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Hot take, and one that is the opposite of how I’ve felt in the past, but…
I’m tired of Book of the Month having so many repeat authors.
Four of the five main picks (and two of the three add-ons) in July were repeat authors. And I’m sorry, but if people love their books, then it’s time to preorder the books elsewhere and give other authors and stories a time to shine.
And I know I’m the minority opinion on this because people get mad when their favorite author isn’t a pick. I also know I’m the minority opinion because not every Book of the Month member follows new releases as closely as I do. But I feel like my predictions lists have plenty of picks BOTM could choose from instead of the same authors all the time.
Anyway, let’s take a look at my Book of the Month August predictions!
If you’ve been around for a while, you know Book of the Month (BOTM) is my favorite book subscription service. I love the anticipation of finally seeing their monthly picks and always have fun trying to guess what may show up on the app on the first of every month.
If you aren’t familiar with BOTM, you can check out my full review of this subscription service. The basic idea is BOTM chooses 5-7 books from different genres every month and members can choose their pick when the books go live. You can also add on up to two more books for only $10.99 each. As of June 2023, BFF members can add up to four more books to their box.
If you don’t like any of the picks, you can choose to skip and save your credit for the next month, which is honestly the best part of this service to me. I don’t like subscription boxes that only offer one book selection that you don’t know ahead of time. If you are interested in trying BOTM, you can use my link to get your first book for only $5!
As usual, these are just my opinions and my predictions. It is fine if you disagree or think the predictions are terrible-we all have different reading tastes. Please remember to be kind in comments or messages because we are all readers with different tastes!
Table of Contents
Thriller/Mystery Predictions
None of This is True by Lisa Jewell
Release Date: August 8, 2023
Repeat Author
Lisa Jewell returns with a scintillating new psychological thriller about a woman who finds herself the subject of her own popular true crime podcast.
Good Bad Girl by Alice Feeney
Release Date: August 29, 2023
Repeat Author, Possible September pick/add-on
Sometimes bad things happen to good people, so good people have to do bad things. Our Queen of Twists, bestselling author of Daisy Darker and Rock Paper Scissors Alice Feeney, returns with another thrilling mystery filled with drama and her trademark surprises.
**According to social media, the author has confirmed this will not be a Book of the Month pick.
Burlington by Heather Dixon
Release Date: August 22, 2023
Debut Author
Mae Roberts is certain her new life in the suburbs with her family will be everything she’s always wanted. That is, until one of the mothers from her daughters’ school goes missing.
Delicate Condition by Danielle Valentine
Release Date: August 1, 2023
The Push meets The Silent Patient in a gripping thriller that follows a woman convinced a sinister figure is going to great lengths to make sure her pregnancy never happens―while the men in her life refuse to believe a word she says.
Gone Tonight by Sarah Pekkanen
Release Date: August 1, 2023
Repeat Author
Catherine Sterling thinks she knows her mother. Ruth Sterling is quiet, hardworking, and lives for her daughter. All her life, it’s been just the two of them against the world. But now, Catherine is ready to spread her wings, move from home, and begin a new career. And Ruth Sterling will do anything to prevent that from happening.
Just Another Missing Person by Gillian McAllister
Release Date: August 1, 2023
From the author of the Reese’s Book Club Pick and the New York Times bestseller Wrong Place Wrong Time comes a new heart-stopping thriller in which a missing-person case unravels deeper, darker secrets that hit too close to home and can only lead to more danger for the detective and an impossible moral choice: What will she do?
The Hurricane Blonde by Halley Sutton
Release Date: August 8, 2023
A former child starlet is plunged back into the dangerous glitter of Hollywood after discovering the body of a young actress.
The Last One by Will Dean
Release Date: August 8, 2023
Repeat Author
An unputdownable locked-room thriller about family, trust, and survival from the acclaimed author of the “utterly thrilling” (Lisa Jewell, #1 New York Times bestselling author) First Born.
An early review mentioned a character waking up to find they are the only person on board a cruise ship, so I would love to see this as a pick!
The Trap by Catherine Ryan Howard
Release Date: August 1, 2023
Repeat Author
From award-winning, internationally bestselling crime writer Catherine Ryan Howard comes The Trap: an unsettling mystery inspired by a series of still-unsolved disappearances in Ireland in the 90s, wherein one young woman risks everything to catch a faceless killer.
Vampire of El Norte by Isabel Canas
Release Date: August 15, 2023
Repeat Author
Vampires and vaqueros face off on the Texas-Mexico border in this supernatural western from the author of The Hacienda.
Romance Predications
Tastes Like Shakkar by Nicha Sharma
Release Date: August 1, 2023
Repeat Author, second book in a series
In the hilarious follow-up to the breakout rom-com Dating Dr. Dil, Nisha Sharma adds shakkar and mirch to Shakespeare’s iconic comedy Much Ado About Nothing for one sweet and spicy love story.
Text Appeal by Amber Roberts
Release date: August 8, 2023
Debut Author
STEM gets steamy when a coder takes up sexting to pay the bills in this daring debut novel, perfect for fans of Olivia Dade and Kate Stayman-London.
The Blonde Identity by Ally Carter
Release date: August 8, 2023
The New York Times bestselling YA author of the beloved Gallagher Girls series bursts onto the adult scene with a fast-paced, hilarious road trip rom-com about a woman with amnesia who discovers she’s the identical twin sister of a rogue spy… and must team up with a rugged, grumpy operative to stay alive.
Honestly this one is most likely not going to show up, but I felt it was worth mentioning.
The Freedom Clause by Hannah Sloane
Release date: July 25, 2023
Debut Author
Could one night off a year save a marriage—or destroy it? In this bold and sexy debut, a young couple agrees to open their marriage, but they soon discover that a little freedom has surprising consequences.
The Deja Glitch by Holly James
Release date: August 1, 2023
To break out of a 24-hour time loop, all Jack needs is for Gemma to fall in love with him in a single day. All Gemma needs is to remember him first . . .
The Roommate Pact by Allison Ashley
Release date: August 1, 2023
All of the fun, none of the heartache…as long as they stick to the agreement. The proposition is simple: if ER nurse Claire Harper and her roommate, firefighter Graham Scott, are still single by the time they’re forty, they’ll take the proverbial plunge together…as friends with benefits.
Contemporary Fiction Predictions
The Year of Second Chances by Lara Avery
Release date: August 22, 2023
Debut author
In this dazzling debut, Lara Avery crafts a story about one woman’s uplifting journey of possibility, second chances, and falling in love again…with life—perfect for fans of P.S. I Love You.
The Breakaway by Jennifer Weiner
Release date: August 29, 2023
Repeat author, Also a possible september pick/add-on
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Weiner comes a warmhearted and empowering new novel about love, family, friendship, secrets, and the power of a trip to change your life.
Under the Influence by Noelle Crooks
Release date: August 8, 2023
The Devil Wears Prada meets The Assistants in this compulsively readable debut following a young woman who takes a job working for an enigmatic influencer and quickly discovers there’s an ugly side to being a #GirlBoss.
The Hundred Loves of Juliet by Evelyn Skye
Release date: August 1, 2023
A woman fleeing her disastrous marriage discovers that she is part of a legendary love story that spans lives, years, and continents in this modern-day reimagining of Romeo and Juliet.
The One That Got Away by Charlotte Rixon
Release date: August 15, 2023
A sweeping, poignant novel spanning two decades, about first love, first heartbreak, and the ones we never forget, for readers of Jill Santopolo, Rosie Walsh, and Colleen Hoover.
The Art of Scandal by Regina Black
Release date: July 11, 2023
The Art of Scandal is a sizzling, conversation-starting debut about rekindling passion, the transformative power of art, and finding love in unexpected places.
Historical Fiction Prediction
Learned by Heart by Emma Donoghue
Release date: August 29, 2023
Repeat Author, possible september pick/add-on
A heartbreakingly gorgeous novel based on the true story of two girls who fall secretly, deeply, and dangerously in love at boarding school in 19th century York, from the bestselling author of Room and The Wonder.
The Last Masterpiece by Laura Morelli
Release date: August 1, 2023
In a race across Nazi-occupied Italy, two women—a German photographer and an American stenographer—hunt for priceless masterpieces looted from the Florentine art collections.
The Bookbinder by Pip Williams
Release date: July 25, 2023
A young British woman working in a book bindery gets a chance to pursue knowledge and love when World War I upends her life in this new novel from the New York Times bestselling author of the Reese’s Book Club pick The Dictionary of Lost Words.
The Apology by Jimin Han
Release date: August 1, 2023
This “sweeping intergenerational saga” tells the story of a pampered and defiant South Korean matriarch thrust into the afterlife from which she seeks a second chance to make amends (Kirstin Chen)—and fights off a tragic curse that could devastate generations to come.
I could see this being an Aardvark Book Club pick as well!
Related: Is An Aardvark Book Club Subscription Worth It?
A Bakery in Paris by Aimie K. Runyan
Release date: August 1, 2023
From the author of The School for German Brides, this captivating historical novel set in nineteenth-century and post–World War II Paris follows two fierce women of the same family, generations apart, who find that their futures lie in the four walls of a simple bakery in a tiny corner of Montmartre.
Canary Girls by Jennifer Chiaverini
Release date: August 8, 2023
Rosie the Riveter meets A League of Their Own in New York Times bestselling novelist Jennifer Chiaverini’s lively and illuminating novel about the “munitionettes” who built bombs in Britain’s arsenals during World War I, risking their lives for the war effort and discovering camaraderie and courage on the soccer pitch.
The President’s Wife by Tracey Enerson Wood
Release date: August 15, 2023
From the USA Today bestselling author of The Engineer’s Wife comes an incredible historical novel about the First Lady who clandestinely assumed the presidency.
The Princess by Wendy Holden
Release date: August 1, 2023
The whole world saw Princess Diana step from a gilded carriage for her wedding at St. Paul’s Cathedral. But before that fairy-tale moment came a dark and difficult journey.
The Queen of the Valley by Lorena Hughes
Release date: August 22, 2023
Against the backdrop of Colombia’s lush, yet wounded beauty in the wake of the 1925 Cali earthquake, this riveting novel by the award-winning Ecuadorian American author of The Spanish Daughter plunges three strangers – a photographer, a young Spanish chocolatier in disguise, and a Palestinian-Colombian nun – into a perilous search for the missing owner of a coveted hacienda amidst an emerging cholera epidemic.
Literary Fiction Predictions
Tom Lake by Ann Patchett
Release Date: August 1, 2023
In this beautiful and moving novel about family, love, and growing up, Ann Patchett once again proves herself one of America’s finest writers. In the spring of 2020, Lara’s three daughters return to the family’s orchard in Northern Michigan. While picking cherries, they beg their mother to tell them the story of Peter Duke, a famous actor with whom she shared both a stage and a romance years before at a theater company called Tom Lake.
California Golden by Melanie Benjamin
Release Date: August 8, 2023
Two sisters navigate the thrilling, euphoric early days of California surf culture in this dazzling saga of ambition, sacrifice, and the tangled ties between mothers and daughters from the New York Times bestselling author of The Aviator’s Wife.
Family Lore by Elizabeth Acevedo
Release date: August 1, 2023
Repeat Author
From the bestselling, National Book Award–winning author Elizabeth Acevedo comes her first novel for adults, the story of one Dominican-American family told through the voices of its women as they await a gathering that will forever change their lives.
Western Alliances by Wilton Barnhardt
Release date: August 1, 2023
From the New York Times-bestselling author of Lookaway, Lookaway, Wilton Barnhardt’s Western Alliances is a vivid portrait of a wealthy family set against the backdrop of the 2008 financial crisis. This laugh-out-loud, darkly funny novel follows the Costa family―whose members are every bit as richly absurd as the characters in HBO’s Succession.
Las Madres by Esmeralda Santiago
Release date: August 8, 2023
From the award-winning, best-selling author of When I Was Puerto Rican, a powerful novel of family, race, faith, sex, and disaster that moves between Puerto Rico and the Bronx, revealing the lives and loves of five women and the secret that binds them together.
The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride
Release date: August 8, 2023
From James McBride, author of the bestselling Oprah’s Book Club pick Deacon King Kong and the National Book Award–winning The Good Lord Bird, a novel about small-town secrets and the people who keep them.
The Lookback Window by Kyle Dillon Hertz
Release date: August 1, 2023
Debut Author
A fearless debut novel of resilience, transcendence, and the elusive promise of justice.
The Invisible Hour by Alice Hoffman
Release date: August 15, 2023
From the beloved New York Times bestselling author of The Marriage of Opposites and the Practical Magic series comes an enchanting novel about love, heartbreak, self-discovery, and the enduring magic of books.
Fantasy/Magical Realism Predictions
Shark Heart: A Love Story by Emily Haleck
Release date: August 8, 2023
Debut Author
A gorgeous debut novel of marriage, motherhood, metamorphosis, and letting go, this intergenerational love story begins with newlyweds Wren and her husband, Lewis—a man who, over the course of nine months, transforms into a great white shark.
Terrace Story by Hilary Leichter
Release date: August 29, 2023
From the author of the acclaimed novel Temporary, an intimate exploration of time, a fable about love, an epic daydream for a broken-hearted world.
The Water Outlaws by S. L. Huang
Release date: August 22, 2023
Inspired by a classic of martial arts literature, S. L. Huang’s The Water Outlaws are bandits of devastating ruthlessness, unseemly femininity, dangerous philosophies, and ungovernable gender who are ready to make history―or tear it apart.
Do you agree with my predictions? What are some of your August Book of the Month predictions? Let me know in the comments!
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I didn’t think it could get better after having stellar thriller right after stellar thriller!! But then the way I SCREAMED when I saw Ally Carter!!!!!!!!! She was BY FAR my favorite author when I was younger and I can’t thank you enough for including her new book on this list cause I had no idea it was coming! Oh I can’t wait!!!!! But on the note from last month…your predictions were all sounding so good but the books picked seemed more of early releases coming out in August books than highlighting any of the lesser known authors with what I thought sounded even better coming out in July. I got one of the books I was wanting anyways, but the others I wasn’t too pleased with :/ I wish Book of the Month picked the 5-7 books based on your lists each month
So many great options! I always love looking through your lists for new ideas. Thank you!
You’re welcome!
I always *grudgingly* choose one of the monthly picks. In total agreement with everything you’ve said. I really only keep the subscription for low-cost add-ons, although I’m probably still spending more in the long run since most months I choose a monthly pick I don’t really want.
I wish you weren’t so on point about The Blonde Identity because it sounds sooo good and is the first romance I’ve had any interest in for a long time (I used to read and write romance exclusively). Oh well…off to pre-order it. 😄 Thanks for the recs!
Crossing fingers for “Gone Tonight” and/or “The Trip” in regards to thrillers/mysteries.
Always interesting to read your prediction list, and also see whats being published.
OK. So it isn’t just me. I drool over your list of possible Book of the Month picks and then am let down when I see what is offered. The books I tend to really want are add-ons, like July’s The Whispers, which I had been waiting for. So, yep, in order to get a book I really, really wanted, I too picked a dud (well, I hope it’s not but it is a book I would never have bought had I not wanted an add-on). I so hope Lisa Jewell or Alice Feeney is one of the picks.
Lisa Jewell is an August pick, Alice Feeney is not!