I’m often asked what I recommend as a great summer read, and I can never remember what to suggest. So I thought I’d finally pull together a list!
I went back through my list of 5-star books I’ve listed in StoryGraph over the past six months (an excellent alternative to Goodreads – if you join, find me at: alyssa_bookjoy) plus I’ve added a few “forever faves.”
So in no particular order, here are some of my favourite books to take on vacation or read in a hammock this summer. (Note: many of them have content warnings for parts of their plotlines; please check before reading.)
If you need a fun read with a decent storyline . . .
- The Wedding People, Alison Espach – a weekend wedding in the Hamptons with twists. It took me a bit to get into it (I have a love/hate relationships with books about exceptionally wealthy people) but it’s a good beach read.
- Six Days in Bombay, Alka Joshi – I loved The Henna Artist and the two books that followed (also great summer reads). The heroine of this latest book is a nurse in India in 1937 who carries out the wishes of a dying patient to deliver paintings to her loved ones in Europe.
- Back After This, Linda Holmes – Roxane Gay included this book in her Audacity Book Club and it was fun. It’s a coming-of-age podcaster love story; I wasn’t sure I would get into it, but I ended up really enjoying it.
- This Summer Will Be Different, Carly Fortune – I didn’t love her second book (it happens a lot to authors who are wildly successful with their first book) but this one is a charming love story based in PEI. She has a new one out in 2025 too; maybe she’s the next (and Canadian!) Danielle Steele.
If you love earnest quests for identity and belonging . . .
- The Life Cycle of the Common Octopus, by Emma Knight – If you’ve ever hoped for a book set in Toronto and Glasgow, this is your book! You’re rooting for the female protagonist all the way through.
- All The Colors of the Dark, by Chris Whitaker – This might be one of my favourite books of 2025. It’s a tricky combination of love story, murder mystery, and overcoming the odds, and the author weaves it together beautifully.
- A Little Life, Hanya Yanaghara – My librarian niece recommended this book and it will be on my all-time favourite ist forever. I sobbed several times (big, noisy crying) and was sad when it was over. (CW: suicide)
If you miss the powerful world-building of Harry Potter (and want to skip the author-drama) . . .
- Fourth Wing, by Rebecca Yarros – Chronicles the eduction and career start for a young, female dragon warrior (with a side love interest who doesn’t distract her or hold her back, how revolutionary); also great if you love starting a series, as this one has two additional books.
- The House in the Cerulean Sea, TJ Klune – This book is magical. It’s a YA level read but the combination of mystical creatures and complex humans finding their way into deeper relationships with each other was beautiful. I loved it.
- The Power, Naomi Alderman – Teenage girls develop the ability to release electrical jolts from their hands, leading to women becoming the dominant sex. This book was complicated for me, but the idea of an instant reversal of power was intriguing.
If you’re looking for historical fiction . . .
- Hamnet, Maggie O’Farrell – The fictionalized story of Shakespeare’s family and how they struggled with the loss of a child. I couldn’t put it down and I will forever read anything and everything written by Maggie O’Farrell. (In Canada, this was sold under the title Hamnet and Judith)
- City of Girls, Elizabeth Gilbert – I was a theatre kid growing up, so diving into life in 1940s New York City theatre was a no-brainer.
- James, Percival Everett – Please, please, read James, the retelling of Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, but told from the perspective of an enslaved Black man. Everett won the 2025 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for James and everyone needs to read it.
If you love strong, female characters in difficult situations . . .
- Lessons in Chemistry, Bonnie Garmus – The story of the challenges for women scientists in the fifties, and how to keep going despite incredible loss. I loved the unusual construction of this book so much that I immediately re-read it to understand how she did it. (I’m also a huge fan of supporting this author, who wrote this, her first book, in her fifties.)
- Circe, Madeline Miller – In Greek mythology, Circe is the daughter of Helios and Perse, who banish her to an island for her use of witchcraft. The story takes us through her life as she grows more powerful on the island. It was captivating, I couldn’t put it down.
- The Alone, Kristen Hannah – A mother and daughter end up alone in the Alaskan wilderness after following a troubled and abusive Vietnam solider to live off the grid. It’s a difficult, complex story I kept thinking about for days.
If you love family-anchored stories from different eras, geography, or
challenges . . .
- Pachinko, Min Jin Lee – If you haven’t read this one yet (it was published in 2017), please read it before you watch the Apple+ TV series. The book follows a Korean family through four generations through their loss, life, and rebuilding in Japan.
- Homeseeking, Karissa Chen – Childhood friends from Shanghai separated through war and six decades find themselves unexpectedly reunited in LA.
- Dream Count, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie – Follows the winding story of four women who move back and forth between America and Nigeria.
Some of these could be in multiple categories, which makes them even better.
Of course, book choices are highly subjective! I’d love to hear what would make it on your list. DM me on IG @shiftwisdom or on LI @alyssaburkus to let me know what you think, or send me your picks.
Happy reading!
