With summer approaching fast and so much free time on your hands, maybe try out a bit of reading this year! This list of great summer books will make this the best chapter of your year.

The Summer Of Broken Rules

K.L. Walther

This absolute page-turner introduces us to eighteen year old Meredith as she deals with the death of her sister during a family wedding at Martha’s Vineyard. As she navigates wedding party duties and family traditions, she struggles with reminders of her sister everywhere and is determined to keep her memory alive. Her trip takes a turn when she falls for Wit, a groomsman who is constantly distracting her from honoring her sister. Through its main character, the novel shows the difficulties of handling grief and the importance of moving on without forgetting.

Radio Silence

Alice Oseman

This book follows two main characters, Aled and Francis, who struggle immensely with the weight of the expectations placed upon them by their peers, teachers, and parents. The book shows how the two friends deal with their stress in unique ways, until the pressure becomes too much and leads to disaster. The story centers on the freedom of being yourself and knowing that sometimes you need to let go to really live your best life.

Cleopatra’s Daughter

Michelle Moran

This historical fiction novel is based on the early life of Cleopatra Selene and her brothers, Alexander Helios and Ptolemy, after they were captured from Egypt by Octavian’s army. While the story is one of tragedy, it is set in the warmth of Rome and portrays images of childlike innocence and the rise of the Roman Empire through the eyes of a ten-year-old girl.

The Summer I Turned Pretty

Jenny Han

This is probably the first book most people think of when discussing summer reading. This iconic novel follows a teenage girl named Belly and her brother Steven who have spent every summer of their lives at a beach house owned by their mother’s best friend, Susannah. This summer proves to be different than the rest when Belly starts to fall for Susannah’s two sons, Conrad and Jeremiah. The trilogy explores the themes of nostalgia, first love, and growing up.

The People We Meet On Vacation

Emily Henry

The story shows us an unlikely pair of friends who have been vacationing together once a summer for years. Alex and Poppy have seen different parts of the world together and were best friends until everything came crashing down on a trip to Croatia two years ago. Now, after not speaking to each other since their last trip, Poppy convinces him to take one last trip with her. This deeply emotional but also incredibly funny novel mainly focuses on the idea of forgiveness.

The Summer Book

Tove Jansson

A six-year-old girl named Sophia and her elderly grandmother spend their summer on a remote island in the Gulf of Finland. The story shows them discovering the island’s natural beauty and discussing life and death. We see them forge a unique bond and share beautiful experiences as Sophia learns to deal with grief over a lost loved one. While this book might start in late spring, its summer imagery is very strong and really portrays the feeling of the warmer months on a small island.

Sunkissed

Kasie West

After being betrayed by her best friend and being dragged by her parents to a family vacation for the next two months, seventeen-year-old Avery is convinced that her summer can not get any worse. But when she starts to hang around Brooks, a charming boy working at her resort, her feelings about the place start to change. Avery goes on a journey of self-discovery and is given the chance to change everything, making her wonder how far she is willing to go to realize what she wants to do with her life.

One Golden Summer

Carley Fortune

A photographer named Alice returns to her hometown to take care of her ailing grandmother. When she arrives, she starts to rekindle with Charlie, the subject of her most famous photo. As she spends the summer with him in their small town, she begins to feel seventeen again. She struggles to navigate the complexities of her adult life back in the place that she used to call home, and longs to spend the rest of her life there.

Artifacts of an Ex

Jennifer Chen

Set in sunny California, it’s a story of love, heartbreak, and moving on. The book follows sixteen-year-old Chloe as she moves from New York City to Los Angeles. As if moving across the country isn’t hard enough, she just got dumped by her boyfriend through a box of their memories sent in the mail. Instead of throwing it out, Chloe is determined to turn her pain into a work of art. When flashy influencers and a nagging teenage boy threaten to ruin all of her hard work, she begins to learn that sometimes the best way to be in total control is to let things go a little bit.

Dandelion Wine

Ray Bradbury

In a small town in rural Illinois, 38-year-old Doug Spalding reminisces on the summer of 1928, when he was 12 years old. He does this by traveling back in time and befriending his younger self as Mr. Forrester, a stranger to the town. The story shows Douglas coming to terms with life at a young age and his older self dealing with immense loneliness. He hopes that by reliving the best time of his life he will be able to rediscover the things that truly made him happy.