If you’re looking for a short potentially pallet, cleansing read, then three days in June might be good for you. Thank you @knopf & @prhaudio for my early reading & listening copies, of THREE DAYS IN JUNE, publishing February 11, 2025.

The story follows Gail Baines, a super awkward mom whose story drops us in media res for her daughter’s wedding and the day she loses her job.

As Gail navigates the shifting change for her as a mother, she is forced to confront her history with her ex-husband.

My favorite part of the story was definitely the cat that her ex-husband Max brought to her house. By far my favorite part!

Anne Tyler is one of my go-to authors. I think I've read every book she's published. This novel/novella is about a nuclear family on the day before their daughter's wedding, the day of the wedding, and the day after the wedding.

Gail Baines is assistant head mistress at a day school. She is asked to meet with the head mistress on her way home and is told that there will be a new head mistress coming in the fall and she will be bringing her own assistant. Her boss also tells her that her people skills are not great. Gail is stunned. She will be offered a position as a math teacher which is a step down from where she was.

When Gail gets home, she finds her ex-husband Max on her steps. Along with him is a cat he's fostering. They are on speaking terms but seem to withhold their feelings. Max is a teacher in a remedial program for math. Their daughter Debbie, a lawyer, is marrying the next day and neither Gail nor Max have been involved in the wedding planning. Though they apparently love their daughter, they do not readily show their emotions.

As this novel traverses the lives of these three characters, I was most taken by the lack of emotional sharing between them. So much was left unsaid which led to misunderstandings, sadness, and regret, I really enjoyed this book and was awed by how Ms. Tyler developed the characters by allowing the reader to see between the lines. Sometimes, what is left unsaid is the most revealing.

I thank Knopf and NetGalley for an Advanced Review Copy in exchange for an honest review.

I have been reading Anne Tyler for most of my adult life because she was one of my late mother’s favorite authors. I often read her books with my mother in mind and imagine what my mother would think of the book. She would have loved it just as much as I did. The conversations between mothers and adult daughters were perfection. It is such a delicate balance of a mother letting go of managing a daughter’s life and Anne Tyler gets this so right.

The book is a snippet of the main character’s life spanning the day before her daughter’s wedding, the day of the wedding, and the day after the wedding. This isn’t a Father of the Bride family. This is a messy complicated loving modern day family. And it’s written as if you are catching up with an old friend and you ask her, “so, how was the wedding?” and you learn so many new things about your old friend.

Thank you to Knopf for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

I was given an advance reader copy of this book by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Witty and charming this book does not disappoint.

While this book was not for me, I can totally see people loving this! I honestly have no real complaints whatsoever, I think I am just a little younger than the audience that this would appeal to, and it was difficult for me to relate to any of the characters and their struggles because of that.

Anne Tyler always promises quirky characters, ordinary circumstances, settings in Baltimore and a rare insight into life.
Three Days in June is set around Gail’s daughter, Debbie’s wedding. It takes place on the day before, the day of and the day after the wedding. Gail is an educator, who was just let go of her administrative position. The reason for her firing is that she lacks people skills. This theme continues throughout this quick story. Her ex-husband Max, arrives on her doorstep, unexpectedly , with a foster cat with him.
We learn that Gail isn’t invited to the ladies spa day the day before, and has little information about her only child’s upcoming wedding. I wonder if she hasn’t been included for any specific reason? That wasn’t made clear, but the reader can infer why. She and Max seem to fall into their old routines pretty quickly and it makes one wonder what will become of their relationship? Also, Debbie learns some disparaging information about Kenneth, and how will that play out?
Overall, Gail feels like an outsider throughout the story, and we are able to view through her how she reflects on the past, present and future. Anne Tyler never disappoints!
4 stars
Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf for this ARC .

Gail's daughter is getting married and we get to go along the ride for the day before, the day and the day after the event. We learn the family dynamics and the drama of the present and the past.
This is a beautifully written short book, the characters felt too real and I really enjoy how we get to see the different opinions they have on marriage, infidelity and forgiviness.

This is the first Anne Tyler book I read and definitely not the last.

Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for this ARC.

3,25 out of 5. This book is one that is beautifully written but that ended up being somewhat boring to me. The concept is cool, and the setting of the family stress of three days of a wedding weekend does lend itself for some interesting meditations on family dynamics. My issue was that I was bored and didn't really care that much about any of the family members to get thoroughly invested. A nice but not great story. I actually still don't know whether I liked the ending or not. Take that for what you want, at least it might be controversial. I don't know if it was perfect, simplistic or very anti feminine.

Even though this is a short book it was moving story! “Three Days in June” takes place before, during and after the weeding of Gail’s Daughter. Unexpectedly Gails ex-husband, has to stay with her for the wedding. This weekend has Gail examining her all parts of her life.

The characters are ordinary people reflecting back on life. They are so well crafted and witty; they feel more than ordinary. I also really enjoy the quirkiness in the characters. Tyler did a great job of with integrating Gail’s past with the current story.

I would have to say my favorite part about this book are the themes. This book does a great job exploring the commitment of marriage and the role forgiveness and truth plays in it.

Overall this was an amazing story and the ending had me swooning😊

Thank you NetGalley for the advance e-copy!

This short (under 200 pages) novella is a master class in writing a story using only the words that are necessary; no more, no less. From the outside, it seems as though Gail is not doing very well. She learns that the job she expected to move into when her boss retired will not be hers. Her daughter is getting married, but she knows the fiancée has been unfaithful. And to cap it all off, her ex arrives for the wedding bringing a cat and expects to stay with her, over the course of three days, Gail takes advantage of her usual outsider position in the family to observe how her relatives and her daughter’s friends deal with their own issues.

Because it’s in Gail’s nature to keep her emotions hidden, the reader isn’t always privy to what she’s thinking. The end of the book, although logical in most of our universes, seems out of character for Gail, until we realize that the author has led us logically to this point.

A very easy and entertaining read, if not totally engrossing. Thank you to Knopf and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Candidly, I was simply bored by this book. I love a good character driven book and yet this one just sat still. I never felt like I got a good handle on the female lead character, tho the final 30% did pick up the development. Ultimately, I didn’t find Gail funny, as many others have, nor did it speak to me even as a reader of a ‘certain age.’ And the ending was exactly what I hoped did not happen, as it felt too safe and pat. Millions of readers have loved this author, and many love this book - however, it just was not for me.

Three Days in June is a quick, engaging book that packs a big punch. I flew through this book but there was so much story, plot, character and emotion on every page that it felt like a full novel. The characters were funny, quirky, real, flawed and lovable. The story took place over three monumental but also very normal days. It was witty and fun while also being emotional & heavy. Thoroughly enjoyed!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are mine alone.

I've been reading Tyler for many, many years, only skipping a few that didn't draw me in. This novella(200 pages) is classic Tyler that I love so much. Quirky, but realistic characters and a fast moving plot - all the action happens over the period of three days. Prickly Gail is the narrator. She is assistant director at a private school, divorced from Max and mother of Debbie , who's getting married. Gail's job is on the line, her ex shows up at the front door to stay with her for the wedding weekend bearing a cat and to add to that she hears upsetting news about her soon-to-be son-in-law. Lots of humor with underlying thoughts on marriage and living the life you choose. It's a true gem! Thanks to NetGalley and Knnopf Doubleday for the ARC.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC.

This novel focuses on Gail, who has just quit her job after being passed by for a promotion. Gail is also feeling really left out of being able to assist her daughter’s wedding planning. This novel is a short novel that focuses on primarily three days in June surrounding Gail‘s daughters wedding, and the emotions that go with that Gail does not feel fully welcomed into the process and really has struggled emotionally throughout.

This will definitely be a read that many will love, especially if they have ever felt similar or can relate to Gail in anyway.

United States Publication: February 11, 2025

Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf for this advanced reader's copy. In exchange, I am providing an honest review.

Gail Baines is in flux. Her career may or may not be over, her daughter is getting married, and her ex-husband has just shown up at her front door with a cat. Over the next 72 hours, Gail will ride a roller coaster of emotions as she filters through past memories and looks forward to what life might look like once she's a mother-in-law.

Honestly? That's it. And I'm baffled at the high rating this title is getting. I'm assuming part of the high rating is just the love people have for Anne Tyler and her writing. A few of her titles are on my TBR, but this is the first title I've ever read. I wasn't wowed. I was bored, and Gail Baines is not a sympathetic character. She annoyed the hell out of me. I kept reading, thinking it would turn a corner and get interesting, but it never did. I read the last word and felt like it was a waste of my reading time. *shrug*

Gail is having a rough day. It’s the day before her daughter, Debbie, is to be married and she learns that the wedding party is having a Day of Beauty at a spa and she wasn’t invited. Gail is employed as the assistant headmistress at the school where she works and is told that she is being replaced. When she arrives at her home, her ex-husband shows up needing a place to stay until after the wedding.
The day before, day of and day after the wedding is mixed with humor, a secret and decisions.

Thank you NetGalley and Knoft Publishing

I have read and enjoyed many of Anne Tyler’s previous novels, so I was eager to read an ARC copy of her soon-to-be-released novel Three Days in June, to be published in early February 2025.

I found this newest offering by Tyler immediately engaging and highly readable. Although quite short (less than 200 pages), I found the novel(la) complete. As is typical with Tyler’s novels, the plot is secondary to the characters, and Three Days in June is no exception. The slightly-quirky characters are well-developed, gradually unfolding over the course of the novel. Tyler reveals character backstories with perfect pacing, slowly unveiling her characters’ motivations and actions.

Primary themes: Family dynamics, coming to terms with an evolving self, acceptance of life as it IS, compromise

Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. The book will be published on February 11, 2025.

4 stars.

This book felt like sitting on the back porch with your childhood friend’s mom, listening while she catches you up on all the latest. It’s a story of life at its most ordinary, yet still easy to get lost in. Will definitely be reading more by Anne Tyler.

This gem is told over the course of three days. Gail's daughter is getting married tomorrow and she has too much to think about. Her day gets off to a very rocky start when she learns that her boss is retiring and they not only don't want her to fill the spot but want to bring in someone completely unrelated to the school who wants to bring their own assistant for her slot. She leaves work in a huff, only to get home and discover that her ex-husband and his foster cat have decided to crash at her house for the wedding festivities. Her day continues to get worse when her daughter shares a concern. The rest of the story is the Wedding Day and the day after as Gail takes stock of her life and relationships with her ex, her daughter, and herself.

Thank you netgalley for a free copy of this book in return for an unbiased review.

I have, of course, known of Anne Tyler for all of my adult life, but how is it possible I have not read her before now? Three Days in June was such a fun surprise for me, and I am thrilled I was able to experience this thoughtful book about ordinary lives before the release date. This will not be the perfect book for everyone, but I do think it will hit the right person, at the right time, in the right way. It did for me.

We follow Gail, a 60-something, mother-of-the-bride, on the day before her daughter’s wedding, the day of the wedding, and the day after. Although everything in Three Days in June revolves around daughter, Debbie’s wedding, this is not a story about a wedding, at least not in the traditional sense. Learning about Gail’s life, both past and present, as she moved about her days as the mother-of-the-bride, was a unique and fresh perspective for me to enjoy as a reader. Being a woman in a similar stage of life, I felt I could relate to many of Gail’s musings.

I am in awe of authors who have a concise approach to storytelling, and Tyler does just that while sharing a whole lot of living in a short book spanning a mere three days. Three Days in June is contemplative, reflective, and a bit melancholy, but Tyler always manages to bring home her point with compassion and humor.

If you enjoy a quiet, character-driven, slice-of-life story, consider giving Three Days in June a try. Fans of Catherine Newman, Claire Lombardo, and Roxana Robinson will find much to love in Anne Tyler’s latest short novel.

4.5 Stars rounded up to 5 Stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf for the ARC of, Three Days in June, by Anne Tyler, in exchange for my honest review.