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Subtitle: From blood-pumping thrillers to spicy rom-coms, these new releases by Black and Caribbean authors will light up your summer TBR.
It’s the middle of summer, and you know what that means: time to refresh your reading list with some bold, beautiful, and Black new releases. July is bringing us everything from chilling thrillers to juicy love stories and ancestral magic. Whether you’re reading poolside, lakeside, or under your favourite plant baby at home, these books deserve a spot in your tote.
Here are the 7 diverse books I’m most excited about this July and why they’ve landed on my radar:
Blood in the Water by Tiffany D. Jackson
📚 Genre: Thriller / Horror
Release Date: July 2, 2025
Tiffany D. Jackson, I don’t think that I need to hype her up at all. Tiffany Jackson is that girl when it comes to YA thrillers that go deep. And this one? It’s giving chilling, social commentary, and that edge-of-your-seat brilliance we’ve come to expect from her. Blood in the Water is about a girl’s trip that goes very wrong—and the secrets lurking beneath the surface (literally and figuratively). You already know if Tiffany wrote it, it’s gonna be twisty, powerful, and unputdownable. If you haven’t seen the trailer to this book, yes, I said trailer, then go watch it now and thank me later.
⚡Why it’s on my radar: I love a story that blends fear with truth, and Jackson never misses when it comes to Black girls navigating danger, survival, and their own inner power.
The Marriage Monitoring Aunties’ Association by Ola Awonubi
Genre: Satirical Fiction / Romance
Release Date: July 16, 2025
If you’ve ever been hounded by an auntie about marriage, this one’s for you. Set in Nigeria, this novel follows a newlywed woman who discovers her marriage is being monitored by a secret auntie society. It’s funny, heartwarming, and sharply observant about societal expectations around love, duty, and tradition.
⚡Why it’s on my radar: As a Caribbean woman, I felt this one in my bones. The pressure to marry, the auntie wisdom (and meddling!), and the blend of humour with cultural critique make this a must-read.
Jamaica Road by Lisa Smith
📚 Genre: Historical Fiction / Diaspora Stories
Release Date: July 2, 2025
This powerful debut explores the Jamaican diaspora in 1970s London. It’s raw, tender, and steeped in memory, telling the story of a young girl growing up at the intersection of migration, identity, and survival. Think Small Island meets Girl, Woman, Other.
⚡Why it’s on my radar: As a Jamaican-Canadian, I’m always seeking out stories that reflect our migration narratives with complexity and care. This one promises to be both a family story and a political one.
A Mastery of Monsters by Liselle Sambury
📚 Genre: Fantasy / Supernatural
Release Date: July 23, 2025
Liselle Sambury is back with a brand-new fantasy that drips in magic, legacy, and folklore. Monsters are real—and seventeen-year-old August is about to find out just how close they live.
When her brother mysteriously disappears after leaving her a cryptic note, August can’t let it go. Not after their mother also vanished without a trace. But when August is attacked in the woods by a creature straight out of nightmare, the truth hits hard: her family’s secrets run deep, and the monsters aren’t just metaphors—they’re flesh and blood.
⚡Why it’s on my radar: I will forever champion Black fantasy rooted in ancestral wisdom and cultural mythology. Liselle always delivers high-stakes worldbuilding and deep, emotional storytelling. If you loved Legendborn or Ninth House, this one’s calling your name.
Bones at the Crossroads by LaDarrion Williams
📚 Genre: Historical Fantasy / Magical Realism
Release Date: July 30, 2025
I read Blood at the Root, and I was blown away! This one is Set in the Reconstruction-era South, and this historical fantasy centers a young Black man with mysterious powers who must reckon with the past to change the future. It’s haunting, lyrical, and filled with ancestral spirits, magic, and a reckoning with history.
⚡ Why it’s on my radar: I live for speculative Black history with teeth. This book is giving Toni Morrison meets Jordan Peele—and I need it in my hands now
Love Forms by Claire Adam
📚 Genre: Literary Fiction
Release Date: July 9, 2025
I read Golden Child years ago, and it still haunts me. Claire Adam (author of Golden Child) returns with a quiet, moving exploration of how love takes shape between siblings, mothers, lovers, and even strangers. Set between Trinidad and the UK, this novel is tender and introspective, perfect for fans of literary fiction that moves like poetry.
⚡Why it’s on my radar: Claire’s writing is slow, soft, and stunning, and Caribbean women writing our truths with nuance will always have my heart.
There’s no shortage of powerful stories coming out this month. Whether you’re craving love, fear, fantasy, or the comfort of seeing your culture reflected on the page, these July releases by BIPOC authors are a gift to our shelves and our spirits. Here are all the books coming out in July:
So grab a book, grab a drink, and get into these stories. Summer is the perfect time to read ourselves free.
Tag me @thisblackgirlreads and let me know what you’re reading this month. And don’t forget to join the This Black Girl Reads Summer Reading Challenge, because Black women deserve joy, books, and rest.
What do you think?