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The 42 Best New Books to Read in Summer 2023
Featuring upcoming titles by Samantha Irby, Brandon Taylor, Elliot Page, and more.
What, exactly, makes a new summer book a good summer book? It helps if the book in question comes out during the summer, roughly in those amorphous weeks from May into late August; sometimes, it helps when the book’s about summer. The ideal “beach read” might be set on or around a beach, or at least in a vacation spot, or at least somewhere where the temperature doesn’t dip below 60 degrees.
But even that time-tested description doesn’t fit all great summer books. Not even most of them! A good summer book is any book that’s transportive, or immersive, or thought-provoking, that makes its own pages feel as enticing as a dip in the pool. In other words, a good summer book can, in theory, be any book—but not every book. Makes sense, right?
Below, we’ve done our best to sort through hundreds of upcoming titles in May through August. We’ve picked a wide range of new books, each poking the boundaries of the “beach read” category in its own, unique way. These celebrity memoirs and debut novels, essay collections and historical fiction, are designed to relax and thrill and challenge, gluing you to your Adirondack chair for as long as it takes for the sun to go down: Samantha Irby and Brandon Taylor are back with their highly-anticipated new releases—Quietly Hostile and The Late Americans, respectively. The Oscar-nominated actor Elliot Page shares his story in Pageboy. And award-winners Colson Whitehead and Elizabeth Acevedo release their new novels, Crook Manifesto and Family Lore, later this summer.
Regardless of which you choose to read, just know: It’s going to be a beautiful season for books.
Homebodies by Tembe Denton-Hurst
First up, we have New York Magazine writer Tembe Denton-Hurst’s debut novel Homebodies. The protagonist, a young Black writer named Mickey, returns to her hometown after being fired from her New York City media job. Things begin to take an interesting turn when she publicly calls out the racism that she experienced at her former workplace. —Juliana Ukiomogbe
Out on May 2.
Hula by Jasmin Iolani Hakes
Set in Hilo on the Big Island of Hawai'i, Jasmin Iolani Hakes’ debut is a proud, vibrant coming-of-age tale, in which a young woman competes to win the Miss Aloha Hula competition. But as she whittles this generations-old craft, so she gets a sharper, unflinching view into her own family history and the tensions eating at her island community. —Lauren Puckett-Pope
Out on May 2.
You Are Here by Karin Lin-Greenberg
Look at this gorgeous cover. If that doesn’t immediately entice you, perhaps the premise might: In a small town, a popular shopping mall—once home to bustling businesses—is scheduled to be shut down. You Are Here brings together a diverse group of friends and strangers as they reckon with their ever-changing environment. —JU
Out on May 2.
A new Deborah Levy novel is cause for celebration. August Blue takes place in picturesque Athens, Greece, and follows a pianist named Elsa as she travels around Europe in search of herself. —
JU
Out on May 4.
Oh My Mother! by Connie Wang
In Chinese, the expression oh my god is translated to wo de ma ya, which literally means, oh my mother. In this part-memoir, part-essay collection, the journalist Connie Wang immortalizes the life of her mother as she reminisces on their favorite moments together. Think: taking edibles in Amsterdam and seeing a Magic Mike strip show in Las Vegas. —JU
Out on May 9.
A Life of One's Own by Joanna Biggs
In A Life of One’s Own, author Joanna Biggs, a recent divorcée, clings to the lives of her favorite writers as she navigates her newly single life. Toni Morrison, Zora Neale Hurston, and Elena Ferrante are just a few of the women that she turns to for solace and inspiration. —JU
Out on May 11.
Quietly Hostile by Samantha Irby
The bestselling author of We Are Never Meeting in Real Life and Wow, No Thank You. is back with her new essay collection, Quietly Hostile. Jia Tolentino said that it’s a “stay-up-all-night, miss-your-subway-stop, spit-out-your-beverage out” type of funny. Consider that sentiment co-signed. —JU
Out on May 16.
The Three of Us by Ore Agbaje-Williams
The Three of Us by Ore Agbaje-Williams
What’s more dramatic than the weird tension—cough, hatred—between a husband, his wife, and her best friend? Told over the course of one day, The Three of Us is split into three parts—signifying each main character—and investigates the inherent drama of their domestic life. —JU
Out on May 16.
Dances by Nicole Cuffy
In her debut novel, Nicole Cuffy follows a 22-year-old ballerina named Cece. When she’s promoted to principal at the New York City Ballet, she becomes the first Black ballerina in the company’s history. As her new celebrity status sends her into a frenzy of imposter syndrome, she also attempts to reclaim the parts of herself that she’s desperately tried to leave behind. —JU
Out on May 16.
Yellowface by R.F. Kuang
Known for her brilliant, artfully constructed works of fantasy including Babel and The Poppy War, R.F. Kuang is turning her attentions closer to home in this summer novel. Yellowface follows authors June Hayward and Athena Liu. One is white, the other is Asian; one’s drowning in obscurity, and the other’s writing hits. When Athena dies unexpectedly, June snaps up her peer’s manuscript to pass off as her own, even adopting an ethnically (and, uh, ethically) ambiguous pen name. Drama ensues. —LPP
Out on May 16.
A Renaissance of Our Own by Rachel E. Cargle
A Renaissance of Our Own by Rachel E. Cargle
In her memoir and manifesto, Rachel E. Cargle charts her transformation from a small-town Christian wife to a well-known queer feminist activist. If you’re unfamiliar with her work, her Instagram account—followed by 1.6M and counting—is a good place to start while you wait for the May release. —JU
Out on May 16.
The Late Americans by Brandon Taylor
The Late Americans by Brandon Taylor
A story about lovers and friends will always be on our TBR list. In Iowa City, a group of loosely connected artists and blue-collar workers—including Seamus, Ivan, Fatima, and Noah—weave through one another’s familiar haunts. The core foursome eventually embark on a cabin trip to officially say goodbye to their former lives as they now try to find themselves in a new world. If you love novels about chosen families, you’ll really enjoy this one. —JU
Out on May 23.
The Art of Ruth E. Carter by Ruth E. Carter
As the only Black woman who’s won two Academy Awards, Ruth E. Carter certainly has a story to tell. In this new deluxe art book, the award-winning costume designer shares her sketches, mood boards, and various memories of dressing some of the most iconic actors of all time, including Chadwick Boseman, Angela Bassett, Halle Berry, and Eddie Murphy. —JU
Out on May 23.
Sing Her Down by Ivy Pochoda
A haunting noir thriller stretching from Arizona up to the California coast, Sing Her Down follows prison cellmates Florida and Dios, and the dark truths Dios hopes to draw from her new friend. When both women are released, Dios chases Florida to Los Angeles in this hot, propulsive new book from the author of These Women. —LPP
Out on May 23.
Bad Summer People by Emma Rosenblum
Two couples and their mutual friend plan to spend a relaxing summer on Fire Island, until a body is discovered face down on the boardwalk. Come for the twisted murder mystery and stay for the guaranteed drama amongst the group. —JU
Out on May 23.
Deep as the Sky, Red as the Sea by Rita Chang-Eppig
Deep as the Sky, Red as the Sea by Rita Chang-Eppig
An refreshingly vivid adventure tale, perfect for long days by the ocean’s edge, Deep as the Sky, Red as the Sea follows Chinese pirate queen Shek Yeung as she builds her empire on the water following the death of her husband. As her new family—and her own name—become increasingly notorious on land and sea, Shek Yeung must carefully weigh her roles as leader, mother, and legend. —LPP
Out on May 30.
Pageboy by Elliot Page
Celebrity memoirs are inescapable these days, but this is one likely to live up to the hype. In Pageboy, Elliot Page finally shares his truth as he interrogates Hollywood, love, and queerness. —JU
Out on June 6.
All the Gold Stars: Reimagining Ambition and the Ways We Strive by Rainesford Stauffer
All the Gold Stars: Reimagining Ambition and the Ways We Strive by Rainesford Stauffer
A clever, informative, even—dare I say—life-altering twist amongst the ever-growing pile of self-help books, All the Gold Stars is journalist Rainesford Stauffer’s guide (and plea) to help us come to terms with reality: Work will not love us back. Ambition is a, not the, motivator. And “success” will never be enough. Perhaps we know these things intuitively, but Stauffer’s well-articulated anecdotes and arguments pave the path for real, lasting recognition of their truth. —LPP
Out on June 6.
The Whispers by Ashley Audrain
The author of The Push returns this summer with The Whispers, a twisted family tale that begins on one fateful late-summer evening. At a catered barbecue of polished suburbanites, a woman screams at her disobedient child; soon after, that child takes a supposedly accidental tumble through a window. What exactly happened that night, and who is really at fault? —LPP
Out on June 6.
Open Throat by Henry Hoke
The premise alone makes Henry Hoke’s startling achievement worth the purchase: A queer mountain lion makes their home in the Hollywood hills, where they protect a nearby homeless encampment until a wildfire pushes them into the streets of Los Angeles. Philosophical and heartfelt, Open Throat is the ultimate immersion into the mind of an unlikely protagonist. —LPP
Out on June 6.
Juliana Ukiomogbe is the Assistant Editor at ELLE. Her work has previously appeared in Interview, i-D, Teen Vogue, Nylon, and more.
Lauren Puckett-Pope is a staff culture writer at ELLE, where she primarily covers film, television and books. She was previously an associate editor at ELLE.
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