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.
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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
