There’s no better time to read than during the summer- to lay out by the pool, cozy up under the shade, or have your toes in the sand while reading a good book. I love reading in the summer too because I have a lot more time, since I don’t have school. I’ve been fairly consistent with reading during the school year, but I haven’t had as much time as I’d hoped, and I would feel guilty for reading instead of doing homework. My reading taste is pretty all over the place, but when I think summer reads, I think of thrillers, books set at the beach, or rom coms. A lot of these I’ve recommended in other book posts before, but some are new, that I haven’t talked about yet! Here are my top fifteen recommendations for your next summer read!
- Better Than the Movies: I read this one back in March, and it is definitely one of my favorite young adult books I’ve read recently. It’s a fake dating to lovers themed book, and it is so funny and relatable. I actually laughed out loud reading, and I think it’s perfect for an easy read in the summer!
- Summer of Broken Rules: Another summer related book, and I loved the setting of Martha’s Vineyard in this one. This one is also YA and it is a little cheesy, but it has a fun plot, it’s set at a wedding, and the characters are easy to get attached to!
- The Night Swim: This is a thriller, and I love how it’s a mix between a podcast transcript and court room drama. There are kind of two mysteries going on at once, but it all comes together really nicely with a twist at the end.
- When Life Gives You Lululemons: This is definitely more lighthearted and cheesy, which makes it the perfect beach read! It’s by the author of The Devil Wears Prada, and it’s set in the rich suburbs of Greenwich, CT. I loved the three main characters and their friendship, and it was such a fun, quick read.
- The Blue Bistro: Elin Hilderbrand is the queen of beach reads, and this is one of my favorites by her. It’s set at a restaurant in Nantucket, and it’s about the drama and love story between different people at the bistro. I love the restaurant scenes and her depiction of summer in Nantucket.
- One to Watch: I read this one last summer, and I wish the author had more books because I absolutely loved how it was written! It’s about a plus-sized influencer who goes on a Bachelor-style show, and she struggles to find someone who accepts her the way she is. I loved the main character, and the book also has snippets of interviews, blog posts, and tweets that all relate to the Bachelor show. I flew through this!
- The Last Mrs. Parrish: This is a pretty popular thriller, and it was worth the hype! This woman becomes obsessed with Mrs. Parrish and her family, and she is insanely jealous of her life. She slowly starts to wedge her way into their family’s life, but she has her own mysterious background and dirty secrets that come to light!
- Every Last Secret: This one kind of reminded me of TLMP, and it’s a really fast-paced read. This woman is super jealous of the rich family that lives next door, and she tries to take over the wife’s life, steal her husband, and take their money for herself. There are lots of twists, and I could never tell what was going to happen next.
- The Rumor: Another Elin Hilderbrand book! This one is just a fun, easy beach read set in Nantucket. It is from multiple POVs from different characters in town, all talking about different drama and rumors going around. I thought it was really fun, and it was interesting how quickly all the rumors spread.
- The Ex Talk: If you love rom-coms and podcasts, this is the perfect book for you! A girl who works at a radio station is about to lose her job, but she frantically suggests starting a dating/advice show. At first she really dislikes her coworker, but they have to pretend to like each other for the podcast. I’m sure you can guess what happens from there… 😉
- American Royals: This is more YA style, but I absolutely loved the idea and premise behind it! It’s set in modern day America, but if the country had a king instead of a president. It’s a fun mix of royal family drama mixed with cute relationships. The third book to this is coming out in a few weeks, and I can’t wait!
- An Anonymous Girl: I really enjoy all the thrillers that these authors write, but this is probably my favorite! It’s about a woman who signs up for a psychology study to make some extra money, but the psychiatrist leading the study starts to intrude on her personal life. It kept me guessing the entire time!
- One of Us Is Lying: This is super popular, and it’s been turned into a show on Peacock that I want to try to watch soon! It’s described as Pretty Little Liars meets The Breakfast Club, where a group of high schoolers are trying to figure out who murdered one of their classmates. I love the alternating POVs and the twists and turns.
- The Perfect Couple: This was the first Elin Hilderbrand book I read, and I think it’s still my favorite. It’s a mix of romance, drama, and mystery. It’s about a wedding set on Nantucket, but the day of the wedding, someone shows up dead.
- The Lion’s Den: This is the epitome of a perfect beach read: a little dramatic, set on a yacht/traveling to different countries, romance, and a thriller. All in one! This one is so fun, and I loved how it was set on a yacht. The characters traveled all around Europe and the descriptions of the different countries gave me major travel envy. The mystery throughout the story was a little far-fetched, but it was still fun!
I’m always on the hunt for new beach reads, so definitely drop your favorites down below!