Gail quits her job as assistant headmistress at a local school. When the headmistress resigns she is offended that she hasn’t been offered promotion, due to having no ‘people skills’. Her daughter Debbie is marrying the next day, and when Max (her divorced husband) turns up with a homeless cat she is far from happy.

The story explores the past relationship of Gail and Max, reflecting on their past and where they went wrong. The couple are in their sixties, unconventional in outlook, and their irascible characters are skilfully described by the author.

Gail becomes doubtful about Debbie’s future husband, but although the story is written in a humorous way there is little plot and I kept waiting for something to speed up the pace.

I received and advanced reading copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley, Random House, and the author Anne Tyler.
A gentle, easy read with fully dimensional characters and a clear, calm story arc. Perfect for winding down before bed. Nothing drastic or earth shattering, just an engaging depiction of three days in an ordinary life. I really enjoy Anne Tyler's writing and this short story was no different. 3.5 stars (only for the lack of action, I guess?) rounded up.

A simply wonderful read. Anne Tyler writes so beautifully. Her characters are well drawn and believable. This is a snapshot of a family over just three days in June, you end the book satisfied and feeling that you know them well.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House UK, Vintage for this ARC.

The title does what it says on the tin: the story takes place over three days in June. Gail, 61, is a divorced assistant head mistress, who has been told she lacks people skills when she is overlooked for a promotion so in a fit of pique, she quits her job.

It's her daughter Debbie's wedding the next day and suddenly her ex-husband Max is standing in front of her door, with a cat in tow. The cat is apparently the reason he can't stay with Debbie for the wedding as her husband-to-be is allergic to cats. Then some drama regarding the groom surfaces which makes Gail and Max reflect on their own marriage and the mistakes they made.

This is dialogue heavy with not much plot but it never gets boring. There are a lot of sharp observations about marriages, weddings and divorced couples. The story is open-ended with no real conclusion to Kenneth's indiscretion or Max and Gail's relationship but the snapshot we got is nevertheless satisfying.

This character study of some ordinary flawed people is well-written, funny and just the right length for me. I'm new to Anne Tyler's book but I'd be happy to read more.

Great title, because the book is exactly that: three days in June. I'd liken this book to going for a cup of tea with a friend and listening to the ups and downs of their weekend.

This is a slow read which doesn't really pick up the pace but that isn't important. What is important are the main characters and they are nicely developed. I found myself really caring about what happened to them.

This book is like the average person's life really: it meanders along with the odd few bumps along the way which, if you're lucky, get ironed out nicely.

The conclusion upped it from a three star to a four star for me. I really enjoyed it!

As brilliant as I expected. I read it almost in one sitting. The clarity and elegance of Tyler's prose is always so pleasing to read.

Another wonderful novel by Anne Tyler. How does she manage to take the most ordinary of situations and turn them into something profound? ‘Three Days in June’ focuses on Gail Barnes and her ex-husband, Max, as they take part in the wedding celebrations of their daughter, Debbie, and her husband-to-be, Kenneth.

As the story begins, Gail is reeling from the news that she has been looked over for the post of headmistress in a school because, she is told, ‘…social interactions have never been your strong point.’ No sooner has she flounced off the premises, but she finds Max at her door, looking to stay over the wedding weekend. And he’s come with a cat looking for a new home.

Despite herself, Gail finds herself responding to the cat’s needs and even allow it to sleep on her bed. And whilst Max occupies the guest room, over the course of three days in June, it becomes clear just how comfortable Gail and Max feel around each other. Why did they get divorced? The answer is both straightforward and complicated.

Gail may lack social charm but she is fiercely protective of her daughter and keen to ensure that she does not make choices she will regret. Through this we understand that this is exactly what Gail has done in the past. She’s now older and wiser and by the end of the novel is surprised to find that she’s prepared to take a risk or two. This is a charming, warm-hearted and wise read. Anne Tyler clearly takes great pleasure in exploring human foibles, family dynamics and the possibility of second chances.

My thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK, Vintage for a copy of this novel in exchange for a fair review.

It's a book where nothing and everything happens. And had I picked this up at really any other time, I might not have gotten more than a few pages. But the winds have been changing this month and suddenly, I am gobbling up contemporary and literary fiction like it's going out of business. 'Three Days In June' follows Gail, the mother-of-the-bride who has mixed feelings about her daughter's impending marriage. It's quiet in its execution, with a somewhat meandering, if gentle plot line. Fans of Anne Tyler will lap it up, but considering this was my first foray into her work, I found myself pleasantly surprised. I think I'll be returning to her, but potentially in a different format. I felt there were plotlines that were introduced and then abandoned, but there aren't nearly enough pages in this book for those to come to fruition. Seemed to be conflict for conflicts sake, rather than having a significant impact on the overall plot.

Another gem from Anne Tyler. I love the gentle pace of her books, and this one is perfect. The story is slight, but we are completely drawn into the world of the very appealing characters. With all the traumas going on in the world at the moment, this book was a wonderful tonic.

First of all let me just say that this story is beautifully written. A bittersweet love story of a couple in their early 60s that have divorced and are reunited for their daughters wedding. When Max turns up with a homeless cat to his ex wife Gail's home for their daughters big day we follow their reunion and also parts of the story of their past together. And will the wedding actually go ahead? Debbie gets some second thoughts after discovering her groom has been keeping a secret, revealed to her by his sister.
This is a quick, easy and very enjoyable read.

A thoroughly enjoyable read following Gail in the there days surrounding her daughters wedding and all the emotional turbulence that comes with it, including the appearance of her ex on her doorstep. There is so much detail, emotion and great moments in the book that it is hard to believe that it only covers 3 days!
Loved it!

First of thank you NetGalley and Random House UK, Vintage for a early arc first time reading a Anne Tyler book I fully enjoyed reading it, it was fast paced which I like three days of June is about a family wedding day before and afterwards the book was delightfully and heartfelt and charming and loved the short story will pick up more of Anne’s book and will preorder it

I had not read any of Anne Tyler’s books before this novella but I shall now seek them out. It’s a story about Gail, early 60’s, a bit stuck in her ways, and how she deals with life and the big moments like her daughters wedding.
Far from being the overbearing Mother in a huge hat, she can barely be bothered to do her hair….and does her best to flatten the work the hairdresser does!
You can relate to her, she is honest and unashamedly herself.
I really enjoyed this and I hope others do too.

Gail’s head teacher has decided to retire but Gail, her deputy, has not been appointed in her place. Gail is gutted. Now she has to face the future and go to her daughter’s wedding. Told with a wry sense of humour, this is a story of second chances and taking the rough with the smooth.

A charming novella about a socially awkward woman and her ex-husband on the occasion of their daughter's wedding. I found the conversations authentic and Gail's inner voice to be immensely believable. Very enjoyable.

It's been said many times before, but it continues to be true that Anne Tyler 'does families' superbly well. This book is no exception. It deals with love, friendship, regrets and how these change and evolve with the passage of time. It skilfully explores the relationships between the often flawed characters and the differing generations. There are sharp insights and wry humour - all handled with the author's trademark gentleness and subtlety. The characters are well-developed and we care about what happened/is happening/will happen between Gail and her ex-husband Max and between newly-weds Debbie and Kenneth. We want things to work out for them and although the author doesn't tie things up neatly into happy-ever-after, she leaves us with a sense of hope. It's a short novel - under 200 pages - and although I felt I could have stayed in that world for a lot longer, she probably judged it right.

If you like Anne Tyler already, this is a treat and if you are reading this as the first book by her I'm pretty sure you will also like it as she is a writer at the height of her powers in my opinion. It's a book to read slowly, savouring the words and sentences. Tyler never uses a cliche, she always selects words precisely and though the impact is often gentle there are some real punchy moments. Gail is the voice of the book, telling us all her innermost fears on the day she walks out of work because she is insulted by being told she isn't in line for promotion because she lacks 'people skills'. We come to see what her manager means as the book goes on, through the unreliable eyes of Gail and her doubts, her memories and her quirks. She is about to be Mother of the Bride the next day when her much loved daughter gets married, but she hasn't gone to much trouble and given the fact she hasn't been invited to the 'day of beauty' that everyone else seems to be attending, she doesn't see the point.

The 'action' such as it is, kicks off when Gail's ex husband Max turns up uninvited and has to stay overnight, with his foster cat. Max is also a person lacking 'people skills' and has also made very little effort for the wedding, turning up with a duffel bag and a cat basket to Gail's. Max has changed a little since they were married, he has now 'grown the kind of beard that you're not quite sure is deliberate' and 'seemed to have given up on his clothes'. What happens after this is just a joy to read. The familiar set up of a family wedding, through the eyes of two people who have no idea at all about what convention expects from them in such a situation. Tyler excels at writing quirky people that you sympathise with and understand. Gail is 61 and pleasantly old fashioned. She has an answering machine because there are too many people she might not want to talk to and she calls the downstairs toilet the 'powder room' and hasn't bought a new outfit for her daughter's wedding because she has one that will be fine. For the rehearsal dinner she will wear her grey shirtwaist, and for the wedding she will wear her 'best outfit', also grey. She dashes into a hairdresser for a 'fluffing' of her hair at the last minute, 'just to show I tried' she tells the hairdresser.

For me the book was a joy from beginning to end, making me laugh out loud and also feel quite emotional at times. I thoroughly recommend it!

4.25 ⭐️
Thank you NetGalley and Random House, UK Vintage for this ARC. The views outlined are my own.

Plot
Three days in June follows Gail in three days leading up to and following her daughter’s wedding. Gail is a slightly awkward, Mother of the Bride who is having a bit of a tough time. This short tale follows Gail on these three days as she navigates through.

Review
A quirky tale told from Gail’s perspective, this is well written, unique and extremely relatable. You find yourself eager to understand more about Gail and her family dynamics. This formula is so simple but yet effective and is helped by the shorter length. It was lovely to read Gail work through her issues, her life and the decisions she’d made that led to these 3 days. I very much enjoyed reading this and would highly recommend to anyone who wants to read a normal story about a normal person having a bad time and trying to get their life together.

I love Anne Tyler’s books and was not disappointed in this latest novel ,which as the title suggests ,takes place over three days in June when Gail Baines’ only daughter is getting married.
Gail’s week gets off to a bad start and things go rapidly downhill for her when her ex-husband arrives on her doorstep with a cat,expecting to stay with her before and after the wedding.The couple have an amicable relationship and as preparations for the wedding develop ,we learn more about the reasons for the split,and why Gail is the kind of woman she has become in later life.
The book is very funny but also very moving in parts,and I think many older women will identify with Gail.It’s short,and I read it in one sitting during a rainy holiday.
Highly recommended-I don’t think there’s a better observer of human nature and ordinary lives than Anne Tyler.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in return for an honest review which reflects my own opinion.

*Three Days in June* by Anne Tyler is a charming, heartwarming novel that beautifully blends humor and deep emotional insight. Gail Baines, the socially awkward mother of the bride, finds herself navigating a series of misadventures in the days leading up to and following her daughter Debbie’s wedding. From losing her job to handling the sudden arrival of her ex-husband, Max, with a cat in tow, Gail’s life spirals into chaos. The revelation of a secret about Debbie’s fiancé adds even more tension, forcing Gail and Max to confront their past.

Anne Tyler’s signature sensitivity shines through in her portrayal of complex family dynamics, and she captures the awkwardness, love, and vulnerability of her characters with subtle wit. The story is filled with relatable moments of joy and heartbreak, all told with a light touch that keeps the reader engaged. Short, sweet, and full of life, *Three Days in June* is a delightful read, and its heartfelt ending left me smiling. An instant classic from a master storyteller.