Picture it: The kids are at a friend’s house, the dishes are done and the sun is setting. It’s a warm night, the perfect time to sit with your toes in the grass and a book on your lap.
If this fantasy gives you as much life and motivation as it gives us, you’re going to want to bookmark our list of summer reads featuring historical fiction, thrillers, modern self-help and, of course, some good old-fashioned romance.
Happy reading!
16 Books We Can’t Wait to Read This Summer
The Waiting Hours, by Shandi Mitchell | Available here
A literary thriller about how first responders are affected by their jobs, The Waiting Hours has been generating rave reviews since its April release. With a heat wave and a hurricane bearing down, Kate, Mike and Tamara are forced to make life-altering choices none of them is prepared for.
Red, White and Royal Blue, by Casey McQuiston | Available here
If you’re obsessed with everything royal, this tender and hilarious tale of cross-continent love between America’s first son and England’s Prince of Wales is a must-read. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll ponder that that age-old question: can love really save the world?
Blissfully Blended Bullshit, by Rebecca Eckler | Available here
Rebecca Eckler (our very own Executive Editor) has an unwavering “tell it like it is” style that always makes for a touching read. And her latest book, a tale of blending families and households, is an honest and vulnerable examination of the modern family unit. Blissfully Blended Bullshit is essential reading for anyone wondering what it’s really like to blend families.
I’ll Never Tell, by Catherine McKenzie | Available here
When five siblings return to the summer camp of their youth, they’re forced to confront a tragedy they thought was long-buried. For the MacAllisters, a long weekend at Camp Macaw leads to secrets revealed and nothing, and no one will ever be the same.
Why Mommy Swears, by Gill Sims | Available here
Instead of enjoying a cold glass of wine with a book in the sun, Mummy is forced to devote her summer to booking camps and babysitters. But the real test of her patience comes when she’s forced to join the PTA in the new school term. And don’t even get her started on her parents…. Why Mommy Swears is the highly anticipated follow up to Gill Sims previous bestseller, Why Mommy Drinks but you’ll have to wait until September 2019 as this one isn’t scheduled for release until then.
You, Me and the Sea, by Meg Donohue | Available here
Recently released in paperback, this Wuthering Heights-inspired story takes readers on a suspenseful and intoxicating journey of love and mystery set among the beautiful Northern California coast.
Her Secret Son, by Hannah Mary McKinnon | Available here
The second book from this author, Her Secret Son is a drama about a family on the edge of disaster and a father desperate to hold on to the boy who changed his life.
Lady in the Lake, by Laura Lippman | Available on July 23 here
Set in 1960s Baltimore, Lady in the Lake is the captivating story of one housewife’s attempt to make something more of her life. Maddie Schwartz wants to matter and after helping police find a murdered girl her life changes in surprising and exciting ways. But at what cost?
The Golden Hour, by Beatriz Williams | Available here
Scheduled for release on July 9, 2019, The Golden Hour is the eagerly anticipated new novel from the bestselling author of The Summer Wives and A Certain Age. The story of two unforgettable women, set in World War II-era Nassau, has all the ingredients of a perfect summer read: love, espionage, royal intrigue, scandal and a shocking true crime.
What My Mother and I Don’t Talk About, edited by Michele Filgate | Available here
Michele Filgate curates stories from fifteen different writers on the things we don’t discuss with our mothers and how it affects us. As Filgate writes, “There’s relief in breaking the silence. Acknowledging what we couldn’t say for so long is one way to heal our relationships with others and, perhaps, most importantly, with ourselves.”
Searching for Sylvie Lee, by Jean Kwok | Available here
What happens when the eldest daughter of a Chinese immigrant family disappears and a series of painful family secrets emerge? Find out in what Good Housekeeping, Marie Claire, Huffington Post and more call one of the year’s most anticipated books.
The Summer Country, by Lauren Willig | Available here
Colonial Barbados is the setting for this sweeping epic of love, jealousy, rebellion and hope. When English girl Emily Dawson inherits a sugar plantation in Barbados it’s not exactly a ticket out of poverty and hardship. What Emily finds upon arriving on Barbados forces her to untangle a complicated past and to reconcile a dangerous present.
Brave, Not Perfect, by Reshma Saujani | Available here
From the Founder and CEO of “Girls Who Code” and the first Indian-American woman to run for Congress comes a manifesto for women who grew up believing the gospel of politeness and perfection. In the spirit of Brené Brown, Reshma Saujani teaches women how to be brave and to show for themselves, first and foremost.
The Farm, by Joanne Ramos | Available here
Frighteningly topical and in the spirit of Vox, The Power and The Handmaid’s Tale, Joanne Ramos’s debut novel takes readers inside a Hudson Valley luxury retreat where women are showered with organic meals and daily massages. Before you book your ticket, consider that they’re also monitored 24/7 and not permitted to leave until they’ve harvested the perfect baby.
My Ex-Best Friend’s Wedding, by Wendy Wax | Available here
A timeless ivory wedding dress symbolizes friendship torn apart in this novel of secrets, lies and betrayal. Bree and Lauren were best friends who grew apart, but on the eve of Lauren’s wedding, her mother vows to make sure the dress brings the two women back together. After all, they’re going to need each other now more than ever.
The Mother-In-Law, by Sally Hepworth | Available here
Who could possibly want Diana dead? And why isn’t Lucy, her daughter-in-law, sad that she’s gone? Family secrets, complicated mother-daughter relationships and escalating tension will keep your nose firmly planted in this one.
Tagged under: summer reading,women's fiction,summer books 2019,best summer books
Category: books
