I wasn't real sure about this book in the beginning. But, in the end, I loved the story. I should have known, Anne Tyler has never disappointed!!!

Meet Gail who loses her job and is facing her daughter, Debbie's, upcoming wedding. To top that off, she is having to entertain her ex-husband, Max, while they navigate the upcoming nuptials. Max has a lackadaisical attitude while Gail is more fretful. It's quite a combination! And throw a cat Max brought with him into the mix!

When there is a question as to what the groom-to-be might have been up to one night, Gail begins to reflect on her own marriage and what led to it's failure.

I can sum it all up in one word....FORGIVENESS.

Thank you to Netgalley and Alfred A. Knopf publisher for allowing me to read and review Three Days In June by Anne Tyler. This book was my first book by this author and enjoyed it as a character driven book. This book was a quick read and light reading. This book was about a wedding that takes place in June. I love when the title is easily recognizable in the book. I look forward to reading other books by this author.

I did not finish this book. I got about 40% through because I wanted to give it a valiant effort. But the humor did not land for me. I will likely recommend this book to other people because I think some folks in my library would like this book even though it was not my cup of tea.

I wasn't sure if I would like THREE DAYS IN JUNE, but I really did. This story is mainly about family, marriage, love, and relationships. I really liked the character of Gail. She wasn't perfect by any means, but seemed very real. Overall, I'd say this is a winner.

Many thanks to the publisher for my gifted copy.

A very satisfying read about real people
Three Days in June is a novella about a very normal wedding. It is told from the viewpoint of the mother of the bride, Gail Baines, and mothers of the bride can NEVER consider the wedding to be normal. Gail’s stress is heightened by a situation at the school where she works that causes her to leave her job. Not everything involved in the wedding itself proceeds perfectly smoothly either, e.g., Gail’s former husband Max, the father of the bride, needs a place to stay at the last minute and imposes himself on Gail, but there is nothing that is shocking. There is, though, a nice surprise at the end, not quite the ending I was expecting!
Reading this book about very ordinary people reminded me what good writing can be. The people portrayed seem like folks who might live down the street (especially since I live in a Baltimore suburb!). They talk just like people talk; I smiled at dialogue like the beautician’s comment, “Well, there you are” in response to something Gail said. They have feelings I identify with, like Gail’s observation that the reason she stays away from beauty parlors is that she never knows what to talk about there. And they act pretty much as I would expect people to act, like Gail’s very mixed reactions when a former boyfriend from years ago shows up at the wedding and turns out to be the groom’s uncle.
Although this is an “ordinary people” book, even ordinary people have quirks that make for fun reading. For example, the reason Max needs to stay with Gail is that he brings with him a cat he is sheltering whose owner just died, and he discovers that the groom is very allergic to cats, so he cannot stay with his daughter.
I received an advance review copy of this book from NetGalley and Knopf.

THREE DAYS IN JUNE by Anne Tyler is a slim but substantial novel that appealed to me immediately. As soon as I read the first sentence of the synopsis, I just knew that I had to read it:

“𝘈 𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘈𝘯𝘯𝘦 𝘛𝘺𝘭𝘦𝘳 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘤: 𝘢 𝘴𝘰𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘸𝘬𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘯𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘨𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘥𝘢𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘦𝘳’𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨.”

The publisher had me at socially awkward mother. And we all know that a wedding brings oodles of family drama. I was SOLD! I am very happy to report that Tyler most certainly delivered. THREE DAYS IN JUNE has themes of marriage, motherhood, family life, and SO much more.

Tyler’s latest is a slow-moving, character-driven novel that also showcases the supporting characters wonderfully. The protagonist, Gail is the star of the show, but her daughter, Debbie and her ex-husband, Max also get plenty of time to shine. The reader learns all about the family’s past, why Gail and Max’s marriage failed, and Debbie’s hesitation to walk down the aisle. There’s plenty of drama, entertainment, and humor throughout.

If you’re a fan of Elizabeth Strout, and in the mood for a quick and satisfying read, then THREE DAYS IN JUNE is just the book for you. It’s just shy of 180 pages, so you can even read it in a day. This little gem releases on February 11th! Be sure to grab a copy!

I love Anne Tyler's writing. This novel follows Gail for the day before, the day of, and the day after her only daughter's wedding. She is in the midst of a crossroads in her life. Her ex-husband comes to stay with her during the wedding and their friendship builds. This novel is more internally focused on Gail and her feelings about her daughter getting married and what she will do with the rest of her life.

This was a nice quick read. I loved the quirkiness of the main character while also appreciating the way the author conveyed the self doubt as the mother of the bride.

This is my first book by the author. Even though it's a novella the characters are very well developed and there is a lot of depth to the storyline.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced readers copy.

Gail, mother of Debbie who’s getting married quits her job after being passed over for a promotion. At the wedding, her ex shows up at the house with a cat, and Kenneth is allergic to cat.

Debbie shares an intimate secret with her parents that questions whether the wedding should go on. Gail is already dealing with a lot, especially being passed up, but to deal with her ex and a cat has became a bit too much.

This was my 1st time reading a book by Anne Tyler and I must say I enjoyed it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the Advance Readers Copy.

This was a short quickie about the 3 days before, during and after Gail's daughter's wedding. It is a a character driven dive into the lives of Gail, her ed husband and her daughter and I found it very quirky and entertaining.

This book is vintage Ann Tyler--warm, sweet, beautifully written, full of characters you care about. A gentle book, it is a quick read, but a wholly enjoyable one. Highly recommend!

I was not familiar with Anne Tyler's work so I was not sure what to expect wtih Three Days in June. The premise drew me in but I was left wanting.

Gail is a divorced mom whose daughter is getting married. The book covers three days: Friday (the day of the dress rehearsal), Saturday (the day of the wedding), and Sunday (the day after the wedding).

Typically I love books about quirky characters. I love stories where the main character really doesn't fit in. But Gail was not likable at all. Yes, I get that she is not comfortable in social situation and very likely is somewhere on the spectrum. But Tyler did not make Gail likable or even enjoyable to read about.

From reading other reviews, I am in the minority with this review which is fine. Not all books are for all people.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

* 5 stars, but I wish I could give more! Publishing 2/11/25.*

‘Three Days in June’ is exactly what it says it is—a story told over the days before, of, and after Gail Baines’ daughter’s wedding. I didn’t realize Anne Tyler was a Pulitzer-winning author until I read the note from the publisher included in my ARC, but it didn’t matter—her talent is obvious from the first page. There is a playfulness in the tone that I was a little wary of at first, but it quickly grew on me. The best way I can describe it is “pleasant”—so pleasant that I was completely bowled over once I realized how CLEVER the writing is. Anne Tyler reveals in a matter of sentences what it takes other writers hundreds of pages to say, but the prose itself is so unassuming that you really have to pay attention to notice all the work it’s doing. It is sly and it is brilliant. I imagine this is Tyler’s signature style and I’m sure her long-time readers are familiar with it, but it was such a treat for me to discover for the first time.

I’m purposely giving as little detail as possible about the story itself, because the true joy of this book, for me, is in the writing and how it’s crafted. But don’t take that to mean that I didn’t get swept up in the plot, because I absolutely did. The protagonist, Gail, takes her time revealing the history between her and her ex-husband, Max, with their daughter’s wedding as the backdrop. It is achingly sweet and sad. At the halfway mark, I was kicking myself for never reading Anne Tyler before—not just because she’s incredible, but because I was so invested in Gail that I wished I had some familiarity with how Tyler tends to end her books. Is she the sad ending type, or worse, the NO ending type? (Needless to say, because I think it’s clear at this point in the review that this book turned me into an Anne Tyler superfan, I needn’t have worried.)

I read for a lot of reasons. I read to quiet my mind, I read to escape, and I read for the love of writing. But I hardly ever find a book that can do all of those things. ‘Three Days in June’ is that rare book.

Huge thanks to NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for providing an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I will honestly say when I started reading this book I thought I would not enjoy it at all, the personality of the main character did not appeal to me at all BUT as I got further into the book I absolutely fell in love with the story line and the characters!! The ending was just perfect! Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC copy.

Delightful storyline which is so very relatable as the main character wrestles with life choices; past experiences that have shaped her personality, and decisions that may alter the day-to-day moving forward. Anne Tyler crafts a believable, bittersweet, humor-filled scenario over the course of 3 days that readers will immediately embrace and debate; perfect for book clubs. Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy to review.

Clearly a good writer, but this was a tough book for me to get through. It was filled with unlikeable, unrelatable characters and the plot was very stale. First Anne Tyler book, and had high hopes, but was not impressed.

A wonderful story of second chances. The title provides an apt description of the time spent with our heroine as she prepares for her daughter's wedding. Upon first meeting, the narrator seems dejected, flat and lacking; however, appearances in this case are deceiving as the story unfolds showing the depth of character. I very much enjoyed learning about the character's flaws and strengths. Overall, a beautifully told small story.

Three Days in June
Anne Tyler
February 11, 2025

Gail and Max Baines divorced twenty-some years ago. Each were teachers. When he abruptly left he found a job in Delaware teaching. It was a drive to see their daughter, Debbie but together he and Gail worked it out. Now after Debbie has graduated from college and become an attorney, they plan to spend the weekend celebrating her wedding. Although his plans to stay at Debbieś house fell by the wayside as she was gone when he arrived, Gail made the best of it and showed him to the guest bedroom.
This wedding journey gives readers a step by step look at Gail´s struggle of hoping to take on a new job at her school. Her boss felt that hiring someone younger than her 60 years worked out best for all involved. Now her Ex is staying with her. Next would come the job of entertaining and hoping the wedding would come off successful.
Three Days in June will be published by Alfred A. Knopf on February 11, 2025. I was able to read the digital edition of Tyler´s latest novel via NetGalley. It is a marvelous tale of women's fiction. It flows easily and successfully gives us a clear picture of the Baines lives, a very enjoyable read.

This was not one of my favorite books by Anne Tyler. It really wasn’t much of a story and I found all the characters except for Max unlikable. I kept waiting for the story to turn around with a wonderful conclusion, but unfortunately it never did