The Best Grown-Up Reads of
June 2020
by the Brightly Editors
Summer is officially upon us, and here at Brightly we’re celebrating with the latest and greatest beach reads (beach not required!), sweeping family novels, and sassy rom-coms. And because we’re committed to helping you raise your kids and enjoy every minute of it, we’re also shouting from the rooftops about new guides to happier parenting and the wild world of raising teens.
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The Lies That Bind
Buy from:New to the city and reeling from a breakup, Cecily Gardner knows it’s not a great time to fall in love — especially with someone planning to leave New York. But love rarely goes as planned, and Cecily and Grant spend six heady months together before Grant disappears in the chaos following 9/11. When Cecily sees Grant’s face on a missing-person poster, she realizes she’s not the only one looking for him, and she’s desperate to find answers.
(On Sale: 6/2/20)Buy from: -
The Vanishing Half
Buy from:Author Kiley Reid draws a line between Brit Bennett’s newest and Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye, which speaks to the gravity and beauty you can expect. After running away from home at 16, twin sisters Stella and Desiree go on to live completely different lives: Stella eventually returns to their southern hometown; Desiree stays in California and continues to pass as white. Now mothers themselves, what will their choices mean for their daughters?
(On Sale: 6/2/20)Buy from: -
How to Be a Happier Parent
Buy from:Parenting expert KJ Dell’Antonia approaches parental advice from a new angle: rather than obsessing over how to raise goodhearted, hyper-successful kids, she turns the focus on how to enjoy the ins and outs of daily parenting. Offering practical solutions, nonjudgmental advice, and hilarious anecdotes, Dell’Antonia helps parents emerge from the chaos and transform their family life into a refuge, rather than a source of stress.
(On Sale: 6/2/20)Buy from: -
What's My Teenager Thinking?
Buy from:Finally, the answers to one of parenting’s biggest questions. What’s My Teenager Thinking? addresses the science of teenage behavior so parents can get at the root of mystifying changes. It also tackles 100 everyday scenarios — from door slamming to the birds-and-the-bees — to help parents respond in ways that will nurture rather than isolate their teens.
(On Sale: 6/2/20)Buy from: -
Always the Last to Know
Buy from:After 50 years of marriage, Barb is secretly planning to leave her marriage — but when John has a stroke, there’s no more room for secrets. That also holds true for their adult daughters: Juliet, the successful architect who’s having closeted panic attacks, and Sadie, the struggling artist who’s confronted with the man she left behind years ago. Emotional and messy, bighearted and real — in other words, a family novel.
(On Sale: 6/9/20)Buy from: -
Last Tang Standing
Buy from:The perfect summer read for rom-com fans, Last Tang Standing introduces readers to 33-year-old lawyer Andrea Tang, who’s doing incredibly well for herself, thank you very much — except she’s about to become the last singleton in her prying Chinese-Malaysian family. Her sights are torn between two men: the wealthy Eric Deng, her family’s obvious pick, and her office rival, Suresh Aditparan. Amid all the competing voices, can Andrea figure out what she wants?
(On Sale: 6/9/20)Buy from: -
The Last Train to Key West
Buy from:In 1935, the paths of three women collide in the Florida Keys while a devastating hurricane looms offshore. Helen Berner, a Key West native, wants nothing to do with her tourist city. On her honeymoon, Mirta Perez observes her new American husband, whom she married to help her family after the Cuban Revolution. Meanwhile, Elizabeth Preston finds herself in the shanty work camps built for WWI veterans. Their intertwining stories of love, family, and survival make for an effortless page-turner.
(On Sale: 6/16/20)Buy from: -
Party of Two
Buy from:When Jasmine Guillory puts out a new book, it’s time to celebrate. In her latest, LA transplant and lawyer Olivia Monroe stumbles into dating junior senator, and media darling, Max Powell. At first, it’s all secrets and disguises (which proves very steamy). But when they go public, Olivia’s met with intense scrutiny and has to decide if their relationship is worth the fallout.
(On Sale: 6/23/20)Buy from:
