The sun is out, it’s warm outside and there’s a book on your shelf waiting to be read. For readers, the summer is the perfect time to get some fresh air and into a good book. But for those who don’t already have their first book of the summer lined up, here are some great options to read on vacation.
“The Rest of the Story” by Sarah Dessen
Love, self-discovery and a summer like no other come together in “The Rest of the Story” by Sarah Dessen. The young adult romance novel tells the story of Emma Saylor Payne and the summer she spends with the estranged family of her late mother in the fictional town of North Lake. With the help of Christopher “Roo” Price, the enigmatic boy next door, Emma finds more than she could ever expect in North Lake both when it comes to her mother and herself. Released in June 2019, “The Rest of the Story” has been one of my go-to summer reads for the past five years. My copy is falling apart and annotated to death. I know the story backward and forward. And yet I keep coming back because Dessen’s novel is so much more than a simple romance, it’s a story about overcoming trauma and becoming so much more than you could have ever imagined. If you’re looking for a sentimental read, with just a hint of romance, “The Rest of the Story” is the summer book for you.
“We Were Liars” by E. Lockhart
When it was released in May 2014, “We Were Liars” by E. Lockhart took the book community by storm. In late 2019, when the literature-loving community of “BookTok” really began to have an influence on the social media app TikTok, the book began to have a resurgence in popularity. Lockhart’s novel centers around Cadence Sinclair Eastman and the summers she spends at her grandfather’s estate called Clairmont on Beechwood Island, a fictional island the family owns. During the summer when she was 15, Cadence suffered from a serious head wound that resulted in her losing a lot of her memories from that summer. When she returns to Beechwood Island two years later, Cadence is greeted with a much different Clairmont then the one she grew up with, and she must try to figure out what happened during the year she refers to as “summer fifteen.”
When it comes to mysteries, “We Were Liars” will keep you hooked till the very end. As the book progresses you uncover what happened that summer at the same time Cadence does. Sometimes this leaves you feeling incredibly in the dark, but it’s that feeling that makes the novel so hard to put down. If you are a fan of suspense, “We Were Liars” is a summer mystery to add to your list, and make sure to read it before Amazon’s TV adaptation of the book comes out this summer on June 18.
“Never Let Me Go” by Kazuo Ishiguro
I am of the personal belief that the free time I have in the summer is a great time to get into more “classic literature.” You know, the books I have been wanting to read but have been slightly avoiding because it seems like they will be too much and too timely. But reading books that challenge you is one of the pleasures of reading and a good place to start this summer is with Kazuo Ishiguro’s novel “Never Let Me Go,” which was released in 2005.
While Ishiguro’s entire body of work is excellent, “Never Let Me Go” is by far one of his most popular novels and my personal favorite. Taking place in a more dystopic version of 1990s England, the book centers around Kathy as she recounts her life from the time she spent as a child at Hailsham, a seemingly normal boarding school, to her present-day self, who cares for those donating their organs. Ishiguro’s book forces us to reexamine the human experience and take a deeper look at how we define the act of being alive. For avid readers and fans of classic literature, “Never Let Me Go” is a powerful read and one you should definitely check out.
“I’m Glad My Mom Died” by Jennette McCurdy
Don’t be too shocked by the title, released August 2022, “I’m Glad My Mom Died” is the debut memoir by writer and filmmaker Jennette McCurdy. Formally known for her role as Sam Puckett on the Nickelodeon sitcom “iCarly,” McCurdy has made a name for herself outside of the children’s show and has worked hard to become so much more than the character she portrayed 18 years ago. In her novel, McCurdy discusses her experience as a child actor and her relationship with her controlling mother. Despite the heavy topics of the book, McCurdy’s writing is funny and refreshing, making the memoir so much more of an easier read than one would expect. With short chapters and engaging writing, “I’m Glad My Mom Died” is a book you won’t be able to put down.
“Beach Read” by Emily Henry
You can’t talk about great summer reads without bringing up Emily Henry and her extensive collection of summer-coded stories. Though her debut novel titled “The Love That Split the World” came out in 2016, Henry is typically known for her more recent stand-alone romance novels starting with “Beach Read,” which came out in 2020. The book follows college rivals January Andrews, a successful romance writer, and Augustus “Gus” Everett, an acclaimed literary fiction author, when they end up becoming neighbors in the fictional town of North Bear Shores, Michigan. Both struggling with writer’s block, the two authors challenge each other to write stories in the other’s genres. As the two deal with challenges in their personal lives and the obstacles that the writing bet brings, they also begin to grow closer and eventually fall in love.
Along with “Beach Read,” the rest of Henry’s romance novel collection has consistently gained a lot of popularity in the book community, something that is sure to continue with the release of Henry’s latest novel “Great Big Beautiful Life,” which came out April 22. Along with her latest novel, the film adaptation of her book “People We Meet on Vacation” is currently in production, and it seems like the hype surrounding her books will continue into the summer. So, for those who haven’t read any of Henry’s books, or anyone who’s looking to read more from her, “Beach Read” is quite literally the beach read for you.
