It officially summer, and I have very mixed feelings about it, so I’m trying to cheer myself up with the thought of reading lots of books by the pool this year. I don’t think I’ll be making any trips to the beach with a few weddings on the horizon, but I will be moving to a new apartment with a fancy salt water pool, so you bet your butt I’ll be taking advantage of that. If you are going to the beach though, these are some must reads while you’re there.
Let’s get started!
one | Beach Read by Emily Henry
Duh. January and Augustus can’t write a single word. Which is kind of a big problem because they are supposed to be writing their next books. January writes “women’s fiction” and Augustus writes literary fiction. January always sees the happy ending while Augustus sees more of the dark side of life. One summer, they end up living in beach houses next door to each other and one thing leads to another which leads to a bet that they are going to write each other’s genre for the summer. I loved this book. It’s such a good story about stepping outside of yourself, learning from other people, and understanding that there are always two sides to the story.
two | The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren
Follow Olive and Ethan, sworn enemies, on a delightful honeymoon meant for their siblings in this twisty contemporary romance sure to satisfy the heart. Olive’s twin, Ami, and Ethan’s brother, Dane, have a seafood buffet at their wedding that renders everyone sick except, of course, Olive and Ethan, who can’t stand each other. The two reluctantly take the trip to Maui that Ami won, and subsequently have to lie their butts off to Olive’s new boss and Ethan’s ex-girlfriend when they run into them both in Hawaii. Obviously, they fall in love, but my favorite part is a huge twist between Olive and Dane that will leave you fist-pumping in the air.
three | Untamed by Glennon Doyle
I feel like I say this about every memoir I read, but boy, did this one hit me where it hurts. Glennon and I have a lot in common, more than I’d like to admit when it comes to our need to control, but I truly loved this book. It’s odd because most people wouldn’t think that they could relate to a famous writer who left her husband to marry a famous soccer player, but Untamed is further proof that underneath the shine, people are just people. We all have our quirks and flaws that unite us as human. I was skeptical when I first started this book, but Doyle’s writing builds and grows with the reader and hopefully, if you’re anything like me, you’ll be taking photos of passages in the book and sending them to your boyfriend because you relate to them so much.
four |Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid
The Riva family is famous. Not only are a few of them pro-surfers and models, but they throw the wildest beach party every summer that anyone who is anyone always makes sure to attend. This year, things are different. This year, by 8 a.m., everything is up in flames. Reid tells the timeless story of what it means to be family — chosen and otherwise. She alternates between two timelines, the 80s with the current Riva family and telling the Riva family backstory, which, of course, is full of heartbreak.
five | My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite
Korede is called in time and time again to save her sister from herself. Korede’s sister keeps killing her boyfriends. Korede struggles with turning her sister in to the Nigerian police, but ultimately, she decides family is more important than anything else. That is, until Korede’s sister starts dating the doctor Korede has been madly in love with for some time. Korede must choose between saving the man she loves from the inevitable or protecting her sister.
six | The Idea of You by Robinne Lee
Solène takes her teenage daughter to an August Moon concert (think One Direction) and ends up having a worldwide romance with the lead singer, who’s about 20-years-old. They travel the world together, they fall in love, they support each other in all of their endeavors, but this was just supposed to be lunch, right? What are they supposed to do when the fame and the pushback from fans become just too much for them to handle? It’s a whirlwind love story that will leave you wanting more.
seven | Little White Lies by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
18-year-old Sawyer who was raised by a single mother 40 minutes away from her posh grandparents, aunt, uncle, and cousin. Sawyer is perfectly content being her mother’s keeper until her grandmother shows up one day offering her $500,000 to participate in the upcoming debutante season. Sawyer was just hoping to get some money to pay for college in the next year, but she got way more than she bargained for. She’s thrust into the secrets and lies of the wealthy, southern, elite, and she even makes some friends along the way.
eight | The Devil Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger
Andy, an aspiring writer, snags the job “every girl would die for” but for her, it’s just a hell-ish job as an assistant to the Miranda Priestly — Editor-in-Chief of Runway Magazine. Andy is required to do all the normal assistant tasks such as order breakfast, grab coffee, and deliver magazines, but everything is 10 times worse because Miranda is insane. If you loved the movie, you’ll love the book series.
nine | A Darker Shade of Magic by V. E. Schwab
Follow me to a world with three Londons — White London, which is teeming with magic and run by truly villainous siblings, Red London, which is home to Kell and relatively balanced, and Grey London, which doesn’t know of magic’s existence. Kell is special — he can travel between Londons. But when Kell discovers a dark relic from the past, he is thrown into an adventure he never asked for that results in the fight for his life. He’s also joined by an unwelcome companion, Delilah Bard. Delilah and Kell must battle for their lives to save the Londons as they know them.
ten | Verity by Colleen Hoover
Verity is an author of a best-selling series who has lost two daughters to tragic accidents. She herself is comatose after a car accident, and therefore, her husband, Jeremy, has gone about hiring a ghost-writer to finish her book series. The lucky ghost-writer just so happens to be Lowen, the starving artist looking for her next book deal. Jeremy and Lowen immediately have romantic chemistry, and that is only heightened when Lowen has to spend a few days at his house looking through Verity’s notes to continue her books. But strange things are happening in the house, and Lowen doesn’t know who she can trust when mysterious things keep happening.
Happy reading,
Kimberly
