Summer has to be my favorite reading season. Everything feels a little more free. There’s more sunshine, longer days, warm weather, cozy storms that blow in, and it all just breeds this perfect reading environment. I think it also feels so nostalgic because summertime as a kid is when you just have hours upon hours to read and lose yourself in a book.
So as we enter this summer reading season, I wanted to share some of my recommendations, new releases I am excited about, and what is on my personal summer tbr.
Summer Book Ideas in video form!
New & Recent Releases
Summer Romance by Annabel Monaghan - released June 4, 2024
Closed door single mom romance
The Perfect Putt by Annah Conwell - released June 6, 2024
Closed door golf romance
The Rom-Commers by Katherine Center - released June 11, 2024
Screenwriters working together on a rom com!
A Novel Love Story by Ashley Poston - releases June 25, 2024
Magical realism romance where the female main character finds herself living in the town from her favorite romance series
The Summer of Yes by Courtney Walsh - releases July 2, 2024
Women’s fiction
The Grandest Game by Jennifer Lynn Barnes - releases July 30, 2024
Inheritance Games world!
Recommendations
Funny Story, Happy Place, People We Meet on Vacation, Beach Read, & Book Lovers by Emily Henry
More info linked here!
The Cheat Sheet, The Rule Book, When in Rome, and Practice Makes Perfect by Sarah Adams
all closed door except The Rule Book - skip ch 34!
Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
Coming of age murder mystery with lots of nature
The Water Keeper, The Letter Keeper, & The Record Keeper by Charles Martin
General Christian fiction
Bookshop By the Sea by Denise Hunter
Small beach town, second chance, with a bookstore!
Happiness for Beginners by Katherine Center
Women’s fiction + romance, very outdoorsy
The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren
Hawaii “honeymoon”!
Love and Gelato, Love and Luck, & Love and Olives by Jenna Evans Welch
YA European romance adventures
Check out other reading lists and inspiration here!
TBR
Non-Romance
The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan (or any nostalgic re-read for you)
Young adult adventure, fantasy, and greek mythology
Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah
Women’s fiction story of friendship spanning decades
The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness by Jonathan Haidt
Non-fiction
Talking to Strangers by Malcom Gladwell
Non-fiction
Romance
Tried & True
Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez
Summer romance set in Minnesota
Nora Goes Off Script by Annabel Monaghan
Single mom closed door romance with a movie star!
Same Time Next Summer by Annabel Monaghan
Second chance romance on Long Island
Girl Meets Grump by Hailey Gardiner
Closed door outdoorsy romance
Expiration Dates by Rebecca Serle
Magical realism romance
The Paradise Problem by Christina Lauren
Rich heir romance
One True Loves by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Romance exploring the idea of true love!
How to Love Your Neighbor by Sophie Sullivan
Closed door neighbor romance set at the beach!
Summer Reading by Jenn Mckinlay
Martha’s vineyard beach romance
Young Adult
The Summer of Broken Rules by K.L. Walther
Martha’s vineyard romance
Second Chance Summer by Morgan Matson
Emotional summer romance
The Summer I Turned Pretty, It’s Not Summer Without You, & We’ll Always Have Summer by Jenny Han
Trilogy + now a TV show!
Beach Cute by Beth Reekles
Follows the story of 3 girls at the same beach resort
Under the Radar TBR
Love Unscripted by Denise Hunter
Small beach town with fake dating & movie making!
Summer Fridays by Suzanne Rindell
Summer in the 90s in NYC
Wild About You by Kaitlyn Hill
Outdoorsy reality TV show
One of a Kind by Jane Lovering
Combo mystery romance set in england
Falling Slow by Sydney Muse
Closed door romance set at a mountain resort with horses!
Famous for a Living by Melissa Ferguson
Closed door romance between an influencer and park ranger in Montana
The Magic of Sea Glass by Jenny Hale
Closed door women’s fiction / romance set in the Outer Banks
Thank you so much for reading! Let me know what is on your list to read this summer!
Take care,
Caroline
The first book I read this summer was The Magic Strings of Frankie Presto by Mitch Albom. It was a wonderful, thought-provoking story about the life of Frankie Presto, a fictional guitarist from Spain who comes to America in the 1960s and hits the big time. He rubs elbows with Elvis Presley, the Beatles, and other artists in a Forrest Gump way. Excellent read for anyone who enjoys music! I’m currently reading 11/22/63 by Stephen King. I’m only a few pages into this 800-page historical fiction book involving time travel. It may take most of the summer for me to read though! 😀 But I highly recommend both of these books! And if you have not read any books by Mitch Albom, you need to check out some of his. He is an excellent author!