Ah, summer. The time of 100 degree heat and feeling like you’re actually melting. You know something that can keep you cool this summer? Curling up with a really good summer book.
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Whether you’re chilling by the pool, beach, or in the A/C, one of the best ways you can romanticize summer is by reading a really good summer-y book. And while there are many great books to choose from, I wanted to share a few that I think are more than worthy of adding to your summer TBR list. I’m including all kinds of books from romantic comedies to summer thrillers. So let’s dive into the books, shall we?
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Middle of the Night by Riley Sager
Location: New Jersey
I have to kick this book list off right by including the latest Riley Sager book. This mystery/thriller is perfect for fans of Stranger Things. One hot July night, 10 year old Ethan Marsh was camping in his backyard with his best friend, Billy. Both boys were having a great time and fell asleep, but everything changes when Ethan wakes up the next morning to an empty tent with a knife-gash left in its side. What happened to Billy? No one knows. Thirty years go by and Ethan reluctantly returns to his childhood home where he begins to notice strange things that happen in the middle of the night. Strange things like signs of Billy’s presence keep popping up and someone roaming the neighborhood at all hours of the night. Strange things that may involve the creepy woods behind Ethan’s house and a peculiar institute that does research on a crumbling estate. Will Ethan ever find out what happened to Billy or will he get into more than he bargained for?
The Summer I Turned Pretty Series by Jenny Han
Location: Cousins Beach, Massachusetts (fictional)
If romantic YA stories are more your jam, there’s no better series to pick up than The Summer I Turned Pretty. This series consists of 3 books: 1) The Summer I Turned Pretty, 2) It’s Just Not Summer Without You, and 3) We’ll Always Have Summer. Each book follows Belly Conklin as she and her mom and brother spend the summer with her mom’s best friend, Susannah, and her two boys, Conrad and Jeremiah, at Susannah’s beach house. Each book follows the love triangle between Belly, Conrad, and Jeremiah, but it also follows the friendship and memories made at the beach house. This book series will make you laugh, tear up, and feel like you’re at Cousins Beach. And be sure to check out the TV series on Amazon Prime.
This Summer Will Be Different by Carley Fortune
Location: Prince Edward Island, Canada
Summer is the best time to dive into a romance novel. How about a romance novel set on Prince Edward Island (the same location Anne of Green Gables is set in)? The book follows Lucy and Felix as they meet and sparks fly one summer. Everything seems to be heading off to a good start until Lucy discovers that Felix is actually her best friend’s younger brother. Refusing to date her best friend’s brother, Lucy and Felix agree to hit the brakes. Each year Lucy returns to Prince Edward Island for the summer and to spend time with her best friend, Bridget. But with Bridget’s wedding on the horizon, Lucy realizes that she can’t avoid Felix forever. Will she and Felix finally get a second chance at a real start? You’ll just have to read and find out.
The Summer Swap by Sarah Morgan
Location: Cape Cod, Massachusetts
This next book is a tender, heart-touching love story in more ways than one. The story follows two women in two very different stages of life. One of them – Mrs. Cecilia Lapthorne – returns to her remote Cape Cod cottage called Dune Cottage that’s filled with good and bad memories of her husband, volatile artist Cameron, while the other – aspiring artist Lily – is down on her luck and takes up residence in Dune Cottage after she drops out of medical school. Lily’s situation seems to be going well until Cecilia shows up. After a rocky start, the two women build a friendship where they learn from each other and ultimately decide which paths they want to take in life. This is a really sweet book with a tranquil Cape Cod setting. There’s even some romance thrown in when Lily is reunited with her long-time crush (and Cecilia’s grandson), Todd.
Raiders of the Lost Heart by Jo Segura
Location: Mexico
They say not to judge a book by its cover, but when its cover is as cute as this one I think you can break the rule. This romantic comedy follows Dr. Socorro “Corrie” Mejía and Dr. Ford Matthews, two archaeologists who embark on an expedition deep in the jungles of Mexico in search of the long-lost remains of Chimalli, an ancient warrior of the Aztec Empire. The problem: they can’t stand each other. Ford Matthews has been one-upping Corrie since grad school and she refuses to let him do it again. With his life in shambles, Ford isn’t too keen on the idea of working with Corrie either. But with money-hungry artifact smugglers, Mexican authorities, and the secrets between closing in, the only way this story ends – explosively – both literally and metaphorically. If you like spice in your books, this one’s for you.
The House Across the Lake by Riley Sager
Location: Vermont
If summer mysteries are more of your thing, this next book is perfect for you. While it’s technically set in the fall, I associate this book with summer because of its lakeside setting. The story follows an actress named Casey Fletcher who returns to her family’s lake home in Vermont after her husband dies in a drowning accident in the very same lake the house sits next to. Casey fills her days with alcohol, grief, and spying on the glamorous couple – Tom and Katherine – who live in the big house across the lake. But things get a lot more interesting after Casey saves Katherine from drowning. Not only does she strike up a friendship with Katherine, she realizes that maybe Katherine and Tom’s marriage isn’t as glamorous as it looks. It seems that Katherine’s life is in danger and Casey is the only one who can stop it. If you like windy plotlines with unexpected twists and turns, this is the book for you.
We Were Liars by E. Lockhart
Location: Beechwood Island, Massachusetts (Fictional)
If dysfunctional, distinguished families are your thing then you’ve got to read this next book. It follows a teenage girl named Cadence who spends every summer with her family on a private island off the coast of Cape Cod. Every summer is the same: her mom and her aunts vie for her grandfather’s affection and money, Cadence and her cousins spend their days swimming and drinking their life away, and no one talks about what’s really going on in their lives. But when a tragic accident leaves Cadence and her family reeling, she soon discovers that maybe everything in her family is not perfect as it seems.
Starlet Series by Randi Reisfeld
Location: Los Angeles, California
If you’re a Reality TV fan or the entertainment business, in general, this book series should definitely be on your summer TBR. This series is about 17 year old Jacey Chandliss who wins Generation Next: America’s Top Young Actress and begins a career in Hollywood. With her newfound success, Jacey, her best friend, Dash and Desi, and her cousin Ivy move to LA and spend the summer learning the ropes of everything that Tinseltown has to offer, especially when Jacey meets bad boy actor Matt Canseco. The series consists of three books: 1) Starlet, 2) Everyone’s Who’s Anyone, and 3) All Access. Each book is equally entertaining and they’re perfect if you’re looking for something low stakes and summer-y.
Love, Lucy by April Lindner
Location: Italy
This next book recommendation is for anyone dreaming of an Italian summer. I know I definitely am and this book does not disappoint. While backpacking through Florence, Italy the summer before she heads off to college, Lucy Sommersworth finds herself falling in love – in love with the culture, the food, and a very handsome street musician named Jesse Palladino. After a whirlwind Italian romance, Lucy returns home, determined to forget her time with Jesse, but soon Lucy realizes that sometimes love can’t be forgotten.
The Summer House in Santorini by Samantha Parks
Location: Santorini, Greece
My last recommendation is set on the gorgeous Greek island of Santorini during summer. The story follows Anna, who inherits a less-than-idyllic summer house from her estranged father. The upside is that it allows Anna to get away from a failed relationship but the downside is that it’s up to her to rebuild the house by herself. Thankfully, she meets a handsome man named Nico who can help her with the reconstruction of the house and maybe of her heart.
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For more summer book recommendations click the following links:
BOOKS WORTH ADDING TO YOUR SUMMER TBR
BOOKS YOU SIMPLY MUST READ THIS SUMMER
THE BEST BOOKS TO READ IN AUGUST
Verse of the Day: I will extol You, my God, O King; and I will bless Your name forever and ever. Every day I will bless You, and I will praise Your name forever and ever. – Psalms 145:1-2
