Books to Read this Summer!

Hello all! I hope you are keeping safe. We are currently in the summer months, even though looking out of my window at the rain you wouldn’t think so. When it is summer I always want to read books about summer trips, adventures and romances. Today I thought I’d write a little list about some books you should read this summer!

Camp by L.C Rosen

“Sixteen-year-old Randy Kapplehoff loves spending the summer at Camp Outland, a camp for queer teens. It’s where he met his best friends. It’s where he takes to the stage in the big musical. And it’s where he fell for Hudson Aaronson-Lim – who’s only into straight-acting guys and barely knows not-at-all-straight-acting Randy even exists.

This year, though, it’s going to be different. Randy has reinvented himself as ‘Del’ – buff, masculine, and on the market. Even if it means giving up show tunes, nail polish, and his unicorn bedsheets, he’s determined to get Hudson to fall for him.

But as he and Hudson grow closer, Randy has to ask himself how much is he willing to change for love. And is it really love anyway, if Hudson doesn’t know who he truly is?”

This is the perfect book to read this summer! It is set at a summer camp and as a lot of us will be missing out on the typical summer activities this year, I think this is a perfect read. It will get you in the summer mood whilst also keeping safe and fulfilling the need to go on summer adventures. I loved this book a lot and wrote a full review which you can find here.

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This One Summer by Mariko Tamaki and Jillian Tamaki

“Every summer, Rose goes with her mom and dad to a lake house in Awago Beach. It’s their getaway, their refuge. Rosie’s friend Windy is always there, too, like the little sister she never had. But this summer is different. Rose’s mom and dad won’t stop fighting, and when Rose and Windy seek a distraction from the drama, they find themselves with a whole new set of problems. It’s a summer of secrets and sorrow and growing up, and it’s a good thing Rose and Windy have each other.”

I read this book a couple of summers ago and I loved it and flew right the way through it. It is a gorgeous, heart-breaking and hopeful story about a girl becoming a teenager. It is also packed full of beautiful illustrations which I loved. If you haven’t read this book yet I highly recommend it!

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Alex in Wonderland by Simon James Green

“In the town of Newsands, painfully shy Alex is abandoned by his two best friends for the summer. But he unexpectedly lands a part-time job at Wonderland, a run-down amusement arcade on the seafront, where he gets to know the other teen misfits who work there. Alex starts to come out of his shell, and even starts to develop feelings for co-worker Ben… who, as Alex’s bad luck would have it, has a girlfriend.

Then as debtors close in on Wonderland and mysterious, threatening notes start to appear, Alex and his new friends take it on themselves to save their declining employer. But, like everything in Wonderland, nothing is quite what it seems…”

I read this one last summer and what an absolute joy it was. I laughed out loud at so many parts and that doesn’t often happen when I read books. This is the perfect book to read in your garden on a sunny day and it is so easy to fly through it in one sitting. Simon James Green has written a perfect summer book which I would highly recommend to read!

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All the Invisible Things by Orlagh Collins

“Vetty’s family is moving back to London, and all she can think about is seeing Pez again. They were inseparable when they were small – roaming the city in the long summers, sharing everything. But everyone’s telling her it’ll be different now. After all, a boy and a girl can’t really be friends without feelings getting in the way, can they?

Vetty thinks differently … until Pez tells her she’s ‘not like other girls’. But what does that even mean? Is it a good thing or not? Suddenly she’s wondering whether she wants him to see her like the others – like the ultra-glamorous March, who’s worked some sort of spell on Pez, or the girls in the videos that Pez has hidden on his laptop.”

This is one of those books that just has a summer feel for me. I read it one summer and it made me feel full of adventure and fun. Not only that but the cover looks incredibly summery too. This book is in my opinion very underrated and deserves a lot more love from people. So, if you haven’t read this book yet, I highly recommend that you pick up a copy and give it a read!

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Loveboat, Taipai by Abigail Hing Wen

“When eighteen-year-old Ever Wong’s parents send her from Ohio to Taiwan to study Mandarin for the summer, she finds herself thrust among the very over-achieving kids her parents have always wanted her to be, including Rick Woo, the Yale-bound prodigy profiled in the Chinese newspapers since they were nine—and her parents’ yardstick for her never-measuring-up life.

Unbeknownst to her parents, however, the program is actually an infamous teen meet-market nicknamed Loveboat, where the kids are more into clubbing than calligraphy and drinking snake-blood sake than touring sacred shrines.”

This book is excellent to read in the summer. Whilst Ever studies in Taiwan for the summer, you can join her, experience Taiwan and her adventures all from the comfort of your home. I throughly enjoyed reading this book and highly recommend that you give it a read!

There you have it, that was some books to read this summer! What books do you think are perfect to read in the summer? Let me know in the comments!