Summer Reads

Excuse my High School Musical reference, but it is in fact summer, and that means hanging out at the pool, taking nice walks, and reading on the beach! It also means blistering heat and sweating, but that’s not the point! Summer is great. But what’s even greater is the books! So much time to read books! So today I’m going to recommend some books that have a summer vibe/take place in the summer so you can get in the spirit of this wonderful season! Let’s get started!

• Summer State of Mind, Jen Calonita

This book is about Harper McCallister, who plans to spend her summer shopping with her friends and lounging by the pool, but all that is thrown away when her father sends her to summer camp. This is a companion to Jen Calonita’s book Sleepaway Girls, which I haven’t read yet, but I know that it also takes place during the summer. Summer State of Mind is an amazing book that will get you in, well, a summer state of mind (I am so sorry for that I’m just going to leave)

• We Were Liars, E. Lockhart

We Were Liars follows Cadence Sinclair, who visits her family’s island after an accident that left her with no memory of Summer Fifteen on the island. As the book progresses, we get more insight on what happened to Cadence and the consequences that ensued. This book is one of those that you either love or you hate, and I definitely loved it. E. Lockhart is an amazing author, and I’ve enjoyed every one of her works.

• The Unexpected Everything, Morgan Matson

Morgan Matson tends to write books about summer, but hey, I’m not complaining. In this one, our main character Andie has the perfect plan for the summer: attend an internship far away from her father, a politician who is practically nonexistent in Andie’s life. When a political scandal erupts, that perfect plan goes down the drain. In its place goes a summer of walking dogs and meeting a guy she may or may not have feelings for. I really enjoyed this book, so if you like fun YA fiction, then you should give this a try

• The Loose Ends List, Carrie Firestone

Another summer plan gone wrong. Maddie has plans to spend the summer before college tying up high school’s loose ends, but that was before she found out that her grandmother became very ill. Instead of spending the summer with her friends, she’s going on a “death with dignity” cruise that her grandmother sent her whole family on. I wrote an extended review on this blog, so you can go check it out here.

• With Malice, Eileen Cook

This book was insane. It spins the story of a girl, Jill, who was in a car accident that killed her best friend, Simone, on a trip to Italy. But everything is not what it seems (ignore the Wizards of Waverly Place reference) Lots of people think that Jill killed Simone on purpose. But with Jill's memory of the trip completely blank, she isn't sure what to believe. All she knows it that she would never kill Simone. This book was filled with twists and turns and I loved every minute of it.

• Summer Days and Summer Nights, by various authors.

This book is a collection of short stories by various authors, all of which take place in the summertime. Sometimes it can be nice to read something other than a full-length novel, and this book gave me that refreshing feel.

And though this post was short, I hope you enjoyed! Quick announcement: I have started a bookstagram! You can check me out on both Instagram and Litsy, and both handles are justanotherfangirlhi. That’s all! I hope you all have a great summer! Thanks for reading,

-Ari