20 New June Books Goodreads Editors Can't Wait to Read

Posted by Cybil on May 29, 2025
 
Here at Goodreads World Headquarters, we sort through a lot of books each month. Our monthly Readers' Most Anticipated Books feature is exactly that—selections based on the data about the books that Goodreads members are placing on their Want to Read shelves. Essentially, these are the books that your fellow Goodreads regulars are excited about.
 
Of course, the Goodreads editorial staff gets excited about books, too. And we regularly come across specific new releases that we can’t wait to read—or “won’t shut up about,” to borrow a phrase from the colleagues who sit right next to us.
 
As to be expected, there are always way more great books each month than we have time to read, so we're passing our findings along to you, complete with genre tags, our unhinged commentary, and general enthusiasm. Think of this list as our intel on the books you might not be hearing about absolutely everywhere else, from two people who really, really want to help you find a great read.
 
Some of the intriguing story leads on tap for June: World War II espionage in Shanghai, maverick biologists in Ukraine, and dystopian reality shows in the future. Bonus pick: blonde sausage dogs!


Cybil can't wait to read this book because: In this debut novel, a reclusive young woman finds that a bit of magic (in the shape of a simple pencil) can help her solve the mysteries within her own family. It's told in dual timelines between the present and World War II Shanghai, and readers can expect magical realism, a sweeping family epic, and a sprinkling of espionage. The past, it seems, cannot be easily erased. 

Genre: Fantasy


Cybil can't wait to read this book because: After the unexpected death of his college roommate, an upper-class Black Stanford graduate's life is thrown into further chaos when he's arrested for cocaine possession. I've been hearing about this debut novel since last year, and I'm so excited to get my hands on it. Early reviewers are calling it "the book so the year" and "a magical experience."

Genre: Literary fiction 


Sharon can't wait to read this book because: Followers of our Editors' Picks series know I love a premise with A Lot Going On in it. Here's the pitch for this book: A Ukrainian maverick biologist attempting to save the country's endangered snail population scams Western men by posing as a hopeful bride, with her sister as her translator, all while searching for their missing mother. See?! A Lot Going On! I love it!

Genre: Contemporary fiction


Cybil can't wait to read this book because: In 1960s Georgia, a sheltered teen travels to Atlanta for an illegal abortion. During her weekend in the city, she experiences a world she has never known—full of celebrities and civil rights leaders—opening up a future of new possibilities beyond her small-town roots. 

Genre: Historical fiction


Cybil can't wait to read this book because: In this literary debut, longtime friends meet up for a 52nd birthday celebration when an unexpected event makes them question their 30-year relationship. We're talking simmering envies, unspeakable acts, accusations, denials…oh, and beautiful writing? This should keep me turning the pages long past bedtime. 

Genre: Literary fiction 


Sharon can't wait to read this book because: Was I initially drawn to this book because of the quirky cover? Well, yes. Who is this sausage dog? Where is he going?! Then I read the blurb, which promises a satirical take on the world of advertising via the world's oldest ad agency, where ghosts control the boardroom A/C and there are bones in the wall. I'm always up for this brand of weird. (And also, I really gotta find out more about this dog!)

Genre: Literary fiction/Satire


Sharon can't wait to read this book because: Seven years after he threw away his smartphone and retreated to a remote cabin in the woods (a deeply relatable desire, in my opinion), Rhys Kinnick finds himself called out of his reclusivity by his grandchildren. Their mother has disappeared. Their father has joined the local Christian Nationalist militia. Don't worry, kids. Grandpa's got this.

Genre: Contemporary fiction


Cybil can't wait to read this book because: This debut novel is billed as Lord of the Flies meets Love Island, so I was immediately intrigued. In a near-dystopian future, a group of women wakes up in a camera-filled compound to find themselves the unwitting competitors on a mysterious TV show. This one promises to be an addictive page-turner, so add it to your beach bag now! 

Genre: Thriller/Dystopia


Cybil can't wait to read this book because: Singer-songwriter Amerie’s satirical novel tells the story of a man who becomes an instant celebrity for being the first visible and verifiable ghost. As he struggles to find his way back to his peaceful afterlife, he wrestles with mystics, publicists, and being famous in Los Angeles. 

Genre: Speculative fiction 


Sharon can't wait to read this book because: First of all, I Gave You Eyes and You Looked Toward Darkness is an absolute banger of a title. In this novel, a family gathers at the deathbed of an impossibly old woman, and 400 years of stories unspool. Turns out the family's matriarch, Joana, once struck a deal with the devil, exchanging her soul for the perfect man. But wait, she's found a loophole! He's missing a toe (it was eaten by wolves). Good for you, Joana.

Genre: Fiction/Speculative fiction


Sharon can't wait to read this book because: How about a Heracles retelling where Heracles is a himbo who's deeply devoted to the goddess Hera and keeps doing adorable things like bonding with the monsters she sends him to slay? I think we could all use an extra dose of John Wiswell's particular brand of bighearted fantasy right now.

Genre: Fantasy/Retelling


Sharon can't wait to read this book because: Kathryn, Olivia, and Elle have just discovered they've all been unknowingly dating the same dude, Tucker. That leads them to one conclusion: Tucker must die! Unfortunately, someone else seems to have beaten them to the punch. With their DNA all over the crime scene and motive (x3!), the women must band together to clear their names.

Genre: Mystery


Cybil can't wait to read this book because: Ivy Pochoda’s fifth novel, after her L.A. Times Book Prize–winning Sing Her Down, is a dark horror reimagining of the Greek tragedy The Bacchae. Here, Lena has outlived her wealthy, controlling husband, but still has to contend with her wealthy, controlling son. When she arrives in Naxos for the opening of her son's new luxurious hotel, she finds herself drawn to a group of wild women on the beach…who may be dancing to the beat of an ancient god. 

Genre: Horror/Retelling


Cybil can't wait to read this book because: Scams and get-rich-quick schemes targeting women seem to be a great place to set a suspense novel, and I can think of no better author to tackle this than Abbott (You Will Know Me). Here, a woman moves in with her newly divorced sister to find that her sibling seems to have mysteriously financially rebounded from her disastrous separation. Then she's introduced to the Wheel, an organization that promises female empowerment and wealth. What could go wrong?

Genre: Mystery/Suspense


Cybil can't wait to read this book because: I find it very odd when people aren't obsessed with the weather (I claim this is a Midwestern attitude, but also I could be making that up). In addition, I love a well-researched science book. So this new look at the science of predicting the weather is an obvious and immediate add to my ever-growing Want to Read shelf!    

Genre: Nonfiction/Science  


Sharon can't wait to read this book because: If you, like me, are an elder millennial who's been waiting for the book that will describe how it's not our generation's love of avocado toast but actually private equity that's ruined everything, I've got good news! Here it is! Journalist Megan Greenwell reports on the human impact of the private equity industry through stories of four American workers: a Toys R Us supervisor, a rural doctor, a local newspaper journalist, and an affordable-housing organizer.

Genre: Nonfiction


Cybil can't wait to read this book because: How about a risqué and riotous read? This new essay and short story collection on Black humor features some of today's most acclaimed authors, including Hanif Abdurraqib, Nicola Yoon, Kiese Laymon, and Mateo Askaripour, as well as comedians such as Roy Wood Jr., Wyatt Cenac, and many more.

Genre: Humor/Essays/Short stories 


Sharon can't wait to read this book because: You've heard of "clamming up" under duress, but how about "clamming down"? That's the typo'd advice Anelise Chen's mother keeps giving her during her divorce, which Chen then uses as a springboard for examining the human impulse to retreat and close up in a crisis. What might we learn about resilience from the mollusk? Read along and find out!

Genre: Memoir 


Sharon can't wait to read this book because: Sara Kehaulani Goo tells the story of the displacement of Native Hawaiians through this memoir about her own family's experience. Gifted 60 acres on Maui's coast by King Kamehameha III in 1848, her family is faced with a crossroads when a property bill with a 500 percent increase arrives. Do they fight to keep their land, or will they be forced to sell to yet another mainland millionaire, like so many Hawaiians before them? 

Genre: Memoir


Sharon can't wait to read this book because: I've loved Hala Alyan's novels and poetry, so of course I'm seated and ready for her memoir. In this book, Alyan chronicles her own journey to motherhood via infertility and surrogacy, which in turns forces her to reckon with her family's past of exile and displacement. Early reviewers are calling this book a beautiful and poignant meditation.

Genre: Memoir