Ah, summer. Days spent laying on the beach with a book in one hand and a cold drink in the other just can't be beat. One of my favorite vacations is when my family rents a beach house right near the water, and I just spend the whole day with my toes in the sand, devouring as many books as I can. I think this makes me a mega-nerd, but I usually decide which books I want to read on that vacation at the start of the year!
Below are some books that I think are just perfect for summer. They have that beachy, water vibe to them that can just transport you. What are some summery reads that you recommend? I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!
01
It's Spring Break of senior year. Anna, her boyfriend Tate, her best friend Elise, and a few other close friends are off on a debaucherous trip to Aruba that promises to be the time of their lives. But when Elise is found brutally murdered, Anna finds herself trapped in a country not her own, fighting against vile and contemptuous accusations.
As Anna sets out to find her friend's killer, she discovers hard truths about her friendships, the slippery nature of truth, and the ache of young love.
As she awaits the judge's decree, it becomes clear that everyone around her thinks she is not just guilty, but dangerous. When the truth comes out, it is more shocking than one could ever imagine...
My Thoughts: 5 out of 5 Stars
This book gets a solid 5/5 stars from me. I read it over 4 years ago, and it has still stuck with me. I remember dying to know what happened next, racing through the pages to figure out how everything played out. And I was definitely surprised. Addictive, twisted, and downright unputdownable. I cannot recommend enough!
"Wouldn't we all look guilty, if someone searched hard enough?"
02
Princess Lira is siren royalty and the most lethal of them all. With the hearts of seventeen princes in her collection, she is revered across the sea. Until a twist of fate forces her to kill one of her own. To punish her daughter, the Sea Queen transforms Lira into the one thing they loathe most—a human. Robbed of her song, Lira has until the winter solstice to deliver Prince Elian’s heart to the Sea Queen or remain a human forever.
The ocean is the only place Prince Elian calls home, even though he is heir to the most powerful kingdom in the world. Hunting sirens is more than an unsavory hobby—it’s his calling. When he rescues a drowning woman in the ocean, she’s more than what she appears. She promises to help him find the key to destroying all of sirenkind for good—But can he trust her? And just how many deals will Elian have to barter to eliminate mankind’s greatest enemy?
My Thoughts: 5 out of 5 Stars
One of my favorite fantasy novels to date. There is an intensity and darkness to this novel that really drew me in, but there's also heart to it. All the characters drew me in with their complexity, how they fight against the roles set out for them and listen to the call of the ocean, to explore and do what they love. Add in beautiful, emotional language that read like poetry (but not too purple prose), and I was hooked. A vicious, bloody awesome read.
"And the ocean, calling out to us both. A song of freedom and longing."
03
You can follow the rules or you can follow your heart...
Sienna Murphy never does anything without a plan. And so far her plans have been working. Right after college, she got a prestigious job and gained the stability she'd always craved-until work takes her to the sun-drenched shores of Oahu and places her in the path of sexy surfer Luke Everett. For the first time, she lets her heart take control. Drawn to his carefree charm, she makes a spontaneous and very un-Sienna-like decision to drop everything and stay in Hawaii for two more weeks.
Luke lives fast and wild. When he meets Sienna, he's convinced that some no-strings-attached fun is just what she needs. As their nights quickly turn from playful to passionate, Luke can't deny the deep connection he feels. But there's a reason Luke doesn't do long-term. He can't promise Sienna forever, when the enormity of his past has shown him just how fragile the future can be ...
My Thoughts: 4 out of 5 Stars
The perfect beachy romance read - and it's set in Hawaii! This novel is all about being more carefree, having fun with what you do in life, overcoming your fears, and learning how to let go. Reading Sienna and Luke's story was quite a journey to experience. It's painful, heartbreaking, and bittersweet, but ultimately a story about letting go and living the life you choose. Definitely worth checking out.
"We're all stronger than our weaknesses. Sometimes we just need someone else to help us find that strength."
Now here are some books that I haven't read yet, but they're on my TBR! The covers and descriptions all scream "beach-reads" to me, hopefully my local library will open soon so I can check these out this summer.
01
Twenty-four-year-old Summer Johnson knows two things. The first is that due to a quickly worsening medical condition, she faces a risky surgery in three months’ time that may or may not end in her death. The second is that she would like to fall in love before then.
As spring sinks into her namesake season on the Florida coastline, Summer plays the odds and downloads a new dating app - and after one intriguing message from a beautiful surfer named Cooper Nichols, it becomes clear that the story of what may be her last few months under the sun is about to be completely revised. All she has to do now is write something worth reading.
Tender, honest, devastating and triumphant,The Summer Remainsexplores a very human battle being waged in a very digital age: the search for a love that will outlast this temporary borrowing of bones. In an era when many feel compelled to share and re-share anything about everything, prepare to feel a love so special, you will want to hug it close and make it yours forever.
02
There is a stranger outside Caroline's house.
Her spectacular new beach house, built for hosting expensive parties and vacationing with the family she thought she'd have. But her husband is lying to her and everything in her life is upside down, so when the stranger, Aiden, shows up as a bartender at the same party where Caroline and her husband have a very public fight, it doesn't seem like anything out of the ordinary.
As her marriage collapses around her and the lavish lifestyle she's built for herself starts to crumble, Caroline turns to Aiden for comfort...and revenge. After a brief and desperate fling that means nothing to Caroline and everything to him, Aiden's obsession with Caroline, her family, and her house grows more and more disturbing. And when Caroline's husband goes missing, her life descends into a nightmare that leaves her accused of her own husband's murder.
03
When Julia Buchanan enrolls at St. Anne’s at the beginning of junior year, Charlotte Ryder already knows all about the former senator’s daughter. Most people do... or think they do.
Charlotte certainly never expects she’ll be Julia’s friend. But almost immediately, she is drawn into the larger than-life-new girl’s world—a world of midnight rendezvous, dazzling parties, palatial vacation homes, and fizzy champagne cocktails. And then Charlotte meets, and begins falling for, Julia’s handsome older brother, Sebastian.
But behind her self-assured smiles and toasts to the future, Charlotte soon realizes that Julia is still suffering from a tragedy. A tragedy that the Buchanan family has kept hidden... until now.
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