Looking for book club recommendations for August 2023? Iβve got 5 book club recommendations that I used for my work book club this month! Since weβre nearing the end of summer, Iβm trying to squeeze in a few last minute summery reads. Which makes sense, as Happy Place (beachy read) narrowly won over The House in the Pines (thriller/mystery) for this reason alone in my work book club!
If you missed last monthβs summer book club picks β check it out here!
Everythingβs Fine β Cecilia Rabess
I really wanted this one to win my book club β it was my top choice! It just sounds so good and like there would be a lot to talk about in a book club setting! Plus enemies-to-lovers? Yes, please.
Official Blurb
On Jessβs first day at Goldman Sachs, sheβs less than thrilled to learn sheβll be on the same team as Josh, her white, conservative sparring partner from college. Josh loves playing the devilβs advocate and is justβ¦the worst.
But when Jess finds herself the sole Black woman on the floor, overlooked and underestimated, itβs Josh who shows up for her in surprisingβif imperfectβways. Before long, an unlikely friendshipβone tinged with undeniable chemistryβforms between the two. A friendship that gradually, and then suddenly, turns into an electrifying romance that shocks them both.
Banyan Moon β Thao Thai
My friend actually sent me this synopsis to read to help her decide between two books to read. I thought it sounded like a great book club pick β and itβs on Read with Jennaβs list!
Official Blurb
Sweeping, evocative debut novel following three generations of Vietnamese American women reeling from the death of their matriarch, revealing the familyβs inherited burdens, buried secrets, and unlikely love stories.
When Ann Tran gets the call that her fiercely beloved grandmother, Minh, has passed away, her life is already at a crossroads. In the years since sheβs last seen Minh, Ann has built a seemingly perfect lifeβa beautiful lake house, a charming professor boyfriend, and invites to elegant parties that bubble over with champagne and good tasteβbut it all crumbles with one positive pregnancy test. With both her relationship and carefully planned future now in question, Ann returns home to Florida to face her estranged mother, HuΖ‘ng.
The Celebrants β Steven Rowley
This book sounds like it has an eclectic group of friends that will provide a lot of discussion! Also, another Read with Jenna pick!
Official Blurb
Itβs been a minuteβor five yearsβsince Jordan Vargas last saw his college friends, and twenty-eight years since their graduation when their adult lives officially began. Now Jordan, Jordy, Naomi, Craig, and Marielle find themselves at the brink of a new decade, with all the responsibilities of adulthood, yet no closer to having their lives figured out. Though not for a lack of trying. Over the years theyβve reunited in Big Sur to honor a decades-old pact to throw each other living βfunerals,β celebrations to remind themselves that life is worth livingβthat their lives mean something, to one another if not to themselves.
Happy Place β Emily Henry
A great book club read, but not my taste. See why in my full spoiler-free review!
This book is incredibly popular this summer. Emily Henry is such a hot author right now! This won our book club poll β so expect a book review next month!
Official Blurb
Harriet and Wyn have been the perfect couple since they met in collegeβthey go together like salt and pepper, honey and tea, lobster and rolls. Except, nowβfor reasons theyβre still not discussingβthey donβt.
They broke up five months ago. And still havenβt told their best friends.
Which is how they find themselves sharing a bedroom at the Maine cottage that has been their friend groupβs yearly getaway for the last decade. Their annual respite from the world, where for one vibrant, blissful week they leave behind their daily lives; have copious amounts of cheese, wine, and seafood; and soak up the salty coastal air with the people who understand them most.
The House In the Pines β Ana Reyes
The runner-up in my book poll! I think weβll pull this one back in closer to spooky season! Also, itβs set in Boston and the Berkshires in Massachusetts which is a fun throwback for me!
Official Blurb
Armed with only hazy memories, a woman who long ago witnessed her friendβs sudden, mysterious death, and has since spent her life trying to forget, sets out to track down answers. What she uncovers, deep in the woods, is hardly to be believed. . . .
Maya was a high school senior when her best friend, Aubrey, dropped dead in front of the enigmatic man named Frank whom theyβd been spending time with all summer.
Seven years later, Maya lives in Boston with a loving boyfriend and is kicking the secret addiction that has allowed her to cope with what happened years ago, the gaps in her memories, and the lost time that she canβt account forβ¦
Final Thoughts
Let me know if you read any of these books for a book club or on your own β in the comments or over on Instagram! If you liked these book club book recommendations for August 2023, Iβd love for you to share this post!