Our Summer Romance Bingo is back!
Beginning on the Summer Solstice, which falls on June 20th in the US and ending on September 22nd, right before the Autumnal Equinox, we invite you to play our 2025 Summer Romance Bingo.
Please save the image to use on your own! If you’d like to share on social media, please use the hashtag #SBTBingo so we can see how your card is coming along! Participants who complete at least one bingo are eligible for prizes, including stickers, swag, and a big ol’ box o’ books for one lucky winner or two.
The middle space is a free space, meaning any book will qualify there. Also, please use one book per space. No double dipping!
To submit your card, please fill out this form. Maximum of five entries per person!
Standard disclaimers apply: Void where prohibited. Must be over 18 and ready to read some excellent books. Open to international residents where permitted by applicable law.
The entry form will close September 23.
If you need clarification on any of the categories or want to crowdsource reading recommendations, feel free to ask or brainstorm in the comments section! Remember that bingo doesn’t kick off until June 20th, so don’t start reading qualifying books until then.
Ooh, the Bergman Brothers (and one sister!) have some soccer romances sprinkled in there. I know there’s hockey too, so you have to read synopses carefully. The first one is soccer, if you like to read things in order.
I’m not a small town romance person (generally) but I really liked Emily Henry’s FUNNY STORY (that one would also work for and Olivia Dade’s first in the Harlot Bay series AT FIRST SPITE (can’t wait for the next one in November. Those would coincidentally work for roommates or neighbors if that’s a spot you need to fill.
Also Ashley Herring Blake’s Bright Falls series is a good small town series, particularly the first one, DELILAH GREEN DOESN’T CARE.
I don’t even know if I’ll be able to participate this summer, but there’s nothing I love like recommending books. There’s a reason my best friend calls me “the book pusher.”
I can recommend RECKLESS IN TEXAS by Kari Lynn Dell for flexibility (which I unfortunately read last week, so it won’t count for me at all). It could cover: – western romance
– first book in a series
– sports romance (rodeo counts as a sport, right?)
– small town (is living on a ranch a small town or neighbor situation?)
– inclement weather (it’s not a bad storm, but the rain impacts the plot)
– August birth month
I can generally speaking find a way to make KJ Charles the answer to every question but it’s like some of these were picked solely to thwart me. Western Romance? Made into a TV show or movie? Character who works in audio?? Why choose? I can make any of the rest of them work I think, if by altar one means sacrificial altar and if shooting counts as a sport. What do you mean this is not the point of the game? Oooh, do we think anything set in the West as opposed to the East counts as Western?
Do rock star romances count for “character who works in audio”?
@C: For this category, it’s more along the lines of podcaster, radio host/producer, audiobook narrator.
I didn’t set this up, but I’m delighted to see that a fellow StoryGraph user made the book bingo into a StoryGraph challenge for easy tracking.
https://app.thestorygraph.com/reading_challenges/998dc85b-cb9d-44fe-89e5-02b88b50a583
@kkw – I think Band Sinister could work for Why choose? It’s kind of poly. Also The Henchmen of Zelda, since they’re not exclusive.
For Why Choose, I’ll recommend Lucky by Gigi DeGraham. In fact, I may decide to reread it for the nth time!
For the character who works in audio, I’ll recommend Thank You for Listening by Julia Whelan. The author is an audio book narrator who was interviewed here.
Help for Indie Authors – https://www.indieauthorconnect.com/a-million-lives-recovery
Last month a bunch of indie authors lost loads of money at the scam ‘A Million Lives Book Festival’. A website link was set up for folks who are interested in connecting with the authors, either to buy books or follow on social media. Hopefully will help them recover some funds and get more visibility. Thanks!
@Cleo ooh, excellent point! So it’s really just the tragedy of none of them being filmed (yet) because I have decided that whole resonance thing in Magpie Lord constitutes working in audio.
@cleo I set up the StoryGraph challenge, and I’m so glad people found it so quickly! I hope it helps <3
@Cosmygyral! Thank you! that was so awesome of you.
Thank you!! This is going to be fun!!! Couple of questions:
What’s the difference between immigrant main character and character living abroad? My brain can’t sort this out today.
Is Why Choose reverse harem, polyamory, and/or throuple? Any I missed?
What does paranormal encompass? Vampires, werewolves, ghosts, shape shifters (not typical human beings)? Witches?
@Nicolette: “Character living abroad” to me is more of a temporary arrangement. Like someone is attending college in another country, is there for an extended stay on business. Their goal isn’t necessarily to live there and become a citizen.
i.e. Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins has a heroine who is sent to a Paris boarding school vs. American Dreamer by Adriana Herrera has a hero who is a first-generation immigrant with a dream to open a food truck.
Yes, Why Choose? simply means the characters aren’t choosing just one partner.
For paranormal, all of those work. My one caveat is that they have to be in our world regardless of time period. An original, fictional world then tips it more into a fantasy setting. Feel free to use Goodreads or Storygraph tags as a guide.
Gotcha! Thank you!
Anyway to post a printable version of the Bingo card? I’m struggling to read the categories without my readers.
@ra7_78 ~ Does this help?
https://i0.wp.com/smartbitchestrashybooks.com/WP/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/2025-Summer-romance-bingo.png?resize=731%2C1024&ssl=1
@Cosmogyral, thank you for setting the challenge up! Now I have a far better way to procrastinate this afternoon than I was initially thinking of.
@Amanda, for ‘working in audio’ would a muse for a band work? As in, the FMC’s magic in MY UNTRUE LOVE by Cassandra Gannon is literally being a muse. Not trying to find a loophole, I promise!
For “works in audio,” THE EX TALK and WEATHER GIRL by Rachel Lynn Solomon would both work.
@Ely: I think MY UNTRUE LOVE would work for the Magic category, but not for Working in Audio.
KJ Charles has put a great list for Summer Reading on her blog. I’d like recommend Anuja Chauhan: The Zoya Factor has been turned into a movie, and there is Cricket.
Club you to Death is first in a series and also a movie, the follow-up The Fast and the Dead has neighbors and class differences (and is a lot of fun to read).
Rugby romances: Pippa Grant’s Copper Valley Pounders series (American M/F), L.H. Conway and Penny Reid’s rugby series (mostly Irish M/F), Jax Calder’s Sporting Secrets series (New Zealand M/M)
Small town romances: I really love Lucy Score’s Blue Moon series and her and Claire Kingsley’s Bootleg Springs series (both M/F); Lane Hayes’ The Elmwood Stories series (M/M) are fun small town hockey romances
Class differences: I feel like British authors do this best – maybe Lily Morton’s Oz (contemporary M/M) or Mary Balogh’s The Arrangement (historical M/F)
Oh, for why choose, Eden Finley’s Can’t Say Goodbye (M/M/M, two of the mains are Marines)
Is it OK to use the same book for two categories? I’ve found a few books that do actually fit more than one of the spaces.
I’m trying to fill my bingo card primarily with books from my TBR shelf. I’m either delighted or dismayed at how many of my books will work. Perhaps I DO have a rather large TBR shelf…? In any event, I’ll be making a dent in it!
@Christine: Unfortunately, you can only use one book per square/category.
Author Celia Lake has a post on her blog that mentions the SBTB Summer Bingo and addresses which of her books fit various squares.
https://www.celialake.com/2025/06/summer-reading-challenge/
Well, that’s fair! Thanks!
For the works in audio square, Hana Khan Carries On fits, and I look forward to rereading it.
Does a Groundhog Day style time loop count as time travel?
How much of a cover needs to yellow or orange for it to count? Example “Style of Love (Gay 4 Renovations Book 1)” by AJ Sherwood is about half yellow. Is that enough? What about the red to yellow ombre effect for Christina Lauren’s Beautiful Bastard?
Does it have to be romance or strong romantic elements? I’m thinking in terms of made into TV or movie that I’d be okay with the Sookie Stackhouse books that inspired True Blood but probably not Murder on the Orient Express.
For left at the altar, how literally do we need to take that? Like, if the groom vanishes the day before, is that close enough (Ruthless Creatures by JT Geissinger)? What if the bride is kidnapped (Relentless by Ariana Fraser)?
@C: I would say time loops count for time travel.
For the covers, at least 50% of the cover should be yellow. There may be tools online to calculate, but I’m not going to be a super stickler. Based on the two covers you presented, I would personally say yes to the Sherwood and no to the Lauren.
Since this is a summer romance bingo, books should have a romantic element, regardless of how prominent it may be. So yes to your example.
For left at the altar, I’m interpreting this as being dumped or no showed in the close lead up to the wedding or at the wedding. The day before is fine. I’m inclined to say no about the kidnapping, as there was not a conscious decision to dump the groom/bride. They weren’t left, if that makes sense.
Thanks! This is a fun excuse to get outside of my usual tropes.
So, it sounds like a “Runaway Bride” situation is actually OK for left at the altar as long as choosing not to get married is part of the emotional journey for one of the people involved. I can work with that. 🙂
What do you consider “turned into a movie/tv show”?
– rights purchased
– cast announced
– filming started / release date announced
– movie/show released
@Nic: Ideally, something that has been released. But I will settle for a release date.
Anyone have LGBTQ+ romance recommendations for works in audio?
I’ve already read The Vers Podcast series by Riley Hart (about four best friends who host a popular queer podcast) and am having trouble finding other options. (Actually – turns out I’ve only read 3 out of 4 of the Vers series, but since I skipped book 2 because I don’t usually like the “wake up married” trope, my question stands).
Are DJs or sound techs on film crews allowed for “works in audio”?
@Cleo ~ I read one of the Vers Podcast series for that prompt. I do see that E.J. Russell’s Camera Shy features a talk show host.
@Trix: Yes to sound tech. No to DJs. I am not counting any sort of musician for “works in audio” unless they also do some sort of sound production.
@Trix @Amanda – in that case, I think A Little Kissing Between Friends by Chencia C. Higgins might work for the audio prompt. One of the MCs is a DJ and music producer who does sound production. (Also works for friends to lovers).
@kareni – thanks for the rec. I looked at the E.J. Russell book – unfortunately it looks like it’s about a TV talk show, not a radio talk show.
If you have a favorite “Left at the altar” recommendation, I’d love to hear it. I read most flavors of romance but tend to avoid those that are dark.