June is still going strong with the amazing stories it’s bringing to the shelves. From a thriller to fantasy, and from contemporary to historical fiction, there’s everything! Authors like K. Ancrum and Brandon Taylor, who have already given gems like The Wicker King and Real Life respectively, are returning with shiny new novels. Debut authors like Nina Hamza is stepping in with a middle-grade contemporary; and some books like Rising Like A Storm are bringing an end to a fantasy series set in an Indian and Persian-inspired world. Here are ten of the best books releasing in the week of June 22, 2021. ✨
NAVIGATE:
01. Love Scenes by Bridget Morrissey
02. What A Happy Family by Saumya Dave
03. Ahmed Aziz’s Epic Year by Nina Hamza
04. Kind of Sort of Fine by Spencer Hall
05. Darling by K. Ancrum
06. Rising Like A Storm by Tanaz Bhathena
07. The Secret Keeper of Jaipur by Alka Joshi
08. Filthy Animals by Brandon Taylor
09. Skye Falling by Mia McKenzie
10. My Contrary Mary by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows
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Love Scenes by Bridget Morrissey
Actress Sloane Ford is in desperate need work so when her famous, Hollywood royalty family ropes her into working as a producer on their WWII-era romance but never mentioned that the roguish actor, Jospeh Donovan —her least favorite former co-star of all time— will be headlining the film. When the lead actress is abruptly fired, Sloane agrees to step in and take over the role but playing the role of a woman in love with Joseph is a dangerous business and the more time they spend together, the more blurred is this line between reel and real.
Buy the book: Amazon US | Bookshop UK | Amazon IN
What A Happy Family by Saumya Dave
TeIn the suburbs of Atlanta, the Joshi family —a quintessential Indian-American family— has learned how the funniest punchlines can hide the hardest truths. Immigrants Bina and Deepak have become pillars of their local community. Their eldest daughter is happily married and working on her career; their middle daughter is about to be engaged; their son is a son. But when an old friendship starts to unravel and a scandal unfolds, the public humiliation and self-doubt is causing the family to fall apart. Maybe this is what will bring them back stronger.
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Ahmed Aziz’s Epic Year by Nina Hamza
With his family moving from Hawaii to Minnesota because his dad got sick, Ahmed is having a bad year. Being the new kid is tough, especially when he’s the only brown-skinned student. But two things are offering him comfort as his dad’s health remains a concern and making new friends is a dream. One, he surprises himself by actually reading the three assigned books for his English class and discovering he doesn’t hate them. Second, he is learning about his dad’s brother who died young by investigating his family history —in this middle grade debut.
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Kind of Sort of Fine by Spencer Hall
Senior year of high school changes everything. All Hayley wants is for everyone to forget about her very public breakdown and remember her as the overachiever she once was. But this is difficult when she’s forced into TV production class with all the slackers —like Lewis. For him, this is going to be his year when he upgrades from the role of a fat, funny sidekick to leading man of his own life. When the two start making mini documentaries, it seems like they’re both getting what they want, but what happens when who you’ve become isn’t who you really are?
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Darling by K. Ancrum
In this re-envisioning of Peter Pan, Wendy, a teen girl, finds herself agreeing to join the captivating and beautiful boy, Peter, when he appears at her window. When they’re soon running in the city’s underground, she makes friends with a punk girl named Tinkerbelle and the lost boys Peter watches over. And makes an enemy too: the terrifying Detective Hook. And maybe Peter himself, as his sinister secrets start coming to light. Lost on a dangerous adventure, Wendy needs to find the courage to survive in this young adult thriller.
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Rising Like A Storm by Tanaz Bhathena
In the concluding installment to the Wrath of Ambar duology, Gul and Cavas unite their magical forces to save the kingdom from tyranny. Following the throne being taken over by a usurper queen and the rightful heir going into hiding, the two lovers must discover a connection between them that runs deeper than romance. But when Cavas is taken as a prisoner and Gul is left to train an army of warriors alone, the thirst for vengeance grows and fate seems even more uncertain in this young adult fantasy that is set to succeed Hunted by the Sky.
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The Secret Keeper of Jaipur by Alka Joshi
Emilia is a field hockey star with a popular boyfriend and a mother obsessed with her academic future. But she’s also the only female member of a highly competitive e-sports team. She has mastered the art of keeping her two worlds thriving —and separate. When a major e-sports tournament comes to her city, Emilia is determined to prove herself to the gaming community, the male-dominated community. But when Jake, a member of the rival team, recognizes her, something is waiting to unfold in this sweet and charming young adult romance.
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Filthy Animals by Brandon Taylor
A collection of interconnected stories that form a novella-length narrative, along with some standalone ones, by the author of Booker Prize finalist Real Life is set in the American Midwest where a young man treads delicate emotional waters as he navigates a series of sexually fraught encounters with two dancers in an open relationship. In other stories and this, the fierce longing for intimacy, the vulnerabilities, and the desire for love is explored as a woman battles cancer, a group of teens explode in violence, a little girl tears through a house like a tornado, and more.
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Skye Falling by Mia McKenzie
Skye is approaching forty, living on her own terms, and she’s set on avoiding all manners of serious relationships. Her personal life is a mess but at least she has all the cash from selling her eggs at twenty-six. When a twelve-year-old girl shows up during one of Skye’s brief visit to her hometown, her life is thrown into a sharp relief as she decides to have a meaningful relationship with another human being, finally. But when the woman she tried and failed to pick up is the girl’s aunt, things get complicated in this adult, queer literary fiction.
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My Contrary Mary by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows
Mary is the queen of Scotland and the jewel of the French court. She’s also a mouse —a shape shifter. It’s a secret that could cost her a head or a tail. Luckily, Mary has a confidant in her betrothed, Francis. But when the king meets a suspicious end and Mary is thrust onto the throne, she and Francis have to navigate conspiracies, traps, and treason in this hilarious historical fiction by the author trio of The Lady Jane Series.
Buy the book: Amazon US | Bookshop US | Amazon IN
what book are you most excited for this week? đź’›
New week, new books to add to my TBR hahaha! Kind of Sort of Fine looks really good too!
I’m really excited about Love Scenes and Rising Like a Storm. I checked the release date for RLaS like 50 times and the days couldn’t go fast enough.!
I have both Love Scenes and Darling on my digital TBR and I recently received a copy of The Secret Keeper of Jaipur from the publisher, so I’ll have to get to that one soon! Such great releases this week!