If there’s one thing the internet loves, it’s discourse. And currently, one of the main discourses I’ve seen is discussing whether we have a song of the summer this year. It feels like there’s no consensus on what this year’s song of the summer would be, which leaves a lot of room for discussion. So, I thought I would swoop in to share with you some nominations for 2025’s Song of the Summer, each paired with a book recommendation. 

So queue up your Spotify with this playlist, and pick up one (or several) of these great books for all your summer reading pleasure.

If your Song of the Summer is…

Manchild by Sabrina Carpenter, you should try reading…

The Eyes Are the Best Part by Monika Kim

Monika Kim’s The Eyes are the Best Part is a gruesome, compelling literary horror story about the making of a young woman who becomes obsessed with the idea of eating her mom’s boyfriend’s eyes. Ji-won’s life is in disarray after her appa leaves the family behind in favour of his mistress. Her mother is distraught, her younger sister is hurt and confused, and her own life is spiralling out of control, as she struggles with strange and horrible dreams. Dreams in which Ji-won is walking through bloody rooms full of eyes. Blue eyes the shade of George’s, her mom’s obnoxious new boyfriend. George has already overstayed his welcome, taking up too much space in their tiny apartment, ogling Asian waitresses while dining out, and acting condescending and misogynistic to Ji-won and her sister. Ji-won’s hunger and her rage are begging to be sated, whatever the cost. This is a subversive and bingeable story of a young woman unravelling, although fair warning, do not eat while reading this book.

Ordinary by Alex Warren, you should try reading…

Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Taylor Jenkins Reid’s Atmosphere might be her best yet. It’s a fast-paced, tender, and beautifully written story set against the backdrop of the 1980s Space Shuttle program. This is an extraordinary and epic novel following Joan Goodwin, who has been obsessed with the stars for as long as she can remember. So, when she learns the NASA Space Shuttle program is looking for women, she decides to apply. Joan finds herself beginning her training at Houston’s Johnson Space Center, along with an exceptional group of fellow candidates. As the astronauts become unlikely friends, and start to prepare for their first-ever flights, Joan finds a love she never could have imagined, which causes her to re-evaluate everything she thought she knew about her place in the observable universe. Then, in December of 1984, on mission STS-LR9, everything changes in an instant.

What Was That by Lorde, you should try reading…

The Pisces by Melissa Broder

What Was That is a breakup song, and Melissa Broder’s The Pisces is the perfect (unhinged) breakup novel accompaniment. Lucy has been writing her dissertation about Sappho for over a decade when she and Jamie break up. After she hits rock bottom, her LA-based sister insists Lucy house-sits for the summer. Her only tasks will be taking care of a beloved diabetic dog, and trying to learn to care for herself. Annika’s home is gorgeous, right on top of Venice Beach, but despite the gorgeous setting, and her love addiction group therapy meetings, Lucy can’t seem to find any peace. But everything changes when Lucy becomes entranced by an unsettlingly handsome swimmer one night, while sitting on the beach. Smart, funny, and sexy — kind of like Lorde’s single, you’re going to want to dive (lol) right into this one.

Sapphire by Ed Sheeran, you should try reading…

Better than the Movies by Lynn Painter

Lynn Painter’s Better Than the Movies is a #BookTok favourite rom-com about rom coms — the perfect fun and frothy summer read for anyone who loves love. Perpetual daydreamer Liz Buxbaum has been in love with Michael for as long as she can remember — even though he barely knew she existed before he moved away. Now, he’s back in town, and Liz will do ANYTHING to get on his radar (and snag him as a prom date), even if that means befriending Wes Bennet. An annoyingly attractive next-door neighbour might seem like a prime candidate for a rom-com coupling, but Liz has known Wes since they were kids, and he has only ever been a pain in Liz’s butt. But, unfortunately, Wes and Michael have hit it off, which means Wes is her in. As Liz and Wes scheme to get Liz noticed by Michael, Liz is shocked to discover that she might actually like being around Wes… 

Sports Car by Tate McRae, you should try reading…

Cross the Line by Simone Soltani

Fast-paced and sexy, Simone Soltani’s Formula 1 romance Cross the Line is a delightful story for lovers of fast cars and butterfly-inducing chemistry. Formula 1 driver Dev Anderson’s career is on the line after a social media disaster, and he needs to fix his image before he loses his sponsors, or his team. At a party in Monaco, he bumps into the one woman who can fix it all, his best friend’s little sister. The only problem is — he kissed her last year, and hasn’t been able to stop thinking about it since. Willow Williams has recently graduated from college, and is desperate for a job. So, when Dev offers her a temporary solution, she can’t help but say yes – even if it means ignoring the crush she’s had on him since childhood. They’re both desperate to keep things professional, despite the feelings (old and new) between them. But in the high-stakes world of Formula 1, some lines are meant to be crossed.

Illegal by PinkPantheress, you should try reading…

Butter by Asako Yuzuki

You know what feels illegal? Loving books about female serial killers so much… but here I am, about to recommend another one. Asako Yuzuki’s Butter follows a female gourmet cook and serial killer, and the journalist who is intent on cracking her case. Gourmet cook Manako Kajii sits in prison, convicted of murdering lonely businessmen, who she is said to have seduced through her delicious cooking. The case has captured the nation’s imagination, but Kajii refuses to speak with the press, and doesn’t accept any visitors… that is, until journalist Rika Machida writes her a letter asking for her beef stew recipe… and Kajii can’t resist writing back. Rika is the only woman in her news office, working late every night, and rarely cooking anything more than ramen. As she continues to visit Kajii, their visits become closer to cooking classes rather than journalistic research. Rika was hoping these visits would soften Kajii, but in fact, it seems that Rika is the one changing. Might she have more in common with Kajii than she once thought?

The Giver by Chappell Roan, you should try reading…

Wild Love by Elsie Silver

If you love your yees as much as your haws, you’re going to love Elsie Silver’s Wild Love (as well as the rest of her Rose Hill series). Ford Grant might be the World’s Hottest Billionaire (as designated by Forbes), but all he wants to do is escape the press and open a recording studio in the gorgeous small town of Rose Hill. All of his plans come screeching to a halt when a sullen twelve-year-old shows up claiming that he’s her biological dad. Now, he spends his days balancing business and fatherhood. After living in the city, Rosie Belmont thundered back into town like a storm — beautiful, messy, and chaotic. She’s desperate for a job, and Ford is desperate to make her happy, so he hires her, determined to keep her at arm’s length through scowls and grumpy one-liners. As the friction between them soon turns into blistering heat, the two of them must weigh whether some lines are worth crossing.

Sally, When the Wine Runs Out by ROLE MODEL, you should try reading…

The Re-Write by Lizzie Damilola Blackburn

Lizzie Damilola Blackburn’s The Re-Write is a lovers-to-enemies-to-lovers rom-com, and I cannot wait to read it. Temi and Wale meet in London, they flirt, date, meet each other’s friends, and everything is going well… until Wale dumps Temi to go on Love Villa. Instead of giving in to heartbreak, Temi throws herself into her writing. She is within touching distance of a book deal, but publishers keep passing on her novels, and she has bills to pay. When an opportunity comes up to ghostwrite a celebrity autobiography, she jumps at the chance. But, of course, the celebrity turns out to be Wale. And they’re going to be working really closely together. Has too much time passed, or just enough for them to explore a whole new kind of relationship? 

BAILE INoLVIDABLE by Bad Bunny, you should try reading…  

The Tilting House by Ivonne Lamazares

Following two estranged sisters with a complicated past, Ivonne Lamazares’ The Tilting House is a gorgeously written family story, set against the backdrop of political upheaval in 1990s Cuba. In the summer of 1993, Yuri is an orphaned teen, living with her strict, religious aunt Ruth in a Havana suburb. When thirty-four-year-old artist Mariela arrives from the US with a shocking revelation, Yuri’s world is rocked. Mariela claims to be Yuri’s sister, insisting that they share a mother, and that Ruth is actually Mariela’s “kidnapper”. Mariela has spent the last three decades in America, growing up in orphanages, and she has come back to Cuba to reclaim her culture, and reconnect with her roots — and perhaps seek vengeance on Ruth for sending her to America through Operation Pedro Pan. When Ruth is jailed for unknown charges, Yuri falls deeper into Mariela’s orbit, and becomes equally fascinated and repulsed by the glamorous and mercurial Mariela. The Tilting House explores themes of family, identity, loyalty, homecoming, and loss in a beautiful, and emotionally resonant story.

Check out our playlist featuring all of the above songs!

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Ameema Saeed (@ameemabackwards) is a storyteller, a Capricorn, an avid bookworm, and a curator of very specific playlists and customized book recommendations. She’s a book reviewer, a Sensitivity Reader, a book buyer at Indigo Books & Music, and the Books Editor for She Does the City, where she writes and curates bookish content, and book recommendations. She enjoys bad puns, good food, dancing, and talking about feelings. She writes about books, big feelings, unruly bodies, and her lived experiences, and hopes to write your next favourite book one day. When she’s not reading books, she likes to talk about books (especially diverse books, and books by diverse authors) on her bookstagram: @ReadWithMeemz