The Best New Books Out in June, According to Indie Booksellers

bestselling author of hamnet and marriage portrait She turns to Ireland in the 1860s. In a country recently hit by famine and starvation, a man named Thomas and his son Liam work on the Ordnance Survey, a project to map all of Ireland for the British Royal Family. Thomas was determined to map not only his country, but also the Great Famine, and was recently presented with the map by the British. But when Tomas is thrown off course by an upsetting encounter, it’s up to 10-year-old Liam to finish his father’s job, even as he struggles to understand what’s going on around him. —Rachel Britten

Three Chinese women arrive in 1870s Los Angeles. Los Angeles is just a small desert town still recovering from the aftermath of the Civil War. Dove, the daughter of an imperial scholar, comes to California for an arranged marriage with an older man. Petal was born into a farming family and was sold by his father, but when he arrives in America, he is sold again. Dove, the wife of a traditional Chinese medicine practitioner, is educated and beautiful, but suffers from pain and shame from a failed attempt at leg binding as a child. The three women have little in common, but when anti-China sentiment boils over in their new home, all three will find a connection that will help them face the challenges that lie ahead. —Rachel Brittain

Do you love wildly original novels that leave you feeling like nothing will ever be the same again? Get ready to have your head melt with this brilliant debut novel. It is the story of Yara who receives a message from God that she needs to kill one of the bad guys on Earth. Yara, who does not question the message from above for a long time, signs a contract and sets out on a mission. Meanwhile, a depressed prophet with hidden powers wants to befriend the man upstairs and carries out his own plans. Get ready: canon is a heart-wrenching adventure about life, death, and fate that will ruin your life in the best possible way. —Liberty Hardy

For fans of multiple POVs, crime witnesses, and New York City!

Brandon is a night shift concierge who breaks hotel policy by sleeping with a guest. Brandon ends up in possession of a mysterious bag containing a cell phone, and witnesses the murder of one of his best friends. Now Brandon and his group of friends are working on the case. —Jamie Canaves

Puck is a non-binary reality TV producer on this fun and suitably chaotic Shakespeare-inspired romantic comedy. They’ve spent years giving troubled couples hell and creating a popular dating reality show, but when their college roommate announces his engagement to another friend of Puck’s, they learn that this marriage is headed for disaster. During a wedding at a luxury resort in Appalachia, Puck secretly rearranges the couples in his friend group. But a bridesmaid determined to make this wedding happen could upend Puck’s plans, and all their ideas about what makes for eternal happiness. —Rachel Britten

Larsh’s Magic and Romance sequel follows Orok, a lovable magic sports star, and his budding devotion to his fake PR boyfriend, an adorable cheerleader with a mysterious past. When Mr. Orok saved Alexo from a bar brawl, he didn’t expect that his professional lowball team and church patrons would want to capitalize on the viral moment by proposing a PR relationship. If he can counteract his possessive tendencies and stop abandoning his resentful patron, Orok may have a chance at building a real relationship with the man of his dreams. —R. Nassor