What are the Best Book Club Picks for Summer 2025? My picks are all page-turners and include suspense, psychological suspense, coming of age stories, Southern Noir, and historical romance. All this summer book club fiction is extremely discussable and I will link to book club discussion questions for most of them (and my discussion posts if you don’t have a book club!) NO dry lit fic that will make you fall asleep in your beach chair! I may be adding more titles, so if you want to be in the loop subscribe to my emails at the link below!
Book Club Picks for Summer 2025
My book club picks for 2025 have it all: adventure, suspense, romance, intrigue, drama!
Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid (2025)
Atmosphere makes a perfect summer book club pick!
Atmosphere is for readers who:
- Want a fast-paced book that has social issues AND romance
- Need a shorter book for a busy summer
- Love books that are like a movie on a page!
It’s filled with drama, romance, and lots of moral dilemmas to discuss. It explores 1980s feminism and the challenges women face in a male-dominated field.
You can find my Readers Guide to Atmosphere here
Blue Hour by Paula Hawkins (2024)
The Blue Hour is for readers who:
- Like books with moral ambiguity
- Don’t mind a slightly disturbing ending
- Don’t mind some relationship drama
I’m puzzled at the low ratings for The Blue Hour and wonder if her fans want another Girl on the Train.
The Blue Hour is a very interesting look at love, friendship, the creative process. I thought had a very similar vibe to another of my picks, Wild Dark Shore.
Both books have newcomers infringing upon the remote home of a reserved and prickly person who is hiding something. The Blue Hour is a darker book, though!
Here’s my Discussion Post for The Blue Hour where we debate that ENDING!
Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall (2025)
Broken Country is for readers who:
- Love an angsty, dramatic book
- Are fine with love triangles and relationship drama
- Want a bit of suspense in your reading.
If you’re looking for a romance that transports you to another time and place, Broken Country is the pick for you! It’s also a suspenseful book with a lot to talk about.
Check out my Readers Guide to Broken Country!
Dream Hotel (2025)
The Dream Hotel is for reader who:
- Love speculative fiction, or want to try it
- Want a book that explores the dark side of technology
- Love books that make you see things in a new way
The Dream Hotel by Laila Lalami is a feminist dystopian novel perfect for fans of The Handmaid’s Tale. It also looks at marriage, female rage, and more!
Check out my Readers Guide to The Dream Hotel, which includes book club discussion questions!
Heartwood by Amity Gaige (2025)
Heartwood is for readers who:
- Love books rooted in the natural world
- Like suspense in all your books!
- Were a fan of God of the Woods by Liz Moore
I loved this story of being lost and found. Heartwood is perfect for fans of God of the Woods!
I don’t have questions for this one, but you can check out the Publisher’s Book Club Questions to Heartwood here!
King of Ashes by S.A. Cosby (2025)
King of Ashes is for readers who:
- Love a very intense story that grips them hard
- Are fine with some graphic violence
- Can’t get enough of family secrets books
I picked All the Sinners Bleed as one of my Best Books of 2024 (as did MANY lists) and I will definitely put this title on my 2025 list!
While All the Sinners Bleed has a main character in law enforcement, King of Ashes has a character who has to pursue vigilante justice on his own. It’s a violent book, but also a deeply thematic book about family, loyalty, and what we do to protect those we love.
Check out my Readers Guide for King of Ashes!
Notes on Infinity by Austin Taylor (2025)
Notes for Infinity is for readers who:
- Are looking for books about college aged adults trying to figure things out
- Love books with tech elements
If you loved Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow, you might want to try Notes on Infinity.
YES, they are different books in many ways, but each follows a couple who meet in Cambridge, are obsessive about a tech field, and have a dramatic relationship.
You can check out my Readers Guide for Notes on Infinity
What Kind of Paradise by Janelle Brown (2025)
What Kind of Paradise is for readers who:
- Want to be transported back to the 1990s
- Love a parent-child story
I loved this story with a past/present timeline, alternating between the 1990s and the present. It’s a story about family, obsession, and moral dilemmas.
You can find my Readers Guide to What Kind of Paradise
If anyone wants Book Club questions, drop me a comment and I will make some!
Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy (2025)
Wild Dark Shore is for readers who:
- Love unusual stories
- Look for books that have unique settings and embrace the natural world
- Are drawn to a “locked room” feel with characters trapped together
Wild Dark Shore got a huge amount of buzz when it came out in spring 2025.
I’m happy that I finally read it in June! Here’s my Readers Guide for Wild Dark Shore.