# How it Works

## The Summer of Everything

**Author**: Julian Winters

**Summary**: Adulting is hard. Just ask Wes Hudson. An avid comic book geek, Wes excels at two things: slacking off and pining after his best friend, Nico.

Advice from his friends, ‘90s alt-rock songs, and online dating articles aren't helping much with his secret crush. And his dream job at _Once Upon a Page_, the local indie bookstore, is threatened when a coffee shop franchise wants to buy the property.

To top it off, his family won’t stop pestering him about picking a college major. When all three problems converge, Wes must face the one thing he’s been avoiding—adulthood.

## Bingo Card Prompts

1. Read a book set at the beach
2. Read a book where the character completes a bucket list
3. Read a novella
4. Read a book that starts with 'J'
5. Attend reading sprints
6. Read a book featuring ice cream
7. Read a book published in July
8. Read a book with disability/neurodivergent rep (It's Disability Pride Month!)
9. Read a book on your summer TBR
10. Read a book with your favorite color on the cover
11. Read a graphic novel, comic, or manga
12. Read a book set during the summer
13. Read a romance book
14. Read a middle grade book
15. Have a summer treat
16. Write a book review

## Recommendations

### Disability & Neurodivergent Rep
- _Here We Go Again_ by Alison Cochrun _(ADHD)_
- _Hell Followed with Us_ by Andrew Joseph White (Autism)
- _How to Become a Planet_ by Nicole Melleby (anxiety & depression)
- _Someone to Daydream About_ by Sydney Langford (deaf FMC, MMC w/ ADHD, dysgraphia & dyslexia)

### Graphic Novels
- _Magical Boy_ by The Kao
- _The Chromatic Fantasy_ by H.A.
- _Homebody_ by Theo Parish
- _This One Summer_ by Mariko & Jillian Tamaki

### Manga
- _Blue Flag_ by KAITO
- _Dinosaur Sanctuary_ by Itaru Kinoshita
- _Confessions of a Shy Baker_ by Masaomi Ito (CW: Dieting, calorie counting)
- _Cat + Gamer_ by Wataru Nadatani

### Summer (Beach) Reads
- _Melt My Heart_ by Bethany Rutter
- _The House of Now and Then_ by Edward Underhill
- _The Summer of Everything_ by Julian Winters
- _If You Change Your Mind_ by Robby Weber
- _Our Way Back to Always_ by Nina Moreno

### Books starting with 'J'
- _Just As You Are_ by Cameron Kellogg
- _Jonny Appleseed_ by Joshua Whitehead
- _Just Between Us_ by Adeline Kon
- _Joy, to the World_ by Lisa Bunker, Kai Shappley
- _Junior High_ by Tegan & Sara

### Books Published in July
- _Buried Feelings_ by Kit Rosewater (July 7, 2026)
- _Heartstopper: Volume Six_ by Alice Oseman (July 2026)
- _Melt My Heart_ by Bethany Rutter (July 23, 2020)

### Middle Grade Books
- _The Beautiful Something Else_ by Alder Van Otterloo
- _The House of Sunrise Lagoon series_ by Nicole Melleby
- _Glitch Girl!_ by Rainie Oet
- _Dear Mothman_ by Robin Gow

### Novellas
- _Finna_ by Nino Cipri
- _Peter Darling_ by Austin Chant
- _Read Between the Lines_ by Bee Medina
- _Loading...The Machine Child_ by T.T. Wadden

### Romance Books
- _The Next Chapter_ by Cameron Kellogg
- _And They Were Roommates_ by Page Powars
- _Xeni_ by Rebekah Weatherspoon
- _The Broposal_ by Sonido Reyes