Friday Reflections: Anyone Else Missing Book It?
Plus, my take on what to read & skip this week in romance
Hey readers,
This week I’m still abuzz from the high of our Author Q&A with Erin Connor. If you didn’t already know it, she is the freakin’ coolest, and I loved every second talking with her about music and her work. It was amazing.
Stay tuned because next week I’m announcing our June 2026 Book of the Month and which author we’ll be chatting with next in Book Club. Plus, I have another book giveaway coming - yay!
And did you hear the news that Crave TV in Canada, the network that brought us Heated Rivalry, is adapting Penelope Douglas’ Five Brothers?! Talk about another scorcher that’s going to bring ALL the steam. Cannot wait.
But onto today’s good stuff…
💭 Friday Reflections – Anyone Else Missing BookIt?!
Summer reading is officially on in my book, and one thing that has struck me lately as I’ve shifted into “summer reading mode” is just how nostalgic I am for the Book It! program. Anyone else remember participating in that?
Apparently, it still exists today for kids in Pre-K through 6th grade, but I can still vividly remember how exciting it felt earning my own Pizza Hut personal pan pizza just by reading books.
It was also a sad day for me when my kids aged out of the Barnes & Noble summer reading program where they could earn a FREE book just by reading. Now it’s mostly just me trying to convince them to pick up a book instead of another screen.
But honestly…where are the fun summer reading programs for adults?
My local bookstore just announced its first-ever adult summer reading challenge where readers can earn a spot to highlight their name on the store window by completing the challenge along with earning 25% off a book purchase. And honestly? I’ll take it.
I genuinely think romance-only bookstores could capitalize on adult summer reading challenge ideas beyond a summer BINGO card, which is totally based on the honor system. Imagine readers showing proof of purchasing three books from the store and sharing mini reflections on each to earn a discount toward their next romance haul. I’d absolutely participate.
Though honestly, someone else could probably come up with an even cooler idea. I’m just fully here for bringing back fun summer reading challenges for adults now that Book It! is out of reach.
What about you? Would you love a fun adult summer reading program this year? Let me know in the comments.
📚 What Stood Out This Week (and What I’d Actually Recommend)
I powered through several books this week, including some of my most anticipated queer romance releases of the year, and here’s what I’d absolutely recommend - and what I’d honestly skip.
Dearly Departed by Chip Pons
Chip Pons is quickly becoming a must-read voice in queer romance and nails the grumpy sunshine trope in this one. He does such a great job balancing emotional vulnerability, steam, and humor with Levi’s warmth slowly breaking through Hayden’s loneliness and isolation.
I did feel slightly disconnected from Hayden’s internal conflict and the third act breakup didn’t fully work for me, but overall this was still such a fun, emotional, and steamy romance with hilarious side characters and strong heart underneath it all.
You Won’t Forget Me by Mazey Eddings
Read My Full Review →
I went into this expecting a lighter sapphic rock star romance and instead got something far more emotionally layered and vulnerable. Mazey does an incredible job portraying the emotional exhaustion of celebrity culture, toxic online behavior, and manipulative relationships in a way that honestly felt painfully realistic at times. Watching Cubby navigate public scrutiny while slowly building trust and intimacy with Darcy made the friends-to-lovers payoff feel deeply earned.
This is definitely heavier than I expected, but the emotional depth, tenderness, and queer awakening storyline made it one of my standout queer romance reads of the year.
Love You More by Emily Giffin
I went into this fully expecting emotional angst and complicated love triangle tension similar to Emily’s earlier books, but unfortunately this one completely fell flat for me. The story spent so much time recounting Billie’s life that the romance itself never developed enough emotional weight to make me invested. There was very little chemistry between the central couple, and the later twist ultimately weakened the story more than it strengthened it.
Longtime Emily Giffin readers may still want to pick this up out of curiosity, but this ended up being one of my bigger disappointments of the year.
Reasons to Be Loved by You by Hannah Brown
Read My Full Review →
Ever since Mistakes We Never Made, I’ve been waiting for Nikki’s story and Hannah absolutely delivered the emotional tension here. The wedding weekend setup immediately hooks you because Nikki is forced to spend time around the woman who had secretly been involved with the man Nikki got engaged to on a reality TV dating show. That emotional betrayal radiates through the entire story and gives the romance much stronger emotional grounding that draws from Hannah’s own personal experience.
What really worked for me though, was Nikki and Nate’s chemistry. Nate brings such strong cinnamon roll energy and the summer atmosphere made this feel incredibly immersive. If you love emotionally messy wedding weekend romances with strong chemistry and public heartbreak recovery arcs, definitely add this to your list.
📖 What I’m Currently Reading
I was completely blown away by The Homemaker, the first book in Jewel E. Ann’s Chain of Lakes series, so there was no doubt I was picking up The Muse next, which can be read as a standalone.
Jewel shared the opening chapter in her newsletter, and it instantly hooked me. Now I absolutely need to know more about Flynn because morally gray rebels are apparently my weakness.
🎨 Cover Reveals I Can’t Stop Thinking About
These were the cover reveals this week that immediately caught my eye…
Wild Wicked Mate by Laurie Gilmore
A road trip that finally forces two lifelong friends together who also happen to be fated mates? Yeah…this sounds primed for chemistry and tension. Definitely one to watch if you love paranormal romance with friends-to-lovers energy.
Life is a K Drama by Sherri Shephard and Jayci Lee
An interracial romance that doubles as a love letter to K dramas? Immediately yes. I’m especially curious to see how these authors blend the cultural clash, culinary elements, and romantic tension together because the premise already feels incredibly charming.
If These Walls Could Talk by Alexandria Bellefleur
This already feels like it’s going to deliver delicious friends-with-benefits tension mixed with some genuine emotional angst underneath it all. Definitely one for readers wanting new adult romance with strong chemistry and emotional complications.
Other books that also caught my attention this week:
• Knights Like These by Kendall Ryan
• Find My Way Down to You by Julian Winters
That’s all for this week 💕
Happy reading…because life is better with a love story!
