New Summer Reads for Your Beach Bag

New Releases, Video Interview with Bestselling Author Abby Jimenez, Popular Book Club Pick and More

Hi, everyone! How is your summer reading season going?? I’ve read several new releases back to back, and I have to say, I enjoyed them all! So I put together a list of my five latest reads that are all ideal for summer. And each one features original book club questions too.

While I enjoyed all of them, I have to say Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid is one of my favorite books I’ve read this year. It’s a fantastic book club selection as well.

Check out my full summer new releases list here.

What is your favorite summer read so far?

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Author Interview with Abby Jimenez

So in very exciting news, I got to interview New York Times Bestselling Author Abby Jimenez! I’m such a fan of her novels, and especially enjoyed her latest Say You’ll Remember Me, so it was quite a joy to interview her.

She recently partnered with the brand SONIC to help turn this summer into something more meaningful by ensuring more students have access to the books and resources they need. Each drink purchased this summer goes back to support schools.

“I became a writer because I was a reader so access to free books, especially during formative years, is so important to me,” Abby told me in our interview. “I wouldn’t be sitting here if I didn’t have access to books when I was younger so this was an easy yes for me and then of course, the lemonades, which sound amazing.”

Check out my full interview with Abby below where we discuss her partnership with SONIC, how to encourage a love of reading and her summer TBR!

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The Wedding People by Alison Espach

By far, the most popular book club questions at the moment on Book Club Chat belongs to The Wedding People by Alison Espach. This book continues to grow in popularity each month, which is super exciting! Something I love about popular reads is the simple concept that so many people are reading the same book and wanting to discuss it in more depth.

I think this one has legs because it’s an engaging premise: about one unexpected wedding guest and the surprising people who help her start anew. It does go dark, but also features lighter moments as well. Everyone involved is pretty messy, but human and real.

All in all, a good read for sure. Have you read this one yet? Why do you think some books have more lasting power over others?

Check out my book club questions here.

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Q&A with Julie Clark, Author of The Ghostwriter

The Ghostwriter is a great mystery. Whew, this book! Julie Clark is so good at creating a suspenseful story but also an interesting character study. I found this one to be especially vivid with the two timelines: one in present day Ojai, California, and the other in the 1975.

I stayed up way too late reading this one as I had to know how it would end. Let me know if you’ve read it!

I was so excited to chat with the author Julie Clark about this novel. So let’s get to know Julie as she talks favorite novels, a preview of The Ghostwriter, her TBR and more!

Check out the Q&A here.

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Up Next

I’m currently reading My Friends by Fredrik Backman, and wow, it’s so emotional. He has such a beautiful way about writing the human experience. I will say it did take me some time to get into this one, and I actually took a break for a bit. But now I’m really enjoying it and curious how the story will continue to unfold.

After that, I plan to read It’s a Love Story by Annabel Monaghan. I’ve heard wonderful things about it, and I’m really in the mood for a summery book for this month.

What are you planning to read next? Have a wonderful rest of your week!