A woman, her ex-husband, her daughter and a wedding.

Gail is getting ready for her daughters wedding. Her ex shows up and wants to stay.

I felt as though this is the same story that the author has told time after time. Well written but too much of the same

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
Anne Tyler has this incredible ability to make a short novel feel absolutely full—like stepping into a warm, well-loved room where every inch holds meaning, every detail matters. There’s no empty space, no fluff—just rich, layered storytelling that pulls you in completely.

The characters were so wonderfully human—quirky in the way real people are, flawed but endearing, sharp yet tender. I felt like I knew them, like I’d had conversations with them before. The balance between their interactions and the main character’s inner world was seamless, every moment tongue-and-grooved together with such skill that I never wanted to leave.

The ending was perfect. Bittersweet, honest, and deeply moving in a way that lingers long after you turn the last page. This book wrapped itself around me, and I loved every minute of it.

I wanted to like this book. I really did. It was fast reading, and I finished it quickly. Maybe I've been reading too many thrillers lately, but I had hoped there would be more to the plot in this book, the story of divorced spouses who spend a weekend together to celebrate their daughter's wedding.

I tried to relate to the characters, but I didn't find them to be relatable, and I didn't find them believable. Both ex-spouses were teachers, yet they spoke in a very informal, very casual manner -- not like any teachers I've ever known. And what's with the "is all" added to so many of the things that Gail, the female protagonist says?

I also find it highly unlikely that in 2023, when the book takes place, any woman about to get married who finds out that her fiance only days before slept with someone else would just forget about it and marry the guy. That is simply not credible in this day and age, and the fact that Debbie (the daughter) went through with her marriage makes her look needy and dependent. Since she's an attorney, that's not believable either.

I found myself wanting at the end for just a bit more plot, a bit more character development -- some kind of suspense or surprise or plot twist. All were missing.

Three Days in June is classic Anne Tyler—well written, emotional, deeply human, and yet somehow also lighthearted. The story follows Gail Baines through the day before, the day of, and the day after her daughter’s wedding. As she navigates the wedding chaos, including comforting her daughter over a secret about the groom, Gail reflects on her own marriage and how it all fell apart.

Gail is a relatable and introspective character, and I genuinely enjoyed following her story. With Gail, Tyler does what she does best: showcase the joys and flaws of being human and how our perspectives shift over time.

This isn’t an action-packed page-turner, but it’s a quick read that keeps you invested because you care about these characters. I found Three Days in June to be an entertaining story about family relationships that feels personal and real.

Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for the advanced reader's copy. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I wish I knew how to successfully review any book by Anne Tyler but I unabashedly admit to failing miserably. I just know that I have read most of her books and enjoyed each one. Her stories are simple, inhabited by easily recognizable personalities, and therein lies the difficulty. I know them, I understand how they behave and what they think and say and in that very ordinary way she has of explaining how we met our “other person”, well what is left to be said?!

Anne Tyler is a treasure whose writing always strikes me as true and honest. Thanks to Alfred A Knopf and NetGalley for a much appreciated and enjoyed copy.

@aaknopf | #partner There’s no denying it, Anne Tyler is a national treasure and she’s done it again with her newest novel, 𝗧𝗛𝗥𝗘𝗘 𝗗𝗔𝗬𝗦 𝗜𝗡 𝗝𝗨𝗡𝗘. I’ve been reading Tyler for decades. Some of her books I like more than others, but she always delivers with rich stories and interesting characters, navigating both relationships and life. Many, many of her books I’ve truly loved, including 𝘍𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘩 𝘉𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘥, 𝘉𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘓𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘴 (winner of the 1989 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction), 𝘈 𝘚𝘱𝘰𝘰𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘉𝘭𝘶𝘦 𝘛𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 and SO many more! Really, if you don’t know Tyler’s work, she’s one to explore. ⁣⁣⁣⁣
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𝘛𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘦 𝘋𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘑𝘶𝘯𝘦 follows Gail, a 61-year old divorced woman, on the day before, the day of, and the day after her only daughter’s wedding. Gail tends toward social awkwardness, reminding me a bit of Olive Kitteridge. She’s nervous about many aspects of the wedding, but oh, how she loves her daughter. Both complicating and enriching the wedding weekend is her ex-husband Max, who ends up staying at Gail’s home because of a cat. (Yes, you read that correctly.) With everything going on, Gail is left considering much about her life, past, present, and future.⁣⁣⁣⁣
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This is a slim little book at only 176 pages and I flew through it, but didn’t realize until I’d finished, just how much I liked Gail. With her wry sense of humor and unflinching honesty, Gail managed to worm her way into my heart. I’m betting she’ll do the same for many other readers. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫⁣⁣⁣⁣
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“𝘈𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘴 𝘴𝘰 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘴𝘢𝘥𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴. 𝘊𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘦𝘳, 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘩𝘰𝘸, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘦. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘴, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘥𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘴 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳.”

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC. I'm honestly not sure what to make of this book. It all just happened and it was all so matter of fact. I never got the impression we really got to know Gail or how she felt about anything that happened over the course of her weekend. Yet I find myself continuing to think about this book albeit in an effort to better understand what the author was trying to tell.

I do understand that with a novella, there's only so much time to tell a story. At the same time, there were details that could have been spared to give us at least some insight. Perhaps that was the point, given Gail's personality.

Three Days in June covers the day before, the day of, and the day after the narrator’s daughter’s wedding. This short book feels longer than the short length actually is, and that’s a good thing! I am often times left wanting with novellas, but Anne Tyler gave us fully developed characters along with a complete plot in only 156 pages. The author did leave me with questions, but that was intentional, I’m sure. I’m left pondering those questions which keeps drawing my thoughts back into the story, something that’s not easy for me when I’m on to the next book after finishing one. With the short length, I don’t feel like I can say much more about this one without spoilers.

Rating:
I really liked it

What you’ll find:
Maryland setting
Exploration of marriage
Results of past mistakes

This short novella is packed full of family drama. Surrounding her daughters wedding, the story takes place over 3 days. The mother of the bride Gail is a bit awkward and things get complicated when her ex-husband Max shows up with a cat and nowhere to stay. Family insecurities, secrets, doubts all come out in the 3 days.

This book would have been a nice slice of life novella if any of the characters were worth knowing. I found none of the characters likable which would be fine if they were interesting which they weren’t. Anne Tyler is a talented writer but this one missed the mark for me.

Three Days in June by Anne Tyler is a stunning, unforgettable novella and is the story of Gail Baines and her family as they go through the three days of preparation and celebration of Gail's daughter's wedding. This book is family saga at its most direct and empathetic. If you haven’t yet read one of the twenty five books Anne Tyler has written – I think 𝗧𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗗𝗮𝘆𝘀 is a great place to start.⠀

This book quickly became one of my immediate five star reads for 2025 due to Anne Tyler's ability to make her characters unique, interesting, memorable, and honestly a bit quirky which just adds to the reading enjoyment. I especially enjoyed here in Three Days how Anne's writing centers around the life of Gail as an older woman and the ups and downs and even the unexpected changes that fall upon us all.

It feels effortless how Anne Tyler weaves the mundane, ordinary aspects of life into such lyrical and delightful situational reading. I highly recommend this book to everyone. If you haven't read Anne Tyler, you need to engage with her books. She is a stellar storyteller with a great heart. Her characters are relatable and transparent for you to embrace.

Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for the opportunity to read and review Three Days in June.

Real Rating: 3.5* of five

Gail's me: Needs a much more effective social filter, has a complicated past full of times said filter could've prevented...unpleasant...conflicts with long-lasting consequences, and isn't going to get one. Her complicated life gets moreso when her ex shows up the day before their daughter's wedding, sunnily expecting her to fix his issues (again), just as she's reeling from personal disappointment and their daughter's untimely news about the groom in the scheduled wedding.

I'm being coy about the problem her daughter drops on her because it is The Point, and spoiling it will genuinely make the read utterly pointless, sort of like The Crying Game. (Not a hint!) In Tyler's hands it's a short but fun ride, a solid character study, and really quite poignantly amusing. All missing stars are for the goddamned c-a-t.

Three days in June packs a lifetime of experiences, memories and some regrets into this thoughtful, heartfelt story of the life of Gail Baines. At the start of the novel, Gail has lost her long-time job when her superior retires, and her replacement brings in her own team. (I can absolutely relate to that!) Gail's daughter is to be married in three days, so she has no time to worry about what comes next for her. Soon, her ex-husband arrives with a rescue cat, hoping he and the cat can stay with Gail until the wedding. Complications between her daughter and her future husband add to Gail's worries. As the whirlwind of the wedding, her ex and the cat swirls around Gail, she reflects on her life, both the good times and regrets. She realizes she can't go back, and wonders if she can find a new way forward, and a new happiness. Anne Tyler has written a relatable, heartwarming story of life, love, relationships, and starting over, with a beautiful and hopeful ending. Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for my advance copy. The opinions of this review are my own.

Anne Tyler has such a knack that her characters come alive and you feel as if you have known them forever. Three Days in June relates Gail’s story of a pivotal time in her life beginning with her losing her job, continuing with her daughter’s wedding and Gail feeling left out, and then her ex husband shows up unexpectedly suitcase and cat in hand to stay with her because her future son in law has allergies to cats.
Gail is the epitome of so many women I have known over the years, feeling uncomfortable in her own skin. The interplay with her daughter, Debbie causes her to question Debbie’s wedding plans while reevaluating her own marital history. Again so very very relatable.
This is a short read but packed full of emotions and “what if” decisions. I could not put this read down. Any woman would find Gail so very relatable and her issues relatable as well. Having long been a fan of Anne Tyler this read is one of her very best.
Many thanks to Anne Tyler, Knopf, and NetGalley for providing me with an arc of this endearing read, published on February 11th. Every woman should place this read at the top of their list.

Reading Anne Tyler is like slipping into a warm bath. I don't think it's an exaggeration to call her one of America's best living novelists. What I love most about Tyler's work is she gives as much credit to the small slice-of-life moments as she does the dramatic ones. This novel is another fantastic addition to her prolific output.

Weddings can bring out the best and the worst in people. Three Days in June is the story of a family wedding weekend, focusing on the day before, the day of and the day after the wedding.

The family drama is introduced to us in the form of our main character Gail and her ex-husband Max who shows up at Gail’s house hoping to stay with her for the wedding weekend. There is tension with the Mother of The Groom and oh yes, a secret about the groom that the bride shares with her parents.

A quick read with quirky but relatable character.

Thank you NetGalley for my advance copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

I absolutely LOVED this book and immediately texted my mom to put herself on the Hold list at the library so she can read it as soon as possible. It was very Lucy Barton in its feel, mainly that it centers around an aging woman who is no longer clear about her place in the world, her family, or society.Both humorous and heartbreaking, Gail Barnes is preparing for her daughter to get married the next day, and her ex-husband shows up without a hotel room, and with a cat. This may be a quick read, but it doesn't skimp at all on emotional depth.

As always with Anne Tyler books, this is beautifully written and a pleasure to read. Not a lot happens; it's more of a character study, especially of the main character, Gail, during the days surrounding her daughter's wedding. Her relationship with her daughter, who might be questioning the wisdom of going through with the wedding, and with her ex-husband, who has shown up unprepared for the event, provide the low-key drama. While this isn't my favorite Anne Tyler book (that remains "Ladder of Years"), I would definitely recommend it to fans of Anne Tyler and domestic dramas. Many thanks to NetGalley and Knopf for the e-ARC of this book.

This is a story of a dysfunctional family. Some might be able to relate to these characters and even commiserate with them. 

Gail is socially awkward and quits her job when she finds out the headmaster of the school is retiring, and the person replacing her is bringing their own assistant. That means Gail is out of a job or will be put into a job she doesn't like. This is the beginning of bad decisions over three days. 

Max is the ex-husband, and when he arrives, he runs roughshod over Gail and does what he wants. This includes bringing a foster cat. He was supposed to stay with their daughter, but apparently, the fiance is deathly allergic to cats. I wonder if that is true, and wouldn't Gail and Max being around the cat cause issues when around Kenneth? Cats shed, and it gets everywhere.

Then there is Debbie, the daughter. I got the feeling she wasn't wild about this upcoming wedding. Was it because her mother-in-law had taken over the planning? Were there problems in her relationship with Kenneth? 

The story is about family dynamics. There is a lot of avoidance in this novel from all the characters. No one seems to really address the underlying issues. They continue as if nothing is wrong. Or they are focused on other things. The story is told well, but I could not connect or relate to the characters.

We give the book 3 1/2 paws up.

Anne Tyler's Three Days in June is simply a beautiful story. These family members have learned to really see and appreciate each other with love.