The school year is a time filled with stress, exams, homework, practice, essays, and drama. It can be mentally exhausting and finding time for your hobbies and interests is almost impossible.
For anyone who likes to spend the summer catching up on pleasure reading or is trying to find a good book to read, this list of summer book recommendations is for you!
A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder
By: Holly Jackson
If you are looking for a mystery or thriller, Holly Jackson is one of the best. This book is filled with loads of drama and unexpected plot twists. The characters are each unique and layered. It is an engaging mystery that will keep you hooked from the very first page. It asks the question, how much danger are you willing to put yourself in to find the truth?
Beach Read
By: Emily Henry
Emily Henry’s romantic comedy books never fail to make you laugh, cry, and fall in love. Beach Read is no exception. The characters’ banter is amusing and lively. It is a witty enemies-to-lovers novel with heart and emotional depth. If you want a book to read while tanning on the beach, this is the one!
Fourth Wing
By: Rebecca Yarros
If you want to go on the fantasy route, Fourth Wing is it. This is a page-turning, plot-twisting story with a hint of romance. From dragons to secret wars and forged friendships, this book is quite the rollercoaster. It forces you to open up your imagination, explore fantastical realities, and learn that your mindset and heart determine your place in this world, not your physical strength.
Pride and Prejudice
By: Jane Austen
Is your goal to read more classics? Pride and Prejudice is a timeless work of art that revolutionized the romance writing world. I really enjoyed the characters, especially Elizabeth Bennet. She is strong-willed, courageous, and she is unafraid to speak her mind. I loved how she went against the societal expectations of her and her main focus wasn’t courting a man. This book is the enemies-to-lovers blueprint, a tale of love, heartache, and acceptance. This book also brilliantly showcases the unfair standards women were held to back in the early 1800s.
Daisy Jones and the Six
By: Taylor Jenkins Reid
This book is by far one of my personal favorites. If you love drama, messy relationships, the music industry, addiction, the late sixties, and the inner workings of bands, read this. Taylor Jenkins Reid’s writing captures you and pulls you into the story, you are no longer reading words but experiencing the novel as if you were a part of it. This book is formatted in an interview-type style which allows you to see each character’s perspective. This book is guaranteed to make you laugh, cry, smile, scream, and maybe even throw your book across the room.
The Summer of Broken Rules
By: K.L. Walther
This is the epitome of a cutesy rom-com perfect for a quick trip to the beach. Set on Martha’s Vineyard, this book is lively and lighthearted. It surrounds the game of Assassin (the water gun game) during a family vacation on a sprawling beachside property. With young love, self-discovery, and the importance of family, this book will warm your heart.
The Things We Leave Unfinished
By: Rebecca Yarros
If you want a heavier read, this book will leave you in tears and a shattered heart. But it is one of the best books I have ever read. It follows two love stories interconnected over decades of time. One is set in World War II and the other in the present day. It will change your idea of what sacrifice for love and others truly means. My attachment for the characters grew stronger with each page I read. The ending is such a plot twist, one I never saw coming. This was one of the most rewarding, heartbreaking, and best books I’ve ever read.
The Guncle
By: Steven Rowley
This is a charming book that dives into loss, identity, grief, loneliness, and the importance of family. Warning, you will laugh out loud while reading. The relationship between the gay Uncle Patrick and his niece and nephew is adorable. This book will leave your heart full and needing a hug from your family.
The Cousins
By: Karen M. McManus
Karen McManus is the queen of murder mysteries and thrillers. Set on an island resort in New England, this book will for sure haunt you. When four cousins all get a mysterious invite to work at their grandmother’s resort for the summer, they have no idea what to make of it. After all, their grandmother is reclusive and rich, and she disinherited all of their parents before they were born. Their family is filled with secrets and lies, so who can they trust? I was sitting at the edge of my seat the entire book and I read it all in one sitting. The ending was sick and twisted, and I wouldn’t have ever predicted it in a million years.
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo
By: Taylor Jenkins Reid
Yes, Evelyn Hugo had seven husbands. This novel tells the story of a beautiful actress who isn’t the person the papers write her out to be. She can play the role on the screen, but behind it, who is Evelyn Hugo and why has she had seven husbands? The storytelling of this book is exquisite and immersive. The characters were so multi-dimensional, and it really made you think about the facades we put up for the rest of the world. Is the price of fame and fortune worth it? If you like drama, romance, Hollywood in the 1950s, and self-exploration, then this book is for you.
One Italian Summer
By: Rebecca Serle
Mother and daughters, a special bond that can never be broken, even in death. The death of your mother will break you, it’s just that simple. How do you pick up the pieces? You leave your husband and go to Italy for the summer with your mother’s journal from her trip to Italy. Summer in Italy, what more could anyone wish for! This book will have you wanting to jump on a plane to the Amalfi Coast and never come home! More importantly, the message of this novel reminds us that life is precious and to always appreciate what we have.
Hopefully you found some inspiration and great reads for this summer or anytime! All of these books can be found on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, our library, or Main Point Books located in downtown Wayne!
