New Release Radar: New Books Coming Out on June 17

Alex Faccibene

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The covers of three new book releases coming out on June 17: A Far Better Thing, GIrls Girls Girls, and Wearing the Lion

There are a lot of new books coming out every week. With New Release Radar, I’ll help you narrow down the week’s new book releases into the titles you should get excited about. This week I have 10 great new books to share with you, including plenty of impressive debuts. Read on!

Girls Girls Girls by Shoshana von Blanckensee

In the summer of ’96, best friends and secret girlfriends Hannah and Sam flee Long Beach for the promise of queer freedom in San Francisco. But when financial strain leads them into stripping – and Hannah into an escort arrangement with an older woman – their dream begins to splinter. As their bond frays and new identities emerge, Hannah must confront what she’s willing to sacrifice in the search for love, selfhood and home.

Girls Girls Girls is a powerful coming-of-age story that captures the complexities and beauties of young love and identity. Shoshana von Blanckensee’s debut will stay with you for a long time.

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The Poppy Fields by Nikki Erlick

Five travelers – including a grieving illustrator, a haunted fireman, and a little dog named PJ – journey to a mysterious treatment center in the California desert that promises relief from heartbreak through prolonged sleep. But as their secrets surface and the cost of healing grows clearer, they must each decide how far they’re willing to go to forget their pain.

Nikki Erlick’s new book release is a speculative novel about grief, hope and the messy path to healing. The Poppy Fields has a unique premise, centering on a speculative moral dilemma and the pain of losing a loved one.

The Mercy Makers by Tessa Gratton

The cover of The Mercy Makers has an illustration of a woman with long, flowing dark red hair. She is dressed in a red garment and is centered against a dark blue starry background. Overlaid on the image are intricate geometric patterns in gold, forming circles and lines. At the bottom, golden silhouettes of buildings rise against the blue background.

In a glittering empire ruled by fear, Iriset—master of magical disguise and daughter of a notorious criminal—uses her talents to help outlaws vanish. But she dreams of something greater: reshaping humanity itself. When the empire condemns her father to death, Iriset must infiltrate the palace and manipulate the imperial family from within. Yet as she earns their trust, she faces a choice between vengeance and transformation.

With dazzling magic and high-stakes intrigue, The Mercy Makers is a story about revolution, identity and love. Tessa Gratton’s new book release is the start to a sweeping, romantic epic fantasy trilogy.

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The Ghosts of Gwendolyn Montgomery by Clarence A. Haynes

Gwendolyn Montgomery is a powerhouse NYC publicist with a perfect life—until a gruesome museum event awakens ghosts from her past. As the veil between worlds thins, she teams up with Fonsi Harewood, a queer Latinx psychic caught in a love triangle with his ex and a ghost, to confront the haunting truths she’s long buried.

Glamorous and eerie, The Ghosts of Gwendolyn Montgomery is The Devil Wears Prada meets Practical Magic with a spectral twist. This emotionally rich novel is Clarence A. Haynes’s adult debut, making him one to watch out for.

Seventhblade by Tonia Laird

After the murder of her adopted son, T’Rayles, a feared warrior and daughter of the Indigenous Ibinnas, returns to the colonized city of Seventhblade. Once there, she’s determined to uncover the killer. Wielding her ancestral sword and aligning with dubious allies, including an exiled immortal god, T’Rayles must battle deadly magic, political unrest and the ghosts of her past to find justice.

Seventhblade is a fast-paced, anti-colonial fantasy about vengeance, power and ancestral legacy. Perfect for fans of N.K. Jemisin and Rebecca Roanhorse, Tonia Laird’s gripping debut blends fierce action and rich worldbuilding with a searing critique of settler colonialism.

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If We Survive This by Racquel Marie

The cover of If We Survive This has a person with curly red hair standing amidst a field of large orange flowers with green stems and leaves. The sky is a warm pink hue with scattered dark clouds. The person is wearing a gray jacket and blue jeans, holding a curved knife in one hand. The ground and surrounding areas are filled with orange flowers.

Six months into a rabies mutation outbreak that’s turned people into violent “rabids,” Flora Braddock Paz is still alive – despite never seeing herself as a survivor. With her mother dead and father missing, she and her brother set out for their childhood cabin in Northern California, hoping for safety and answers. But the road north is littered with danger, old wounds, and the truth that death is never far behind.

The Walking Dead meets Yellowjackets in Racquel Marie’s tense and emotional YA horror novel. If We Survive This is her first horror novel, but it’s also an intense, moving character study.

A Far Better Thing by H.G. Parry

Stolen by the fairies as a child, Sydney Carton was forced into servitude in the Faerie Realm while a changeling, Charles Darnay, took his place. Now returned to London, Sydney seeks revenge on both the fae and his double. But as he navigates magic, deception, and revolution in London and Paris, his quest for justice leads to a devastating choice beneath the guillotine’s blade.

H.G. Parry’s new book release tells a heart-rending revenge fantasy set during the French Revolution. Whether you’re a fan of A Tale of Two Cities or modern classics like Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell, you’ll love A Far Better Thing.

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Death on the Caldera by Emily Paxman

When the royal Linde siblings board a luxury train home, a deadly explosion strands them atop a volcanic caldera—and awakens Davina’s unknown witch powers. As passengers begin turning up dead, suspicion falls on Davina, whose fractured memory and secret magic make her an easy target. With danger closing in, the siblings must hide the truth and unmask the killer before they’re next. But on a train full of secrets, no one is safe.

Emily Paxman’s debut combines Murder on the Orient Express with witches and magic. Death on the Caldera is a spellbinding blend of fantasy and Golden Age crime, perfect for fans of V.E. Schwab, Leigh Bardugo and Agatha Christie.

Work Nights by Erica Peplin

The cover of Work Nights  has a stylized, colorful skyline of New York City, with prominent buildings rendered in shades of red and teal against a bright blue sky. At the center of the image is a large pink frosted donut with a hole in the middle, through which the spire of a skyscraper is visible.

Jane Grabowski spends her days stifling rage behind polite emails at her NYC newspaper job. Only Madeline, a gorgeous, label-averse intern, gives her something to look forward to. As Jane carefully works her way into Madeline’s life, her artist roommate pushes her toward healthier queer spaces, where Jane meets Addy, a principled musician ready for something real. Torn between Madeline’s chaos and Addy’s stability, Jane finds herself tangled in lies that build toward one final, life-altering decision.

Emily Austen meets Jen Beagin in a lit-fic in Emily Peplin’s debut lit-fic novel. Work Nights is a sharply funny and painfully relatable portrayal of petty office politics and the chaotic, queer, 20-something life in Brooklyn.

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Wearing the Lion by John Wiswell

Upon his birth, the future famed hero Heracles dedicates his deeds to Hera, unaware she is the goddess responsible for his suffering. After Hera’s guilt leads her to send Furies to drive Heracles mad, resulting in the accidental murder of his own children. Desperate for answers, Heracles and his wife Megara set out for vengeance. But instead of slaying monsters on the quests Hera assigns to mislead him, Heracles begins healing by caring for them. As Heracles gathers followers, Hera is forced to confront her own guilt, and the consequences of the path she set him on.

John Wiswell brings a humanizing level of redemption to the myths of both Heracles and Hera. Like his debut, Someone You Can Build a Nest In, Wearing the Novel is somehow both dark and endearingly sweet.

You can check out these new book releases at Bookshop.org or your local bookstore. What June 10 new release are you most excited to read? Let us know below, and tune in next week to grow your TBR.

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Alex Faccibene