Our Summer Staff Picks

This summer, we’ve ‘Gone Reading.’
Check out the books our staff here at Borrow. Read. Repeat. are reading or have on our list for summer.

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Looking for more?
Book your summer and visit our Gone Reading site.

And don’t forget to participate in our Summer Reading challenge!


Rachel’s Pick:

THINGS DON'T BREAK ON THEIR OWN by Sara Easter Collins Book CoverThings Don’t Break on Their Own: A Novel by Sarah Easter Collins

A heart-wrenching mystery about sisters, lovers, and a dinner party gone wrong.

“This is the one: the next must-read, must-recommend, must-discuss, must-re-read novel. A miraculous literary thriller, shocking, daring, moving, haunting, infinitely rewarding— as though Kate Atkinson and Ruth Rendell had joined forces.”—A.J. Finn, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Woman in the Window and End of Story

“So, so, so, good. An elegant, twisting story of loss and longing, of the ache of the unknown and the drowning weight of past trauma. A very special debut.”—Chris Whitaker, New York Times bestselling author of We Begin at the End

Available July 16th in Hardcover, eBook, Audio, and Large Print Editions.

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Miriam’s Pick:

THUS WAVES COME IN PAIRS Book CoverThus Waves Come in Pairs: Thinking with the Mediterraneans Edited by Barbara Casavecchia

Reflections on the Mediterraneans, their interconnected cultures and bodies of sweet and salty water, and the possibilities of narrating their current transformations.

In 2021, Etel Adnan and Simone Fattal recorded an intimate conversation about the Mediterranean at their Parisian home. By taking the conversation between Adnan and Fattal as a point of departure and inspiration, this publication intends to collect interdisciplinary reflections around/about the Mediterraneans through art, oceanic thinking, science, and activism, as well as to record fragments of the past two years of research, carried out through conversations, lectures, walks, trips, live performances, and podcasts.

Available in Trade Paperback.

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Jen R.’s Audiobook Pick:

Jackpot Summer Audiobook Cover ImageJackpot Summer: A Novel by Elyssa Friedland; Read by Thérèse Plummer

After the Jacobson siblings win a life-changing fortune in the lottery, they assume their messy lives will transform into sleek, storybook perfection–but they couldn’t be more wrong.

“Funny, wise, and heart tugging, Jackpot Summer mines every nuance of familial relationships. It left me with a renewed reverence for what matters and a huge smile on my face.”—Annabel Monaghan

Jackpot Summer is everything I want and have come to expect from Friedland’s books: quirky characters, laugh-out-loud dialogue, and the drama! I’m calling it now—this is the feel-good read of the summer.”—Colleen Oakley

Available in Trade Paperback, eBook, and Audio Editions.

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Sharnell’s Pick:

Not You Again Book Cover ImageNot You Again: A Novel by Ingrid Pierce

Married at First Sight meets The Ex Talk in this heartfelt yet sexy second-chance romance debut in which one couple must decide if they can overcome their past for a chance at happily ever after, perfect for fans of One to Watch.

“As swoony and angst-filled as the best second chance romances and as bingeable as the most dramatic reality show. Having to marry a stranger is one thing, but having to marry the ex you never got over? And let it all play out on TV? I was salivating over this premise.”—Alicia Thompson, USA Today bestselling author of With Love, from Cold World

Available July 9th in Trade Paperback and eBook Editions.

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Kate’s Pick:

THE GUNCLE ABROAD Book Cover ImageThe Guncle Abroad: A Novel by Steven Rowley

*A LibraryReads Hall of Fame Pick*

Patrick O’Hara is called back to his guncle duties . . . This time for a big family wedding in Italy.

“Few authors possess the infectious mix of light—and heavy—heartedness that makes every Steven Rowley novel an experience; his gift is to make the reader laugh out loud one minute and clutch their chest the next . . . Rowley returns to the world of the eponymous gay uncle of 2021’s The Guncle, this time sending sitcom star Patrick to Lake Como for his brother’s wedding.”—Electric Lit

Available in Hardcover, eBook, and Audio Editions.

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Kelly’s Pick:

Summer After Summer Book Cover ImageSummer After Summer: A Novel by Lauren Bailey

A woman returns to her family’s Hamptons beach house for a final time—and a final chance at the love she’s lost before, in this contemporary retelling of Persuasion, perfect for fans of Emily Henry and Rebecca Serle.

“It’s all the hearts: breaking, wrenching, and warming. And that twist! It’s subtly woven throughout the narrative and makes for quite a dramatic ending. Retellings can be hit or miss, but for me, this modern-day retelling of Persuasion is fully on the mark. A wonderfully plotted, fast, romantic read I found thoroughly entertaining and engaging.”—Kerry Lonsdale, Wall Street Journal bestselling author of Side Trip and Everything We Keep

Available in Hardcover and eBook Editions.

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Maureen’s Pick:

The Wisdom of Sheep Book Cover ImageThe Wisdom of Sheep: Observations from a Family Farm by Rosamund Young

A touching, wise and surprising chronicle of the rich inner lives of animals, drawn from Rosamund Young’s extraordinary lifetime as an organic farmer.

“Evocative . . . Nature and its simple joys reign supreme throughout this charming text. Warmhearted and charming, Young’s essays offer a gentle country antidote to the tumult of contemporary life. A delightful modern-day pastoral.”—Kirkus Reviews

“Elegiac, funny, warm and wise, The Wisdom of Sheep will delight country folk and city dwellers alike.”—Katherine May, author of Enchantment

Available August 13th in Hardcover, eBook, and Audio Editions.

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Valeria’s Pick:

She Who Knows Book Cover ImageShe Who Knows: A Novel by Nnedi Okorafor

Part science fiction, part fantasy, and entirely infused with West African culture and spirituality, this novella offers an intimate glimpse into the life of a teenager whose coming of age will herald a new age for her world. Set in the universe Africanfuturist luminary Nnedi Okorafor first introduced in the World Fantasy Award-winning Who Fears Death, this is the first in the She Who Knows trilogy.

“Okorafor packs a punch in her She Who Knows series launch, a return to the realm of the World Fantasy Award–winning Who Fears Death . . . Fans of Who Fears Death will appreciate the return to this rich, fully realized world, but Okorafor keeps things accessible enough that this works just as well on its own. Readers will devour this.”—Publishers Weekly, starred review

Available August 20th in Hardcover and eBook Editions.

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Elizabeth’s Pick:

The Last Mrs. Parrish Book Cover ImageThe Next Mrs. Parrish: A Novel by Liv Contantine

Daphne and Amber Parrish are thrust back into each other’s lives upon the resurgence of a long-forgotten threat, forcing a vicious game of cat and mouse where everything is on the line, in this thrilling sequel to the bestselling Reese’s Book Club pick The Last Mrs. Parrish.

“Delicious and shocking, The Next Mrs. Parrish is an incredibly entertaining and compulsive tale of revenge and deception you won’t want to miss.”—Jeneva Rose, New York Times bestselling author of You Shouldn’t Have Come Here

“A brilliant page-turner where nothing (and no one) is what it seems . . . Pour a glass of wine and settle in for the ride.”—Lisa Gardner, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Before She Disappeared

Available in Hardcover, eBook, Audio, and Large Print Editions.

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Jen C.’s Pick:

The Lost Boy of Santa Chionia Book Cover ImageThe Lost Boy of Santa Chionia: A Novel by Juliet Graimes

One unidentified skeleton. Three missing men. A village full of secrets. The bestselling author of The Seven or Eight Deaths of Stella Fortuna brings us a sparkling—by turns funny and moving—novel about a young American woman turned amateur detective in a small village in Southern Italy.

“A reflective novel about dark times that tells us life goes on, love stories develop, humanity remains in the most inhumane of times.”—Irish Independent

“A beautiful novel, filled with riches, not the least of which are its evocative setting in the Calabrian hills, and its cast of vivid characters, large and small, who will stay with you long after you’ve turned the final page.”—Dan Fesperman, author of Winter Work

Available July 23rd in Hardcover, eBook, and Audio Editions.

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