Spring and Summer Reading Guide

Happy Cinco de Mayo friends!! I hope that you’re going to be enjoying some tacos, queso and cocktails tonight!! Before 5:00 PM strikes I thought I’d talk about some books on my radar! Last June I shared my Summer reading list and since then I’ve read a book here and there, but honestly nothing like I was reading last year – so I’m here to get myself excited for some new books and hopefully you’ll share some of current reads with me as well! 

Thirty Days to Thirty

As someone turning thirty next year, I’m really excited to read this book about someone that “has it all,” but quickly loses it. 

What if you were on the cusp of marrying the guy of your dreams and reaching that career goal you set for yourself, only for all of it to be taken away in one fell swoop? 

What if this all happened a month before you turned 30? 

This is the story of Jill Stevens, who after moving back home, finds a list she made in high school of thirty things she wanted to accomplish before her thirtieth birthday. 

With a month left and hardly anything crossed off her list, she teams up with old friends to accomplish as much as she can before the big 3-0. Along the way, she discovers her true self and realizes it’s not about the material successes in life but the journey.


Wedding Girl

I think we all know I’m wedding obsessed by now, so when I read that this book is You’ve Got Mail meets Julie & Julia I couldn’t wait to get started! 

Top pastry chef Sophie Bernstein and her sommelier fiancé were set to have Chicago’s culinary wedding of the year…until the groom eloped with someone else in a very public debacle, leaving Sophie splashed across the tabloids—fifty grand in debt on her dream wedding and one-hundred percent screwed on her dream life. The icing on the cake was when she lost her job and her home…

Laying low, Sophie moves in with her grandmother, Bubbles. That way, she can keep Bubbles and her sweater-wearing pug company and nurse her broken heart. But when Sophie gets a part-time job at the old-fashioned neighborhood bakery, she finds herself up to her elbows in dough and reluctantly giving a wedding cake customer advice on everything from gift bags to guest accommodations. Before she knows it, she’s an online wedding planner. It’s not mousse and macarons, but it pays the bills. But with the arrival of unexpected personal and professional twists, Sophie wonders if she’s really moving forward—or starting over from scratch…


Opening Belle

If you’re a fan of the show Odd Mom Out on Bravo, you’ll probably like this book because it was written by the creator of the show. This book also got a thumbs up from Reese Witherspoon so I’m sure the movie will be coming out at some point! Working in finance, I’m pretty excited to read this! 

A whip-smart and funny novel told by a former Wall Street insider who reveals what it’s like for a working woman to balance love, ambition, and family in a world of glamorous excess, outrageous risk-taking, and jaw-dropping sexism.

In 2008, Isabelle—a self-made, thirty-something Wall Street star—appears to have it all: an Upper West Side apartment, three healthy children, a handsome husband, and a high-powered job. But her reality is something else. Her trading desk work environment resembles a 1980s frat party, her husband feels employment is beneath him, and the bulk of childcare and homecare still falls in Belle’s already full lap.

Love and Miss Communication

I think all of us can agree we love our phones so this will be an interesting read!

This unforgettable debut novel asks us to look up from our screens and out at the world . . . and to imagine what life would be like with no searches, no status updates, no texts, no Tweets, no pins, and no posts.

By Invitation Only 

I love reading about women entrepreneurs, especially in the tech industry so I can’t wait to dig into this one about how the Gilt Groupe was founded! 

Clearly most of this stuff is fluff, but that’s what I really enjoy reading – as well as thrillers, but I think I’ve had my fair share of those recently so fluff it is! I’m challenging myself to read one book a week, every other week and I’m starting with Chasing Harry Winston – it’s one of those books that’s been on my list for the longest time and I love the way the author, Lauren Weisberger writes. 

What’s on your reading list?






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71 Comments

  1. Tara | The Mix
    May 5, 2016 / 10:39 am

    Great suggestions! I will keep these in mind for lazy summer days 🙂

  2. Pamela {Sequins and Sea Breezes}
    May 5, 2016 / 10:44 am

    30 days to 30 sounds pretty interesting! I'll definitely have to keep these in mind for my pool day reading! <3, Pamela Sequins & Sea Breezes

  3. a little bit of emily
    May 5, 2016 / 11:18 am

    All of these books sound awesome! Definitely interested to read the 30 book!!

  4. Andrea Nine
    May 5, 2016 / 11:36 am

    FUN summer reads!! My mom just got Opening Belle, so I am sure to borrow it!! Hope you have an awesome day gorgeous!! Almost Friday!!

  5. Unknown
    May 5, 2016 / 11:45 am

    Love this post! Glad I finally have some books to add to my wishlist.

    Anika | anikamay.co.uk

  6. Unknown
    May 5, 2016 / 11:55 am

    What a fun list! I am so far behind on my reading list, but I now have to add a few to it! You will love Chasing Harry Winston. Lauren is the best!

    Xoxo,
    Whitney & Blaire
    Peaches In A Pod

  7. Amanda Elizabeth - Meet @ the Barre
    May 5, 2016 / 11:56 am

    I am hoping this Summer with our trips planned I'll finally get some time to add these to my plane reads! Great roundup 🙂

  8. Evelina
    May 5, 2016 / 12:04 pm

    I love reading fluff in the summer time too! I really want to pick up The Nest because everyone has been raving about it!
    Evelina @ Fortunate House

  9. Sarita @ it's my girls' world
    May 5, 2016 / 12:05 pm

    Summer is totally about fluff! I just bought my fluff books yesterday- well preordered them! And Lauren is coming out with a new book!

  10. Elle Sees
    May 5, 2016 / 12:21 pm

    fab list! in the spring and especially summer, i like books that aren't serious and are fun, like these. great for reading by the pool or beach. i didn't know the creators of gilt had a book! another to add to the list.

  11. Jenn
    May 5, 2016 / 12:57 pm

    Thanks for all of the great rec's! The one from the chick from Odd Mom Out sounds good!

  12. Zelle B.
    May 5, 2016 / 1:00 pm

    Yesss for this list! I want all of these now!

    Zelle
    Southern Style

  13. Chesson | Magnolia+Main
    May 5, 2016 / 1:11 pm

    These all look like perfect books to pack for the honeymoon! I need to start stocking up on good beach reads & these all look great 🙂

  14. Kate
    May 5, 2016 / 1:31 pm

    I'm interested to read the one about turning 30, since this is also the last year of my twenties! There is a new Liane Moriarty book out that I really want to read–I just need to finally remember to charge my kindle so I can download it 🙂

  15. Ashley @ A Cute Angle
    May 5, 2016 / 1:39 pm

    Added the first three to my Goodread list! I abs love reading, I just wish I had more time to do it. Love these posts, keep them coming!

    Ashley
    acutelifestyle.blogspot.com

  16. kerri @ cheshire kat
    May 5, 2016 / 1:40 pm

    chasing harry winston is so good. hope you like it! i mean i read years ago so i vaguely remember loving it haha. and that book about the gilt groupe would be great! love girl power

    xoxo cheshire kat

  17. Caroline The Petite Fashionista
    May 5, 2016 / 1:46 pm

    Some of those books sound really good! Thanks for sharing lady!! 🙂

  18. Kate
    May 5, 2016 / 1:50 pm

    great suggestions! might have to add one or two to my list 🙂

  19. Hannah
    May 5, 2016 / 1:53 pm

    Girl, I needed this!! I am heading to Barnes & Nobles this weekend to grab some of these! I have my last two weeks of break and plan to spend it reading fun books before bar exam prep starts 🙂

  20. Unknown
    May 5, 2016 / 2:16 pm

    This is an awesome list!! Thank you! xo
    publiclivessecretrecipes.com/2016/05/diy-peony-bar-soap.html

  21. Lizzie @ This Happy Life
    May 5, 2016 / 2:19 pm

    I love fluffy reads! This is a great list, thanks! I am also trying to read more, I really love most of Elin Hilderbrand's stuff

  22. Karly @ What Karly Said
    May 5, 2016 / 2:21 pm

    So many good book options here! I'm going to add Thirty Days to Thirty to my list. I'm about to start Maybe In Another Life (finally got it from the library), and I also have Exposure to a Billionaire by Ann Menke and The Fault in Our Stars on my immediate to-read list.

  23. Kate at Green Fashionista
    May 5, 2016 / 2:26 pm

    Anything to do with weddings is a-ok in my book too! And of course I need to pick up By Invitation Only as well, looks like a fabulous read <3
    Green Fashionista

  24. Rebecca Jo
    May 5, 2016 / 2:50 pm

    That wedding one looks cute. Up my ally too.

    Since Wild, I'm not sure I trust Reese Witherspoon's opinion – haha… maybe that book will redeem her for me – it DOES have the name Belle in it 😉

  25. Elegance and Mommyhood
    May 5, 2016 / 3:00 pm

    Happy Cinco de Mayo Biana. Thanks for sharing these awesome books with us, lovely lady!

  26. Rachel McCarthy
    May 5, 2016 / 3:03 pm

    I can't tell you how perfect the timing is for this post! I've been searching for books to take on vacation for later this month and I see several here that I need to add to my list! Especially Wedding Girl and By Invitation Only, they both look so good. Thanks for the recommendations, Biana!

    xo, Rachel
    A Blonde's Moment

  27. The Lowcountry Mama
    May 5, 2016 / 3:06 pm

    I'm super interested in Love and Miss Communication.. I really have a weird aversion to social media and always think about how my parents didn't have phones, the internet, e.t.c. when I was a kid.

  28. Christina Lea Loves
    May 5, 2016 / 3:08 pm

    Wedding Girl looks like the cutest! I'm really intrigued by By Invitation Only – that sounds like a great one and is now on my list – I always like the fluff books better too – more fun!

  29. Emily @ Martinis | Bikinis
    May 5, 2016 / 3:21 pm

    Thirty Days to Thirty sounds really good! I'm not a big reader but I can tell, I'd enjoy that book.

  30. CubicleCouture
    May 5, 2016 / 3:26 pm

    The miss communication one and the women behind Gilt both sounds like interesting reads! I need some good leisure reading this summer! Make today work, Rachel -CubicleCouture

  31. Jalisa
    May 5, 2016 / 3:33 pm

    You've got such a great line up of interesting reads here, Biana! I'm particularly interested in Thirty Days to Thirty, Love and Miss Communication and How We Built Guilt! I just may need to add these to my list after reading Dave Ramsey's Complete Guide to Money, he is AMAZING, girl! He teaches you everything you need to know about managing your finances and has taught even my husband a few new things about his industry (auto) he never knew before in terms of offers and such. I took his Financial Peace University class, but never finished this book, now Eddie and I are reading it together to get our finances in order, I highly suggest it! Thanks so much for sharing these reads and I hope you're having a great week so far!

    XO,

    Jalisa
    thestylecontour.com

  32. Tess Felber_Sequins are the New Black
    May 5, 2016 / 3:39 pm

    Added these to my goodreads account! I am currently reading The Girl on the Train and obsessed! If you read and loved Gone Girl this book will be even better!! Happy Cinco de Mayo- hope your night is margarita filled 🙂

    xox! Tess
    sequinsarethenewblack.com

  33. Kelsey @ The Peacock Roost
    May 5, 2016 / 3:50 pm

    All of these look great! Good picks!
    Kelsey
    thepeacockroost.com

  34. Unknown
    May 5, 2016 / 3:53 pm

    That 30 days to 30 looks and sounds like such a fun read and sometimes you just want to read something fun…especially for summer! I really need to get back into reading, it's been a while. Great picks! XO -Kim

  35. Lily (Beauty With Lily)
    May 5, 2016 / 3:54 pm

    This couldn't have come at a better time, Biana! I'm currently looking for a new book to read. You should definitely keep us updated on what you end up reading weekly! Adding these to my list for sure!
    xo, Lily
    Beauty With Lily

  36. Kristina @ Ms.Modify
    May 5, 2016 / 3:57 pm

    30 Days to 30 sounds like a Hallmark movie to me, which are my favorite! Sounds like a fun, easy read! xo, Kristina

  37. Sarah Blodgett
    May 5, 2016 / 4:06 pm

    Great book selections! I'm definitely trying to do more reading this month!
    Kisses,
    Sarah
    EverydayStarlet

  38. Shelly @ The Queen in Between
    May 5, 2016 / 4:09 pm

    So sharing this first book with my 25 year old daughter!!

  39. Nadine
    May 5, 2016 / 4:10 pm

    These all look like fun summer reads!! I have too many books on my reading list to count right now and it just keeps growing!

  40. Ashley G
    May 5, 2016 / 4:15 pm

    I loved By Invitation Only! Such a great read!

  41. The Girl who Loved to Write
    May 5, 2016 / 4:32 pm

    HAPPY CINCO! Hope you'll be enjoying lots of margs!

  42. Kayla MKOY
    May 5, 2016 / 4:39 pm

    I love your choices. Seriously though, my book list seems to be never ending AND I haven't finished a book all year. Whoops! 😉

  43. awhite
    May 5, 2016 / 4:52 pm

    Thirty Days to Thirty sounds like an awesome read!
    Happy Cinco de Mayo, lady!

    -Ashley
    Le Stylo Rouge

  44. Red, White & Sass
    May 5, 2016 / 4:58 pm

    I just started reading "Me Before You" and really like it. I believe it's a series but I picked it up because the movie is coming out. Think you might like it! Just a thought 🙂

    xo Jess

  45. Brittany @ Perpetually Daydreaming
    May 5, 2016 / 5:14 pm

    I was just thinking I'm going to need some reading material for our upcoming trips!

  46. Daily Style Finds
    May 5, 2016 / 5:15 pm

    I love reading about business owners – and how they got their start. I might have to check out the last book.

    Lisa
    Daily Style Finds

  47. SMD @ lifeaccordingtosteph
    May 5, 2016 / 5:30 pm

    I read Opening Belle, haven't heard of the others!

  48. Ashley Lillis
    May 5, 2016 / 5:36 pm

    Seriously, all of those sound like such cute reads, and I want to read them all! I like that they all sound like light reads, which are perfect for the summer when you're on the beach! I love your goal that you set for yourself too, of reading one book a week every other week! You can totally do that!

  49. Lindsay's Sweet World
    May 5, 2016 / 5:42 pm

    Chasing Harry Winston is soooo good! You'll love it! I've read it twice!

  50. Caitlin @ Candyfloss & Persie
    May 5, 2016 / 6:15 pm

    This is the best book suggestion list I've seen yet when it comes to my personal tastes. These all sound incredible!! I love coming of age type stories.

  51. Shannon Jenkins
    May 5, 2016 / 6:37 pm

    I haven't read a book in forever I feel! I need to make some time for one! I have heard Chasing Harry Winston is awesome!

    <3 Shannon
    Upbeat Soles

  52. The Lilac Press
    May 5, 2016 / 6:40 pm

    These all look like great reads! I just finished The Vacationers! But now I need another good one! Thinking I'll add 30 days to 30 to my list 🙂

  53. B @ The Sequin Notebook
    May 5, 2016 / 7:09 pm

    Great choices! Love and Miss Communication has been on my reading list for a while, but the others are new to me…I'm particularly intrigued by that Gilt book!

  54. Girl Meets Bow
    May 5, 2016 / 7:15 pm

    All these look amazing! I'm currently finishing "The Andy Cohen Diaries" (so great!) and I will add these too my list!

  55. Alecia Mariana
    May 5, 2016 / 7:53 pm

    I really need to try to find the time to start reading again. Maybe books on tape is a good alternative for me….I feel so out of the loop with good books!!

    xx,

    La Joie de Vivre

  56. elle jo
    May 5, 2016 / 8:14 pm

    That first book reminds me of a book by Sophie Kinsella "Remember Me" except it's about a different thing but the finding one's self is a major theme in it.

    And I may have to read that second book because of the name 🙂 (Sophie)

    liz @ j for joiner

  57. Missy
    May 5, 2016 / 9:14 pm

    Adding these all to my kindle wish list. I will definitely start with the first one, my life kind of fell apart about a year ago right before my birthday and I picked myself back up, started making a list of life goals and am better off. With another birthday around the corner it seems like a perfect read!! Thanks for another great suggestion list!

  58. Unknown
    May 5, 2016 / 9:53 pm

    I need to get back on reading again. Thanks for sharing.
    xoxo, Rachel
    rachelvogttrends.com

  59. Julia
    May 6, 2016 / 3:31 am

    Thank you for suggestions! My reading list? Well, I have a great book lists for kids.

  60. Unknown
    May 6, 2016 / 4:02 am

    I've been looking for some new reads, this is perfectly timed!

    Heidi || Wishes & Reality

  61. Tiffany {A Touch of Grace}
    May 6, 2016 / 4:42 am

    Fun list! And a book a week, dang girl!

  62. chantal marie
    May 6, 2016 / 5:38 am

    All of these sound amazing! I'm saving this post to come back to. I'll be lucky if I get to read one book this summer but I'll take it!

  63. According to Kiki
    May 6, 2016 / 1:38 pm

    We have been SOOOO busy lately. Our Cinco dey Mayo feast was Chipotle. Does that count? lol I really need to get back into reading! I used to love it and now I use the "I have no time" excuse. Which is so lame. I know plenty more busier people read loads of books!

  64. Jennifer
    May 6, 2016 / 11:30 pm

    I love book suggestions! I always have such a hard time trying to decide on something to read, a lot of these sound super interesting!

  65. Kathleen
    May 9, 2016 / 4:45 am

    I think I'm gonna have to steal this idea! I have a ton of books sitting on my bedside table waiting to be read! These all look really good too! So thanks for giving me to add to my list!

  66. Meghan at Champagne & Suburbs
    May 11, 2016 / 12:41 pm

    These are great book recommendations! I am counting down the days until summer break so I can start reading some of these! Thanks for the suggestions! xo, Champagne&Suburbs

  67. Anonymous
    May 12, 2016 / 5:21 pm

    What a great list? I just finished Love and Miss Communication after reading about it here, and the main character really resonated with me. I have 2 more on request with my library. I'm always in the mood for a good read and appreciate learning about new writers. Thanks again Biana!

  68. Carly
    May 16, 2016 / 2:32 pm

    Ohhh I love this list! Wedding Girl sounds so cute– you had me at the you've got mail mention! haha

  69. Kristen @ See You In A Porridge
    May 17, 2016 / 9:00 pm

    i love fluff, no shame! added all of these to my list. anything Reese Witherspoon gives the thumbs up to, I'm gonna read.

  70. Bianca @ A2zWeddingCards
    May 18, 2016 / 1:16 pm

    Good suggestions! Surely gonna help… Thanks for Sharing.. 🙂

  71. Simply Alexandra // My Favorite Things
    May 19, 2016 / 10:08 pm

    Opening Belle sounds fun… and if Reese endorsed.. then it must be great! Thanks for sharing, I love book recommendations! 🙂 XO -Alexandra

    Simply Alexandra: My Favorite Things