What to read next: a juicy family drama, a funny rom-com, a hot summer novel
What are we looking for on these steamy July days? Definitely a hot summer novel, or five. Any of the books below will fit the bill—whether you’re looking for a family drama, a swoon-y romance, or a delightfully weird story.
I adore Catherine Newman’s warm voice and quirky writing style. Her characters are always full of heart, funny, and vulnerable in ways that will make you feel seen and heard. I still can’t stop thinking about her last book, We All Want Impossible Things (she somehow made hospice care hilarious?!), and I ripped through her latest, Sandwich, in about a day. Rocky is going through the rollercoaster of menopause, feeling immensely proud and a bit bittersweet about how her kids have grown and flown, and nervous about caring for her aging mother. She’s aware that time is marching relentlessly. But still! She’s on her family’s annual dreamy vacation to Cape Cod, and there is so much joy to be found. Over the course of a week on the beach, relationships change, secrets are revealed, and glorious meals are shared. Pour yourself a crisp glass of wine, dip your toes in the sand, and enjoy the ride. —Lindsay Powers, Amazon Editor
Now available in beach bag-friendly paperback, this supernatural thriller from Silvia Moreno-Garcia (Mexican Gothic, The Daughter of Doctor Moreau) is set in the world of ‘90s filmmaking in Mexico City. Childhood friends Montserrat and Tristán get involved with Tristán’s new neighbor, cult horror director Abel Urueta, who spins a wild tale about a magic—though cursed and unfinished—film. He wants Montserrat and Tristán to help him film the scene that will complete the movie and change all their lives. A creepy occult story—complete with Nazis and a secret society—with a fascinating and unforgettable sense of place and time, Silver Nitrate should be a Pringle read for horror fans, film fans, and lovers of the supernatural, because once you start reading, you won’t want to stop. —Vannessa Cronin, Amazon Editor
If you've worked your way through all the amazing romances from big-name authors this summer (Emily Henry, Abby Jimenez, Annabel Monaghan, I could go on), it's time to try a debut! You can easily picture this smart, funny, second-chance rom-com on the big screen, and it has one of my new favorite leading men! Molly Marks is a rom-com writer who doesn’t believe in soulmates, and Seth Rubinstein is a hopelessly romantic divorce lawyer. But once upon a time they were in love, until Molly broke Seth’s heart. At their high school reunion, confronted with each other for the first time in 15 years, they do what anyone would do (maybe?)—drink too much and hook up. In the midst of their hangover, they make a bet—whoever accurately predicts five couples from their reunion that are still together in five years, wins. The catch: one of the couples is them. And so begins a delightful, sexy, heartfelt back-and-forth over the years as Molly and Seth draw together and push each other away. I was rooting for them, laughing with them, and occasionally yelling at them, and I loved every moment. —Abby Abell, Amazon Editor
This book just released last week and is one of my favorite YA reads of 2024 so far. Anna Sortino’s follow-up to her standout debut Give Me a Sign (which was one of our Editors’ Picks in 2023) is a heartfelt exploration of two characters dealing with the most difficult changes in life—new schools, illness, breakups, family drama, language barriers, and more—and learning how to move forward with resilience. Sortino writes with passion and power; her personal experiences, as she details in her acknowledgements, underscore the depth and diversity she brings to her characters and the hardships they face. If you’re searching for a romantic YA that is highly engaging and represents a wide range of differently abled characters, then search no further. This book will have you laughing and loving and hoping for the best, while making you re-think what “the best” really means. And while Sortino’s writing never feels moralistic, you may end up leaving this book with a new perspective on the word “disability.” —Ben Grange, Amazon Editor
Last weekend I got to visit one of my happy places, nestled in the foothills of the Cascade mountains in Washington State. The sites and smells and birdsong did my soul some good and reminded me of this essay collection by H Is for Hawk author, Helen Macdonald. Vesper Flights waxes poetic on things ranging from lunar eclipses, to nocturnal bird watching in Manhattan, to mushroom hunting, and even migraines. Before reading it, the only swift I knew about was Taylor, and she’s pretty good at drawing attention to herself. But that is one of Ms. Macdonald’s gifts. She notices things—the magic and the wonder and the consolation of nature, and she mines what those things have to teach us about being better humans and stewards of this planet. Need a pick-me-up this week? Pick this up. —Erin Kodicek, Amazon Editor
Yasmin Zaher's brilliantly indiosyncratic, humorous, and strange novel, The Coin is perfect for hot summer reading...and given that the temperatures in New York have hit 90 degrees, this feels appropriate (it also just released in hardcover). The novel follows the inner thoughts and activities of a glamorous oddball with pomp and circumstance who lives in New York City, teaching lower schoolers. While she finds comfort in chic clothes, cleanliness, and unconventional relationships, she also begins to....well, lose it. Zaher has crafted a character for the ages (think the spritely naivete of Holly Golightly in Breakfast at Tiffany's but less mainstream, more manic) and, in so doing, effortlessly tackles themes of class, race, identity, and dislocation. This book is quirky, but refreshingly so. Like a shocking cold glass of water, perfect for a hot day. —Al Woodworth, Amazon Editor
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