Three Days in June tells the story of Gail, an awkward and quirky woman navigating a whirlwind weekend of unexpected challenges. The day before her daughter's wedding, Gail loses her job, setting off a chain of events that forces her to confront her past and present.

As if the job loss weren’t enough, Gail uncovers troubling information about her future son-in-law, adding to her growing worries. To complicate matters further, her ex-husband unexpectedly shows up on her doorstep—cat in tow. Over the course of three tumultuous days, Gail reflects on her life, her choices, and the mistakes she’s made along the way.

This charming, heartfelt novella captures Anne Tyler at her best, offering a poignant and relatable exploration of family, resilience, and self-discovery.

Three Days in June is Anne Tyler at her best. Gail, a mother of the bride, is left out of the wedding activities, made to feel like an outsider. The plans have been made by the groom’s mother and Gail’s daughter, without her being consulted at all. Gail is dealing with recent job loss and the pressure of a wedding, when her ex-husband shows up on her doorstep with his aged cat.
This is where Tyler’s keen sense of human nature takes over. During the three days surrounding the wedding, Gail comes to terms with her past mistakes while she strives to ensure her daughter’s happiness. What a sweet and touching story. The characters are a bit quirky, but readers will relate to them. The emotions in this three-day glimpse into family life are true to real life.
Tyler infuses the story with her characteristic wisdom and subtle humor. The book is short, less than 200 pages, but it packs a punch.

Three Days in June brings the reader into the world Gail Baines, a divorced, socially awkward, but loyal mother to her only daughter, Debbie, in the three days surrounding her daughters wedding. Gail navigates everything from a job loss, her ex-husband showing up to stay unannounced, a foster cat he has toted along, and ultimately a crisis with her daughter just before the wedding, and does so while reflecting back on her own past experiences. I found this book to be a great mix of humor, relatable socially awkward moments, and also quite touching. I think readers that enjoy family sagas with flawed but relatable characters will enjoy this book. Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for the advanced copy of this book, all opinions are my own.

My first read by Anne Tyler and I absolutely loved this small, fantastic book! At under 180 pages, I got through this book in a day. The story is about a mom, Gail Baines, who is what you'd call “socially awkward", whose daughter, Debbie, is getting married. It takes place the day before the wedding, the day OF the wedding, and the day after. Her ex husband comes to town for the wedding unannounced with his cat and doesn't even have a place to stay. So basically this book is about these three characters and their lives and drama. And I just loved the way this story all came together. I was expecting it to go one way but it went another way and I just loved it. What a great read!

Thank you to the tagged Publisher and netgalley for the gifted copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Three Days in June is about a mother of the bride who attempts to navigate the days before and after her daughters wedding. This was a short read that was written well. The author was new to me and I look forward to reading more books from the author. All of the characters in this were interesting and the cat, of course, was awesome. Overall, this was a good read that I enjoyed and would I would recommend this one to any reader who likes literary fiction. Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf for this read in exchange of my honest review of Three Days in June by Anne Taylor.

This was a nice palate cleanser after a string of suspense and thriller novels. It’s a graceful character study of a woman in midlife trying to figure out what comes next. Anne Tyler is known for her exquisite novels. Three Days in June does not disappoint.

Gail is an assistant headmistress of a private school. When the headmistress decides she’s retiring, Gail thinks she should be a shoe-in for the position, but instead she finds herself being pushed out. She’s only sixty-one. However, now isn’t the time to dwell on this, as her daughter is getting married this weekend. Her husband shows up on her doorstep with a foster cat, her daughter has a moment of pre-wedding doubts, and Gail the perfectionist isn’t quite ready to handle the chaos. These three days are going to give her plenty of time for reflection and a realization of how to move forward.

Anne Tyler truly is a brilliant writer. There is such depth in this novel. Gail is truly not a very likable character, but over the three days, she does look inward to see where things may have gone wrong. It’s the kind of writing that sucks you in. The story unfolds perfectly, just a little bit at a time, with a fulfilling ending. Enjoy.

Anne Tyler's greatest skill, shown here at the height of it's power, is to give us seriously flawed, messed up characters, bring them to the edge of self-destruction, and them redeem them.

Poor Gail is facing crisis and crisis in this short gem, some of her own making and some not. It appears that she'll never be able to deal with them thereby multiplying their power, and then, ah, a moment let's us know that things can be well.

This book is short, a fast read, and will help regain hope in an out of control world.

Anne Tyler is always reliable and when I received the opportunity to read and review an ARC of her upcoming book, I couldn't wait! The story takes place over 3 days and centers around the marriage of Gail and Max's daughter Debbie. In typical Anne Tyler fashion, the book is really about Gail and Max. Gail feels left out of the wedding plans, she has quit or lost her job, and her ex, Max, comes to her house, carrying a cat. Gail also doesn't know what to do with information she has about Debbie's fiancé which could upset everything. Tyler deftly weaves a tale around these 3 people and she tells an interesting story that kept me turning the pages. I'm so glad I picked this one up and you will too!

Gail's daughter is getting married this weekend and Gail's feeling a bit cut off from the planning and festivities. She has a conversation with her boss, which leads to her walking out so she may or may not have quit her job. And then her ex-husband shows up with a cat and nowhere to stay for the weekend. Overall, things aren't looking great. And then her daughter Debbie tells her parents a secret that puts not only the wedding in jeopardy, but also brings up a lot of long buried family secrets.

This is a short, quick read at less than 200 pages and covering three days. I read this in one evening and would have happily read more if that was an option. Anne Tyler has a way with storytelling that turns the ordinary into extraordinary and keeps you wanting more.

Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf for providing me with an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Available February 11, 2025.

A story of a family, a mother and her ex-husband whose lives begin to merge again as their daughter and her fiance are planning to be married soon. They both worry over her decision, but, ultimately, they realize that it is her decision to make. A simple story, shared over the days leading up to the wedding, as well as the day of the wedding, and the day after. A simple story of life, love, and all the complexities that come with life.


Pub Date: 11 Feb 2025

Many thanks for the ARC provided by Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor / Knopf

Three Days in June, by Anne Tyler is a beautiful, simple, story told so perfectly and beautifully that I want to read it again right away. Ms. Tyler is intensely artful in her storytelling. She defines the method of "show, don't tell." The story of Mom, Dad, and daughter over the course of three days- the day before the wedding, the day of the wedding, and the day after the wedding is laid out masterfully. I fully invested in Gail, Max, and Debbie and was totally satisfied with the way the story played out. I thought I wanted certain things to happen and then it played out differently in the most perfect way.

Thank you to the author and #Knopf for the complimentary galley, and especially thank you to Ms. Tyler for sharing her talent with the world.

Three Days in June was a short sweet story of a divorced couple before during and after their only daughter’s wedding. It was a very heartwarming story. The characters were all quite endearing. I didn’t realize how short it was and could have read more about the parents in the end. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is my first Anne Tyler book and I have to admit that I didn’t really enjoy it, I am usually a fan of character driven books but this one just didn’t draw me in.

Title: Three Days in June
Author: Anne Tyler
Genre: Women’s Fiction
Publisher: Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor/Knopf
Pub Date: February 11, 2025
My Rating: 3.2 Stars
Pages: 176

At the beginning of this story Gail Baines, asks
People don’t tap their watches anymore; have you noticed?
This made me laugh as someone close to Gail’s age I remember when people did that – no need to do that now as most people don’t wear a watch. I am one of the few people I know who does. I did replace my favorite watch and had no idea that the new one is solar charged.
Okay Back to story!
Gail is the assistant Headmistress at an all-girls school and the Headmistress, Marlkee Burton tells her that she was going to be out to have a cardioversion – which is an electrical jolt to her heart that will stop it and then start again. Hmmmm
She also mentions that at sixty-six she is seriously considering retirement. Gail is sure this means she will be given the he- position. However Marilee tells her that the new person being considered has her own assistant and actually Gail’s people skills aren’t great. She states surely you’ll be the first to admit your social interactions have never been your strong point.
Yikes!
Thankfully Gail only child daughter Debbie is getting married so she can now put her energy into it.
Story is divided into three sections-
the day before the wedding,
the day of,
and the day after.
During these days Gail thinks about former relationships, her marriage breakup of her marriage as well as her fears for her future.

I have read several Anne Tyler stories so was somewhat prepared to experience the joy as well as the heartbreak.
Want to thank NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor/Knopf for this uncorrected eGalley.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for February 11, 2025.

The day before the wedding of Gail's daughter she may have quit her job and her ex-husband shows up on her door step with a cat. This was a quick read taking place over a course of three days. However I was not a fan of the narrator. I found her strange and not in a fun quirky way. She seems like an exhausting person and having to follow her life for three days was also exhausting. Early on she is told that she does not have great people skills. This is an accurate statement and being in her mind on top of this made for a rough read for me. Worth a read if you can get past this or if she happens to be a character you can identify with.

3.5/5. This was a cute novella about a woman named Gail going through 3 days in June. I liked the author’s descriptions of daily life but at times it was dragged out and unnecessary. Gail had to face a lot of decisions in this book such as what to do for career change, about adopting a cat or not, how to handle her daughter getting married, and how to handle her ex. It was cute but felt forgettable.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and Anne Tyler for this ARC copy in exchange for my honest review.

Quick read but compelling and interesting. I do kind of wish the daughter's outcome was explored a little bit more but I get that we were focused on Gail.

This was a quirky, short read with a sweet message at the end. It gave me similar vibes to Eleanor Oliphant but in a much more simplified way. I would definitely recommend!

Gail's daughter is getting married, but Gail is having a very bad day. She's just lost her job, and her ex-husband has just showed up on her doorstep with a cat. This is the story of three days -- the day before the wedding, the wedding, and the day after -- and all the drama that disrupts Gail's quiet life.

I really love Anne Tyler's writing. She grabs the reader from the very beginning and creates characters that are realistic and adorably quirky. Gail is very self-aware, but has difficulty understanding and relating to others. This is an engaging novel about family dynamics and secrets. There's not a great deal of action, yet I could not stop reading. I could relate to all the characters with their flaws and their attempts to understand each other. A sweet, thoughtful look at everyday life and the relationships between husband/wife, mother/daughter, and father/daughter. I really liked it.

Anne Tyler has written over 20 books, but this is the first one I've read, and it makes me realize I've been missing out!

Three Days in June is about three days in the life of Gail Baines, a 61-year old assistant school mistress who unexpectedly goes through a life crisis just as her daughter is getting married. It sets her to question herself, the decisions she's made, and the complexities of love.

I might not be 61 yet, but I've lived long enough to realize life is complicated. The sense of self can be so certain at 20, but as life hits it's easy to lose pieces of yourself to a spouse or children, to question who you are and what you have to offer. Through Gail, Anne Tyler explores heartbreaks, past choices, and the love that connects family. It's funny, insightful, and full of characters who annoy but you can't help but love.

Thank you Net Galley and Knopf for allowing me to read this ARC! Three Days in June will be released February 2025 and is a gem you should definitely read!