Our July Book Picks Are In – Here’s What We’re Reading (& 2 We Think You Should Skip!)
Check out our team’s best 2025 book recommendations this month!
Our team loves diving into new reads! We’re sharing our favorite book recommendations right now, and there’s something to inspire every kind of literary adventure!
Here are our team’s top book recommendations for July:
1. Liz said these Carley Fortune books have been her favorite rom-coms of the summer.
One Golden Summer – $12.48 (reg. $19)
*Or listen to it for 99¢ with an Audiobook membership.
“This is a continuation of the book Every Summer After. You’ll definitely want to read the first one, or you’ll get lots of spoilers, but it was my favorite romcom I’ve read this summer. It’s about a woman who returns to a lake house she spent one summer at as a child with her grandmother, where she reconnects with a boy she once photographed for one amazing summer together.” – Liz
2. Liz said she listened to this book and it had her laughing out loud from start to finish.
Till Summer Do Us Part – $18.21
*Or listen to it for 99¢ with an Audiobook membership.
“I actually listened this this audiobook and it was so good, it had me laughing out loud. It’s an enemies-to-lovers fake marriage trope about a “couple” who have to go on a marriage retreat with coworkers and try and convince everyone that they are in fact married. It was a fun summer beach read.” – Liz
3. Liz said this fun read has a little bit of everything.
My Funny Demon Valentine – $12.60
*Or listen to it for 99¢ with an Audiobook membership.
“This paranormal romance is the first book in the Hell Bent series and is about a group of demon brothers who come to earth to try and free themselves and live as humans. This book features Ash (the prince of hell) and Eva, a human who find themselves falling in love. It was romantic, funny, steamy, and just a really fun read overall.” – Liz
4. This unexpected thriller got Alli out of her reading rut.
The Midnight Feast – $11
*Or listen to it for 99¢ with an Audiobook membership.
“I really enjoyed this one and it has helped fuel my desire to read again (which was lacking at the end of my pregnancy & early months postpartum)! It wasn’t quite what I expected, but I wanted to keep going to figure out what the heck was going on!” – Alli
5. Alli said this is a cute and easy read.
Yours Truly – $8.99
*Or listen to it for 99¢ with an Audiobook membership.
“This girl knows how to write a summer chick-lit! I absolutely adored the characters and was rooting for them the entire time. It was super cute and easy to read!” – Alli
6. Kelli said she gravitates toward dark humor and mystery books, so this one checked all the marks.
Murder Your Employer: The McMasters Guide to Homicide – $9.05 (reg. $18.99)
*Or listen to it for 99¢ with an Audiobook membership.
“I tend to gravitate toward mysteries and darker humor, and this book is right up my street!
It’s about a secret academy where students learn the fine art of committing the perfect murder—specifically, of someone who ‘deserves it’. Satirical, fun, and sweet, this mystery follows several students as they plot to eliminate their carefully chosen ‘Employers’ while navigating the moral ambiguities of their deadly education. P.S. The audiobook is a chef’s kiss as Neil Patrick Harris is one of the narrators.” – Kelli
7. Madison stayed up all night to finish this Stephen King book.
The Stand – $11.88
*Or listen to it for 99¢ with an Audiobook membership.
“Not for the faint of heart, but I was up until 3 am on Saturday finishing this book – a pseudo-post-apocalyptic novel following a variety of characters as they attempt to find other remaining survivors… and avoid detection from an opposing antagonistic force. A story of morality, faith, what it means to survive, and where the line is drawn between ‘good’ and ‘evil’. Definitely a slow burn, definitely an epic, and absolutely one of King’s all-time best!” – Madison
Here are a couple of books our Hip sidekicks said to skip:
Problematic Summer Romance by Ali Hazelwood
“Ali is one of my fav authors, so I hate to say it, but this book fell flat for me. I almost didn’t even finish it, but I pushed through in hopes it would get better, spoiler, it didn’t. I was icked out about the age gap, and the fact that it was brought up SO many times, just over and over again, it just felt so repetitive and unnecessary.” – Liz
The Last One at the Wedding by Jason Rekulak
“I had high hopes for this one, but it fell so flat 😥 the concept sounded super interesting and I thought a lot more would be going on behind-the-scenes, but there was nothing really ‘shocking’ that happened, which I was expecting. So in my opinion, it’s not worth it!” – Alli
Here’s a list of books our team has also loved recently:
January 2025 book recommendations we read:
- The Women by Kristin Hannah (*rated the top read of 2024 by our team!)
- I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy
- Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry
- Only Say Good Things by Crystal Hefner
- The Perfect Marriage by Jeneva Rose
- I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman
February 2025 book recommendations we read:
- A Flicker in the Dark by Stacy Willingham
- Simple Abundance by Sarah Ban Breathnach
- Cher: Part One: The Memoir by Cher
- The Family Experiment by John Marrs
- Wicked by Gregory Maguire
- The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins
- The One by John Marrs
March 2025 book recommendations we read:
- Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros
- The Women by Kristin Hannah
- The Third Gilmore Girl by Kelly Bishop
- Bridesmaids for Hire by Meghan Quinn
- Bridesmaids Undercover by Meghan Quinn
- The Wedding People by Alison Espach
April 2025 book recommendations we read:
- Be Ready When the Luck Happens by Ina Garten
- Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins
- A Not So Meet Cute by Meghan Quinn
- So Not Meant To Be by Meghan Quinn
- A Long Time Coming by Meghan Quinn
- Untying The Knot by Meghan Quinn
- The God of the Woods by Liz Moore
- Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty
May 2025 book recommendations we read:
- Say You’ll Remember Me by Abby Jimenez
- Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry
- Throne of Glass by Sarah J Mass *Book 1 of 7 of this entire series!
- The Hidden Messages in Water by Masaru Emoto
June 2025 book recommendations we read:
- The Ride of a Lifetime: Lessons Learned from 15 Years as CEO of the Walt Disney Company by Robert Iger
- The Butterfly Garden by Dot Hutchison
- The Magnificent Lives of Marjorie Post: A Novel by Allison Pataki
- Crying in H Mart: A Memoir by Michelle Zauner
- The Crimson Moth by Kristen Ciccarelli
- Rebel Witch by Kristen Ciccarelli
Check out these book deals we found!
I also enjoyed The Berry Pickers and The Women. Great picks!
So glad to hear that you enjoyed these too, Figmaup! Thanks for commenting! 🥰
The Women reset my perspective for 2025. I don’t know if anything I read next year will top it!!
Wow, it sounds like The Women made a lasting impression and set the bar sky-high for 2025! 🎉 Here’s hoping you discover even more incredible reads to keep that momentum going—happy reading! 📚✨
Butterfly garden is an amazing book! It’s a 4 book series and all of them are excellent 🙂
This book seems right up my alley 🦋🔪 I ♥️ these book recommendations hip2save certainly keeps my book shelf and wallet full 😉 thank you guys!
You’re most welcome, Monique! 🥰 SO glad we can help keep your bookshelf stacked and your wallet happy—definitely the kind of balance we love to hear! 📚💰 Happy reading! 💕
Hi friend! Hope you’re having a great week 🙂 I’m so happy to hear from you I get so excited when I see your name in my email 📧 it’s the little things in life and you made my day today so thank you 😊 talk to soon friend 🥰
Aww, Monique—you’re the sweetest! 🥹 Your message totally made my day! So thankful for our little chats and your kind words. My week has been great, and hoping yours has been too! ❤️❤️
Thanks for sharing, petra! Great to know the whole series is worth the read! 📚🎉
Added 2 of these to my list. Enjoyed some of your previous recommendations. Thanks!
YAY! Very happy to hear you’ve enjoyed past recommendations! 📚 You’re welcome, eemommy! ❤️
And don’t forget any and all Frieda McFadden books!!!!
Thanks for dropping your author recommendation in the comments, Tracey! Much appreciated! 📚🤗
I love these book posts! I just started Carley Fortune’s Meet Me at the Lake…so cute. Lucy Foley’s The Guest List is also really good and Stephen King’s The Stand is one of my all-time favs. Thank you for your honest opinions about the last two titles as well. Looking forward to seeing what you’re reading and loving next month!
Thanks a bunch for the sweet comment, BW! So glad you’re enjoying the book posts. Always love hearing what others are reading too. We’re excited to share more picks next month! 📚💕
I look forward to these post every month. Thank you for all the recommendations!
Aww, you’re so welcome! 💕 Thanks for letting us know you’ve been loving this monthly list! Enjoy!