While this summer will look a lot different than usual, we’re fortunate to have a LOT of great book releases to look forward to. I’ve put together a summer reading list for 2020, so you don’t miss out on any of them!
In this list, I’m focusing on fiction books only. (Sorry non-fiction lovers!)
**Please note, some links on this page are affiliate links. If you make a purchase through an affiliate link, I may receive a commission at no additional cost to you. See my full disclosure policy here. Thanks for your support!
This post will highlight several of my favorite/most anticipated reads, but you can find the full list for June here, July here, and August here.
Summer Reading List 2020
Summer Book Releases: June
The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
Order on Amazon | Support local bookstores
From the bestselling author of The Mothers comes a new novel about twin sisters growing up in the South who ultimately choose two different paths: one as a black woman, and one as a white woman.
Release date: June 2nd
The Last Flight by Julie Clark
Order on Amazon | Support local bookstores
Two women, both running from something, meet by chance in an airport bar. They decide to switch flights, hoping it will help them disappear. But when one woman’s plane goes down, the remaining woman is forced to make some tough choices. And does this mean she’s safe, or will things get worse for her?
Release date: June 23rd
All Things Left Wild by James Wade
Order on Amazon | Support local bookstores
All Things Left Wild is a coming-of-age story and odyssey of two brothers on the run from the law across the American West during the early 1900s.
Release date: June 16th
Home Before Dark by Riley Sager
Order on Amazon | Support local bookstores
From Goodreads: “In the latest thriller from New York Times bestseller Riley Sager, a woman returns to the house made famous by her father’s bestselling horror memoir. Is the place really haunted by evil forces, as her father claimed? Or are there more earthbound—and dangerous—secrets hidden within its walls?”
I loved Riley Sager’s books Final Girls and The Last Time I Lied, so I have high expectations for this one!
Release date: June 30th
Take a Hint, Dani Brown by Talia Hibbert (The Brown Sisters #2)
Order on Amazon | Support local bookstores
From Goodreads: “Talia Hibbert returns with another charming romantic comedy about a young woman who agrees to fake date her friend after a video of him “rescuing” her from their office building goes viral.”
Release date: June 23rd
Mexican Gothic by Sylvia Moreno-Garcia
Order on Amazon | Support local bookstores
Set in 1950s Mexico, Mexican Gothic is a unique take on Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca. A debutante receives a letter from her newly-married cousin – who believes she’s in danger – asking for help. She arrives at the mysterious gothic mansion, only to be greeted by even more dark secrets.
Release date: June 30th
Two Truths and a Lie by Meg Mitchell Moore
Order on Amazon | Support local bookstores
From Goodreads: “From the author of The Islanders comes a warm, witty and suspenseful novel filled with small-town secrets, summer romance, big time lies and spiked seltzer, in the vein of Liane Moriarty.”
Release date: June 16th
The Second Home by Christina Clancy
Order on Amazon | Support local bookstores
This novel centers around a summer home in Cape Cod, where the lives of three siblings are changed forever. Fifteen years later, the house brings them back together, and they are forced to figure out if they can ever be a family again.
Release date: June 2nd
Summer Book Releases: July
Survivor Song by Paul Tremblay
Order on Amazon | Support local bookstores
This new take on the “zombie” novel focuses on a pediatrician and her friend – who’s eight months pregnant – as they fight for survival in a world ravaged by a new virus.
Release date: July 7th
The Voting Booth by Brandy Colbert
Order on Amazon | Support local bookstores
From Goodreads: an “all-in-one-day (young adult) love story perfect for fans of The Sun is Also A Star.” When Duke Crenshaw is turned away from a voting booth, Marva Sheridan makes it her goal to make sure he gets to cast his vote.
Release date: July 7th
Utopia Avenue by David Mitchell
Order on Amazon | Support local bookstores
If you know me, you know that David Mitchell is one of my favorite authors. I loved his novel The Bone Clocks – it was so different than anything I had ever read. So of course I’m excited for his new novel, which focuses on a fictional British band in the 60’s that rises to fame amidst all the free love and turbulence of the decade.
Release date: July 14th
Blacktop Wasteland by S.A. Cosby
Order on Amazon | Support local bookstores
Now a family man and honest mechanic, Bug Montage was once known as the best getaway driver on the East Coast. But when one final heist to help him go straight once and for all goes wrong, he’s pulled into a crime underworld that threatens everything he cares about.
Release date: July 14th
What You Wish For by Katherine Center
Order on Amazon | Support local bookstores
An elementary school librarian goes up against her school’s rigid new principal – who happens to be her former crush – when his security standards threaten everything she loves about the school. (A new romance by the author of How to Walk Away).
Release date: July 14th
His & Hers by Alice Feeney
Order on Amazon | Support local bookstores
Anna Andrews almost has her dream job: as the main TV presenter for the BBC’s lunchtime news. But when she’s asked to cover a murder in her hometown, it becomes clear she’s in deeper than she realized.
DCI Jack Cooper is investigating the murder, but doesn’t tell anyone that he knows the victim – until he realizes he could be a suspect himself. Both share their side of the story, but which one of them is lying?
Release date: July 28th
The Truth Hurts by Rebecca Reid
Order on Amazon | Support local bookstores
From Goodreads: “In this twisty, compelling thriller, a young woman quickly embarks on what she thinks is the relationship and love of a lifetime, and she’s thrilled when her new husband insists they follow one rule: they don’t talk about the past, but it’s a rule that has dangerous consequences—perfect for fans of A Simple Favor and The Kiss Quotient.”
Release date: July 28th
Summer Book Releases: August
The Comeback by Ella Berman
Order on Amazon | Support local bookstores
From Goodreads: “A deep dive into the psyche of a young actress raised in the spotlight under the influence of a charming, manipulative film director and the moment when she decides his time for winning is over.”
Release date: August 4th
The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson
Order on Amazon | Support local bookstores
From Goodreads: “An outsider who can travel between worlds discovers a secret that threatens her new home and her fragile place in it, in a stunning sci-fi debut that’s both a cross-dimensional adventure and a powerful examination of identity, privilege, and belonging.”
Release date: August 4th
Migrations by Charlotte McConaghy
Order on Amazon | Support local bookstores
From Goodreads: “For readers of Station Eleven and Flight Behavior, a debut novel set on the brink of catastrophe, as a young woman chases the world’s last birds – and her own final chance for redemption.”
Release date: August 4th
Somewhere in the Dark by R.J. Jacobs
Order on Amazon | Support local bookstores
Somewhere in the Dark follows a young woman trying to rebuild her life after a childhood of neglect – until she becomes a suspect in a famous singer’s murder.
Release date: August 11th
We Are All the Same in the Dark by Julia Heaberlin
Order on Amazon | Support local bookstores
From Goodreads: “The discovery of a girl abandoned by the side of the road threatens to unearth the long-buried secrets of a Texas town’s legendary cold case in this superb, atmospheric novel from the internationally bestselling author of Black-Eyed Susans.”
Release date: August 11th
The Heatwave by Kate Riordan
Order on Amazon | Support local bookstores
From Goodreads: “Under the scorching French sun, a tense homecoming unearths a long-buried family secret in this deliciously propulsive beach read of a mother’s greatest fear brought to life.”
Release date: August 18th
I hope this summer reading list for 2020 has helped you narrow down which new releases you’re most excited about! Stay safe and keep on reading, friends.
If you’re looking for more awesome books to read, check out my list of the best thriller books of 2020 (so far)!