One of the best parts about summer is finding the perfect book to read by the beach or the pool. Here are some of my favorite picks for your bookshelf this summer.
- Malibu Rising: Malibu Rising is a captivating novel written by Taylor Jenkins Reed, the author of the viral book 7 Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, that tells the story of a complicated family and how they work through their issues together. The story follows the Riva family in the past and present. We learn about the story of Mick Riva, a Hollywood star, and June, how they fell in love and fell apart, as well as exploring the stories of their children when they’re adults. The four Riva siblings, Nina, Hud, Jay, and Kit decide to throw an epic end of the summer party at Nina’s house in Malibu. The night ends with the house in flames, but not before we discover the complicated backstories and relationships of the Riva siblings. In the past, the author delves into Mick and June’s story, helping us better understand how their relationship and parenting affected the Riva siblings. Malibu Rising is a character driven story filled with twists and turns that leave you never wanting to put the book down. The author allows you to truly get to understand each character and their individual motivations, creating an emotional and bewitching story while also perfectly capturing the summer essence of Malibu.
- Better than the Movies: If you’re looking for a cute, classic rom com to read this summer then Better Than the Movies is the perfect choice for you. The novel by Lynn Painter follows Liz Buxbaum, a hopeless romantic high school senior who hopes to have her own perfect love story before she graduates. When Liz’s longtime crush Michael moves back to town, she enlists the help of her neighbor and mortal enemy, Wes, to get Michael to notice her. Soon enough, as Liz spends more time with Wes, she realizes that her “rom com worthy” love story might not pan out exactly as she planned, or with who she planned. Along with being a heartwarming romantic comedy, Liz deals with her mother’s death and learns how to live alongside her grief while also keeping her memory alive through their shared love of romantic movies. This book teaches us that love can sneak up on us when we least expect it, and that “the perfect outcome” might not always work out the way we want, which is oftentimes a good thing. My personal favorite part of the book was the author adding a movie quote from famous rom coms like Bridget Jones’s Diary, 27 Dresses, and Notting Hill, that often related to what Liz experienced in that chapter.
The Summer I Turned Pretty: This novel by Jenny Han is a classic summer read that follows Isabella ‘Belly’ Conklin through a summer of discovery. Ever since Belly could remember, her family spent their summers in Cousin’s Beach with her mom’s friend, Susannah, and her family. Belly has been in love with Conrad, one of Susannah’s sons, for years, but this summer she vows to move on and have the best summer ever. Yet somehow, she finds herself entangled in a messy love triangle with Conrad and his brother, Jeremiah. The author of The Summer I Turned Pretty manages to include the typical cliches and create a charming, sweet story about a teenage girl discovering herself and finding love along the way. This book is another very character driven story. The author writes the characters so that the characters feel like family, and you find yourself rooting for Belly to find her happiness and start rooting for which brother you want her to end up with. The rest of the trilogy includes It’s Not Summer Without You and We’ll Always Have Summer, two books that deal with not only romance, but also themes like grief and complicated family dynamics. Overall, The Summer I Turned Pretty is a great choice of a story to enjoy this summer and perfect to read before the second season of the TV adaption series comes out on July 14th.