Another wonderful book from Anne Tyler, which is sure to be very popular among her regular readers, and should also attract new readers with its appealing cast of quirky, multigenerational characters and a cozy Baltimore setting. It takes place in the space of three days, with Gail Baines, newly 60, preparing for the wedding of her only child, Debbie. It's the day before, the day of, and the day after the wedding. Gail is socially awkward to begin with, and as the book opens, she is pretty sure she has just lost her school admin job. Things don't improve with the arrival of her ex-husband, who has decided he needs to stay at her house instead of Debbie's, because he has brought along a foster cat who Debbie's fiance is allergic to. She manages to navigate the weekend, and we are right with her -- this is a book that is hard to put down, as we care so much about the characters and the author is a great storyteller. I look forward to recommending it.

Three Days in June by Anne Tyler is a short (176 pages), sparely written, charming and heart felt story. The author does a beautiful job developing each character fully but simply. The FMC, Gail Baines, is a socially awkward, often funny, divorced 61 year old managing her feelings in the 3 days surrounding her only daughter’s wedding. Over the course of the book, she explores the breakup of her marriage and her fears for her future. I adored her ex-husband, Max, who sees and understands Gail for who she is even before she does. This was utterly charming and the ending was chefs kiss. 5/5⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf Publishing for an advanced copy. All opinions are my own. Available 2/11/25

I tried not to be prejudiced in reading this pre-release copy of Three Days in June, but two pages in, I succumbed to the Tyler spell. That spell includes complex and often contrary characters, quirkiness, decisions that might be looked at askance later, and the Tyleresque warmth that keeps me prejudiced. This is a short book, but it will earn your attention.

If you have read Elizabeth Strout’s Olive Kitteridge, you’ll see a companion soul in the protagonist here, a woman of quick judgement on things as small as how a person parks and as large as the nature of love. Gail Baines produces gasps of irritation and nods of agreement in the reader, sometimes in the same paragraph. The book centers around her daughter’s wedding (the second of the three days), her strong urges to advise, upbraid and console her daughter, perhaps all unnecessary in the strategic sense, but haunting Gail, due to some unconfirmed, significant conflicts in the daughter's romance, which harken back to Gail’s own.

Oh, I can’t forget one of Anne Tyler’s greatest waves of the wand: she is funny. She is consistently funny in both the narrative observations, the interior monologues of Gail, and in the playing out of circumstance. If you haven’t read The Accidental Tourist or Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant, do yourself the full favor.

This is about a mother and daughter a few days before the daughter's wedding. it s a short story rather than a longer book.

I struggle to enjoy Anne Tyler’s writing voice. I thought I was a fan but starting this helped me remember having the same trouble with her other titles. There is something that is stilted or foreign or mildly old fashioned about her descriptions and dialogue. This doesn’t seem set in American modern times.

As a fan of Anne Tyler’s previous novel French Braid, I immediately requested an ARC of her new novel Three Days in June. This story is engaging from the start, and I found the characters to be well-written. Given the story takes place over three days leading up to a wedding, it moved rather quickly. Although it’s a short book, I couldn’t help but fall for the main character (mother) and her ex-husband. A delightful, but deep read that I won’t soon forget.

Really enjoyed this book. Haven’t read Anne Tyler in awhile and this story was so well told. Great. Will recommend it to others.

This was a long short story rather than a full blown novel. All of the author’s books have a similar feel with characters that are slightly flawed which you makes you more invested in their story. This was engaging, nothing special. I received an ARC from the publisher through NetGalley, this did not influence my opinion.

Fun and quick reading with an unpredictable ending. I just wished characters were a bit more elaborated and that it tells more about what happened to the recently weds..

Anne Tyler does it again. It is not every author who can write almost 200 pages about a span of 3 days and keep a reader interested. Absolutely a lovely book about a woman/ex-wife/mother/teacher who is somewhat lacking in people skills. There is also a daughter who is getting married, an ex-husband who needs a place to stay for the wedding, and a cat that she doesn't want . The in-laws and the wedding guests were also genuinely amusing to read about. I LOVED THIS BOOK. It was relatable and just sucked me in as if a friend was telling me all about their weekend. Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf for the complimentary digital ARC. This review is my own thoughts and opinion.

Like all of Anne Tyler’s books, this is a lovely and poignant story. Even though it’s a short read, I was swept up in this little “slice-of-life”, which Tyler always does so well. Highly recommended. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

Anne Tyler’s stories have matured with time. That wonderful sense of characters is there with an even more moving plot that is so relevant to everyone. Gail’s only daughter is getting married and during those 3 days in June other events are also going on in Gail’s life. Work, ex-husband and even questions about the groom-to-be all make for a carefully crafted story within a story. Such wonderful lines that made me smile and think this person has a real sense of how life is all about the events we live in and how they affect us. I was so excited and thrilled to get this ARC. Thank you #NetGalley and #Knopf for #ThreeDaysinJune.

Gail Baines seems like a very beige person. She prefers not to engage with other people or eat any food she didn't experience as a child. She works as administrative assistant to the headmistress of a snooty private school and lives, alone, in the same town as her mother. She makes no real effort to dress up or offer any suggestions for the wedding of her only daughter, Debbie, allowing the mother of Debbie's fiance, Kenneth, to plan the whole event, choosing the church and the party venue, as well as all the attendants. Gail has opinions about those choices but she refrains from expressing them.
On the day before Debbie's wedding, her father, Max, comes to town. Because he brings a cat he is fostering and Kenneth is allergic to cats, Max ends up staying with Gail.
On the days before, during, and after Debbie's wedding, the reader learns what happened to Gail that changed her from the woman Max thought "hung the moon" to the diminished person she became.
Reading a book by Anne Tyler is like calling up an old friend. Nothing terribly dramatic ever happens, but one feels enriched by the experience. Most of her characters are ordinary people who live in Baltimore. They are funny and frequently, ridiculous, but they are all treated with the dignity that everyone deserves.
I've been reading Anne Tyler's books for over fifty years and I still look forward to them. In my opinion, Anne Tyler is a national treasure. Three Days in June is not quite as memorable as my personal favorites, Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant and Searching for Caleb, but it made me happy to read it.
I would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher, Knopf, for granting me the privilege of a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Gail Bains is having a bad June. She was recently let go from her longtime job, having been pushed out for someone younger and more ambitious and her ex-husband has moved back in with an unwanted cat. This happens in the immediate lead up to her daughter Debbie’s wedding. How much is Gail’s staid, sedate attitude to blame for this current situation? Is her daughter really happy? Does she want to get married at all?

I have long admired Anne Tyler. When I was a junior in high school, we were given a list of great American authors, with the task of reading some of their work and doing summaries and analysis. My battered and oft-read copy of Saint Maybe is a is a testament to the esteem in which I hold her and her work.

Three Days in June is another beautiful look at human nature, a detailed character study that examines us during our most vulnerable moments and dives deep into our psyches. Ann Tyler examines an important life milestone, one’s wedding, and delivers a beautiful story, one that is sure to stay with you long after this book is complete. This four star novel is definitely worth your time. Available February 11, 2025.

I received this advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for or an honest review and feedback.

I really like this one! The writing and the characters are so good! It is what you expect from a Anne Tyler novel.

Thank you to NetGalley for the arc in exchange for my review.

This is a short brisk read about Gail Baines, taking place the day before her daughter's wedding. Long since divorced from Max, the story navigates n honest, truthful depiction of a family long since broken.

Gail has quit her job, and in the first few pages, we meet Max, her ex husband who decides to show up on her front doorstep unannounced with a cat. Trying to keep the family together before Debbie's wedding, we are confronted with a secret about her soon to be husband, which changes the trajectory of the entire three days in June.

Anne Tyler writes about simple things, simple day to day interactions, which makes her such a talented writer. I think if you're looking for a sweet story about family, heartache, secrets, and finding oneself during the middle age of your life, this is a great read for you.

Oh, how I LOVE this author! I look forward to everything that comes out by her, and each and every time I read her, it's like meeting up with an old friend again!
Not every important life lesson can be learned in school, but many can be learned within the pages of an Anne Tyler novel. Though spanning just three days–the day before, the day of, and the day after a wedding, this novel is packed full of these "Tyler teachings". How to make the best of what starts out as a really bad day, learning the value of a good sense of humor and a marvelous lap cat. Most of all, the putting aside of grievances and regrets of previous life choices, for the sake of family, and a marriage that is just beginning. Three Days In June is Anne Tyler at her best, and I cannot wait to share this book with others come February!
Many thanks to NetGalley and Knopf for allowing me to be an early reader!

I have never read any Anne Tyler. This was a first for me, and I wasn't sure what to expect. The book was a very quick read, and I appreciated that it didn't try to drag things out by adding filler. The story focused on three days: the day before, the day of and the day after Debbie's wedding. For all the action, very little truly happened in the book or, at least, nothing far fetched or hard to believe. Yes, Gail is having a bad day with her work, and the timing of everything sucks, but she's a normal person living her life and doing the best she can. She isn't a truly nice person, because she does come across as a little self absorbed and a little too stuck in her head, but she's definitely not horrible. Gail makes efforts to be counter to herself, especially in supporting her daughter on an important day in her life and through a very challenging situation. All in all, it's a book about the ordinary or the extraordinary in the ordinary.

Gail was well developed and was pretty much the focus of the whole book, although Max did play a major role too. Everyone else was there to move the story forward but with small steps so that Gail had time to reflect and adjust. Max seemed to understand her really well, and I found there were a lot of similarities between Gail and the cat. The way Gail acted towards the cat was very much the way Max acted towards Gail: getting her used to him by being around and integrating himself in her space.

If this is how Tyler's other books are written, I will definitely pick up a few more. I think the Accidental Tourist always scared me away, because I liked the movie so much.

Beautiful in its simplicity, Three Days in June is Anne Tyler at her best. This story is set over the three days of a wedding and told from the point of view of the mother of the bride. Tyler manages to cover it all during this short novel-love, family, career, relationships-with an effect that left me breathless! A must read!

I received a copy of this novel from NetGalley in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.

3.5 stars.

As always, I enjoyed reading Ann Tyler. Unfortunately, this was a rather short book - more like a novella - and it had a predictable storyline.

I enjoyed the characters - even if at times they seemed a bit caricatured - and the inner dialogue of the narrator as she navigates her only daughter’s wedding weekend. It’s a simple plot as she reflects back over her life while hosting her ex-husband who has returned for their daughter’s wedding and lands at her doorstep. He assumes himself, and a foster cat he has in tow, into her home as he has no other possible accommodation.

A pleasant read overall.


I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.