The 10 Best New Books Of August

August always brings the feeling that summer is coming to a close faster than expected. But don’t despair, there are still several glorious weeks of sunny afternoons ahead perfect for reading outside.

This month holds especially promising novels from new talents. Raphael Montes’ unnerving thriller The Secret Dinner, already a bestseller in Brazil, gets an English translation. Stacey Yu also makes her debut with Kitten, about a recent college grad on a path of obsession with her boyfriend’s cat, Silver.

There are some long-awaited returns, too. Over a decade since Big Little Lies was published, Liane Moriarty’s Big Little Truths picks up with the Pirriwee moms 10 years later when their children are in high school. After Thao Thai’s 2023 hit Banyan Moon, she’s back with Seekers of Deer Creek, another sweeping family drama that traces the complexities of intergenerational relationships.

So, don’t put away that sunscreen — summer’s not quite over. Here are Bustle’s best books of August.

Sunlight Finds You by Laura Moriarty

Out August 4. Set in Florida against the backdrop of the Cold War, 17-year-old Nora falls headfirst for Leonard, the son of two New York transplants. As tensions between the two families escalate, Nora must make a decision that alters the course of her life.

Seekers of Deer Creek by Thao Thai

Out August 4. Months after their father’s death, the Nguyễn sisters still aren’t speaking. Straightlaced art conservator Vivi and free-spirited artist Calla live in different worlds. When Calla shows up on the steps of Vivi’s museum convinced a Vietnamese painter had left a portrait to their father, the two set off in search of it. On their journey that takes them from Wisconsin to France to Vietnam, the two confront their family history — and one another.

Kitten by Stacey Yu

Out August 4. Katie is uncomfortable in her new adult life. She and her mother no longer speak, she can’t find a job, and she owes her friends thousands in rent. But when her boyfriend introduces her to his family’s cat, Silver, Katie feels an immediate connection. As her obsession deepens, her human connections fall by the wayside.

Meet Me in the Garden by Nina LaCour

Out August 4. Set in 1944 in New Orleans, Odette has been keeping a secret from her family: she’s in love with a woman. Meanwhile, her cousin, Delphine is also hiding that her lover is a white man. Five years later, Odette is a widowed mother living in Los Angeles and Delphine is passing as white. When things begin to crumble, one decision brings the two crashing back together.

My Person by Téa Mutonji

Out August 11. Tania makes an announcement: she no longer wants Margot, her best friend of 20 years, in her life. The daughter of working-class Congolese immigrants, she’s felt a growing sense of turmoil with Margot who grew up white and privileged. As she begins to untangle herself from Margot’s social and financial webs, Tania learns that letting go is more difficult than she had ever imagined.

You’ll Love It Here by Natalie Sue

Out August 11. Mona’s life is at a standstill; she’s freshly jobless and living in a tiny crumbling apartment. So, when her landlady asks her to fill in as the super to help prepare the building for sale, she agrees. But as Mona falls headfirst into its charming chaos, she’s forced to reassess the life she’s been chasing.

The Secret Dinner by Raphael Montes

Out August 18. Dante, Piglet, Miguel, and Hugo have moved from rural Brazil to Rio de Janeiro in search of better opportunities, only to face exorbitant rent prices and living costs. Struggling to make ends meet, the four concoct a plan to throw clandestine dinner parties for the city’s elite centered around an exceptionally rare delicacy.

Ordinary People, Extraordinary Times by Skye Perryman

Out August 25. Part essay collection, part how-to, this book is an empowering guide to taking the future of politics into your own hands. Writer Skye Perryman, president and CEO of the nonprofit Democracy Forward, argues that the responsibility to improve the system lies not with the institutions, but with everyday citizens.

Big Little Truths by Liane Moriarty

Out August 25. Ten years after the scandalous events of Big Little Lies, Madeline, Celeste, Jane, Renata, and Bonnie are wrapped up in their teenagers’ lives. When a threatening package arrives at the high school principal’s doorstep and a stranger looms, the women confront the secrets they’ve been keeping from their families.

Dèy by Edwidge Danticat

Out August 25. Successful Haitian American real estate agent Magnolia narrowly escapes a mass shooting at a shopping mall, but at home, she keeps the experience a secret from her family. With a sharpened sense of clarity, she reassesses her relationships with her daughter Zoe and Zoe’s father Harrison while also coping with her mother’s declining mental health back in Haiti. Told over the course of the weeks before Magnolia’s 33rd birthday, Dèy (the Creole word for mourning) explores the weight of grief and the levity of community.