Here are the 25 Indie Next List and 6 Now in Paperback picks on the July 2025 Indie Next List flier.
The July title list is also viewable as a collection on Edelweiss and on the Indie Next List page as an Excel file alongside PDFs for the month’s flier and shelf-talker templates. Learn more and visit Matchbook Marketing’s program page to sign up to send the free Indie Next List e-newsletter to customers.
Additionally, to mark the start of the new month, the June Indie Next List picks are available as a flier, along with past lists, on the Indie Next List page on BookWeb.org.
The 25 July Indie Next List Picks
#1 Pick: The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy: Book 1 of the Dearly Beloathed Duology
By Brigitte Knightley
(Ace, 9780593819456, $30, July 8, Romance)
“A fun, witty enemies-to-lovers romance that delivers plenty of banter, sizzling tension, and the right amount of angst. If you love a stubborn and slow burn romance, this one has exactly what you’re looking for.”
—Chelsea Semonco, Four Seasons Books, Shepherdstown, WV
Don't Let Him In: A Novel
By Lisa Jewell
(Atria Books, 9781668033876, $29.99, June 24, Thriller)
“If you enjoy a tale full of complicated relationships filled with secrets, then this is a necessary read. Told with many voices, the reader is offered a platter of delectable bites to sample as they savor the plot bite by bite.”
—R. Aimee Chipman, The Bluestocking Bookshop, Holland, MI
Rose in Chains (Deluxe Limited Edition) (The Evermore Trilogy #1)
By Julie Soto
(Forever, 9781538771228, $32, July 8, Romance)
“Julie Soto smashes into the romantasy scene with a darkly decadent story of magic, intrigue, and desire. Can't even explain the levels of tension in this book — talk about slow burn! Not for the faint of heart, but deeply bingeable.”
—Kassie King, The Novel Neighbor, Webster Groves, MO
The Satisfaction Café: A Novel
By Kathy Wang
(Scribner, 9781668068922, $28.99, July 1, Fiction)
“For fans of Jonathan Franzen, Kathy Wang delivers a stellar debut. Her keen observations on everyday life are on full display with Joan Liang and her unexpected life journey where she must seek the satisfaction that lies within.”
—Susan McBeth, Adventures By The Book, San Diego, CA
A Marriage at Sea: A True Story of Love, Obsession, and Shipwreck (Indies Introduce)
By Sophie Elmhirst
(Riverhead Books, 9780593854280, $28, July 8, Biography)
“A raw telling of the fight a young couple endures physically and mentally as their boat is capsized by creatures in the middle of the sea. Reads like a novel — it’s crazy this is a true story!”
—Alex Hammett, Serendipity Books, Chelsea, MI
Hazel Says No
By Jessica Berger Gross
(Hanover Square Press, 9781335015129, $28.99, June 17, Fiction)
“Told from multiple characters’ perspectives, this is a downright titillating story about family and community, choices and growth. Readers will root for Hazel and her entire family from beginning to end in this page-turning drama.”
—Liz Whitelam, Whitelam Books, Reading, MA
Sunny Side Up: A Novel
By Katie Sturino
(Celadon Books, 9781250344205, $28, June 24, Fiction)
“Very rarely do we ever fit into a mold. This book completely forges a new path in accepting yourself and others for who we are. Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder and this is just what the doctor ordered!”
—Suzanne Lucey, Page 158 Books, Wake Forest, NC
Finding Grace: A Novel
By Loretta Rothschild
(St. Martin's Press, 9781250381828, $29, July 8, Fiction)
“I have never gasped as loudly as I have at the conclusion of Finding Grace’s first chapter. At that point, I was all in. Rothschild's elegant prose and sense of place and time root the reader in this incredibly vivid story of love, loss, and the history that we are willing to rewrite.”
—Megan Birch-McMichael, The Silver Unicorn Bookstore, Acton, MA
These Summer Storms: A Novel
By Sarah MacLean
(Ballantine Books, 9780593972250, $30, July 8, Fiction)
“Alice travels home to the family island for the funeral of her eccentric, billionaire tech father. As old wounds reopen and family drama compounds, we learn the inheritance game is afoot. Will Alice play? Hang on for the ride!”
—Sierra Hollabaugh, The Bookery Cincy, Cincinnati, OH
I Gave You Eyes and You Looked Toward Darkness: A Novel
By Irene Solà, Mara Faye Lethem (Transl.)
(Graywolf Press, 9781644453438, $17, June 17, Fiction)
“I insist that you’ll be obsessed with this magnificent, slim book. Curious, disgusting, beautiful and resoundingly feminist — this is a book to captivate your hungering Madeline Miller readers, your Oyeyemi fans.”
—Dustin Kurtz, Literary Arts, Portland, OR
The Girls Who Grew Big: A Novel
By Leila Mottley
(Knopf, 9780593801123, $28, June 24, Fiction)
“Just as she did in Nightcrawling, Leila Mottley gives voice and understanding to parts of life that our culture often tells us to ignore. The book is full of life and heart and hope.”
—Beth Black, The Bookworm of Omaha, Omaha, NE
The Enchanted Greenhouse
By Sarah Beth Durst
(Bramble, 9781250333988, $29.99, July 15, Romance)
“This cozy fantasy in the world of The Spellshop is the first notes of birdsong mixing with winter sunshine. It’s a snowy evening spent in front of a fireplace, with fresh bread, warm soup, and the comfort of quiet company. A balm for a weary soul.”
—Jericha Harriman, Northshire Bookstore, Saratoga Springs, NY
The Bewitching
By Silvia Moreno-Garcia
(Del Rey, 9780593874325, $29, July 15, Fiction)
“I really had fun with this book. It had the creeping tension of Shirley Jackson, a dash of Lovecraft's twisted New England atmosphere, and a hefty heaping of Mexican witchcraft that makes for a damn good read.”
—Thomas Wilkerson, BookPeople, Austin, TX
Sounds Like Love
By Ashley Poston
(Berkley, 9780593641002, $19, June 17, Romance)
“Ashley Poston has done it again. She wonderfully combines laugh-out-loud humor with tender, heartfelt moments. If you love music, small Southern towns, or just a good story, Sounds Like Love is for you.”
—Julie Hansard, All Good Books, Columbia, SC
Bug Hollow: A Novel
By Michelle Huneven
(Penguin Press, 9780593834879, $29, June 17, Fiction)
“Bug Hollow is just wonderful. Characters thrown together after being torn apart are Huneven's specialty. As always, the characters in this California novel are given all the grace and mercy they need. Perfect for book clubs.”
—Sarah Bagby, Watermark Books & Cafe, Wichita, KS
The Compound: A Novel
By Aisling Rawle
(Random House, 9780593977279, $29, June 24, Fiction)
“Lily wakes up in a middle-of-the-desert house as a cast member on a mysterious reality show that’s part Survivor, part Truman Show, part Love Island. I was uneasy (a good thing) from page one of this unpredictable tale that unfurls with mounting dread and razor-sharp societal commentary.”
—Joelle Herr, The Bookshop, Nashville, TN
Daikon: A Novel
By Samuel Hawley
(Avid Reader Press / Simon & Schuster, 9781668083055, $29.99, July 8, Fiction)
“A historical novel that really opens your eyes to what Japanese people experienced at the end of WWII. Daikon fills in the emotion that strict history does not. Wonderful characters and beautiful writing!”
—Becky Anderson, Anderson's Bookshops, Naperville, IL
Party of Liars: A Novel
By Kelsey Cox
(Minotaur Books, 9781250378811, $28, July 1, Thriller)
“Everyone loves a Sweet 16! Cox weaves together multiple narratives to build the perfect amount of suspense in her debut thriller, wherever everything and everyone are not quite what they seem.”
—Emily Freeman, Quail Ridge Books, Raleigh, NC
In the Veins of the Drowning (The Siren Mage #1)
By Kalie Cassidy
(Little, Brown and Company, 9780316587600, $19.99, July 15, Fantasy)
“Rich atmospheric writing and a fresh take on siren lore make this the perfect dark romantasy to pick up this summer. I loved the strength of the main character and the blooming feminine rage as the story progressed.”
—Brooke Williams, Beanbag Books, Delaware, OH
Vera, or Faith: A Novel
By Gary Shteyngart
(Random House, 9780593595091, $28, July 8, Fiction)
“How do you review an absurdist novel, filled with hilarious moments and thinly veiled references, when reality has become absurd? Call it what it is: Subversive Literature. Maybe we all need to view the world through the eyes of a ten-year-old whose family is falling apart in the near future.”
—Rebecca Dowling, Napa Bookmine, Napa, CA
Cry for Me, Argentina: My Life As a Failed Child Star
By Tamara Yajia
(Bloomsbury Publishing, 9781639733910, $26.99, July 1, Humor)
“Tamara Yajia finds a not-so-delicate balance of irreverent crassness and heartfelt storytelling. Her life is almost unbelievable while still somehow relatable. Perfect for fans of Samantha Irby, Jenny Lawson, and Maria Bamford.”
—Mara Panich, Fact & Fiction Downtown, Missoula, MT
Make Your Way Home: Stories (Indies Introduce)
By Carrie R. Moore
(Tin House Books, 9781963108286, $17.99, July 15, Short Stories)
“I mean it when I say this book is breathing life into me. Each story is a slow burning tale set in the South, braiding history, love, family, and self-discovery together with crisp prose and honest storytelling.”
—Nadi Hinojosa, Lark and Owl Booksellers, Georgetown, TX
Hot Girls with Balls: A Novel
By Benedict Nguyen
(Catapult, 9781646222476, $28, July 1, Fiction)
“Hot Girls With Balls is a searing satire of a hostile world that asks minorities to speak on behalf of their communities and then silences them. I couldn’t help but root for Six and Green as they navigated their roles as two Online Famous Trans Girls in the men’s pro-Volleyball league — all while being hot sweaty girls in love.”
—Ellis Breunig, Page 2 Books, Burien, WA
Sunburn
By Chloe Michelle Howarth
(Melville House, 9781685892111, $19.99, July 8, Fiction)
“Following two young girls as they fall in passionate but impossible love in ‘90s rural Ireland, this novel is the song Triple Dog Dare by Lucy Dacus. Reading it felt like a sunburn: The beating heat of the sun, the pain of the burn, the relief of aloe vera, and the peeling back of skin revealing something nascent yet terrifying.”
—Jeanette Byrnes, Browsers Bookshop, Olympia, WA
The Undercurrent
By Sarah Sawyer
(Zibby Publishing, 9781958506431, $17.99, June 24, Fiction)
“The Undercurrent is an impressive literary work of fiction that pulls the reader in and never lets them go. Two families grapple with the disappearance of a young girl in their neighborhood, leading them to an unimaginable truth. Intelligent, gripping, and beautifully written!”
—Kathy Mailloux, East City Bookshop, Washington, DC
The 6 Now in Paperback Titles
All the Colors of the Dark
By Chris Whitaker
(Crown, 9780593798898, $19, July 1, Thriller)
“An utterly beautiful and haunting story. No one writes characters like Whitaker — they’re flawed, but you can’t help but love them. I will be thinking about Patch and Saint for a very long time and can’t wait to sell the book!”
—Elizabeth Barnhill, Fabled Bookshop & Café, Waco, TX
The Anthropologists: A Novel
By Ayşegül Savaş
(Bloomsbury Publishing, 9781639736683, $17.99, July 8, Fiction)
“The Anthropologists is a slim, impactful novella that cuts to the heart of human experience. Ayşegül Savaş conveys the complex vagaries and bone-deep loneliness of adulthood. This is a stunning and unique novel.”
—Jo Swenson, Gibson’s Bookstore, Concord, NH
Between the World and Me
By Ta-Nehisi Coates
(One World, 9780812983814, $20, June 17, Memoir)
“Coates writes about fear and its corrosive effects on our culture from a very personal perspective. Between the World and Me is urgently needed and should be required reading for everyone in America: high school and college students, church group members, business people, and especially all law enforcement and justice department personnel. This is a book I wish did not need to be written, but I am grateful to Coates for having the courage to share his views.”
—Liza Bernard, Norwich Bookstore, Norwich, VT
The Extinction of Irena Rey: A Novel
By Jennifer Croft
(Bloomsbury Publishing, 9781639736393, $18.99, June 17, Fiction)
“In elegant prose, Croft beautifully blurs the lines between reality and fiction, translation and translated, leaving the reader with a deep sense of wonder and awe for the labyrinthine universes that exist between languages and places.”
—Maxwell Shanley, Green Apple Books & Music, San Francisco, CA
The Lost Boy of Santa Chionia: A Novel
By Juliet Grames
(Vintage, 9780593469811, $18, July 15, Fiction)
“Set in an isolated Italian village, this is so rich in detail, so deep in characterization, that it’s like eating dessert in a fine restaurant: savoring each bite, letting it linger on the palate. Easily one of my favorite books of the year so far!”
—Pete Mock, McIntyre’s Fine Books, Pittsboro, NC
A Sorceress Comes to Call
By T. Kingfisher
(Tor Books, 9781250244062, $18.99, July 15, Fantasy)
“In T. Kingfisher’s retelling of the Goose Girl fairytale, there’s an emphasis on found family, and finding strength in yourself that you didn’t know you had. I would like Hester and Cordelia to be my new best friends, please and thank you.”
—Cora Kelly, Bear Pond Books, Montpelier, VT