What We’re Reading in July 2025

CURRENTLY READING

PS: I Hate You

by Lauren Connolly

Travel, second chances, and a gentle reminder to live and love to the fullest. This is a heartwarming summer read.

Get your copy of PS: I Hate You (Amazon) and read with us!

What Victoria Loved

VICTORIA’S RATING: 5/5

⚠️ TWs: cancer, death, grief, self-harm, neglectful / emotional abusive parents

I couldn’t put this book down from the second I started it. I finished it in a single sitting and I’m already looking forward to rereading it. 

Lauren Connolly shows us the strength of found family and demonstrates different manifestations of grief through the loss of a sibling, a child, a best friend, a partner. But it’s the second-chance love story that will simultaneously fill your heart up and rip it to shreds with each turn of the page. 

What a beautiful way to celebrate life. What a devastating adventure to love. But in the end, she reminds us that it’s all worth it… because what would you do if you could love your person for just one more day?

Set the mood. Listen to our PS: I Hate You playlist (Spotify).

What the Book Club Loved

Come back at the end of the month to see how the Book Club rates PS: I Hate You!

• FIREWORKS & STEAM: X/5

• WRITING STYLE: X/5

• CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT: X/5

• THE LOVE STORY: X/5

“XX”

- READER

If You Loved PS: I Hate You, You’ll Love These

• LETTERS FROM A LOVED ONE: These Summer Storms by Sarah MacLean (Amazon)

  Give me billionaire lifestyle and family drama wrapped in a little forbidden love and I’ll happily escape into a book. The black sheep and the prodigal son are a match made in heaven… (or a perfect storm!!), and they’ll make you feel nostalgic for a lifestyle you’ve never experienced. Read my full Sneak Peek.

  VICTORIA’S RATING: 4/5

• BROTHER’S BEST FRIEND: If All Else Sails by Emma St. Clair (Amazon)

  The unexpected soft underbelly of this romance lies in Wyatt’s love for sailing, the relationship he had with his uncle, and how excitedly he shares this passion with Josie. She has always held an unflattering view of the grump with a hard exterior, but this little piece of Wyatt is all it takes for her to truly see him. If you didn’t have any interest in sailing, you might after this intro. Read my Sneak Peek!

  VICTORIA’S RATING: 3.5/5

• SECOND CHANCE FORCED PROXIMITY ON THE ROAD: Here We Go Again by Alison Cochrun (Amazon)

  An HoH Book Club Pick! Here We Go Again was an unexpected gift. Second-chances, peaceful endings. Living life to its fullest. This beautiful story unfolds through witty banter, literary references, and beautiful scenery. You’ll laugh out loud, you’ll cry (or sob). You’ll laugh-cry. But this story, these characters… they’re among the most beautiful I’ve read. My hope is at that when you turn that final page, you’ll go hug the people most dear to you.

  VICTORIA’S RATING: 5/5

• BY THIS AUTHOR: This is the first of Lauren’s novels that I’ve read, but pre-order her upcoming release, Love in Plane Sight (Amazon). My sneak peek is on the way!

Until the next chapter!

xo, Victoria

P.S. Craving more books featuring these sub-genres, tropes, and themes? Tap the links below.