Happy Solstice! It is the longest day of the year, so let’s make the most out of it. I thought today would be a great time to talk about the new summer releases that I am looking forward to.
Home Before Dark
Synopsis:
What was it like? Living in that house.
Maggie Holt is used to such questions. Twenty-five years ago, she and her parents, Ewan and Jess, moved into Baneberry Hall, a rambling Victorian estate in the Vermont woods. They spent three weeks there before fleeing in the dead of night, an ordeal Ewan later recounted in a nonfiction book called House of Horrors. His tale of ghostly happenings and encounters with malevolent spirits became a worldwide phenomenon, rivaling The Amityville Horror in popularity–and skepticism.
Today, Maggie is a restorer of old homes and too young to remember any of the events mentioned in her father’s book. But she also doesn’t believe a word of it. Ghosts, after all, don’t exist. When Maggie inherits Baneberry Hall after her father’s death, she returns to renovate the place to prepare it for sale. But her homecoming is anything but warm. People from the past, chronicled in House of Horrors, lurk in the shadows. And locals aren’t thrilled that their small town has been made infamous thanks toMaggie’s father. Even more unnerving is Baneberry Hall itself–a place filled with relics from another era that hint at a history of dark deeds. As Maggie experiences strange occurrences straight out of her father’s book, she starts to believe that what he wrote was more fact than fiction.
Alternating between Maggie’s uneasy homecoming and chapters from her father’s book, Home Before Dark is the story of a house with long-buried secrets and a woman’s quest to uncover them–even if the truth is far more terrifying than any haunting.
I’m sure that it is no surprise that this is on the list. It is also the most anticipated of my anticipated summer releases. Riley Sager is one of my favorite authors. I actually joined Book of the Month so that I could get an early copy of this. Shortly after joining, there was some controversy surrounding the company. I don’t support their actions at all. I hope this causes a seriously needed change on their end. Though I am glad I got to read this early. It was just as good as I hoped it would be.
Releases June 30. Preorder
The Only Good Indians
Synopsis:
Seamlessly blending classic horror and a dramatic narrative with sharp social commentary, The Only Good Indians follows four American Indian men after a disturbing event from their youth puts them in a desperate struggle for their lives. Tracked by an entity bent on revenge, these childhood friends are helpless as the culture and traditions they left behind catch up to them in a violent, vengeful way.
I found this while researching There, There by Tommy Orange. I really want to read more things from the Native American perspective. There, There fell flat for me. I’m hoping this will be what I am looking for.
Releases July 14. Preorder
Mexican Gothic
Synopsis:
Noem is also an unlikely rescuer: She’s a glamorous debutante, and her chic gowns and perfect red lipstick are more suited for cocktail parties than amateur sleuthing. But she’s also tough and smart, with an indomitable will, and she is not afraid: Not of her cousin’s new husband, who is both menacing and alluring; not of his father, the ancient patriarch who seems to be fascinated by Noem ; and not even of the house itself, which begins to invade Noemi’s dreams with visions of blood and doom.
Her only ally in this inhospitable abode is the family’s youngest son. Shy and gentle, he seems to want to help Noem , but might also be hiding dark knowledge of his family’s past. For there are many secrets behind the walls of High Place. The family’s once colossal wealth and faded mining empire kept them from prying eyes, but as Noem digs deeper she unearths stories of violence and madness.
And Noem , mesmerized by the terrifying yet seductive world of High Place, may soon find it impossible to ever leave this enigmatic house behind.
The pitch I read for Mexican Gothic said, “For fans of Jane Eyre.” That’s really all I needed. The synopsis sounds so promising. I have also heard great reviews.
Releases June 30. Preorder
The Pull of the Stars
Synopsis:
In an Ireland doubly ravaged by war and disease, Nurse Julia Power works at an understaffed hospital in the city center, where expectant mothers who have come down with the terrible new Flu are quarantined together. Into Julia’s regimented world step two outsiders — Doctor Kathleen Lynn, a rumoured Rebel on the run from the police, and a young volunteer helper, Bridie Sweeney.
In the darkness and intensity of this tiny ward, over three days, these women change each other’s lives in unexpected ways. They lose patients to this baffling pandemic, but they also shepherd new life into a fearful world. With tireless tenderness and humanity, carers and mothers alike somehow do their impossible work.
This one might be really hard to read right now, but it sounds so good. I love books set in Ireland. It might be interesting to compare the events in the book to our current events. Or it might be terrifying. We will see.
Releases July 20. Preorder
I don’t have many summer releases that I want to read, but I am super excited about the ones that I have mentioned. What summer releases have made your to be read list?
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Reading in the Wildwood 
I have two of these preordered!! 🙂 I haven’t heard about The Pull of the Stars yet. Thanks for putting that on my radar!
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It was a last minute addition to the list, but it sounds so interesting.
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