The 2021 Summer Reading Guide is here! I wanted to have this ready a few weeks ago but it didn’t work out. I’m super excited to share this list with you all. This is my second Summer Reading Guide (check out last year’s here) and I always have so much fun putting it together. These are all books that I consider to be summer books, not books that come out this summer.
I asked on Instagram what you think of when you think of Summer Books and what kind of books you like to read in the Summer and these were the answers I got:
- An “unputdownable” book
- A quick page turner
- Light and fun books
- Light, steamy and full of drama
- Books with a beach setting
This is pretty consistent with how I think of summer books and all the books below have at least one of those characteristics. I split the books into four categories: Bingeable Mysteries, Beach town/Vacation vibes, Family and Friendship, Binge Worthy Backlists (books that didn’t come out this year), and My Summer TBR (books I’m excited to read this summer). Books in all these categories (except for My Summer TBR) are books that I’ve personally curated (have read or I’m currently reading them). I hope you find some great books to read this summer here and that you read along with me!
Bingeable Mysteries
This category includes books in the mystery/suspense genre that you won’t be able to put down.
Too Good to be True by Carola Lovering
One love story, two marriages, three versions of the truth. The alternating points of view and timeline make this a bingeable book. I suggest going into this one blind and not knowing much about it so that you can enjoy it. You’ll have to trust me on this one!
Publication Date – March 2, 2021
My Rating – 5 Stars. Check out my review here.
Why is this a good summer read? This is the perfect summer thriller to read sitting by the pool or beach. For me it was bingeable and so good!
The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave
We all have stories we never tell. Before Owen Michaels disappears, he manages to smuggle a note to his beloved wife of one year: Protect her. That’s all you have to know about this one. I think it’s best to go in blind.
Publication Date – May 4, 2021
My Rating – 4 Stars. Full review coming soon!
Why is this a good summer read? This is a bingeable book. I listened to the audiobook and I recommend that format. I was hooked from the beginning and couldn’t wait to find out the ending.
Local Woman Missing by Mary Kubica
It all starts with a local woman missing, but there is more to the story. A mother and daughter go missing and the case goes cold. Eleven years later the daughter shockingly returns. Everyone wants to know what happened to her, but no one is prepared for what they’ll find…
Publication Date – May 18, 2021
My Rating – 5 Stars. Full review coming soon!
Why is this a good summer read? This is one of those books that you get exactly what that description says. Its narrated in three point of views which makes it bingeable. I couldn’t stop listening to the audiobook and I didn’t see the twist coming!
Beach Town/Vacation Vibes
There’s nothing better than sitting by the beach or the pool and reading a book set with the same kind of vibes. These books will give you that feeling.
Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Malibu Rising is a story about one unforgettable night in the life of a family: the night they each have to choose what they will keep from the people who made them . . . and what they will leave behind.
Publication Date – June 1st 2021
My Rating – 4.5 Stars. Check out my review here.
Why is this a good summer read? This book is set in Malibu, CA and it has beachy vibes. It will transport you to the 1980s in Malibu and you’ll be immersed in the family drama.
People We Meet On Vacation by Emily Henry
Two best friends. Ten summer trips. One last chance to fall in love. From the author of Beach Read, a sparkling new novel that will leave you with the warm, hazy afterglow usually reserved for the best vacations.
Publication Date – May 11, 2021
My Rating – 4 Stars. Review coming soon!
Why is this a good summer read? This book takes place over the course of 10 vacations that the main characters take. If that doesn’t make you think of summer I don’t know what does. This book made me want to travel!
Rock the Boat by Beck Dorey-Stein
Old friends discover how much has changed (and how much has stayed the same) when they reunite in their seaside hometown for one unforgettable summer. This is a great summer novel with a lot of heart!
Publication Date – June 29, 2021
My Rating – 4.5 Stars. Review coming soon!
Why is this a good summer read? This book takes you to a beach town in New Jersey and you get to follow a group of friends that reunite back home for all different reasons. I couldn’t stop reading this book.
Family & Friendship
These are books centered around family and friendship and are “feel good” or not too heavy.
Early Morning Riser by Katherine Heiny
A wise, bighearted, boundlessly joyful novel of love, disaster, and unconventional family set in a small town. This is a book you’ll want to hug when you finish reading it.
Publication Date – April 13, 2021
My Rating – 4 Stars. Check out my review here.
Why is this a good summer read? While this is a more “quiet” book and not necessarily bingeable I read it quite fast while at the beach in the spring. You’ll fall in love with the characters and travel to a small town.
Olive by Emma Gannon
Moving, memorable and a mirror for every woman at a crossroads, OLIVE has a little bit of all of us. Told with great warmth and nostalgia, this is a modern tale about the obstacle course of adulthood, milestone decisions and the ‘taboo’ about choosing not to have children.
Publication Date – June 25, 2020
My Rating – 5 Stars. Check out my review here.
Why is this a good summer read? You know I had to include one of my favorite books of 2021 in here. It happens to be perfect for summer.This book falls in the “feel good” category. While I have a personal connection to it I think any woman in her 30s would find something to relate to in this book. I hope you fall in love with Olive as much as I did.
The Good Sister by Sally Hepworth
This is a suspense book that covers the topic of family. It’s about two sisters that are very different and a secret they’re keeping.
Publication Date – April 13, 2021
My Rating – 4 Stars. Review coming soon!
Why is this a good summer read? The writing and the drama is what makes this book bingeable. Sally Hepworth is very talented at that (I loved her book The Mother in Law too).
Binge Worthy Backlists
These are all books that came out last year or earlier and that are worth adding to your beach/pool bag.
A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson
The case is closed. Five years ago, schoolgirl Andie Bell was murdered by Sal Singh. The police know he did it. Everyone in town knows he did it. But having grown up in the same small town that was consumed by the murder, Pippa Fitz-Amobi isn’t so sure. What secrets will she uncover when she starts digging into the case?
Publication Date – February 4, 2020
My Rating – 4 Stars. Check out my review here.
Why is this a good summer read? It is a Young Adult book but I think anyone would enjoy it because of the mystery aspect. I really liked the main character and I thought the plot was believable. As with all thrillers there are twists and most of them I didn’t see coming which is always important with books in this genre.
The Boys’ Club by Erica Katz
A page-turning debut novel (already optioned to Netflix) about sex and power in the halls of corporate America.
Publication Date – August 4, 2020
My Rating – I am currently reading this one and loving it. Coming soon!
Why is this a good summer read? You had me at drama within the halls of corporate America. This book comes highly recommended but at the same time not super hyped. I’m ready to sit by the pool and read it.
The Last Flight by Julie Clark
Claire and Eva exchange plane tickets. Eva’s plane crashes. Cut off, out of options, with the news of her death about to explode in the media, Claire will assume Eva’s identity, and along with it, the secrets Eva fought so hard to keep hidden.
Publication Date – June 23, 2020
My Rating – 5 Stars. Check out my review here.
Why is this a good summer read? I could not put this one down! Aaron also loved it so it has both of our stamps of approval. It’s a very fast paced read perfect for summer.
My Summer TBR
These are the books that I’m so excited to read this summer! Would you read along with me? I’ll let you know what I think once I read them.
The Guncle by Steven Rowley
A warm and deeply funny novel about a once-famous gay sitcom star whose unexpected family tragedy leaves him with his niece and nephew for the summer. With humor and heart, The Guncle is a moving tribute to the power of love, patience, and family in even the most trying of times.
Publication Date – May 25, 2021
Why am I excited to read it? This is my book club’s pick for this month and I am loving it. If this cover doesn’t scream summer I don’t know what does. I’m expecting a feel good book with some laughs on this one based on the reviews.
The Summer Job by Lizzy Dent
A laugh-out-loud and ultimately heartwarming debut of a good friend’s very bad decision and the summer job that stands to ruin or make her life. A laugh-out-loud love story and unexpected tale of a woman finally finding herself in the strangest of places.
Publication Date – May 18, 2021
Why am I excited to read it? The word summer is in the title so I have to read it right? As you can see there’s a lot of book covers that are yellow in this guide. That was just a coincidence but I’m into it. I love wine and summer so this book sounds perfect.
The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Dalila Harris
An electric debut about the tension that unfurls when two young Black women meet against the starkly white backdrop of New York City book publishing. It’s described as “a whip-smart and dynamic thriller and sly social commentary that is perfect for anyone who has ever felt manipulated, threatened, or overlooked in the workplace”.
Publication Date – June 1, 2021
Why am I excited to read it? I’ve seen some great reviews of this one and I’m ready for the drama of NYC book publishing. This seems to be a contemporary/thriller genre which I’m curious about.
Summer on the Bluffs by Sunny Hostin
A dazzling novel about a life-changing summer along the beaches of Oak Bluffs, an exclusive black beach community in Martha’s Vineyard.
Publication Date – June 1, 2021
Why am I excited to read it? I’ll be honest, I’m excited to read this one because of the cover. This is the perfect summer cover and its gorgeous. It sounds like it has lots of summer vibes and drama. I’m ready to read it by the beach.
What a Happy Family by Saumya Dave
Nestled in the suburbs of Atlanta, a family learns the funniest punchlines can hide the hardest truths in this evocative women’s fiction novel from the author of Well-Behaved Indian Women.
Publication Date – June 22, 2021
Why am I excited to read it? This one also has a great cover! I am excited to read it for many reasons, it is set in Atlanta, the author is an Atlanta author that I’ve bonded with on Instagram and you may recognize her because her previous book was included in my Summer Reading Guide last year. I’m excited to read her new book!
Shoulder Season by Christina Clancy
With a heroine to root for and a narrative to get lost in, Shoulder Season is a sexy, evocative tale, drenched in longing and desire, that captures a fleeting moment in American history with nostalgia and heart.
Publication Date – July 6, 2021
Why am I excited to read it? This book is considered historical fiction which I don’t typically think of a genre for summer but this one sounds like a different kind of historical fiction book. Set in the 1980s in a Playboy Resort it follows Sherri a playboy bunny.
I hope this post helps you find some great books to read this summer! I put together a Bookshop.org list with all the books in case you want to buy them. Check it out here. Let me know what you think of them if you read them.
Ahhh thank you so much for sharing this! I’m adding Summer Job, Shoulder Season and The Other Black Girl to my TBR ASAP!!!