Best Summer Reads: 8 Recommendations

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  FOURTH WING

  Rebecca Yarros
  Fantasy, Romance, Adventure

  READ IT

  It’s the book everyone is talking about and for good reason—it’s phenomenal. Addictive in the most extreme sense. Worth all of the hype. We’re talking romance, suspense, magic, adventure, and DRAGONS. I drowned out the world as I devoured this story of a bookish girl who is forced to become a dragon rider. The only bad part is the massive book hangover you’re left with.

   

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  LESSONS IN CHEMISTRY

  Bonnie Garmus
  Humor, Literary Fiction

  READ IT

  I’d heard this was a good book, but wow, it is really fantastic. Brimming with emotion, and humor, it’s a novel that’s brilliantly penned, underscoring women’s resilience and tenacity. The novel imparts the story of chemist Elizabeth Zott, who struggles to succeed as a scientist in the early 1960s. We follow her journey as she faces gender discrimination, grief, motherhood and so much more. One of my favorite reads this year and coming soon as a show on Apple TV!

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  YELLOWFACE

  R.F. Kuang
  Humor, Literary Fiction

  READ IT

  I’ve read two books by Kuang and am quickly becoming one of her biggest fans. This latest chronicles the aftermath of one author stealing another author’s work, after she dies in a freak accident. The novel evokes unease and enjoyment in equal measure, as Kuang satirically takes on hot-button topics like systemic racism, greed, and appropriation in the commercial publishing industry. Sharply penned and provocative, this was a fantastic read.

• 

  HAPPY PLACE

  Emily Henry
  Romantic Comedy

  READ IT

  It wouldn’t be summer now without a new Emily Henry book to read poolside! I loved this latest so much, about ex-fiances pretending to be together during their annual friendship trip. It’s a heartwarming and relatable story about friends and lovers, and the growing pains that challenge the longevity of those relationships. Rich with whip-smart banter, emotion, and nostalgia, this is a wonderful summer binge read.

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  I HAVE SOME QUESTIONS FOR YOU

  Rebekkah Makkai
  Thriller

  READ IT

  I loved how this book plunged us into the world of true-crime podcasting in a way that felt thoughtful and fresh. We meet a film producer and podcaster who re-examines who may have killed her college roommate. It’s a provocative and absorbing ‘whodunit’ with echoes of Serial’s Adnan Syed’s story. Makkai probes into femicide and takes on powder-keg topics ranging from fetishizing and cancel culture, to class and gender implications, to misogyny and #MeToo.

• 

  THE ADVENTURES OF AMINA AL-SIRAFI

  Shannon Chakraborty
  Fantasy Adventure, Pirates

  READ IT

  This book caught me by surprise in the best way—it’s a rollicking, transportive, immersive adventure on the high seas. Notorious pirate Amina Al-Sirafi has traded adventure for a quiet life with her daughter, but is enticed back to sea after she’s offered a kingly sum for tracking down a kidnapped girl. Monsters, magic, mayhem, adventure, quirky characters and a fierce heroine make this such an exciting novel to devour.

   

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  HELLO STRANGER

  Katherine Center
  Romantic Comedy

  READ IT

  I’m almost done with this book and just like all of Katherine Center’s books, it’s heartwarming, charming, and so much fun to read. This latest imparts the story of a struggling portrait artist who after brain surgery, suffers from face blindness. We’re swept away by Sadie’s struggles with herself, her family, and her artistry as she falls in love and navigates her condition.

• 

  THE VILLA

  Rachel Hawkins
  Psychological Thriller

  READ IT

  In efforts to rekindle their friendship, estranged best friends venture to an infamous Italian villa where a brutal murder took place in the 1970s, in this brilliantly layered novel. Hawkins explores friendship, betrayal, jealously, suspicion, creation, and fame in this thriller “inspired by Fleetwood Mac, the Manson murders, and the infamous summer Percy and Mary Shelley spent with Lord Byron.” It’s a book that’s deliciously haunting and addictive to read!