30 Best Summer Reads

Best summer reads of 2023

A good book is essential during the summer period. School is out, you're on your annual leave heading abroad to warm beaches or just lounging in your favourite park and of course you have a book by your side. If you haven't found the perfect summer read yet, then take a look at our list of 30 perfect summer reads with everything from rom-coms and fantasy to thrillers and satires, there is something for everyone.

All Books

Top 30 must reads this summer

4 Rom-Com Books

Romantic comedy books are the epitome of perfect summer reads, they're light fun and flirty and easy to get through. We have of course included the spice rating, with 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ being the spiciest and 🌶️ being the tamest, note these books are appropriate for 18+.

1. The Love Hypothesis

Author: Ali Hazelwood

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When a fake relationship between scientists meets the irresistible force of attraction, it throws one woman's carefully calculated theories on love into chaos. The Love Hypothesis is the perfect sexy, sassy, science-based rom-com with a side of fake dating.

2. Happy Place

Author: Emily Henry

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Two ex-fiancés, one pact, together on holiday, what could go wrong? This sizzling romance has everything from fake dating to witty and humorous dialogue and clever characters that you're sure to fall head over heels in love with.

3. It Happened One Summer

Author: Tessa Bailey

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With It Happened One Summer by Tessa Bailey is back with a Schitt’s Creek-inspired rom-com about a Hollywood “It Girl” who is cut off from her wealthy family and exiled to a small Pacific Northwest beach town... where she butts heads with a surly, sexy local who thinks she doesn’t belong.

4. Icebreaker

Author: Hannah Grace

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This popular ice skater meets hockey player romance book; Icebreaker has taken the genre by storm and become something of a cultural phenomenon on TikTok, with real hockey players reading the spicy scenes and blushing - need we say more?

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4 Satire Books

If you love reading between the lines, and are a stickler for thought provoking art that is immensely entertaining, then you will enjoy delving into the world of satire!

1. Yellowface

Author: R.F.Kuang

Bestselling sensation Juniper Song is not who she says she is, she didn’t write the book she claims she wrote, and she is most certainly not Asian American. Kuang's satirical literary thriller Yellowface is chilling, hilarious and poignant.

2. The Daydreams

Author: Laura Hankin

Stars of a once-beloved teen show who face a pivotal reunion special thirteen years after their scandalous downfall, with long-buried secrets and the possibility of redemption hanging in the balance this will either be their last chance at redemption, or destroy them all for good.

3. An (Un)Romantic Comedy

Author: Phoebe MacLeod

The black sheep is coming home for her sister’s wedding, one week with the whole family under one roof, that are all in desperate need of her skills as a professional therapist. What could possibly go wrong?

4. Old Boys

Author: Nick Spalding

In Old Boys, Will Fairweather, who hasn't seen his rock-star dad in thirty years, finds himself back with the eccentric Red Fairweather when he needs a place to live. As Will navigates the challenges of his own declining life, he rediscovers the relationship with his dad who is determined to make amends and help him find his way again.

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5 Thriller Books

You may be relaxing at the beach but that doesn't mean that you're not craving suspense, excitement, surprise, anticipation and anxiety, in which case nothing can do the job quite as well as a thriller.

1. Bad Summer People

Author: Emma Rosenblum

In a summer haven on Fire Island, where infidelity and backstabbing runs rampant, a group of manipulative individuals reign. When a body is found, the question arises: Which one of them is capable of murder? Stylish and subversive, this dark comedy delves into the secret and hidden lives of seemingly perfect individuals in a picturesque setting. Perfect for fans of White Lotus.

2. Trust

Author: Hernan Diaz

Trust, is a collection of four manuscripts at different stages of completion, and they tell different versions of the story of a Wall Street businessman and his wife in the years leading up to the Great Depression.

3. The Villa

Author: Rachel Hawkins

In this wickedly suspenseful gothic tale set at an Italian villa with a dark past. Childhood friends Emily and Chess reconnect on a trip to Villa Aestas, where a rock star's summer in 1974 ended in murder. As Emily investigates, she uncovers sinister secrets and links to iconic works left behind by Mari and Lara, while tensions with Chess escalate and dangerous betrayals emerge, putting them at risk of becoming the villa's next victim.

4. Going Zero

Author: Anthony McCarten

In this breakneck techno-thriller, a woman named Kaitlyn Day, an unassuming Boston librarian, becomes a contestant in a high-stakes surveillance experiment. As she tries to elude the powerful forces of a high tech government, Kaitlyn's personal motives and unexpected skills make her a formidable player in the game, challenging the expectations of the experts and putting everything on the line.

5. Exiles

Author: Jane Harper

In the midst of a bustling festival, a baby is left unattended while her mother disappears. A year later, Kim Gillespie's absence haunts a gathering in South Australian wine country, where federal investigator Aaron Falk suspects hidden fractures within the close-knit group, leading to unsettling questions and resurfacing secrets.

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3 Romance Books

If you're a sucker for a good romance story, then here are some great summer romances that will sweep you off your feet.

1. Every Summer After

Author: Carley Fortune

Persephone hasn't spent summer in her lake-side childhood home town since making the biggest mistake of her life. A massive event takes her back for the first time in ten years and brings her face to face with the man she never thought she could live without. Told over the course of six years and one weekend, Every Summer After is a big, sweeping nostalgic look at love and the people and choices that mark us forever.

2. The infinity Between Us

Author: N.S. Perkins

Violet and Will's annual summer retreats shape their bond until tragedy separates them. Violet, burdened by heartbreak, vows to cut ties with Will. However, when she returns years later, she discovers him unchanged and remorseful. Reluctantly, Violet acknowledges that confronting the past she ran from might hold the answers to the love and happiness she thought was lost five summers ago.

3. A Perfect Vintage

Author: Chelsea Fagan

Lea, a consultant known for transforming French estates into boutique hotels, enjoys her single, childfree life. However, when she takes her recently divorced cousin and her daughter to the Loire Valley, complications arise as Lea falls for her boss's younger son, risking not only her heart but also the carefully constructed life she's built. Amid affairs, inheritance disputes, and betrayals, Lea discovers the peril of losing control and the potential for her world to unravel.

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4 Coming of Age Books

The coming of age genre focuses on the growth of an individual, usually from childhood into adulthood. With an emphasis on internal monologues over actions, and reflections of the past going into the now.

1. Lucky Girl

Author: Irene Muchemi - Ndiritu

Longing for independence, a young sheltered Kenyan woman flees the expectations of her mother for a life in New York City that challenges all her beliefs about race, love, and family.

2. Call me by your name

Author: André Aciman

Set on the Italian Riviera, Call Me by Your Name portrays the blossoming romance between a teenage boy and a summer guest. As their attraction grows, buried emotions of obsession and desire intensify, creating a passionate bond that lasts a mere six weeks but leaves a lasting impact.

3. Hula

Author: Jasmin `Iolani Hakes

Hi'i, the youngest of the Naupaka dynasty, yearns to heal her family's rifts and prove herself by becoming the next Miss Aloha Hula. As she immerses herself in hula, seeking connection and belonging, the secrets and absences within her family threaten to tear them apart. A revelation surfaces, leading to a pivotal decision that will shape Hi'i's future. Told in part in the collective voice of a community fighting for its survival while showcasing Hawaii's history and struggle for sovereignty. A sweeping saga of tradition, culture, family, history, and connection that unfolds through the lives of three generations of women.

4. Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow 

Author: Gabrielle Zevin

In this exhilarating novel, two friends--often in love, but never lovers--come together as creative partners in the world of video game design, where success brings them fame, joy, tragedy, duplicity, and, ultimately, a kind of immortality. It explores our need to connect: to be loved and to love. Yes, it is a love story, but it is not one you have read before.

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5 Fantasy Books

Fantasy books are the perfect escape for those who love to delve into a world filled with magic and maybe one or two dragons. Fantasy books are typically a bit on the thicker side, so you won't need to bring as many books if you choose a fantasy read.

1. The Jasad Heir

Author: Sara Hashem

In this Egyptian-inspired debut fantasy, a fugitive queen strikes a deadly bargain with her greatest enemy and finds herself embroiled in a complex game that could resurrect her scorched kingdom or leave it in ashes forever.

2. Day of Fallen Night

Author: Samantha Shannon

In A Day of Fallen Night, Shannon sweeps readers back to the universe of Priory of the Orange Tree and into the lives of four women, showing us a course of events that shaped their world for generations to come.

3. The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi

Author: Shannon Chakraborty

Amina al-Sirafi, a retired pirate, is offered an irresistible job to rescue a kidnapped girl by the wealthy mother of a former crewman. Eager for one last adventure and a chance to secure her family's future, Amina soon discovers that the mission is more complex and dangerous than expected, with the risk of losing not just her life but her soul. Adventure filled with everything from pirates to demons.

4. Fourth Wing

Author: Rebecca Yarros

Ordered by her commanding general mother, twenty-year-old Violet must defy the odds and join the Fourth Wing division of dragon riders of Navarre at the cutthroat Basgiath War College, where it seems that just about everyone wants her dead. In a world where dragons incinerate humans, Violet faces deadly competition and political intrigue and with the war intensifying, Violet discovers a dark secret that puts her life and the kingdom in jeopardy.

5. Immortal Longings

Author: Chloe Gong

Immortal Longings i set in the kingdom of Talin, this fiery tale, inspired by Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra, follows Princess Calla Tuoleimi as she plans to bring down the monarchy by winning the deadly games hosted by the palace. Exiled aristocrat Anton Makusa joins the games to save his love. Their unexpected alliance, alongside King Kasa's adopted son, August, brings conflicting goals and intense relationships, forcing Calla to choose between love and her kingdom.

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5 Horror Books

If you're a sucker for some spine chilling literature and love nothing more than a fresh wave of cold fear in the midst of the hot summer sun, then here are some terrifying reads for you.

1. How to Sell a Haunted House

Author: Grady Hendrix

Louise is reluctant to return home after her parents' death, facing the daunting task of dealing with her family's house filled with remnants of her father's academic career and her mother's obsession with puppets and dolls, as well as dealing with her brother. But they will soon learn that some houses don’t want to be sold, and their home has other plans for both of them.

2. Tell Me I’m Worthless

Author: Alison Rumfitt

Three years ago, Alice spent one night in an abandoned house with her friends. Since then, Alice’s life has spiraled, she lives a haunted existence. But when the friends decide to go back they must face the horrors that happened there, must pull themselves apart from the inside out, put their differences aside, and try to rescue their friend, whom the House has chosen to make its own.

3. Lotería

Author: Cynthia Pelayo

Lotería, a Mexican board game resembling American bingo, serves as the inspiration for this collection of 54 unique short stories. Each story is based on a Latin American myth, folklore, superstition, or belief, with a focus on the paranormal and the horrific. Featuring creatures and monsters from pre-European American legends, these chilling tales resemble dark fairy tales passed down through generations.

4. The Drift

Author: C.J. Tudor

During a deadly snowstorm, three groups of stranded individuals must fight for their survival, inside one group there is a killer, but which one?

5. Wasps in the Ice Cream

Author: Tim McGregor

In 1987, Mark Prewitt faces peer pressure to prank the reclusive Farrow sisters, but regrets his actions and seeks to make amends. He discovers a mysterious world and a connection with George, a practicing witch. As their relationship develops, Mark must navigate a small town's judgment and a brewing conflict between his friends and the Farrow sisters, forcing him to choose between loyalty and acceptance.

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