We’re back with more recommendations for your summer reading list! The sun is shining, and you need the perfect read to take with you on your summer adventures. So let’s see what amazing new releases should be on your bookshelf this July.
1. Bellies by Nicola Dinan
Expected 6th July 2023 (Random House UK)
When Tom met Ming, it was an instant attraction. And it wasn’t just because of their beauty, but something magnetic drew him in. As their lives intertwine and their future starts to form in front of them, Ming tells Tom she’s transitioning, that she’s finally ready to tell people she’s a woman.
As their journey through life spans continents, years, and troubles, we find them years later as very different people to the ones that met and fell in love all those years ago.
This is an authentic, tender work of literary fiction that spans years and continents. It has beautifully poetic prose and strong narrative voices that carefully dissect the many aspects that make up our sense of self in a nuanced, thoughtful way.
2. I Wish We Weren’t Related by Radhika Sanghani
Expected 6th July 2023 (Headline Review)
When Reeva’s Mum calls to tell her that her Dad is dead, she doesn’t really care. Because he died 30 years ago. But apparently, it’s all a lie. Despite her thriving career as a lawyer, fighting for people and knowing exactly the right thing to say at any time, she’s lost for words.
Her twice-dead father had one last request for her and her estranged sisters: to spend the next two weeks at his home, saying prayers and sorting his estate. Could this be the chance to finally get answers, or will everyone leave with more questions?
Radhika Sanghani is a relatable, raw, and riotously witty writer. And this follow-up to her debut adult novel is further proof that her voice is one that demands to be heard. IWWWR is painfully real, full of heart, and so funny in the most awkwardly relatable ways. Reeva is everything I want in a main character – someone boldly themselves, fierce, flawed, smart but not infallible. This is a beautifully sweeping story about love between family, between strangers, and for ourselves.
3. Open Throat by Henry Hoke
Expected 27th July 2023 (Pan Macmillan)
A queer and dangerously hungry mountain lion lives in the drought-devastated land under the Hollywood sign. Lonely and fascinated with humanity’s foibles, the lion spends their days protecting the welfare of a nearby homeless encampment. They take time to observe obnoxious hikers complain about their trauma, and, in quiet moments, grapple with the complexities of their gender identity, memories of a vicious father, and the indignities of sentience.
Open Throat is a stunning, sensational exploration into the very nature of what it means to be human, to be aware and have a concept of self. This is a short read — almost plotless, non-linear storytelling but full of substance.
It’s stylistically and visually beautiful with an engaging and lyrical style that moves fluidly from one moment to the next like a collection of thoughts or series of dreams. Deeply moving and evocative, this is an impactful story that had me staring at my own cat, wondering what she’d think of the world if she could tell me.
4. The Villa by Rachel Hawkins
Expected 6th July 2023 (Headline)
Emily and Chess were inseparable growing up, but they’ve grown apart through the years. So when Chess rents a beautiful Italian Villa for the summer, Emily can’t wait to spend time with her friend and get some writing done. But instead, Emily finds herself consumed by the ghosts of the Villa; of the murders and betrayals of the past. And if she’s not careful, the curse of the Villa might repeat itself a final time.
Rachel Hawkins is a master of suspense, and The Villa is no exception. This is an indulgently dark, twisty, and complex story that engulfs the reader in a chilling gothic thriller in an unsuspecting contemporary backdrop. We find ourselves arriving in a beautiful summer in Italy, only to end up in a world of betrayal, isolation, mysterious deaths and missing clues.
The story moves slowly, taking time to set the scene and leave us thinking about what’s lurking on the next page with bated breath. And underneath the cinematic, high-stakes mystery is a story about friendship, love, and sisterhood that was both delicate and devilish.
5. Everyone Here is Lying by Shari Lapena
Expected 6th July 2023 (Random House)
William Wooler is a family man, on the surface. But he’s been having an affair, one that ended horribly this afternoon at a motel up the road. So when he returns to his house, devastated and angry, to find his difficult nine-year-old daughter Avery unexpectedly home from school, William loses his temper. Hours later, Avery’s family declares her missing. Suddenly, the suburb of Stanhope doesn’t feel so safe.Who took Avery Wooler?
This is a twisty story about lies and betrayal hidden behind a peaceful suburban setting. Each character was a potential suspect, clearly hiding something. But it’s not clear who is hiding a secret about their secret lover, or a murder. Everyone Here is Lying is an entertaining procedural with the biting electricity of a thriller. Cinematic and dramatic, this is the kind of book you’re definitely going to read in one sitting.
6. You Were Always Mine by Jo Piazza and Christine Pride
Expected 20th July 2023 (HQ)
Cinnamon and Daisy didn’t expect to be friends when they met on a bench in the park over a year ago, but now their weekly lunch is one of the only things keeping them going. So when Daisy finds herself pregnant at 19, she leaves her baby for Cinnamon to raise. Nobody understands why a grown black woman with a successful life would take in this little blonde baby. But Cinnamon will do anything to protect this baby as if it was her own.
Anything this duo puts out is the perfect pick for a book club. They not only bring an amazing story, but there is always so much to talk and think about. Pride and Piazza each bring their unique voice and flair to create a searing story that intersectionally explores race, identity, class, generational trauma, family, and love all while telling an explosively intense and entertaining story. It’s a tender and genuine story with beautiful characters and such a warm glow.
Happy Reading!
[Note: Estimated release dates are for UK/EU versions. All recommendations are based on advanced reviewers copies gifted to the author as a PR product]
Feature Image by Nguyen Thu Hoai on Unsplash
