Pop Fiction | Prepub Alert, July 2024 Titles

July brings summery novels from bestsellers Jamie Brenner, Jenny Colgan, and Emily Giffin, along with a handful of big debuts.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Brenner, Jamie. A Novel Summer. Park Row: Harlequin. Jul. 2024. 320p. ISBN 9780778310846. pap. $18.99. F

In Brenner’s (Gilt) bookish, summery read, Shelby Albert finds that her best seller drew from real life too much when she gets the cold shoulder from her betrayed friends and neighbors on Cape Cod. Slowly earning back their trust while working at the local bookshop, she faces a dilemma as her next publishing deadline looms. With a 125K-copy first printing.

Brodesser-Akner, Taffy. Long Island Compromise. Random House. Jul. 2024. 416p. ISBN 9780593133491. $29. F

Brodesser-Akner, the best-selling author of the NBA-longlisted Fleishman Is in Trouble, returns with a story about the lasting impact of trauma on a family as wealthy businessman Carl is kidnapped and held for ransom. He’s returned to his family, but 40 years later, it’s clear no one is over the incident.

Colgan, Jenny. Close Knit. Avon. Jul. 2024. 288p. ISBN 9780063260566. pap. $18.99. F

Best-selling Colgan (The Summer Skies) returns to the islands of northern Scotland with a romantic summer novel. Gertie spends her time knitting and dreaming of leaving the island and gets the chance when she takes a job working for the local airline, expanding her world with new friendships and a chance at romance. With a 100K-copy first printing.

Elias, Asha. Pink Glass Houses. Morrow. Jul. 2024. 272p. ISBN 9780063312791. $28. F

Debuter Elias knows the Miami Beach scene well and offers up a social satire about the wealthy moms at an elite elementary school. Alpha mom Charlotte begins to unravel when challenged for the PTA presidency; there’s also an investigation into white-collar crime that might just bring the whole institution down. With a 75K-copy first printing.

Espach, Alison. The Wedding People. Holt. Jul. 2024. 384p. ISBN 9781250899576. $28.99. F

In the newest from Espach (author of the multi-best-booked Notes on Your Sudden Disappearance), Phoebe arrives at a grand hotel in Newport, RI, to fulfill a dream trip and finds the inn taken over for a wedding. The bride has meticulously planned the weekend but didn’t factor in Phoebe, who turns out to be a good confidante. With a 150K-copy first printing.

Giffin, Emily. The Summer Pact. Ballantine. Jul. 2024. 368p. ISBN 9780593600290. $30. F

Best-selling Giffin (Meant To Be) offers a novel of friendship and self-discovery, timed for summer. Four college freshmen forge a close friendship, and when a tragedy devastates them, they make a pact to always be there for each other. Ten years later, Hannah calls on the pact and her friends, launching them on a life-changing adventure.

Green, Lauren Aliza. The World After Alice. Viking. Jul. 2024. 320p. ISBN 9780593654132. $30. F

Twelve years after 16-year-old Alice died, her best friend and brother surprise their families with an invitation to their wedding in Maine. Alice’s death fractured these families, and as they reunite for the wedding, unearthed secrets threaten to derail the weekend. One of Forbes’s 30 Under 30 in Media, Green makes her debut.

Joella, Ethan. The Same Bright Stars. Scribner. Jul. 2024. 304p. ISBN 9781668024607. $28. F

Jack has devoted his life to running his family’s Delaware beachfront restaurant since his father’s death. When a restaurant group offers to buy the restaurant, he has to decide if he should hold on to this legacy or consider a new life. Joella’s A Little Hope was a Read with Jenna Bonus Pick.

Lindo-Rice, Michelle. The Bookshop Sisterhood. Mira: Harlequin. Jul. 2024. 336p. ISBN 9780778334385. pap. $18.99. F

Four best friends are finally about to open the Black-owned bookstore of their dreams, but their worlds are upended with devastating news, a struggling marriage, a shocking secret, and a lotto ticket. As the grand opening approaches, they’ll have to lean on each other as they navigate these unexpected plot twists and find new beginnings.

Mathieu, Jennifer. The Faculty Lounge. Dutton. Jul. 2024. 304p. ISBN 9780593475393. $28. F

YA author and high school teacher Mathieu, who wrote the Netflix-adapted Moxie, makes her adult debut with an ode to educators and a glimpse at the issues schools face as the death of an elderly substitute teacher in the faculty lounge of a high school sets off an unexpected chain of events.

Neff, Amy. The Days I Loved You Most. Park Row: Harlequin. Jul. 2024. 336p. ISBN 9780778310471. $28.99. F

Acquired with a six-figure preempt as a lead title for the season, Neff’s debut receives a 200K-copy first printing. Childhood sweethearts spent many summers at neighboring New England beach homes. Sixty years later, they tell their grown children that they’ll be ending their lives in a year due to a tragic diagnosis.

Segal, Francesca. Welcome to Glorious Tuga. Ecco: HarperCollins. Jul. 2024. 368p. ISBN 9780063360457. $28.99. F

Author of the multi-award-winning The Innocents, Segal sets her latest on a fictional remote island in the South Atlantic Ocean, where London veterinarian Charlotte is studying endangered tortoises. The islanders—and an attractive doctor—campaign for her to be the vet to all of the island’s animals. With a 75K-copy first printing.

Senna, Danzy. Colored Television. Riverhead. Jul. 2024. 288p. ISBN 9780593544372. $29. F

Senna (author of the multi-best-booked New People) returns with a Hollywood story featuring writer Jane, who finds a luxury house-sitting gig for her and her family while she finishes her novel. When that goes wrong, Jane turns to Hollywood and lands a deal to create a biracial comedy for TV, which also doesn’t go as planned.

Shepherd, Peng. All This and More. Morrow. Jul. 2024. 480p. ISBN 9780063278974. $30. F

Best-selling Shepherd (The Cartographers) receives a 125K-copy first printing for her unique new novel that can be read straight through or in choose-your-own-adventure style. Marsh isn’t happy with her life, so she accepts an offer to star on a TV show that uses quantum technology, allowing contestants to rewrite their lives. But it might be too good to be true.

Sullivan, J. Courtney. The Cliffs. Knopf. Jul. 2024. 384p. ISBN 9780593319154. $29. F

Sullivan’s Friends and Strangers was a best seller and a Read with Jenna pick. Her newest centers on a seaside Maine house that Jane loved exploring as a child. When the new owner becomes convinced that the house is haunted, she hires Jane to look into its history, uncovering more than expected.

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