7 Books to Read This Summer

Summer means beach days, getaways, plane flights and road trips – all which can be made even sweeter with a good book! For us, this is the time where we can start checking off the long reading list that’s been building up during busier months. There are so many choices out there, so we narrowed it down to what are, in our opinion, the best books to read this summer! Whether you’re in the mood for a thrilling page-turner or a Pulitzer Prize winner, one of these novels or memoirs will suit your fancy.

All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

A must read, All the Light We Cannot See follows a German boy and blind French girl on opposite sides of WWII as they are forced to grow up as rapidly as the world around them is changing. In a struggle to survive, their lives collide in an unexpected way. For fans of historical fiction, or magnificent (Pulitzer Prize worthy) writing, pick up this one.

The Royal We by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan

Royal Wedding withdrawals? Us too. To get by we recommending picking up/downloading this lighthearted and quick read loosely based on the English royal family. When word gets out that Prince Nick (AKA Prince William) has fallen for American Bex (Kate meets Meghan), the entire world has an opinion. Will they make it to the alter? What family secrets may stop them? And what role will Prince Freddie (AKA Harry) play in it all?

The Wife Between Us by Greer Hendrick and Sarah Pekkanen

For our fellow lovers of page-turning-thrillers, don’t start this book on a weeknight. What starts as a love triangle  soon takes an unexpected turn revealing marriages aren’t always what they seem. In true thriller fashion, there are a lot of “WHAT” moments, twists and a reveal at the end that you won’t see coming. 

In A Dark Dark Wood by Ruth Ware

Fans of Ruth Ware’s other popular novels The Woman in Cabin 10, or her newest The Death of Mrs. Westaway, should pick up a copy of this thriller immediately! When a group of somewhat strangers head to the English Countryside for a bachelorette party – or “hen night” as the Brits like to call it – something goes amiss. And just like that, our hearts starts to race.

When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi

Paul Kalanithi’s powerful memoir chronicles his journey from neurosurgeon to patient when diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer. He asks the question “What makes life worth living in the face of death?” and many others while faced with his own mortality in this moving, brilliant book.

The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn

When you find yourself asking “What happened” a few pages in, you know you’re in for a thrill. And a thrill is exactly what you get in this Hitchcockian-style novel about – you guessed it – an agoraphobic woman in the window who witnesses (or did she?) a neighborhood crime. Cue the chills.

The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken

If you’re the kind of person that likes to say, “I read the book first” then this is a must-read. The Darkest Minds is the first in a young adult series where a disease kills off most of the American children and leaves behind few survivors with powerful and dark abilities. In a story reminiscent of The Hunger Games, the survivors escape a rehabilitation camp in pursuit of the last safe haven. It hits the big screen this August!

What summer reads are on your list? If you haven’t yet, check out our most recent reading list and these empowering books every woman should read too!