Do you have a summer vacation coming up? Do you plan to lounge around the beach or by a lake? And do you need a really good book recommendation to help you romanticize your summer experience to the fullest? Well, if you said yes to any of these questions then I’ve got a post for you.
In today’s post I’m sharing not 1 – not 2 – but 9 book recommendations that I feel are perfect for your next beach/vacation/summer read. If that sounds like something you’re into just keep scrolling.
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A Sky Painted Gold by Laura Wood
If you like The Great Gatsby or the 1920s then this is the book for you. The story follows Lou Trevelyan – a 17 year old girl who’s been hanging out in an abandoned mansion when she needs some time alone – who meets rich heir Robert Cardew when he and his family come to stay in the mansion for the summer. She’s quickly swept up in the Cardew’s golden world of money, parties, and glamour, but she must decide if wants to stay with the glitter or stay true to herself. I thoroughly enjoyed this book because Laura Wood has a way of transporting you into Lou’s experience with her writing.
The MatchBreaker Summer by Annie Rains
This book follows a girl named Paisley Manning whose family owns a summer camp by the lake. Paisley loves going to the camp every year but everything changes when her mom’s new boyfriend wants to fly them away to Wyoming for the summer. When fate sticks Paisley with cute Hayden Bennett one last time at the camp, the two of them cook up a scheme to break her mom and boyfriend up. But the closer Paisley gets to getting what she wants the closer she finds herself getting to Hayden. This book will definitely give you the summer time vibes because it has everything you need – a summer camp, a lake, and a love story.
The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han
Jenny Han is a YA book writing goddess, plain and simple – and her book The Summer I Turned Pretty is the perfect story to immerse yourself in if you want to feel like you’re staying in a seaside beach house. The book is about a girl named Belly who spends every summer with her mom and brother at a beach house with her mom’s best friend, Beck, and Beck’s two sons, Conrad and Jeremiah. Belly’s been in love with Conrad since she was a kid and he’s never been interested . . . until this summer. This book series actually has its own series on Amazon Prime so you can even watch the first book there.
The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks
This wouldn’t be a summer book recommendation list without mentioning a Nicholas Sparks book. And while Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth starred in the film adaptation of this story, I found the book to be better because it gave more details. The story is about seventeen year old Ronnie Miller who has to spend the summer with her younger brother and dad in North Carolina. Because she doesn’t have the best relationship with her dad, Ronnie isn’t too happy to be there, but things start to change when she meets Will. Like any Nicholas Sparks books there’s some heart-warming bits, but the East Coast beach setting makes it the perfect beach read.
The Summer of Broken Rules by K.L. Walther
The Summer of Broken Rules follows a girl named Meredith Fox whose family takes an annual vacation to Martha’s Vineyard every summer. The story takes place 18 months after Meredith’s sister’s death and this particular summer Meredith plans to honor her sister by playing and winning the Fox family game of Assassin. But while she’s in the game she forms an alliance with a cute groomsman who quickly steals her heart and possibly her chances at winning the game. If you’re craving a Coastal Grandmother beach read, this is the book for you.
Local Girls by Jenny O’Connell
This book is also set in Martha’s Vineyard for the summer and it’s one of my favorites because Jenny O’Connell’s writing is so atmospheric. You’ll feel like you’ve stepped in Martha’s Vineyard as you read this. It’s about two best friends named Kendra and Mona who spend their summers catering to rich tourists who descend upon the Vineyard every year. Everything’s great between them until Mona’s mom marries one of the wealthy tourists and Mona is swept away into a world of prep schools and fortune. The girls begin to drift apart until Mona and her family come back to the Vineyard the following summer. But everything’s changed between the girls. In order to get Mona back, Kendra decides to find out who Mona’s birth dad is – a mystery that has always plagued Mona. With the help of Mona’s twin brother, Henry, Kendra sets out to uncover a deep family mystery that may or may not hurt or help her already fragile friendship with Mona.
Under a Dancing Star by Laura Wood
This next book is for all of my Italian summer lovers. Set in 1930s England and Italy, the story is about a girl named Bea who goes to spend the summer with her bohemian uncle in Italy. While there she learns about art, life, and maybe even love. This is the second book from Laura Wood on this list and let me tell you, she outdoes herself on this one. It’ll make you feel like you’ve stepped into a beautiful Tuscan summer and never want to leave.
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares
This is a book I have read several times and it never gets old because it’s one of the most realistic books I’ve ever read about friendship. It follows 4 best friends – Lena, Tibby, Bridget, and Carmen – who find a pair of jeans that mysteriously fits all of them perfectly, even though they’re different sizes. They decide to share the pair of jeans throughout the summer as they go on separate adventures. This book was actually made into a movie and it’s one of my go-to summer films to watch each year.
Rules of Summer & Since Last Summer by Joanna Philbin
The last two books are actually a duology that transports you into the glamourous world of the Hamptons in summertime. The books are about a girl named Rory McShane who gets a job as an errand girl for a wealthy family named the Rules for the summer. As she dives deeper into the Rules’ world she draws closer to their son, Connor Rule, and to realizing who she really is. Both of these books will have you hooked until the end.
Now that you’ve seen my summer reading recommendations, what are some of your favorite books to read in the summer? Any beach reads I should know about?
Verse of the Day: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. – John 1:1
