Happy summer solstice! Welcome to summer, where the days are long, but the tbr lists are longer. ?
I don’t know what it is about summer but I’m dying to be on the beach or at the pool somewhere with a stack of books. Honestly, I used to looked down upon the “beach read”, but since I’ve recently gotten into romance novels, I now truly understand their value. Summer is a time where I just want a light, easy read where the characters are relatable and the dialogue flows smoothly. I want my summer books to be plot-driven and compelling. Basically, the best books for summer are the ones that you read just to see what happens, not to learn anything.
If you want to turn your brain off and just enjoy a window into someone else’s fictional life, check out these books on my reading list for summer 2024.
Summer Book List 2024
Practice Makes Perfect by Sarah Adams
Genre: Romance; Length: 335 pages
Practice Makes Perfect is the second book in the When in Rome series by Sarah Adams. While the first book followed pop star, Rae Rose, and her love interest, Noah Walker, the second book brings us this story of Noah’s sister, Annie.
Annie is a sweet, angelic girl who just wants to find the perfect husband, get married, have babies, and live out the expectations of everyone in her small town in Kentucky. But when her famous sister-in-law’s bodyguard, Will Griffin, comes to town for a special assignment, Angel Annie falls for the sexy, tattooed, bad boy. Will doesn’t do relationships, though. So why is he so invested in Annie fulfilling her dreams? He ends up opening Annie’s eyes up to all the adventurers life could hold.
I actually read this book, the second book in the series, first. (Add it to the list of series I’ve read out of order). It stands alone as a cute romance and you won’t miss anything. This is a great book for easy summer reading – quickly gets to the point and is not a cringe romance. Recommend to anyone who enjoys the small town or fake dating romance tropes.
Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan
Genre: Fantasy; Length: 528 pages
The first book in the Celestial Kingdom duology, Daughter of the Moon Goddess is a is a modern retelling of the myth of Chang’e, the Chinese Moon Goddess. I’m excited to read this book because I’ve gotten really into mythical retellings lately. I’ve read several of the Greek retellings such as Circe and The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller, and Ariadne by Jennifer Saint, which were wonderful. But, this is the first book I’ll be reading on Chinese mythology.
Our protagonist, Xingyin led a quiet life, growing up on the moon with just her attendant and her mother, the Moon Goddess. When she learns of her origin, she finds out that no one else knows of her existence. If the Celestial Empress found out about her, it could have grave consequences for Moon Goddess. In order to maintain her mother’s secret, Xingyin must flee the moon and make her way alone in the Celestial Kingdom. Xingyin embarks on a quest to save her mom, fighting mythical creatures and immortal beings.
Bonus, if you love this book, there’s a sequel called Heart of the Sun Warrior.
Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Genre: Fiction; Length: 400 pages
Malibu Rising tells the story of one night in August of 1983 where four famous siblings throw a massive end-of-summer party. Each sibling in the Riva family has a different agenda. Over the next 24 hours, family secrets will be exposed and their lives will change forever.
I’ve heard such good things about Taylor Jenkins Reid, that I had to add her latest book, Malibu Rising to my list. Without knowing what the book was even about, the cover tells me this is a book I want to read next to a body of water this summer! To catch up, I will be starting with Daisy Jones and the Six so I can get a feel for Reid’s writing style.
Funny Story by Emily Henry
Genre: Romance; Length: 544 pages
Emily Henry fans already know that she’s got a new book out this summer called Funny Story. They’ve probably already read it too!
Daphne thinks she’s in a happy relationship until her fiancé announces that he’s in love with his childhood best friend, Petra. With a librarian’s salary and nowhere to live, Daphne is running out of options. She decides to room with the only person who could possibly understand her plight, Petra’s ex, Miles. Although they are total opposites, they have one thing in common – a need to get back at their exes. Daphne and Miles formulate a plan to make their exes jealous by posting misleading photos of themselves together. The result is an opposites attract love story.
While I found some of Emily Henry’s books to be cheesy, others were really entertaining reads. For example, I loved Book Lovers but did not like People We Meet on Vacation. I’m not sure if I’m going to like this book, but I’m definitely going to read it anyway!
Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr
Genre: Fiction; Length: 608 pages
From the author of All the Light we Cannot See, this book has been on my list for a long time, and it’s a chunky one. What better time to dive into a 600 page book, other than summer, right? I don’t expect this to be a light and easy read, but I think it’s going to be compelling and plot-driven.
Cloud Cuckoo Land follows three characters, each from a different time period, with a different point of view. From the past, an orphaned seamstress from 15th century Constantinople risks everything. From the present, a kid from Idaho in 2020 seeks revenge. And from the future, Konstance must do whatever she can to say with the human race. They’re all bound by an ancient text and lessons of hope and survival.
Four Eids and a Funeral by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé and Adiba Jaigirdar
Genre: YA Romance; Length: 320 pages
Four Eids and a Funeral follows childhood best friends, Said and Tiwa. When Said comes home from his fancy boarding school for the summer, he has to face his parents and his old best friend, Tiwa. With his burning secret – switching from medical school to art school – Said does his best to avoid his parents. But Tiwa doesn’t understand why Said is avoiding her too. With and awkward summer ahead, Tiwa decides to ignore it and focus on her own problems.
When their Islamic center catches fire, Said and Tiwa have to work together to save it from being shut down by the mayor. They’ll be forced to face their reality and where their friendship went awry. (I’m guessing it’s because someone’s in love with someone.) This is a romance, so I assume it’s a friends to lovers storyline.
I’m really into YA Muslim romances lately, but they’re hard to find. I read Much Ado About Nada by Uzma Jalaluddin and loved it. I hope that this book is just as fun and funny. I’m here for more Muslim authors writing romance and P.S. I’m OK with it if they’re not halal!
What are you reading this summer? Please share your list in the comments!
For more book recommendations, check out my 2023 fall book list.
