WSS Bookclub: June 2026
Grab a warm drink, get cosy, and dive into our curated list of the ten best new fiction releases for June. This month’s crop is a particularly rich one, think reconciliation and second chances, glittering mythology retellings, Australian goldfields history and love triangles that will absolutely wreck you. Whether you’re curating your winter reading nook or resetting your bedside table before the school holidays hit, these newly released novels (all available now through Australian bookshops and online) deserve a prime spot on your “to read” pile.
The Pulitzer Prize-winning author returns with a quietly devastating novel about a woman who unexpectedly reconnects with her former stepfather decades after her mother’s brief marriage to him ended. What follows is a tender exploration of how fleeting relationships can leave permanent marks, and what it means to be given a second chance at a connection you thought was lost forever.
2. The Shampoo Effect by Jenny Jackson
If you loved Jackson’s bestselling debut Pineapple Street, you’re in for a treat. This one relocates her signature “rich people behaving badly” energy to a small New England coastal town, where a young writer falls for a local man, only for things to get complicated when his on-again-off-again ex announces she’s pregnant with his baby. Funny, sharp and a little bit filthy in the best way.
3. The Palace of Lost Virtue by Anthea Hodgson
A homegrown gem from the bestselling author of The War Nurses. Set on the Western Australian goldfields in 1898, it follows the unlikely friendship between a devout young temperance campaigner and the hard-drinking American madam she sets out to save. Inspired by true events and a real 1920s murder case in Kalgoorlie, it’s rich, atmospheric and deeply moving.
4. Road Trip by Mary Kay Andrews
Two estranged sisters reunite for their mother’s funeral only to learn her dying wish was for them to travel to Ireland together and trace the origins of a family heirloom painting that could be worth a fortune, or a total fake. Equal parts family drama, mystery and gentle romance, this is the queen of the beach read at her most feel-good.
5. The Housewife by Natalie Barelli
A deliciously dark, domestic thriller about a woman whose seemingly perfect marriage quickly devolves into a gripping nightmare.
6. Daughters of the Sun and Moon by Lisa See
See’s signature sweeping, richly researched storytelling turns to the story of three Chinese women whose unexpected friendship helps them survive and thrive amid the turmoil of post-Civil War Los Angeles. A beautifully immersive slice of overlooked history.
7. This Immortal Heart by Jennifer Saint
The bestselling author of Ariadne and Elektra turns her lens on Aphrodite, goddess of love, and her unlikely, centuries-spanning affair with Ares, god of war. Lyrical, sensuous and threaded through with the mortal loves and losses that made Saint’s earlier retellings so beloved, this is her most romantic novel yet.
8. People in Love by Claire Daverley
From the author of the word-of-mouth hit Talking at Night comes a gorgeous, grown-up love triangle. On the night of her engagement party, Nora’s childhood best friend Bren turns up on her doorstep for the first time in years, reigniting a longing neither of them ever fully let go of. Bring tissues.
9. The Someday Garden by Ashley Poston
A magical, wistful summer read from the New York Times bestselling author of The Seven Year Slip. A grieving horticulturist takes a job reviving the grounds of a storied Maine estate and discovers a secret garden that’s never in the same place twice, with a mysterious man trapped inside. Equal parts grief, healing and gentle magic.
10. Billie King by Shannon Kelly-White
Rounding out the month is this homegrown Australian story, a warm, character-driven read to close out June with a distinctly local voice.
What were you curling up with this June? Let us know in the comments or tag us on Instagram @womanofstyleandsubstance, we love seeing your bookclub picks.
