Summer Reading Challenge 2025 Inspo

the one where I give book recs for each prompt

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If you haven’t seen yet, I launched my Summer Reading Challenge for this year last week. I thought it would be a fun challenge to do to help me read more seasonal books, since I don’t tend to read “summertime” books in the summer. I also want to branch out more and challenge myself to reading different genres or books I wouldn’t typically read or pick up.

Today, I’m sharing my picks for each prompt. If you have any other recommendations, I would love to hear (or read) what they are. Make sure to drop them in the comments!

Summer Reading Challenge 2025

1. A book featuring a journey or road trip.

• Girl Abroad by Elle Kennedy

• Since You’ve Been Gone by Morgan Matson

• Tangled Up in You by Christina Lauren

• If This Gets Out by Sophie Gonzales & Cale Dietrich

• PS: I Hate You by Lauren Connolly

2. A book you can finish in one day. (Novella, graphic novel, short story collection.)

• Nancy Drew and The Hardy Boys: The Big Lie by Anthony Del Col

• Heartstopper: Volume One by Alice Oseman

• Clueless: One Last Summer by Sarah Kuhn & Amber Benson

• Wash Day Diaries by Jamila Rowser

• Junior High by Tegan & Sara Quin

3. A book of poetry.

• The Sun and Her Flowers by Rupi Kaur

• Swimming Lessons: Poems by Lili Reinhart

• The Princess Saves Herself In This One by Amanda Lovelace

• And Yet: Poems by Kate Baer

• The Hill We Climb: An Inaugural Poem for the Country by Amanda Gorman

4. A non-fiction book about a topic you want to learn more about.

• Buzz: A Stimulating History of the Sex Toy by Hallie Lieberman

• Action Park: Fast Times, Wild Rides, and the Untold Story of America’s Most Dangerous Amusement Park by Andy Mulvihill & Jake Rossen

• Inside the Mouse: Work and Play at Disney World

• The Money Shot: Trash, Class, and the Making of TV Talk Shows by Laura Grindstaff

• Barbie and Ruth: The Story of the World’s Most Famous Doll and the Woman Who Created Her by Robin Gerber

5. A book set in a country other than your own.

• Scot and Bothered by Alexandra Kiley

• You, With a View by Jessica Joyce

• Something Wilder by Christina Lauren

• Love & Gelato by Jenna Evans Welch

• Raiders of the Lost Heart by Jo Segura

6. A book you already own but haven't read yet.

• Dinner for Vampires: Life on a Cult TV Show by Bethany Joy Lenz

• The Dagger and the Flame by Catherine Doyle

• We Solve Murders by Richard Osman

• Margot’s Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe

• Not In Love by Ali Hazelwood

7. Read a book by a local author. (Check your library or local bookstores!)¹

8. Read a book that's been on your "to-read" list for over a year.²

• Generation Friends: An Inside Look at the Show That Defined a Television Era by Saul Austerlitz

• A Study in Charlotte by Brittany Cavallaro

• Truth or Beard by Penny Reid

• Mommie Dearest by Christina Crawford

• Midnight Sun by Stephenie Meyer

9. A book with the word “summer” in the title.

• It Happened One Summer by Tessa Bailey

• It’s Not Summer Without You by Jenny Han

• A Summer Affair by Elin Hilderbrand

• Every Summer After by Carley Fortune

• Summer in the City by Alex Aster

10. A book in a genre you don't usually read.³

That’s all from me this week! I’ll be back next week with my picks for the prompts and my summer hopefuls.

1. This prompt is based on where you live so I didn’t give any recommendations for it.

2. These are a few that have been on my TBR for awhile, but feel free to personalize based on your TBR.

3. I didn’t give prompts for this as I’m unsure what genres you read.