With so many terrific new novels being released this summer, deciding which books to load into your beach bag can be a challenge. Where do you even begin?
I’ve got some suggestions.
Though my summer women’s fiction wish list can’t possibly include every worthwhile new release, it does include several books I’ve read personally and truly enjoyed. With five terrific titles to choose from, you’re sure to find something to pique your interest.
Every book on this list is an absolute gem!
THAT LAST CAROLINA SUMMER by Karen White
Karen White’s latest novel captivated me from chapter one. The story literally opens with a bang when heroine Phoebe Manigault, then a child, is caught in a ferocious thunderstorm and struck by lightning. Thanks to the ministrations of a mysterious stranger, Phoebe survives but is forever changed, left with the gift of premonition, which she sees as more curse than blessing, one which ultimately drives her west, as far from Charleston, South Carolina and her family as possible.
Summoned home to care of her ailing mother by her very insistent, very estranged, train wreck of a sister, Phoebe is plagued by recurring nightmares that will force her to confront the past and, in time, reveal shocking family secrets that will change her life as surely as that long ago thunderclap. White’s captivating tale and lyrical writing, enhanced by charming, insightful chapter headings featuring snippets from bird-loving Phoebe’s blog, is low-country fiction at its finest.
THE ENGLISH MASTERPIECE by Katherine Reay
If you crave a touch of suspense in your summer reading, Katherine Reay’s THE ENGLISH MASTERPIECE is just the ticket. Set in the glamorous art world of 1970s London, it tells story of Lily Summers, a young assistant to Diana Gilden, the highly respected keeper of Modern Collections at the London’s famous Tate Gallery of art, whom Lily reveres.
The book opens with a bang when, at a glittering party celebrate the opening of the breathlessly anticipated Picasso Commemorative, the exhibition that Lily and Diana have spent months pulling together and which should be the crown jewel of Diana’s already legendary career, Lily halts in her tracks before one of the paintings and says aloud, “It’s a forgery.” Lily’s declaration throws the art world and her own life into chaos and sets readers off on a ticking clock adventure to discover the truth before Lily loses all that she holds most dear – her career, her relationship to a mentor she has idolized, and her freedom.
WAYWARD GIRLS by Susan Wiggs
Fans of 20th century historical fiction will love Susan Wigg’s newest novel, Wayward Girls. Though I knew something about Ireland’s infamous Magdelene laundries, institutions run by the Catholic church that were essentially workhouses for unwed mothers and other so-called “fallen women”, I wasn’t aware that similar Magdelene “homes for wayward girls” existed in the U.S.
Wigg’s novel is set in one such institution, located in Buffalo, New York. The central character is Mairin, a spirited and outspoken child of Irish immigrants whose mother sends her to the Good Shepherd home against her will, hoping to keep Mairin safe from her stepfather’s advances. Once there, Mairin meets five other “wayward girls”, who have been sent to Good Shepherd for a variety of reasons. Together they form an unlikely sisterhood, joining forces in a thrilling but dangerous quest for redemption, justice, and freedom.
THE VIEW FROM LAKE COMO by Adriana Trigiani
Adriana Trigiani’s newest book has been included on just about every list of “most anticipated” books this summer, and with good reason. This story of Jess Capodimonte, the underestimated, recently divorced, dutiful daughter from a large Italian family New Jersey, who works as a draftsman in the family marble business, has everything we want in a summer read – a heroine worth rooting for, a colorful cast of secondary characters, travel to bucket-list locations, a plot that will keep you guessing, wrapped up in a beautiful package of heart, humor, and hope.
An unexpected family loss drives Jess to travel from Lake Como, New Jersey to Carrara, Italy, home of her ancestors and the world’s most beautiful marble, as well as the other Lake Como. It’s a quest that will help Jess reconnect with forgotten dreams and find what has been missing her life – love, work, art, and renewal – and we lucky readers get to come along for this wonderful and very satisfying journey.
THE SIDEWAYS LIFE OF DENNY VOSS by Holly Kennedy
Holly Kennedy’s novel, The Sideways Life of Denny Voss, was actually released in the spring, but thoughts of this heartwarming, humorous, thoroughly delightful story are still clinging to me months after reading it, so I’ve decided to include it here.
Denny, a thirty-year-old man with developmental disabilities, who lives in rural Minnesota with his good-hearted but ailing mother and his blind St. Bernard, George, and has a job cleaning up roadkill for the county, approaches everyone and everything from a place of kindness. Even so, Denny has a way of falling unwittingly into unexpected trouble with the law, never more so than when, on the morning after a mayoral candidate is found murdered, Denny’s runaway sled careens into a tree, spilling a load of guns onto the snow in full sight of a neighbor, who immediately phones the police.
Poignant is probably an overused adjective for describing novels but fits the bill here. Denny’s wonderful, hilarious, big-hearted story made me laugh, smile, tear-up, and start telling everyone I know about it.
When not curled up with a good book, Marie Bostwick can usually be found in her office, trying to write one.
A New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of twenty uplifting works of historical and contemporary fiction, Marie’s books are beloved by readers across the globe.
Drawing on her lifelong love of quilting and her unshakable belief in the power of sisterhood, Marie’s popular Cobbled Court Quilt series has been embraced by quilters and non-sewers alike. Her standalone books have also found a passionate following among lovers of women’s fiction. Marie’s novel, The Second Sister” was adapted into the 2018 Hallmark Hall of Fame feature film “Christmas Everlasting”, starring Patti LaBelle. Marie’s most recent novel, Hope on the Inside, was published in March 2019 and was chosen as a Reader’s Digest “Select Editions” book.
Marie’s novel, Hope on the Inside, was published in March 2019 and was chosen as a Reader’s Digest “Select Editions” book. Marie’s books have been published in fourteen different languages.
Her latest novel, “The Book Club for Troublesome Women”, was published on April 22nd, 2025 by Harper Muse, a fiction imprint of Harper Collins Focus.
Marie lives in Washington state with her husband and a beautiful but moderately spoiled Cavalier King Charles Spaniel.
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