5 ‘Good Morning America’ Book Club Historical Fiction Picks Perfect for Your Summer Reading List
From 1600s Paris to 1980s NASA, these novels are the ideal beach reads
Key Takeaways
- 'Yesteryear' was GMA's April 2026 pick and is one of most popular books of the year.
- Taylor Jenkins Reid's 'Atmosphere' was 'Good Morning America's' pick for June 2025.
- 'Skylark' by Paula McLain was GMA's January 2026 pick and is set across two Paris timelines.
Good Morning America’s book club is one of the most influential in the country, spotlighting a new title each month. And if there’s one genre the club can’t get enough of, it’s historical fiction, which transports readers to different eras while delivering the compelling storytelling that makes them perfect beach reads. Keep reading for our favorite Good Morning America book club historical fiction books.
‘Good Morning America’s’ best historical fiction picks for summer
From time travel to space travel, here are Good Morning America’s best historical fiction picks for summer.
‘Yesteryear’ by Caro Claire Burke
This April 2026 Good Morning America pick centers on Natalie Heller Mills, a “trad wife” influencer and mother of six who has built an empire on social media. But her carefully curated life takes a shocking turn when she wakes up one morning in an old-fashioned version of her modern farm home with no electricity, an oddly different (but familar) family and no idea how she ended up living in the 1800s. As Natalie navigates this bewildering new reality, she must unravel the mystery of what happened—and why.
What Good Morning America says: “Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke follows a social media #tradwife influencer who wakes up where algorithms can’t find her: 1855. No Wi‑Fi. Just pioneering.”
What readers are saying: “I did not expect where this story was going and I couldn’t put it down. This book perfectly stitches together the past, present and future with a twisted woman at the center of everything. You will love to hate Natalie as you learn more about the woman she truly is and her family dynamic.”
‘Skylark’ by Paula McLain
In Paula McLain’s newest novel, a January 2026 Good Morning America pick, readers travel to 1664 Paris, where Alouette Voland, the daughter of a master dyer, is determined to create her own signature blue hue. But when her father is unjustly imprisoned and she attempts to save him, Alouette finds herself confined to the notorious Salpêtrière asylum. Nearly three centuries later in 1939 Paris, psychiatrist Kristof Larson begins his residency at that very same institution. As their parallel stories unfold across time, both must summon extraordinary courage to face the darkness surrounding them.
What Good Morning America says: “Paula McLain gives us a mesmerizing tale of Paris above and below where a woman’s quest for artistic freedom in 1664 intertwines with a doctor’s dangerous mission during the German occupation in the 1940.”
What readers are saying: “An unforgettable, emotional read about resilience, resistance and ordinary people doing what they can. I won’t be forgetting this one anytime soon.”
‘Atmosphere’ by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Bestselling author Taylor Jenkins Reid’s dazzling novel, a June 2025 Good Morning America pick, launches readers into the high-stakes world of 1980s NASA, where Joan Goodwin is breaking barriers as one of the first women accepted into the elite Space Shuttle program. Surrounded by brilliant fellow astronauts, Joan trains for the opportunity of a lifetime. But when a 1984 mission goes catastrophically wrong, Joan faces an impossible choice: follow protocol or risk everything to save her crew—including the person she loves most. A gripping tale of ambition, sacrifice and the bonds forged in the stars.
What Good Morning America says: “It’s an epic new novel set against the backdrop of the 1980s space shuttle program about the extraordinary lengths we go to live and love beyond our limits.”
What readers are saying: “Taylor Jenkins Reid is one of my favorite authors,” says Woman’s World associate editor Carissa Mosness. “And when I found out Atmosphere was about love, ambition and space, I was intrigued. It might be the best TJR book yet!”
‘Homeseeking’ by Karissa Chen
This January 2025 Good Morning America pick begins when Haiwen, a recently widowed man, spots his long-lost love, Suchi, at a Los Angeles market—the first time he’s seen her in nearly 60 years. The chance encounter sends him spiraling back through decades of memory: their childhood friendship in 1940s Shanghai, the passionate love that bloomed between them and the devastating choice that tore them apart. In 1947, Haiwen joined the Nationalist Army to spare his brother from the draft, leaving Suchi behind with only his cherished violin and a note reading “Forgive me.” Now, six decades later, fate has brought them face to face once more. But can love survive a lifetime of separation—and can forgiveness bridge the years of silence between them?
What Good Morning America says: “The novel is a sweeping family drama spanning six decades about how a single choice can change an entire family’s life.”
What readers are saying: “A standout among historical fiction, Homeseeking is perfect for fans of Lisa See, Min Jin Lee, and Amy Tan. I can absolutely see why it was chosen as a Good Morning America Book Club Pick. It was gorgeously written and unforgettable.”
‘Junie’ by Erin Crosby Eckstine
Junie is a powerful historical fiction novel that was chosen as a Good Morning America pick in February 2025. Set on the Bellerine Plantation in Alabama, the story follows a young enslaved girl named Junie who is grieving the devastating loss of her sister Minnie. When wealthy guests arrive from New Orleans with plans for Junie’s master’s daughter Violet to marry, Junie’s already fragile world is upended. Amid the chaos of wedding preparations, she forms an unexpected bond with Caleb, the guests’ coachman. As their friendship deepens, long-buried secrets begin to surface—secrets that could change everything Junie thought she knew about her past and her future.
What Good Morning America says: “Eckstine’s novel explores grief, destiny and the weight of choice. It follows Junie, a young girl who, after awakening her sister’s ghost, must make a life-altering decision while uncovering truths about love, friendship and power as the Civil War looms.”
What readers are saying: “This novel is beautifully written and rich with layered themes. One of the most compelling elements for me was the complex friendship between Junie and Violet—tender, fraught, and deeply revealing. Their relationship made me reflect on the unsettling juxtaposition of both girls being victims of the same institution of slavery, though in profoundly different ways.”
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