Monthly Book Recs | May 2025
Carley Fortune's new book is her best one yet.
With so many books coming out this month, I just couldn’t read them all, as much as I would have liked to. Instead, I focused mostly on my auto-read authors, knowing chances were high that I’d rate the books four stars or more. Fortunately, they delivered! The summer travel theme has well and truly kicked off, with each of these stories taking place in a waterside destination.
Note: Advanced reader copies of Ali Hazelwood’s newest release, the companion book to last summer’s Not in Love, were not available, so I will be sharing my thoughts in next month’s installment!
One Golden Summer by Carley Fortune
★★★★☆
May 6
I think this may be my favorite Carley Fortune book yet. It’s not often I’ll enjoy a companion book even better than the original1, but this follow-up to Every Summer After is so good. It’s everything I love from Carley — emotionally-rich writing and a summer lakeside setting — and this second book has one element I think the first lacked: an original storyline. As much as I love Every Summer After, I can never get over the fact that it is pretty much a carbon copy of Love and Other Words by Christina Lauren. I won’t bore you with my impassioned speech about how they’re way too similar, but at least this one doesn’t have any glaring similarities to any other romance novels. I love how the story vividly captures the nostalgia of childhood summer, and the banter, pacing, character development, and friends to lovers progression are all flawlessly executed. The characters are endearing (justice for Charlie!) and so is the friendship Carley builds their connection on. It’s a slow-burning journey, but one you’re happy to not rush through to get to the first kiss.
Anxious to feel creatively reinvigorated again and helpful in the wake of her grandmother’s surgery, a woman decides to return to the cottage that once brought them joy in a bid to recapture the magic of her youth for them both. As they settle in for a relaxing summer and she slowly begins to shed her inhibitions, she’s surprised to strike up a friendship with the man next door. His reputation may precede him, but she learns he isn’t at all what she expected.
It’s a Love Story by Annabel Monaghan
★★★★☆
May 27
I have really high expectations for Annabel now after she delivered one of my top 10 favorite books last year. Good thing she did not disappoint. While I don’t necessarily think this one is better than Summer Romance (which felt more banter-y and altogether lighter), it comes close — some might even consider this one to be more memorable because of the Hollywood-adjacent story. I know I probably sound like a broken record, but the way Annabel writes about falling in love is so poignant. One day, the heroine hates a guy, and the next day she’s head over heels without having any sense of how she got there — but we as the reader know exactly how it played out because of the tender moments and revealing thoughts Annabel details for us. I came across one Goodreads reviewer who mentioned that she found Annabel’s writing choppy, lacking the “fluff” that makes sentences flow. But that’s exactly why I adore her writing — she cuts right to the meat of the emotion and lays it all bare on the page without feeling the need to dress it up. The one thing that probably kept this from being a five-star read was the personal struggle the heroine has to overcome — the daddy abandonment issues and “feeling unlovable” narrative is starting to get trite in romance novels. I said what I said!
The story starts when a film producer, hoping to get the latest script she’s acquired green lit, tells her boss in a fit of panic that she can convince the world’s most sought-after musician to write a song for the soundtrack. Now, stuck in a lie of her own making, she must work with the cinematographer, a man she holds a grudge against for killing her previous script, to chase down the musician — even if it means spending a week with him and his boisterous family on Long Island.
The Love Haters by Katherine Center
★★★★☆
May 20
I sped through this book in record time and enjoyed every second of it, which is why I was so surprised to see all the lackluster reviews on the first page of Goodreads! Katherine has a very distinct, conversational writing style, and even though her stories often dive deeper into complex and emotional themes, they never suspend you in negative anticipation waiting for the other shoe to drop. For both of those reasons, I find her books so incredibly easy to read and just plain fun. She is the true definition of a feel-good author. Pick this up if you’re looking for something lighthearted, quick, and charmingly trope-y. And stay tuned — I’m sharing a fun interview with Katherine later this month!
In the book, a video producer takes on a gig to profile a Coast Guard rescue swimmer in Key West in a bid to save her job. The only problem is she doesn’t know how to swim. Luckily her interview subject just happens to be a swim instructor on the side. Between her shadowing him on the job, and him teaching her how to swim after the job, it’s not long before the two find themselves becoming more than friends.
What Happens in Amsterdam by Rachel Lynn Solomon
★★★★☆
May 6
I debated whether I wanted to rate this lower than four stars but decided to be generous since I do think this is one of Rachel’s more memorable books. Don’t get me wrong, she’s a good writer and creates enjoyable stories. Every time I finish a book of hers, I sigh happily — no complaints. But then down the line when I try to remember details from her stories, I can’t recall a single thing . . . This one, though, has some notable things going for it. Firstly, it takes place in Amsterdam, with the setting playing a central role in the story. I’ve never read a book that takes place there, so I found that part interesting. Secondly, it features a less-than-physically-perfect MMC — he’s balding. While I personally like to live in the book fantasy of picture-perfect men, I can appreciate this refreshing approach and can see how it might appeal to readers who value a more realistic portrayal of a love interest. I was also pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed the steamy scenes — for a relatively sweet read, the spice goes there without seeming jarring or out of place. Overall, it’s a calm and charming comfort read (steamy scenes notwithstanding of course).
After losing her job, a woman decides to relocate to Amsterdam, a place she’s romanticized in her mind thanks to her first boyfriend, a foreign exchange student her family hosted when she was in high school. Only, the opportunity isn’t what she thought it’d be, especially when both her new apartment and new job fall apart in the first week. So when she runs into her ex and he literally proposes a solution in the form of a marriage of convenience, she readily agrees in order to remain in the country — and perhaps get to know him again.
Set Piece is the latest novella from 831 Stories and it’s not bad. I like how the hero is attracted to the heroine’s competency and ambition. I’m not necessarily anti insta-love, but it needs to be done right, and the chemistry here is lacking.
I had high hopes for The Summers Between Us, especially since it features the very specific second-chance set-up I adore: then/now alternating chapters and a romance between a girl and the boy next door to her family’s summer house. But, as you know, Love and Other Words sets a high bar. The author tries too hard to manufacture the angst between the characters without building the emotional attachment for readers to believe in it. In other words, a lot of telling, not enough showing.
If you need another good duology, both The Soulmate Equation by Christina Lauren and its follow-up, The True Love Experiment, are excellent, but the latter is even better!