If you’re looking for a new page-turner to read this summer, you might want to choose one of the books that were popular with readers in June.
With new releases from such writers as Christina Lauren, Lisa Wingate, and Philip Ellis, there was something for readers of all tastes within the June lineup.
So, here’s our list of 10 of the most popular books from June 2024. Have you read any of these? Have we missed a book that you think deserves a recommendation? Let us know in the comments below.
Tangled Up In You
by Christina Lauren
Synopsis:
Ren has never held an iPhone, googled the answer to a question, or followed a crush on social media. What she has done: Read a book or two, or three (okay, hundreds). Taught herself to paint. Built a working wind power system from scratch. But for all the books she’s read, Ren has never found one that’s taught a woman raised on a homestead and off the grid for most of her twenty-two years how to live in the real world. So when she finally achieves her lifelong dream of attending Corona College, it feels like her life is finally beginning.
Fitz has the rest of his life mapped out: Graduate from Corona at the top of his class, get his criminal record wiped clean, and pass himself off as the rich, handsome player everyone thinks he is. He’s a few short months from checking off step one of his plans when Ren Gylden, with her cascading blonde hair and encyclopaedic brain, crashes into his life, and for the first time Fitz’s plan is in jeopardy.
But a simple assignment in their immunology seminar changes the course of both their lives, and suddenly they’re thrown out of the frying pan and into the fire on a road trip that will lead them in the most unexpected directions. Out on the open road, the world somehow shifts, and the unlikely pair realise that, maybe, the key to the dreams they’ve both been chasing have been sitting next to them the whole time.
Shelterwood
by Lisa Wingate
Synopsis:
Oklahoma, 1909. Eleven-year-old Olive Augusta Radley knows that her stepfather doesn’t have good intentions toward the two Choctaw girls boarded in their home as wards. When the older girl disappears, Ollie flees to the woods, taking six-year-old Nessa with her. Together they begin a perilous journey to the remote Winding Stair Mountains, the notorious territory of outlaws, treasure hunters, and desperate men. Along the way, Ollie and Nessa form an unlikely band with others like themselves, struggling to stay one step ahead of those who seek to exploit them . . . or worse.
Oklahoma, 1990. Law enforcement ranger Valerie Boren-Odell arrives at newly minted Horsethief Trail National Park seeking a quiet place to balance a career and single parenthood. But no sooner has Valerie reported for duty than she’s faced with local controversy over the park’s opening, a teenage hiker gone missing from one of the trails, and the long-hidden burial site of three children unearthed in a cave. Val’s quest for the truth wins an ally among the neighboring Choctaw Tribal Police but soon collides with old secrets and the tragic and deadly history of the land itself.
In this emotional and enveloping novel, Lisa Wingate traces the story of children abandoned by the law and the battle to see justice done. Amid times of deep conflict over who owns the land and its riches, Ollie and Val traverse the rugged and beautiful terrain, each leaving behind one life in search of another.
Lula Dean’s Little Library of Banned Books
by Kirsten Miller
Synopsis:
From the author of The Change, comes a novel about book banning and those brave enough to stand up against this censorship.
In Troy, Georgia, Lula Dean has decided to cleanse the town’s reading habits. All banned books have been removed from public spaces, and the townspeople are only allowed to read books Lula has deemed ‘appropriate’.
But a small group refuse to be told what they can and can’t read.
The revolution is coming …
15 Summers Later
by RaeAnne Thayne
Synopsis:
15 summers ago, everything changed…
Eva Howell seemed to have it all. But she never expected that her husband would feel so betrayed by a secret from her past that he’d walk away. Now Eva is back in her hometown and trying to move on with the only person who can truly understand.
Following years of healing, Madison Howell is finally happy. But she’s in love with the town vet, Dr Luke Gentry, and can’t bring herself to tell him. Years ago, his dad died protecting Maddie and her sister, so how could he ever love her back?
With the truth laid bare, the Howell sisters’ reunion is bittersweet. And as Eva and Maddie attempt to reconcile their futures, they must face the demons of their past together…
The Calculation of You and Me
by Serena Kaylor
Synopsis:
A calculus nerd enlists her surly classmate’s help to win back her ex-boyfriend, but when sparks start to fly, she realizes there’s no algorithm for falling in love.
Marlowe Meadows understands a lot of things. She understands that calculus isn’t overwhelmingly beautiful to everyone, and that it typically kills the mood when you try to talk Python coding over beer pong. She understands that people were surprised when golden boy Josh asked her out and she went from weird, math-obsessed Marlowe to half of their school’s couple goals. Unfortunately, Marlowe was the one surprised when Josh dumped her because he’d prefer a girlfriend who’s more romantic. One with emotional depth.
But Marlowe has never failed anything in her life, and she isn’t about to start now. When she’s paired with Ashton Hayes for an English project, his black clothing and moody eyeliner cause a bit of a systems overload, and the dissonant sounds of his rock band make her brain itch. But when she discovers Ash’s hidden stash of love songs, Marlowe makes a desperate deal to unleash her inner romantic heroine: if Ash will agree to help her write some love letters to win back Josh, she’ll calculate the perfect data analytics formula to make Ash’s band go viral.
As the semester heats up with yearning love notes, a syllabus of romance novels, and late nights spent with a boy who escapes any box her brain tries to put him in, Marlowe starts to question if there’s really a set solution to love. Could a girl who’s never met a problem she can’t solve have gotten the math so massively wrong?
We Could Be Heroes
by Philip Ellis
Synopsis:
When American actor Patrick arrives in England, finding love is the last thing on his mind. Starring in a blockbuster superhero movie, he’s on a strict filming schedule, which does not include coming out as gay. But when Patrick meets Will – a local bookseller and drag performer, whose charm is impossible to resist – the temptation for a secret romance has never felt stronger.
NEW YORK, 1949.
Comic-book artists Charles and Iris aren’t like other married couples. They too are harbouring secrets of a dangerous nature. But together, they are creating a new kind of hero – one who is destined to bring Patrick and Will together… and might just change the world.
Past Present Future
by RaeAnne Thayne
Synopsis:
They fell for each other in just twenty-four hours. Now Rowan and Neil embark on a long-distance relationship during their first year of college in this romantic, dual points of view sequel to Today Tonight Tomorrow.
When longtime rivals Rowan Roth and Neil McNair confessed their feelings on the last day of senior year, they knew they’d only have a couple months together before they left for college. Now summer is over, and they’re determined to make their relationship work as they begin school in different states.
In Boston, Rowan is eager to be among other aspiring novelists, learning from a creative writing professor she adores. She’s just not sure why she suddenly can’t seem to find her voice.
In New York, Neil embraces the chaos of the city, clicking with a new friend group more easily than he anticipated. But when his past refuses to leave him alone, he doesn’t know how to handle his rapidly changing mental health—or how to talk about it with the girl he loves.
Over a year of late-night phone calls, weekend visits, and East Coast adventures, Rowan and Neil fall for each other again and again as they grapple with the uncertainty of their new lives. They’ve spent so many years at odds with each other—now that they’re finally on the same team, what does the future hold for them?
God of War
by Rina Kent
Synopsis:
I fell for the villain.
It happened back when I was a clueless girl.
But he ruthlessly broke my heart and trapped it in a jar.
Since then, I’ve sworn to hate him to the end of my days.
Eli King might be a savage devil, but I’m out of his way. And league.
That is until I wake up in a hospital and find him holding my hand.
He tells me the words that change my life forever.
“We got married two years ago, Mrs. King.”
So I set out to investigate how I landed myself into this marriage.
Turns out, my memories are darker than my present.
I thought I was ready for the hurricane.
I thought I could handle his soulless eyes and cold shoulder.
I thought wrong.
Nothing can stop my husband.
Not the secrets surrounding us.
Not the hatred between us.
Not even me.
Wreaking Havoc
by Grae Bryan
Synopsis:
Sascha has always felt powerless, the weak baby of a cruel family. But that’s fine. He has his looks, his ample allowance, and a smattering of one-night stands to keep him busy. But when Sascha’s oldest brother offends the wrong people, Sascha finds himself in hiding with a target on his back. And when poking around in his temporary home leads to accidentally summoning the hottest demon Sascha could ever imagine, he has to ask himself: does he want to feel powerless anymore?
Kai has been waiting centuries for a summons. When he’s at long last brought to the human realm for his final contract, he expects to find another warrior hungry for battle and bloodshed. Instead, he finds himself bound to a saucy, scared mobster princeling who can’t stop looking at Kai like he’s dinner. It isn’t long before Kai decides that—for once—he wouldn’t mind staying exactly where he is, with a certain human for his mate.
But Sascha isn’t used to anyone sticking around, let alone caring for him in any real way. It’s up to Kai to convince Sascha he can give him so much more than protection. He just has to deal with those pesky enemies—and Sascha’s own meddling family—first.
Of Jade and Dragons
by Amber Chen
Synopsis:
IRON WIDOW meets SIX CRIMSON CRANES in this immersive YA fantasy inspired by Chinese legend, perfect for fans of Leigh Bardugo and Chloe Gong.
Aihui Ying’s life is viciously torn apart when her father is killed by a masked assassin. Left with only his journal and a jade pendant snatched from his killer, she vows to take her revenge.
Seeking answers, Ying infiltrates the prestigious Engineers Guild – the ancient institution home to her father’s secret past. There, she begins to navigate a world fraught with politics and treachery.
Soon though, Ying’s quest for vengeance turns into a fight for survival and she’ll have to stay one step ahead of everyone. . .if she’s to make it out alive.
How many of these books will you be reading? Which books do you recommend? Let us know in the comments below.