Looking for the perfect beach read? Well, look no further. Here are 10 books to read this summer!
The Summer I Turned Pretty – Jenny Han
Belly measures her life in summers. Everything good that happens in her life happens between the months of June and August where she spends her time living with her mother, brother, and her mother’s best friend and her sons.
She has known Conrad and Jeremiah since she was a kid and this is the first summer that any of them has truly noticed her…
Obviously, this has been adapted into an Amazon Prime TV show but I think you should manage your expectations if you’re going to read the books. They were written quite a while ago and feel very different to the show. I love them but I understand they might not be for everyone! Team Conrad, obviously.
Monsters – Emerald Fennell
In a small Cornish seaside town, an unnamed orphan is spending her summer with her aunt and his horrible husband when the body of a young woman is found tangled up in fishing nets. Most of the town is horrified… but not the girl. She’s actually fascinated by murder and becomes deeply invested in all things dark and gory. She meets a new friend and together they investigate these murders and play murder games together.
This is set in a very odd town where you kind of end up rooting for these 2 weird children even though you shouldn’t simply because the rest of the town feels worse. One unique thing about it is the lack of a distinct time period. I honestly could not tell you when this book was set and I kind of loved that!
Uncle Paul – Celia Fremlin
Meg and Isabel want a quiet seaside holiday, but their older half-sister, Mildred, has just accidentally rented the same cottage she stayed in where her bigamist ex-husband Paul was arrested for the attempted murder of his first wife.
Mildred is convinced Paul is now out of prison and stalking her… but is she right?
Uncle Paul was originally published in the 1950s so you definitely have to keep that in mind when reading. It follows these sisters as they attempt to figure out if Uncle Paul is actually back or if they’re imagining everything? I think this could be a good introduction if you’re looking into getting into older books.
How to Honeymoon Alone – Olivia Hayle
After finding out her fiance has been cheating on her, Eden has decided to go on her honeymoon alone. She plans to relax on the beach and drink cocktails until she feels like herself again. But on the first night she bumps into Phillip, a grumpy workaholic who is also at the resort alone. They end up spending the entire trip together… and soon Eden begins to realise she might be falling for this man that she has just met.
This is a really fun and easy read for the summer. It’s perfect for fans of The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren, or even for people who hated The Unhoneymooners. This was similar but a lot better!
Second Chance Summer – Morgan Matson
Taylor has recently found out that her dad is dying. He doesn’t have much time left so the family is spending his final summer at their old lake house where they used to spend summers when Taylor was younger.
Going back means confronting things she’d rather ignore, like her old best friend Lucy, and her old crush, Henry. But also the fact that being back here means one thing – she is going to lose her dad before the summer is over.
This book is perfect for fans of The Summer I Turned Pretty. It’s summery, has a bit of a romance, and focuses on grief and coming to terms with losing a family member.
Wildfire – Hannah Grace
Russ Callaghan and Aurora Roberts meet at a party to celebrate the end of the academic year where they end up having a one night stand.
Aurora quickly rushes out in the morning and heads to the summer camp where she will be a camp counselor for the summer. But, when she arrives she learns that Russ is also a counselor and now they’re forced to work together for the entire summer in a place that has a very strict ‘no staff fraternising’ rule.
This is the best book (so far) in the Maple Hills series in my opinion. I love the two main characters, it has a really fun setting, and even has some cute little dogs!
Smart Girl Summer – Kristin Rockaway
Abby’s summer is not going as planned. After her PhD advisor steals her research, she decides to spend a summer away from academia.
Well, kind of. She accepts a job tutoring the daughter of a playboy billionaire on his yacht, but falling for boss was never part of the plan.
This one has a bit of an age gap, but it’s not too crazy that it’ll make you uncomfortable. It just feels so summery and, of course, is set on a yacht! It’s also a single dad romance for the people that love those.
The Paper Palace – Miranda Cowley Heller
55-year-old Elle is a happily married mother of three, but she’s just woken up at her family’s summer place to the knowledge that last night she slept with her oldest friend, Jonas.
Over the next 24 hours, Elle will look back on the life she has made with the husband that she loves and decide what it is she really wants.
This book is told via dual timelines. So, we follow Elle the day after she slept with her friend, and then her childhood as she meets and befriends Jonas. It definitely has some heavy subject matter so definitely check out the trigger warnings!
Only For the Week – Natasha Bishop
Janelle has somehow found herself as the maid of honour at the destination wedding between her sister and her ex-boyfriend. She doesn’t really want to be there and it’s not even really because she still likes her ex, she is fully over him and was never really that much invested in the relationship!
But, to cope with a whole week of wedding activities, she begins hooking up with the hot best man but promises herself that it will only last a week.
This is a super spicy romance that’s kinda short so it’s pretty easy to read. It also has a really cute romance with a fantastic male lead.
Patricia Wants to Cuddle – Samantha Allen
The final 4 women on a bachelor-style reality dating tv show are heading for a mysterious island in the Pacific Northwest for the finale of the show. Each woman came on the show for their own reasons and they’re all prepared to go right to the end.
Until they arrive on the island and realise there’s something not quite right.
Patricia is living alone in the dark of the woods watching as the reality show is filmed.
And, before any of the contestants can hope to make it to the end, they must first survive the night.This is a really fun book but it’s also really weird. I’m not really sure what I was expecting going into it. It’s a campy horror and I think you’ll have a lot of fun!
