Ooooh I’m so behind in sharing books with you, but I’ve got a huge roundup for the first half of summer here! Mini reviews with everything I’ve read since May. Lots of wonderful books!

What are you reading?!

Most of these books are linked through bookshop (if available!) and I highly suggest shopping through there because it will support your local indie bookstore. You can choose the local bookstore to support! I support Penguin Books when I buy which is my fave here in Pittsburgh.

I have a book of the month membership – I love it so much. I read SO many books from this box. I get so many of my new releases and debut author books there. You can sign up for one here.

What I Read In May & June 2026

Dolly All The Time – 5 stars

One of my favorite authors – I get SO excited for her books every summer. I loved this one so much – I was fully sucked in instantly! The characters are SO good and relatable, the story is wonderful – I can’t say enough good things. In this book, we follow a mom who ends up fake dating someone in her town and the story is so lovely. The little twist at the end annoyed me, but I adored this book so much!

Fever Dream – 4 stars

Oh this is such a fun one. In this book, we follow our main man who goes on a dating show (a bit bachelor-ish) to save his family’s ranch. But sparks fly with someone who works on the show… and the rest is history. I really liked this so much and thought it was super cute, moved quickly and was a little predictable in the best way possible. Love a fun romance like that.

Kin – 4.75 stars

I got this in my book of the month box and couldn’t wait because I loved the previous book by this author. This book is incredible – it’s so heartbreaking and I couldn’t stop thinking about it for weeks. This story follows two girls who were raised without mothers – essentially by others who became their family. They girls have an intense bond (reminds me of twins!) but are also complete opposites. I LOVED this – I love stories than span family’s lives. The end is devastating but also heartwarming in its own way.

Good Joy, Bad Joy – 4 stars

Another book of the month one for me. This was also great! In this book we meet an elderly woman who finds out that her best friend is dying. She decides to go out with a bang and live however she truly wants now that she is near the end of her life. It is a funny, feel good story and I just loved the relationship between Joy and Hazel! Their bond is amazing and their soulmate story was my favorite part!!

Our Perfect Storm – 4.5 stars

Another huge win by Carley Fortune… I loved this just as much as her others! In this book we are introduced to a bride who is dumped right before her wedding, and her best friend convinces her to still go on her honeymoon – with him. I loved it because a friends to lovers trope is truly one of my favorites. It was such a cute story and George is just the best!

Down With The Shipmans  – 4 stars

Another author I love with another great summer read! It’s such a good beach book. The story follows sisters who find out that their father is selling their summer house after their mother has died. The storylines of the sisters’ conflicts was filled with drama and it was such a great family read. It felt very realistic and authentic and I was fully immersed!

Take Me With You – 4 stars

Can you tell I read so many great ones this summer so far! In this book we meet Norman and Jesse who are just wonderful and lovely – then one day, Norman straight up disappears. This book is filled with so many incredible characters (like his books always are!!) and his wit in the writing is just incredible. I didn’t expect to love it because of the possible supernatural aspect as that is not my thing, but it was sooo good. This was really all about the power of love (cue Huey Lewis). I didn’t know exactly what to think with the ending, but it’s just that – it makes you think!

Last Night In Brooklyn – 3.5 stars

First, this book is set in 2007 and is practically “historical,” which makes me feel crazy old! I mean, that was a year before I started this blog. But this book was great. This is about the changing landscape of Brooklyn at the time, the gentrification and how the American Dream changes at the time. I loved the main character and hearing about everything NYC – I felt like I was inside the pages.

The Missed Connection – 4 stars

Oh this was such a fun read and I just loved it! I love a missed connection story and this was exactly it – we follow our main character Sasha who is seated next to a gorgeous man on her flight that she has deemed her soul mate… but she doesn’t get his contact info. Which leads her to search for him everywhere. This is funny, heartwarming and I couldn’t put it down. Excellent summer read!

The Lake Club – 3 stars

This is a fun little scandalous summer read that you can get through quickly! It took me a second to get into it but by the middle, I was hooked. It’s very soap opera-y! There are lots of characters here but we are mainly following two women who are obsessed with one male nanny. Ha! I love some country club drama. It was a cute one.

Rules For The Summer – 3.5 stars

I love these books because I know exactly what I am getting! We meet our two main characters in a somewhat hilarious way – one is trying to save a candy story and one moved because of a dare – doesn’t even sound realistic right?! But it’s so funny and the tropes are spot on. There are also some great side characters that I’m assuming will come in another book soon!

Road Trip – 4 stars

Another one of my favorite authors – I will automatically read anything she releases! In this one we follow two sisters who are reunited after their mother passes away. They are complete opposites and find themselves with a possible inheritance – and must go on an adventure to determine if said inheritance is real. This is so cute with a little mystery (and history!) set in it too.

Summer State Of Mind  – 4 stars

And another fave! I love her books and this one is no exception. In this story, our main characters leaves her intense job for a simpler one – but that proves to not be the case on her first day when an abandoned baby shows up at her work. Sparks fly with her and the man who discovered the baby and there is a lot of messy family drama. The aunt is probably the best character!

The Things We Never Say – 4 stars

This book is so intense and just incredible. I don’t even know where to start! The main character Artie is a very beloved history teacher but he becomes depressed and extremely sad. I loved the relationship with his son, who is also dealing with his own issues. And there is a big family secret! The ending is so, so sad but also in a way, very meaningful.

Ask Not 

Continuing from my crazy obsession the last few months after watching Love Story, many of you told me to read this one! I listened to it on my way to the beach this past month. It is crazy and chock full of info – very juicy, awful, sad, etc.