Happy summer! Break out those iced drinks and sunglasses. Here are some of the most-anticipated new books for June 2021.
It’s time for beach reads and fun thrillers (or, really, whatever type of book floats your boat!). In this post, I’m sharing lots of fun new books, from young adult to thrillers to contemporary fiction and beyond.
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New June 2021 Fiction Books
Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Genre: Historical Fiction/Contemporary
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Set in Malibu during 1983, Malibu Rising follows a family at their yearly end-of-summer party, where things get wildly out of hand. From the bestselling author of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, “Malibu Rising is a story about one unforgettable night in the life of a family: the night they each have to choose what they will keep from the people who made them . . . and what they will leave behind.”
(For more from this author, check out this list of Taylor Jenkins Reid’s books in order!)
Release date: June 1st, 2021
Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé
Genre: Young Adult/Thriller/Contemporary Fiction
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“An incendiary and utterly compelling thriller with a shocking twist that delves deep into the heart of institutionalized racism, from an exceptional new YA voice. Welcome to Niveus Private Academy, where money paves the hallways, and the students are never less than perfect. Until now.”
Release date: June 1st, 2021
The Road Trip by Beth O’Leary
Genre: Contemporary Romance
“Addie and her sister are about to embark on an epic road trip to a friend’s wedding in the north of Scotland. The playlist is all planned and the snacks are packed. But, not long after setting off, a car slams into the back of theirs.
The driver is none other than Addie’s ex, Dylan, who she’s avoided since their traumatic break-up two years earlier. Dylan and his best mate are heading to the wedding too, and they’ve totaled their car, so Addie has no choice but to offer them a ride. Will they make it to the wedding on time? And, more importantly… is this really the end of the road for Addie and Dylan?”
Release date: June 1st, 2021
The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Dalila Harris
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
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“Get Out meets The Stepford Wives in this electric debut about the tension that unfurls when two young Black women meet against the starkly white backdrop of New York City book publishing.”
Release date: June 1st, 2021
A Dark and Secret Place by Jen Williams
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
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“For readers of Jane Harper and Rachel Caine comes a chilling thriller from award-winning author Jen Williams about a woman who discovers her late mother had been secretly corresponding with a serial killer for decades.”
Release date: June 8th, 2021
The Wolf and the Woodsman by Ava Reid
Genre: Fantasy/Historical Fiction
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“In the vein of Naomi Novik’s New York Times bestseller Spinning Silver and Katherine Arden’s national bestseller The Bear and the Nightingale, this unforgettable debut— inspired by Hungarian history and Jewish mythology—follows a young pagan woman with hidden powers and a one-eyed captain of the Woodsmen as they form an unlikely alliance to thwart a tyrant.”
Release date: June 8th, 2021
The Sea Is Salt and So Am I by Cassandra Hartt
Genre: Young Adult/Contemporary
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“I’ll Give You the Sun meets Normal People in Cassandra Hartt’s The Sea Is Salt and So Am I, a stunning YA contemporary debut [set in a seaside Maine town] that asks if the secrets we keep and the people we love can change who we are.”
Release date: June 8th, 2021
The Disappearing Act by Catherine Steadman
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
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“A British actress discovers the dark side of Hollywood when she is the only witness to the sudden disappearance of a woman she meets at an audition in this psychological thriller from the New York Times bestselling author of Something in the Water and Mr. Nobody.”
Release date: June 8th, 2021
The Last Goodbye by Fiona Lucas
Genre: Romance/Contemporary
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Three years after her husband’s tragic death, “on New Year’s Eve Anna calls Spencer’s phone number, just to hear his old voicemail greeting. But to her shock, someone answers…Poignant, hopeful, and full of emotional power, an unforgettable story in the vein of P.S. I Love You about two people learning to love again after great loss, perfect for fans of Jojo Moyes and Josie Silver.”
Release date: June 8th, 2021
The Hidden Palace by Helene Wecker (The Golem and The Jinni #2)
Genre: Historical Fiction/Fantasy
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“In this enthralling historical epic, set in New York City and the Middle East in the years leading to World War I— the long-awaited follow-up to the acclaimed New York Times bestseller The Golem and the Jinni—Helene Wecker revisits her beloved characters Chava and Ahmad as they confront unexpected new challenges in a rapidly changing human world.”
Release date: June 8th, 2021
Animal by Lisa Taddeo
Genre: Literary Fiction/Suspense
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“Here is the electrifying debut novel from Lisa Taddeo, author of the #1 New York Times bestseller and international phenomenon Three Women. Animal is a depiction of female rage at its rawest, and a visceral exploration of the fallout from a male-dominated society. With writing that scorches and mesmerizes, Taddeo illustrates one woman’s exhilarating transformation from prey into predator.”
Release date: June 8th, 2021
The Maidens by Alex Michaelides
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
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From the author of the blockbuster hit The Silent Patient comes a new thriller about a handsome Greek Tragedy professor at Cambridge University, who’s also a leader of a secret society of women known as The Maidens. But one woman believe’s he’s a killer, and she’s determined to prove it – no matter what it takes.
Release date: June 15th, 2021
Morningside Heights by Joshua Henkin
Genre: General Fiction
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“Morningside Heights is a sweeping and compassionate novel about a marriage surviving hardship. It’s about the love between women and men, and children and parents; about the things we give up in the face of adversity; and about how to survive when life turns out differently from what we thought we signed up for.”
Release date: June 15th, 2021
Hairpin Bridge by Taylor Adams
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
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“From the author of the “full-throttle thriller” (A. J. Finn) No Exit—a riveting new psychological page-turner featuring a fierce and unforgettable heroine” while she searches for her sister and fights for her own survival.
Release date: June 15th, 2021
What’s Done in Darkness by Laura McHugh
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
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“Abducted as a teenager, a woman must now confront her past and untangle the truth of what really happened to her in this dark thriller from the author of The Wolf Wants In.”
Release date: June 22nd, 2021
That Weekend by Kara Thomas
Genre: Young Adult Mystery/Thriller
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“Three best friends, a lake house, a secret trip – what could go wrong?
It was supposed to be the perfect prom weekend getaway. But it’s clear something terrible happened when Claire wakes up alone and bloodied on a hiking trail with no memory of the past forty-eight hours.
Three went up the mountain, but only one came back. That weekend changes everything.”
Release date: June 29th, 2021
The Vixen by Francine Prose
Genre: Historical Fiction
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“Critically acclaimed, bestselling author Francine Prose returns with a dazzling new novel set in the glamorous world of 1950s New York publishing, the story of a young man tasked with editing a steamy bodice-ripper based on the recent trial and execution of Ethel and Julius Rosenberg—an assignment that will reveal the true cost of entering that seductive, dangerous new world.”
Release date: June 29th, 2021
Click here to view my full list of new book releases in June 2021.
I hope this list of new fiction books in June 2021 has helped you narrow down which new book releases you’re most excited about this month. Stay healthy and keep on reading, friends.
If you’re looking for more awesome books to read, check out my list of some of the most anticipated fiction books coming in 2021!