Even though school has started up again and our workloads are piling up, we can always make time for a good book. Here is a list of my favorite summer reads that I would recommend to anyone, even for the upcoming autumn season.
“The Summer I Turned Pretty” by Jenny Han
Last year, “The Summer I Turned Pretty” quickly became Amazon Prime’s hit show and this summer it was back for season two. However, the TV show started as a book series. This series was a crucial part of my middle school years, but I found myself rereading it in preparation for the show.
There are three books in the series, each following the main character Belly, whose family vacations at Cousins Beach with her mom’s best friend and her sons. “The Summer I Turned Pretty” is the first in the trilogy, followed by “It’s Not Summer Without You” and “We’ll Always Have Summer.” Each book is filled with drama, laughs, tears and a love triangle between Belly and the two sons Conrad and Jeremiah. It’s a coming-of-age story that any teenage girl can relate to in some capacity. For the fans of the show, I highly recommend reading all the books too.
“Better Than The Movies” by Lynn Painter
A rom-com about rom-coms, fake dating, childhood friends and enemies-to-lovers all in one book! “Better Than the Movies” is about Liz Buxbaum, a seventeen-year-old hopeless romantic who wants to live out her rom-com fantasies. When her childhood crush, Michael, comes home she needs the help of her next-door neighbor, Wes, to impress Michael. Wes Bennet is the typical sarcastic brunette that we all know and love. Liz, however, is not a huge fan … for now.
The writing in this book is fun, flirty and very witty. It’s a very easy and quick read for anyone who loves early 2000s rom-coms, soundtracks for every occasion and playful banter. Each chapter starts with a quote from a famous rom-com and at the end of the book, there’s a real playlist that goes along with the story. If those two things didn’t make you want to pick up a copy, I don’t know what will.
“The Naturals” by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Calling all true crime addicts! “The Naturals” is basically a young adult “Criminal Minds” in book form. The book centers around five teenagers who have special abilities and all get the opportunity to work for the FBI solving cold cases. Seventeen-year-old Cassie is the main protagonist, and she is a natural at reading people. She can figure out the smallest of details about a person without even talking to them.
“The Naturals” is actually a four-book series and it gets better as each book goes on. I highly recommend this series to anyone who loves a good murder mystery with a dash of romance. It’s a highly addictive, intriguing and gripping Young Adult crime series that is perfect for this upcoming spooky season.
Whether you’re just starting your reading journey, need to get out of a book slump or just need some good recommendations, I hope you found this list helpful! Even though I read them in the summer, all three books would be great for any time of the year.
Leave a Reply