Walmart’s Spicy Summer offers a tasty page-turner for foodies and book lovers

From fiery temperatures to tangy flavors, summer is never bland or boring. Walmart offers a new storyline in the spicy summer story. This page-turner is one that needs to be told.

Trends influence people’s choices across all genres. Nothing ever fits into a narrow, limited box. Food influences fashion. Pop culture inspires conversation. This summer, BookTok is getting people to devour juicy stories and sometimes get a little riled up in the process.

This summer, Walmart wants to create connections between groups. Book clubs have been part of the conversation for decades. Over time, there have been wine partnerships and other crossovers. This summer, spice is adding spice to those books and has taken over BookTok.

The limited edition Spicy Books Hot Sauce Set includes five of Melinda’s hot sauces. Whether you just want to get really spicy or you want to take your shirt off like Heidi Klum at Hot Ones, the set has all the options.

Courtney Killingsworth, Walmart’s director of brand marketing, who is currently obsessed with the spicy summer read Just for Summer by Abby Jimenez, said, “At Walmart, customers are at the heart of everything we do, and we look to places where they spend their time to create real moments of connection with them. This campaign is the perfect way to reach out and celebrate BookTokers and the community they thrive in. With our Spicy Books Hot Sauce, we’re giving a wink to the BookTok fanbase, then expanding our reach to a larger customer base by adding some spice to all the summer must-haves.”

This concept is a fun way for Walmart to test how crossover moments can get customers to buy. Some cooking competitions use the “shop the episode” principle because people want that ingredient, pan or other product. Popular TV shows have cocktails and other food promotions that give people a taste of what they see on screen. Why wouldn’t a book inspire some food collaborations?

This idea came about after Walmart+ members had special access to shopping deals and special offers. People couldn’t get enough of the Dolly Parton baking recipes or the special drinks. This is another chapter in the ongoing story of how food is a universal connector.

The Spicy Books Hot Sauce can be purchased online at walmart.com/spicysummer. The retail price of the set is $14.98.