☀️ Summer Reading Tropes We’re Obsessed With Right Now
Because nothing says summer like shipwrecks, slashers, and suspicious lake houses.
The Weekly Insider is your weekly scroll for book recs that match your mood, and makes your TBR grow five tabs deeper.
#24: ☀️ Summer Reading Tropes We’re Obsessed With Right Now
Because a boat is basically a plot device, and the ocean always has secrets.
My favorite Disney movie has always been The Little Mermaid. I was the kid who sang “Part of Your World” dramatically in the shower and secretly wanted to trade my legs for fins. In fact, I spent so much time underwater in the pool that my family always said I was a fish. Maybe it has something to do with the fact I’m an Aquarius. The water thing runs deep.
That obsession has followed me into adulthood, and every summer I find myself reaching for stories that take place in, on, or around water. If there’s a shipwreck, a siren, a moody pirate, or a yacht filled with secrets, I want to read it.
This week we officially welcomed the first day of summer, and if you’re starting to build your seasonal TBR, I’ve pulled together a few favorite themes that never miss. We’ll have more next week. These aren’t just light beach reads, they’re books that feel like summer, with just the right amount of tension, chemistry, or chaos.
What summer trope are you feeling this year? Hit reply or let me know in the comments.
Did you miss last week’s Insider? Check it out here:
The Open Water Romance Era
Let’s start with the romance. Yes, we’re in it. And no, we’re not sorry. Whether you're a cruise girlie or more of a "stranded on a tropical island with a hot stranger" type, there's a flavor of seafaring romance for you.
Boats, Babes, and Banter
If you’ve ever wanted a summer fling that floats, we’ve got a whole list of romance books set on boats that range from sun-drenched to straight-up steamy.
Yachts > Men
Billionaires, elite settings, and dramatic reveals? Say no more. These yacht romances deliver on rich-people-problems and private cabin tension.
Cruise Control: Activated
We're talking forced proximity, chaotic excursions, and buffet-line flirtation. Find your favorite cruise ship romances here.
Shipwrecked and Swooning
Maybe your ideal summer trope includes survival, snarky bickering, and realizing you can’t live without the person you were just fighting over the last granola bar with. We’ve got a whole shipwrecked romance list to satisfy that craving.
For the Summer Camp Kids Who Grew Up on Slashers
Campfires, creepy counselors, and the kind of tension where you’re not sure who’ll get kissed or killed first. Summer camp is the perfect setting for teen drama, mystery, and chaos. Whether it ends in romance, revenge, or a body count.
Let’s be real, I didn’t grow up doing American summer camp, but I did grow up watching movies where teens made every bad decision possible in the woods. If you’re into nostalgic scares and retro horror vibes, this summer camp slasher movie list has some seriously fun picks to watch.
Prefer a book that’s more thriller than full-on slasher? I’ve also pulled together a list of summer camp thrillers filled with secrets, lies, and just the right amount of suspense.
Lake Vibes, but Make It Murderous
Some summer houses are for relaxing. Others are for discovering that your BFF might be a liar, your boyfriend is missing, or your whole life was a lie.
Lake house thrillers are perfect for the season and we’re here for every twisty, unreliable-narrator-filled second of it.
Maritime, But Make It Menacing
Who says the ocean is just for romance? For those who want mystery, suspense, and maybe some morally gray sea captains, this setting delivers tension with your salt spray. These stories combine the isolation of the open sea with the creeping feeling that not everyone on board is who they say they are.
I put together a list of maritime thrillers for readers who love a little paranoia with their portside views. It’s the perfect vibe if you’re into luxury gone wrong, murder on the water, or mysteries where you can’t just run out the front door, because there is no front door, only ocean.
One of the most popular books in this space is The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware, which is officially getting a Netflix adaptation set to release in fall 2025. If you want to read it (or reread it) before the show drops, I reviewed it back when it first came out, you can check out my original thoughts here.
Just Dropped: This Week’s New Books
This week’s romance releases are not playing around. Here are 3 standouts that immediately made my list:
Look Before You Leap by Virginia Heath
A grumpy viscount. A wild lady’s companion who’d rather ride horses than host teas. Throw in a house party full of matchmaking debutantes, and you’ve got a Regency romcom with grumpy-sunshine banter, class clash tension, and a slow-burn spark that might just ruin both of their best-laid plans.
This week we had a chance to feature Virginia Heath. ICYMI find it here:
A Happy Marriage by A.R. Torre
A homicide detective and a psychiatrist seem like the perfect match, until secrets start to surface and a case hits a little too close to home. With dual POV, tangled loyalties, and a slow-burn unraveling, this domestic thriller asks: what if the perfect couple is hiding more than just feelings?
Writing Mr. Wrong by Kelley Armstrong
A debut author goes viral when readers discover her fictional bad boy Highlander is inspired by her real-life high school crush… who just happens to be a pro hockey player. Now they’re fake dating for the cameras but all that chemistry might not be so fictional after all. Fake dating + second chances + viral chaos = a romcom that brings the drama and the swoon.
🎥 Want the full list?
Check out this week’s new releases video with 10 new books across romance, mystery/thriller, and historical!
→ Watch the full list of this week’s releases
Looking forward to July?
The Book Vault: Filter and search through our calendar of releases and backlist books by trope and genre (for paid members). We just updated the vault with new and upcoming titles.
Still catching up? Here are some more recent posts worth scrolling:
Books Like Nocticadia – dark academia vibes with secret societies and eerie campuses.
Animal Kingdom vs Sons of Anarchy – a breakdown of the best crime family recs across books and TV.
Can’t Remember What You Read? Do This After (or During) Reading
The Spring seasonal event for Romanceopoly has officially wrapped up. I shared my reading recap over on Instagram, if you’re curious how many prompts I actually finished and what I read for the challenge. Let me know how you did?
This Week’s Vibe Check
Listening to: A new Lewis Capaldi song? I’m in! Waiting….
Watching: Finishing Season 5 of Animal Kingdom and also watching The Sea Beyond (Mare Fuori) on Netflix.
Currently Reading:
Crash Test by Amy James (audiobook)
The Duke Disaster by Kathleen Ayers (Kindle Unlimited)
What about you? Hit reply and let me know what's your vibe check for the week?
Final Little Note
If you have any recommendations involving pirates, mermaids, or anything remotely oceanic, I’m all ears. But I’ll have more coming your way soon.
Talk soon,
Francesca
P.S. If you're an author or brand and think you might be interested in advertising on our Substack, you can find more info here.
Sharing our love for books as Under the Covers Book Blog since 2011, running the Romanceopoly yearly reading challenge since 2019 and hosting the Reading Under the Covers podcast since 2020. Launched Mysterylandia in 2025.