July 2026 Reading Recap

Hello, and welcome to my July 2026 Reading Recap—a newsletter where I share the books I read and what I thought in an attempt to convince you to make more time for reading. If you’re new here, I’m a working mom to two school-aged kids, and I typically listen to audiobooks during some portion of my workday and try to read from a physical book or my Kindle most weeknights.

This is the second in Huang’s Gods of the Game soccer romance series about a team captain and his coach's daughter who are forced to live together when a stalker threatens his security. I enjoyed the story but slightly less than The Striker. In the book, Brooklyn is off-limits, but she’s determined to humble Vincent’s overly smug personality. The duo’s dynamic builds off their mutual “dislike” of each other and sarcastic jabs. I loved how well-developed Brooklyn’s career aspirations were in this story. She was determined to make her own way in the sports industry without the help of her dad’s coaching reputation.

There was something so tender and cozy about this story about a grieving gardener who takes a summer job at the enchanting Lilymoor House and stumbles upon a secret garden with a mysterious man trapped inside. Sophie, the main character, has experienced a personal loss before coming to the whimsical homestead, and Poston creates such a relatable narrative by using grief as a major theme. The coastal Maine setting is done very well and provides the perfect backdrop for the magical realism elements. I kept picturing a Gothic seaside Victorian cottage in my mind! There’s a third-act conflict that is driven by the circumstances of the magic system instead of miscommunication between the main characters, which was such a relief! If you’re looking for a romance that will make you feel every emotion of the main characters, this book has such great depth but still leaves you feeling good at the end.

This book was recently published on July 28, 2026.

Maggie and Arthur’s Magic Moment is a cozy romantasy where two grumpy, rival professors are forced to work together to save their campus from a spell gone wrong. This book had so many elements that I love— STEM but make it Magic, forced proximity (there’s only one office), older love interests, and plus-sized representation. The story starts out with an ancient festival and a case of hidden identity that immediately drew me in. There’s an incredible slow burn between Maggie and Arthur, and it’s not until they learn to respect and embrace each other’s academic merit that their attraction gets significantly steamier. In the middle of the plot, the duo set off on an adventure when they get a lead on something that might eradicate the mysterious pall. It slumped a little for me there, but it was a key element to saving the school and really the turning point in their romance. Overall, this was a really solid debut, and I’d love a spinoff with Maggie’s best friend Dahlia, or Arthur’s brother Rory.

I expected to hate this book, but I actually fell somewhere in the middle. The beginning of this tradwife psychological thriller immediately drew me in. There are so many hooks to keep you reading, and Natalie’s raw and unfiltered (ha!) dialogue exposing her struggles to be the perfect mother were some of the most relatable parts of the story. If you’re chronically online, you won’t be surprised that it draws heavy inspiration from Ballerina Farms. It would have been a more shocking reading experience if I knew nothing about trad wives and modern-day influencer culture. The twist at the end came too late in the story to really make a point out of the character study/caricature.

Unbound by Ali Hazelwood is the second in a paranormal romance novella duology. I am a huge Ali Hazelwood fan, but I don’t think novellas are her strong suit. In the book, an ancient revenant (vampire) falls for an ER Physician. He gets tied up in her kind’s politics, which ends up in a somewhat unexpected fight against death. The story is incredibly slow and I hate to say it, boring.

This audio-only novella is an awkward story about a surprise first date between a shy, grumpy barista and his crush who doesn’t remember their drunken kiss. He thinks she’s interviewing for a spot as his roommate, and she thinks they’re on a blind date. It’s fairly low-spice compared to what I’ve come to expect from Lana Ferguson. The romance is sweet but ultimately developed too slowly for my liking. I wish the author would have pushed the beach setting further.

Abby Offsides was an almost perfect romance and the perfect way to wrap up a summer of soccer. For a debut, the witty banter and sexual tension jump off the page in a way that I didn’t expect. I found myself laughing out loud throughout the book. While this book offers an intense slow burn romance with plenty of “will they or won’t they” moments between Abby and Lachlan, it’s also an incredible story of starting over, carving your own path, and the meaningful friendships that are created through healing. There is emotional cheating in this book that will not be for every reader. It is very nuanced, and the author handles it well. Lachlan and his wife are separated, and his relationship with Abby has to stay in the friendship category. It’s obviously a main source of tension in the story that develops very naturally. I’m looking forward to reading more by Anna McCallie.

This is the second book in the Dearly Beloathed duology, a rewrite of the Dramione Fanfic. In a nutshell, I would categorize this as a workplace rivals cozy fantasy. The dialogue in this book was tedious. The original fanfic was so witty, which made it even more disappointing. Knightley’s writing fails to translate the original worldbuilding of the Harry Potter series into something that feels realistic in this story. The plot was too weak to spread out the story over two books. With a good bit of editing, I think it could have been a more dynamic story with more pining in just one book. I did not like this series, and I questioned if I was reading the same book as everyone else when browsing all the positive reviews.

I’m finishing several books this week:

• The Twelve Loves of Christmas by Various Authors (publishes on 9/29)

• Games: A Love Story by Anna Maria Volkova

• The Name Game by Beth O’Leary

Here are just a few books being published in August that I’m looking forward to reading:

• Solstice by Carol Gilligan 8/4

• The Autumn Affair by Ivy Fairbanks 8/25

• Experiments in Offline Dating by Kat Mackenzie 8/25

• One for the Road by Elliot Fletcher 8/25

I’m hopeful that my library will continue to get audiobooks of the new releases I’m eager to read so that I can make time for them as well.

If you made it this far, thanks for reading! You can keep up with my reading journey in real time on Goodreads or The Storygraph!

Let’s read some books,

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