Looking for a great book to read that gives all the summer vibes? We’ve got you covered! 

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1. The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren

Two sworn enemies, Olive and Ethan, go on a Hawaiian honeymoon together after the wedding party gets food poisoning.

Our Blurb: While I normally like a little (open door) spice in my romance books, this book was spicy enough without it! Olivia’s twin sister marries Ethan’s brother, Olivia and Ethan HATE each other. Or they think. When tragedy strikes in the form of food poisoning they are forced to take the honeymoon for their siblings. Once on vacation the pair starts talking for the first time since they met and realize maybe they don’t hate each other as much as they thought. 

Quote from book: ”You checked out my chest.” “Of course I did. It’s like having two other people up here with us. I don’t want to be rude.”

2. The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix

Sometimes things aren’t what they seem, and sometimes they are exactly as they seem. Sometimes you think you know your neighbors, and sometimes your neighbors are creepy freaks that come off really nice but really they’re vampires. Which is exactly what happened to Patricia, a small town wife and mother. She starts noticing strange things happening like children start going missing and her neighbor being a little too nice. This gave all the humid vibes of the south so that’s why it’s been added to our summer recs. If you’re looking for some summer horror with a bit of humor this might be the one to check out.

3. A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson

Two unfit friends attempt to hike the 2,100-mile Appalachian Trail, encountering quirky characters and wilderness challenges while reflecting on America’s vanishing natural heritage.

Quote from book: “Life takes on a neat simplicity, too. Time ceases to have any meaning. When it is dark, you go to bed, and when it is light again you get up, and everything in between is just in between. It’s quite wonderful, really.” 

4. Under Loch and Key by Lana Ferguson

Keyanna McKay is all alone in the world, so after her dads passing she decided to find the family he left before she was born. Scotland is not what she’s used to but she’s determined to make it work. Her grandpa is a gem, but her grandma can’t get past her dad leaving them. Mysteries begin to unfold as she goes to dump her dads ashes in a lake where there have supposedly been Loch Ness monster sightings. Enter swoony Scottish Loch. They immediately can’t stand each other but eventually work out that they both want to find answers to the same questions. There’s some spice in this book but it’s definitely a slow burn with them hating each other and all.

5. Float Plan by Trish Dollar

Anna has been through it, her fiancé unalived himself and his mom is rude. So she decides to take the sailing trip on their sailboat that they had planned together. She’s trying to do some real soul searching but quickly realizes she doesn’t know as much about sailing as she thought. Enter Keane, a man with a sweet accent and a prosthetic leg. Anna hires him to help her sail. Anna goes through the motions of grief and anger on their trip and Keane is steady and patient right there with her.

This story was sweet and I loved that Anna eventually found herself again and learned so many new things. This is a great summer read and isn’t just a romance but an inspirational story of life after loss.

6. Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens 

This book will take you through some real emotions. Kya is abandoned at a young age and is forced to survive on her own. The townspeople call her Marsh girl, but she is so much more. This story is about Kya surviving the hand she is dealt, there’s mystery and romance and some unlikely friendships formed. There is a movie but I highly recommend reading the book first because the movie (a good movie, don’t get me wrong) isn’t entirely accurate and leaves out some things I felt were important.

7. Bridesmaid for Hire by Meghan Quinn

Bow to the queen of Rom-Coms y’all. This girl writes the funniest characters i have ever read. Maggie goes on a much needed vacation only to realize a big wig family is there for a wedding and she really wants in with the family for her business. When she runs into her brother’s best friend who she hates out loud but secretly loves, she realizes he is her in with the family because he works for their company. Cue the fake dating, and oh no we have to share a bed? Makes for a good time honestly. I haven’t laughed at a book the way I laughed at this one probably since the last Meghan Quinn book i read. This book has spice, humor, and all the summer vibes.

8. A Novel Love Story Ashley Poston

This is one of my favorite stories by Ashley Poston that I have read so far! This book follows Eileen (Elsy) Merriweather, an English Professor, as she finds herself lost in her favorite novel. Eileen was travelling by herself on the way to a solo book retreat (I love this for her!) when a storm causes her to become stuck in a small town in the middle of nowhere. Once Elsy realizes everything in the town from her favorite story, she discovers that everything is exactly as the author left it after her untimely death except for one character. Elsy then goes on a journey of attempting to bring the story to its happily ever after and find the ending for the mystery man she cannot remember from the book. And Elsy might just find her own happily ever after along the way. This book was super cute and a light easy read. I really enjoyed the dynamic between Elsy and the “mystery” man. I also love the cover of this novel cause this is an important thing to consider when book shopping.

9. Beach Read by Emily Henry

One thing about Ms. Emily Henry, she’s gonna invert a classic romance trope. I think this is a really good book to get you out of a book slump because it has the familiarity of the romance genre; however, it still engages your brain by twisting the classic story into something fresh. January Andrews is a famous romance author who is stuck in a writing block. She escapes to her recently deceased father’s beach house in order to begin writing. This is when she realized her beach house is directly next to Augustus Everett, a literary fiction author. These two begin a summer writing challenge between the two of them where they must write a novel based in the other’s regular genre. Throughout the summer, they go on field trips to inspire each other’s writing as they delve into their shared history and individual pasts. Don’t let the bright cover fool you, Emily Henry ensures that her readers experience a wide range of emotions. This novel delves into the concept that life is full of grey areas instead of simple black and white binaries. We discover the beauty in the middle alongside our protagonists.

10. Midnight at the Blackbird Cafe by Heather Webber

Anna Kate has never been to her mom’s hometown of Winslow, Alabama, but when her grandmother dies she has to go sell her cafe and settle her affairs. The only problem is once she stays for a little while she finds herself not wanting to leave. The mysteries of her parents and grandparents start to unfold and the blackbirds start to sing. This book very much gave “Fried Green Tomatoes” vibes. Very southern summer, mysterious, and wholesome.