What do you think?
Rate this book
In August
Not yet published
Expected 24 Jun 27Three best friends. Endless golden summers. The August they never talk about.
It’s an accident that brings Maud, Connor and Gideon together on their first day of college. From that moment on, the three are inseparable.
Golden boy Connor begins to step off the path so carefully mapped out for him.
Quiet, steadfast Gideon meets the two people he can trust with his most painful secret.
Sharp, brilliant Maud finds the family she has always craved.
Every August, they return to pick blueberries at Gideon’s family farm. It becomes their refuge – from expectation, the future and the increasingly complicated shape of their feelings for one another.
Until, one summer, everything changes.
Years later, a girl arrives at the farm searching for answers. As the past starts catching up with them, the three friends are forced to confront the question they have avoided for decades: what really happened that August?
It’s an accident that brings Maud, Connor and Gideon together on their first day of college. From that moment on, the three are inseparable.
Golden boy Connor begins to step off the path so carefully mapped out for him.
Quiet, steadfast Gideon meets the two people he can trust with his most painful secret.
Sharp, brilliant Maud finds the family she has always craved.
Every August, they return to pick blueberries at Gideon’s family farm. It becomes their refuge – from expectation, the future and the increasingly complicated shape of their feelings for one another.
Until, one summer, everything changes.
Years later, a girl arrives at the farm searching for answers. As the past starts catching up with them, the three friends are forced to confront the question they have avoided for decades: what really happened that August?
416 pages, Hardcover
Expected publication June 24, 2027
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
August 13, 2026
What a beautiful way to follow three people who meet on the first day of college and track their journey throughout their summers. So many strong topics are covered throughout this book and the three main characters could not be more different from each-other. This is a love story to friendship and soulmates, all the trails and tribulations you go through. I genuinely did not predict the plot twist at the end omg!
August 18, 2026
What a beautiful and deeply moving story this was. It has been an emotional few days following the stories of Maud, Connor and Gideon, but I have been captivated for every single minute of it.
It’s the perfect book for August, not just because of the title but because each chapter of the book is set in August. It begins with August 1995, when the three characters meet, and each subsequent year is told from one of their perspectives.
In 1995, due to unforeseen circumstances, the trio form an unlikely friendship until events in August 2007 tear them apart. Interwoven throughout the narrative, we also find chapters entitled ‘This August’ which give us glimpses as to where the story is going - and lead to a few surprises in themselves.
All three characters have faced struggles within their families while growing up, and all three choose very different career paths where they each have their own demons to face. It’s a story about craving your parents’ acceptance; living with the consequences of your actions and the choices you make; living with the loss of loved ones; and working out who it is you really love.
I do love character-driven stories, and this is one of those which really touched my heart. The depth it goes to within these characters’ lives is just incredible. It is so beautifully written, and such a stunning debut novel: I absolutely adored it.
With many, many thanks to Vintage Books for sending me this very early proof copy.
This book is only being published in June next year, and the cover still has to be decided on, but I think it’s a must-read (especially during August 2027) for all literary fiction and coming-of-age fans. I cannot recommend it highly enough!
It’s the perfect book for August, not just because of the title but because each chapter of the book is set in August. It begins with August 1995, when the three characters meet, and each subsequent year is told from one of their perspectives.
In 1995, due to unforeseen circumstances, the trio form an unlikely friendship until events in August 2007 tear them apart. Interwoven throughout the narrative, we also find chapters entitled ‘This August’ which give us glimpses as to where the story is going - and lead to a few surprises in themselves.
All three characters have faced struggles within their families while growing up, and all three choose very different career paths where they each have their own demons to face. It’s a story about craving your parents’ acceptance; living with the consequences of your actions and the choices you make; living with the loss of loved ones; and working out who it is you really love.
I do love character-driven stories, and this is one of those which really touched my heart. The depth it goes to within these characters’ lives is just incredible. It is so beautifully written, and such a stunning debut novel: I absolutely adored it.
With many, many thanks to Vintage Books for sending me this very early proof copy.
This book is only being published in June next year, and the cover still has to be decided on, but I think it’s a must-read (especially during August 2027) for all literary fiction and coming-of-age fans. I cannot recommend it highly enough!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
thank you so much NetGalley for this ARC!
In August is perfect for fans of Normal People and One Day.
i am so upset with this book and its only because i finished it.
cycling through the same three characters every august, you slowly learn about their lives, their relationships, and the distance between them. over a space of 3 decades we learn all about them, how they change and what changes them.
my favourite genres is books that take a look at and explore characters as people, as opposed to being driven exclusively by plot points. all three of them have flaws, but they also have redemptions, explanations and reasons behind why they are the way they are and act the way they Maud, Gideon and Connor all feel like people that are walking the earth with us.
In August had me crying from 20% consistently through until the end. This is in my top 10 books of the year and it’s one that will stay with me.
when In August comes out for pre order i’ll be the first one in line. i cannot wait to have this one on my shelves. thank you so much for letting me be able to be one of the first people to read this!
In August is perfect for fans of Normal People and One Day.
i am so upset with this book and its only because i finished it.
cycling through the same three characters every august, you slowly learn about their lives, their relationships, and the distance between them. over a space of 3 decades we learn all about them, how they change and what changes them.
my favourite genres is books that take a look at and explore characters as people, as opposed to being driven exclusively by plot points. all three of them have flaws, but they also have redemptions, explanations and reasons behind why they are the way they are and act the way they Maud, Gideon and Connor all feel like people that are walking the earth with us.
In August had me crying from 20% consistently through until the end. This is in my top 10 books of the year and it’s one that will stay with me.
when In August comes out for pre order i’ll be the first one in line. i cannot wait to have this one on my shelves. thank you so much for letting me be able to be one of the first people to read this!
Review of advance copy
I received an advanced copy of an August and I didn’t get anything done for three days. If I wasn’t reading it I was obsessively I was thinking about it. Each chapter takes place during one month of August and starts with three students who meet on the first day of college. A friendship and complicated love triangle develops. Each August from the beginning of college to middle adulthood, you get to know maude, Connor and Gideon and what has happened to them in the year that has past. Perri does a phenomenal job of using this way of showing the passage of time to deeply develop each character. I really fell in love with all three of them. In August is beyond engrossing and both fills and breaks your heart. Maude, Connor and Gideon will remain in my heart forever. I could not recommend this enough.
Review of advance copy received from Author
Not only was I up all night reading, but I continued to think of Maude, Gideon and Connor and their friendships for days after finishing the last page.
While reading "In August," I was fully invested and rooting for these characters, not knowing how I wanted the book to end, only knowing I didn't WANT it to end. And still, I was surprised when I got there. New author Celeste Perri surprised me over and over with her clever dialogue, brilliant writing and the emotional depth of her characters. Congratulations to Celeste on her incredible, heartfelt debut.
While reading "In August," I was fully invested and rooting for these characters, not knowing how I wanted the book to end, only knowing I didn't WANT it to end. And still, I was surprised when I got there. New author Celeste Perri surprised me over and over with her clever dialogue, brilliant writing and the emotional depth of her characters. Congratulations to Celeste on her incredible, heartfelt debut.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
There was a blurb attached to this book that said "for fans of Heart, the Lover" and that is an absolute bullseye. This book is GORGEOUS and I loved it. The lives of Gideon, Connor and Maud is full of joy, the naivety of youth and the pain of growth. I was walking around with this book in my hand all day reading it because I couldn't put it down. Adored.
Review of advance copy
Did not want it to end. Great character development. Loved it.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews