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Sorry but…I was underwhelmed by June’s Book of the Month picks. It figures that the first month we have the option to choose four add-ons, I would actually end up skipping!
That just gives me more time to read my backlist Book of the Month titles and research more books for these prediction posts!
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!
Thriller/Mystery Predictions
A Likeable Woman by May Cobb
Release Date: July 11, 2023
Repeat Author
Kira’s back in her affluent hometown for the first time in years and determined to unravel the secrets of her mother’s death–hidden in the unpublished memoir she left behind-even if it kills her.
Two months ago, I would not have included this on my predictions list because BOTM did not have May Cobb’s 2022 release. However, they surprised me by picking The Last Word by Taylor Adams after skipping his previous release.
Everyone Here is Lying by Shari Lapena
Release Date: July 25, 2023
Repeat Author, Possible August Pick/Add-on
Another thrilling domestic suspense novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Couple Next Door.
Not By Blood by Chris Narozny
Release Date: July 18, 2023
Debut Author
In the tradition of Harlan Coben and Karin Slaughter comes Chris Narozny’s Not by Blood, a tense and twisty debut thriller about the extraordinary measures one woman will take to save her family.
Silver Nitrate by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Release Date: July 18, 2023
Repeat Author
A fabulous meld of Mexican horror movies and Nazi occultism: a dark thriller about the curse that haunts a legendary lost film—and awakens one woman’s hidden powers.
The Block Party by Jamie Day
Release Date: July 18, 2023
The residents of the exclusive cul-de-sac on Alton Road are entangled in a web of secrets and scandal utterly unknown to the outside world, and even to each other. On the night of the annual Summer block party, there has been a murder…
The Hunt by Kelly J. Ford
Release Date: July 25, 2023
From the author of Real Bad Things and Cottonmouths, a Los Angeles Review Best Book of 2017, comes the darkly suspenseful tale of a small-town Easter tradition and its murderous secrets.
The St. Ambrose School For Girls by Jessica Ward
Release Date: July 11, 2023
Author Pseudonym: J.R. Ward
Heathers meets The Secret History in this thrilling coming-of-age novel set in a boarding school where the secrets are devastating—and deadly.
The Woods are Waiting by Katherine Green
Release Date: July 11, 2023
Debut Author
In the tradition of Lisa Jewell and Ruth Ware, Katherine Greene’s debut thriller is a dark descent into the sinister traditions and customs of a small town in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. No superstition will prepare childhood friends Cheyenne and Natalie for the macabre truth that awaits them.
**I preordered this back in January because it sounds like my kind of thriller!
Thicker Than Water by Megan Collins
Release Date: July 11, 2023
Two sisters-in-law find themselves at painful odds when the man who connects them—the brother of one, the husband of the other—is accused of a brutal crime in this twisty thriller.
Romance Predications
Hello Stranger by Katherine Center
Release Date: July 11, 2023
Repeat Author
Sadie Montgomery never saw what was coming . . . Literally! One minute she’s celebrating the biggest achievement of her life―placing as a finalist in the North American Portrait Society competition―the next she’s lying in a hospital bed diagnosed with a “probably temporary” condition known as face blindness. As she struggles to cope, hang on to her artistic dream, work through major family issues, and take care of her beloved dog, Peanut, she falls in love―not with one man but two. The timing couldn’t be worse.
Wanderlust by Elle Everhart
Release date: July 5, 2023
Debut Author
People We Meet on Vacation meets The Unhoneymooners in this sparkling debut romantic comedy about two near strangers—and complete opposites—who win a radio contest for a trip around the world.
A Lady’s Guide to Scandal by Sophie Irwin
Release date: July 11, 2023
Internationally bestselling author Sophie Irwin brings us another delightful, escapist historical romance, led by an audacious heroine who has suddenly inherited a fortune—but it has strings attached.
It Happened One Fight by Maureen Lee Lenker
Release date: July 11, 2023
From Entertainment Weekly writer Maureen Lee Lenker comes a swoony romantic comedy set in the world of 1930s film.
The Sweetest Revenge by Lizzy Dent
Release date: July 25, 2023
Bridesmaids meets Emily in Paris—in London—in this hilarious and heartfelt story of one handsome neighbor, one no-good ex, and the summer Amy Duffy makes the comeback of her life.
Contemporary Fiction Predictions
One Tough Cookie by Delise Torres
Release date: July 11, 2023
A Latina Fleabag committed to her carefree single life meets a sexy new mechanic determined to break through her defenses, in this humorous and heartfelt foodie women’s fiction set at a cookie company.
The Little Village of Book Lovers by Nina George
Release date: July 25, 2023
Repeat author, Probably an add-on option
A young woman with the extraordinary power to bring soulmates together searches for her own true love in this tender, lyrical standalone novel inspired by the “bona fide international hit” (The New York Times Book Review) The Little Paris Bookshop.
Historical Fiction Prediction
Alchemy of a Blackbird by Claire McMillan
Release date: july 11, 2023
For fans of The Age of Light and Z, a mystical, historical novel based on the true story of the 20th-century painters and occultists Remedios Varo and Leonora Carrington, each beginning as the muse of a famous lover and then breaking away to become an icon in her own right through a powerful friendship that springs from their connection to the tarot.
Literary Fiction Predictions
The Imposters by Tom Rachman
Release Date: June 27, 2023
From the author of the New York Times bestseller The Imperfectionists, the story of a chameleonic writer desperate to finish her final book, and the indelible characters from her own life who intrude on those efforts with increasingly unpredictable results.
Tropicalia by Harold Rogers
Release date: July 18, 2023
Debut Author
In the heady days before a New Year’s Eve party on the bustling sands of Brazil’s Copacabana Beach, a family reckons with a matriarch’s long-awaited return, causing old secrets to come to light in this infectiously vibrant debut that explores the heartbreak and hope of what it means to be from two homes, two peoples, and two worlds.
I could see this being an Aardvark Book Club pick for July!
Related: Is An Aardvark Book Club Subscription Worth It?
Fantasy/Magical Realism Predictions
House of Root and Ruin by Erin A. Craig
Release date: July 25, 2023
Repeat Author, 2nd book in a series, YA Fantasy, Possible August pick/add-on
A modern masterpiece, this is a classic Gothic thriller-fantasy from New York Times bestselling author Erin A. Craig, about doomed love, menacing ambition, and the ghosts that haunt us forever.
Wildwood Magic by Willa Reece
Release date: July 25, 2023
A woman escapes her abusive husband and finds shelter in a magical orchard in this spellbinding novel of magic and self-discovery from the author of Wildwood Whispers.
The Carnivale of Curiosities by Amiee Gibbs
Release date: July 11, 2023
A dazzling gothic tale of Faustian bargains, jealousy, and murder set in a spectacular circus, where star-crossed lovers’ destinies are forged at an unexpected price.
The Saint of Bright Doors by Vajra Chandrasekera
Release date: July 11, 2023
Debut Author
The Saint of Bright Doors sets the high drama of divine revolutionaries and transcendent cults against the mundane struggles of modern life, resulting in a novel that is revelatory and resonant.
**This is a title from Tordotcom, which makes it unlikely in my opinion but they have worked with BOTM in the past.
The Sun and the Void by Gabriela Romero Lacruz
Release date: July 25, 2023
Debut Author, First Book in a Series
Two women embark on a unforgettable quest that draws them into a world of dark gods and ancient magic in this sweeping fantasy debut inspired by the history and folklore of colonial South America.
Sci-Fi/Horror Predictions
The Militia House by John Milas
Release Date: July 11, 2023
Stephen King meets Tim O’Brien in John Milas’s The Militia House, a spine-tingling and boldly original gothic horror novel.
Do you agree with my predictions? What are some of your July Book of the Month predictions? Let me know in the comments!
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Some of these look SO GOOD, it might be a 5 book month for me ????
Definitely some great predictions!!!!
Every one of these are better than what was offered in June (I also skipped) but oh boy I am excited with so many of these predictions!!! I agree with an earlier comment–it may be a five book month lol