I have been reading so many great books lately and I want to share some of my favorites across all genres that will be the perfect SUMMER read rather you find yourself on a tropical beach, on your front porch, or even in an air conditioned room.
Where’d You Go, Bernadette
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This book by Maria Semple will be coming out on the big screen in August with Cate Blanchett who plays agoraphobic architect, Bernadette who suddenly goes missing after an intervention about her family trip to Antarctica. This book is all kinds of crazy fun and a large portion of this book’s plot is driven by emails and letters between the characters and even FBI documents. I love how this book left behind standard narrative conventions and used different formats to piece together the story of Bernadette– very entertaining and a quick read for the summer!
The Sun Is Also a Star
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This may be a YA novel by Nicola Yoon, but I believe it should be read by all as it is very informative on immigration law and is one of the most diverse books I’ve ever read that also leaves room for imagination. This book is a coming-of-age story about Jamaican American Natasha Kingsley who has 24 hours until her family is deported to Jamaica, but she meets Korean American Daniel Bae who changes her life in that short period of time. This book is great for summer because you can lay out on the beach while also reading and informing yourself about taboo topics like deportation and racism. The movie starring Yara Shahidi and Charles Melton is being released in theaters next week so be sure to read this book before seeing the movie!
The Girls
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I absolutely adored this debut novel of Emma Cline’s despite the brutal atrocities committed within the pages of this book. This book which is loosely based on the Manson Family and the murder of Sharon Tate, follows the young and naive Evie who becomes captivated by a group of girls and their leader. What I loved most about this book was how Evie kept hinting at the murders what was about to happen without giving away too much until the end. This is a fascinating novel that I was quickly drawn into and if you haven’t read this book yet it should definitely be on your reading list.
Since You’ve Been Gone
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This is such a light-hearted novel by Morgan Matson that I actually read two summers ago, but out of any book on this list I believe it captures the summertime the best with its tale of friendship, witty and relatable characters, and summer adventures! This book follows Emily Hughes’ own enthralling adventure after her best friend Sloane disappears leaving Emily a bucket list of crazy challenges like kiss a stranger. I absolutely loved Emily’s character development in this book as she learned to embrace the unexpected and take risks– perfect for your own summer inspiration.
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo
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This book by Taylor Jenkins Reid is a PAGE TURNER. It took months for me to finally be able to take this book out from the library and I’m not surprised it’s on everyone’s reading list. This book follows journalist Monique who was chosen by Evelyn to recount her glamorous and even scandalous Hollywood life to including her seven husbands with a shocking twist at the end. What I loved most about this book is how real Evelyn felt– reading this book I thought I could instantly pull up one of her movies, but turns out she only exists within the pages of a book.
Sadie
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This was the last book I read so it’s still very fresh in my mind and it took me only two days to read because it was THAT GOOD. This novel by Courtney Summers is absolutely heartbreaking as it follows the story of Sadie who is a missing girl seeking revenge after her younger sister was found dead. This book stands apart from many like it because it weaves Sadie’s perspective with a transcribed podcast that is following the clues Sadie left behind. The podcast which occurred months after Sadie’s mission to find her sister’s killer made this book an experience as it gives two sides to the same harrowing story. My only complaint is that I didn’t like the ending as it didn’t provide much closure, but the brilliant writing style made up for this.
There are so many other great summer reading books, but these are the ones I love the most. I hope you consider adding these books to your summer reading list!
Sarah, xo