We're Reading These 10 Books This Summer!

Lauren (book talk with lauren) and Mariella (Mariella • The Tearoom) have teamed up to share the 10 books they’re most excited to read this summer!

Summer is often a wonderful season for readers. Holidays, slower days, and new releases tend to come together in ways that make room for longer reading lists and unexpected discoveries. Many readers find themselves assembling eclectic selections that reflect both curiosity and mood.

This particular summer reading list brings together a mix of new releases, older favourites, and chance discoveries. Not all of them have been finished yet, but they represent books I am looking forward to returning to over the coming weeks.

Siren Says is a fantasy romance that has not yet been published. I was kindly sent an advance reader copy by the author, Jennifer Michelle Herrera, in exchange for a review. It had been some time since I last read fantasy, and this novel proved to be an engaging return to the genre.

Beyond its magical elements, the story is grounded in emotional experience. The protagonist, Raven, is shaped by unresolved grief following the death of her mother. The challenges she faces—including magic, monsters, and internal barriers—echo, in a metaphorical sense, the weight of grief in real life.

The novel suggests that experiences which feel intangible in ordinary life can be made visible through fantasy. In that way, it offers a lens for understanding emotions that might otherwise remain difficult to articulate.

Circe, which I first read a few years ago, remains an enduring favourite. Familiarity with the original Greek myths—often marked by cruelty, imbalance, and limited agency for women—makes Madeline Miller’s retelling feel especially resonant.

Retellings do not diminish the originals; rather, they deepen our engagement with them. They create new points of entry and emotional access, allowing readers to revisit familiar stories with renewed understanding.

Revisiting Circe this year offers an opportunity to reflect on those themes again. Where Siren Says explores grief through fantasy, Circe continues to resonate through its exploration of agency and justice within mythic structures.

This is a reread of Daisy Goodwin’s historical novel, set against a backdrop of transatlantic wealth, social expectation, and ambition. It is a story that lends itself well to revisiting, particularly after time has passed since the initial reading.

Returning to books after several years often changes the reading experience. The narrative remains the same, but the reader brings a different perspective, shaped by time and experience. In that sense, rereading becomes a form of rediscovery.

I lucked out with romantic fantasy ARCs this summer. Steelborn by Taylor J. LaRue leans more toward classic heroic fantasy than Siren Says, though its protagonist is a young woman.

We meet Reya, an orphan working for a notorious thief who longs to buy her freedom so she can pursue her true passion: forging weapons. But choosing one’s own path is rarely simple. Sometimes it must be fought for, pursued across kingdoms and through hardship, so that when it is finally won, it is all the more meaningful.

We follow Reya as she strikes bargains with the Magic-born, discovers her own abilities, negotiates with pirates, breaks in—and out—of prison, and gradually realizes that she has unfinished business before she can claim the life she truly wants.

While I found the opening a little slow, by about eighty pages in I could not put it down. Perhaps I’m simply partial to pirates; as a teenager, Pirates of the Caribbean was the first film franchise that truly captivated me.

Steelborn offers a satisfying adventure for readers who enjoy high fantasy, expansive world-building, romance, and genuine stakes. There’s also a healthy dose of morally grey characters. As the first book in a series, it leaves plenty to look forward to. Like Siren Says, it will be published in August.

Abigail Adams was one of the most important women to witness the American Revolution. The wife of one president and the mother of another, she contributed greatly to America’s fight for liberty while witnessing the heartbreaking sacrifices it demanded.

Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie have published many novels together that illuminate pivotal moments in American history and bring its remarkable figures to life. This year, the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, seemed the perfect time to encounter Abigail Adams—and her forward-thinking ideas—on a deeper level.

I absolutely love character studies on unhinged characters and The Obsessed seems to be the wild, witty read that I need this summer. Astrid is obsessed with a Russian American novelist Sofiya Sova whose life has similar parallels to her own. Reeling from a difficult breakup, Astrid meets with a fellow Sofiya Sonva fan, Elijah, on Hinge. When she starts to encapsulate a Sova novel plot in her own life, Elijah cuts things off with Astrid. It’s a novel about obsession and desire told from a completely inventive plot angle and I cannot WAIT to read! I just got a copy in from the publisher and I’m equally as obsessed with the cover.

Why not continue with the theme of obsession? As a borderline obsessive dog mom (I consistently refer to my dog as my biological son and will accept zero criticism about it), I feel like there will be so many relatable aspects of Kitten. Katie is a recent college graduate who is estranged from her mom and struggling to pay her rent. But her new boyfriend is generous and seems to help her out quite a bit, even if he seems controlling at times. When Katie joins her boyfriend for vacation at his parents lake house, she develops a unique bond with his family cat. The bond may or may not borderline on obsessive. I love supporting debut authors, and I can’t wait to read this one! I was approved for an ARC on Net Galley and plan to read in the next few weeks!

The author’s debut thriller, The Return of Ellie Black, came out a few years ago and I was completely obsessed! I read it in two days and found it impossible to put down. Now the book to followup The Return of Ellie Black is coming out in September! A woman is murdered and then her daughter goes missing and Detective Chelsey Calhoun is on the case. The woman - Anne Walker - was born on a remote island in Japan under a different name. It appears that she attempted to reinvent herself in Seattle, on the run from someone, or something. I got the ARC from Net Galley and can’t wait to read sometime in August!

East of Eden appears to be THE read of the year. In my attempt to read more classic literature (I’ve been a bit scared of classics for no good reason at all), I just picked up a copy from the library. A retelling of the classic biblical story Cain and Abel, I am all for explorations of good vs evil in (A Guardian and A Thief is an EXCELLENT example of this!). It also takes place in the Salinas Valley of California which is an area I know and love.

It’s not news to any of my long-term subscribers that The Reformatory is one of my favorite books of all time and was my #1 read last year (although one of the most heartbreaking reads ever and I sobbed for days after finishing). Tananarive Due is the MOST incredible writer, and incorporates so much depth and emotion into her work. She has a new book releasing in September and I almost cried when I got the ARC approval. I think my heart is ready for it.

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