Buzz Books Publishing in June

Romance, yearning, murder, the imminent collapse of our world, cheerleaders - June’s Buzz Books have it all! And you’ll be surprised which read is which. We asked what booksellers and other early readers thought: read on to find out what should be your next library hold.

The Jellyfish Problem by Tessa Yang (Berkley, June 2)

“Tessa Yang’s prose is like a friend in your ear: laugh out loud funny one minute and deeply vulnerable the next. Her debut nove… deftly combines elements of sea creature horror, romance, and island mystery into a moving story about lost friendship and a love of the ocean. You will drink this right down and want another.”
—Yume Kitasei, author of Saltcrop

The Bookseller by Tim Sullivan (Atlantic Crime, June 2)

“A series that is at once a cleverly plotted police procedural and a compelling and fascinating tale featuring a man Stephen Frey describes as, ‘A perfect detective .’”
—Betsy Burton, The King’s English Bookshop, Salt Lake City, UT

Shadow Reaper by Lynette Noni (Knopf Books for Young Readers, June 2)

"Romantasy fans will enjoy the slow burn of an enemies-to-lovers romance, while readers looking for action will appreciate the pageturning plot."
—Booklist

The Secret World of Briar Rose by Cindy Pham (Kokila, June 2)

★ "The emotional depth of the characters adds many layers to the search for identity, overcoming grief, and finding belonging; the book shows how hope, love, and redemption can exist in this darkness."
—School Library Journal, starred review

Heather by Caitlin Mullen (Celadon, June 9)

“If you enjoyed Mare of Easttown, you’ll love Heather. A gritty cold-case detective story, vividly and insightfully written. Not just a story of murder, it’s a thought-provoking and moving meditation on mothers and daughters and the long-reaching consequences of the choices we make.”
―Alex Michaelides, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Silent Patient and The Fury

Forever is the Sweetest Con by Joanna Thurlow (Sugar Shack Books, June 16)

“Clever, intoxicating, and filled with crackling chemistry, Forever is the Sweetest Con explores what happens when survival, ambition, and attraction collide. Cleo has made a career out of faking it, until a mysterious offer lands her on a reality-TV set where the line between truth and performance blurs in dangerously seductive ways. Equal parts suspense and slow-burn romance, it’s twisty, sharp, and utterly addictive—a love story wrapped in a con you’ll never see coming.”
—Kristin Wollett, author of As a Last Resort

Watch Joanna’s conversation on Substack with Publishers Marketplace COO Mary Ann Naples from last season’s Buzz Books Official Day!

The Missed Connection by Tia Williams (Grand Central Publishing, June 16)

"Whenever I finish a Tia Williams book, I have to sit and marvel at the story I've just consumed. This is the power and beauty of her storytelling. And I felt this in spades with The Missed Connection. With her signature lush prose and depth of characters, Williams adds smart, laugh-out-loud humor and perfect, swoon-worthy romance to create what will already claim a spot as one of the best of the year. This book has everything I want in my romance novels—banter, yearning, intense chemistry—but with deeper themes and arcs that pull at heartstrings. The Missed Connection is a can't miss read. Highly recommend!"
—Susan Lee, bestselling author of Julia Song is Undateable

Watch Tia’s conversation with her editor Karen Kosztolnyik at Buzz Books Spring/Summer Fiction Panel here!

I Eat the Stars: How to Live Fully and Beautifully in a Collapsing World by Sarah Wilson (Penguin Life, June 16)

“Drawing on perspectives from climate scientists, psychologists, and technology futurists, the author’s raw soul searching gives rise to plenty of hard questions as well as some surprisingly beautiful meditations on what it means to be human in an age of uncertainty. Challenging and rewarding, this will stick in readers’ minds.”
—Publishers Weekly, starred review

Watch Sarah’s conversation with her editor Amy Sun at Buzz Books Spring/Summer Nonfiction Panel here, and her conversation on Substack with Publishers Marketplace COO Mary Ann Naples here!

Doe by Rebecca Barrow (Nancy Paulsen Books, June 23)

“Rececca has written a reckoning. Doe represents YA at its best and horror at its finest because it so unflinchingly confronts the brutal realities that underpin both. Rebecca has spun a story that is so viscerally and electrically alive and emerges a writer at the top of her craft. I will remember this book, and I will follow its author wherever she goes. Brilliant. I loved it. The team was right—all it took was one girl to undo us all. I AM UNDONE!!!”
—Courtney Summers, New York Times bestselling author of Sadie

From our friends at the Association of Writers and Writing Programs: AWP is now accepting proposals for #AWP27 in Chicago! If you are interested in submitting an #AWP27 proposal, review the guidelines detailed in the 2027 Event Proposal Guidelines and the Presenter Guidelines before submitting. Additional resources for crafting and submitting an AWP event proposal can be found on the Proposal Overview page.

Interested in submitting a virtual event proposal? Visit the Virtual Conference Events page for detailed information. The deadline to submit a proposal is June 1, 2026.

#BuzzBooksOfficial: All videos from our Buzz Books Spring/Summer 2026 panels are available to view on YouTube!