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A touching LGBTQ+ saga, pulse-racing international drama and a new novel from a beloved hitmaker — here are PEOPLE’s picks for the best books of June 2025, so far.
‘Atmosphere’ by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Penguin Random House
Astronomy and physics professor Joan Goodwin’s changes completely when she receives a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity: to join the NASA Space Shuttle program, and one of the first missions to send female astronauts into space. The latest novel from the Daisy Jones & The Six and The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo author is an empowering and out of this world love story.
‘How to Lose Your Mother’ by Molly Jong-Fast
Viking
Death hasn’t come just yet for Erica Jong, 83, author of the seminal Fear of Flying, but her daughter has already been losing her for years — to the fame Erica prioritized over mothering and to alcoholism and dementia. Heartbreaking, enraging and suffused with love. — Kim Hubbard
‘A Family Matter’ by Claire Lynch
Scribner
In 1982 England, young wife and mother Dawn, falls hopelessly in love with another woman, then loses her 3-year-old daughter Maggie in a court custody case. Her embittered husband, Heron, raises Maggie without revealing the reason for her mother’s absence, saying she left them for another man. After Heron is diagnosed with a terminal illness 40 years later, Maggie learns the truth in an emotional reveal and reconnects with the mother she lost. A tempered celebration of how far we’ve come. — Louisa Ermelino
‘Park Avenue’ by Renée Ahdieh
Flatiron Books
Lawyer Jia Song is the daughter of Korean bodega owners, and she’s always wanted to run with the big dogs. But when she takes on the case of an imploding, ultrarich Korean family, her inability to fix things could cost them all everything. Fans of The White Lotus and Crazy Rich Asians won’t want to miss this.
‘Plus Size Player’ by Danielle Allen
Bramble
Nina has never met a man who can satisfy her, so she keeps a few on rotation. It works for her — until one proves he’s good for more. A master class on constructing compelling banter.
