The Founders of This Spicy Romance Publisher Share Everything Worth Buying and Reading This Summer

Claire: Five years after everybody else, I bought an acupressure mat, and I love it. It’s a wonder it took me so long, given that I famously pray at the altar of “if it doesn’t hurt, how do you know it’s working?

Erica: Porselli ballet flats. They’re handmade by a classic Milanese company and are the only ballet flats that suit my wide feet.

Claire: I use this $10 Kikkerland back scratcher constantly and also keep one in my travel bag because it’s so portable. 

Erica: Mini tongs, which I somehow use more than their full-size brethren? They’re simple to maneuver, easy to store, and slip into annoying jars.

Claire: I am a total Zicam evangelist. If you take it at the very first tingle of a cold and do it consistently, it will either eliminate the cold completely, or make it mild and short.

Erica: Toddler pillows! That’s what those airplane-size pillows are technically called, and they are an ideal addition to your bedding setup. Cuddle it, use it to prop a knee up, or shove it under your neck. (Psst…Skimm Shopping recommends this one.)

Claire: A mini colored pencil set to entertain my son during meals out, an emergency snack (for me, not him), and, sadly, migraine meds.

Erica: Ricola Honey Herb Cough Drops, GUM’s Soft-Picks, and Jao Refresher to use as a hand sanitizer.

Claire: I have a 6-year-old who is still a messy eater despite my best efforts, so I’m constantly wiping down counters, and this Saint Olio surface cleaner makes it a legitimate delight of a chore. It also makes a great hostess gift.

Erica: Claire and I are both huge fans of Jouer’s Skin Barrier Cream. It’s a well-priced moisturizer we keep thinking will blow up in popularity.

Claire: I love a celebrity-normal person romance, and Big Fan by Alexandra Romanoff is our crowd-pleasing ode to it. I would be remiss not to mention The Idea of You by Robinne Lee, and How To Fake It in Hollywood by Ava Wilder.

Erica: Something I’ve learned about myself is that I love a second-chance romance, and How to End a Love Story by Yulin Kuang and Seven Days in June by Tia Williams execute on the trope iconically well.

Claire: Author Robinne Lee, who is an actress with all sorts of impressive credits (Hitch! Fifty Shades!), reads the audiobook of The Idea of You, and it’s the gold standard. Zero cringe, even in the smuttiest parts.

Erica: I admittedly struggle with fiction audiobooks, but I really love how the actress Jessica Sula narrates Hardly Strangers by A.C. Robinson. Her Irish accent!

Claire: Girl on Girl: How Pop Culture Turned a Generation of Women Against Themselves by Sophie Gilbert. If you are a millennial woman who is still processing the Britney Spears documentary, this one’s a must-read.

Erica: Tomorrow Sex Will Be Good Again: Women and Desire in the Age of Consent by Katherine Angel and Ione Skye’s memoir Say Anything. Both are as fascinating as they sound.

Claire: Jo Piazza, notorious for unputdownable fiction that taps into zeitgeist, has a tradwife thriller coming out this summer called Everyone Is Lying to You.

Erica: A Marriage at Sea: A True Story of Love, Obsession, and Shipwreck by Sophie Elmhirst. I am sorry, that title alone!

Erica: God, I love Cassidy and Leon, the main characters in Square Waves by Alexandra Romanoff, so much — together and as individuals. The book is steamy from the first chapter. I’m also excited about the latest from romance-fan-favorite Kennedy Ryan, Can't Get Enough.

Claire: Exit Lane by Erika Veurink, which features a grumpy-sunshine duo covering the span of eight years, is going to knock everybody’s socks off. The combination of swoon, sex, and emotional wallop in this story is the stuff of searing book hangovers. I’m also itching to crack open August Lane by Regina Black.

Claire: I love our Everyone Reads Romance Novel tees. They’re our tribute to the iconic Everyone Watches Women's Sports tee by Togethxr, and a wink and a nod to those who get it; women’s sports and romance novels occupy similar spaces in culture. They are critical contributions that have been ignored or overlooked because — well, you know why.

Erica: I’m a big scent-memory person, so I am deeply charmed by the candle that smells like the male main character in Comedic Timing.