Find your next read with my list of summer 2020 new book releases!

It’s time for summer reading!! While I love curling up with a cozy blanket and a book, there’s nothing like reading something fun in the summer. These summer 2020 new book releases include a mix of debuts and brand new options from author favorites.

I tend to stick to certain genres, like fiction, historical fiction, chick lit/contemporary romance, and young adult. So my most anticipated summer 2020 new book releases focus on those.

This season I’m looking forward to books from Fredrik Backman, Jodi Picault, and Katharine McGee most of all!

I have access to a few of these summer 2020 new book releases through NetGalley, blog tours, and I even received physical ARCs of two of them from the publisher!

Keep an eye out on future blog posts for my thoughts. I’ll share whether I recommend reading them or whether they’re ones you can skip.

Read on to discover my most anticipated summer 2020 new book releases!

*Disclosure – I earn a small commission for any items purchased through the links below at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting this book blog!

Summer 2020 New Book Releases

July 2020 New Book Releases

• The Heir Affair by Heather Cocks & Jessica Morgan (Chick Lit / Romance)
• Not Like The Movies by Kerry Winfrey (Chick Lit / Romance)
• One To Watch by Kate Stayman-London (Chick Lit / Romance)
• Cinderella is Dead by Kalynn Bayron (Young Adult)
• What You Wish For by Katherine Center (Chick Lit / Romance)
• The Book of Lost Names by Kristin Harmel (Historical Fiction)
• The Pull of the Stars by Emma Donoghue (Historical Fiction)

 

The Heir Affair by Heather Cocks & Jessica Morgan
Genre: Chick Lit / Romance
Publish Date: July 7, 2020

Summary: In the upcoming sequel to The Royal We, readers are brought back into the lives of Bex and Nick! I won’t share too much about this one, in case you haven’t read The Royal We and don’t want any spoilers. Based on how much I loved the first book though, I’m sure this will be a hit! | Amazon

 

 

 

 

Not Like The Movies by Kerry Winfrey
Genre: Chick Lit / Romance
Publish Date: July 7, 2020

Summary: I read Winfrey’s previous novel, Waiting for Tom Hanks, earlier this year and fell completely in love with the characters. So, you can imagine I was thrilled to discover the sequel would be out in 2020! This time, Chloe takes center stage.

I did get a little frustrated with Chloe; her decisions were sometimes a little too self destructive and it seemed like it was solely to extend the plot a bit longer. So, if that sort of thing annoys you, you may want to skip this. However, if you enjoy a cute rom-com or loved Waiting For Tom Hanks you’ll find this absolutely enjoyable! | Amazon

 

 

One To Watch by Kate Stayman-London
Genre: Chick Lit / Romance
Publish Date: July 7, 2020

Summary: Calling Bachelor/Bachelorette fans!! When a plus-sized fashion blogger becomes the next Bachelorette, she’s ready to tear down her critics and become a star. However, she struggles with her own insecurities at first. Then, realizes she might actually be falling in love with a few of the men.

This is one of my five star reads of 2020!! I got completely caught up in the drama and loved every second. | Amazon

 

 

 

 

Cinderella Is Dead by Kalynn Bayron (BIPOC Author)
Genre: Young Adult
Publish Date: July 7, 2020

Summary: You all know I love a good retelling of a classic story, so I can’t wait to read this one! 200 years have passed since Cinderella’s fairy tale and now the women of the kingdom are living a nightmare. Every year, teen girls are required to attend a ball to be chosen as wives by the men. If they’re not picked, they’re never seen again.

When it’s Sophia’s turn, she flees instead and ends up meeting Cinderella’s last descendants. Together they vow to take down the kingdom. | Amazon

 

 

 

What You Wish For by Katherine Center
Genre: Chick Lit / Romance
Publish Date: July 14, 2020

Summary: I’m a recent Katherine Center convert, which makes me so excited to read the rest of her backlist! The only other book I’ve read was Things You Save in a Fire from last year, but I wanted to take a gamble on her 2020 new release. So far she’s 2/2! What You Wish For is a love story in so many different ways. At it’s heart, it’s a bunch of teachers trying to save a beautiful, creative school from a hard-ass new principal.

Throughout the pages, it also turns into a story about dealing with grief and fear and opening your heart to new ways to love. I honestly adored it and was so excited to pick it up and read every night. | Amazon

 

 

 

The Book of Lost Names by Kristin Harmel
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publish Date: July 21, 2020

Summary: A World War II story for book lovers. After fleeing Paris, Eve helped young Jewish children to safety by forging papers and giving them new names. The Book of Lost Names was the only documentation of who they really were. When she discovers the book decades later in Florida, she’s forced to reopen her past.

Just when you think there aren’t any new World War 2 stories to tell, one pops up that sounds irresistible! | Amazon

 

 

 

The Pull of the Stars by Emma Donoghue
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publish Date: July 21, 2020

Summary: Three women’s lives intertwine as they care for the sick in Dublin during The Great Flu in the early 1900’s. The novel takes place over three days in a maternity ward where the women see death, life, and irrevocably change each others lives.

Emma Donoghue is most well known for Room, but her historical fiction novels are incredible as well! I’m always eager to read any books set in Ireland too. | Amazon

 

 

 

 

 

Are you interested in any of these summer 2020 new book releases yet? Share which ones in the comments!

 

August 2020 New Book Releases

• The Lions of Fifth Avenue by Fiona Davis (Historical Fiction)
• Bookish and the Beast by Ashley Poston (Young Adult)
• No Offense by Meg Cabot (Chick Lit / Romance)
• The Switch by Beth O’Leary (Chick Lit / Romance)
• Kind of a Big Deal by Shannon Hale (Young Adult)
• Now That I’ve Found You by Kristina Forest (Young Adult)

 

 

The Lions of Fifth Avenue by Fiona Davis
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publish Date: August 4, 2020

Summary: A historical fiction novel centered around the NY Public Library. Told in two different time periods, a woman and her granddaughter are both intimately involved in the library. But both end up facing serious problems when rare books and valuable items go missing.   | Amazon

 

 

 

 

 

Bookish and the Beast by Ashley Poston
Genre: Young Adult
Publish Date: August 4, 2020

Summary: It wouldn’t be an upcoming new book release post without a Beauty and the Beast retelling! This time Ashley Poston tackles the fairy tale. Rosie is a small town girl struggling to recover after her mother’s death. Vance is a Hollywood star who ends up in her town after a scandal. When they inevitably cross paths, the dislike is definitely mutual. That’s not where their story ends though…

I adored one of Ashley Poston’s older novels, Geekerella, so I have a feeling I’ll like this one just as much! She’s a talented writer who puts a fun YA spin on the classic fairy tales | Amazon

 

 

 

 

 

No Offense by Meg Cabot
Genre: Romance / Chick Lit
Publish Date: August 11, 2020

Summary: Meg Cabot returns to Little Bridge Island! This time around the town librarian and sheriff take center stage. When an abandoned baby is found in the library, the two are suddenly spending time together. Unfortunately, they irritate the heck out of each other! | Amazon

 

 

 

 

The Switch by Beth O’Leary
Genre: Chick Lit / Romance
Publish Date: August 18, 2020

Summary: After her smash debut, The Flatshare, O’Leary returns with another charming novel. Leena is forced to take a sabbatical at work, so she escapes to her newly single grandmother’s house. Since they each need a break, they decide to swap places. Eileen will live in Leena’s flat in London and attempt to try the newfangled dating methods. Leena will look after her grandmother’s cute cottage in the small village. | Amazon

 

 

 

Kind of a Big Deal by Shannon Hale
Genre: Young Adult
Publish Date: August 25, 2020

Summary: Josie was supposed to be a Broadway star, but everything in her life is falling apart instead. She escapes into her books, but that takes a twist she never saw coming. As she reads, she suddenly finds herself inside the world of the book! The appeal of these alternative lives are undeniable, but eventually she’ll have to face the problems in her real life.

A teen gets literally pulled into the stories she’s reading?? That is literally my ultimate dream!! | Amazon

 

 

 

 

Now That I’ve Found You by Kristina Forest (BIPOC Author)
Genre: Young Adult
Publish Date: August 25, 2020

Summary: Evie’s grandmother was a famous actress and Evie is hoping for the same career, until a friend ruins her. Her best shot at a return to fame is getting her now reclusive grandmother back into the spotlight. Just before the planned reveal though, her grandmother goes missing. Evie’s only chance at finding her is the cute musician who was the last person she saw. | Amazon

 

 

 

 

 

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September 2020 New Book Releases

• Majesty by Katharine McGee (Young Adult)
• Anxious People by Fredrik Backman (General Fiction)
• One by One by Ruth Ware (Mystery/Thriller)
• The Evening and the Morning by Ken Follett (Historical Fiction)
• Well Played by Jen DeLuca (Chick Lit / Romance)
• The Book of Two Ways by Jodi Picault (Women’s Fiction)
• The Return by Nicholas Sparks (Fiction)
• A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik (Fantasy)

 

Majesty by Katharine McGee
Genre: Young Adult
Publish Date: September 1, 2020

Summary: The sequel to the smash hit, American Royals, is here!!!  Majesty picks up where we left off, diving right into a flurry of activity. For those who haven’t read American Royals yet (go do that right now!!!!) these novels imagine an America where George Washington was crowned king. His descendants now rule in modern day. | Amazon

 

 

 

Anxious People by Fredrik Backman
Genre: Fiction
Publish Date: September 8, 2020

Summary: In most cases, the summary of Backman’s books doesn’t do them justice. So I’ll just say there’s a hostage situation involving an apartment full of (as the title says) anxious people.

Everything Backman’s written is stellar, so even though this sounds a little strange I’m sure it will be another fascinating novel! | Amazon

 

 

 

One by One by Ruth Ware
Genre: Mystery / Thriller
Publish Date: September 8, 2020

Summary: Just in time for colder weather, Ruth Ware brings a chilling thriller to the book world. When a group of employees on a corporate retreat get snowed in at a chalet, at first it seems ideal. But fighting for survival against people you can’t exactly trust turns an idyllic scene into a nightmare. | Amazon

 

 

 

 

The Evening and the Morning by Ken Follett
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publish Date: September 15, 2020

Summary: Ken Follett’s popular Pillars of the Earth series is getting a prequel! Dive back into this ancient world with his latest new release. In his classic style, this story set in the Dark Ages is told from multiple perspectives. A young boatmen who’s life is turned upside down after a Viking raid. A noblewoman who finds the local traditions of her husband’s land are centered around a brutal fight for power. A monk who is attempting to transform his humble abbey into a center of learning.  | Amazon

 

 

Well Played by Jen DeLuca
Genre: Romance / Chick Lit
Publish Date: September 22, 2020

Summary: Return to the Renaissance Faire!! Well Met is one of my all-time favorite books, so I have high hopes for Well Played. Although Stacey loves her summers working at the Faire, she vows to get her life together by next year, including finding The One. In the off season, she starts exchanging messages with her Faire fling, but when the next season starts, he’s not who she expects! | Amazon

 

 

 

 

The Book of Two Ways by Jodi Picault
Genre: Women’s Fiction
Publish Date: September 22, 2020

Summary: When flight attendants inform passengers that the plane is about to crash, Dawn’s brain jumps to a man from her past and not her husband. When she becomes the only survivor, she’s given a chance to fly wherever she wants. Will she go back to Boston and her regular life and family? Or fly to Egypt where she last saw Wyatt and pursued a career in archaeology?  | Amazon

 

 

 

 

The Return by Nicholas Sparks
Genre: Fiction
Publish Date: September 29, 2020

Summary: When Trevor takes over his grandfather’s cabin in a small North Carolina town, he’s mostly just hoping to regroup from his military injury. Instead, he starts falling for a local and gets unexpectedly pulled into the life of a teen. Both girls seem to be hiding something, though. | Amazon

 

 

 

 

A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik
Genre: Fantasy
Publish Date: June 9, 2020

Summary: The Scholomance is a school for the magically gifted that is known to kill you if you don’t succeed. At least until our heroine starts to unlock its secrets. Novik is well known for her magical tales and I’m always excited to read another fantasy book in a school setting!! | Amazon

 

 

 

 

 

Which of these summer 2020 new book releases are you most excited to read?