*Three Days in June* is one of those quiet, character-driven stories that really pulls you in, even though not much "happens." It’s all about Gail, a woman facing a lot of life changes in just three days—her daughter’s wedding, a sudden job loss, and the return of her ex—and Tyler does a fantastic job making you feel all the little emotional shifts. It’s slow and reflective, but if you like stories that focus more on relationships and personal growth than big plot twists, this one’s a solid, heartfelt read.

I really liked this book. You could feel all of the emotions and how it impacted her life. I thought the mention of the groundhog day movie was also perfect because it kind of felt like that was going in that same direction. I am also extremely happy she kept the cat!!

First I want to thank NetGalley and Knopf publishing for the opportunity to read this novel. I had never read anything by Anne Tyler prior to this. The characters are fleshed out,and likable. It reads like a story of every day life, no one is too over the top, its is full of humor and love. I was rooting for the ending to be what it was. I thoroughly enjoyed this and will be reading more Anne Tyler in the future.

This book follows Gail for three days surrounding her daughter's wedding. I'm not sure if there is a plot -- it is simply Anne Tyler sharing the ordinariness of one person's life. It was a quick, easy, and enjoyable read.

Thank you, Knopf, Pantheon Vintage, Anchor and Net Galley for the advanced reader copy of this book.

This is about three days in Gail's ordinary life told in three acts (alright, three chapters.) Through Gail's first person stream-of-consciousness narration we learn her thoughts and concerns, her expectations of her daughter and her ex (or her lack of expectations), and her self-doubts. I found it very easy to relate to Gail's quirks and insecurities. A fast and enjoyable read.

I would like to thank Net Galley for the opportunity to read this as an ARC. I love Anne Tyler's work and this is no exception. It is a short book, almost a novella in length, and I wish it had been longer, as I would have liked the characters to have more development and interactions. Maybe thats just me:) As it is, the story is that Gail Baines, in her early 60's, is an assistant administrator at a private school. She is long since divorced from Max. Their daughter is being married tomorrow. The day starts off badly. Gail's administrator is planning to retire and Gail is not going to get the promotion. Gail quits( or is fired, depends on the viewpoint). Then her ex husband Max shows up, with a cat he has rescued, and asks to stay with her for the wedding. Although, after talking to their daughter, whp has just gotten some distressing information, there may not be a wedding. The book does indeed take place over 3 days as Gail looks at her life, her family and her options going forward. It is a well written character study and I completely enjoyed it.

‘Three Days in June’ follows Gail as she navigates the three days surrounding her daughters wedding, faces a crisis in her working life, deals with her ex-husband showing up on her doorstep and there’s also a revelation about her daughter Debbie that is shared the day before her wedding.

Gail has a lot to deal with over these three days in June and Tyler is great about showing ordinary life. I really liked the character of Gail and the growth that we could see as she starts to understand that not everything is as it seems, especially Gail's expectations of the family and the family's expectations of each other.

This is a short book (under 200 pages) and because of this I would have liked to see more character building. While we got to know Gail, there were so many other characters that could have been fleshed out if given time. I would be interested to know what happens after the story ends.

All in all if you are looking for a light, quick read this would definitely be a recommendation!

Gail Baines is experiencing a major shift in her life upon discovering that her workplace plans to squeeze her out on the eve of her daughter’s wedding.

She feels the abrupt loss of two important roles that have defined her for so long. Knocked out of her groove, Gail takes a deep breath to reflect and redirect. With much of her identity stripped away, her future is left wide open and rich with potential. If you are entering a new phase of life, this story offers much in the way of solidarity,

There’s not a lot of action in this contemplative narrative, however, it does give a few soft punches to the gut with its authentic sentimentality. I highly recommend this author to fans of Elizabeth Strout as their writing styles are quite similar.

I thank NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of Three Days in June for my unbiased evaluation.  3.5 stars

2.5 Stars (outliner)
One Liner: Enjoyed the writing but disappointed by the ending

Life hasn’t been easy for Gail Baines. Losing her job, not being invited to participate in her daughter’s wedding activities, and the sudden arrival of her ex-husband (with a cat) cause more than enough stress.
However, Debbie, her daughter, shares a secret with her parents, and it takes drama to the next level. How can Gail and her family navigate the situation? Will they address the past to find a way for the future?
The story comes in Gail’s first-person POV.

My Thoughts:
This novella is a family drama divided into three parts – day one, day two, and day three.
Since we get the story from Gail’s POV, we only see what she presumes and assumes. This makes for an interesting choice since she is quite judgmental and quick to jump to conclusions.
The pacing is steady even as the narration moves between the present, the MC’s thoughts, and tiny snippets of the past. I’m not a fan of long chapters but this format made it easy to separate the days and their events.
Despite having a heavy vibe, there are little bits of unexpected (dry) humor that lighten the scene and provide a little insight into the character(s).
Of course, it is easy enough to guess the reveal that comes midway through but this is not a mystery book, so no extra points for the reader.
Max brings his share of charm and humor while getting on the MC’s nerves for no reason. I empathized more with him as the story progressed. Though he is not the kind of person I like (have some ambition!), Gail made me root for him instead of her. TBH, he deserved better.
Gail, our narrator, and main lead. What do I say? I don’t mind unlikeable characters. I understand her lack of social skills or discomfort in interacting with others. I can even see why she holds herself aloof and distanced. But, she is so darn judgmental and selfish! Though I felt for her initially, by the end, I couldn’t support her. Despite that, I liked how the author created her and Max’s characters to contrast and complement each other.
A few things have been felt open, which is fine since this is a slice-of-life kind of novella. However, the ending was disappointing. I did not want THAT to happen. There has to be an adult-to-adult conversation, acknowledgment, apology, and acceptance. Some things cannot be brushed under the carpet or ignored when they have such a lasting impact on their lives. Also, the message it sends is very unappealing.

To summarize, Three Days in June is an interesting read as a study of characters but was a letdown in terms of plot development and conclusion. I did enjoy the cat’s role and how it was woven into the plot.
Thank you, NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor, for eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

There's just something so soothing about Anne Tyler's writing. She creates characters so realistic, you'd swear you'd known them in the past. Her novels don't generally have a lot of action, but her understanding of her characters' inner lives, and her ability to convey that to her readers, is absolute magic. In this novel, a divorced couple have come together to celebrate -- albeit with much ambivalence on the part of her mother -- the marriage of their only daughter, and the story takes place over the day before, the day of, and the day after the wedding. Readers get to learn how and why they separated, how their separate lives have progressed since that time, and how their own personalities and histories impact their perceptions of their daughter's choices. A touching portrait of an aging pair whose lives didn't always turn out as planned.

Thank you to the publisher and to #NetGalley for providing this free eARC in exchange for an objective review. I'm confident readers of Tyler's earlier books will love this latest one.

I have read other Anne Tyler books and enjoyed them, somehow this one just did not appeal to me. I think from the description, I expected it to be lighter, it just seemed very sad. From the episode with her boss, to her daughter's wedding, to shopping for a suit for her ex-husband, and on and on, it just seemed like one sad episode after another. I guess the ending could be viewed as happy, but I kind of wanted her to turn her life around herself, she had made the first step by adopting the cat, but then when Max came back Gail took him back (or at least that is what the reader was led to believe), so I don't know if she really did change. I'm sure there are readers who will really enjoy this book, I am just not one of them.

A quick light feel-good read. I have to admit that this was not my favorite by the author and didn’t really pull me in.

This is the story of a 61-year-old divorced woman whose only daughter who is getting married. She is awkward around people and is told she did not have "people skills". She is forced to house her ex-husband, Max, before the wedding, Even though Max is a little bit of a slob, he's a nice guy, but she finds herself always seeing him as the Max at the time of their divorce. The reader gets to know about why they divorced. Many of the problems she is experiencing have to do with her own personality, but she is trying to change. The character did grow during the book and the ending was rewarding.

WOW, Anne Tyler really can write about the human perspective, relationships and life! Three Days in June" is about the day before, OF, and following a wedding and centers on the mother of the bride (MOB) Gail, who is dealing with work issues & her ex husband. Very heart-warming, a bit quirky and tender. I loved the foster cat who came with Max! My thanks to Net Galley & the publisher for my advanced reader's copy - a real pleasure to review it!

Three Days in June is glimpse into the world of Ann Tyler. Highly relatable, poignant, a simple tale told well. Is it because Tyler's characters are Everyman? Or is it because she notices the dailyness of life, the events both large and small?
Tyler is incredible at laying out an ordinary day, or three, and letting us see that her characters think and act and fret and move much like we might.
To say she is a master of nuance and a narrator of typical does not do justice to her great talent.
Three Days in June is a smooth read, a book that I finished quickly and helped me break a little reading slump. I think I'm ready for another visit to Baltimore. Thank you Ann Tyler.
And thank you to NetGalley andKnopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor | Knopf publishing for the ARC of Three Days in June by Ann Tyler.

Anne Tyler used to be an author I always read any new book that came out. But it's been a minute since I've read an Anne Tyler book, and I'm sure glad I picked this one up. This is the story of 3 days in the life of Gail Baines, filled with a lot of activity - quitting her job, her daughter getting married, her ex-husband showing up unannounced at her house with a cat to stay for the wedding.

It's a lovely, short book about someone that I could really relate to in so many ways.

The story is straightforward - Gail's daughter is getting married but crisis happens when Deb finds out her finance has a secret he hasn't shared with her, Gail finds out the promotion she expected isn't coming in, and now she's dealing with her ex. But there's so much more to it, with each day taking Gail into her memories of her life, pivotal moments when she made decisions that she may regret, and finding a way forward into her future.

My only quibble is that I had a little trouble at the beginning with the family names of Gail and Deb's fiance, because Baines and Bailey are so similar. I really don't like when authors do things like this with names, it took me a while to get them straight. But that's honestly the only issue I had.

This was just a really easy book to sit and read, with a cat on my lap. And a reminder I should look into some more Anne Tyler books.

This book is an absolute delight! It's a quick, little slice of life story about Gail, whose daughter is getting married. Her ex husband, Max, has to stay the weekend with her because he brought a cat and the daughter's fiance is allergic. The wedding seems to be the main event but it's actually more about these 2 just coexisting for three days, how simple and easy it is. Gail is a little awkward in general and Max is a little annoying but they flow together so well. It's the relationship you always want with an ex that you co-parent with. And as you're reading, you start to think, "why don't they just get back together?" There is a bit of history telling, which is nice in such a short book. It fills in a couple of small gaps and still leaves plenty of room for the present. And I can't lie, at the end, I definitely had a tear in my eye.

I would recommend this for anyone that has read and enjoyed Anne Tyler before, as I have. Or for anyone looking for a quick family fiction read, there's a touch of drama too. This would be perfect for a beach house read, when you've got a few hours during some rain and need a little pick-me-up.

This was such a good read, drama snd humor all wrapped up on a nice package. Quick and easy read. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book

This was a wonderful read. I finished it in one long, lovely beach day and, as I find with the majority of the Anne Tyler books I’ve read, I wish the book was just a tad longer. This author really has the ability to reveal enough about her characters for readers to actually care about them. And so it’s difficult to say goodbye to them once she’s got her story told! That being said, there’s advantages to being able to start and finish a good book in one good day. Enjoy!

I loved this book, as I do all of Anne Tyler's work. This story is not a deep or complicated read, but instead a focus on the everyday lives of a family working through an important event. The setting was an ordinary one, but as happens in life, the day to day stuff gets tangled and what begins as ordinary gets complicated with choices large and small. The characters were so well drawn, always a wonderful part of Tyler's talent, that I could relate to each one's situation and feelings. For fans of the movie Groundhog Day as a metaphor for real life, readers can enjoy the themes of change and maturation and appreciation during the three days in this family's life.