Hello fellow readers! It has been a while but I’m back with my Summer 2025 Wrap-Up, where I go over all the books I read from June to August. I’ll give you my thoughts and opinions, and let you know which books are worth picking up. Without further ado, let’s get into it.

Carrie Soto Is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid – Starting off strong we have this novel by Taylor Jenkins Reid, who has authored The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and Daisy Jones and the Six. I’ve read both of those books and while Evelyn Hugo remains my favorite from the author, Carrie Soto has taken the silver spot. Centering around a retired tennis player who comes out of retirement to protect her title, this is an excellent sports rivalry story that even a non-sports person like myself would enjoy. If you want more detailed thoughts about this book, you can check out my review at https://rachelrheil.com/blog/2025/06/carrie-soto-is-back-by-taylor-jenkins-reid-review/.

A Flicker in the Dark by Stacey Willingham – We are back to the thriller genre with this BookTok favorite. It follows Chloe, a psychologist whose father infamously murdered several teenage girls over a decade ago. Chloe has seemingly moved on but when girls begin to disappear in a similar manner to the victims of her father, Chloe finds herself drawn in. Fast paced and well written, this definitely a thriller worth picking up in the summertime.

What We Tried to Bury Grows Here by Julian Zabalbeascoa – Set during the Spanish Civil War, this short historical fiction follows a variety of characters on both sides of the conflict. While the writing in this was beautiful, I found myself struggling to get through it and ended up DNF’ing after a hundred pages.

One Italian Summer by Rebecca Serle – No summer can be complete without at least one romance set in a warm destination. For this year I went with One Italian Summer, following a young woman who, after the death of her mother, travels to the Italian village her mother stayed in many years ago. But something might be in the air and when our main protagonist finds herself transported back in time, she must face the challenges she has been avoiding. Overall, this was a quite summer read that was short enough to be enjoyable.

Bad Tourists by Caro Craver – Now on to the books I read during Summerween (check out this post: https://rachelrheil.com/blog/2025/07/summerween-readathon-2025-wrap-up/). I started the readathon with Bad Tourists and while it was decent enough, there was nothing about this vacation thriller that set it apart from other ones.

Home Before Dark by Riley Sager – Now the same can not be said about this haunted house horror! I’ve only read one other Riley Sager book, The Only One Left, and that was very good. But Home Before Dark is my favorite of Mr. Sager’s by far! If there is one book from my Summer reading list that I would highly encourage you to read, it would be this one.

Comfort Me with Apples by Catherynne M. Valente – Next I went to a novella. A retelling of a Biblical story, this was a wild ride for such a short story and while I didn’t completely understand everything going on, I would say that if you are looking for something a bit out of the ordinary, then give this novella a shot.

The Ghostwriter by Julie Clark – The final book I read for the readathon was this new release thriller. Focusing a ghost writer (duh) who is asked by her own famous author novel to write his memoirs, this twisty thriller involved our ghost writer trying to solve a decades long mystery; is her father innocent or did he really kill his brother and sister? While the ending left something to be desired, I do this the buildup and mystery was well done.

The Last One at the Wedding by Jason Reukulak – Taking the spot for most surprising book I read during the summer is this mystery by Jason Rekulak. While this novel centers around a father trying to uncover the secrets of the family his daughter is marrying into, I found this less of a mystery and more literary fiction, focusing on the complicated dynamics between parents and their children. While some might not like this, I found it a welcomed surprise and gave it a very well deserving five stars.

We Were Liars by E. Lockhart – I picked up this young adult novel for the simple fact that it was being adapted by Amazon Prime. And while I was able to finish the show, I couldn’t get through the book. It was a book that read very young adult and while I would recommend it for readers in that age range, if you are past the young adult phase I would suggest skipping this one. That being said, that twist at the ending? Very well done.

The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman – Another DNF. Unfortunately the British humor was lost on me but if you enjoy cozy mysteries and find yourself laughing at the humor exhibited by the Brits, this might be your cup of tea.

People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry – A couple of years ago I picked up my first Emily Henry book, Happy Place and while I found it enjoyable enough, I found it overwhelming, particularly with how well liked Ms. Henry’s books are. That being said, I decided to give her another chance with one of her most beloved books, People We Meet on Vacation. Centering around friends Poppy and Alex who take a summer vacation with each other every year since college, this romantic comedy had all the summer vibes and was a big step up from Happy Place. It still wasn’t a five star book for me, but it was an enjoyable four star.

The Wedding People by Alison Espach – Now let’s talk about a book that pretty much met all my expectations. When it was published last year, The Wedding People blew up on social media. So much so that I was determined to read it this summer. And I’m glad I did! While you can read my full review at https://rachelrheil.com/blog/2025/08/the-wedding-people-by-alison-espach-review/, I’ll just say here that it was a book that lived up to the hype and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a fun summer book (though I would advise everyone to check the trigger warnings before you do).

The Poseidon Network by Kathryn Gauci – I went back to historical fiction with this World War Two espionage thriller. Taking place in Egypt and Greece, we follow SOE agent Larry Hadley who is tasked with working with the Poseidon Network under the leadership of the White Rose. But when a massacre takes place in a small village, Larry suspects someone in the network is a spy for the Germans, and it might be the woman he has fallen in love with. As always, Ms. Gauci writes an excellent, well crafted, historically accurate story that kept me guessing until the very last minute.

Before We Were Innocent by Ella Berman – This was a DNF. I only got about fifty pages in before giving up.

Drowning by T.J. Newman – Along with The Wedding People this thriller that takes place on a plane that crashes was all over social media last summer and when I found a cheap copy of it at the book store I decided to give it a try. Since Ms. Newman used to work on planes before becoming an author, I found the novel to be very realistic in it’s portrayal of protocol when these type of situations arise. As for the story itself it was perfectly fine but I didn’t find myself connecting to any of the characters.

The God of the Woods by Liz Moore – The last book I picked up this summer was one of my most anticipated books of the year. Last year I read, and loved, Long Bright River by Liz Moore so I was excited to read her newest release. While it does fall slightly short of Long Bright River, I did find this to be a riveting read that focuses on the disappearance of a camper whose brother also mysteriously died in the same camp a decade ago. Switching between multiple perspectives, this book will keep you guessing until the very last page.