Summer 2025 Reading Group Indie Next List
Dazzling Debuts
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“There is so much to unpack here. Annie Bot is the story of a relationship between a robot companion and her owner, but more than that it's a discussion on consent, power dynamics, and what it means to be sentient. Deep and highly entertaining.”
— Melissa Taylor, E. Shaver, Bookseller, Savannah, GA
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“A woman wakes up with sudden hearing loss, leading her to document her life, consisting of equal parts fear and mundanity. Eliza Barry Callahan places a character whose life is blurry and out of focus within a world which is painfully clear. This story perfectly captures the pain of life, the absurdity and tenuousness of it.”
— Bergen Phelps, Dotters Books, Eau Claire, WI
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“A remarkable debut novel that will appeal to everyone who has ever loved a book to pieces. Libby is almost done writing the final installment in her globally popular middle-grade series, but her diagnosis of rapidly progressing dementia means she must turn to her #1 fan for help. Libby and her misfit found family must work together to write their own ending.”
— Steve Iwanski, Charter Books, Newport, RI
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“A tender and funny story about searching for yourself and searching for true love, embedded with delicious nuggets of ’80s and ’90s pop culture. Poetry to my Gen X heart. An absolute charmer. Now excuse me while I go dig up my mixtapes.”
— Chantel McCray, Rainy Day Books, Fairway, KS
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“After graduation, rather than returning to India, Pavitra takes advantage of a special visa program and elects to spend a year teaching math and physics at a private high school in Boston. Optional Practical Training is a standout debut about a young immigrant woman exploring her creative self and making a place for herself in a post-9/11 United States.”
— Caitlin Baker, Island Books (WA), Mercer Island, WA
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“Swift River is an unforgettable story about Diamond Newberry, a biracial teen living in the former sundown town of Swift River. Debut author Essie Chambers weaves together this tender coming-of-age story with letters from an estranged aunt that illuminate the triumph and tragedy of her Black heritage. Diamond is a character readers will not soon forget.”
— Jessica Nock, Main Street Books (NC), Davidson, NC
Family & Coming of Age
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“Emma and Agathe, two sisters in France, spend the summers with their Mima and Papi in the Basque Country on the sea. Chapters rock back and forth like the waves of the ocean: between timelines past and present and from each sister's point of view. Lovers of My Brilliant Friend and Fresh Water for Flowers will fall hard for this beautiful, heartbreaking, and healing story. Grab a box of tissues!”
— Kelly Justice, Fountain Bookstore, Richmond, VA
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“Come And Get It questions what makes someone a good person and the complexity of race and class privilege. This book is compelling and FUN! Reid achieves incredible character depth and captures the convoluted and entangled undergrad dorm experience which many of us can, to some extent, relate.”
— Emma Standen, Content Bookstore, Northfield, MN
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“Loved this multi-generational story of family, culture and what it means to be American. A fast read filled with compelling stories and thought-provoking questions. What makes you American? What would you do to help the ones you love? What sacrifices would you make for others? I love the way historical events were woven in.”
— Rachel Gingold, Athena Books, Old Greenwich, CT
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“I am so excited to have another Catherine Newman jewel out in the world! In Sandwich, Newman explores menopause, marriage, grief, and parenting adult children with her signature humor and realness. Rocky could be me or any of my friends — she is smart, funny, caring, flawed and ultimately so relatable.”
— Lynne Phillips, WordsWorth Books (AR), Little Rock, AR
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“Turn up the Lana Del Rey, clear your schedule, and buckle in because this book is about to rock your world! Sugar, Baby lives up to every ounce of praise it receives. It combines a lustrous commentary on race, class, and femininity with high quality storytelling. It is intoxicating, riveting, and unputdownable. And while this book is full of the enthralling turns — in an exciting story, it spectacularly describes the very real commodification of people and seals it with a hot pink kiss. It is a debut of pure gold, perfect for fans of My Dark Vanessa or Boy Parts.”
— Gigi Vuolo, Rediscovered Books, Boise, ID
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“A novel that transports the reader from Paris to Harlem to Cuba and back on a coming of age journey that starts as a search for a father and ends with finding herself. For readers of The Paris Wife and Circling the Sun but with a little more edge. I loved this story full of loss and friendship, love and hope.”
— Danica Ramgoolam, Townie Books, Crested Butte, CO
Historical Fiction
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“Forced to find a way to earn money after departing from his former post, Reverend John Ferguson leaves his new wife Mary behind as he journeys to a remote island. He's been engaged by the land owner to evict the island's sole occupant, Ivar. This is a beautiful story of three people — John, Mary, and Ivar — who must find a way to overcome potentially tragic circumstances.”
— Camille Kovach, Completely Booked, Murrysville, PA
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“This is a gorgeously written epic historical novel that draws you into the heart of the communities affected by the building of the Panama Canal. Written in a way that weaves the lives of all the characters together into a complex narrative, you feel deeply connected to their circumstances. I highly recommend losing yourself in this and thinking deeply about how progress by some changes landscapes forever.”
— Shannon Krug, Serendipity Books, Chelsea, MI
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“There’s a magnificent haziness to Kevin Barry's work — his characters obscured as though through snow or steam or smoke — and his first novel set in America is no different. Two lovers find each other just when they shouldn't and skip town under cover of darkness, but danger's never far behind. I’d follow Kevin Barry anywhere, whether I could see the road ahead of me or not.”
— Laurel Rhame, Phoenix Books Essex, Essex Junction, VT
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“This was an excellent read. Taking place in two different times, the book will transport you back to 1918 France after World War I. Jessie Carson is helping rebuild communities through children's libraries. Then, in 1987, Wendy Peterson starts looking into the life of Jessie Carson. How will the two paths converge?”
— Ann Vogl, Dragon Tale Books, Menomonie, WI
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“The Safekeep is a provocative book about possession and loss — of physical objects, of family, of love, of place. I expected a predictable historical novel and was very pleasantly surprised by the intricacy of the plot and themes. Here the stories of people dispossessed during World War II, those who survived genocide, and the ones who remained are explored while navigating family and class dynamics, paternalism, materialism, a mystery, and a steamy romance.”
— Hillary Hoffman, Federal Street Books, Greenfield, MA
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“Beginning with one small drop of water, Elif Shafak has woven an entrancing tale that carries readers from ancient Mesopotamia to contemporary England. Brimming with captivating characters who will entice readers to travel through time and place, Shafak’s beautiful and bittersweet narrative of memory and the human story is certain to be at the top of book lists!”
— Betsy Von Kerens, The Bookworm of Omaha, Omaha, NE
Sci-Fi & Fantasy
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“An incredibly thought-provoking story about the dangers of power, corruption, and lies. There was a lot to cover in this, as M. L. Wang used allegory to cover topics like sexism, classism, racism, genocide, colonialism. It was incredibly powerful in its messaging and an exhilarating read. Full of emotion and moments of philosophical, moral, and ethical quandary.”
— Lauren Nopenz, Curious Iguana, Frederick, MD
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“Cassie receives a strange book from an elderly patron, who promptly dies in the bookstore. The Book of Doors is the size of a passport — a passport to anywhere, at any time, for anyone. It begins with pleasure trips and stepping across oceans, then making peace with the person who raised her. Cassie discovers that she carries in her hands the responsibility to save the world from the book’s powerful potential.”
— Margaret Walker, Union Avenue Books, Knoxville, TN
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“An intricately woven tale of star-crossed lovers, The Emperor and the Endless Palace is a masterful combination of Chinese folklore, queer history, and romance. From an ancient Chinese dynasty to the gay party scene of LA, Justinian Huang transports us through three different eras of Chinese culture.”
— Devon Overley, Loganberry Books, Shaker Heights, OH
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“I couldn't get enough of I Cheerfully Refuse; gripping and soulful, it took my breath away. I drank it in, never wanting to put it down, never wanting it to end. The sweeping journey of a man on a quest to find the love he has lost. This story flows along on the rolling tides of hope and despair that rise and fall like the Lake Superior waves.”
— Jacqueline Harrison, Naughty Dog Books, Nashville, IN
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“The eerie moors of Scotland come alive in Ava Reid’s retelling of Shakespeare’s most famous villainess. It’s been almost ten years since I originally read Macbeth, but that did not hinder my understanding or enjoyment of the plot at all. Reid gives Lady Macbeth a voice she’s never been given before. For anyone who’s in the mood for haunting historical fiction with a splash of fantasy.”
— Julie Hansard, All Good Books, Columbia, SC
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“Ocean Yoon, a pilot for Korea’s space agency, is hiding from her traumatic past, reeling from a botched mission. When her best friend finds himself in trouble, Ocean winds up at the center of a motley crew unraveling a mystery bigger than any of them could have imagined. In this action-packed and heartfelt story, debut novelist (and former Elliott Bay bookseller!) Elaine Cho has created an incredibly lovable cast of characters that I will keep thinking about.”
— Laura Klinkner, The Elliott Bay Book Company, Seattle, WA
Thrills & Chills
By Catherine Mack
Minotaur Books
“A metafiction murder mystery? Yes please! Loaded with hilarious footnotes, this romp through Italy while a best selling murder mystery author tries to avoid being killed herself is a treat. Loaded with pop-culture references and snark, this is the perfect murdery beach read.”
— Carrie Deming, The Dog Eared Book, Palmyra, NY
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“When May has her face altered to test the limits of face-recognition technology, she's paid well, but slowly realizes that the cost may be much higher than she could have imagined. As a human in a society that allows more and more surveillance in the name of convenience, I was in thrall. Phillips gives her gorgeous voice to a tale of ever-mounting dread!”
— Mara Lynn Luther, Chapter One Book Store (MT), Hamilton, MT
By Stuart Turton
Sourcebooks Landmark
“A deadly fog has killed everyone on earth, except for 122 people who live on a small, peaceful island. When one of them is murdered, it triggers a fail-safe, giving the islanders 91 hours to solve the murder or be destroyed by the fog. There are giant twists in this remarkable and wildly imaginative book, such that I will reveal no more details, even under threat of torture. Enjoy the ride!”
— Timothy Benz, Joseph-Beth Booksellers, Cincinnati, OH
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“This is a debut author to watch for sure. She begins with the body of the local doctor hanging from a tree near a secret lake on the property of a long-time resident in a small Pacific Northwest town called Point Orchards. Readers are pulled into the past to try to figure out the truth of what has occurred.”
— Terry Gilman, Creating Conversations, Redondo Beach, CA
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“Orabella has resigned herself to a life of less, until Elias Blakersby shows up and she is whisked away with the promise of comfort, fortune, and something more. The decaying visage of Korringhill Manor and rot within pushes Orabella through the threshold of unreality and into a dream darker than any she’s known before. An enchanting and unsettling mystery about becoming or being overcome by the beasts all around.”
— Jericha Harriman, Northshire Saratoga, Saratoga Springs, NY
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“Storytelling that goes down easy but packs ALL the punches. An upwardly mobile but committed activist Black family moves to the utopian all-Black enclave of Liberty, California. Get Out vibes ensue. The ending is guaranteed to ask as many new questions as it answers about Black identity in America and the intractable racist policies and systemic violence that shadow the Black experience across class and social lines.”
— Kat Leache, Novel., Memphis, TN
More Indie Next Lists
- July 2025 Indie Next List
- July/August 2025 Kids Indie Next List
- June 2025 Indie Next List
- May 2025 Indie Next List
- May/June 2025 Kids Indie Next List
- Indies Introduce
- April 2025 Indie Next List
- Spring 2025 Reading Group Indie Next List
- March 2025 Indie Next List
- March/April 2025 Kids Indie Next List