BookBrowse Highlights
Hello Readers!
Find out what our First Impressions reviewers are saying about Jessica Payne’s Somebody Worth Killing, a thrilling read following a woman who has a normal family life and a career as an assassin, with a sequel in the works.
In Editor’s Choice, Deb Olin Unferth’s latest novel Earth 7 explores an apocalyptic future and ponders big questions about what it means to be alive in an uncertain world.
What’s up with all the myths about women turning into trees? We investigate in a “beyond the book” article relating to Anna-Marie McLemore’s novel We Could Be Anyone.
Plus, we have previews of upcoming July books and copies to give away of Allen Levi’s Theo of Golden!
Thanks for reading,
The BookBrowse Team
First Impressions
Each month, we share books with BookBrowse members to read and review. Here are their opinions on one recently released title.
Somebody Worth Killing by Jessica Payne
“What a fun romp into murder, mayhem, and love! This is my first book by this author and I'm definitely going to have to read more of her work. Nadia Davis is an assassin. She has a good life—a loving husband, two beautiful daughters, PTA—but her real compulsion is killing ‘bad’ people (Nadia has standards!). When a fellow assassin hints that she's not being given high-profile kills because she's a mom, Nadia checks into that and is finally given one. Only the high profile turns out not to be anyone she expected…read the book, you will definitely not be disappointed.” —Janine_S
“This was a very engaging and enjoyable read that made me feel like I knew what was going on right up until the end when it caught me by surprise…The characters were well developed and left me wanting to get to know them better in the next installments, which is always a great sign for a series.” —Linda_B1
“In the end, Somebody Worth Killing lingers—not just because of the twists, but because it forces you to sit with uncomfortable questions about justice, control, and whether a moral code is enough to justify something inherently dark.” —Kathleen_G
For Members
This issue of The BookBrowse Review contains reviews and "beyond the book" articles for 14 titles, including Land by Maggie O'Farrell, Earth 7 by Deb Olin Unferth, and Contrapposto by Dave Eggers.
We also bring you recommendations for book clubs with reading guides, an interview with author Allegra Goodman, and more.
Not Yet a Member? Do you love to spend your reading hours immersed in captivating storytelling and intriguing ideas?
Then a BookBrowse membership is for you! What you see on BookBrowse for free and in this newsletter is just a small part of what is available to members—for just $5.00/month! Join Today!
Editor’s Choice
Earth 7 by Deb Olin Unferth
Earth 7 begins after the end of the world. Our planet has experienced a devastating wave of "depopulation" amid environmental catastrophe, and the last humans left must respond to it. Those responses vary: some choose to settle Mars; some seek to load their minds onto microchips; others try to preserve as much of Earth as they can, in the hope that some future civilization can bring it back to life. When the story begins, Dylan Stein's scientist mother, Rosemary, is laser-focused on the latter—at the cost of connecting with her own child.
Earth 7 takes a hard look at what it means to be alive and experience the world, and asks what really matters. What survives us? … continued
Review by Margaret Belford
Beyond the Book
Tree Women of Mythology
In We Could Be Anyone by Anna-Marie McLemore, one of the main characters, Lola, is turning into a tree, and she references instances from mythology where this happened to a female character. It's a surprisingly common phenomenon when looking at myths of various cultures. It is often specified what kind of tree a woman becomes, but it's generally unclear whether we are meant to assume every tree of that particular kind was once a woman, or for that matter how this plot twist came to be so popular. … continued
Article by Erin Lyndal Martin
July Previews
We know it can be tough to keep up with all the new books coming out every month, so we do the hard work for you.
We've carefully selected 100+ of the most noteworthy books publishing in July and are continually updating our selections—check them out and get yourself on the library waitlist ahead of the crowd!
BookBrowse members can see, sort, and download the full list of previews for all months. Non-subscribers can view books up to the current month and a limited selection of future months.
If you don’t already, you may also wish to subscribe to our Publishing This Week newsletter.
Giveaway
Theo of Golden by Allen Levi
From the Jacket
One spring morning, a stranger arrives in the small southern city of Golden. No one knows where he has come from…or why…
His name is Theo. And he asks a lot more questions than he answers.
Theo visits the local coffeehouse, where ninety-two pencil portraits hang on the walls, portraits of the people of Golden done by a local artist. He begins purchasing them, one at a time, and putting them back in the hands of their "rightful owners." With each exchange, a story is told, a friendship born, and a life altered.
Praise
“Readers are encouraged to see those around them through Theo's eyes, focusing on their gifts rather than their failings…the book is never preachy, and the author's message of compassion is universal.” —BookBrowse
About This Sweepstakes
We have five print copies of Theo of Golden by Allen Levi to give away.
This offer is open to residents of the USA, except for BookBrowse members who are welcome to enter wherever they live. If a member not resident in the US wins, they receive an extension to their membership.
Giveaway ends July 13, 2026
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