18 Books Scary Mommy Editors Couldn’t Read Fast Enough In May

I'd wanted to read this book for a hot minute, but hadn't been in the mood for anything thriller-y. I'm so glad I finally cracked the spine on this. It's an illuminating read about what it's like to be in a bigger body, through a gruesome horror lens, of course. Emmett's slow unraveling kept me hooked right up to the bitter end. — Katie McPherson, Associate Editor, Lifestyle & Entertainment

Victoria Benton Frank’s sophomore novel just got a sexy new paperback cover, right in time for summer! Set against the backdrop of South Carolina’s Lowcountry, the novel follows Violet Adams as she tries to rediscover who she is after heartbreak and tragedy. It has everything I love in a good beach book: complex female friendships, family drama, romance, humor (VBF is deeply funny, in real life and on the page), and loads of coastal charm. The fact that it takes place in the Charleston area, where I live, just makes me extra happy! — Julie Sprankles, Deputy Editor, Lifestyle & Entertainment

Book 8 is finally here, and Dungeon Crawler Carl fans have been absolutely losing their minds! This is the longest entry in the series at 704 pages, and it does not disappoint. Carl and Princess Donut land on the tenth floor, where the challenge is deceptively simple on the surface: races, vehicle upgrades, don't come in last or die. But the system glitches are getting worse, the mysterious eleventh floor is looming, and Carl is cooking up a plan so dangerous and so unhinged he can't tell anyone about it. The stakes have never been higher, and Matt Dinniman delivers in every single way. If you haven't started this series yet, clear your calendar because you are not putting it down! — Katie Garrity, News & Social Editor

When a book club of moms in 1970s Rochester, New York, is given copies of The Joy Of Sex by the divorced member of the group, it sets off a number of larger events that shed light on marriage, love, and happiness. In the middle of everything is Nina Larkin, who is in a loveless marriage, and her daughter Clara, who is falling in love with a boy in the neighborhood. This is a well-written family drama that hits even harder if you grew up in the late 70s/early 80s and are a child of divorce. Thank you to Libro.fm for the audiobook! — Sarah Aswell, Deputy Editor, News & Social

This book has been everywhere this month, and I'm so glad I read it! If you like a book with a deeply satisfying ending, this is the read for you. We follow trad wife influencer Natalie through the rise and fall of her social media empire, and the fallout for her children and staff. The writing is superb, and some of the lines felt like delicious little truth bombs. 11/10 recommend. — Katie McPherson

At almost 700 pages, this seems like a great undertaking of a book. But the pages fly by as you meet the characters and sink into the simple story of a family of four that is *really struggling* all in their own unique ways. I've never met an epic family drama from an Irish author that I didn't like, and this is no exception. Funny, heartbreaking, and touching, this story will stay with me for a long time. — Sarah Aswell

This is a high fantasy romance I read a couple years ago and loved. The sequel, The Ballad of Falling Dragons, just published on May 19, and after getting a few chapters in I realized I needed to go back and reread Book 1 if I was going to actually enjoy Book 2. I'm loving picking up on more of the details while rereading, and have re-fallen in love with Kaan (naturally). On to the new book next! — Katie McPherson

Annabel Monaghan is my favorite romance author, full stop. And she has delivered what is my favorite book of hers so far in Dolly All The Time. I love how she often focuses on middle-aged single moms (we deserve romance, too!) with human, care, and a lot of fun. In Dolly, we get to spend time in a fictional town that's much like Newport, Rhode Island, and watch as Dolly meets someone who she never thought she'd like, let alone love, a millionaire trust fund baby who can't seem to put work aside to have any fun. — Sarah Aswell

*Releases July 7

This is one of my most anticipated books of the summer, and I have been counting down to July 7th since the second I heard about it. Jessica Knoll is the author of Luckiest Girl Alive and Bright Young Women, and this one sounds like her most unhinged, addictive story yet. It's a psychological thriller about a woman reconnecting with her ex, a dangerously intense college love she had to walk away from, and the mind-bending last page is already being talked about everywhere. — Katie Garrity

*Releases July 21

I will gobble up any memoir about having a shitty parent, thank you very much. Quick is the bestselling author of Silver Linings Playbook, but this memoir is his first nonfiction work, and a vulnerable, beautiful one at that. The stories are written as retellings addressed to his father, giving us deep insight into the author's healing while also watching his dad change and open up as a result of dementia. — Katie McPherson

This was my favorite read of the month — just an absolute delight of a book. This mystery centers on 81-year-old Mad Mabel, who is just trying to live her life despite the fact that she was a notorious killer as a teen. When her neighbor shows up dead, people can't seem to side-eye Mabel, who is incredibly grouchy and difficult for everyone around her. Switching between the past and the present, this book delivers my favorite literary character of the year while also supplying some great twists and supporting characters. I can't wait to go back and read all of Sally Helpworth's other books. Thank you to Macmillan Audio for the listen! — Sarah Aswell

If you have somehow not read this one yet, please stop what you are doing! Winter Garden is one of Kristin Hannah's most emotionally devastating and absolutely beautiful novels, and it will wreck you in the best possible way. It follows two sisters who discover their cold, distant mother has been hiding a real story inside a fairy tale that holds the key to her past, and as that story unfolds across decades of Russian history, you will not be able to put it down or hold yourself together. — Katie Garrity

*Releases August 4

If you read Banyan Moon and have been waiting for Thao Thai's next book, August 4 is your date! Two estranged sisters reunite after their father's death to track down a mysterious lost painting by a forgotten Vietnamese Surrealist artist, and the search takes them from the woods of Wisconsin to a glittering French estate to an ancestral home on the edge of a ravine in Vietnam. It's a story about sisters, art, family secrets, and the way the past refuses to stay buried, and honestly it sounds like everything I want in a summer read. — Katie Garrity

Who needs a cozy bit of science fiction right now? I have the perfect read for you. Automatic Noodle is about a group of abandoned food service robots who decide to open their own noodle joint without the help of any humans. Their popularity grows — but can they stay afloat even with forces working against them? This book manages to be calming and low-stakes even as it takes on interesting topics like discrimination, artificial intelligence, and what gives someone a spirit. — Sarah Aswell

This is a short, light book by the author of Hyunom-Dong Book Shop. It's simply a list of reasons to read more books (in case you're looking for excuses). Most of these are obvious, but there are lovely little gems of wisdom about books and reading. I especially like looking at reading from a different cultural perspective (Korean). A lovely love letter to sitting down with a good book. Thank you to Libro.fm for the audiobook! — Sarah Aswell

*Releases June 2

This is one of my most anticipated books of 2026 and it drops June 2nd, so mark your calendar right now. Maggie O'Farrell is the author of Hamnet and The Marriage Portrait, and she is simply one of the best historical fiction writers we've got right now. Land sounds like her most ambitious novel yet: a sweeping multi-generational epic rooted in her own family history, beginning in 1865 post-famine Ireland and following one family across generations and continents. Early readers are already calling it her best book and one of the best books of the year. — Katie Garrity

After reading This Motherless Land last month, I had to pick up Nikki May's first novel, Wahala, which translates to "trouble" from Nigerian. This completely delightful romp involves three best friends who decide to let a fourth member into their circle, not knowing that it will wreak havoc on all of their lives. May is such a funny, emotional, and real writer, and she will be a must-read author for me from now on. Thank you to Libro.fm for the audiobook! — Sarah Aswell

*Releases Aug. 4

Simply put, I've never read a book like this. Yoon's novel is concise and unique and just sticks with you after reading. It's told from the perspective of Etna, a dog trained to sniff out landmines in a war. After the fighting ends, he decides to walk off the base and find the idyllic farm where he was born, and his journey walks us through the war's toll on a canine soldier's psyche, the surrounding towns, and their inhabitants. — Katie McPherson