My Summer 2026 TBR: New Releases, Long-Overdue Reads & Sarah J. Maas Rereads
by Jessica Jones
Summer is genuinely my favorite reading season. Something about the longer days makes me feel like I should be reading constantly, even though the reality right now is that I'm getting it done in fifteen-minute windows while Caroline naps, or listening to an audiobook en route to one of our gazillion appointments.
This summer's list is a little different from past years. Emily Henry and Ali Hazelwood don't have new releases right now, which honestly threw me off at first. But it's given me the push I needed to tackle the books that have been sitting on my shelves judging me. So here's what I'm actually planning to read.
🌊 New Releases I'm Most Excited For
Clean Slate by Brianna Labuskes is already checked off my list. I finished it and I have thoughts (full review coming). It's her debut novel, and honestly, for a first book, it completely delivered. The kind of thriller that keeps you second-guessing yourself until the very last page.
Our Perfect Storm by Carley Fortune was an automatic read for me. Yes, I have already finished it… I read One Golden Summer during one of my harder months this past year and it was exactly what I needed. Her books have this quality where they feel warm even when they're emotional, and I always end up reading them in one or two sittings.
Catch Her if You Can by Tessa Bailey… I don't need to explain this one. It's Tessa Bailey. I will read whatever she writes. This one came out a little while ago - but not quite so long ago that it belongs in my catch up section down below.
The Romance Revival by Christina Lauren drops in July and I will be reading it immediately. Their books make me laugh out loud and then somehow also make me cry, and I cannot even begin to tell you how deeply Love and Other Words and The Paradise Problem spoke to my soul.
📚 Finally Catching Up
The Woman in Suite 11 by Ruth Ware has been on my list forever. She doesn't have a new release this year, which means I have no excuse to keep putting this one off.
The Deal by Elle Kennedy. I know. I KNOW. I am years late to this series and I've been told by basically everyone I trust that I need to fix that. I finished this one just this past weekend and am on to book two… I want to read them before I watch the series on Prime, but now I have discovered I have once again found myself in a web of 13(ish?) books from the Briar U universe… super excited to tackle these.
The Last Letter by Rebecca Yarros. I had been warned repeatedly that this book would destroy me. It did. But I would recommend it to anyone... especially if you need a good cry.
Tell Me What You Did by Carter Wilson has been on my radar for a little while. Dark psychological suspense is my comfort food and this one keeps coming up in my algorithm for a reason.
📖 Book Club Reading
The Teacher by Freida McFadden was our book club’s latest pick, so I actually had a deadline. Honestly, this one was lacking in my opinion. I love Freida, but this one just wasn’t it for me, and I found every twist incredibly predictable. I am sure I will still read another Freida book this summer… Dear Debbie has been popping up for me quite a bit lately.
🎧 Listening This Summer
An Arcane Study of Stars by Sydney J. Shields is already downloaded and I cannot wait. Dark academia, celestial magic, rivals-to-lovers, gothic mystery. It sounds like it was written specifically for me. Audiobooks have become my secret weapon this year between stroller walks, folding laundry, riding in the car. I'm going to lean into it.
✨ The Sarah J. Maas Reread Project
Earlier this year I finished my full Throne of Glass reread (re-listen) and it completely reminded me why that series still holds the top spot for me. This summer I'm moving into an ACOTAR re-listen. (I LOVE the GraphicAudio Productions for this series). It's been long enough that I'm genuinely excited to go back in and catch things I missed. After that, Crescent City if I can fit it in. I want everything fresh before she gives us whatever comes next, because the crossover theories alone are making me spiral.
Already Off to a Good Start
I kicked off summer by finishing You Know Why by J.T. Ellison, and it was everything I wanted. J.T. Ellison is one of those authors I will follow anywhere. Layered, surprising, and the kind of ending that makes you want to immediately call someone. Full review coming soon.
What's at the top of your summer TBR? Drop it in the comments — I always leave with more books than I came with.
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My summer TBR looks a little different this year. No Emily Henry, no Ali Hazelwood… which means I finally have no excuse not to tackle the books that have been sitting on my shelves. Here's what I'm reading, listening to, and rereading this summer.