Aardvark Book Club August 2025 Predictions

The Dead Husband’s Cookbook by Danielle Valentine

Release Date: August 5, 2025

When infamous chef, restaurateur, and television personality Maria Capello’s husband died, the media circus was intense…and quick to cast the blame. Whispers claimed Maria murdered her husband to build her culinary empire on his bones, and that there was an all-too-grisly reason his body was never recovered. Yet for the past few decades, the Capello family maintained their stoney silence―until now.

Dead of Summer by Jessa Maxwell

Release Date: July 22, 2025

Years after her best friend mysteriously disappeared from a remote New England island, a young woman returns in search of answers in this atmospheric and scintillating thriller from Jessa Maxwell, nationally bestselling author of the “deliciously entertaining” (Sarah Penner, New York Times bestselling author) The Golden Spoon.

Rivals to Lovers by Elise Wayland

Release Date: August 12, 2025

One classic novel. Two adaptations. A competition that shakes up everything. Perfect for fans of Emily Henry and Ali Hazelwood, this steamy rivals-to-lovers romance set in Manhattan features two writers fighting to write the adaptation of their favorite classic novel.

Love Is a War Song by Danica Nava

Release Date: July 22, 2025

Repeat Author

A Muscogee pop star and a cowboy who couldn’t be more different come together to strike a deal in this new romantic comedy by Danica Nava, USA Today bestselling author of The Truth According to Ember.

Lucky Day by Chuck Tingle

Release Date: August 12, 2025

Repeat Author

Lucky Day is the latest from Chuck Tingle, USA Today bestselling author of Camp Damascus and Bury Your Gays, where one woman must go up against horrifying odds to save the world.

13 Months Haunted by Jimmy Juliano

Release Date: August 12, 2025

From Dead Eleven author Jimmy Juliano, a twisty, edge-of-your-seat novel about a unique haunting in the early 2000s.

What Hunger by Catherine Dang

Release Date: August 12, 2025

A haunting coming-of-age tale following the daughter of Vietnamese immigrants, Ronny Nguyen, as she grapples with the weight of generational trauma while navigating the violent power of teenage girlhood, for fans of Jennifer’s Body and Little Fires Everywhere.

The Unseen by Ania Ahlborn

Release Date: August 19, 2025

The Unseen is a haunting tale that walks the line between the familiar and the unknown, drawing us into a chilling narrative where reality itself feels just out of reach.

If You’re Seeing This, It’s Meant For You by Leigh Stein

Release Date: August 26, 2025

Fates collide after a tarot influencer disappears from a decaying Hollywood mansion in this unnerving gothic mystery.

Full Bloom by Francesca Serritella

Release Date: August 5, 2025

Debut Author

A sensual and seductive novel set among the upper echelons of New York City, Full Bloom is at once a poignant story of becoming and a riveting mystery that asks: Who are you without your inhibitions? Does being wanted get you what you want, or will you be devoured by desire?

Dominion by Addie E. Citchens

Release Date: August 19, 2025

Debut Author

A brilliantly crafted Black Southern family drama told with the captivating force, humor, and tenderness carried in the hearts of these women, Addie E. Citchens’s Dominion wrestles with the many brutal, sinister ways in which we are shaped by fear and patriarchy, and studies how we might yet choose to break free.

A Summer for the Books by Michelle Lindo-Rice

Release Date: July 15, 2025

Fans of Jennifer Weiner and Sunny Hostin will love this emotional dual-timeline novel about two former besties finding their way back to each other.

Seduction Theory by Emily Adrian

Release Date: August 12, 2025

When two married professors tiptoe toward infidelity, their transgressions are brought to light in a graduate student’s searing thesis project.

Moderation by Elaine Castillo

Release Date: August 5, 2025

A bold and inventive novel about real romance in the virtual workplace—​bringing Castillo’s trademark wit and sharp cultural criticism to an irresistible story about the possible future of love.

These Memories Do Not Belong To Us by Yiming Ma

Release Date: August 12, 2025

Debut Author

For fans of Cloud Atlas and The Power, a hauntingly beautiful and prescient debut set in a future where a renamed China is the sole global superpower.

The Seven Miracles of Beatrix Holland by Rachael Herron

Release Date: August 19, 2025

A cozy family story that is the queer love-child of Practical Magic and The Parent Trap as one woman is about to discover that she’s a witch.