1
“Play Well with Others” by Sophie Brickman
“Mother Inferior” Anne Lewin is a sassy New York City advice columnist who gets sucked into the madness of the elite preschool admissions process. With three children under five, a workaholic husband, and a scheming arch-rival, her life is thrown into chaos – but for readers, it’s pure comedic gold.
2
“Sandwich” by Catherine Newman
Rocky’s annual summer week on Cape Cod takes on an unusual intensity – not just because of menopause, but because of the deep feelings she feels for her aging parents, her grown children, her loving husband, her cat Chicken, and some long-held, sad secrets. Books with this kind of warmth and humor are truly rare.
3
“There are rivers in heaven” by Elif Shafak
By weaving together the stories of three narrators across millennia and continents and tracing the journey of a single drop of water, this outstanding author has created a ravishing masterpiece of narrative. From the ancient banks of the Tigris to a houseboat on the Thames in 2018, an immersive adventure awaits.
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4
“House of Glass” by Sarah Pekkanen
Did the little girl push her nanny out the window? As the lawyer assigned to the case, Stella quickly realizes that there are many other suspects, including the mother, the heiress, the father who is a landscaper, the grandmother who lives in the nanny’s house, and the nanny’s boyfriend. Little Rose, on the other hand, is pretty sinister. If you like trying to predict twists, this is the thrill for you.
RELATED: The best thrillers and crime novels
5
“The Summer Pact” by Emily Giffin
A trio of college friends are devastated when the fourth member of their group, a star athlete, commits suicide. Now in their early 30s and with their own lives in upheaval, the three fall back on the pact they made years ago to stick together. When they reunite for a glorious getaway in Capri, they discover that life still has big surprises in store.
6
GH Book Club Selection
“Long Island Compromise” by Taffy Brodesser-Akner
Good housekeeping‘s book club selection for July, Long Island Compromise revolves around the kidnapping of a wealthy factory owner and the decades-long family trauma that follows his return. But if anything ever proved that laughter is the best medicine, it’s this book. The saga of the Fletchers in their posh Long Island suburb delivers brilliant psychological insight and spot-on cultural context, as well as dialogue so funny it hurts.
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7
The Queen City Detective Agency by Snowden Wright
Black ex-cop Clementine Baldwin and her white partner Dixon Hicks are the Nick and Nora of Meridian, MS. Hired by the mother of a recently deceased prison inmate to prove his death was no accident, they follow a trail that leads straight to the heart of the Dixie Mafia – with plenty of wit and bourbon along the way.
8
GH Book Club Selection
The Same Bright Stars by Ethan Joella
Head to the Delaware coast with Jack Schmidt, the 52-year-old owner of a family restaurant where he’s worked since he was a kid. A corporate chain wants to buy him out, and Jack, feeling “old” at 52, is tempted. The unlikely seductress is Nicole, the chain’s loud but captivating representative who won’t take no for an answer. But what about Schmidt’s loyal crew, whose livelihoods depend on Jack? When an ex resurfaces with shocking news, this lovable man realizes his life is about to change, whether he wants it or not.
9
“Slow Dance” by Rainbow Rowell
Shiloh and Cary have little money, a lot of baggage and are completely in love with each other – the relationship they put on hold 14 years ago is rekindled at the wedding of a mutual friend. The tension builds through atmospheric flashbacks to their high school days in the 1990s and Rowell’s characteristic cheeky banter.
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10
The Next Mrs. Parrish by Liv Constantine
In this sequel to The last Mrs. ParrishConstantine’s magnificent evil creation Amber is back. The husband she stole in the last book is serving his prison sentence, but she’s terrified of his return – especially since she blew all his money while he was locked up. Her plan to leave her baby with the nanny and disappear is foiled, and now the women whose lives she ruined are after her. Good luck, girls!
11
“And So I Roar” by Abi Daré
The 14-year-old “girl with the loud voice” we met in this young Nigerian author’s debut book is back. Adunni’s savior and mentor Tia has helped her get a scholarship to a school in Lagos, but the village’s backward, patriarchal ways aren’t finished with her yet – and their fearsome representatives are literally at the door.
Lizz (she/her) is senior editor at Good housekeepingwhere she runs the GH Book Club, edits essays and long-form features, and writes about pets, books, and lifestyle topics. She has been a journalist and author of Biography of a body And Buffalo steel. She also teaches journalism as an adjunct professor at New York University’s School of Professional Studies and creative nonfiction writing at the Muse Writing Center and is a coach at the New York Writing Room.
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