Summer Reading Challenge Updates: Vol. 1
Suggestions for my Summer Reading Challenge prompts, recent reads, and things I'm loving this week!
Happy Thursday! First up on the agenda: a big thank you to everyone for your excitement around my 2025 Summer Reading Challenge! I’ve been thrilled with the response and I’m so glad to have you all participating. As we dive into Fourth of July weekend, I’m excited to share the first edition of my Summer Reading Challenge newsletter! Each week, I’ll share book recommendations for a different category from the Summer Reading Challenge, as well as some snippets of things I’m loving that week. I hope you enjoy!
Tomorrow marks two weeks since my 2025 Summer Reading Challenge kicked off - I hope everyone is enjoying it so far! Today I’ll be focusing on one of my favorite categories - books I’ve reviewed on my Bookstagram page. At last count, I’ve reviewed more than 200 books on my page, which is understandably a lot to sort through. So today I’m going to make it easier on you by focusing on some of my very favorite books from the last two years - all of which I rated five stars. From the start of 2024 when I got back into reading until today, I’ve read 213 books - and of those, I rated 32 books five stars. Here are a few of my favorites that I’d recommend:
If you’re in the mood to read a book with summer vibes:
The God of the Woods by Liz Moore
If you spent any time on bookish corners of the internet or at a bookstore last year, you undoubtedly heard buzz about this book. I’m here to say that (at least in my humble opinion) it lives up to the hype. The book takes place at a summer camp in the Adirondacks in the 70s and it’s absolutely dripping with summer vibes. A camper has gone missing from Camp Emerson, but she’s not just any camper. She’s Barbara, the daughter of the wealthiest family in the area - the family who also happens to own Camp Emerson. Worse, her disappearance happens fourteen years after her older brother disappeared and was never found. Told in alternating timelines, the book tells the story of Barbara’s family, the disappearance of her older brother, and the race to find Barbara before it’s too late. At 478 pages, it’s on the longer side for a thriller, but it’s so worth it. It’s beautifully written, captivating, and wildly atmospheric - a perfect summer thriller!
The Wedding People by Alison Espach
If The God of the Woods was the thriller of the summer in 2024, then this book was the contemporary fiction darling. It seemed like everyone and their mother was reading this one last year, and for good reason. If you never hopped on board The Wedding People train, there’s no time like the present! When down-on-her luck Phoebe checks into a fancy Newport hotel with the intention of ending her life, she discovers that she’s the only guest at the hotel who isn’t there for a wedding. She quickly comes face to face with the bride, Lila, and the women suddenly find themselves opening up to each other. As the weekend wears on, Phoebe finds herself pulled into the wedding festivities and learns that maybe life doesn’t have to be as lonely as it’s been for her. If you’ve ever felt lonely in life, I promise you’ll find solace in this book. It starts out depressing, but by the end it feels like a warm hug and you’ll find yourself rooting for Phoebe and the other characters you’ll meet along the way. Set in Newport, the most classic of Rhode Island beach towns, this book is a summery delight. It’s the kind of book that will remind you that life is beautiful - and very much worth living!
Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid
I know it sounds ridiculous to call a Taylor Jenkins Reid book underrated - but I’m here to reaffirm my stance that this is TJR’s most underrated book. Until I read Atmosphere, this was my favorite book of hers. I’m a sucker for a family drama and this one more than delivers on that front. Told in alternating timelines and from the perspective of all four siblings, this book tells the story of the four Riva siblings and all the drama leading up to the day of Nina Riva’s annual end-of-summer party in 1983. If you love stories about complicated families and you’re fascinated by all things Hollywood (especially nepo babies), you’ll love this one. As an added bonus, the Malibu setting makes this an excellent summer read that will make you feel like you’re living the perfect beach day!
If you’re looking for a romance that’s more than just a love story:
Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez
I’ve spent plenty of time on Bookstagram waxing poetic about my love for romances that are more than just romance. I love that these kinds of books have become more popular over the last few years. Although I get so much joy from kicking my feet and giggling about a happy love story, I have an even deeper appreciation for books where a character finds themselves along the way. At first glance, this book sounds like a typical romcom, but it’s so much deeper than that. Emma and Justin have the same problem - every person they date finds the love of their life immediately after they break up. When Justin posts his dilemma on Reddit, Emma reaches out to him and they come up with a plan. If they date each other and break up, they’ll cancel out each other’s curses and go on to find true happiness. Of course what they never count on is the deep connection they’ll both start to feel for each other! This book is the kind of romance that will remind you that love isn’t all grand gestures and sweeping declarations - it’s about the little moments that make up life.
The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston
I’ve always been someone who can’t choose a favorite book - there are simply too many wonderful and amazing books out there that have all changed my life in different ways! That is, until I read The Seven Year Slip. It’s not just my favorite romance of all time - it’s my very favorite book. I’ve recommended this one to countless friends over the last year and every single time, the feedback I get is the same: this is so much more than just a romance. It’s everything!!! Our leading lady Clementine is grieving the loss of her aunt (her favorite person in the world). One day she comes home to the apartment her aunt left her and finds a strange man waiting inside. There’s just one problem - he lives seven years in the past. This book is not only a heartwarming romance, it’s a story of love, of healing, of finding joy after heartache. It’s equal parts heartbreaking and heartwarming and if you haven’t read it yet, just trust me when I say you need to!
Passion Project by London Sperry
Breaking news: local woman rates yet another book about a grief journey 5 stars. More at 11! But seriously, if you’ve been reading my book reviews for any amount of time, you probably already know that I’m a sucker for a book with a grief storyline. Add in a sweet, heartwarming romance and it makes for an incredible debut by new author London Sperry. Bennet moves to NYC after a tragedy in her personal life and quickly finds herself spiraling. She has no friends, no direction in life, and no idea how to move forward after unimaginable loss. Enter Henry, a golden retriever of a man who is determined to help Bennet find her passion. What comes next is a moving story of self-discovery, hope, and found family. This book is everything I want in a romance - it celebrates love, but it doesn’t shy away from the hard stuff. It’s deeply moving and cathartic to read and I loved every second of it.
If heart-pounding thrillers are more your speed:
Bright Young Women by Jessica Knoll
My favorite thriller from 2024! I consider myself fairly generous with my ratings, but I’m by far the stingiest with my five star ratings when it comes to thrillers. Last year I only read two thrillers that I rated 5 stars - The God of the Woods (included in my summer recs above) and Bright Young Women. Interestingly, this book is based on a Rolling Stone interview with the lone survivor of an attempted killing by Ted Bundy. Told from dual perspectives, it follows the stories of two women - Pamela, a sorority president who awakes in the middle of the night to find two of her sorority sisters dead and two gravely injured, and Ruth, a struggling and unsure twenty-five-year-old trying to figure out her life. This book feels like part historical fiction, part thriller, and I really appreciate the way it pushes back against the narrative of glorifying serial killers like Ted Bundy. It’s definitely a disturbing read, but it’ll suck you in right away and keep you riveted from beginning to end!
Kill For Me Kill For You by Steve Cavanagh
I’m sure I’m not the only one who considers Gone Girl to be the gold standard for domestic thrillers. I will *never* forget the moment when I read the big twist and honestly, I’ve been searching for that feeling ever since. And Kill For Me Kill For You is the closest I’ve come to that Gone Girl feeling! I tore through this book at warp speed because it was so gripping from the very first page. And the ending had me so shocked that I literally had to turn back the page to make sure I was understanding correctly. Now that’s my kind of thriller! This book tells the story of Amanda and Wendy, who meet in a support group and realize they both desire the same thing - revenge on a man who ruined their life. They hatch the perfect plan: Amanda will kill the man who ruined Wendy’s life, and Wendy will kill the one who ruined Amanda’s life. I don’t want to say too much more and give away the plot, so I’ll just say things don’t go as planned and Amanda is left questioning everything. This is the kind of heart-pounding thriller that will leave you feeling like you can’t turn the pages fast enough!
Saltwater by Katy Hays
I picked up Saltwater on impulse when the bookstore I visited in Richmond didn’t have the book I’d been initially hoping to buy, and what a happy accident! Told from the perspectives of Sarah in 1992 and her daughter Helen in the present day, Saltwater tells the story of Sarah’s untimely death and the impact it’s had on her wealthy family’s legacy. As the family is pushed to a breaking point 25 years after Sarah’s death, Helen enlists the help of the family assistant, Lorna, to get to the bottom of Sarah’s death and escape the toxic family once and for all. This book started out slow, but once it picked up speed I couldn’t get enough. It’s so well-written and has more of a literary fiction feel than your average thriller. And the ending! It absolutely blew me away and catapulted my rating to 5 stars. An added bonus: it takes place in Italy and gives major White Lotus vibes, so it’s a perfect read for summer!
As I write this newsletter, I just finished two excellent books, which means I’m in between books right now on both audio and physical reads. So rather than sharing what I’m currently reading, I’ll give a shout out to my most recent read, Same Time Next Summer by Annabel Monaghan. As has been the case with each of Annabel’s books that I’ve read, it was an absolute delight! You can read my full review by clicking the post below.
I come to you this week with a recommendation in the form of a podcast that surely every person reading this has already heard of - but it’s so good I have to recommend it here anyway. I keep a pretty tight podcast rotation, so it’s rare for me to add another podcast into the mix. But damn, I am absolutely OBSESSED with Good Hang with Amy Poehler. I love finding out that an actor I love is just as charming and fun as they seem on TV, and that’s been the case with Good Hang so far. Listening to this podcast feels like hanging out at dinner with great friends, except those friends are some of the most famous (and funniest) people in Hollywood. I leave each episode feeling utterly delighted. I highly recommend!
Spending time outside!
My husband recently got his fishing license after years of me balking at the idea (I’ve seen Finding Nemo one too many times, okay!!!) and we’ve been spending a lot of weekday evenings at our local parks. He brings his fishing gear and I bring a book and my favorite picnic blanket and we sit in comfortable silence. We’ve both agreed that we’re honestly mad we didn’t start doing this years ago - it’s been such a welcome addition to our routine and gives us something to look forward to when the weekend still feels far away!
My new favorite Instagram follow
My latest Instagram obsession is the account @amberstextiles! Can you even handle how cute her illustrations are? I especially love the illustrations she does for each month. The July one is my favorite one yet and I’ll be channeling those vibes until further notice!
A happy little latte glass
I’m a major proponent of finding joy in the little things, and wow does this croissant latte glass bring me joy!!! As someone who is decidedly not a morning person, I rely heavily on sprinkles of happiness at the start of the workday to keep me going, and my new favorite one is having an iced latte in this happy little glass.
I really loved this post from Jess Keys on with 50 simple ways to romanticize summer. In case you couldn’t tell from the Summer Reading Challenge of it all, I’ve been feeling really nostalgic for childhood summers and the ideas in this post feel like a great place to start in reclaiming summer!
Big Salad, the Substack from Cup of Jo’s Joanna Goddard, recently shared a great interview with author Barbara Kingsolver. I relished getting a peek into her life as a writer and this was just the reminder I needed to push Demon Copperhead up on my TBR!
This post is a couple months old, but I’m still awestruck over the desk tour that Olivia Meunter (co-host of my favorite podcast, Bad on Paper) shared of her writing cottage. So charming in every way!
Speaking of Bad on Paper - Becca Freeman (the other co-host of the podcast) recently shared an absolutely fascinating look at the evolution of her reading taste over the last ten years. Before reading this post, I hadn’t realized that contemporary romance novels didn’t really become a thing until 2018. There’s lots of other fascinating info in there too! This post is for paid subscribers only, but it’s well worth it IMO. Becca’s Substack is one of my very favorites!
Did you hear the news?! Ina Garten is on Substack! I couldn’t click subscribe fast enough.
Phew! That was a long one. I’d like to say they won’t all be this long, but I can’t make any promises. Brevity is not my strength! I’d love to hear from you in the comments. What do you think of the format of this newsletter? How’s the Summer Reading Challenge going? What’s your favorite read of the summer so far? Tell me all your thoughts!