The Best Grown-Up Reads of
July 2020
by the Brightly Editors
Whether your summer reading list calls for swoon-worthy romance, thrilling escapism, or a life-saving guide to potty training (our hearts are with you!), we’ve got just the thing. July’s best new reads feature a stellar debut set in a Bachelor-adjacent world, the latest from two powerhouses of suspense, an appearance from the one and only Jim Carrey, and more.
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One to Watch
Available from:Bea Schumacher’s not-so-guilty pleasure is the dating show Main Squeeze, which she eats up despite its complete lack of body diversity. When Bea’s online critiques of the show go viral, she’s invited to be the first plus-size star, a gig she accepts only to boost her career and inspire other women. But when she finds herself surrounded by hunks, well... would it hurt to look for love while she’s changing the status quo?
(On Sale: 7/7/20)Also available from: -
A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor
Available from:In Hank Green’s follow-up to An Absolutely Remarkable Thing, the aliens dubbed Carls are gone, and so is April, the young woman who discovered them. April’s friends are all grieving in their own ways — in fact, one of them is convinced she’s not dead at all — when mysterious books begin to appear, books that both predict the future and control their readers. Come for the thrilling plot; stay for the profound social commentary.
(On Sale: 7/7/20)Also available from: -
Memoirs and Misinformation
Available from:Jim Carrey’s take on memoir is not your typical Hollywood tell-all. His semi-autobiographical novel feels like a fever dream as it rollicks and zigzags through his psyche, from his Canadian childhood to his days in L.A. to an otherworldly, cataclysmic ending. At once an absurdist romp from a comic legend and a treatise on the cult of celebrity, it’s as original as Carrey himself.
(On Sale: 7/7/20)Also available from: -
Not Like the Movies
Available from:A barista and the sole caregiver of her father, Chloe Sanderson doesn’t have a lot of time for frivolous things like falling in love. Maybe that’s why when her BFF wrote a movie based on Chloe’s life, she cast Chloe’s ruggedly handsome boss, Nick, as Chloe’s love interest. As the big premiere nears, Chloe starts to look at Nick in a new light. Is it movie magic, or the real thing? This follow up to Waiting for Tom Hanks doesn't disappoint.
(On Sale: 7/7/20)Also available from: -
The Golden Cage
Faye has given up a lot for Jack. She dropped out of business school, where they met as students, to support him in launching his new company. She gave birth to their child and now stays home to care for her, cut off from the business completely. So when Faye discovers that Jack is having an affair, her violent past comes rushing to the surface, and only the finest revenge will do.
(On Sale: 7/7/20) -
Watching You Without Me
Isolated in her childhood home and overwhelmed with grief over her mother’s sudden death, Karen finds a friend in Trevor, her sister Kelli’s caregiver. According to Trevor’s stories, her mother loved Trevor, too, and this ambient closeness soothes Karen’s pain. But when flashes of darkness begin to show in Trevor, Karen starts to doubt her first impression. Who is Trevor, really? And what is he capable of?
(On Sale: 7/7/20) -
Paris Is Always a Good Idea
Available from:Since her mother died, everyone in Chelsea’s family has moved on, except, it seems, for Chelsea. She has a great career, but the list stops there. When her father announces he’s getting remarried, Chelsea seizes on a brilliant idea: she’ll cash in her vacation days to recreate her gap year in Europe, looking for the three men she fell in love with back then — Colin, Jean Claude, and Marcelino — and see if anything sticks this time around.
(On Sale: 7/21/20)Also available from: -
The First-Time Parent’s Guide to Potty Training
Available from:Dr. Jazmine McCoy is here with good news: potty training doesn’t have to be a nightmare! In her practical and encouraging guide, she gives first-time parents the 4-1-1 on numbers one and two, and reframes potty training as an opportunity to connect with and praise your child. McCoy covers all the bases (including daycare, tantrums, and common setbacks) so you can ditch the diapers for good.
(On Sale: 7/28/20)Also available from:
