Summer reading is my absolute favorite. With leisurely days spent outdoors or on the beach, I read more than any other time of year, and it’s just the best. I love escaping into the world of a dreamy novel, especially in the warm summer sunshine. Here are 10 books I’ve read over my summer vacation this year.
This Summer Will Be Different by Carley Fortune
Finished This Summer Will Be Different on our way from South Carolina to Rhode Island. Reading this felt like sweet summertime in a book — a lovely, warm read. It’s about Lucy, who owns the flower shop in Toronto that used to be her Aunt Stacy’s. For the past five years, Lucy has gone to stay with her best friend Bridget in her family home on Prince Edward Island. She becomes involved with Bridget’s brother, Felix — before realizing who he is — which leads to a somewhat complicated relationship between the two over the years, as they continue to be drawn to one another despite the reasons they shouldn’t be. Meanwhile, in the present day, Bridget is supposed to get married, but has inexplicably left Toronto for PEI shortly before the wedding and asked Lucy to come with her. The book goes between past summers and the present day when Lucy and Felix try to figure out what’s going on with Bridget as well as between the two of them. Plus, work-obsessed Lucy must figure out what she really wants in life. This is a love story — romantic love, but also female friendship. It was a joy, fun and easy to read in a few days on the beach.
Earls Trip by Jenny Holiday
Finished Earls Trip in the week between Europe and the beach. I thought this book was simply adorable! Three best friends (and earls — well, one nearly an earl), Archie, Effie, and Simon, look forward to their annual vacation together. This year is a little different as they must begin the trip rescuing the Morgan sisters, Clementine and Olive (who are childhood friends of Archie) from potential ruination due to a poorly made engagement. After their adventure, the ladies join the men on their trip in the English countryside, and the group becomes good friends — abandoning typical social conventions — while a potential romance blossoms. I had such fun reading this regency era novel about friendships, family, and love. I especially recommend this read if you enjoy Bridgerton.
Nosy Neighbors by Freya Sampson
I finished this one while we were in Paris. Nosy Neighbors is a cute story about an old historic building called Shelley House where Dorothy Darling, the longest resident, enjoys looking out the window to keep track of the comings and goings of her neighbors. She notices when a new person arrives — it is Kat, who has returned to Chalcot after many years away and decides to take a room as a tenant with Dorothy’s neighbor, Joseph. When Joseph mysteriously falls (or was he attacked?) and lands in the hospital, and when it’s announced that Shelley House is to be torn down, the residents must come together to solve the mystery and save the building. This story had such a sweet concept, but was a little all over the place with the plot. It missed the mark a bit for me but was still pleasant and easy to read.
Funny Story by Emily Henry
The first book I finished in Rhode Island. Emily Henry knows how to write characters you root for and super sweet endings, and this book was no different. Daphne’s fiancé Peter has just broken up with her for his childhood best friend, Petra. Petra’s ex-boyfriend Miles now has an empty bedroom, where Daphne moves in. Daphne works as a children’s librarian but is counting down the days until she can move away from Waning Bay, Michigan, the place she moved for Peter. However, as she and Miles navigate heartbreak and develop a friendship, and Daphne begins to step out of her shell, she begins to open up to life’s possibilities. This book was easy to read and cute, although my favorites by this author are still Happy Place and Book Lovers, which resonated more with me.
Husbands & Lovers by Beatriz Williams
My second Rhode Island read. I loved this new one by Beatriz Williams, one of my favorite authors to read in the summer. Husbands & Lovers takes place in the early 1950s in Cairo, Egypt, where Hungarian refugee Hannah Ainsworth lives with her British diplomat husband and begins an affair with the manager of a hotel, as well as New England in 2022, where Mallory Dunne lives with her son Sam, who needs a kidney donor after an accident, and so she seeks out family members. Mallory discovers that her mother was adopted from an Irish orphanage in 1952, which leads her to explore her family’s past; she also reunites with a past love, Monk Adams, now a famous singer-songwriter. This was a beautifully crafted novel that interweaves the stories and places two strong women at the forefront. It’s about motherhood, love, family, sacrifice, and more. Plus, I enjoyed the references to The Summer Wives and The Beach at Summerly, two other novels by this author set on the same island as this one. Such a wonderful, sweeping novel.
The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley
Finished The Ministry of Time on the beach. This was an interesting read. It’s set in the near future in London, where the unnamed main character works a top-secret job for the Ministry of Time as a bridge — a sort of guide for people who time-travel, called expats, from the past to present. She hosts Commander Graham Gore, known to the Ministry as Eighteen Forty-Seven, with the goal of acclimating him to modern life for the Ministry’s research purposes, and a romance blossoms. Other bridges are simultaneously working with and keeping data on their expats. There were many charming and funny moments, and I enjoyed much of the story. There’s love, friendship, mystery, intrigue, secrets, surprises, and more. However, I’m still a bit confused on some of the details. If you’ve read it, let’s chat. I recommend to those who like sci-fi, romcoms, thrillers, and creative reads.
The Paris Novel by Ruth Reichl
Read The Paris Novel in two days, finishing on my last full day in Rhode Island. This was an easy, simple read set in the 1980s. It’s about Stella, whose estranged mother dies, and her single wish for Stella is to take the money she’s left her and go to Paris. After a traumatic upbringing, Stella has always played it safe and lived a predictable life, but when her boss tells her to take the time off, she decides to go to Paris. From there, everything felt like a fairytale to me — things happened and worked out for Stella a little too well, but I just went with it and enjoyed the feast for the senses. The descriptions of food and scenery, and the joy Stella finds in Paris — however unbelievable it may be — make this a fun read. I recommend to readers who loves food and France.
The Guncle by Steven Rowley
Read The Guncle on our screen porch and loved it. This was such a sweet read. It’s about Patrick, an actor living in Palm Springs after being out of work for a few years. After his family experiences tragedy, his niece, Maisie, and nephew, Grant, move in with him for the summer. Patrick, their GUP (Gay Uncle Patrick), feels a little in over his head as the three of them navigate grief and loss while finding moments of joy. Plus, Patrick must move forward with a life that had become stagnant. This book is a quick, easy read, with lots of funny, tender, and heartwarming moments.
Sandwich by Catherine Newman
Read Sandwich in two days, mostly on our screen porch. This was a fast and wonderful read. I loved it so much. The story is told from the perspective of Rocky, a woman in her 50s sandwiched between her adult children and aging parents. The book takes place during the family’s precious annual one-week vacation in a Cape Cod rental. So many of the little details reminded me of summers in Rhode Island. The writing has a casual ease as Rocky recounts the week and all the complicated emotions of life as a woman in midlife, plus memories of being a young mother. It’s quite funny, and I laughed out loud many times, as well as emotional and poignant. This was simply a joy to read, from the quips and conversations to quaint details about the beach town to Rocky’s feelings and observations. Highly recommend to any woman for a lovely summery read.
The Wedding People by Alison Espach
Bought The Wedding People on release day, then read it in three days and loved it! This book is about Phoebe, who drops everything from her life in St. Louis and arrives in Newport, alone with no luggage, at the Cornwall Inn where she used to dream of coming with her now ex-husband. Unexpectedly, she soon discovers that she is the only guest at the hotel not attending the week-long wedding events of Lila and Gary, and Phoebe finds her plan to have one last lavish evening interrupted by the bride. As Lila and Phoebe talk and find themselves being completely honest with one another, Phoebe’s plans change. As the week goes on, she begins to feel included again and to see life’s possibilities with fresh eyes. This book has dark comedic as well as funny, charming moments. It deals with depression, anxiety, uncertainty, love, hope, and reflections on life and figuring out who you really are and what you want. I loved Phoebe’s character, her wit and her sense of humor, and the ending was wonderful. I would recommend for a quick but meaningful summer read.
P.S. Last summer’s reads.
