ARCs To Be Read

 

Now reading

It's Not What You Think

A Novel

by Clare Mackintosh

Nadeeka thinks her boyfriend Jamie is cheating and rushes home to confront him. But at home she is greeted by flashing police lights, police tape, and the news that Jamie has been stabbed to death. 

She not only wants to solve the murder but also to find out the truth about their relationship. She goes about solving this on her own.

I am in the middle of reading this, even though publication date is not till September 2026. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for making the ebook ARC available for readers. 

My next read on the list

Come Undone

A Novel

by Eddie Huang,  June 16, 2026, NetGalley 

Sounds like a memoir, but it's really a romantic novel.

“Come for the satirical millennial cringe and over-the-top luxury lifestyle fantasy, stay for the surprisingly sensitive portrayal of a bombastic, bighearted Asian American dudebro who risks it all for a chance at the real thing.”—Jean Chen Ho, author of Fiona and Jane

Lies Between Us

by Jessica Goodman, June 2, 2026; NetGalley

Mystery, thriller, teen and YA

The Gold sisters and the Silver brothers grew up side by side in waterfront mansions. But one carefree summer takes a dark turn when a beach party ends in tragedy and their perfect world cracks wide open. 

Suddenly, the bonds that tie these families together are strained by suspicion and fear. Painful secrets surface, revealing the fragile truths they've all been hiding.

What are you reading this week?

Memes:  The Sunday Post, It's Monday: What Are You Reading, Sunday Salon, and Stacking the Shelves, Mailbox Monday 

Reading List for end of May

 Books from NetGalley that I'm currently reading

Hidden in Memories

by Viveca Sten, Nov. 18, 2025

This has been one of my favorite thriller writers. Viveca Sten's novels are set in Sweden.

Inspectors Hanna and Daniel are knee deep in finding the killer of a hotel developer who was found stabbed in a luxury resort in the Swedish mountains. Did the locals disapproval of Charlote's plans to turn an idyllic location into a tourist spot play a part in her death? When a cleaning lady witness to the murder is found killed, the plot thickens. 

I'm enjoying this thriller, as I have the author's other books.

Tout ce que j'aurais aimé te dire

by Gaby Fournel, June 2024

Two friends escape the rough past of Paris to open a cafeteria/library in a small town in the Basque village in Spain. Atmospheric and hopeful.

Stolen Secrets

by S.F. Baumgartner, June 2026

An FBI special agent must save her teenaged adopted daughter, Jamie Beth, who had turned herself in to kidnappers to save her look alike friend  kidnapped in her stead. 

What are you reading this week?

Memes:  The Sunday Post, It's Monday: What Are You Reading, Sunday Salon, and Stacking the Shelves, Mailbox Monday 

More AAPI Authors for Heritage Month

 Asian American and Pacific Island Heritage Month

Sour Heart

Stories

by Jenny Zhang, August 2017

Description

A story collection on the experience of adolescence through the eyes of Chinese American girls growing up in New York City

Number One Chinese Restaurant

A Novel

by Lillian Li,  June 2018

An exuberant and wise multigenerational debut novel about the complicated lives and loves of people working in everyone’s favorite Chinese restaurant in Rockville,Md. 

What We Were Promised

by Lucy Tan, July 2018

Set in modern Shanghai, a debut by a Chinese-American writer about a prodigal son whose unexpected return forces his newly wealthy family to confront painful secrets and unfulfilled promises.

The Hangman's Secret

A Victorian Mystery

by Laura Joh Rowland

Intrepid photographer Sarah Bain and her motley crew of friends are back to hunt criminals in the dark, seedy underbelly of Victorian London, but little do they know, the darkness may lurk closer than they first divined.

Trust Exercise

A Novel

by Susan Choi, April 2019

In an American suburb in the early 1980s, students at a highly competitive performing arts high school struggle and thrive in a rarified bubble, ambitiously pursuing music, movement, Shakespeare, and, particularly, their acting classes. When within this striving “Brotherhood of the Arts,” two freshmen, David and Sarah, fall headlong into love, their passion does not go unnoticed—or untoyed with—by anyone, especially not by their charismatic acting teacher, Mr. Kingsley.

Natalie Tan's Book of Luck and Fortune

by Roselle Lim, June 2019

Lush and visual, chock-full of delicious recipes, Roselle Lim’s magical debut novel is about food, heritage, and finding family in the most unexpected places.  

What are you reading this week?

Memes:  The Sunday Post, It's Monday: What Are You Reading, Sunday Salon, and Stacking the Shelves, Mailbox Monday 

Upcoming Books: Romances, Cozy, Thriller

Upcoming books, descriptions from the publisher

 

Romantic Hero

by Kirsty Greenwood

June 16, 2026; Berkley, NetGalley

Genre: romance

Romance novelist Gertie gets writer's block until the villain from her unfinished book shows up on her sofa overnight. They try to work things out to their mutual advantage - Gertie to finish her book, the cowboy villain to find his rightful place, somewhere....

Bad Words

A Novel

by Rioghnach Robinson

Oct. 6, 2026; St. Martin's Press, NetGalley

Parker Navarro’s debut novel was meant to define his career - until critic Selina Chan’s blistering review made it the flop of the decade. Four years later, his new book is his shot at redemption;  a quieter dialogue begins between the two- one that challenges everything they thought they knew about success, sincerity, and each other.

She Walks at Night

by Seishi Yokomizo

June 2, 2026; Pushkin, NetGalley

Description

FROM JAPAN’S GREATEST CRIME WRITER: Yokomizo’s iconic detective Kosuke Kindaichi returns in this stand-alone murder mystery featuring a luxurious family estate beset by madness, scandal, and a terrifying curse

"Plenty of golden age ingredients... with a truly ingenious solution."  — Guardian, Best New Crime Fiction

The French Market Murder

A totally charming and unputdownable cozy murder mystery

by Greg Mosse

June 4, 2026; Hodder, NetGalley
 

As the local village market is in full swing, get ready to stock up on the best products the south of France has to offer, from mouth-watering pastries, to fragrant lavender soap, and second-hand books ... and another mystery for amateur sleuth Zoe Pascal to solve as she discovers a body behind her bookshop!

Road Trip

A Novel

by Mary Kay Andrews

June 2, 2026; St. Martin's Press; NetGalley

Pack your bags for a summer journey to Ireland, with family secrets, long-buried history, and charming men with Irish accents.

Maeve and Therese Dunigan haven’t spoken in years. The two sisters could not be more opposite. But when their mother’s death pulls them back together, they inherit more than just grief: a mysterious painting that may be worth millions…if it’s real.

What are you reading this week?

Memes:  The Sunday Post, It's Monday: What Are You Reading, Sunday Salon, and Stacking the Shelves, Mailbox Monday 

Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month - Some AAPI Authors

Asian American and Pacific Island Heritage Month

Some new books by AAPI authors

Taipei Story (Deluxe Limited Edition)

A Novel

by R. F. Kuang, publication Sept. 8, 2026, William Morrow, NetGalley

From R.F. Kuang, the acclaimed #1 New York Times bestselling author of Katabasis and Yellowface, comes a wryly humorous and profoundly moving coming-of-age novel that grapples with grief, language, and culture shock—all set against the backdrop of an unforgettable summer in Taipei.

R. F. Kuang

rfkuang.com

Rebecca F. Kuang is a Chinese-American writer of mostly fantasy novels, known for her 2022 novel Babel, or the Necessity of Violence, which was placed at the first spot on The New ... Wikipedia

• Born: May 29, 1996 (age 29), Guangzhou, China
• Spouse: Bennett Eckert-Kuang
• Education: Yale University, Greenhill School, Georgetown University, University of Cambridge, University College, Oxford, Magdalene College, Cambridge, University of Oxford
• Written: The Poppy War, Babel, or the Necessity of Violence, Katabasis, Yellowface, The Dragon Republic, The Burning God
• 
  

========

A Tender Age

A Novel by Chang-rae Lee

From the Pulitzer Prize finalist, a story of guilt, innocence, and a boy on the cusp of adolescence. A spellbinding exploration of American masculinity and family dynamics as seen through the confused eyes of a prepubescent child of immigrants.

Chang-Rae Lee

1. NPR.org

   • Born: July 29, 1965 (age 60), South Korea
   • Spouse: Michelle Branca
   • Education: University of Oregon, Yale University, University of Oregon College of Design, Phillips Exeter Academy
   • Important works: Tavis Smiley, Pachinko, Late Night With Seth Meyers
   • Written: Native Speaker, On Such a Full Sea, The Surrendered, A Gesture Life

   ========

   
   
2. Chang-rae Lee is a Korean-American novelist and a professor of creative writing at Stanford University. He was previously Professor of Creative Writing at Princeton and director of Princeton University's Program in Creative Writing. Wikipedia

Published April 14, 2026; Berkley, NetGalley

The Take

 Kelly Yang

kellyyang.com

Kelly Yang is an Asian American writer and author of young adult and children's literature. She won the 2019 Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature of her novel, Front Desk an... Wikipedia

• Born: August 29, 1984 (age 41), Hong Kong, China
• Education: Harvard Law School, University of California, Berkeley
• Written: Front Desk

========

Enemies to Lovers, published April 7, 2026 by Avon, NetGalley. A con woman and a lawman team up on an epic cross-country road trip, to save their families and each other.

Alisha Rai is an Asian American author born in Nepal. She is known for her romance novels, some of which have been awarded Best Book of the Year by several publications. Visit her at www.alisharai.com.

Who is included in Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month?

 

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month celebrates Americans with ethnic origins in a variety of countries. The U.S. Census Bureau defines Asian as “a person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent including, for example, Cambodia, China, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippine Islands, Thailand, and Vietnam.” Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander is defined as “a person having origins in any of the original peoples of Hawaii, Guam, Samoa, or other Pacific Islands.”

What are you reading this week?

Memes:  The Sunday Post, It's Monday: What Are You Reading, Sunday Salon, and Stacking the Shelves, Mailbox Monday