Let's be clear: who doesn't like reading on the beach while drinking a cup of fresh mint lemonade? The blazing sun kisses your face when, at the same time, the waves crash onto the beach like charging horses. Suddenly, you feel free.
You wish days like these could last forever, for eternity. You finally finish the book in your hands: the couple gets their happy ending and, now, they have two wonderful kids who look exactly like them.
It's time to welcome summer with captivating books that'll blow your head off! Whether it is a YA contemporary romance in a beach house or a mindblowing mystery thriller that ensues during a summer vacation, I've got you!
1. Beach Read by Emily Henry
"When I watch you sleep," he said shakily, "I feel overwhelmed that you exist".
Two writers, opposites, one who writes very satisfying endings and the other who makes sure each of his readers is crying in the book's last chapter. Augustus Everett and January Andrews, haunted by writer's block, learn to navigate life while residing at neighboring beach houses, until that specific night when life challenges them both.
Augustus is now responsible for the after-ever-happy endings. January is bound to draft the next Great American Novel. What will happen when life takes them on such a rollercoaster?
A contemporary romance penned by Emily Henry that manages to steal the hearts of uncountable readers! Mind adding it to your list?
Personal Rating: ✩✩✩✩.5/ 5 stars
2. The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han
“Moments, when lost, can't be found again. They're just gone.”
This fantastic coming-of-age romcom says everything about teen love. Belly Conklin, the female protagonist, spends every summer since she was born at Cousins Beach. Unlike all the summers before, this one is magical. Now, she has gotten pretty.
As the brothers start noticing her, she's lost in a love triangle that will make her heart swell. This book will make you laugh and tear up, sometimes very frustrated. Sooooo, prepare the tissues! It fills your heart with comfort and joy and makes you relate to the characters unbelievably <3.
Personal rating: ✩✩✩✩✩/ 5 stars
3. Book Lovers by Emily Henry
“Nora.” He just barely smiles. “You’re in books. Of course you don’t have a life. None of us do. There’s always something too good to read.”
Once again, featuring my all-time favorite author, Emily Henry! I can't help but feel like every book of hers should be on this list. That can't happen, though.
Nora and Charlie are two bibliophiles on vacation in a small town. As they edit manuscripts together, pick up coffee every morning, and dine at a local small-town restaurant, they discover that they share many things in common: more than their love for books.
Nora is an uptight literary agent who doesn't give that much energy to relationships. What will happen when she meets Charlie Lastra? A bad-tempered editor who happens to dislike the new-popular book written by her all-time favorite author. A funny, romantic, charming read filled with sister love and relationships.
Personal Rating: ✩✩✩✩✩/ 5 stars
4. The Island by Adrian McKinty
"Perhaps they are worse than evil—they are bored,” Petra said."
A heart-throbbing and gripping mystery thriller that will make you hide and scream in your pillow. You'll indeed wonder if what you are reading is real or just a dream.
Heather Baxter, a massage therapist, marries Tom after moving from a tiny rural village to Seattle. The new husband is a doctor who is widowed and has two children, Olivia and Owen. The new family decides to take a fun holiday abroad, but once they're in the middle of the Australian outback, the fatigued kids keep giving death stairs to their mom and complaining about everything.
To engage in the Australian experience, the kids insist on going to Dutch Island to explore all types of wild creatures there. When they finally arrive on that island, everything feels very weird. Suddenly, an accident happens, and BAM, the family's life is on the line.
The stepmother, Heather, now has to save herself to save her family. A jaw-dropping thriller that you can binge from start to finish while tanning at the beach. If you want a change from the romance, surely pick this one!
Personal rating: ✩✩✩.75/5 stars
5. Better than the movies by Lynn Painter
“I fell in love with teasing you in the second grade, when I first discovered that I could turn your cheeks pink with just a word. Then I fell in love with you.”
Books never get better than this. A fantastic rom-com with fake dating, enemies to lovers while Liz and Wes are neighbors and were child frienemies?!?! It certainly is every young-adult rom-com dream, fulfilled with family lessons, forgiveness, and growth while navigating through first loves and crushes. Both of these characters' cuteness is unbelievable! It includes everything your heart desires; rom-com references, playlists, cute plots, and romance. I'm very sure that you will smile throughout the whole book. :)
Personal rating: ✩✩✩✩✩/5 stars
6. One True Loves by Taylor Jenkins read
“Just because something isn’t meant to last a lifetime doesn’t mean it wasn’t meant to be.”
A very touching and devastatingly beautiful story that will make your heart throb. This book covers a massive lesson through the ending part that'll make you sob so you can't breathe. If you must let your emotions out and cry, this book is THE one.
Emma had always loved her high school sweetheart, Jesse. He was her other half, bound to be her soulmate. They traveled the world together, enjoying every moment to its fullest.
On their first wedding anniversary, Jesse is in a helicopter flying. Suddenly, the helicopter goes missing. After that heartbreaking news, Emma returns to her parents to move on and start a new life without him.
Emma reconnects with an old friend, Sam, and they start dating. It's her second chance to explore love, after being haunted by her ex-husband's ghost and old love for years. What will happen when she finds out half a demi-decade away that Jesse is not dead?
Personal rating: ✩✩✩✩.75/5 stars
7. Today Tonight Tomorrow by Rachel Lynn Solomon
There’s this word in Japanese: tsundoku,” Neil says suddenly.“It’s my favorite word in any language.” “What does it mean?”He grins. “It means acquiring more books than you could ever realistically read.”
An unforgettable read about two overachievers who continually compete for the best grades. Rowan is so anxious about the future, the fear of never becoming a romance novel writer is eating her up bit by bit. It is the last day of school, and a senior class game brings Rowan and Neil to Seattle.
They team up in order to beat a group of other seniors. They wanted to wait until every senior was out of the game, then conquer each other completely.
As they get to know each other, Rowan discovers that her nemesis isn't just a clever guy. He's way more than that. He might even be her dream guy.
It's a light-hearted read that will make you swoon over the characters. If you're a resident of Seattle, or this city is one of your favorite cities in the world, make sure to pick up this entertaining read!
Personal rating: ✩✩✩✩.75/5 stars
8. Ever Summer After by Carley Fortune
“I loved you so much that the word 'love' didn't seem big enough for how I felt.”
Friends to lovers and second chance romance immerged together to create a book that gives you such nostalgia. Percy adores writing, and Sam has read her stories and loves them. He wants to be a doctor to discover why his dad passed away at an early age.
They have hung out every summer since they were thirteen, wearing matching bracelets and living in the moment. The female main character, aged eighteen, did something that has been her biggest regret ever since. To forget everything that has happened in the past, she breaks up with Sam.
Twelve years later, Sam's mom dies. Sam's brother, Charlie, contacts Persephone and tells her to attend the funeral, since their mom was like a second mother to Percy. Even though she hasn't seen her first love in twelve years, she follows the funeral in Barry Bay.
Percy secretly hopes that she can see her first love again and confess her biggest regret. This story is about living in the past and never letting go of a person. It's a very satisfying read about romance, friendship, and family!
Personal Rating: ✩✩✩.75/5 stars
9. Love & Gelato by Jenna Evans Welch
“You know, people come to Italy for all sorts of reasons, but when they stay, it's for the same two things.""What?""Love and gelato.”
This coming-of-age story follows Lina visiting Italy for one summer to fulfill her mother's dying wish. Upon her arrival in Tuscany, she is given her mother's journal by her dad: Howard. The journal helps her to discover Florence, exploring hidden bakeries, secret romances, and art.
She soon discovers that her mother's college days weren't how she had imagined them. This book is a chef's kiss, too fluffy to the point that it will fill your heart with butterflies. It's funny, witty, romantic, and adorable with a swoon-worthy crush! Not to forget that it's a travel book set in Italy ;)
Personal rating: ✩✩✩✩.5/ 5 stars
Conclusion
Each one of these books takes you on a completely different adventure. I desperately hope that each of you has picked up at least one of these books to enjoy while tanning at the pool/beach. Don't forget to share with us your favorite book mentioned in this list. :) See you in my next article...
