Anne Tyler always takes the mundane details in life to weave her story. This novel is about a divorced couple during the days leading up to their daughter’s wedding. Family secrets in present day and past come to be. Although short, I loved it. Maybe too short so 4 stars. Classic Anne Tyler. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Three Days in June by Anne Tyler is a short reflective novel, focusing on 3 days from the perspective of the mother of the bride (a woman in her 50s/60s) on her daughter's wedding weekend. Recommended for readers looking for a character-focused novel, rich descriptions of internal emotions and observations, and a quick reflective read.

This short novel packed in so much in it. It was a joy to hey to know these characters over the three days in this book. This connection that the author builds is amazing, it feels like you have mad friends. I didn't want this to end. Fantastic!

This delightful book was sure to be a hit with me since Anne Tyler is a favorite author of mine. I enjoy all of her books. Three Days in June is about a family wedding with the day before, the day of and the day after the big event. Gail is the mother of the bride. She is a bit of an introvert and not always tactful or socially correct. Her relationship with her daughter, her ex-husband and her elderly mother are all part of the story. Anne Tyler has once again created a story that was funny at times but also able to dig deep into the workings of this family and it’s history of relationship shortcomings. I loved the ending to this short but entertaining story.

Anne Tyler writes with such ease that whatever the story, reading her work is a pleasure. She makes the mundane instantly recognizable so the ordinary becomes extraordinary.
A visiting author speaking at my school told the students the mark of a good book is watching a character grow. That is the essence of Three Days in June. As the book opened I thought Olive Kitteridge had migrated from one of Elizabeth Stroud’s stories and taken residence in Baltimore. A more unpleasant, closed-off woman has rarely been given top billing in a book. But with the aid of a good cat, Gail begins to take the first tentative steps from a life lacking in people skills to a world of infinite possibilities.
This is a quick read and a very satisfying story. I put this in the win column for Anne Tyler.

Short, a little snarky, and subtle. I liked this, felt I could identify with Gail and Max, and appreciated the circular logic that wove the pieces of the story together.

No huge twist, but simply a nicely-told tale.

I received a complimentary copy of the book from the publisher and NetGalley, and my review is being given freely.

Gail starts off by jumping ahead and quitting her job; what follows is a look back at her millions of little choices that lead her to that moment. All this takes place over the span of 3 days, the day before, the day of and the day after her daughters wedding.

Gail is a blandly boring character in the best sense. You can easily see yourself thinking the same thoughts and wondering the same ideas as she does. She's oddly quirky but likeable at parts. Her past major choices are shown through a lense of her daughters choices, hoping history does make the same mistakes.

I wished there was a epilogue set in the future to see how these current choice withstand time.

Gail’s daughter is getting married; her ex husband comes in town with his cat and needs to stay with her. It’s an easy read good book about relationships, forgetting the past, and living your life. The book has a positive ending.

Three Days in June examines the day before, day of, and day after Gail Baines and her ex-husband Max’s daughter's wedding. Gail has just learned that she won’t get the promotion she expected when Max unexpectedly arrives and stays at her house for the wedding weekend. They fall into old habits while enjoying being together, It's typical of Tyler with Gail and Max seeming like people I've known my whole life, people who know who they are now much more than when they were younger. Tyler never disappoints. I read this in less than a day. Could not set it aside.

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC. What a lovely short novel! As the title says, it covers three memorable days in the life of Gail Baines, a sixty-one year old divorced school administrator. We meet her just as her career takes a downward dive on the same day of her’ daughter’s rehearsal dinner. We meet her mother, her ex-husband, her ex-boyfriend, and many others. This book is so tightly constructed that every sentence is crucial to advancing the plot. Oh, what the heck, I’m give it 4.5 stars! Great book, Ann Tyler!

I absolutely loved this book! I seem to find books about curmudgeons appealing (maybe I’m one), and I loved the characters in this book and found them very relatable. Tyler did a great job bringing them to life. I found a lot of humor in the situations in the book and how the characters dealt with them. This book was short and sweet and I flew through it. I hadn’t read Tyler’s books for a while, so I appreciate getting the opportunity to read an advance copy of this one thanks to the publisher and NetGalley. I will go back and catch up on the books I’ve missed. I highly recommend this book and I think it would make a great choice for book discussion groups as well as a wonderful holiday gift that would appeal to a wide audience. Highly recommended!

Not a book I usually go for but it was good!!! A lot of self searching and I found it to really relate to what so many people go through!

This story begins on the day before the wedding of Gail’s daughter, Debbie. Gail has not been part of any of the planning, nor invited to any of the pre-wedding activities. On top of all of that, her boss advises she’s retiring later in the year, and that because of her lack of social skills, Gail won’t be considered for a promotion to take over the job. Gail is determined she’ll quit before she’s fired, although she’s not certain she even still has a job.
Upon her arrival home she is getting ready to go to the wedding rehearsal when her ex-husband shows up at her door with a cat and no place to stay. He is in town for their daughter’s wedding. She allows him to stay in her guest room, however, she is not too happy about the cat, that has no name.
There are a number of moving parts to this charming story and in some places, I had to pause reading while I laughed out-loud. There are also some serious moments and situations that warranted forgiveness that warmed my heart.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. All comments and opinions are my own.

Perhaps it’s because I’m an older woman myself but I’m a little tired ipof reading about older women trying to find themselves. I love Anne Tyler but this book wasn’t for me. Too predictable

After the initial pages, I found myself not connecting with the story or characters, so I decided to pass on this book. Did not finish

The weekend is booked for “Three Days in June” 👰🏼‍♀️💍🤵🏻by Anne Tyler but it took two days for me to fall in love with this short novel and the characters that came with it.

Gail is at risk to lose her job or quit for that matter because she lacks people skills and found herself being replaced by someone else. Her day can not get any worse than to come home and find her ex husband (Max) with a foster cat. Her daughter’ Debbie wedding is this weekend she calls her up and ask if she has a spare room for her fathers stay. She is then reminded of her future son in law (Kenneth) allegries of cats 🐈 Days before her daughter’s wedding Debbie comes to visit and shares news of her future husband affair she is then indecisive whether to continue with the wedding. Gail is reminded of her past marriage with Max. Thank you NetGalley for the advanced reading.

I can hardly wait for 2025 after reading one amazing book after another! I have to say, this has become my favorite Anne Tyler book. When I finished the last chapter, my eyes welled up, and I sighed with happiness as a wide smile spread across my face. What a delight! I finally found something genuinely engaging, refreshing, and heartfelt—like reading a chapter from the lives of my friends, family, or even my own life. There's nothing pretentious, far-fetched, exaggerated, or clichéd in this book, and that’s exactly why I loved it so much.

The story centers on Gail Banes’ life as her daughter’s wedding approaches, spanning from the day before the ceremony to the day after. In just three days, Gail finds herself reliving a pattern from her past that hits her hard, forcing her to make important decisions about her life and embrace changes or losses in the best way possible.

It all begins at the school where she works, where she’s abruptly told that her executive associate position is no longer needed and that she’s considered too socially awkward for the management role she requested. Shocked by the news, she leaves the school without even taking her belongings. When she arrives home, she finds her ex-husband Max—who has brought a cat with him but conveniently forgot his suit for the wedding—explaining that he needs to stay with her because their daughter didn’t allow him to stay at her house due to her fiancé’s allergies.

As if that weren’t enough, her daughter Debbie arrives, tearfully confiding a secret about her fiancé before the rehearsal dinner, a revelation that could change the course of their marriage plans. Debbie’s confession sends Gail down memory lane, reminding her of an incident that ended her own marriage and bringing up feelings of guilt, shame, regret, and sadness. Meanwhile, Gail and Max attend the rehearsal dinner, with Gail still questioning her daughter’s choices as well as her own.

Should she adopt the cat Max brought? Should she return to teaching math, a career she gave up long ago? Should she start over at 60? Is it too late to take risks and make a fresh start, even if it means making more mistakes? Does she have the strength to change things?

I absolutely loved this bittersweet, engaging book. Gail and Max are wonderfully peculiar, quirky characters, and it’s easy to see why they were drawn to each other in the past. Gail may not be socially awkward; she’s simply direct and unfiltered, speaking her mind without hesitation. She’s smart, an overthinker, and a bit of a worrier. Max, on the other hand, is the opposite—laid-back, embracing life’s ups and downs with a smile, and often making unexpected remarks in tense situations. But that doesn’t mean he lacks insight into people and their motives; he’s a wise man hiding behind a carefree façade.

I thoroughly enjoyed the characterization and the honest storytelling. I’m giving this book five stars and highly recommend adding it to your TBR as one of the best fictions of 2025. But don’t let it sit on your list for too long—just read it!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for providing me with a digital review copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.

Lovely, charming story. Ann Tyler at her best! It's nice to read about fairly normal people and end up with a comp;ex but happy ending.
Thanks for the ARC

This Anne Tyler read like an Elizabeth Strout with it's humor and wisdom. The complicating relationship of Gail and Max both wanting to prove their independence and past hurts. They share a daughter and decades of memories. Complicated past meets family wedding! This one had me laughing and crying. Well done!

SO many thanks to NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor | Knopf for the opportunity to read Three Days in June by Anne Tyler. There are writers and then there's Anne Tyler who cannot write a wrong word. 56 beezillion gold stars.