The May Aardvark picks are here, and this month’s lineup is interesting. It’s a solid spread. There’s gothic fiction, horror, something lighter, and a few that are harder to pin down, which is honestly what I love about Aardvark. They never give you exactly what you expect. I shared my predictions for May a few…
The Shippers
JoJo Burton has been bad at love her entire life and she’s decided to fix that once and for all at her sister’s destination wedding on a cruise ship. Her plan: woo the neighborhood guy who was her first crush and first kiss for some long-overdue closure. The problem? She ropes in her childhood best…
The Jellyfish Problem
Marine biologist Dr. Jo Ness prefers jellyfish to people. Since her best friend Aldo died seven months ago, she’s been hiding away at an underfunded aquarium, finishing the jellyfish guide they were writing together and keeping his voice alive through his notes in the margins. When Nadia, one of the few other humans she’s ever…
Brimstone Hollow
PI Annie Gore is back and this time she’s heading into the hollers of Eastern Kentucky to investigate the death of one of Appalachia’s last snake-handling preachers. His estranged daughter Katie May thinks someone rushed the funeral and the whole thing feels wrong. Annie takes the case because she sees herself in Katie, a woman…
The Break-Up Retreat
Journalist Isobel goes undercover at a remote wellness clinic deep in the Swedish woods where women go to heal from devastating breakups. The catch? Some of the patients are never heard from again. Armed with a fake story and a hidden phone, she’s there to expose the clinic’s founder and get answers for the families…
I’m Not the Only Murderer in My Retirement Home
After spending decades in prison for serial murder, Carol is thrilled to trade her tiny cell for a spot in Sheldon Oaks, a luxury retirement home where she plans to make friends, take up baking, and leave the killing behind. That plan falls apart fast when a fellow resident, a former police commissioner, drops dead…
The Women in White
In 1964, four remarkable young women at a prestigious university became the subjects of parapsychology experiments by a visionary scientist. On the cusp of a historic breakthrough, the women mysteriously vanished and the program was erased from history. Decades later, newly divorced Riley Bell accepts a caretaker job for an elderly widow named Betty, stepping…
Handle with Care
Handle with Care by Marybeth Whalen follows three women who walk into a small-town post office on an ordinary spring afternoon, only to find themselves held hostage when a domestic dispute spirals out of control. A husband pulls a gun and barricades himself inside with his wife and three strangers: a young woman searching for…
June 2026 | BOTM Predictions
Summer reading season is officially here and June is looking like one of the strongest BOTM months of the year. Publishers are putting out some heavy hitters this month and BOTM tends to lean into that summer energy with picks that are accessible, buzzy, and perfect for reading by the pool or staying up way…
June 2026 | Aardvark Predictions
With June right around the corner, I’ve been looking ahead at upcoming releases and trying to guess what might show up in next month’s Aardvark lineup. They tend to strike a balance between buzzy new titles and returning authors, usually with a slightly darker or more offbeat edge, so this list leans into that mix….