Jenna Bush Hager's Summer 2025 Reading List Is Full Of Hit Books

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This article contains spoilers.

Jenna Bush Hager has some big reading plans for the summer of 2025 and is sharing her list with fellow bibliophiles. The American author, "Today" host, and daughter of former President George W. Bush, launched her book club, Read With Jenna, in March 2019. Since then, she's been sharing stories that changed her life, and she has real talent in curating book lists that are guaranteed to grab readers. For those who love suspense, there's Read With Jenna has a great list of top-rated thrillers and mysteries. For those looking for something lighter, and there's a very popular romance novel that's a Read With Jenna book club favorite. There's something for everyone in Bush Hager's book club. 

But for those who want a classic summer read — an entertaining and engrossing story made for consuming at the beach or near a pool — Bush Hager has just the right pick. While speaking with First For Women in May 2025, she talked about how the warm-weather season motivates her to read. "I feel like summer is that special time when you want to open a book and just lose yourself in it," Bush Hager explained, and so we've picked our top five from her suggestions for some summer reading inspiration! What we love most about Bush Hager's reading taste is that her recommendations include a gorgeous range of genres, so it's a compelling, universally appealing list. 

Judy Bloom's 1999 novel "Summer Sisters" is a very meaningful book for Jenna Bush Hager. Set in 1977, the novel follows friends Victoria Leonard and Caitlin Somers. Caitlin takes Victoria on vacation to Martha's Vineyard, where the pair become "summer sisters." Over the years, their friendship falls apart, and it's not until Caitlin invites Victoria to be her maid of honor at her wedding that the two women are forced to reconcile with their past. 

Bush Hager has been talking about "Summer Sisters" for a long time. It's a book that means a lot to her. While speaking with First For Women in May 2025, the "Today" host said why Bloom's novel was so special to her. "This is my all-time favorite summer read," she began. "It's so juicy and fun—it's candy! But it's also about female friendship and class and what it means to be a woman. Once you start reading this, you can't put it down." But this isn't the only time Bush Hager raved about it. In a post she shared on Instagram in April 2025, Bush Hager went through the books that shaped her life, and sure enough, in her 20s and 30s, "Summer Sisters" was one of four books that defined that era for her. Clearly, the coming of age story resonated with her. 

Florence Knapp's debut novel "The Names" is all about what it means to name a child and the impact it has on their life. The story opens with mother Cora, who is deciding between three name options for her newborn son — with each one carrying its own weight. First is for him to be named after Cora's husband, a doctor who's abusive towards her behind closed doors. The second option is for her nine-year-old daughter to name him, while the third is for her to select a name she actually wants. These possibilities are what Knapp explores in her elegant, hopeful novel, which splits into three different storylines

Bush Hagar strongly recommended the book as a summer read to First For Women, saying: "If you want a book to discuss with friends, this is so beautiful and thought-provoking. And the writing is incredible!" Bush Hagar also picked "The Names" as her May 2025 choice for Read With Jenna, and she raved about the new novel on Instagram, so it's a recurring favorite for her, and also one that leads to social possibilities. Suggest "The Names" to a friend, and let it generate a conversation. 

Amity Gaige's "Heartwood" is a thriller that's sure to keep you locked in, which is why Jenna Bush Hager suggested it as part of her summer reading list. The novel is set deep in the forests of Maine. Experienced hiker Valerie Gillis goes missing while part way through her epic hike. In an effort to find her, other key figures emerge, like Game Warden Beverly and Lena, an elderly bird-watcher. All of these unexpected characters start to play central roles in the thrilling story. 

"Heartland" was a big deal to Bush Hager. Not only did she suggest it as her 2025 summer reads, she also chose the novel as her April 2025 book of the month for Read With Jenna, and raved about it on Instagram. "This is a story of survival, hope, and the many ways we find our way back—to ourselves and to each other. I devoured this book and couldn't put it down!" Bush Hager wrote. The author herself, Gaige, actually ended up responding to Bush Hager's sweet message. "Jenna, I am thrilled and honored that Heartwood is your April pick," Gaige replied in the comments. "Thank you for giving me one of the happiest days of my life! To your devoted readers, this book is from my heart to yours." Bush Hager compared the novel to Cheryl Strayed's "Wild" with a big jolt of mystery.

Jenna Bush Hager's ultimate romantic comedy read for the summer of 2025 was Alison Espach's 2024 novel "The Wedding People." Set in Newport, Rhode Island, the novel centers around Phoebe Stone, who arrives at Cornwall Inn as a guest for the weekend and just so happens to be the only person staying there who's not affiliated with the wedding. Stone is there alone, without her husband, as she finds herself at a low point in her life, full of turmoil. As any reader familiar with the genre can imagine, what happens is a hilarious series of misadventures, culminating in lots of laughs. 

Bush Hager previously raved about the novel and chose it as her August 2024 book club pick. "It's about where we are when we're in the middle of our life and expectations versus reality," Bush Hager said of "The Wedding People," per Today. "It's about love and friendship and finding that love when you least expect it. I think you will love this book if you want to laugh, maybe shed a couple tears, but also just have a lot of fun." It's a novel that offers a lot of different emotions, but all of them are too intense — making it ideal for a light read by the pool. 

Jenna Bush Hager admitted that she has a soft spot for mysteries, which is why she chose Chris Whitaker's novel "All the Colors of the Dark" as one of her 2025 summer reads. The novel is set in 1975 in a small town in Missouri and sets the tone with a strange epidemic of young girls going missing. Before long, a young boy named Patch becomes the unexpected hero as he looks for answers. But the novel doesn't give up its secrets quickly. Whitaker takes the reader through the horrifying mysteries surrounding the serial killer, and what the small town does and does not do to get answers. It's creepy and exciting all at once. 

Bush Hager told First For Women that this was a great choice for the summer: "I'm obsessed with mysteries in the summer! I loved this one—and also Liz Moore's 'God of the Woods.'" The book really made an impression on Bush Hager, because in her Instagram post about books that shaped her at different periods in her life, "All the Colors of the Dark" was one of the books that changed her as an adult. We know that Bush Hager is a big reader, so for this book to make it on the list shows how great it really is. 

There were several books that Jenna Bush Hager recommended for summer 2025 reading, so we had to narrow our selection to choose the top five. We made this decision by carefully combing through the different genres that the "Today" host suggested, and picked, to the best of our abilities, one book from each of the major genres discussed. This way, readers who are particular fans of certain styles of novels could find something of interest. We highlighted literary fiction, romance, mystery, thriller, and a coming-of-age story. Readers will note that these are all works of fiction, so this list did not include nonfiction or memoirs of any kind. 

Nonetheless, Bush Hagar has a solid reputation as a book club founder, and her recommendations are consistently good. After all, Bush Hager told First For Women that part of the joy of reading is sharing her discoveries with others. "Recommending books is my love language. Because the thing is...people love books, but what they really love is somebody saying, Oh my gosh, you have to read this. It's so good," she said. So with Bush Hager at the helm, we chose the five best reads for the summer of 2025. We're feeling the love!