I’m coming to you with one thing a bit completely different from my Race Issues column: summer season studying suggestions! I’ve been a guide editor for greater than 20 years; and studying isn’t just my profession, it’s my ardour. This summer season is filled with stellar books, which is nice for readers but additionally presents a problem: the way to know what to select up. In case you want some guide concepts on your seashore bag, porch hold, or street journey, I’ve narrowed down a listing of eight that has one thing for everybody…
It’s A Love Story by Annabel Monaghan. In case you’re already a fan of Annabel’s books (Similar Time Subsequent Yr, Nora Goes Off Script, Summer season Romance), then you recognize she creates probably the most endearing, relatable characters you can’t assist rooting for. Her latest heroine, Jane Jackson, is a former baby star attempting to survive her previous as a “wacky” sitcom character. She has her sights set on making a characteristic movie from a rom-com script she’s fallen laborious for. To entice her boss to greenlight the undertaking, she guarantees that her outdated good friend, mega pop star Jack Quinlan, will write an unique music for the film. The issue? Jack isn’t actually a good friend, extra like somebody who broke Jane’s coronary heart years earlier than. To trace Jack down, she’ll want the assistance of the final individual she needs to show to, her co-worker Dan. He simply might assist with the damaged coronary heart factor, too. This novel goes down like a glass of chilly lemonade on a sizzling day — straightforward, effervescent, totally satisfying.
King of Ashes by S.A. Cosby. In case you’re into audio books, I extremely suggest listening to this novel – the narrator Adam Lazarre-White has such a easy baritone, I’d take heed to him learn a toaster handbook. King of Ashes doesn’t scream gentle seashore learn (there’s a gritty edge to Cosby’s work, plus just a few lifeless our bodies) however you’ll by no means learn tales about gangsters, crime, and hazard with richer characters and a stronger emotional core. A stand-out characteristic of Cosby’s work is his settings — evocative Southern backwaters the place the language is colourful, the humidity thick, and the bugs loud. Roman, our hero, returns residence to rural Virginia to reckon with some high-stakes drama — a father within the hospital who’s unable to run the household’s crematorium, a sister haunted by their mom’s mysterious disappearance, and a brother tangled within the native legal underworld. The plot races alongside, however past the heart-pounding twists, the novel is a robust reminder of how a lot we’ll danger to guard these we love.
Ambiance by Taylor Jenkins Reid. I’m past blown away by Taylor’s vary — she’s written over a dozen novels that discover completely different worlds, from aggressive tennis to Previous Hollywood. All of which has made her a “publishing powerhouse,” as Time journal mentioned in a latest profile. Now she’s taking readers to… area. Set within the Nineteen Eighties, this novel follows two girls in NASA’s second class of feminine astronauts who should navigate the aggressive, sexist and exhilarating world of area journey as true pioneers in lots of senses. Hidden romance, new frontiers, and pulse-pounding journey? Test. Test. Test. Assume: High Gun, Hidden Figures and For All Mankind vibes. One among my favourite reads of 2025.
The Names by Florence Knapp. Random reality about me: my mother and father deliberate to call me Stephanie throughout my mom’s whole being pregnant; then once I was born they made a final minute swap to Christine. Generally I’m wondering, would my life have unfolded otherwise if I had been “Stephanie”? That’s the premise of this novel. The Names includes three completely different narratives – Sliding Doorways model – that comply with the life path of Cora’s son, if he got three completely different names. Names are solely a part of the legacy we give our kids, and Cora reckons with all she’s passing to her son – the resilience and the trauma.
Grand Paloma Resort by Cleyvis Natera. There was certain to be a White Lotus comparability on this listing, and that is it! This novel explores class and tourism at a high-end resort within the Dominican Republic, and the page-turning plot hits the spot. I am keen on a narrative about sisters, and right here, dutiful older sister, Laura, realizes her wayward sister, Elena, is in serious trouble, the form of bother that would price Laura her dream promotion and the escape the orphaned sisters have dreamed of. The explorations of household, wealth and striving are as wealthy because the folks at this five-star resort. Coming, August twelfth.
Everybody Is Mendacity To You by Jo Piazza. You’d must be residing below a rock to not have heard concerning the tradwife phenomenon. Journalist Jo Piazza (who additionally occurs to be my writing associate) now brings us the quintessential tradwife novel. It’s an exciting, fast-paced thriller — come for the plot twists, keep for the commentary about social media. The novel expertly captures all the emotions now we have as we scroll by our feeds at 3 a.m. Coming July fifteenth.
What Form of Paradise by Janelle Brown could possibly be the older cousin of Jo’s guide. For all our love/hate of social media, this story takes us again to the eve of the web in Silicon Valley. Our protagonist, Jane, grows up in a rural Montana cabin along with her devoted however maniacal father, who’s susceptible to diatribes concerning the ills of civilization. Jane turns into disillusioned along with her father’s world view, with a nagging sense that one thing is amiss with him and what he’s informed her about their previous. Finally, she builds as much as make a panoramic escape, although not earlier than being ensnared in an incident that may have life-long penalties. Her path takes her to San Francisco within the Nineteen Nineties on the eve of the dotcom increase when the web promised to be an incredible utopia. As quickly as I completed the guide, I wrote Janelle a gushing private word. I used to be fully smitten with the voice and couldn’t put this one down.
And, in fact, I’ve to incorporate my very own. All The Males I’ve Beloved Once more, my solo debut, got here out final week and is extremely beach-friendly. It’s a narrative a couple of girl, Cora, who falls in love with two males in her twenties, and the similar two males once more as she’s about to show 40. A wild premise ripped from my very own life. It’s a enjoyable, heartfelt, steamy coming-of-age story, heavy on nostalgia and a ‘90s music playlist. I’ll mail a signed guide plate to any Cup of Jo reader who asks for one.
What books are on the prime of your listing this summer season? Authors additionally find it irresistible when readers come to occasions. So, take a look at the tour data for these novels, placed on a cute summer season costume, and go make a good friend.
P.S. 5 horny books we love, three favourite books of all time, and what’s probably the most stunning factor you’ve ever learn?
(Photograph by Dana Saparova/Stocksy.)
