June Horror Novels to Kickstart Your Summer Scares

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Emily holds a PhD in English from the University of Southern Mississippi, MS, and an MFA in Creative Writing from GCSU in Milledgeville, GA. She enjoys reading, watching horror movies and musicals, cuddling cats, posting cat pictures on Instagram, and blogging/podcasting about books with the ladies at #BookSquadGoals (www.booksquadgoals.com). For contact, reach out to emily.ecm@gmail.com.

In 2025, every month has been a great month for horror, and June will be no exception. Whatever frightens you, there’s a spooky book waiting for you to read this month. From mysterious portals to eerie houses, from final girls to beautifully gothic vampires, the horror books releasing in June cover a wide range of scares.
Here are seven of the top chilling books coming out this month that will give you goosebumps.

“Meet Me at the Crossroads” by Megan Giddings
The sudden appearance of seven doors worldwide, each leading to a different world, triggers varied reactions. For twin sisters Ayanna and Olivia, this new world offers opportunities for exploration, but when one of them goes missing, the dangers lurking beyond become evident.

“Strange Houses” by Uketsu
A writer who buys a mysterious house discovers strange “dead spaces” between the walls. Do these spaces relate to the disappearance of the previous owner? Are they dangerous or even real? These questions form the core of this eerie new novel by Uketsu, known for “Strange Pictures.”

“Beast” by Richard Van Camp
Set in the 1980s, this Indigenous YA horror novel follows Lawson and his family navigating a fragile peace treaty with a neighboring family. But tensions rise when one of the Crane family members falls under the influence of an evil spirit seeking bloodshed and conflict.

“Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil” by V.E. Schwab (Tor, June 10)
This dark vampire novel spans centuries and continents, telling the stories of three women facing unique challenges and choices in different time periods.

“A Girl Walks into the Forest” by Madeline Roux (Quill Tree, June 10)
Valla’s betrothal to Count Leonid offers an escape from her mundane village life, but she must traverse the deadly Gottyar Wood, where malevolent forces lurk. The forest holds only the beginning of the horrors awaiting her.

“Ecstasy” by Ivy Pochoda (G.P. Putnam’s Sons, June 17)
A reimagining of Euripides’ “The Bacchae,” this novel follows Lena’s quest for freedom after her husband’s death, leading her to a group of women embracing a carefree lifestyle. However, an ancient deity stirs dark desires within them.

“Smile for the Cameras” by Miranda Smith (Bantam, June 24)
Former scream queen Ella Winters prepares for a comeback as the cast of a cult-classic film reunites for a documentary. As eerie events reminiscent of the film unfold, Ella realizes someone knows the secrets they’ve kept hidden.

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