SUMMER READING GUIDE

I love summer and I love reading

It’s my favorite time of year as someone who exclusively reads “beach read” thrillers. We’ve got some major new releases from some of my favorite authors (Lisa Jewell anyone? Jessica Knoll anyone? Ashley Winstead anyone?).

I’m really enjoying the Spotify “Your Top Songs of All Time” playlist. It’s taking me down memory lane. “Closer by the Chainsmokers” era, that beautiful time before Trump when I took the metro to work in DC with my gym bag and didn’t get home til 8 or 9pm at the earliest. The Soul Cycle Girl Boss Matte Foundation Peplum Top era. What a beautiful time. Also, who knew I listened to so much Dan + Shay? Hundreds of hours apparently.

In terms of TV, I’ll report back soon but I’m into Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed (Apple TV+), Cape Fear (Apple TV+), Next Gen NYC S2 (Bravo, heyyyyyyy), I Will Find You (Netflix). Anyone else watch that West Wilson whiteboard sesh on Instagram? He came off as lame but I enjoyed the tea.

ANYWAY, here are the new releases I’ve read and recommend:

• It Could Have Been Her by Lisa Jewell - Lisa Jewell is my north star. I’m always looking for books that give me a similar feeling— grounded British thrillers with heart. I love how she writes her characters and how I feel so at home in the worlds she writes. The main character, Jane is charming (she was introduced in Jewell’s previous book!) and the story weaves in a satisfying way. A missing dog leads to a sinister old house and a missing girl. A

• Dissection of a Murder by Jo Murray- Craving a Presumed Innocent typa joint? Look no further. Legal thriller being adapted by Apple TV+. A

• Heather by Caitlin Mullen- Classic small-town mystery. Same old formula done well. Woman with a complicated past returns to her hometown and uncovers decades-old secrets. B+

• Someone Else’s Husband by Kimberly McCreight- Juicy upper east side intrigue and scandal with some character depth. B+

• Marion by Leah Rowan- Twist on Hitchcock’s Psycho where the woman survives and gets her revenge. Really creative fun read. A-

• The Divorce by Freida McFadden- How could I do summer thrillers without my girl Frieda? This one’s in the same vein as The Housemaid with just enough twists to keep ya interested. B

Upcoming new releases you better believe I’ll be reading:

• The Housewife by Natalie Barelli - “Jodie always dreamed of being a housewife. And after a whirlwind romance, she marries renowned psychologist Dr. Roy Davies and moves into his perfect Beverly Hills home.” Um, let’s just say it’s not gonna go as planned. June 30

• The Neighbors Are Watching by Aggie Blum Thompson- The summary for this book was written by AI and is kind of word soup, but Blum Thompson always writes hits, so I’m in. June 30

• Helpless by Jessica Knoll- “It’s been twelve years since Faye Heron broke Henry Spalding’s heart. Henry was her college boyfriend, her first intense love, but Faye was in danger of being subsumed by him.” College? Thriller? Say less. July 7

• Hot Girl Murder Club by Ashley Winstead- Another one of my all-time thriller writers. “What’s a girl got to do to get some fame, a few million record sales, and justice for murder?” July 14

• The Season of Sinking by Daphne Woolsoncroft- “a woman’s unsettling past creeps back into her consciousness as she returns to her hometown and begins to suspect the locals are hiding a terrible secret swirling around her mother's recent death.” Yeah, I’ll be downloading this bad boy. July 26

• The Women in White by Sarah Pekkanen- “In 1964, four remarkable young women at a prestigious university became the subjects of parapsychology experiments by a visionary scientist.” I love this author and can’t wait to check it out. August 4

• Heart of Glass by Jennifer Hillier- The queen of PNW thrillers is back. I don’t even need to look it up to know I’ll read it in one sitting. August 25

I’ll be monitoring this space and will report back. xoxoxoxox TTFN ta ta for now TTYL!