8 Books You Should Read This Summer

For many people, their summer holiday is one of their only chances in the year to fully relax and unwind. For some, that means exploring a new destination and fully immersing themselves in the culture; for others, it means sitting by a pool for a week or two doing absolutely nothing other than eating, sleeping and reading a good book. Whatever you decide to do with your summer, here are the top books we think you should read to relax during the long, hot days. 

Beach Read - Emily Henry

We’re going to start with perhaps the most obvious book. With a title like Beach Read, how can you go wrong? Emily Henry is the queen of summer romance, any book of hers you pick up will make you want to fall in love in a tropical destination with a complete stranger, or maybe even your best friend… (*cough cough* People We Meet On Vacation.) No matter what Emily Henry book you pick up, you’re bound to be met with a steamy romance set in the sun. 

Beach Read follows two writers who are completely broke, have crippling writer's block and have one last chance. They are complete opposites, other than their fierce competitiveness. Swapping their usual genres is a huge risk, but with a bet on to see who can get published first, it’s all to play for.

Fever Dream - Elsie Silver

All Emmett needs to do is fake falling in love on a reality show, then all his family’s financial problems will be solved. Easy right? That is until the one girl he can’t go for walks onto set. Julia, the location consultant, is smart, snarky and beautiful. The hardest part isn’t that Julia isn’t a part of the show, it’s that she is the sister of his biggest professional rival. 

She’s been warned against him, but she just can’t seem to hate him, no matter how much she acts like she does. Their apparent public dislike for each other doesn’t hold up when they’re alone and soon Emmett is falling hard. For someone who isn’t on the show. With all his family’s financial issues hanging in the balance, can he put his growing feelings aside and fall for someone who is ON the show? 

Fever Dream is the steamy enemies-to-lovers romance that will have you smiling to yourself as you get deeper into the story. 

Five-Star Weekend - Elin Hilderbrand

Elin Hilderbrand is known for her summer novels.

Five-Star Weekend follows Hollis, who is trying to rebuild her life after her husband dies in a car accident. After discovering online that people have been inviting people from different eras of their lives on weekends away to reconnect, she decides it might be the perfect thing to do to help her grief. What she didn’t expect was the weekend to add more problems than she already had.

Although it is full of grief and misunderstandings, the overarching theme of friendship alongside the location of sunny Nantucket makes the novel the ideal summer read.

Sunstruck - William Rayfet Hunter

Did you enjoy watching Saltburn? Then chances are you’ll love Sunstruck. 

What could go wrong with joining your university friend on her family holiday to a luxury mansion in the South of France? Clearly nothing when you meet her handsome older brother, Felix, and you spend the summer falling in love. Felix is the embodiment of everything you want to be  - charming, wealthy, smart. The summer passes in a blur of perfect sun-streaked memories and you leave feeling invincible.  That is until you’re back home, and your societal differences start to cause cracks in their relationship.

Sunstruck is the perfect example of how love doesn’t see wealth, race or sexuality - but society does. 

Yesteryear - Caro Claire Burke

Natalie has it all. Perfect husband. Perfect children. Perfect home. Perfect life. At least online she does. Her ‘tradwife’ content is bringing in millions of followers, more money than she has ever seen in her life and is funding her dream lifestyle on a remote ranch in Idaho. But she still doesn’t feel content.

Everything is picture-perfect until she wakes up and she seems to have been transported back hundreds of years. Her family is acting as if nothing has changed. But she knows nothing is or will ever be the same. 

Whilst it’s not a typical book you’d pick up whilst trying to enhance the chill, summer vibes, Yesteryear is just one of those books that you cannot put down, which is perfect for those long days soaking up the sun. 

The Deal - Elle Kennedy:

Hannah Wells is a typical student. Smart, witty and crushing on someone on campus. Although she’s confident in every other part of life, a traumatic past experience has made her unsure on how to approach her campus crush. That is until Garrett Graham shows up offering her a fake date in exchange for tutoring so he doesn’t fail his senior year and his chance at going pro in hockey. 

Through the tutoring sessions, Garrett is improving academically and unexpectedly Hannah’s confidence is back. Until one unexpected kiss makes Garrett switch his plan from helping Hannah get the man she fancies, to wanting to be the man she fancies.

What better way to spend your summer than to experience their complicated relationship unfold…

A Killer In Paradise - Tom Hindle 

Nobody has heard from Abigail Blythe since the infamous backpacking trip ten years ago. Not until the whole group gets invited by her to a hotel opening in Costa Rica. The circumstances are strange, but who would turn down a free trip to Costa Rica?! 

Soon, old bonds are re-formed and everyone quickly adapts to the luxury lifestyle the new hotel brings. Until a body is discovered during the hotel launch. Those freshly healed bonds are broken instantly, and accusations are made based on what happened ten years ago… 

A Killer In Paradise is the book for you if you have plenty of time to kill… 

The Open Era - Edward Schmit 

If you loved Carrie Soto Is Back and Heated Rivalry, chances are you’re going to love The Open Era. Austin is the first openly gay man to play in the US Open. Diego is the #2 tennis player in the world. Their public rivalry starts to turn into something more friendly in private at first, then it starts to blossom into something deeper… 

Only one person can be the #1 tennis player in the world, so who is willing to make the sacrifice?

Sit back, relax and spend the hot summer days watching their complicated rivalry unfold. 

Whether you’re planning on hiking for days at a time, exploring a new city, sitting on the beach or by a pool, find some time to sit quietly with what could be your new favourite book!

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