My Summer Reading List
Looking for books to read in the summer? This summer reading list is filled with stories that sweep you away — whether you’re dreaming of a seaside escape, craving a nostalgic love story, or ready to dive into something timeless and thought-provoking. With a mix of contemporary, romance, historical fiction, and classic reads, there’s something on this reading list for every kind of book lover. And to savor your reads all season long, be sure to download my free book tracker to help you stay inspired and organized!
Table of Contents:
This post is a part of my What to Read series, where I share themed reading lists and book guides based on genre, time period, theme, or author.
You can peruse more of my What to Read reading guides here!
Great Books to Read in the Summer
Contemporary & Romance
Problematic Summer Romance by Ali Hazelwood
The quintessential summer read, this book is primarily set in Italy, where the protagonists are visiting for a summer wedding. Maya, the younger sister of the groom, has a confusingly romantic-but-not-really relationship with her brother’s best friend, Conor. After months of distance, the pair is thrown together once more for the wedding trip, and details of their not-quite-relationship come to light.
Available from Amazon and Bookshop.org.
People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry
As with any Emily Henry novel, I was sucked in right from the start. With a dynamic intro scene that introduces the reader to Poppy and Alex in an unusual way, I knew I would be a fan of this book.
Poppy is quirky, but not too far into the manic pixie dream girl archetype to feel cliche. Alex feels like a real person, he is written so lifelike and consistent. The layout of the book, with a series of alternating time jumps to previous vacations, could get complicated at times, but it all comes together beautifully by the end. Check out my full review here!
Available from Amazon and Bookshop.org.
Just for the summer by Abby Jimenez
After connecting via a Reddit thread, Justin and Emma realize they’re both “cursed” — every time they break up with someone, that person goes on to meet their soulmate. The pair make a deal to date each other and break up, thus taking advantage of the curse for themselves. As you can imagine, this doesn’t go exactly according to plan. This book is full of witty banter, cute animals, and great characters. A rom com books must-read!
Available from Amazon and Bookshop.org.
Story of my Life by Lucy Score
The number of times I was literally laughing out loud reading this book…! So good! Described as “A Gilmore Girls meets Schitt’s Creek redemption romcom“, I had high hopes for this one, and it certainly delivered. The story is funny, full of Gilmore Girl-esque townies and town meetings, which the protagonist, Hazel, has to navigate upon her arrival from NYC.
Available from Amazon and Bookshop.org.
One Golden Summer by Carly Fortune
Alice, a photographer with a creative block, sets out to spend the summer at the lake with her grandmother. The stay is part recovery time for her grandmother, who had broken her hip, and part a sabbatical for Alice, who is dealing with burnout and a sense of creative crisis. Of course, nothing is that simple, and Alice comes face-to-face with the subject of one of her favorite photos ever taken, and things get complicated real fast.
Available from Amazon and Bookshop.org.
The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides
A hypnotic coming-of-age story, The Virgin Suicides follows the five fatally-melancholic Lisbon daughters. Jeffrey Eugenides paints a haunting portrait of what, from the outside, looked like the perfect middle-class American family. Bonus for this one: Sofia Coppola directed an equally hypnotic film version with Kirsten Dunst as Lux Lisbon, the protagonist of the Lisbon sisters.
Available from Amazon and Bookshop.org.
Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Like Taylor Jenkins Reid’s The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, Malibu Rising is a fast-paced novel with an ensemble cast. A book with so many characters should not be so easy to follow. However, Reid has a mythic talent for orienting her reader and leading them through a tangled web of family and social drama.
The book follows the Riva siblings, four close-knit twenty-somethings continuously dealing with the fallout from major family losses. It is realistic in its emotions, dramatic without being over the top. All in all, a great, quick read. As far as great books to read in the summer go, this one perfectly encapsulates the warm weather vibe.
Available from Amazon and Bookshop.org.
Classics & Historical Fiction
The Song of the Lark by Willa Cather
The portrait of a young, rural artist in the late 19th century, Willa Cather’s The Song of the Lark follows Thea Kronborg as she pursues a career in music. This has always been one of my favorite works by Willa Cather, and it stands well on it’s own; however, it is typically considered the second installment of three in a so-called “Prairie Trilogy.” If you want to follow the trilogy, pick up O Pioneers! first.
Available from Amazon and Bookshop.org.
Next Year in Havana by Chanel Cleeton
Currently included in the Audible Plus catalog, Next Year in Havana was a fantastic audiobook, and I listened to it in a matter of days. Telling the multi-generational story of a Cuban-American family exiled from Cuba after Castro came to power, Chanel Cleeton taught me more about Cuban (and Floridian) history than I ever got in school.
With various layers to the narrative, Cleeton’s Next Year in Havana had the potential to be confusing or disorienting, but was anything but. She leads the reader through the political unrest of then-and-now with a deft hand. I almost didn’t want it to end, until I realized it was part of a series!
Available from Amazon and Bookshop.org.
The Last Party at Silverton Hall by Rachel Burton
A gripping historical and contemporary romance story, Rachel Burton’s The Last Party at Silverton Hall is truly among the great books to read in the summer. This book bridges the story of two women in two different centuries. Their lives, it turns out, are impacted by a single night at a summer vacation destination. Described as a “heartbreaking tale of family, duty, and the secrets we keep from those we love most,” Burton’s latest novel will keep you engaged from start to end.
Available from Amazon and Bookshop.org.
The Voyage Out by Virginia Woolf
Virginia Woolf’s first novel, The Voyage Out features a stream of consciousness narrative centered around a young woman traveling by ship from London to South America. It is a love story, in some ways, but more of a satire about social mores of Woolf’s time. Even if the novel covers the Edwardian era, many of the sentiments are enticingly contemporary for today’s reader.
Available from Amazon and Bookshop.org.
The Awakening by Kate Chopin
The Awakening is a classic summer read and one of the first that I thought of for my list of great books to read in the summer. This iconic feminist novel follows the protagonist, Edna Pontellier’s, self-discover through a summer romance and rejection of social conventions. Many of us likely read this in school at some point, but it’s worth revisiting with fresh eyes this summer.
Available from Amazon and Bookshop.org.
Husbands & Lovers by Beatriz Williams
There are multiple storylines throughout this book, and I definitely had a favorite (the most contemporary thread), but I appreciate Beatriz Williams’ efforts to weave two sets of lives and stories together. Williams’ writing is so lifelike and emotive, you really feel like you know the characters (particularly Mallory and Monk, the protagonist couple). You’ll laugh, you’ll tear up — all the emotions!
Available from Amazon and Bookshop.org.
Shop the Books in this Summer Reading Guide
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*This post was originally published in 2020. It was most recently updated on April 27, 2026.
