If you're looking for your next great late-summer read, here are 10 standout titles—from thought-provoking fantasy to gripping thrillers and heartfelt emotional fiction.
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1. Katabasis — R. F. Kuang
A razor-sharp dark academia fantasy where rival PhD students descend into Hell—brimming with ambition, guilt, and philosophical intrigue.
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2. Not Quite Dead Yet — Holly Jackson
A tense teen thriller following a determined heroine racing to solve her best friend’s murder before becoming the next target.
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3. The Hamptons Lawyer — James Patterson & Mike Lupica
A sleek legal drama set in the glamorous Hamptons—secrets, high-stakes cases, and courtroom tension abound.
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4. Atmosphere — Taylor Jenkins Reid
A lush, emotional novel about love, loss, and hidden life currents—woven through fame, reinvention, and intimate relationships.
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5. Songs for Other People’s Weddings — David Levithan & Jens Lekman
A whimsical, heartfelt tale of friendship and romance—unfolding with the soundtrack of other people’s big moments.
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6. The Afghans — Åsne Seierstad
A powerful nonfiction portrait of modern Afghanistan, told through the lives of people marked by resilience amid upheaval.
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7. The Book of Lost Hours — Hayley Gelfuso
A lush literary fantasy where time is both treasure and curse—tracking a woman obsessed with recovering her lost hours.
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8. When the Cranes Fly South — Indie Next Pick
An atmospheric family saga of migration, love, and survival—spanning continents, memory, and the ties that bind.
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9. The Women of Arlington Hall — Jane Healey
A historical spy drama spotlighting real-life WWII codebreakers—the unsung heroines working behind enemy lines.
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10. The Locked Ward — Sarah Pekkanen
A gripping psychological thriller set in a psychiatric hospital—where nothing and no one is what they seem.