14 Summer Books We Can't Wait to Read This Year
14 Summer Books We Can't Wait to Read This Year
For most of us, the idea of a summer read probably means something a little different than it did a couple months ago. With travel to far-flung locations largely off the table and the state of most metropolitan areas left uncertain, we’re looking for books that can transport us all on their own—from a Caribbean-set thriller to a brutal takedown of Silicon Valley’s elite; from a nostalgia-soaked story about coming of age in 1970s New York to a fantastical good-versus-evil tale that reimagines the city as it exists today. Want to know the rest of our top picks for summer 2020? Read on.
If you buy your books from Amazon, we're including both e-book options from the retailer, plus physical versions from other companies, since Amazon is currently prioritizing shipping essential goods.
Saint X: A Novel by Alexis Schaitkin
amazon.com
$13.99
Taking place between a Caribbean holiday and a particularly brutal New York winter, Saint X is an exhilarating thriller about race, loss, and America’s obsession with dead girls. When Claire is seven, her college-aged sister is found dead during a family vacation; nearly two decades later, she’s living and working in New York when she encounters one of the men accused—and acquitted—for her sister’s murder. What follows: a one-sided cat-and-mouse game fueled by trauma and obsession.
Uncanny Valley: A Memoir by Anna Wiener
amazon.com
$13.99
Ever wanted to catch a glimpse behind the virtual curtain separating Silicon Valley from the billions who consume its products? Look no further than Anna Wiener’s unsparing, insightful memoir documenting her time in the tech industry. As Weiner’s aspirations give way to disillusionment, so, too, does the endless promise of start-up culture fade into a never-ending cautionary tale about flying too close to the sun.
We Ride upon Sticks: A Novel by Quan Barry
amazon.com
$13.99
In 1692, the coastal Massachusetts town of Danvers was home to the first accusations that led to the New England witch trials. But 297 years later, in 1989, that same locale is home to the Danvers High School Falcons field hockey team, whose players will do anything—including tapping into an ancient evil—to win. A delight from start to finish.
Godshot: A Novel by Chelsea Bieker
amazon.com
$14.99
Whisk yourself away to the desert landscape of Peaches, California, with Chelsea Bieker’s breathtaking debut. Raised in a religious cult, 14-year-old Lacey May finds her life turned upside down when her mother runs off with a stranger after being exiled from the community. As Lacey’s crisis of faith blossoms into a feminist awakening, she decides there’s only one thing left for her to do: embark on a quest to find her missing mom.
The City We Became: A Novel by N. K. Jemisin
amazon.com
$14.99
According to Hugo Award–winning author N. K. Jemisin, every great city has a living, breathing soul—with one exception: New York has six. As several unconnected New Yorkers begin to feel the magic of the city calling to them, they find they must come together to protect their hometown from an unspeakable evil.
Stray: A Memoir by Stephanie Danler
amazon.com
$13.99
You’d think that selling your first novel would be a dream come true—but for Sweetbitter author Stephanie Danler, it just meant one fewer thing she could use to distract herself from her difficult past: an alcoholic mother, a meth-addicted absentee father, and a troubled childhood in Southern California. This achingly tender memoir is the story of what happened when she stopped resisting her demons and went home to face them once and for all.
Out May 5
Catherine House: A Novel by Elisabeth Thomas
amazon.com
$14.99
A luxurious tale of an ivory-tower institution with sinister secrets, Catherine House is pure Gothic suspense for the 21st century. When Ines Murillo gains acceptance to the titular university, she discovers that it’s less of a sanctum of higher learning than a sandbox for supervised decadence. But what are the administrators keeping from her and the other students, and at what cost?
Out May 12
Exciting Times: A Novel by Naoise Dolan
amazon.com
$14.99
Already one of our top LGBTQ titles of 2020, this hotly anticipated debut whisks us away to Hong Kong, where a millennial Irish expat quickly finds herself embroiled in a bisexual love triangle. Goals, TBH.
Out June 2
A Burning: A Novel by Megha Majumdar
amazon.com
$12.99
Another debut to watch is Megha Majumdar’s unforgettable A Burning, which tells the story of three strangers whose fates become inextricably linked in the wake of a terrorist attack in contemporary India. When Jivan, a Muslim girl from the slums, is accused of executing the attack, gym teacher PT Sir finds in Jivan’s misfortune the perfect opportunity to cultivate right-wing political power. Will local outcast Lovely be able to furnish the alibi that can save Jivan’s life?
Out June 2
Pizza Girl: A Novel by Jean Kyoung Frazier
amazon.com
$12.99
The titular heroine of Jean Kyoung Frazier’s debut novel is 18 years old, pregnant, and slinging pizzas in suburban Los Angeles when she develops an obsessive friendship with Jenny, a stay-at-home mother staring down the barrel of middle age. The result: a simultaneously riotous and heartbreaking coming-of-age story perfect for fans of Halle Butler and Elif Batuman.
Out June 9
Party of Two by Jasmine Guillory
amazon.com
$11.99
Just in time to save us from overdosing on introspection, the rom-com queen is back in a big way with her latest title about a whirlwind romance that creeps its way into the public eye. When hotshot lawyer Olivia Monroe strikes up a flirtation with a handsome stranger, she’s shocked to learn that the object of her affection is none other than rising-star U.S. Senator Max Powell. When their private romance gets thrust into the spotlight, will their relationship survive?
Out June 23
Age of Consent: A Novel by Amanda Brainerd
amazon.com
$20.02
It’s 1983, and downtown Manhattan is the center of the universe—at least as far as Jasmine and Eve, two teenagers sequestered at a Connecticut boarding school, are concerned. A breathless time capsule of a book, Age of Consent is a coming-of-age period piece that feels very much of the now.
Out July 14
A Star Is Bored: A Novel by Byron Lane
amazon.com
$13.99
When Charlie Besson lands a job as the personal assistant to the legendary Kathi Kannon—a thinly veiled avatar for the author’s former employer Carrie Fisher—the floundering Hollywood wannabe is thrilled to have landed the job of a lifetime. But before long, Kathi becomes much more than a boss to Charlie, and their friendship pushes him to reevaluate his own life.
Out July 28
Luster: A Novel by Raven Leilani
amazon.com
$13.99
Raven Leilani’s sharp, wry debut follows Edie, a young Black woman in New York who doesn’t know what she wants—just that she hasn’t found it yet. So when she meets Eric, a digital archivist in an open marriage, she figures she has nothing to lose in giving their unconventional relationship a try. Before long, Edie forges bonds with Eric’s wife and their adopted Black daughter, and she finds herself increasingly enmeshed with Eric’s family.
Out August 4
In a time when the idea of physical travel is up in the air, the best escapes are on the page.