The world may still be a little chaotic, but we are getting blessed with so many amazing new books hitting the shelves this June! I don’t know about you, but I’ve been wanting to buy ALL the books despite reading basically NONE of them.
Now more than ever, authors need our support as the publishing industry has been severely impacted by event and convention cancellations. If you see any books that look interesting, I encourage you to talk about them on your socials, add to Goodreads shelves, submit requests to your libraries if you have one, or buy if you’re financially able!
📝 In case you are wondering how I manage to keep track of upcoming releases and choose the books I’m excited to highlight monthly, check out my Edelweiss 2.0 Guide!
✨✨ Books Releasing in June 2020 ✨✨
Jo & Laurie by Margaret Stohl & Melissa de la Cruz
Young Adult, Historical Fiction, Romance, Retelling
Goodreads Buy Indie Book Depository Preorder Campaign




1869, Concord, Massachusetts: After the publication of her first novel, Jo March is shocked to discover her book of scribbles has become a bestseller, and her publisher and fans demand a sequel. While pressured into coming up with a story, she goes to New York with her dear friend Laurie for a week of inspiration—museums, operas, and even a once-in-a-lifetime reading by Charles Dickens himself!
But Laurie has romance on his mind, and despite her growing feelings, Jo’s desire to remain independent leads her to turn down his heartfelt marriage proposal and sends the poor boy off to college heartbroken. When Laurie returns to Concord with a sophisticated new girlfriend, will Jo finally communicate her true heart’s desire or lose the love of her life forever?
ARC Review To Come
✨ You can read the prologue over on Penguin Teen!
I read an excerpt of this one and fell in love with what I read! It captures the voice of Jo and I look forward to reading the full book — I have an ARC on its way, and I just hope it arrives before publication day!
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A Song Below Water by Bethany C. Morrow
Young Adult, Fantasy
Goodreads Buy Indie Book Depository Preorder Campaign




But everything changes in the aftermath of a siren murder trial that rocks the nation; the girls’ favorite Internet fashion icon reveals she’s also a siren, and the news rips through their community. Tensions escalate when Effie starts being haunted by demons from her past, and Tavia accidentally lets out her magical voice during a police stop. No secret seems safe anymore—soon Portland won’t be either.
✨ You can read the first chapter over on Bustle!
Forever thankful for the Worldbuilding Beyond Wikipedia YALLWest panel for getting this book on my radar! Anxiously awaiting June so I can dive into this one!
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The Court of Miracles (Court of Miracles #1) by Kester Grant
Young Adult, Histrocial Fiction, Retelling
Goodreads Buy Independent Book Depository




In the violent urban jungle of an alternate 1828 Paris, the French Revolution has failed and the city is divided between merciless royalty and nine underworld criminal guilds, known as the Court of Miracles. Eponine (Nina) Thénardier is a talented cat burglar and member of the Thieves Guild. Nina’s life is midnight robberies, avoiding her father’s fists, and watching over her naïve adopted sister, Cosette (Ettie). When Ettie attracts the eye of the Tiger–the ruthless lord of the Guild of Flesh–Nina is caught in a desperate race to keep the younger girl safe. Her vow takes her from the city’s dark underbelly to the glittering court of Louis XVII. And it also forces Nina to make a terrible choice–protect Ettie and set off a brutal war between the guilds, or forever lose her sister to the Tiger.
As a person who’s DNF’d Six of Crows multiple times, I am a little wary of books with it as a comp title but I love Les Mis and this sounds too good to not give a try!
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A Song of Wraiths and Ruin by Roseanne A. Brown
Young Adult, Fantasy
Goodreads Buy Indie Book Depository Preorder Campaign




For Malik, the Solstasia festival is a chance to escape his war-stricken home and start a new life with his sisters in the prosperous desert city of Ziran. But when a vengeful spirit abducts Malik’s younger sister, Nadia, as payment into the city, Malik strikes a fatal deal—kill Karina, Crown Princess of Ziran, for Nadia’s freedom.
But Karina has deadly aspirations of her own. Her mother, the Sultana, has been assassinated; her court threatens mutiny; and Solstasia looms like a knife over her neck. Grief-stricken, Karina decides to resurrect her mother through ancient magic . . . requiring the beating heart of a king. And she knows just how to obtain one: by offering her hand in marriage to the victor of the Solstasia competition.
When Malik rigs his way into the contest, they are set on a course to destroy each other. But as attraction flares between them and ancient evils stir, will they be able to see their tasks to the death?.
✨ You can read an excerpt over on Hypable!
This book has been on my Goodreads TBR since September 2018, and I am so excited that it is almost here!
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My Calamity Jane (Lady Janies #3) by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, Jodi Meadows
Young Adult, Historical Fiction, Retelling
Goodreads Buy Independent Book Depository




JANE (a genuine hero-eene)
Calamity’s her name, and garou hunting’s her game—when she’s not starring in Wild Bill’s Traveling Show, that is. She reckons that if a girl wants to be a legend, she should just go ahead and be one.
FRANK (*wolf whistle*)
Frank “the Pistol Prince” Butler is the Wild West’s #1 bachelor. He’s also the best sharpshooter on
both sides of the Mississippi, but he’s about to meet his match. . . .
ANNIE (get your gun!)
Annie Oakley (yep, that Annie) is lookin’ for a job, not a romance, but she can’t deny there’s something about Frank she likes. Really likes. Still, she’s pretty sure that anything he can do,
she can do better.
A HAIRY SITUATION
After a garou hunt goes south and Jane finds a suspicious-like bite on her arm, she turns tail for Deadwood, where there’s been talk of a garou cure. But things ain’t always what they seem—meaning the gang better hightail it after her before they’re a day late and a Jane short.
✨ You can read an excerpt over on Epic Reads!
I have a secret… one of my favorite movies is Back to the Future… Part 3. You know, the Western one that everyone hates. I am such a sucker for Western stories and I am such a huge fan of this series, I SCREECHED when I saw who the famous Jane would be for this book!
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The Circus Rose by Betsy Cornwell
Young Adult, Fantasy, Retelling, LGBTQIAP+
Goodreads Buy Independent Book Depository




Twins Rosie and Ivory have grown up at their ringmaster mother’s knee, and after years on the road, they’re returning to Port End, the closest place to home they know. Yet something has changed in the bustling city: fundamentalist flyers paper the walls and preachers fill the squares, warning of shadows falling over the land. The circus prepares a triumphant homecoming show, full of lights and spectacle that could chase away even the darkest shadow. But during Rosie’s tightrope act, disaster strikes.
In this lush, sensuous novel interwoven with themes of social justice and found family, it’s up to Ivory and her magician love—with the help of a dancing bear—to track down an evil priest and save their circus family before it’s too late.
When I heard there was a queer retelling of Snow White and Rose Red, I had to add it to my TBR!
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The Obsidian Tower (Rooks and Ruin #1) by Melissa Caruso
Adult, Fantasy, LGBTQIAP+
Goodreads Buy Independent Book Depository




Then, one night, two terrible accidents befall her: Ryx accidentally kills a visiting dignitary in self-defense, activating a mysterious magical artifact sealed in an ancient tower in the heart of her family’s castle.
Ryx flees, seeking a solution to her deadly magic. She falls in with a group of unlikely magical experts investigating the disturbance in Vaskandar—and Ryx realizes that her family is in danger and her domain is at stake. She and her new colleagues must return to the family stronghold to take control of the artifact that everyone wants to claim—before it destroys the world.
BI REP BI REP BI REP! This sounds like the medieval-inspired fantasy I will enjoy! I tend to struggle with the worldbuilding pacing in adult fantasy but I will never stop trying to find new faves.
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Sisters of Sword and Song by Rebecca Ross
Young Adult, Fantasy
Goodreads Buy Independent Book Depository




After eight long years, Evadne will finally be reunited with her older sister, Halcyon, who has been proudly serving in the queen’s army. But when Halcyon appears earlier than expected, Eva knows something has gone terribly wrong. Halcyon is on the run, hunted by her commander and charged with murder.
Though Halcyon’s life is spared during her trial, the punishment is heavy. And when Eva volunteers to serve part of Halcyon’s sentence, she’s determined to find out exactly what happened. But as Eva begins her sentence, she quickly learns that there are fates much worse than death.
I haven’t seen anyone talking about this one, and WHY!?!?! I love books that center on and celerate the love between sisters, and the mystery component sounds super interesting as well!
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Seasons of the Storm (Seasons of the Storm #1) by Elle Cosimano
Young Adult, Fantasy
Goodreads Buy Independent Book Depository




Jack chose to live, and in exchange, he became a Winter—an immortal physical embodiment of the season on Earth. Every year, he must hunt the Season who comes before him. Summer kills Spring. Autumn kills Summer. Winter kills Autumn. And Spring kills Winter.
Jack and Fleur, a Winter and a Spring, fall for each other against all odds. To be together, they’ll have to escape the cycle that’s been forcing them apart. But their creator won’t let them go without a fight.
ARC Review to Come
This book could go either way for me, but I am always interested in stories involving immortality and star-crossed lovers. Plus, this cover?
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The Girl and the Witch’s Garden by Erin Bowman
Middle Grade, Fantasy
Goodreads Buy Independent Book Depository




But when Piper’s father falls ill, Mallory Estate is exactly where she finds herself.
The grand house and its garden hold many secrets—some of which may even save her father—and Piper will need to believe in herself, her new friends, and magic if she wants to unlock them before it’s too late.
I am such a fan of Erin Bowman’s writing that I will forever read whatever she writes, and this middle grade fantasy sounds so magical! It gives me Secret Garden and possibly Narnia vibes.
Forest of Souls (Shamanborn #1) by Lori M. Lee
Young Adult, Fantasy
Goodreads Buy Indie Book Depository Preorder Campaign




Sirscha Ashwyn comes from nothing, but she’s intent on becoming something. After years of training to become the queen’s next royal spy, her plans are derailed when shamans attack and kill her best friend Saengo.
And then Sirscha, somehow, restores Saengo to life.
Unveiled as the first soulguide in living memory, Sirscha is summoned to the domain of the Spider King. For centuries, he has used his influence over the Dead Wood—an ancient forest possessed by souls—to enforce peace between the kingdoms. Now, with the trees growing wild and untamed, only a soulguide can restrain them. As war looms, Sirscha must master her newly awakened abilities before the trees shatter the brittle peace, or worse, claim Saengo, the friend she would die for.
ARC Review to Come
✨ You can read an excerpt over on Paste Magazine!
I am really looking forward to reading this one, friends! I can’t wait to be swept away and probably cry. This will be a buddy read with Soph!
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Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Adult, Gothic Horror
Goodreads Buy Independent Book Depository




He is trying to poison me. You must come for me, Noemí. You have to save me.
After receiving a frantic letter from her newly-wed cousin begging for someone to save her from a mysterious doom, Noemí Taboada heads to High Place, a distant house in the Mexican countryside. She’s not sure what she will find — her cousin’s husband, a handsome Englishman, is a stranger, and Noemí knows little about the region.
Noemí is also an unlikely rescuer: She’s a glamorous debutante, and her chic gowns and perfect red lipstick are more suited for cocktail parties than amateur sleuthing. But she’s also tough, smart, and has an indomitable will, and she is not afraid: Not of her cousin’s new husband, who is both menacing and alluring; not of his father, the ancient patriarch who seems to be fascinated by Noemí; and not even of the house itself, which begins to invade Noemi’s dreams with visions of blood and doom.
Her only ally in this inhospitable abode is the family’s youngest son. Shy and gentle, he seems to want to help Noemí, but might also be hiding dark knowledge of his family’s past. For there are many secrets behind the walls of High Place. The family’s once colossal wealth and faded mining empire kept them from prying eyes, but as Noemí digs deeper she unearths stories of violence and madness.
And Noemí, mesmerized by the terrifying yet seductive world of High Place, may soon find it impossible to ever leave this enigmatic house behind.
ARC Review to Come
✨ You can read an excerpt over on EW!
… I think this might now be my next ARC read, I forgot how good this sounds!
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Goddess in the Machine by Lora Beth Johnson
Young Adult, Science Fiction
Goodreads Buy Independent Book Depository




Not only that, but she’s in a hot, dirty cave, it’s the year 3102, and everyone keeps calling her Goddess. When Andra went into a cryonic sleep for a trip across the galaxy, she expected to wake up in a hundred years, not a thousand. Worst of all, the rest of the colonists–including her family and friends–are dead. They died centuries ago, and for some reason, their descendants think Andra’s a deity. She knows she’s nothing special, but she’ll play along if it means she can figure out why she was left in stasis and how to get back to Earth.
Zhade, the exiled bastard prince of Eerensed, has other plans. Four years ago, the sleeping Goddess’s glass coffin disappeared from the palace, and Zhade devoted himself to finding it. Now he’s hoping the Goddess will be the key to taking his rightful place on the throne–if he can get her to play her part, that is. Because if his people realize she doesn’t actually have the power to save their dying planet, they’ll kill her.
With a vicious monarch on the throne and a city tearing apart at the seams, Zhade and Andra might never be able to unlock the mystery of her fate, let alone find a way to unseat the king, especially since Zhade hasn’t exactly been forthcoming with Andra. And a thousand years from home, is there any way of knowing that Earth is better than the planet she’s woken to?
ARC Review to Come
✨ You can read an excerpt over on Penguin Teen!
I read an excerpt and FELL IN LOVE. I have an ARC on its way to me and I can’t wait to dive in as soon as it arrives.
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I Killed Zoe Spanos by Kit Frick
Young Adult, Mystery, Thriller
Goodreads Buy Indie Book Depository Preorder Campaign




What happened to Zoe won’t stay buried…
When Anna Cicconi arrives to the small Hamptons village of Herron Mills for a summer nanny gig, she has high hopes for a fresh start. What she finds instead is a community on edge after the disappearance of Zoe Spanos, a local girl who has been missing since New Year’s Eve. Anna bears an eerie resemblance to Zoe, and her mere presence in town stirs up still-raw feelings about the unsolved case. As Anna delves deeper into the mystery, stepping further and further into Zoe’s life, she becomes increasingly convinced that she and Zoe are connected—and that she knows what happened to her.
Two months later, Zoe’s body is found in a nearby lake, and Anna is charged with manslaughter. But Anna’s confession is riddled with holes, and Martina Green, teen host of the Missing Zoe podcast, isn’t satisfied. Did Anna really kill Zoe? And if not, can Martina’s podcast uncover the truth?
Inspired by Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca, Kit Frick weaves a thrilling story of psychological suspense that twists and turns until the final page.
ARC Review to Come 6/9!
✨ You can read an excerpt over on Bustle!
I loved this book SO MUCH! Definitely one of my favorites up there with Sadie and Keep This To Yourself, and I think this will be the thriller of the summer.
The publishing industry is always focused on the new and shiny releases, typically ceasing promotion within a week of the book birthday. I hope that this list brought some new books to your attention and I hope you are able to support the ones you’re interested in!
What books coming out in June are you excited about? What have you read and would recommend? Let’s talk in the comments!
Oh I can’t wait for A song of wraiths and ruin and Mexican gothic!
(www.evelynreads.com)
I’m really excited for Seasons of the Storms!
Hahaha my TBR Is already overflowing!
There’s always room for more
I have soooo many of these on my TBR! Just finished court of Miracles and Mexican Gothic which were both amazing.
I LOVED Mexican Gothic as well, and I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed Court of Miracles!
Mexican Gothic is the one I’m waiting for the most ! I’m so sad I couldn’t get an ARC, but I’ll definitely get it anyway haha
I enjoyed Mexican Gothic SO MUCH! I’m sorry you weren’t able to get an ARC, but it will be out soon and you’ll be able to be horrified too!
This post is exactly what I needed for my summer TBR! 😍😍 I want to read a bunch of contemporary books because summer is my time for contemporary, so I’ll have to look into these 🙂
Perfect timing, and I know so many people who love to read contemporary in the summer! I need to read more contemp myself.
I’m so excited for My Calamity Jane, as well! I can’t wait to get my hands on that one. 🙂
I read the first 3 chapters a couple weeks ago and even MORE HYPE for my copy to arrive omg.
I’m here for Mexican Gothic, and I have heard surprisingly good things about The Circus Rose even though it hasn’t been hyped up at all!
Mexican Gothic was SO GOOD Amber, I can’t wait for you to read it! And I am so happy to hear you liked Circus Rose… I was worried because I haven’t seen anyone talking about it!
ooh I’m definitely curious about court of miracles. And I’m so excited for calamity jane. Like the sound of Mexican gothic as well.
I need a bit of levity in my life right now, so I am really excited for My Calamity Jane especially now! Mexican Gothic was SO GOOD!!!
A Song Below Water is definitely up there with my most anticipated book of the year. Everything about the concept just sounds like a world of potential. I’m curious about Forest of Souls, it sounds both dreamlike and nightmarish, if that makes any sense.
When I heard Bethany talk about A Song Below Water at a Yallwest panel, I was like YES! THIS! BOOK! I can’t wait for my copy to arrive so I can dive into it.
i am so excited about a song below water!! it sounds like the perfect contemporary fantasy i want right now. and i have an earc of forest of souls and i’m planning to read it soon — i’ve heard so many good things about it and i love the cover! hope you get to read all of these books soon, kal <3
I was going to start Forest of Souls last week but… just not the time for reading right now sadly. I wish you the happiest of reading, May!!!
Kallllllllllll this is unhealthy for my TBR. (Joke’s on you, though, I already have most of what I’m interested on there already. 😈♥️)
I will have to try harder in July, then.
Sisters of Sword and Court of Miracles have been on my radar for a while now (I sadly couldn’t get my ARCs because the distributor had to close for lockdown). Now I’m (im)patiently waiting for my library to reopen to get them there! You’ve alerted me to Circus Rose.. I’ve not read any books based in/around the circus, but a queer retelling of Snow White is definitely something my eye locked on right away. I’m mixed on A Song Below Water… I like books with a social justice message and I like fantasy, but I often struggle with books that combine the two. I find that one of the two elements always ends up getting drowned out (no pun intended). I may wait for reviews to see what I think.
So many good books and I hope your library opens up sooner rather than later so you can get your hands on them! I know what you mean: I don’t read a lot of contemporary in general because I prefer my social justice messages wrapped into genre fiction, but I am excited to give it a try. I’ll let you know my thoughts – I have a proerdered copy on its way to me.
Ahh I’m so, so excited about Song Below Water, it sounds like such an incredible read. and Mexican Gothic ah this cover is the most stunning cover I’ve ever seen I’m in love? I think it’s a bit too terrifying for me though haha.
Thank you for sharing these lovely new releases! 😀
I don’t think you will like Mexican Gothic love… it’s truly chilling in the best of ways, I loved it so much but it isn’t for the faint of heart haha. Thanks for the comment, and I hope we enjoy A Song Below Water when we get to it!
I’ve literally added every single one of these books on my Goodreads shelf. They all sound so fantastic and I can’t wait to get my hands on them. I’m especially looking forward to Seasons of the Storm and Mexican Gothic. Thanks for this wonderful list, Kal!
I AM SO SORRY FOR BLOWING UP YOUR TBR, Luxe! I hope you’ve read and enjoyed a couple of these in the three months since I posted, Mexican Gothic is so good!