Hot Summer Reads

It’s summertime, which means it’s the perfect time to find our next favorite read, whether enjoyed on the beach, during a road trip, in a hammock with a refreshing cocktail, or lounging in your own backyard! While the kids have theirs, we sat down with local book enthusiast, Jess Takatch of @readwithjesstagram to get her take on our own summer reading list. With a range of books and an entire summer before us, we have you covered. Come sit, sip, and escape to a new world or delve deeper into our own.

Every Summer After by Carley Fortune: This debut novel is the perfect nostalgic, binge worthy, summer read! This friends to lovers romance will offer you an escape to a summer cottage that you’ll never want to put down. You’ll smile, you’ll laugh, you’ll cry, and best of all, you’ll find your new favorite book!

The Paper Palace by Miranda Cowley Heller: One of my favorite and most thought provoking reads of last summer, The Paper Palace takes place in late summer on Cape Cod and will have you on the edge of your seat. This Women’s Fiction novel follows Elle, a 50 year-old mother and wife, whose world is suddenly turned upside down. This story is full of secrets, loves, and lies with an ending that will have your head spinning! This book is best read alongside a friend or two who you can immediately discuss and dissect the author’s every word with.

28 Summers by Elin Hilderbrand: Elin Hilderbrand is one of my favorite authors to read in the summertime! 28 Summers is one of my favorites by Elin, especially if you’re looking for a summer read that will also move you and stick with you long after you finish. From 1993 to 2020, you’ll experience an epic and heartbreaking love story that takes place on the island of Nantucket and find yourself looking up travel prices to visit the island yourself more than once. While this is one of my favorites, almost any Elin Hilderbrand book will transport you to Nantucket and give you a memorable love story, too.

The Wish by Nicholas Sparks: If you’re a fan of the old-school Nicholas Sparks novels, this story will bring you right back and feel like home. Told as a story within a story, I fell in love with the characters in this beautiful, heartbreaking story about first loves and how the choices we make can impact our lives forever. There was also a surprising twist at the end that I never saw coming! This story makes for a great summertime read, but make sure to have some tissues nearby!

Beach Read by Emily Henry: This story is the ultimate “beach read” romance book (if the title didn’t already give that away)! This enemies-to-lovers story is extremely funny and witty, but also heartwarming and emotional as two writers spend their summer as neighbors trying to get out of a rut while each dealing with their own difficulties and setbacks. Emily Henry is another great author to bring with you on your next beach trip, poolside, or just outside on your hammock! Her writing is beautiful and her characters are fun and easily lovable.

The Bromance Book Club by Lyssa Kay Adams: Don’t knock it ‘til you try it! This story is the first book in a hilarious series about men who create a book club and read romance novels in order to better understand women, how to be more romantic, and how to save their struggling marriages or relationships. I truly think anyone, man or woman, would truly enjoy this fun read this summer!

Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey: Whether you’re a Matthew McConaughey fan or not, this memoir was a fascinating story! I listened to the audiobook, which added an extra special element as it is told by Matthew McConaughey himself. He tells his own story with such humor and wit, it’s hard not to enjoy this one.

Survive the Night by Riley Sager: For fans of mystery/thriller novels, this is one of my favorites by Riley Sager! It reads like a screenplay of a true crime movie or TV show, which was so addicting. This eerie story, set in the early ‘90s, takes you on a road trip through the night with a complete stranger. Full of twists and turns, this was a great binge-worthy thriller that I couldn’t put down.

We Begin at the End by Chris Whitaker: For any man (or woman!) who loves crime drama series, this book is for you! Following the chief of police, who sent his best friend to prison thirty years earlier, this story is about both loss and hope. I recommend this book to everyone and anyone who will listen! This fiction novel was an easy read that I recommend reading outdoors, specifically under a shaded tree on a breezy day.

Beartown by Fredrik Backman: While this book doesn’t take place in the summertime, this is a great book for any time of year. Beartown follows a youth hockey team in a small town where hockey is everything! This story is about loyalty, commitment, friendship, and hardships. It’ll warm and break your heart many times. There is also a great sequel, Us Against You, that I loved as well.