It doesn’t always feel like it, but spring has officially sprung, and summer is just on the horizon. And along with the longer days, and blooming flowers, and evenings on the patios, come some really exciting new books. From cute and cozy romances, to tense and twisty thrillers, to bold and brilliant fantasies, we’ve compiled some of our most anticipated books of spring and summer, for your reading pleasure! 

APRIL

Burn the Sea by Mona Tewari

Mona Tewari’s Burn the Sea is the first book in a stunning new historical fantasy duology. Abbakka never expected to be queen. She was the youngest of Ullal’s two rajkumaris, and spent her time in rigorous training, in order to become her sister’s blade. But when the monstrous Porcugi attempt to lay claim to Ullal, Abbakka’s world and her fate are upended. The Porcugi are giant half man half snakes, who haven’t been seen since their failed invasion almost 50 years ago, but now they’re back with a vengeance, and a choice…

Dogs, Boys, and Other Things I’ve Cried About by Isabel Klee

Many of you may know Isabel Klee from her incredibly popular TikTok account, @SimonSits, but you’re about to know her from her charming and relatable memoir, Dogs, Boys, and Other Things I’ve Cried About. Born in New Jersey, Klee had always wanted to live in New York, and she got her chance at age 20, ditching her upstate college, and getting a room in a grungy basement apartment in Manhattan. She’d been obsessed with dogs since she was a kid, so when she got her first post-grad job as an assistant to a dog photographer, something clicked into place for her. She now dreamt of helping dogs find a place to live, and began to pursue her passions, rehabilitating dogs and helping them get adopted, all the while attending parties, making friends, and making the most of her time in New York. Soon, she met her first love, Simon. Simon was a puppy who had been saved from the meat trade, and he kept Isabel grounded as she navigated her twenties. This is Isabel’s story of complicated relationships, great loves, and hard decisions, set against the backdrop of coming-of-age in New York City.

MAY

Honey by Imani Thompson

Imani Thompson’s Honey is a dark and provocative debut novel about a graduate student who murders bad men, justifying it in the name of feminism. Yrsa is in a funk — she’s bored with everything: Her research in Afropessimism, her PhD program, and the entitled undergrads she has to cater to. But mostly, she’s bored of the men in her life. Especially the bad ones. When her best friend Nina confesses her affair with a professor, and that he stole her research, Yrsa is MAD. And when she bumps into that professor and witnesses his death, it awakens a taste for murder, and soon, Yrsa finds herself chasing that high, so no sexist, misbehaving man is safe… But how long can she justify her actions?

Storm Breaker by Nisha J. Tuli

Bestselling, #BookTok favourite author Nisha J. Tuli is back with the first book in a brand new dystopian romantasy series. Nineteen-year-old Poet Graves has always found safety in New Manhattan… if she obeys. She was raised within the ruling Houses, and betrothed to a powerful heir when she entered Amery Academy, with her future already decided.  But Amery isn’t like she imagined it would be — it’s full of brutal trials and Poet is struggling to survive, while also hiding a truth that could get her executed. When a dangerous outsider enters the academy, Poet is drawn to him, despite it threatening the life that she’d been promised, her future, and even her freedom.

The Cherry Blossom Boathouse by Laura Bloom

If the gorgeous cover won’t get you, the sweet-as-sugar story will. Laura Bloom’s The Cherry Blossom Boathouse is the perfect spring read for lovers of Gilmore Girls and Carley Fortune. When Sophie Bennet is fired and dumped (in quick succession), she decides to take a wine-fueled risk. She launches a crowdfunding campaign to “Help a Boring Girl Buy a Bookshop”, and to her shock, what started out as a joke ends up going viral, raising enough money for her to leave London, and buy a rundown boathouse in the small town of Solace Springs, Washington. The local grump…er… boatbuilder has had it with outsiders coming into town and disrupting his quiet life, so when Sophie, his annoyingly attractive and optimistic neighbour moves in, he wants nothing to do with her renovation project. It’s too bad that fate (and the town’s residents) have other plans.

JUNE

The Ocean Would Paint Me Blue by Zoulfa Katouh

Award-winning young adult author Zoulfa Katouh is back with a poignant coming-of-age story about a Syrian American girl with a magical sketchbook. Seventeen-year-old Jihad Dabbagh has always seen life with a heightened sense of colour. It’s just one of the many magical blessings possessed by the women in her family. But Jihad’s gift can change depending on her mood. When depression sets in, the world is devoid of colour, and in the wake of her mother’s sudden death, the world has permanently become grey. Broken by tragedy, her family doesn’t believe her colour loss, and her father sends her to the elite Braxton Academy in order to finish her senior year. At Braxton, her name and her hijab put a target on her back, and she finds escape in an old sketchbook carved from a tree from their hometown in Syria. Although she hadn’t picked up a brush in months, she soon finds herself channeling her pain into her art as she paints the story of her mother’s journey in Syria. When graffiti of the same mural starts magically popping up all over New York, her art goes viral, and the world takes notice.

Whistler by Ann Patchett

In Ann Patchett’s Whistler, Daphne Fuller and her husband visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and soon notice an older gentleman following them. The man turns out to be Eddie Triplett, her former stepfather, who had been married to her mother for about a year when Daphne was nine. Now, Daphne is in her fifties, and hasn’t seen Eddie since the fateful event that changed the course of both of their lives. While their relationship was brief, it was also profoundly impactful, and now that they’ve reunited, they plan to never be separated again. This is a story about the choices we make, and the ones made for us, and the small moments that can end up defining our lives. 

Lost in the Summer of ‘69 by Eliza Knight

Eliza Knight’s Lost in the Summer of ‘69 is the perfect work of historical fiction for fans of Daisy Jones and the Six, and Where’d You Go, Bernadette. Eleanor Bell is a widow who has always given everything she had to her family, even giving up her dreams of becoming a singer. When she receives a diagnosis of early Alzheimer’s, right before her 69th birthday, she decides to go on an epic musical bucket-list trip to fulfill her dreams, touring festivals all summer. However, she forgets (perhaps on purpose) to tell anyone where she’s going. When her daughter Leanne discovers her mother is missing, she enlists the help of her own daughter, Nora, to help her find Eleanor. This is the last thing Nora wants to do, but soon Nora and Leanne find themselves on a road trip, following one step behind Eleanor, in an unforgettable summer. 

Retro by Jessica M. Goldstein

Jessica M Goldstein’s Retro follows an out-of-work actress who gets a job as a tour guide for a luxury time travel company. When Ash sees a job ad for Retro, she begins her life as a Time Travel Agent, where she takes wealthy tourists to historical hotspots, soon finding herself swept up by her dazzling new job. But as her trips threaten to unravel her life, she wonders if “escaping” into the past really is an escape after all.

Thornbird by E. Kennedy

Bestselling adult romance author Elle Kennedy (writing as E. Kennedy) makes her thriller debut with the twisty and turny young adult thriller, Thornbird. The story follows Ryan Shipley, the daughter of the infamous serial killer Gabriel Thorn, who is now back in Starling, Tennessee, trying to lay low. No one must know who she really is, but as fresh eyes start to dig a little deeper into the case, old secrets refuse to stay buried. Soon Ryan starts to receive cryptic text messages, and everyone starts to wonder: Does Ryan know more than she’s letting on? As the truth unravels, Ryan’s carefully held secrets start to unravel as well. Fast-paced and unputdownable, this is the perfect read for lovers of Holly Jackson. 

JULY

The Lure of Wolves and Whispers by Amanda Connolly

I am super excited for Amanda Connolly’s debut romantasy, The Lure of Wolves and Whispers. On the mist-shrouded Isle of Eireann, buying magic comes with a price, but when her older sister is gravely injured, Maeve risks everything to buy the forbidden magic that could save her. In exchange, she must trade her life to a ruthless and alluring rebel leader. She’s bound to do his bidding, and she soon finds herself in a deadly competition to become the next queen, standing beside a prince who is rumoured to be even more brutal than his tyrant father. With the land on the brink of war, survival will come at a terrible cost — one that would tear her heart, and her world in two, left unsure what she would sacrifice to survive.

The Table Where We Meet by Jess Janz

Jess Janz’ The Table Where We Meet is a book for anyone who is craving a bit of connection. We all want to be known, but most of us have no idea where to begin. When Jess Janz found herself trapped in a world of small talk, she decided she craved deeper connection. So, she took a leap, turning an idea into the Dinner With movement, where guests gather around a table, introducing themselves, without ever mentioning their work. In this collection of essays, Jess reflects on what she learned from hosting dinners across North America, with more than a thousand strangers. Full of unforgettable stories, and poignant insights, this is a guide, a memoir, and a quiet revolution in one.

Beginning Middle End by Valeria Luiselli

I loved Valeria Luiselli’s breathtaking The Lost Children Archive, so I was very excited to hear about her upcoming story, Beginning Middle End. This novel follows a mother and her teenage daughter who have arrived in Sicily, near the ancient ruins where the narrator’s grandmother worked long ago, on an archaeological dig. While the mother is trying to figure out how to reconstruct their lives together, imagining new beginnings and endings, her inquisitive and intelligent daughter starts to take the reins of the story. She’s curious about her great grandmother’s past, urging her mother to seek out answers about their family. This is a deeply moving, and existential story, perfect for those who love to linger over every word.

City of Widows by Nadia Hashimi

Nadia Hashimi’s City of Widows is a powerful and gripping novel that focuses on the lives of women in Afghanistan since the Taliban seized back power. In early 2020, as the US began to withdraw from Afghanistan, after nearly twenty years of occupation, there was a whole generation of Afghan women who were born during that time, growing up in relative peace. As the Taliban start to take power again, they know everything is about to change. In the cosmopolitan city of Kabul, women are newscasters, doctors, teachers, shop keepers, and even soldiers. Marjan fought in the Afghan army, and will risk everything to keep her daughter Hawa safe. When she was younger, Marjan was called Rahima, and raised as a bacha posh (a girl raised as a boy) until she came of age, and was forced into a marriage. When she fled her warlord husband, she took a new name, and created a new life for herself. As did Soraya, who, despite her family’s wishes, led the army’s all-female combat force while wearing red lipstick. Soraya is now a wanted woman whose brother may not shelter her. Mina’s beautiful face is known to everyone in Kabul, thanks to her career as a broadcaster. What will become of them? One thing is for sure: none of these women will meekly accept their fate.

AUGUST

Everything Comes Back to You by Jackie Khalilieh

Jackie Khalilieh just does NOT miss! Her latest young adult novel, Everything Comes Back to You, is a heartfelt coming-of-age story about a young teen who has always tried to live up to her Palestinian father’s high standards. She’s both nervous and excited about starting high school at the same school as her older sister, when her sister drops a bombshell: She is pregnant. Their Palestinian Canadian parents are devastated, and Lennon feels even more pressure to be “good”. But after a chance encounter with John, a white boy in the grade above, Lennon finds herself developing a crush — one that will certainly earn her parents disapproval. As Lennon and John find themselves continuously drawn together and pulled apart during their time in high school, Lennon wrestles with shame, obedience, yearning, and rebellion, through the lens of her autism, all while trying to please both her parents and herself. When a relationship with a different boy challenges her ideas about family and happiness, she finds her way forward is clear — even if it means losing everyone and everything she loves.

You’ll Love It Here by Natalie Sue

I loved Natalie Sue’s I Hope This Finds You Well, so I am beyond excited for her next book, You’ll Love It Here. This is a sharp, funny story, with a tender heart. Mona thought her living situation was bad, but the mess is only just beginning, as her life implodes in one day. She spent years climbing the corporate ladder so she could get promoted and move out of her crumbling apartment building. Instead, she finds herself jobless, aimless, and still stuck in a tiny space. So, when her eccentric landlady falls and asks Mona to step in as the building’s super, she reluctantly takes the job, so she can help prepare the building for sale, and get the upgrade she so desperately wants. But that’s easier said than done with these neighbours. As Mona gets pulled more deeply into the building’s chaos, and gets closer to the tenants, she’s forced to confront what she’s been trying to outrun. Sometimes, it’s the place that you’re the most desperate to leave that shows you who you really are. 

Barbie: Dreamscape by Alex Aster

Alex Aster is a bestselling author and social media darling, and her latest is an out of the box (lol) young adult novel, about Barbie. Barbie’s life is perfect. She lives in Heartland — a pink paradise, where everything is in order, and everyone has a role to play – thanks to the all-powerful beings who will assign her a Fate when she graduates from the enchanted Swancrest Academy. She’s worked so hard to get a good Fate, so when the unthinkable happens, and Barbie is left as the first Fateless person in Heartland’s history, her carefully ordered world falls apart. Barbie is now left to confront a future she never expected, and when a mysterious necklace begins to pulse with a hidden power, she is drawn beyond the protective mists of Heartland, into a daring journey, steeped in magic and secrets. This is a compelling coming-of-age story about defying expectations and journeying out of the box, into the unexpected.

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Ameema Saeed (@ameemabackwards) is a storyteller, a Capricorn, an avid bookworm, and a curator of very specific playlists and customized book recommendations. She’s a book reviewer, a Sensitivity Reader, a book buyer at Indigo Books & Music, and the Books Editor for She Does the City, where she writes and curates bookish content, and book recommendations. She enjoys bad puns, good food, dancing, and talking about feelings. She writes about books, big feelings, unruly bodies, and her lived experiences, and hopes to write your next favourite book one day. When she’s not reading books, she likes to talk about books (especially diverse books, and books by diverse authors) on her bookstagram: @ReadWithMeemz