The Best Books To Read This June

Careless by Kirsty Capes

Written with empathy and compassion, Kirsty Capes’ debut novel charts the coming-of-age of Bess – teenage, pregnant and living on the edge of society – and what it means to be young and neglected in 21st-century Britain. Sometimes it's easy to fall between the cracks. At 3:04pm on a hot, sticky day in June, Bess finds out that she's pregnant. She could tell her social worker Henry, but he's useless. She should tell her foster mother, Lisa, but she won't understand. She really ought to tell Boy – the 19-year-old responsible – but she hasn't spoken to him in weeks. Bess knows more than anyone that love doesn't come without conditions – but this isn't a love story.

“Astounding. Heartbreaking but hopeful, and a fresh new voice.” – Pandora Sykes, author of How Do We Know We’re Doing It Right?

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Early Morning Riser by Katherine Heiny

Jane easily falls in love with Duncan: he's charming, good-natured and handsome. He has also slept with almost every woman in Boyne City, Michigan. Jane sees Duncan's old girlfriends everywhere – at restaurants, the grocery store, even three towns away. While she might be able to come to terms with dating a prolific seducer of women, she wishes she didn't have to share him quite so widely. His ex-wife, Aggie, still has Duncan mow her lawn and his co-worker Jimmy comes and goes from Duncan's apartment. Jane wonders how the relationship is supposed to work with all these people in it. But any notion Jane has of love and marriage changes with one tragic accident. Now her life is permanently intertwined with Duncan's, Aggie's and Jimmy's, and she knows she will never have Duncan to herself. But is it possible that a deeper kind of happiness is right in front of hers?

“Gorgeous. Very, very funny in a knowing wry way but so tender, so beautiful. I loved all the characters.” – Marian Keyes, author of Grown Ups

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Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Set in Malibu in 1983, this highly anticipated novel is Taylor Jenkins Reid’s follow-up to her acclaimed debut Daisy Jones & The Six. It's the day of Nina Riva's annual end-of-summer party, and anticipation is at a fever pitch. Everyone wants to be around the famous Rivas: Nina, a talented surfer and supermodel; brothers Jay and Hud, one a championship surfer, the other a renowned photographer; and their baby sister, Kit. The children of legendary singer Mick Riva, the siblings are a source of fascination in Malibu and the world over. By midnight the party will be completely out of control – and by morning, the Riva mansion will have gone up in flames. Malibu Rising is a story about one unforgettable night in the life of a family: a moment where they each have to choose what they will keep from the people who made them – and what they will leave behind.

“The perfect, literal, beach read, with the emotional depth of the ocean.” – Holly Bourne, author of How Do You Like Me Now?

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The Lucky Escape by Laura Jane Williams

The Lucky Escape is the third novel from Laura Jane Williams, and having loved both Our Stop and The Love Square, we’re anticipating another great summer read. When the day finally comes for Annie to marry Alexander, the last thing she expects is to be left standing at the altar. She was so sure he was Mr Right. Now, she has no idea how she could have got it so wrong. After a chance meeting with Patrick, an old friend who reminds her of who she used to be, Annie takes a vow of her own: she’ll say yes to every opportunity that comes her way from now on. Could a spontaneous trip with Patrick be the way to mend Annie’s heart? She’s about to find out as she embarks on her honeymoon – with a man who’s not her husband.

“The Lucky Escape is Laura's best book yet. It whisked me away on a much-needed holiday – this is exactly the book we all need right now!” Beth O’Leary, author of The Flatshare 

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Animal by Lisa Taddeo

In 2019, journalist Lisa Taddeo wrote one of the reads of the year with her debut book, Three Women – a riveting true story about the sex lives of three real American women, based on nearly a decade of reporting by Taddeo. The result was a deep portrait of desire, and one that left readers questioning the status quo. This month, Taddeo releases Animal, her first foray into fiction – and it’s worth the hype. The story focuses on Joan, a mysterious narrator who leaves New York for the canyons of LA following the explosive end of a rocky relationship. She’s on the hunt for Alice, a beautiful yoga instructor who has connections to Joan’s traumatic childhood. In turns disturbing and fearless, Animal is just as forensic as Three Women – and just as brilliant.

“Joan is an unforgettable anti-heroine. I don't think I'll ever stop thinking about her.” – Elizabeth Day, author of How To Fail

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The Paper Palace by Miranda Cowley Heller

Before anyone else is awake, on a perfect August morning, Elle Bishop heads out for a swim in the glorious freshwater pond below The Paper Palace, the gently decaying summer camp in the back woods of Cape Cod where her family has spent every summer for generations. As she passes the house, Elle glances through the screen porch at the uncleared table from the dinner the previous evening; empty wine glasses, candle wax on the tablecloth. Then she dives beneath the surface of the freezing water to the shocking memory of the sudden passionate encounter she had the night before, up against the wall behind the house, as her husband and mother chatted to the guests inside. So begins a story that unfolds over 24 hours and across 50 years, as decades of family legacies, love, lies, secrets, and one unspeakable incident in her childhood lead Elle to the precipice of a life-changing decision.

“A beautifully constructed, wonderfully intelligent and beguiling novel, rich with a multitude of pleasures.” – William Boyd, author of Any Human Heart

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