Christina Nixon
June brings longer days and milder mornings, creating a natural shift in routine that makes picking up a book incredibly appealing. Whether you are packing a bag for a week by the coast, spending an afternoon in the garden, or reading by the natural light well past nine o’clock in the evening, a solid stack of books is essential. But finding the right stories for this time of year requires a balance. A good summer book needs to pull you in quickly and possess enough narrative momentum to keep your attention on a warm afternoon. Our best books to read in June are straightforward, engaging stories that linger in your thoughts long after you have turned the final page.
“Femme Feral” by Sam Beckbessinger
EVER FELT READY TO HOWL?
Hyper-competent start up CFO Ellie is 46-year-old and like most women, is already juggling too much. Daughter’s not talking to her, husband’s not listening to her, and she’s got a promotion coming up at work. It’s an inconvenient time to be beset by mid-life symptoms: coarse hair in new places, hot flushes, insomnia, losing time . . . finding bloodstains on all her clothing, howling at the moon.
Her doctor diagnoses perimenopause. But it’s another 28-day cycle that’s taking hold. One involving fur, and teeth, and a not insignificant amount of rage.
Suddenly the troubles in her life – hot flushes, thankless family, spiralling to-do list, oblivious husband, the w*nker promoted above her at work – seem almost . . . bite-size.
A deeply gratifying, highly addictive and provocative read, Femme Feral is an exhilarating expression of feminine rage, with a warning: If you swallow your anger, it’s sure to come back with a bite.
Sam Beckbessinger’s debut novel offers a brilliantly sharp, darkly comedic blend of contemporary social satire and classic creature horror. Femme Feral takes the universal, often exhausting realities of modern womanhood and combines them with classic werewolf folklore to create something completely unique. The story centers on Ellie, a forty-six-year-old, hyper-competent startup executive who is already juggling far too much. She is trying to navigate a critical promotion at the company she helped build from the ground up, dealing with a troublingly secretive teenage daughter who has stopped speaking to her, and managing a household alongside an easy-going husband who consistently leaves the mental load and physical labor for her to pick up.
When Ellie begins experiencing sudden, inconvenient physical symptoms (running hot, trouble sleeping, losing tracts of time, sprouting coarse hair in unusual places, and finding unexplainable bloodstains on her clothing), her doctor gives a standard, dismissive diagnosis: perimenopause. However, Ellie quickly discovers that the twenty-eight-day cycle taking hold of her body has nothing to do with middle age and everything to do with lycanthropy. She is turning into a werewolf. Along with the fur and teeth comes an incredible surge of physical strength, heightened senses, and a deep, simmering rage that she has spent decades suppressing to appear polite and professional. Suddenly, the daily frustrations of her life – from the toxic new corporate hire trying to undermine her projects to the creep stalking her daughter’s school routes – become problems that can be solved with a bit of raw, animalistic violence. But as the beast within grows harder to tame and an obsessive hunter begins tracking her trail, Ellie must figure out how to direct her fury before it destroys the very family she is fighting to protect.
Beckbessinger writes with a sharp, biting wit that makes the book incredibly fun to read while delivering a brilliant commentary on how modern society expects women to quietly absorb stress without ever raising their voices. The satirical comparison between the physical horrors of perimenopause and the traditional tropes of werewolf horror is handled beautifully. If you want a book that balances legitimate thrills with sharp, laugh-out-loud observations about modern corporate and family life, Femme Feral is the perfect novel for your summer reading.
“The Underdog” by Felicity Cloake
A charming, witty romcom and coming of age story set in London’s restaurant scene.
Katie is thirty-six, has recently been dumped by her dull-yet-deceitful fiancé and in a (not-unrelated) moment of madness, abandoned a Solid, Decently Paid Career to pursue her dream of becoming a chef. But, after a year of expensive cookery school and months in Michelin-star kitchens blow-drying edible ferns for free, she finds herself making sandwiches (heritage duck egg and black garlic mayonnaise on sourdough, admittedly, but sandwiches all the same) in a north London café and stuck in an ill-advised situationship with a twentysomething who thinks he’s the next star of The Bear.
Then, a gorgeous doctor strolls in and orders an espresso. Katie is briefly charmed… until she sees the scruffy mutt at his feet. Katie hates dogs — and Dr Dipesh never goes anywhere without Alan. Can she overlook this major red flag? Will she ever convince her mother she’s not having a midlife crisis? And, when a drunken mishap involving a restaurant critic turns Katie’s life upside down, will she ever see Dip, Alan or the inside of a kitchen again?
When it comes to lighthearted fiction, Felicity Cloake’s debut novel is a perfect contender for the best books to read in June. If you love a story that combines the high-stakes chaos of the restaurant industry with a classic, slow-burn romantic comedy, this novel is an absolute joy. Cloake is best known for her “How to Make the Perfect” food column in The Guardian, so it makes perfect sense that her debut into fiction is deeply rooted in the chaotic, high-pressure world of the London restaurant scene. The story is about the messy reality of a thirties life-pivot, stripping away the idealized “fantasies” of culinary school to show the grueling, unglamorous side of chasing a dream. Cloake’s signature food knowledge shines through on every page, transforming the setting into a vibrant, sensory experience filled with late-night kitchen shifts, pretentious menu trends, and genuine culinary passion. It is a breezy, fast-paced read that balances sharp social satire with a lot of heart, making it an ideal choice for anyone who wants a smart, lighthearted story.
“The Caretaker” by Marcus Kliewer
Brimming with supernatural darkness and spine-chilling suspense, this nightmare of a tale revolves around a young woman who accepts a job as a caretaker in a stranger’s house in the middle of the Oregon Coast wilderness.
EXCITING OPPORTUNITY:
Caretaker urgently needed. Three days of work. Competitive pay. Serious applicants ONLY.Macy Mullins can’t say why the job posting grabbed her attention—it had the pull of a fisherman’s lure, barbed hook and all—vaguely ominous. But after an endless string of failed job interviews, she’s not exactly in the position to be picky. She has rent to pay, groceries to buy, and a younger sister to provide for.
Besides, it’s only three days’ work…
Three days, cooped up in a stranger’s house, surrounded by Oregon Coast wilderness.
What starts as a peculiar side gig soon becomes a waking nightmare. An incomprehensible evil may dwell on this property—and Macy Mullins might just be the only thing standing between it, and the rest of humanity.
Follow the Rites…
When looking for the best books to read in June to escape the summer heat, a cold, creeping atmospheric horror novel is a perfect choice. Marcus Kliewer delivers exactly that with his psychological thriller centered on Macy Mullins, a young woman facing intense financial pressure who takes a high-paying, three-day house-sitting job found on Craigslist.
The property is deeply secluded within the dense, moody wilderness of the Oregon Coast. What begins as a seemingly simple gig quickly unravels into a claustrophobic nightmare as Macy realizes the strict rules she has been left with are actually protective rites against an ancient entity. Kliewer handles tension like a coiled spring, making it a fast-moving read that examines survival, trauma, and the lengths a person will go to protect their family.
“The Testaments” by Margaret Atwood
In this electrifying sequel to The Handmaid’s Tale, Margaret Atwood answers the question that has tantalised readers for decades: What happened to Offred?
The Republic of Gilead is beginning to rot from within. At this crucial moment, two girls with radically different experiences of the regime come face to face with the legendary, ruthless Aunt Lydia. But how far will each go for what she believes?
NOW A MAJOR TV SERIES ON DISNEY+ AND HULU. For anyone who loved the television adaptation of The Handmaid’s Tale, Margaret Atwood’s joint sequel stands out as one of the best books to read in June. Picking up fifteen years after Offred’s final scene, the narrative opens up the dystopian landscape of Gilead through the secret testimonies of three very different women: the formidable Aunt Lydia, a privileged commander’s daughter named Agnes Jemima, and a Canadian teenager named Daisy. Their intersecting accounts reveal the internal corruption fracturing the regime from within. Atwood writes with a sharp, ironic precision that strips away any unnecessary sentimentality.
“The Midnight Feast” by Lucy Foley
The bestselling author of our former Thrillers of the Month The Hunting Party and The Guest List serves up another champagne-fuelled murder mystery as a Midsummer party at an age-old manor house on the Dorset coast turns deadly.
For starters, everyone here is lying…
In the shadow of an ancient wood, guests gather for the opening weekend of The Manor hotel – and a sumptuous summer feast.
But as the candles are lit, tensions spark. Old animosities reignite.
This isn’t a celebration, but a deadly reunion.
And time someone got their just deserts…
Lucy Foley’s The Midnight Feast easily earns its spot among the best books to read in June, setting a dark mystery against the backdrop of a sweltering midsummer weekend. The story takes place at The Manor, a trendy new eco-resort for the wealthy elite built on the edge of an ancient, folklore-steeped forest in the English countryside.
Told through multiple perspectives (including the resort’s ambitious founder, a mysterious guest with a score to settle, and a local teenager working in the kitchen), the social veneer quickly cracks. Beneath the luxury saunas and champagne lies a simmering class tension and a web of old childhood secrets. When a body is discovered in the woods during the opening celebration, the book turns into a fast-paced folk horror reckoning that captures the heavy, eerie atmosphere of a summer twilight.
“Nothing to Envy” by Barbara Demick
If your list of the best books to read in June includes powerful narrative non-fiction, Barbara Demick’s Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea is a masterpiece of journalism. Demick traces the real lives of six ordinary citizens from the northern city of Chongjin over fifteen years, mapping their experiences through the severe famine of the 1990s.
Through six defectors’ compelling stories, Demick’s endlessly illuminating work builds a rounded and authentic picture of daily life inside the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
If you look at satellite photographs of the far east by night, you’ll see a large splotch curiously lacking in light. This area of darkness is the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea… It is baffling how a nation of 23 million people can appear as vacant as the oceans. North Korea is simply a blank.
North Korea is Orwell’s 1984 made reality: it is the only country in the world not connected to the internet; Gone with the Wind is a dangerous, banned book; during political rallies, spies study your expression to check your sincerity.
After the death of the country’s great leader Kim Il Sung in 1994, famine descended: people stumbled over dead bodies in the street and ate tree bark to survive. Nothing to Envy weaves together the stories of adversity and resilience of six residents of Chongin, North Korea’s third largest city. From extensive interviews and with tenacious investigative work, Barbara Demick has recreated the concerns, culture and lifestyles of North Korean citizens in a gripping narrative, and vividly reconstructed the inner workings of this extraordinary and secretive country.
The book pulls back the curtain on a society structured by total state control, detailing a reality where citizens are completely denied basic human rights. Demick describes a population barred from accessing global data, Western television programs, and worldwide internet information, with internet access tightly controlled by the government. It explores the extreme rules of the state – where private home ownership is banned and houses are provided by the government based on loyalty – while highlighting how intense ideological training begins in early childhood schools. It is a vital, emotional read that reminds us of the true human cost hidden beneath polished media facades.
To be completely honest, the best summer reading list is one that challenges you, comforts you, and takes you places you never expected to go. The absolute best books to read in June are the ones that make you completely forget to check your phone. They are the stories that hold your attention so tightly that the afternoon sun shifts across the grass, your coffee goes cold, and you totally lose track of time.
The beauty of this month’s lineup is just how naturally these narratives balance each other out. Every single one of these titles brings a totally different energy to your summer beach bag, garden lounge chair, or bedside table. Whether you are seeking the comforting, familiar tension of Margaret Atwood’s dystopian masterpiece or looking for a fresh, fast-paced holiday page-turner that you can devour in a single weekend, this list has you covered.
Ultimately, finding the best books to read in June is about creating space for those quiet, sunlit hours where the modern world finally fades into the background, leaving you alone with the timeless power of a beautifully told story. So pick up a copy, find a comfortable spot in the shade, and start turning the pages.
