Sun beating down, air hummed with the promise of long afternoons and way too many iced lattes—welcome to peak summer mode. With your inbox on silent and your only decision being beach towel vs. hammock, it’s time to arm yourself with stories that deliver thrills, swoons, and the occasional mind-bender. These titles span moon-bound romance and blood-chilling horror, each handpicked to turn your sun-soaked downtime into an all-access backstage pass to adventure. So slap on your SPF, snag the coolest spot you can find—whether it’s by the ocean, a quiet porch in the countryside, or simply on your couch— and get ready to let these page-turners do the heavy lifting while you master the art of doing absolutely nothing.
ATMOSPHERE (Taylor Jenkins Reid)
Taylor Jenkins Reid swaps Hollywood glam for astronaut grit in this sapphic romance set at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in 1980. Physics professor Joan Goodwin aces the training regimen and forges bonds that go way beyond zero-G.When one connection in particular launches her heart into uncharted territory, it proves even stars can’t compete with the pull of a soulmate.
ONE GOLDEN SUMMER (Carley Fortune)
Carley Fortune’s nostalgic romance follows a photographer revisiting the lakeside town where her teenage crush first blazed across her camera roll. Sun-kissed beaches, long-buried memories, and a chance reunion spark a second-act romance, making it perfect for anyone who believes in the magic of summer romance and fresh starts.
THE HOUSEMAID (Freida McFadden)
Freida McFadden serves up domestic suspense with her tale of a live-in housemaid who navigates the Winchesters’ immaculate home by day and their darkest secrets by night. When she slips into her employer’s pristine wardrobe, she crosses a line she can’t uncross. Locked doors, hidden agendas, and a killer payoff await in this page-turning thriller.
LET THEM THEORY (Mel Robbins)
Mel Robbins flips the self-help playbook with a liberating mindset shift: stop controlling everyone else and reclaim your own energy. In Let Them Theory, she shows how embracing “let them” instead of micromanaging the world around you can be your ultimate stress antidote. A brisk, no-nonsense guide for anyone ready to let go and level up.
THE SILENT PATIENT (Alex Michaelides)
Alex Michaelides delivers a mind-bending thriller about Alicia Berenson, the painter who goes mute the night her husband is brutally murdered. Criminal psychotherapist Theo Faber becomes obsessed with breaking her silence, and as he unravels her past, each revelation twists the knife tighter. Brace yourself: this one’s got a final twist that’ll leave you speechless.
STRANGE PICTURES (Uketsu)
Uketsu’s debut horror stitches together nine eerie child-like drawings, each hiding a thread of a gruesome mystery. From a pregnant woman’s cryptic sketch to a victim’s final scrawl, amateur sleuths race to piece the puzzle before the last page clicks shut. It’s an unsettling, brilliantly twisted ride that’ll haunt your summer nights long after you turn out the light.
RIDE WITH ME (Simone Soltani)
Stella Baldwin’s life spins off course when she’s ditched at the altar and inadvertently livestreams her meltdown to the world. Fast-forward two weeks to a cousin’s Vegas bachelorette party, where she collides with Thomas Maxwell-Brown—Formula 1’s “most hated” driver in need of a breather. One wild night, a spontaneous ceremony and a spark-lit headache leave them married by sunrise. What starts as a marriage of convenience might just be the perfect pit stop for two broken hearts craving a second chance.
THE COUPLE AT NO. 9 (Claire Douglas)
Claire Douglas delivers a pulse-pounding psychological thriller as Saffron Cutler moves into 9 Skelton Place with her boyfriend, Tom, and uncovers human remains beneath the floorboards. Police confirm the bodies have lain undisturbed for thirty years, and suspicion turns to Saffy’s grandmother Rose, who wrestles with Alzheimer’s and fragmented memories of a dark secret. As clues mount and someone watches their every move, Saffy must unravel the family’s buried sins before they consume her too.
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