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Chelsea's Summer Reading Guide
Chelsea Fagan
June 02, 2025
June 2, 2025
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❤️ TFD
Here's to a summer full of pages that get wrinkled by cold drinks and wet fingers!
Of course I have to kick off my summer reading list with my new romance novel, which I will indeed be re-reading on a deck chair later this summer. It's an enemies-to-lovers/second chance hybrid that blends politics, class, and money with a steamy central love story -- all set on a fabulous yacht sailing the Mediterranean. A must-read for the intellectual beach read girlies, in my opinion!
Kennedy Ryan is the undisputed Queen of Romance, and I've been saving the final book in her Skyland trilogy for when I'm finally on proper summer vacation. I'm especially excited for this one, as it follows Hendrix, an unapologetically single, childfree woman who doesn't need a relationship to feel complete.
With my current book tour and a busy season at TFD, I've really been pushing myself to the limit professionally, and I want to take the summer as a time to lean out somewhat. Israa Nasir's book TOXIC PRODUCTIVITY is an incredibly grounded and accessible take on opting out of our work-obsessed culture from an actual therapist.
I've been trying to read more classic literature lately, and as a romance writer myself, the fact that I'd never read LADY CHATTERLEY'S LOVER was an absolute crime. So I picked it for my neighborhood book club, and I have to say, it's a sultry and engrossing read that stands up today as weirdly kind of feminist, despite being written by a man over 100 years ago. Who knew!
When it comes to women who are doing important things in the financial space, few people leap to mind like Katie Gatti. She's one of the rare money girlies who balances the need to shore up our own finances with being extremely critical and aware of the system around us that needs changing. Her book is a perfect encapsulation of her work, and will leave you both optimistic and righteously angry!
Another summer romance I can't recommend enough is 32 DAYS IN MAY by Betty Corrello, a book that balances a sweeping, intoxicating love story with the real-world stakes of chronic illness and the mental health toll it can take. I never thought I'd become such a sucker for Jersey Shore-based romances, but Betty has the magic touch that makes it feel so wonderfully escapist and familiar!
With AI becoming an increasingly inescapable part of our reality, and something I have to think about constantly as a digitally-based business owner, this summer I want to read about the history of humans and information. This book from 2012 is a kind of brief history of how we have evolved to use, trade, and even view information itself -- an unintentional precursor to our current information revolution.
I love Adriana Herrera's work generally, and the Las Leonas series in particular is one of my favorite historical romances. I find that Adriana is one of the rare romance authors that reimagines history as perhaps slightly better -- more just, more feminist -- than it really was, and yet still gives you a deliciously rich sense of time and place that feels incredibly real. I can't wait to devour this at the beach!
This book was a recent gift from a friend -- billed as a Palestinian-American Sex and the City -- and I'm incredibly excited to read it. It's not just an incredibly timely story to our current moment, it's also important to remember that staying informed and connected to our world isn't just about reading news: it's about hearing stories of all kinds from people who are actually living the headlines.
And speaking of staying connected to our world, few authors have their finger on the pulse as much as Naomi Klein, and few books better explain our current moment than THE SHOCK DOCTRINE. As unsettling as it might be, this is definitely a book I'm prioritizing a re-read for this summer.
For fiction that feels as once fantastical and deeply connected to our world, TILT by Emma Pattee is undoubtedly one of the best of the year. It's a quick, tense read about one heavily pregnant woman navigating the fallout of a massive earthquake in Portland, Oregon. This book rocked me, and left me with both an awareness of what one day might befall us, and an appreciation of our beautiful (if imperfect) present moment.
I'm a huge Tia Williams fan, and recently realized that this classic from her backlist is one I haven't yet read. And as a former author of an older woman-younger man romance, it's one I absolutely can't wait to dive into this summer. More romance novels about 40+ women, please!
One of my all-time favorite books, TEDDY is an incredible, unique story about a 1960s socialite from Texas who marries a diplomat and moves to Rome. This book is full of glamour, history, intrigue, politics, and the often-stifling reality of being a woman -- even a very privileged one -- in early 1960s society. For me, it's becoming an annual re-read, as soon as the weather gets warm and I want to be sipping a spritz under a parasol. I hope you come to love it as much as I do!
Welcome back to our weekly series, Ask A Financial Advisor with Kellen Thayer of Advisor.com! Dozens of members of the TFD community love and trust Advisor to help them on their financial journeys. Get $500 off your first year with Advisor by signing up through TFD! Click here to take our short quiz and schedule a FREE consultation call with Advisor today and never make another financial decision alone!
Q: Re: Student Loans - I was told that if I pay off my student loans early, there’s a penalty for doing so? Is that true?
A: The good news is that most federal and private student loans do not have prepayment penalties. You can pay them off early without extra charges. To tackle your loans strategically, start by paying at least the minimum on all your loans to avoid late fees or defaults. Then, focus extra payments on the loans with the highest interest rates, which will save you the most money over time.
However, don’t let paying off loans overshadow other financial goals, like building an emergency fund or contributing to your retirement. Balance is key!
I love spicy snacks, can't get enough of them. I was loyal to Takis growing up and then upgraded to Turbos Flamas. But I've recently found the holy grail: Trader Joe's Chili & Lime Rolled Corn Chips. I don't know why it took me so long to find these but I'll buy them as long as they are in production. I'm addicted and I don't care who knows.
I also love juices and smoothies but I hate blenders. I want to give a shoutout to my Nutribullet Personal Blender that I've had since 2011(this thing just won't quit!) I use this every single morning and the convenience is unmatched. You blend right into the cup that you drink out of! I also make salad dressings and hot sauces with it, it's just so easy to use.
My sister has three kids and swears by this Bissell Multi-Purpose Carpet & Upholstery Cleaner. Her youngest had a nose bleed all over their beige carpet the other day and this thing cleaned it right up, color me impressed.
And last but not least, if you're a pumpkin fan you need to try these Pumpkin Cottage Cheese Pancakes. They were truly so tasty, and loaded with protein!
📣Events
We’re almost halfway through the year, so what better time to check in on your 2025 financial goals? Join us June 25th for The Mid-Year Financial Check-Up, a totally FREE workshop, in partnership with our friends at Monarch Money. In this workshop we’ll help you gain clarity on the following questions: Are you still on track to hit the milestones you set out to reach back in January? Do you need to make adjustments to your goals and spending habits based on major life events that have occurred in that time? And overall, what can you do now to make sure you leave 2025 with a brighter financial outlook than you had entering into it? Click here to register!
🎥YouTube
Our May video essay, Marrying The Wrong Man Will Be Your Worst Financial Decision, dropped last week! In this video essay, Chelsea dives into the realities of marriage for women, statistically speaking: how we’re sold an idea of an egalitarian partnership, and how that ultimately does not play out for many women — financially, or emotionally. Marrying the right partner can add so much to your life, but the wrong one can do exactly the opposite. Watch now!
Chelsea dropped a new iPhone video last week all about Trump’s “big beautiful bill” — for her thoughts on the bill, tips on how to get involved, and what you can do to feel in control in this chaotic moment in time, watch now!
Erin & Chelsea are back with season 2 of the community-loved Asked & Answered. We’ve dropped 3 new episodes, with 3 more dropping later this month! Catch up on the first 3 episodes now!
✨The Society
We dropped a timely 2-part podcast series in the second half of May featuring friend of TFD, Anna Gifty! Anna joined Chelsea for The Economics of Winning to discuss the current state of our government, economy, and more. Check out both parts here!
Check out our latest guidebook, The Remote Work Reset: How To Improve Your WFH Habits. This 19-page guidebook was designed to help you make small but meaningful changes that add up. Inside you’ll find tips on improving your workspace, managing your time, setting boundaries, and boosting your energy throughout the day. Join The Society at the $9.99 tier for access. Our next guidebook on building financially healthy relationships drops next week!
Check out our June Society calendar below! We’ll be sharing updates about our June workshop, book club, office hours, and more in next week’s newsletter!
The Society at TFD is our members-only community with access available on both YouTube and Patreon. Joining The Society is the best way to directly support TFD! The Society offers the exact same things on both platforms, so choose whichever one you prefer!
We offer 3 tier options:
The Society at TFD Lite: $2.99/month
Monthly office hours with Chelsea to chat and get your personal questions answered
Access to our monthly book club hosted by TFD Creative Director, Holly
Illustrated tech backgrounds every month
Access to Society Discord
The Society at TFD: $4.99/month — includes everything in the $2.99 tier plus:
Monthly ad-free extended director's cut videos from Chelsea
Exclusive members-only events and workshops
Complete post archive (including exclusive members-only videos of Chelsea ranting on different topics)
The Society Premium: $9.99/month — includes everything from the previous tiers plus:
Weekly newsletter from Chelsea
Monthly multi-page workbook/guidebook on a different topic each month
Members-only capsule podcasts