Social Animals’ Cover Is Inspired By Author Camille Perri’s Own Pup — See It Here! (Exclusive)

Three women, their dogs and their secrets collide at a dog park in Social Animals.

Camille Perri‘s new novel meets three drastically different women — Val, Alex and June — who stumble upon a connection while frequenting a dog park. Set to debut in June 2026, Social Animals is a tale of community and “finding your people” in a particularly socially isolated time.

Val is a “tough-talking private investigator,” Alex is an introvert with a suspicious past and June is an athlete-turned-housewife who funnels all her attention to her dog. But when June’s husband enlists Val for a job, their regular dog park visits grow more complicated.

“Amid a colorful cast of characters who spend time at the beloved Hamilton Park Dog Park, they find they have more in common than they thought,” the book’s synopsis reads.

As their friendship grows, June gets braver, Alex discovers a newfound excitement and Val finally forges a deep bond with her high-maintenance dog. “But when their secrets catch up with them, will their newfound friendships be able to withstand the pressure? Or will they find themselves in the doghouse?”

Perri — also the author of The Assistants and When Katie Met Cassidy, and former books editor for Cosmopolitan and Esquire — tells PEOPLE her dog, Pip, is the inspiration for Social Animals‘ cover, featuring a grumpy pup.

“Before getting Pip, I did not want a dog and would not have considered myself a dog person,” Perri tells PEOPLE. “Now, my new novel’s book jacket is an homage to the love I have for my pet, and I wouldn’t have it any other way!”

The book’s title comes from the notion that human beings are “social animals” who will seek out a connection with others, Perri says. But in this “particularly lonely and isolated time,” she says, the term can often feel like it doesn’t quite fit.

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At its core, Social Animals is about the three women “finding their way back to connection,” Perri says.

Social Animals will hit shelves on June 9, 2026 and is available for preorder now, wherever books are sold.