It may be August but if you live in The Sandhills, it’s summer until October as far as we’re concerned. Just look at the thermostat. Anywho, here’s your better-late-than-never summer reading list.
For Reality TV Fans
One & Only
By: Maurene Goo
If you live for the drama, One & Only has a love triangle worthy of entire fandoms. Cass believes in fated soulmates. Primarily because her family has run a matchmaking service for centuries with a 100% match rate. Their secret is that they have a magical gift to peer into people’s past lives to find the perfect match. That’s how Cass knows the name of her soulmate: Daniel Nam. The problem is, she’s been searching for him for a decade. Then she meets Ellis, a younger man who she finds herself falling for fast. That is, until he introduces her to his boss…Daniel Nam. Talk about messy.
For when you’re afraid of losing yourself
Homesick Nomad: Settling into an Untethered Life
By: Brianna Madia
Brianna Madia—an influencer, van-lifer, and free spirit—returns with her third memoir, reflecting on life in the wilderness, finding herself by rejecting society’s expectations, and falling in love again despite her fiercely independent nature. This book fills in the gaps between her first two memoirs, bringing readers up to speed on how she now splits her time between the wild Utah desert and her partner’s cozy suburban home in Oregon.
Brianna keeps things real and her writing feels like catching up with a friend, laughter and all. She shares everything from the lessons she’s learned about navigating social media to what she’s discovered about compromise, vulnerability, and love. It’s a great read for dog lovers, people who deal with public-facing social media and anyone with a serious case of wanderlust.
For True Crime Lovers
You Deserve to Know
By: Aggie Blum Thompson
Neighbors Gwen, Aimee, and Lisa share more than playdates and coffee mornings on their quaint street in East Bethesda. They confide their deepest secrets, navigate motherhood together, and provide a support system that may seem unbreakable to an outsider. But when Gwen’s husband is found murdered after one of their weekly Friday night dinners, everything changes. Through a web of deception, betrayal and revenge, it’s a page turning story full of scandal down to the last page.
Bonus: Hulu is adapting a show of the book starring Nina Dobrev and Paul Wesley (from The Vampire Diaries). There’s no timeline yet on the release date yet which gives even your book club’s slowest reader a chance to hash out their thoughts.
If you love a North Carolina setting
Between The Lines
By: Katherine Bitner
“Between the Lines,” is a forbidden summer romance that takes place in Wilmington. Main character Fia is a ray of sunshine but she’s also a bit of a damsel in distress. Fia is a single mom who manages a coffee shop and lives with her toddler in a 100-year-old house that constantly needs repairs. The latest? A new roof. She’s determined to fix her problems on her own until her grumpy boss steps in. He offers his guest house as a temporary solution while her roof gets fixed, knowing she is essential to his business. But it’s not as simple as he thought it would be and as time goes on, the pull between them becomes harder to ignore. This feel-good read is perfect for those who just can’t seem to catch a break.
Bonus: This author actually lives in NC and we did a whole profile on her.
Available to order through The Country Bookshop.
For when you’re sick of generic advice
Clock In: No-BS Advice for Getting Ahead in Your Career (Without Losing Your Mind)
By: Emily Durham
It’s no secret today’s job market is, well, crap. It can also be confusing. Emily, a recruiter and straight-shooter tells you all you need to know about job hunting, imposter syndrome, networking and boss communication. Unlike a lot of self-help books, it’s not lecture-y. In fact it’s described as “The antidote to the ‘gaslight, gatekeep, girlboss’ ethos.” Great for recent grads, those re-entering the workforce after a while or those looking for a change in their career.
If You Love Early 2000s RomComs
The Shippers
By: Katherine Center
JoJo Burton is a hot mess. After a whole lifetime of being bad at love, JoJo decides to solve her intimacy issues once and for all at her sister’s destination wedding on a cruise ship. She diagnoses herself with a fixation on the guy who was her first crush and first kiss (and who just happens to be a newly divorced wedding guest). Determined to woo him for closure, she recruits her childhood bestie, Cooper Watts, as her wingman. But Cooper keeps sending JoJo mixed signals. He RSVPed no to the wedding, but showed up anyway. Four years earlier he up and moved to London, ghosting her. And JoJo still doesn’t know what to make of any of it. Between the cruise ship setting and the sizzling tension, you’ll need some aloe for this read.
