Sarah and Catherine circle back to the 12 new releases they shared in the Summer 2026 Book Preview, now that they've read them — or at least tried to!  Find out which books worked, which didn't, and whether their most anticipated summer reads lived up to expectations.

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CLICK HERE for the full episode Show Notes on the blog.

Want More Book Preview Picks?

  • Paid members of our Patreon Community or our Substack Community (both $7/month with the same member benefits) get even more seasonal recommendations with Book Preview Extras! In each episode, Catherine and Sarah share at least 4 additional books they're excited about that didn't make the main Book Preview. Join on Patreon or Substack to listen — and get access to all our other bonus podcast episodes and paid-member content.

Highlights

  • Catherine calls her summer Preview reading "upwardly mobile," while Sarah sees hers as "the downside of high-risk picks."
  • Catherine liked 4 of her 6 picks, while Sarah's riskier summer ended with one 5-star read — and 3 DNFs.
  • Catherine and Sarah each tried one of the other's Preview picks … and neither made it to the finish line.
  • Some deep thoughts on books where you can "feel the writing device" — and why that rarely works for either of them.
  • Plus, Sarah has a new label for those deeply immersive, cozy reads: "warm bath books."
  • And, of course, their best and worst book picks of the summer!

Books Read Before the Preview

Sarah's Pick

Other Books Mentioned

Summer 2026 Circle Back

June

Catherine's Picks

Other Books Mentioned

July

Sarah's Picks

Catherine's Pick

Other Books Mentioned

August

Sarah's Picks

Catherine's Pick

Other Books Mentioned

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