Read Reviews • Buy Books : July 2025
This July, Chaifry.org invites you to unwind with a cup of chai and our handpicked collection of page-turning gems. Whether you’re craving bestselling thrillers, heartwarming romances, or hidden literary treasures, we’ve curated the perfect reads to fuel your sun-drenched adventures and lazy summer afternoons.
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Theft
By Abdulrazak Gurnah
Theft, Abdulrazak Gurnah’s 2025 novel, his first since winning the 2021 Nobel Prize, is a poignant coming-of-age tale set in 1990s Tanzania. It follows three young people—Karim, Fauzia, and Badar—whose intertwined lives navigate love, betrayal, and postcolonial change. Karim, an ambitious student, returns to Zanzibar, where he marries Fauzia, a teacher with epilepsy, while Badar, an orphaned servant, rises from hardship to hotel management. Gurnah’s elegant prose explores family, obligation, and the “theft” of opportunities by colonial legacies, with a fluid narrative that shifts perspectives. Praised by The Guardian for its “storytelling mastery,” this lyrical work captivates. Available on Amazon.in in hardcover, Kindle, or audiobook.
Published March 28, 2025
256 pages
Average Rating : 4.4 out of 5
First Time Caller
By B. K. Borison
Fall in love with First-Time Caller, B.K. Borison’s cozy, Sleepless in Seattle-inspired romance, a 2025 New York Times bestseller. Aiden Valentine, a jaded radio host of Baltimore’s Heartstrings hotline, no longer believes in love. When 12-year-old Maya calls seeking dating advice for her single mom, Lucie Stone, their viral exchange thrusts them into the spotlight. Lucie, a content auto mechanic with a tight-knit family, questions her happiness as Baltimore obsesses over her love life. Sparks fly with Aiden, whose grumpy charm and flirty banter ignite a slow-burn connection. Packed with humor, heart, and steamy moments, this rom-com explores found family and vulnerability. Praised by Entertainment Weekly for its laugh-out-loud charm, it’s perfect for Nora Ephron fans. Available on Amazon.in in hardcover, Kindle, or audiobook narrated by E.J. Bingham and Hathaway Lee.
Published February 13, 2025
448 pages
Average Rating : 4.3 out of 5
The Dream Hotel
By Laila Lalami
The Dream Hotel, Laila Lalami’s 2025 novel, a Pulitzer Prize finalist and Women’s Prize for Fiction longlistee, is a chilling dystopian tale. Sara Hussein, a Moroccan-American archivist, is detained at LAX after a conference, flagged by the Risk Assessment Administration’s algorithm for a potential crime based on her dreams, monitored via a neuroprosthetic sleep device. Transferred to a retention center run by Safe-X, Sara joins other women facing indefinite detention for minor infractions. A new resident’s arrival sparks resistance against the oppressive system. Lalami’s sharp prose, blending Kafkaesque bureaucracy and Minority Report-style pre-crime, explores privacy, surveillance, and corporate overreach. Praised by The New York Times as “engrossing,” it’s a must-read. Available on Amazon.in in hardcover, Kindle, or audiobook narrated by Frankie Corzo.
Published March 04, 2025
333 pages
Average Rating : 3.9 out of 5
The Emperor of Gladness
By Ocean Voung
The Emperor of Gladness, Ocean Vuong’s 2025 novel, an Oprah’s Book Club Pick and New York Times bestseller, is a lyrical exploration of chosen family and survival. Set in the decaying town of East Gladness, Connecticut, it follows 19-year-old Hai, a Vietnamese-American college dropout, who, on the brink of suicide, is stopped by Grazina, an elderly Lithuanian widow with dementia. Becoming her caretaker, Hai forms a profound bond, navigating her fading memories and his own struggles. At HomeMarket, a fast-food diner, he finds kinship with quirky co-workers, reflecting Vuong’s own service industry roots. His poetic prose weaves themes of war, addiction, and immigrant life, earning praise from The Guardian for its “heartbreaking, heartwarming” depth. Available on Amazon.in in hardcover, Kindle, or audiobook.
Published May 15, 2025
416 pages
Average Rating : 4.1 out of 5
Solenoid
By Mircea Cărtărescu
Solenoid, Mircea Cărtărescu’s 2015 novel, translated by Sean Cotter, is a surreal masterpiece, winner of the 2024 Dublin Literary Award and longlisted for the 2025 International Booker Prize. Set in 1980s Communist Romania, it follows an unnamed schoolteacher, a failed writer, navigating a grim Bucharest of decaying buildings and oppressive bureaucracy. His diary spirals from mundane struggles—lice infestations, bleak healthcare—into a philosophical labyrinth exploring alternate dimensions, dream cults, and dust mites on a microscope slide. Cărtărescu’s hypnotic prose, blending Kafkaesque absurdity and Borgesian imagination, probes existence, art, and escape through mysterious solenoids beneath the city. Praised by The New York Times as an “instant classic of literary body horror,” this 672-page epic is a must-read. Available on Amazon.in in paperback, Kindle, or audiobook.
Published October 25, 2022
639 pages
Average Rating : 4.4 out of 5
Toxic Relationships
by Alexandra Huttson
Toxic Relationships by Alexandra Huttson, published in 2024 by CreateSpace, is a concise self-help guide for identifying and escaping unhealthy dynamics. Huttson, drawing on personal experience, outlines key factors that foster toxic relationships—whether romantic, familial, or professional—and their emotional toll, including low self-esteem and chronic stress. The book offers practical steps to “fix or forget” harmful connections, emphasizing boundary-setting, self-reflection, and recovery strategies like journaling and therapy. While praised on Amazon.in for its clear insights, some readers note its brevity (under 100 pages) and lack of expert credentials, suggesting it as a starting point rather than an in-depth resource. Ideal for those seeking actionable advice, it’s available in paperback or Kindle.
Published July 6, 2025
264 pages
Average Rating :
Project Hail Mary: A Novel
By Andy Weir
Blast off with Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir, a thrilling sci-fi adventure! Ryland Grace, a former school teacher turned astronaut, wakes up alone on a spaceship with no memory, light-years from Earth. As his past unravels, he discovers his mission: reverse a solar dimming threatening humanity’s extinction. Teaming up with an unexpected ally, Grace tackles mind-bending scientific puzzles with wit and grit. Packed with humor, heart, and hard science, this page-turner is perfect for The Martian fans. Grab it on Amazon.in in hardcover, Kindle, or audiobook narrated by Ray Porter!
Published May 4, 2021
496 pages
Average Rating : 4.7 out of 5
We Do Not Part
By Han Kang
We Do Not Part, Han Kang’s haunting 2025 novel, winner of the 2024 Nobel Prize in Literature, explores the lingering trauma of the 1948-49 Jeju Massacre. Translated by e. yaewon and Paige Aniyah Morris, it follows Kyungha, a writer in Seoul plagued by nightmares and chronic pain, who receives an urgent call from her friend Inseon, hospitalized after an accident. Inseon begs Kyungha to travel to Jeju Island to save her pet bird, Ama. A snowstorm complicates the journey, blending reality with dreamlike visions as Kyungha uncovers Inseon’s family history tied to the massacre’s horrors. Han’s poetic prose weaves grief, memory, and resilience, earning praise from The New York Times as a “masterpiece.” Available on Amazon.in in hardcover, Kindle, or audiobook.
Published February 6, 2025
384 pages
Average Rating : 4.0 out of 5
Universality
By Natasha Brown
Universality, Natasha Brown’s 2025 sophomore novel, is a sharp, satirical descent into the rhetoric of power, following her acclaimed debut Assembly. A young journalist’s viral exposé about a brutal attack with a gold bar at an illegal Yorkshire rave uncovers ties between an amoral banker, a provocative columnist, and a radical anarchist group. The novel’s first third, styled as a magazine feature, shifts to multiple perspectives, dissecting class, race, and media manipulation. Brown’s incisive prose exposes how language shapes truth, with biting humor and cultural critique. Praised by The Guardian as a “fabulous fable,” this 176-page thriller captivates despite occasionally flat characters. Available on Amazon.in in hardcover, Kindle, or audiobook.
Published March 13, 2025
128 pages
Average Rating : 3.8 out of 5
Dream State
By Eric Puchner
Dream State, Eric Puchner’s 2025 novel, an Oprah’s Book Club Pick and New York Times bestseller, is a sprawling saga set in Montana’s Flathead Valley. Spanning 2004 to 2054, it follows Cece, Charlie, and Garrett, whose lives intertwine after a norovirus-disrupted wedding. Cece, planning her marriage to doctor Charlie, forms an unexpected bond with his troubled friend Garrett, leading to a life-altering decision. Puchner’s lyrical prose traces their friendships, loves, and losses across decades, alongside their children’s struggles with inherited mistakes. Against a warming landscape of shrinking lakes and wildfire smoke, the novel explores climate change, addiction, and dementia with humor and heart. Praised by The Washington Post for its “touching” finale, it’s a must-read. Available on Amazon.in in hardcover, Kindle, or audiobook.
Published February 18, 2025
592 pages
Average Rating : 3.9 out of 5
Confessions
By Catherine Airey
Confessions, Catherine Airey’s 2025 debut novel, a Financial Times standout, is a sprawling family saga tracing three generations of Irish women across 1970s Donegal and post-9/11 New York. Opening with 16-year-old Cora Brady, orphaned after her father’s death in the World Trade Center attacks, the story shifts to her mother Máire and aunt Róisín, whose lives unravel through art, love, and secrets. A text-based game, Scream School, weaves through the narrative, reflecting their fractured bonds. Airey’s lyrical prose tackles mental illness, abortion, and intergenerational trauma with nuance, though some find its multiple perspectives uneven. Praised by The Guardian for its “expansiveness,” this bold, emotional read captivates. Available on Amazon.in in hardcover, Kindle, or audiobook.