Member Reviews

This was a very pleasant and quick read. I really appreciate how Anne Tyler makes the basic details of our lives so interesting and compelling. Her books are always very relatable and I like that loose ends don’t all get tied up. This one was maybe a little too short? I felt there was a bit more there that could have been explored. But overall a solid read.

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Thank you to Knopf Publishing for my gifted copy and NetGalley for my gifted-copy of this book.

This was my first book by this author and I think I may have struggled with her writing style.

Three Days in June follows Gail, a socially awkward mother of the bride as she navigates the day before and the day following her daughter’s wedding.

This was the longest short book in the history of books 🤣. I had a really hard time connecting with any of these characters. Especially once Gail’s daughter reveals something about her husband to be.

A lot takes place in 3 days that has Gail reminiscing and telling us about years prior and how she ended up divorced. Which was all bad …

Gail was just so - unhappy - in fact everyone was unhappy. ☹️ Even when the book wrapped up, I couldn’t help but feel the characters didn’t really learn anything and were bound to repeat their mistakes.

Bottom line…if you’re looking for something feel good - this isn’t it

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Three Days in June is set over a weekend in June when the main character's daughter is getting married. On day one, Gail loses her job and her ex-husband, Max, shows up at her house (with his cat) to crash for the weekend of their daughter's wedding. Gail and Max are awkward. The weekend is awkward. But Gail and Max stumble through. The dialogue is funny and clever. The characters are flawed, but loveable. They are forced to work together, to look deeper into themselves and each other, to support their daughter through an emotionally charged time. I enjoyed that this book was short and to the point. It very simply is broken up in structure as Day One, Day Two and Day 3.

I would recommend this book to fans of: Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, Hello Beautiful, Evvie Drake Starts Over.

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It’s not a great day … Gail loses her job, AND her ex-husband and his foster cat arrive - unannounced - to spend their daughter’s wedding weekend with Gail. The story takes place in the days surrounding Debbie’s wedding, with flashbacks to the past. It’s a short read and a quiet story filled with relatable marriage and adult child reflections, moments, and issues. The ending left me wanting more, but I enjoyed this quick read.

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I enjoyed this little slice of life story that follows a family over the course of three days as they prepare for their daughter's wedding. It has a bit of humor, a bit of heart and leaves you with a question of forgiveness? Given the same circumstances, would you be able to forgive?
It would make a good book club book because it is short and there are wonderful discussion jumping off points!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the chance to read it in advance!

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A wedding is coming up soon or us it? Debbie’s parents are divorced but can they make it through three days together? To make it more interesting Dad, Max, shows up with a cat and no place to stay so ends up staying with his ex-wife, Gail. Gail also needs a job and Max encourages her to apply where he teaches, though she is not sure she wants to move away from their daughter.
A great read; I enjoyed it very much. The characters have their struggles and issues to work through and do so in a realistic manner.
I received an advance copy of this book through Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

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Great short novel, Anne Tyler has the gift of giving the reader characters with such humanity, flawed, but doing their best.

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Three Days in June by Anne Tyler didn’t resonate with me. The book is brief and quiet. I found the slow pace and subtle storytelling unengaging, and the characters felt distant and hard to relate to. While Tyler’s writing is sharp, the plot didn’t hold my interest, and I struggled to connect with the themes of personal reflection and reconciliation. For readers who enjoy quieter, introspective narratives, this might appeal, but it wasn’t the right fit for me.

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A new Anne Tyler book is always cause for celebration. Three Days in June tucks itself between Elizabeth Berg and Anna Quindlen on your bookshelf filled with novels that address the beauty of an ordinary life. It’s what you expect in a Tyler novel—an intimate, character-driven story that explores the ordinary aspects of life with perfect prose.

The protagonist, Gail Baines, is sixty-one, divorced, and socially awkward—not extremely so, just enough to keep her daughter’s future mother-in-law from inviting her to some pre-wedding plans. Ouch. Then, when her ex-husband shows up for the wedding with no place to stay, she reluctantly lets him stay with her—despite the fact he’s brought a cat but no suit.

With gentle humor and poignant insight, Tyler guides the reader through three ordinary days in June that turn out to be pivotal for one small family. It’s a sweet story about a seemingly simple woman, quietly and beautifully told. There’s a reason Tyler won a Pulitzer.

Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for an advance reader copy.

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One Liner: Great writing, different story but not a great ending

Synopsis: Gail Baines walks out of her current workplace after being overlooked for the position she has been aspiring a day before her only daughter's wedding. Her ex-husband Max shows up at her place unannounced with a Cat right before the wedding. He was supposed to stay with their daughter but he ends up crashing at Gail's house. Debbie, their daughter shares a huge secret with them in a moment of vulnerability. Is this going to affect the wedding? How is Gail going to handle that and also having her ex-husband home? Read on to figure out. The story is written in Gail's first person pov

My thoughts:
The story has a very different format. Its divided into 3 sections, day before the wedding, day of the wedding and day after. This story travels between past and present but at no point was this confusing. The flow was very good and story sailed well. I loved the writing.

Gail is quite judgmental jumping to conclusions without giving a second thought. Max, her ex husband is more level headed, calm and composed. Debbie, their daughter hardly has any space except for delivering the big secret. There are a few easy going moments which makes you chuckle.

As I progressed through the story, I empathized with Max more than Gail but I did not like few attributes of this like lacking an ambition in life and being too casual with everything including his own upkeep. I also felt that he could be little more assertive. Gail is created as a very judgmental and a selfish person. Almost felt like author used her pov just to make the reader dislike her.

The biggest let down was the ending. I wish there was more open heart to heart conversation before thrusting the conclusion to the readers. This felt bit rushed.

My heartfelt thanks to NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor, for the digital ARC. The review is my honest opinion of the book.

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This was a cute novella. It touched on self discovery while adding a touch of humor. A quick read that I think could be considered a novella. Gail is slightly socially awkward having the worst week of her life while it should be the happiest since her daughter is getting married. It gave some second chance vibes but overall a cute, quick read.

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Anne Tyler knows a lot about screwball families, and manages to tell their stories in humorous and poignant ways.

This tale revolves around a wedding, always fertile territory for dysfunction. Mother of the bride Gail has just found out she might be out of a job, ex-husband Max has showed up seeking lodging and he has a rescue cat with him, and Gail is being excluded from the pre-wedding social agenda. She is a bit odd and doesn't have the best communication and social interaction skills.

So we get to zoom in on these folks for a brief snapshot of their lives during these three days. Tyler always writes with humor, insight and a calm acceptance of human limitations. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

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A well-observed look at a challenging three days in the life of Gail, a 60-something divorcée, on her only daughter’s wedding weekend. Gail isn’t the usual mother of the bride. She isn’t the demonstrative type or wild about the drama of weddings. Still, it’s a bit hurtful that she hasn’t even been invited to Debbie’s Day of Beauty, whatever that is, that the groom’s mother has arranged for the day before the wedding. Gail knows she isn’t the warm and socially outgoing person who would be top of mind to be invited to something like that. Still, Gail is outraged when the administrative head of her school tells her that when she retires, Gail will not take a step up; instead, because she is not socially adept, she’s being strongly encouraged to leave administration entirely. As if these two events on the day before Debbie’s wedding aren’t bad enough, her ex-husband Max shows up on her doorstep with a rescue cat, telling her that Debbie no longer can accommodate him, he’d like to stay in Gail’s guest room and, ideally, prevail upon Gail to adopt the cat.

Ann Tyler is a master at portraying the lives of quirky people and the (usually) low-stakes dramas of their lives. This is a quick and enjoyable read.

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I haven’t always been captivated by Anne Tyler’s previous works, but Three Days in June hit just the right note for me at the right time. The story unfolds over three pivotal days in Gail Baines' life: the day before her daughter Debbie's wedding, the wedding day itself, and the day after.
There’s no grand drama or shocking twists here, but that’s part of the charm. At 61, Gail is learning the art of holding her tongue, a subtle but meaningful journey that’s both relatable and endearing. The book balances humor and heart as Gail navigates potential job changes, her relationships with her daughter and ex-husband Max, her aging mother, and even the prospect of a cat.

Anne Tyler’s talent for capturing the quirks and complexities of everyday life shines in this gently witty, slice-of-life story. The tight timeline and light, engaging tone made this a perfectly comforting read.

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Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor Publishing for an ARC of Anne Tyler’s Three Days in June in exchange for an honest review of the book. The preface of the novella sucked me in and I was excited to read it. It was a quick read with a lot of stories packed into it. Now that I have finished it, I’m really debating my feelings about it. I honestly didn’t like the characters.

I think many readers might find Gail to be relatable when she talks about her ex-husband and the things that annoy her about him because I think that is a common thing but I found her to be such a negative character with few likable qualities. Max seemed to be clueless and the peacekeeper of the trio. Debbie a bit of a doormat as, IMO, she is being gullible or stupid, depending on the truth of what really happened. And Debbie’s future mother in law is just an unlike-able person who is clueless altogether.

I do have to say that in the 170ish page novella Tyler did a wonderful job getting so many stories told, I wish that some of them might have had more information about them but I guess that shows the relationships about the characters.

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Sweet story of love lost and found again. This is an enjoyable read regarding the complexities of what makes us human and what goes into our decision making.
I found the pacing a little slow but not enough to put me off reading it and it is set over three days so there is that.

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What a fantastic little book (it was only 176 pages)! It starts with Gail losing her job at a private school because her social skills are lacking. Already bad. Then her ex-husband Max shows up for their daughter’s wedding, with a cat in a carrier. Hmmm.

What transpires from this rocky introduction is the backstory of Gail and Max’s marriage falling apart and how things can always turn themselves around. At times I was giggling and at others I felt sad. That’s a lot to pack in a short book but Tyler did it beautifully. This is my first by her but I’ll be looking to change that!

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Three Days in June by Anne Tyler is a typical Anne Tyler novel, character driven and very engaging. I truly enjoyed it. Gail discovers, the day before her daughter 's wedding weekend, that she is losing her job. When she arrives home, her ex arrives with a cat and says he has to stay with her because their daughter's fiance is allergic. Things just keep going downhill from there, but during these three days, things do change for the better. A delightful novel. Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

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Thank you to NetGalley for the arc of this book in exchange for an honest review!

I thoroughly enjoyed this slim novel from Anne Tyler! The main character, Gail, has just learned that she’s being replaced at work on the day before her only daughter’s wedding weekend. She then finds out that her ex-husband and the cat he’s fostering have to stay with her because of the groom’s allergy. The wedding events begin and Gail balances supporting her daughter while not over or under stepping.

The ex-husband, Max, is charming and funny. His relationship with Gail is revealed and deepened over the course of the story. The writing is very solid and the pages turned quickly. I think the strongest aspect of Tyler’s writing is how she develops her characters. This book could maybe have used some more pages to expand a little more on Gail and Max’s daughter. The wedding faded very much into the background and left something to be desired. But the ending was strong and I finished the book feeling very positive about it overall.

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"Three Days in June" is a character driven novel depicting the weekend of Gail Baine’s daughter’s wedding. The protagonist is a 60-something teacher whose insecurities are major drivers in her life. She is losing her job as assistant administrator at her school, she is divorced, her daughter is starting a new chapter in her own life, and her ex just showed up on her doorstep with a cat.
As Baines navigates the weekend, she finally begins to see a new direction. For those who admire Anne Tyler’s writings, this will be a winner.
My thanks to NetGalley, Knopf and the author for an advanced readers copy of this book. My opinions are my own.

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