Unboxing My Latest Book Haul [July 7]

Book Mail: A Roundup of the Book Mail I Received Last Week

There’s something extra special about receiving a week’s worth of book mail in the first week of July, when summer is in full swing and reading time feels endless. This book haul is packed with new book releases that breathe new life into your TBR pile, offering stories perfect for beach days, road trips, or quiet afternoons in the shade. Each title holds the potential to become one of your top book recommendations or even earn a spot among the best books of 2025. It’s the ultimate way to celebrate the season—with a fresh stack of stories and all the time to enjoy them.

Where to Buy These Books:

I want to note that I do not get paid to do these posts, I just love authors and the book industry. However, they do take time and energy to create. If you want to donate a few dollars to my coffee fund, which keeps this blog going, you can do so here: https://venmo.com/AshleyHasty or here: http://paypal.me/hastybooklist.

What I Wore:

Tank | Skort | Earrings | Necklace | Makeup

In the first week of June, there’s something undeniably empowering about slipping into a sleek black tank top and a black athletic skort—an outfit that feels equal parts functional and effortlessly cool. Paired with your everyday gold hoop earrings and herringbone necklace, this main character outfit gives off strong main character energy without trying too hard. It’s the kind of fashion for self-expression that says you’re ready for anything the day throws your way—errands, a walk through the park, or a quiet afternoon unboxing your latest book mail. As you flip through fresh book recommendations—character-driven novels and books that inspire confidence—you feel fully immersed in your own plotline. This is main character aesthetic books and clothing in action: stylish, intentional, and deeply personal. In this moment, you’re not wondering how to feel like the main character—you already are, living your main character life with main character mindset, one outfit and one story at a time.

This Week’s Book Mail Includes:

• Plus-Sized Misadventures in Love by mamakari -After a car accident leaves her with amnesia, once-insecure Yumeko wakes up brimming with confidence, setting off on a heartfelt and humorous journey of self-discovery, unexpected romance, and second chances in Plus-Sized Misadventures in Love.

• Lessons from Cats for Surviving Fascism by Stewart Brittlestar Reynolds - Part political handbook, part feline philosophy, Lessons from Cats for Surviving Fascism delivers eleven clever, claw-sharp strategies for resisting authoritarianism with the cunning, confidence, and chaos of a true cat.

• Went to London, Took the Dog by Nina Stibbe - In this witty and heartfelt memoir, Nina Stibbe explores what it means to start over at sixty as she swaps married life in Cornwall for a year of reinvention in London, discovering that freedom, friendship, and self-discovery come with unexpected twists.

• An Unladylike Secret by Amita Murray - In this witty and suspenseful historical romance, secret gossip columnist Mira Marleigh must step out of the shadows to help solve a high-society murder—risking her carefully guarded identity, her heart, and everything she thought she wanted in the process.

• Save Me by Mona Kasten - In the first book of the international bestselling Maxton Hall series, scholarship student Ruby Bell clashes with wealthy, arrogant James Beaufort—until a shared secret and forced collaboration ignite an unexpected romance that threatens both their carefully laid plans.

• Thrill of the Chase by Kathryn Nolan - When fierce rivals Harper and Eve team up to track down the legendary Blackburn Diamonds, their fiery bickering turns to undeniable chemistry—forcing them to choose between the thrill of the hunt and the risk of falling in love.

• The Best Advice by Amy Dressler - In this witty contemporary retelling of As You Like It, a meddling advice columnist hiding behind a fake male persona retreats to a charming coastal town—only to fall for a rugged TV star who has no idea she's both his crush and his advice-giver.

• The Love Fix by Jill Shalvis - In this heartwarming enemies-to-lovers romance, a guarded art appraiser returns to Sunrise Cove and finds herself on a road trip with her free-spirited stepsister and infuriating childhood crush—unraveling old wounds, unexpected feelings, and the surprising possibility of love.

• Writing Mr. Right by Alina Khawaja - In this whimsical and heartfelt rom-com, a struggling writer ready to give up on her dreams wakes to find her muse magically come to life—only to discover that falling in love with your inspiration might mean having to let him go.

• Totally and Completely Fine by Elissa Sussman - In this poignant and passionate romance, a widowed single mother in small-town Montana finds unexpected connection with a charming actor—and must choose whether to cling to the past or risk her heart on a future she never imagined.

• The Dirty Version by Turner Gable Kahn - When a fiery novelist is forced to team up with a charming intimacy coordinator to spice up the TV adaptation of her feminist bestseller, their clashing visions—and undeniable chemistry—ignite a steamy collaboration neither of them saw coming.

• Bound by Stars by E.L. Starling - When a girl from Earth’s ruins and a boy born to Mars’s elite collide aboard a doomed luxury starliner, their unexpected love becomes the only light in the void—one they'll risk everything for, even if the stars are against them.

• The Princess Kills Monsters by Ry Herman - In this sharp and hilarious fairy tale satire, a magically mediocre princess must outwit deadly monsters, unravel royal mysteries, and navigate tangled romances—including with a masked huntsman and a princess—before her kingdom, and her heart, are lost for good.

• Humble Inquiry by Edgar H. Schein and Peter A. Schein - Now in its expanded third edition, Humble Inquiry offers a vital roadmap for replacing telling with asking to build trust, foster collaboration, and create psychologically safe workplaces—even in today’s remote and hybrid environments.

• The Pond Beyond the Forest: Reflections on Childhood Trauma and Motherhood by Shigeko Ito - In The Pond Beyond the Forest, Shigeko Ito shares a raw and powerful memoir of confronting buried childhood trauma as a middle-aged Japanese immigrant mother, revealing how the challenges of raising a teenage son forced her to face the past she thought she’d left behind in order to save the family she holds most dear.

• Living Proof by Tiffany Graham Charkosky - In this poignant and inspiring memoir, Tiffany Graham Charkosky confronts the hereditary cancer that claimed her mother by embracing hope, resilience, and the fierce power of love to protect her family and find meaning in life’s most precious moments.

• Charlie-Man by Thomas Cullen - In the summer of 1994, an underachieving senior at an elite Virginia prep school navigates love, ambition, and the unraveling of his charismatic best friend in this poignant coming-of-age story about identity, loyalty, and the quiet courage of growing up.

• The HIstory of Juneteenth by Arlisha Norwood - This engaging and beautifully illustrated book introduces kids ages 6 to 9 to the history and significance of Juneteenth, guiding them through the events leading up to the holiday, the day itself, and its lasting impact on American history and today’s world.

• The Juneteenth Alphabet by Andrea Underwood Petifer - The Juneteenth Alphabet is a joyful and accessible A-to-Z introduction for kids ages 3 to 6 that celebrates the history, traditions, and meaning of Juneteenth through vibrant words, illustrations, and moments of inspiration.

• When Santa Wrote Back by Nathan Christopher - In this hilarious and heartwarming Christmas picture book, a gift-obsessed boy bombards Santa with letters—only to be surprised when Santa writes back with a lesson in what really matters during the holiday season.

• Rewind to Us by Molly Morris - In this heart-tugging love story with a magical twist, Dixie Mulligan uses a one-time Rewind to fix the moment that ruined everything with her best friend Sawyer—but as secrets unravel, she must decide if one second chance is enough to rewrite their fate.

• Tempest by K. Ibura - In this lyrical, magical coming-of-age novel, sixteen-year-old Veronique must master her secret power over the wind—and uncover the truth her grandmother tried to shield her from—before a dangerous organization finds her first.

• Embrace the Serpent by Sunya Mara - In this lush romantic fantasy, a gifted young jeweler’s apprentice is forced into a marriage of convenience with the fearsome Serpent King, only to find herself entangled in a dangerous web of courtly intrigue, forbidden magic, and a simmering attraction to the king’s rebellious huntsman.

• You've Awoken Her by Ann Davila Cardinal - In this chilling YA horror, a summer in the Hamptons turns deadly when Gabi uncovers a string of mysterious drownings, a monstrous secret beneath the waves, and a terrifying truth that could make him the next to vanish into the deep.

• This Book Might be About Zinnia by Brittney Morris - Told in dual timelines, this powerful novel follows Zinnia in 2024 as she searches for the truth about her adoption, and Tuesday in 2006 as she grapples with love, loss, and a life-changing secret—two girls connected by a story neither of them fully understands... yet.

• One of Them by Kitty Zeldis - In this poignant post-WWII novel of identity, friendship, and betrayal, a Jewish college student passing as a Gentile at Vassar risks everything when she forms a secret bond with a bold outsider—only to face the devastating consequences of shame, secrecy, and a world unwilling to change.

• The Medusa Protocol by Rob Hart - In this darkly hilarious thriller, a reformed assassin wakes up imprisoned on a remote island with no weapons, no allies, and one personal rule—no killing—as her old sponsor and a twelve-step group of killers race to decipher her cryptic pizza plea and bring her home alive.

• The Poppy Fields by Nikki Erlick - In this poignant and imaginative speculative novel, four strangers and a dog journey across the country to a mysterious desert clinic promising to cure heartbreak through dreamlike sleep—only to discover that healing comes with hidden costs and no one escapes grief unchanged.

• The Robin on the Oak Throne by K. A. Linde - In this dark and seductive fantasy, a cunning thief must team up with the charming warlock who once betrayed her to pull off an impossible heist—risking her heart, her life, and a second chance with the monster she swore she'd never trust again.

• Last Dance Before Dawn by Katharine Schellman - In this thrilling and heartfelt finale to the Nightingale mystery series, speakeasy dancer Vivian Kelly must confront a dangerous enemy from the past to protect the found family she’s built—before the secrets they’ve all tried to forget bring everything crashing down.

• For Emma by Ewan Morrison - In this haunting technogothic thriller, a grieving father plots revenge on the tech empire that destroyed his daughter—only to question his sanity as her voice returns, pushing him toward a violent reckoning that may be guided by love, delusion, or the AI that devoured her.

• Runs in the Family by Sarah Spain and Deland McCullough - Runs in the Family is a powerful true story of identity, fatherhood, and belonging, following football coach Deland McCullough’s search for his biological roots—a journey that unearths a stunning secret and explores how love, legacy, and mentorship shape who we are.

• The Giving Flower: The Story of the Poinsettia by Alda P. Dobbs - This lyrical picture book traces the rich history and vibrant traditions of the poinsettia flower—from its ancient roots in Mexico to its place in global holiday celebrations—illuminating the beauty, legends, and cultural significance behind this iconic winter bloom.