Five Summer Must-Reads

From almost classic summer reads to anticipated new releases, here are five books to read this summer.

Five+Summer+Must-Reads

Call Me by Your Name 

By: Andre Aciman

Lazy days bathing in the Italian sun, idly biking around small bookstores and gelato parlors,  juicing fresh tangerines to spend hours translating and discussing old Latin text— these are short glimpses of Call Me by Your Name written by Andre Aciman, a novel focused on teenage protagonist Elio. Set in a small villa on the Italian Riviera, the family takes in a guest every year to spend their summer in their villa— and this year is no different with summer intern Oliver. Although they try to form a friendship, there is something hidden beneath their so-called friendship: an attraction that cannot be denied between the two of them. The intimate, once-in-a-lifetime type of love will draw you into the mind of a confused teenage boy who seeks to maneuver the psychological challenges of love, as well as determine what it truly means to be loved.  

 

Happy Place

By: Emily Henry

What does it mean to be truly happy? That is the question Harriet has been constantly asking herself after her engagement was broken off, and since then they have not been on speaking terms. But Harriet knows one thing- one place- that no matter what scenario, always has made her happy— a cottage in Maine, she and her two best friends since college have been using as their yearly getaway. But this year, her friends surprised her by inviting her ex-fiance, Wyn— and had to pretend like everything was normal for a week to maintain the happiness of their sacred place. In Emily Henry’s new thrilling tale about finding the truth about happiness, will Wynn and Harriet be able to salvage their relationship or will their happy place be unable to salvage their relationship? 

 

Yellowface

By R.F Kuang

Athena Lui is a promising author whose books have touched the lives of thousands worldwide–that is until a misfortune circumstance claims her life. As the world grieves the loss of their beloved author, her friend, June Hayward wastes no time in seizing the opportunity to claim fame. Throughout her life, June has traced the lack of recognition to her “basic” Whiteness, so when Athena’s racially diverse transcript lands in her possession, June does not hold back. She rebrands herself as Juniper Song and publishes Athena’s masterpiece, and almost instantly the book becomes critically acclaimed by large platforms such as the New York Times. As lies pile up June struggles to keep her true identity under the rug all while dealing with the ethics her new role brings.

 

One True Loves

By: Taylor Jenkins Reid

We all have one soul mate, and Emma Blair knew exactly who was hers. Ever since her freshman year of high school, Emma has been entranced with the charismatic boy Jesse. After carefully observing him from afar, she finally musters up the courage to talk to him. Years later they have started a life together outside of the scornful eyes of their hometown. Emma doesn’t think there could ever be an end to the happiness she feels with him, however, she is soon proven wrong. When a helicopter accident claims Jesse’s life, Emma is forced to move on with hers. After Emma moves home in the hope of filling the pieces she had lost to Jesse, she runs into her old friend Sam. As he holds her hand through the loss, they slowly start getting closer. Soon enough Emma has a new ring on her finger and she and Sam are looking forward to forever being together, that is until she gets a call that flips her world upside down. After being stranded for years, Jesse, her one true love, is alive. Now Emma must figure out the truth of where her heart lies by looking deep into herself.

 

We were Liars

By: E. Lockhart 

Sinclairs— a beautiful family, known for their big houses and even bigger bank accounts. But behind the elaborate charade, the Sinclair family is breaking— and Cadence Sinclair Eastman is only one outcome of this in-ruins family. Cadence banged her head two years ago and became diagnosed with amnesia, during her fifteenth summer spent on the Sinclairs beachside estate. All she remembers was that she and her “Liars” (consisting of her three other best friends) relationship was stronger than ever. Cadence will learn the truth about what really happened before her accident—as well as the generations of lies her family has told over the years—in E. Lockhart’s story about lying, love and seeking the truth.