There's a book on your nightstand right now with a bookmark stuck about forty pages in. You already know you're not going to finish it and you feel a little guilty about it. That's the summer reading slump. And the way out isn't waiting for the mood to come back. It's a challenge... the fun, low-pressure kind.

In this episode of Reading Under the Covers, a romance novel podcast, I break down the Heatwave Cup: the summer edition of Under the Covers' year-long Romanceopoly reading challenge, built for exactly the reader who's stuck. Four books, three months, no spreadsheet, no bingo board. A challenge you can technically win by reading less.

I walk through all four prompts with picks straight from the Discord community plus my own summer TBR for it. The complete rec lists for every prompt, the free printable challenge cards, and the StoryGraph tracker all live on the blog.

Whether you're playing the full Romanceopoly challenge or you just want your bookmark unstuck, this is your mid-year reading reset for your reading life. Come tell us which prompt you're starting with.

Chapters:

• 00:00 The Summer Reading Slump
• 00:55 Heatwave Cup: What It Is
• 01:51 Rules, Dates & Tracking
• 02:52 Prompt 1: Rift Run
• 04:19 Prompt 2: Cursebreaker Clash
• 05:23 Prompt 3: Double Faulted Desires
• 06:41 Prompt 4: Enchanted Rally
• 07:32 Wrap-Up & How to Join

Links:

• Full challenge, all community recs, Storygraph & free printables: https://www.underthecoversbookblog.com/summer-2026-reading-challenge/
• Join the Discord: https://discord.gg/JfHWVdYz5U
• Read with us on Fable: https://utcbookblog.com/CX9IoU
• Check out Romanceopoly: https://www.underthecoversbookblog.com/reading-challenge

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