i'm giving away some books (not clickbait)

this is a summer for reading

there’s a very cool giveaway in this newsletter!! stick around for details and a chance to win a very special gift!

As soon as the warmth of the sunlight hits my skin, the days feel longer, cherries come back in season, and I have to fight to tear myself away from the pages of a good book. I read more in the summer, the longer days encourage me to pull a chair to the patch of sunlight on my balcony and decompress after work, losing myself completely in prose. The pile of unread books I’ve accumulated over the last few months begins to shrink. I burn through them with a desperation and a desire that could only be satiated by the words inside.

my book and my new claw clip

Last weekend, we stayed at the beach, a perfect little house with sunlight and wicker couches, and all I wanted to do was curl up in the deep cushions and read. I devoured all the books I brought with me. Bonjour Tristesse on the beach, God of the Woods in the house, House of Beth in the car—hundreds of pages over a few days; characters and storylines consumed my every waking moment. Friday night, we went to a club along the water; tipsy off wine and the buzz of the crowd around me, I danced with Paul until my sneakers were covered in sand. My thoughts were a blur, the neon lights around me cast a dreamy glow, and even with the cover band playing Bruce Springsteen, I found myself thinking about the book I had been reading that afternoon.

Books have the ability to permeate my thoughts, often during the most inopportune moments. Call it spaciness, a restless mind, but I like to think of it more romantically, like these specific combinations of words and phrases resonated so intensely that I can’t help but remember them. I walk down the streets of DC and have flashes of storylines or characters from books I read years ago, sometimes the car passing me reminds me of when I read a novel cover to cover in the backseat of my parents’ car after a soccer game. Pinpointing moments throughout my life is easy; I just think back to whatever book I was reading at the time. All around me are memories, references, worlds I’ve stepped into for just a short time. How can I forget my wallet in my apartment time and time again, but I can recall details from a novel I read once at 14?

In elementary school, our teachers would give us a folder with two printed-out sheets of paper on the last day of school: a reading log to track what we read over the summer, and a list of suggested books. Our summer reading journals, they called them. One paper reading log was never enough; I wrote in tiny letters on the back, stapled it to notebook paper, and presented my teachers with something illegible, but crafted with care and excitement. Sitting in the aisle in the public library was one of my favorite ways to pass the humid summer days, the crisp air conditioning pricking at my legs as I sat on a step stool in the YA fiction aisle, a massive stack of books next to me as I made my way through the summer reading list and created my own.

I’ve been thinking a lot about the simplicity of those summer reading lists. Organized to perfection, suggestions I could ignore if I felt like it, everything was in my hands— 11 years old and in control. Call me nostalgic or sentimental, but that was a time when no one cared about what you were reading, how cool your taste in books was, or your collection of literary-inspired tote bags.¹ Summer goals often slip through my fingers before I even get a chance to tackle them, but this summer I’ve made a conscious effort to fall back into the simple routine of my childhood reading habits: flying through book after book, picking up anything around me that interests me, regardless of reviews, internet people’s opinions, or any preconcieved ideas. It’s freeing, like stapling together a list of the books I’ve read over the summer for my eyes only.

Yesterday I was on the Amtrak, newly purchased Kindle in one hand, mediocre lavender matcha in the other, creeping back up to New Jersey. Losing myself in the book was as easy as ever; the vibration of the train and the blur outside the window created a hazy bubble I settled into. Headphones on, half of the time sans music, and I curled up with my book, a predictable pattern, second nature to me after years of perfecting this routine. There’s a joy in the simplicity, it goes hand in hand with my newly rediscovered summer reading project, and I’m telling myself this is the beginning of something fresh, a new direction for me as a reader.

the first-ever people’s princess giveaway!!

So you definitely read the title and are wondering, “where do I get my free book?” Thanks to my wonderful friends at Simon & Schuster (specifically Marysue Rucci Books), I’m giving away three advance copies of We Love You, Bunny by Mona Awad, one of my (and the collective universe’s) most anticipated reads of 2025. Bunny was a book I read in 2022, and I constantly find myself thinking of the details of Workshop or the ethereal glow that seemed to surround the characters. The dreamy, uncanny, dizzying story is a personal favorite, and Mona Awad’s writing means so much to me. I’m excited and so grateful to have the chance to gift We Love You, Bunny to a few of you! You have given more than you could ever know by supporting me here, so sharing my love of reading and giving you the sequel to a book I love so much is just a small way to say thank you.

clapping and cheering because this is so exciting

Winners will receive an advance copy of We Love You, Bunny, a permanent paid subscription to people’s princess, a handwritten letter and a couple of little assorted trinkets from yours truly.

To enter:

• Subscribe to people’s princess on Substack

• Like this post

• Follow @sarahcucchiara on Instagram

• Leave a comment on this post discussing your favorite summer book, a summer memory, or a meaningful book you’ve read in the past year.

3 winners will be randomly selected by my favorite tool, the spinning wheel picker. The giveaway will run until July 23, when I’ll pick the winners and notify them via Substack DM.

No purchase necessary. US residents 18+. Void where prohibited. July 16, 2025- July 23, 2025 Subject to Rules: http://spr.ly/6177upmcx

I’m insanely appreciative of Marysue Rucci Books and Simon & Schuster for making this giveaway possible!

as always, thank you for reading people’s princess. here’s my train spotify playlist:

you can find me on instagram @sarahcucchiara and @peoples.princess.

with love,

sarah 🐇💞

1. guilty as charged (the shakespeare and co tote is my everyday bag)