Summer Favorites 2026
Tan lines and sunshine! Summer days are warm and sunny and fleeting. We have just a few months to soak up the joy and playfulness that summer brings. The final moments of poolside lounging and melted ice cream at the farmer's market are coming to a close. So here I share with you all of my favorites from this summer before the school bell rings and the leaves begin to change!
2026 Summer Mixtape
"Questions" by Maisie Peters
"I Knew It, I Knew You" by Taylor Swift
"Tastes So Good" by Niall Horan
"Boys Are Fun" by Niall Horan
"Monochromatic" by Niall Horan
"Earrings" by Malcolm Todd
"stupid song" by Olivia Rodrigo
"maggots for brains" by Olivia Rodrigo
"expectations" by Olivia Rodrigo
"Off The Wall" by Michael Jackson
"Spinning Around" by Kylie Minogue
"Can't Get You Out Of My Head" by Kylie Minogue
"Roam" by The B-52's
"New Sensation" by INXS
"Showdown" by Britney Spears
"Intimidated" by Britney Spears
"My Body Isn't Ready" by Sombr
"Joy" by ROLE MODEL
"Cranekiss" by Tamaryn
"Talk To Me, Zara" by Robyn and Zara Larsson
"Can't Tame Her" by Zara Larsson
"I Would Like" by Zara Larsson
"Ain't My Fault" by Zara Larsson
"What Took You So Long?" by Emma Bunton
"kiss me" by Ariana Grande
"stay" by Ariana Grande
"freak" by Ariana Grande
"like i do" by Ariana Grande
"Twiggy" by Remi Wolf
"brand new chanel$" by Slayyyter
"Don't Lie" by Black Eyed Peas
"Kitty Kat" by Beyoncé
"I've Got My Eyes On You" by Jessica Simpson
"Stop The Wedding!" by Ashe
My television this summer was essentially occupied by Amazon Prime and my One Tree Hill DVDs. Starting with the latter, nothing has brought me joy the way that watching episodes of OTH every night has. Currently, I'm wrapping up season five and have been having the time of my life. This is not my first time watching the show, as it is one of my all-time favorites; however, it had been a while since I'd watched it in its entirety top to bottom, so late this spring, I decided to start from the beginning! I would quite frankly do anything for my close personal friends Brooke Davis, Nathan Scott, and Haley James Scott (and little Jamie Scott!). As for Prime, they really have been the place to be this summer. They ended spring with a bang with Off-Campus, as I previously mentioned in my spring wrap-up. Then they gave me Elle and Sterling Point this summer, both of which I thoroughly enjoyed. I had been anticipating the release of the Legally Blonde prequel show with bated breath. Generally, reboots, remakes, and sequels are bad territory in my opinion. So I was hesitant going into the show, but I had hope knowing Reese Witherspoon was attached to the project. Thankfully, it delivered! Lexi Minetree, who plays young Elle, was absolutely incredible and nailed the aura of Elle Woods perfectly. The soundtrack was spectacular, as was the time period being set in the late '90s. Now my one critique would be that I wish they leaned into the '90s fashion more authentically, but it wasn't as rocky as it could've been (and can Hollywood please go back to shooting on film and bring back saturation?!). I'm definitely looking forward to season two! Now Sterling Point wasn't one I had on my list going into the summer simply because I hadn't heard anything about it. This one flew under the radar up until its release. When the first trailer dropped, my interest was piqued due to the producing teams behind the series. Not only is Margot Robbie (yes, that Margot Robbie) an executive producer with her husband and their production team, but so are Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage. Josh and Stephanie are the creatives behind two of my favorite shows, The O.C. and Gossip Girl, as well as producing numerous iconic shows. Knowing these two had their hands in the show made me really excited. It has a great soundtrack, really realistic and well-rounded characters, a gorgeous location, and an unravelling web that keeps you on your toes. I do, however, wish the season was longer, i.e., bring back 22 episode seasons. PLEASE! I would also like to mention that I am firmly Team Ellis. A Prime show that did not deliver was Every Year After. In my spring wrap-up, I mentioned my anticipation for the show, as I am a huge Carley Fortune fan and adore that book. The show adaptation, however, was a major flop. I didn't even finish episode two before removing it from my continue watching. I did not like the casting, nor did I like how much they changed from the source material. Frankly, Sterling Point is what Every Year After should've been between the location and the dialogue, the characters and the connections. I know they are making a season two based on the second book, One Golden Summer, which I adored, but the jury is out whether or not I tune in. Then over on Netflix, I binged the third season of America's Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders. I find this show so fascinating and the girls so endearing. As someone who grew up dancing for most of my life, watching the routines and the highs and lows of the sport is extremely reminiscent for me. Every season they've put out, I've loved and gotten through very quickly due to being so invested. To finish this TV section off, though it isn't premiering for another week, I am preemptively putting Adults season two on this list. The first season was so funny and easy to watch. I'm looking forward to finishing summer with the new season! It's a great little watch!
Though I read a handful of books this summer, there were two absolute standouts. The first being Phoebe Berman's Gonna Lose It by Brooke Averick. Holy cow. I cannot express how much I loved this book from start to finish. The fact that it is a debut is astounding. Phoebe is such an amazing female main character, and all of her male prospects are perfection (I was rooting for each of them?!). And I have to add that I was NOT expecting the story to move the way it did, and when that big revelation happened, I was shocked to my core! I'm so excited to see what Brooke writes in the future because if it's like Phoebe, then I will be all over it. Then I began a little series called The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion by Beth Brower. I spent the entirety of Fourth of July devouring the first book in one sitting and immediately understood the obsession. Every book just got better and better. I've nearly finished the eight that are currently published, and I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do with myself until the next volume comes out! The setting is so immersive, and the characters feel so real. Reading this series has been unlike anything else I've ever read; it's as though every time I pick up one of the books, I fall into the pages and enter another reality. If that's not the sign of a great book, I don't know what is! And I'm Team Islington, btw!
I've been a bit low-key with my movie watching this summer. I didn't watch nearly as many as I normally would, and I blame that entirely on One Tree Hill. I rewatched a handful of my favorites, amongst them being Dick, High School Musical 2, Everybody Wants Some!!, Mean Girls, and Aquamarine. But primarily, I watched new releases that I've had on my radar!
*New Releases
Michael - incredible, unbelievable talent and the best soundtrack ever (obviously)
Toy Story 5 - love these characters, but the premise makes me so sad, and I think we need to be done with the sequels (this goes for all of Hollywood, not just Disney)
Voicemails for Isabelle - pleasantly surprised at how good this was; Robyn and Taylor Swift on the soundtrack is going to get me every time
Supergirl - enjoyable but forgettable; my main reason for watching was to see my husband (David Corenswet)
Heartstopper Forever - emotional as always, and well done; just think it would've been better suited as a final season instead of a movie
Spider-Man: Brand New Day - SO good, the Spider-Man franchise carries every time, and oh, how I've missed it
One Night Only - I love Will Gluck movies; they are so silly and swoony and fun
From my ever-evolving watchlist, I viewed and loved Singin in the Rain, Theater Camp, 3 Men and a Baby, Jawbreaker, Beauty Shop, and Mermaids!
Besides television and movies, I also watch a fair share of YouTube. I stick to my favorites and watch everything they post. My rotation includes Molly-Mae, Lauren Norris, KC Cibran, Hannah Marsh, Erin Davila, Darling Desi, Brogan Tate, All Things Lilly Ann, and Bonnie Barton. In addition, I pop in to watch videos from Vanillamace, Jack and Dan React, and Trixie Mattel. Those are all of my core favorites!
I'm putting a cap on summer earlier than some would find acceptable, but fellow autumn lovers will understand my haste. Let's wave goodbye to bikinis, fireworks, and strawberry refreshers and hello to pumpkin chai lattes, chunky sweaters, and apple picking!
