Five on Friday - Five Books I Want to Read This Summer

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Happy Friday, y’all!  I love to read, but sadly, during the school year, I don’t prioritize it as we have so much else going on.  That said, I do the bulk of my reading for the year during the kids’ summer break, and today I wanted to share a few books on my list.

O N E – The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins

This book has been everywhere, y’all, and I have heard nothing but incredible things about it.  I listened to an interview with Mel Robbins on The Elvis Duran & the Morning Show back in April and I was just completely fascinated by her, this book, and her theory, so it is at the top of the priority list.  I’ve heard that you’ll want to buy your own copy so you can highlight, underline, and take notes, and I also know a few people who have read it more than once. 

From Amazon:

A Life-Changing Tool Millions of People Can’t Stop Talking About

What if the key to happiness, success, and love was as simple as two words?

If you've ever felt stuck, overwhelmed, or frustrated with where you are, the problem isn't you. The problem is the power you give to other people. Two simple words—Let Them—will set you free. Free from the opinions, drama, and judgments of others. Free from the exhausting cycle of trying to manage everything and everyone around you. The Let Them Theory puts the power to create a life you love back in your hands—and this book will show you exactly how to do it.

In her latest groundbreaking book, The Let Them Theory, Mel Robbins—New York Times bestselling author and one of the world's most respected experts on motivation, confidence, and mindset—teaches you how to stop wasting energy on what you can't control and start focusing on what truly matters: YOU. Your happiness. Your goals. Your life.

Using the same no-nonsense, science-backed approach that's made The Mel Robbins Podcast a global sensation, Robbins explains why The Let Them Theory is already loved by millions and how you can apply it in eight key areas of your life to make the biggest impact. Within a few pages, you'll realize how much energy and time you've been wasting trying to control the wrong things—at work, in relationships, and in pursuing your goals—and how this is keeping you from the happiness and success you deserve.

Written as an easy-to-understand guide, Robbins shares relatable stories from her own life, highlights key takeaways, relevant research and introduces you to world-renowned experts in psychology, neuroscience, relationships, happiness, and ancient wisdom who champion The Let Them Theory every step of the way.

Learn how to:

• Stop wasting energy on things you can't control
• Stop comparing yourself to other people
• Break free from fear and self-doubt
• Release the grip of people's expectations
• Build the best friendships of your life
• Create the love you deserve
• Pursue what truly matters to you with confidence
• Build resilience against everyday stressors and distractions
• Define your own path to success, joy, and fulfillment

 

. . . and so much more.

The Let Them Theory will forever change the way you think about relationships, control, and personal power. Whether you want to advance your career, motivate others to change, take creative risks, find deeper connections, build better habits, start a new chapter, or simply create more happiness in your life and relationships, this book gives you the mindset and tools to unlock your full potential.

Order your copy of The Let Them Theory now and discover how much power you truly have. It all begins with two simple words.

As a self-proclaimed control freak, this book sounds like it was written just for me.  It has 12,000+ reviews and counting on Amazon and it has 4.6 / 5 stars with some very impressive reviews, and it has 75,000+ reviews on Goodreads with a 4.2 / 5 rating.  I’m so intrigued and I’ll be reading this one ASAP.

 

T W O – Outlive: The Science & Art of Longevity by Peter Attia, MD

I’ve been hearing about this book for more than a year, and it’s one that I’ve been wanting to dig into for a really long time, too.  Like the one above, I want to purchase my own copy because everyone says that it’s one you’ll want to highlight and take notes in, and so many people have touted this book as one of the most comprehensive books about health.

From Amazon:

Wouldn’t you like to live longer? And better? In this operating manual for longevity, Dr. Peter Attia draws on the latest science to deliver innovative nutritional interventions, techniques for optimizing exercise and sleep, and tools for addressing emotional and mental health.

For all its successes, mainstream medicine has failed to make much progress against the diseases of aging that kill most people: heart disease, cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, and type 2 diabetes. Too often, it intervenes with treatments too late to help, prolonging lifespan at the expense of healthspan, or quality of life. Dr. Attia believes we must replace this outdated framework with a personalized, proactive strategy for longevity, one where we take action now, rather than waiting.
 
This is not “biohacking,” it’s science: a well-founded strategic and tactical approach to extending lifespan while also improving our physical, cognitive, and emotional health. Dr. Attia’s aim is less to tell you what to do and more to help you learn how to think about long-term health, in order to create the best plan for you as an individual. In Outlive, readers will discover:
 
• Why the cholesterol test at your annual physical doesn’t tell you enough about your actual risk of dying from a heart attack.
• That you may already suffer from an extremely common yet underdiagnosed liver condition that could be a precursor to the chronic diseases of aging.
• Why exercise is the most potent pro-longevity “drug”—and how to begin training for the “Centenarian Decathlon.”
• Why you should forget about diets, and focus instead on nutritional biochemistry, using technology and data to personalize your eating pattern.
• Why striving for physical health and longevity, but ignoring emotional health, could be the ultimate curse of all.
 
Aging and longevity are far more malleable than we think; our fate is not set in stone. With the right roadmap, you can plot a different path for your life, one that lets you outlive your genes to make each decade better than the one before.

I don’t know about y’all, but I want to live as healthily as I can for as long as I can, and this book sounds like it has some great takeaways.  It’s another highly rated book, coming in at 4.6 / 5 stars with 17,000+ reviews on Amazon and 4.4 /5 stars and 78,000+ reviews on Goodreads.

 

T H R E E – Part of Your World by Abby Jimenez

I accidentally read Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez back in the spring, thinking it was a standalone book, but come to find out, it was actually #2 in a series of two.  That said, it can be treated as a standalone book, but I loved it so much that I want to go back and read the first one in the series, Part of Your World.

From Amazon:

After a wild bet, gourmet grilled-cheese sandwich, and cuddle with a baby goat, Alexis Montgomery has had her world turned upside down. The cause: Daniel Grant, a ridiculously hot carpenter who’s ten years younger than her and as casual as they come—the complete opposite of sophisticated city-girl Alexis. And yet their chemistry is undeniable.

While her ultra-wealthy parents want her to carry on the family legacy of world-renowned surgeons, Alexis doesn’t need glory or fame. She’s fine with being a “mere” ER doctor. And every minute she spends with Daniel and the tight-knit town where he lives, she’s discovering just what’s really important. Yet letting their relationship become anything more than a short-term fling would mean turning her back on her family and giving up the opportunity to help thousands of people.

Bringing Daniel into her world is impossible, and yet she can’t just give up the joy she’s found with him either. With so many differences between them, how can Alexis possibly choose between her world and his?

This book has 4.4 / 5 with 54,000+ reviews on Amazon and 4.3 / 5 stars with more than 620,000 reviews on Goodreads.  Sounds like the perfect summer read!

 

F O U R – Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry

I have enjoyed most of Emily Henry’s novels that I’ve read, so I have high hopes for her new book that just released in April.  I love a good, easy read for summer, and this one sounds like it’ll fit the bill.

From Amazon:

Alice Scott is an eternal optimist still dreaming of her big writing break. Hayden Anderson is a Pulitzer-prize winning human thundercloud. And they’re both on balmy Little Crescent Island for the same reason: to write the biography of a woman no one has seen in years—or at least to meet with the octogenarian who claims to be the Margaret Ives. Tragic heiress, former tabloid princess, and daughter of one of the most storied (and scandalous) families of the twentieth century.

When Margaret invites them both for a one-month trial period, after which she’ll choose the person who’ll tell her story, there are three things keeping Alice’s head in the game.

One: Alice genuinely likes people, which means people usually like Alice—and she has a whole month to win the legendary woman over.

Two: She’s ready for this job and the chance to impress her perennially unimpressed family with a Serious Publication.

Three: Hayden Anderson, who should have no reason to be concerned about losing this book, is glowering at her in a shaken-to-the core way that suggests he sees her as competition.

But the problem is, Margaret is only giving each of them pieces of her story. Pieces they can’t swap to put together because of an ironclad NDA and an inconvenient yearning pulsing between them every time they’re in the same room.

And it’s becoming abundantly clear that their story—just like the tale Margaret’s spinning—could be a mystery, tragedy, or love ballad . . . depending on who’s telling it.

 

F I V E – The Wedding People by Alison Espach

This book has been on my TBR list for a while, and I’m hoping to finally get into it this summer.  It has been everywhere in blogland, and I’ve seen nothing but positive reviews, so I’m thinking it’s going to be a good one!

From Amazon:

It’s a beautiful day in Newport, Rhode Island, when Phoebe Stone arrives at the grand Cornwall Inn wearing a green dress and gold heels, not a bag in sight, alone. She’s immediately mistaken by everyone in the lobby for one of the wedding people, but she’s actually the only guest at the Cornwall who isn’t here for the big event. Phoebe is here because she’s dreamed of coming for years―she hoped to shuck oysters and take sunset sails with her husband, only now she’s here without him, at rock bottom, and determined to have one last decadent splurge on herself. Meanwhile, the bride has accounted for every detail and every possible disaster the weekend might yield except for, well, Phoebe and Phoebe's plan―which makes it that much more surprising when the two women can’t stop confiding in each other.

In turns absurdly funny and devastatingly tender, Alison Espach’s The Wedding People is ultimately an incredibly nuanced and resonant look at the winding paths we can take to places we never imagined―and the chance encounters it sometimes takes to reroute us.

I mean, doesn’t it just sound so good?!  This one seems like it’ll have a little more substance to it than the typical summer beach read, too, which I appreciate.

It has 4.3 / 5 stars with 68,000+ reviews on Amazon and 4.1 / 5 stars with 433,000+ reviews on Goodreads.

 

Friday Funnies

 

On the Blog This Week

 What I Ordered from Amazon in May 2025

Our Week - The One with Summer, Week 1 (A Movie, Cleaning Out, Checking Things Off the List, Girls Night, Pedicures, and Poker Night)

 

Happy Friday, y’all! 

*Linking up with A Little Bit of Everything for Friday Favorites.