The hottest books for the hottest time of year

Dream Count by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Dream Count is the story of four women and their loves, longings, and desires. Amidst the pandemic, Chiamaka, a Nigerian travel writer in America, reflects on past relationships and life decisions. Her best friend, Zikora, a successful lawyer, faces heartbreak and turns to the person she thought she needed least. In Nigeria, Omelogor, Chiamaka's bold, financial powerhouse cousin, reevaluates her self-perception. Meanwhile, Kadiatou, Chiamaka's housekeeper, confronts a crisis that jeopardizes her American dream for her daughter. 

Careless People: A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed, and Lost Idealism by Sarah Wynn-Williams

Careless People is a fun, explosive exposé detailing Sarah Wynn-Williams' career at Facebook from its early days to its role in global events, while highlighting the challenges of working motherhood. Wynn-Williams offers a candid, unflinching look at the role that social media has assumed in our lives and Facebook's leaders, revealing how their unchecked power and irresponsibility have impacted society. 

The Tell: A Memoir by Amy Griffin

Amy, a successful woman with a seemingly perfect life, has spent decades running from a hidden secret, impacting her relationships and sense of self. “You’re here, but you’re not here,” her daughter said to her one night. “Where are you, Mom?” This question prompts a journey into psychedelic therapy and the legal system to uncover buried childhood trauma. Amy's quest explores the pursuit of perfectionism and control that drives many women, questioning when they learned to seek external validation. With relentless honesty, she points a way forward, revealing the power of radical truth-telling to deepen our connections—with others and ourselves. 

Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall

Beth and her gentle, kind husband Frank are happily married, but their relationship relies on the past staying buried. But all is disrupted when her brother-in-law shoots a dog belonging to Gabriel, her long-lost first love, who has returned to town with his son. a boy who reminds Beth very much of her own son, who died in a tragic accident. As Beth is pulled back into Gabriel’s life, tensions around the village rise and dangerous secrets and jealousies from the past resurface. Beth is forced to make a choice between the woman she once was, and the woman she has become. 

Miss Austen by Gill Hornby

England, 1840. Two decades after the death of her beloved sister, Jane, Cassandra Austen returns to the village of Kintbury. In a dusty corner of the vicarage, there is a stash of Jane’s letters that Cassandra is desperate to find. Dodging her hostess and a meddlesome housemaid, Cassandra eventually hunts down the letters and confronts the secrets they hold. Will Cassandra bare the most private details of her life to the world, or commit her sister’s legacy to the flames? 

Miss Austen is available for streaming on PBS Masterpiece Prime Video channel this spring 

The Better Sister by Alafair Burke

Chloe, the ambitious sister, and Nicky, the restless one, drift apart as Chloe achieves success in New York and Nicky settles down in Cleveland with her husband Adam and their son Ethan. Cut to fifteen years later, the sisters are virtual strangers, and Chloe is married to Adam. When Adam is murdered, Chloe allows Nicky back into her life to help their son, Ethan, who becomes a suspect. The sisters must then confront buried family secrets to uncover the truth behind the murder. 

 The Better Sister series starring Jessica Biel and Elizabeth Banks comes to Prime Video this May 

The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han

Belly's life revolves around summers at the beach house with Susannah and her longtime friends, Jeremiah and Conrad. Since that very first summer, Jeremiah and Conrad have been brother figures, crushes, and everything in between to Belly. She spends her winters counting down the days to summer, where everything magical happens. But one summer, one wonderful and terrible summer, everything changes. A summer of growth and realization leads things to where they were always meant to be 

The final season of The Summer I Turned Pretty is available for streaming on Prime Video this July 

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

Grieving the sudden death of his mother, young scientist Victor Frankenstein buries himself in his experiments. Along the way he discovers a way to give life to non-living matter and proves his theory right by bringing to life an enormous, grotesque creature from old body parts. Horrified by what he has done, Frankenstein abandons his creation and sets off a chain of events that will affect everyone Victor holds dear. 

Frankenstein, directed by Guillermo Del Toro and starring Jacob Elordi comes to Netflix this fall 

Wicked by Gregory Maguire

Elphaba is born with emerald-green skin, which is no easy feat in a land as mean as Oz. But Elphaba is smart, and by the time she enters Shiz University, she's a member of a charmed circle of Oz’s most promising young citizens. Unfortunately, Elphaba’s Oz is no utopia. The Wizard’s secret police are everywhere, and Animals are threatened with exile. Elphaba is determined to protect the Animals. Even if it means combating the mysterious Wizard, even if it means risking her single chance at romance.  

Wicked: For Good is coming to theatres this fall