July 2026 Book Picks

Beach read season has finally arrived! I don’t know about you, but ‘toes in the sand, book in hand’ makes me a happy girl. Which books are you packing up to take along on vacation?

I just finished a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ read and am fearful that I’m staring down the spine of a book slump. Nothing is jumping out at me. I have book recs and prospects, but what I want is to go back in time and start my latest read again for the first time. What book did I just finish, you ask? Sunlight Finds You by Laura Moriarty. I love her books and I think this is her best one yet. It’s set in Florida during the 1950s and is about Nora, a teenager who finds herself pregnant and the dad MIA. Her family sends her to a home for unwed mothers, where she is coerced to give up her daughter. The last half of the novel is the aftermath, but that’s all I am going to say.

I felt like Moriarty did such a great job keeping the story realistic, yet captivating. Relatable, comprehensible, yet shocking, heartbreaking, and hopeful. I know I could not put it down. It releases in August and I hope, hope, hope that it will be an NYT Bestseller - I really cannot imagine it not being one, truthfully. If you haven’t picked up any of her books yet, I highly recommend The Chaperone while you wait for Sunlight Finds You to come out.

Now, onto July’s Book Picks. Don’t forget you can also browse our entire selection from The Book Room.

You can click on the images below of each title to read what its about.