See our picks for the best books of the month, including thrillers, historical fiction and new celebrity memoirs
Fiction on the power of found family and new memoirs about coming into one’s own — here are PEOPLE's picks for the best books of June 2024.
'All Friends are Necessary' by Tomas Moniz
How do you recast your life while dealing with grief? When bisexual Efren “Chino” Flores loses his baby and his marriage, he leaves Seattle for San Francisco, drowning in sorrow and desperate to recover. With a little help from his friends and his community, he slowly realizes all the good that still remains for him, from books and music to new sexual adventures and becoming part of a surprising family. Not only absolutely irresistible but unforgettably profound. — Caroline Leavitt
'Consent' by Jill Ciment
In 1971, a 16-year-old art student developed a crush on her fortysomething teacher. He later left his wife for her, and they got married. Ciment documented her unusual marriage in her 1996 memoir Half a Life, but today she sees it all a bit differently. Frank, provocative and deeply compelling. — Marion Winik
'The Uptown Local' by Cory Leadbeater
This poignant debut follows aspiring novelist Cory Leadbeater, who thinks he’s escaped a dead-end life by landing a job as Joan Didion’s assistant. But proximity to literary greatness does not bestow it, and Didion can’t exorcise his demons; Cory must do that himself. — Theo Munger
'The Switch' by Lily Samson
When Elena and Adam house-sit in a posh neighborhood, they meet the enigmatic Sophia and Finn. But their friendship takes a dark turn in this sexy, seductive thriller.
'Assassins Anonymous' by Rob Hart
In this surprising novel, Mark is a retired killer in a 12-step program to keep clean. Then he’s attacked and forced to find out whodunit.
'Evocation' by S.T. Gibson
As psychic prodigy-turned-attorney David nears 30, the devil wants to collect an ancient debt. The only person David can turn to is his ex and rival in this delightful series starter.
'Resurrection' by Danielle Steel
Darcy Gray seemingly has it all — a successful career as an influencer, a loving husband and twin daughters who are beginning their lives abroad. When her world is unexpectedly upturned after a trip to Rome, Darcy flies to Paris, where her new adventure involves an aging film star, a widowed engineer and the possibility of a fresh start. Another gripping portrait from the bestselling author.
'The Friday Afternoon Club' by Griffin Dunne
As the son of journalist Dominick Dunne, and the nephew of writers John Gregory Dunne and Joan Didion, Griffin Dunne grew up surrounded by celebrity. The TV and film veteran now looks back on his famed family's history and tragedy, balancing heartbreak with humor in this revelatory new memoir.
'Entrances and Exits' by Michael Richards
Following a racist outburst in 2006 at the Laugh Factory, the Seinfeld star is stepping back into the public eye — and opening up about his own struggles along the road to fame — in his debut memoir.
'Eruption' by Michael Crichton and James Patterson
When Jurassic Park author Michael Crichton died in 2008, he left behind an unfinished manuscript. After 15 years, his widow, Sherri, finally found the right person to finish it: bestselling author James Patterson. The book takes place on the Big Island of Hawaii, in which both a volcanic eruption and more human-focused forces threaten disaster.
“If someone you admire passes, you go, ‘I just want some more,'" Patterson tells PEOPLE of why he got involved in the project. "In this case, I wanted to find out how the story turned out, so it had to be written.”
'Soldier Sailor' by Claire Kilroy
Besotted with her infant son, the woman who narrates this searing, spellbinding novel is also struggling to cope. “This isn’t postnatal depression,” she tells her checked-out husband. “This is life-is-s--- depression. . . . I miss my old life like I’d miss a lover.” With the urgency of a thriller and the intimacy of a memoir, the book explores the fever dream that is new motherhood — and the disproportionate parenting burdens that can wreak havoc on a marriage.— Kim Hubbard
'There Is No Ethan' by Anna Akbar
In 2011, sociologist Anna Akbari matched with the charismatic Ethan Schuman on OkCupid. But he could never seem to meet IRL. As she compared notes with other women who “met” Ethan online, a riveting tale of women using their combined power to unmask a con artist emerged. — Mary Pols
'Shelterwood' by Lisa Wingate
In 1909 Oklahoma, Ollie, 11, helps a Choctaw girl escape abuse. Decades later, in 1990, a new park ranger named Valerie finds a deadly secret. A sweeping tale about little-known history.
'Malas' by Marcela Fuentes
This luminous debut moves like a movie. Pilar Aguirre’s family gets cursed in 1951, and 40 years later, Lulu Muñoz forms a bond with a stranger that may change everything.
'The Ballad of Jacquotte Delahaye' by Briony Cameron
A thrilling, swashbuckling story of a young Santo Domingo shipwright’s rise to notoriety as the first female pirate captain of the Caribbean.
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