Page Turners of the Season: 12 Must-Read Summer Books You Need
Need a book rec for that upcoming vacay? We got you.
Summer isn’t just a great time for movie blockbusters; it’s also prime season for epic reads. There is no shortage of books that come out in the summer just in time for you to throw in your beach or vacation bag (or download on your device to read or listen to!). Here are twelve summer blockbuster novels that published this season that you should add to your TBR. As always, we’d love to hear what books you’ve been reading this summer!
May
One Golden Summer by Carley Fortune
A standalone novel that also is a sequel to Fortune’s first runaway bestseller, Every Summer After, this novel revisits characters from that first novel. Alice, a photographer, and her grandmother return to Barry’s Bay, a picturesque lakeside town where she spent one transformative summer when she was seventeen. She confronts Charlie Florek (remember him?), the subject of her famous photograph from many years ago–and sparks fly.
The Names by Florence Knapp
The Read With Jenna pick for May, this novel, set in the 1980s and spanning 35 years, investigates the effects of domestic abuse through a unique premise. Cora is in an abusive marriage and must choose a name for her newborn son. The story follows three timelines, each one where she chooses a different name. The novel explores how a name can shape a life.
My Friends by Fredrik Backman
Bestselling Swedish author Fredrik Backman (A Man Called Ove) returns with a novel about friendship. Told in two different timelines, the novel tells the story of four friends who create a painting, a symbol of their friendship. Twenty-five years later, a young woman recently out of foster care and grieving her best friend receives the painting and sets out to uncover its past, leading her to the small town where it was created.
Problematic Summer Romance by Ali Hazelwood
Bestselling author Ali Hazelwood writes the kind of romance novels that fans gobble up the minute they’re released. This novel boasts not just a will they/won’t they love story but an armchair getaway to boot. Maya has a crush on her brother’s best friend, a much older man. It would never work between them. But Maya’s brother is getting married–in a highly romantic Sicilian destination and, well, whatever happens on vacation…
June
Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Taylor Jenkins Reid has had a meteoric rise to success–and her new novel reflects it. The story follows a fictional female astronaut who is navigating a crisis on a mission, and reflecting on her training as a young astronaut in the 1980s. The novel has LGBTQ representation and explores the little-known lives of women in the space program.
The River is Waiting by Wally Lamb
This Oprah’s Book Club pick–and instant New York Times bestseller–is the latest from bestselling prolific author Wally Lamb (She’s Come Undone). Corby Ledbetter is a new father when he loses his job and his secret addiction throws his life into disarray and a tragedy turns it upside down. In prison, he finds grace in small acts of kindness and a desire for rehabilitation as he comes to terms with the humanity of his fellow inmates.
The Compound by Aisling Rawle
The GMA Book Club Pick for June, this novel asks: what happens when you combine a reality TV show like Love Island with Survivor? Lily is one of twenty beautiful twentysomethings living and competing in a remote desert compound. The challenges are outrageous but lucrative, and whoever stays the longest, wins. But when things turn dangerous, it’s hard to tell the difference between playing the game and simply surviving.
Caught Up: An Into Darkness Novel by Navessa Allen
This dark, contemporary romance is the second book in a trilogy. A mafia story, the book follows Junior and Lo who share a complicated past. It’s a steamy read with themes of trauma, obsession, and danger. Perfect fare for summer reading.
July
The Woman in Suite 11 by Ruth Ware
In a followup to the New York Times bestselling The Woman in Cabin 10, journalist Lo Blacklock returns. Now a mother, she is desperate to return to her journalism career–and is hoping to do it by interviewing reclusive billionaire luxury hotel owner Marcus Leidmann. She attends the opening in Switzerland, and thinking she’s landed the interview, she is instead greeted by his distraught mistress–leading to a dangerous escapade to help her escape.
An Inside Job by Daniel Silva
In this action packed thriller, art restorer and spy Gabriel Allon is granted the opportunity of a lifetime: to restore an otherwise unknown painting of a young woman by Leonardo DaVinci. It’s been languishing in a Vatican storeroom for over 100 years–and so nobody notices when it goes missing. That’s not all: Gabriel discovers the body of a woman floating in the Venetian Lagoon, and soon he’s on a whirlwind trip through the dark art world and galleries across Europe.
The Girl I Was by Jeneva Rose
If you’re a fan of 13 Going on 30, this one might strike your fancy. But instead of wishing to be older, this is a story about reliving your past. After a night of drinking, Alexis wakes up to find herself staring back at her 18-year old self. Back in her college town, she must confront her younger self who made reckless decisions, and deal with the fallout of her present life. Can she change her future?
Immortal Consequences by I. V. Marie
This July YA GMA Book Club Pick is highly anticipated–and comes out just in time for back to school vibes. What if purgatory was an enchanted boarding school, and you had to compete for your eternal fate? This twisty, dark academia fantasy follows six pupils of Blackwood Academy: two academic archrivals, a deathly ambitious student, a young soul mourning the loss of a love, a charming playboy, and a newcomer. They all must compete in the Decennial, a magical competition where only one winner will make their way out.
Summer isn’t over yet! We are looking forward to new releases in August. We Are All Guilty Here by Karin Slaughter is sure to thrill. We can’t wait for Loved One by Emmy award winning writer Aisha Muharrar whose work includes Parks & Recreation, Hacks and The Good Place. And dark academia-set Katabasis, the followup to Yellowface by R.F. Kuang, will be perfect for those back to school vibes. What are you reading this summer? Let us know in the comments!
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