to road-trip to the nearest audition. The only snag in her plan? Her neighbor, Eli, who insists on coming with her.
Mrs. Everything by Jennifer Weiner (June 11)
Sisters Jo and Bethie grew up in the 1950s with clearly defined personas: Bethie is the feminine and pretty good girl; Jo is the rebel and tomboy. But as their lives unfold, the two women's identities ebb and flow, until suddenly Bethie is the counterculture wild child and Jo is a young mom in Connecticut. Both of these women have a question to answer: Is there a right way to be a woman in the world?
Bunny by Mona Awad (June 11)
When Samantha, an outsider in her New England-based MFA program, is seduced by a group of rich girls who call each other "Bunny," she is pulled into a dark world where magic and reality blur together.
Natalie Tan’s Book Of Luck & Fortune by Roselle Lim (June 11)
When Natalie returns home after her mother's death, she is shocked to see the San Francisco Chinatown of her youth is fading away — and even more surprised to learn that she has inherited her grandmother's restaurant. She might be able to save the neighborhood and reclaim her history, but she has to follow the unconventional advice of a neighborhood seer.
Recursion by Blake Crouch (June 11)
A New York City cop is investigating a mysterious syndrome that drives its victims mad with memories of things that never happened. At the time, a neuroscientist is working to create technology that would let people preserve their most precious memories. Together, they have to stop this illness before it changes the nature of the past and time itself.
Tell Me How You Really Feel by Aminah Mae Safi (June 11)
Rachel, an aspiring filmmaker, hates that she has no other choice but to cast Sana in her senior project. She loathes Sana, the girl who has openly sneered at her for years. Sana knows Rachel doesn't return her crush, but for some reason, she agrees to the project anyway.
The Body Lies by Jo Baker (June 18)
When a young writer and single mother accepts a job at a university in the English countryside, she hopes it will be the escape she needs from London, where she suffered a violent assault. But when one of her students begin to turn in brutal, dark chapters featuring her as a main character, she begins to fear that the worst is not over.
The Tenth Muse by Catherine Chung (June 18)
Katherine, the daughter of an immigrant Chinese mother and American father, probes for the truth of her identity in this novel about her childhood, her work in the male-dominated world, and her consuming search for the solution to the Reimann hypothesis.
Fleishman Is in Trouble by Taffy Brodesser-Akner (June 18)
When his ex-wife leaves his children on his doorstep and never looks back, Toby Fleishman is forced to rethink everything he knew about their relationship, all the while balancing his job, single parenthood, and his newfound status as a dating app hot commodity.
All of Us with Wings by Michelle Ruiz Keil (June 18)
Seventeen-year-old Xochi has no family or home in San Francisco, until she meets 12-year-old Pallas, the daughter of rockstars, and becomes her live-in governess. One night, the two perform as riot-grrrl ritual — and accidentally summon a host of magical creatures bent on getting revenge on everyone who has ever hurt Xochi.
The Van Apfel Girls Are Gone by Felicity McLean (June 25)
When Tikka returns to her native Australia for the first time in years, she makes it her mission to discover what happened in the summer of 1992 — the year her neighbors and best friends, the Van Apfel girls, went missing.
The Most Fun We Ever Had by Claire Lombardo (June 25)
Marilyn and David are as in love as they were 40 years ago, but their four daughters are all in a state of chaos. When Jonah, the now-teenage child given away for adoption by one of the daughters, returns to their lives, chaos ensues.
How Could She? by Lauren Mechling (June 25)
When Geraldine moves to New York City from Toronto after a devastating breakup, she expects her life to be exactly as glamorous as it appears to be for her friends in the city, Rachel and Sunny. But in a world of social media influencers and ultra-Instagrammable rooftop parties, she can't seem to find her place, especially when her two best friends turn against her.
I Like To Watch by Emily Nussbaum (June 25)
New Yorker staff writer and winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Criticism, Emily Nussbaum knows all there is to know about good TV, bad TV, and even "just OK" TV. She's watched it all, argued about it all, and written about it all. I Like To Watch is a compilation of some of her most astute essays about America's favorite pastime.
Evvie Drake Starts Over by Linda Holmes (June 25)
It's been a year since her husband's death, and Evvie Drake hasn't even begun to start over. When a baseball star with a case of the "yips" (he can't throw straight anymore, for no reason) moves into the apartment next door, they make a deal: He won't ask about her husband, she won't ask about his career.
