5 Books to Read This Summer

As summer approaches, I'm sure all of you book readers out there are frantically searching your bookshelves and libraries for books you haven't read...which is a feat unto itself. In other words, practically impossible. I know that personally, I love to read on vacation, especially on the beach. So here are five books that I highly recommend- and that also have a summer-y theme!

1. The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han

This is a romance novel series, well known to a lot of people. There is also a tv series based on it, but as always, I suggest you read the books before watching the show. The story revolves around a girl named Belly, who has spent every summer of her life at Cousins Beach with the Fishers (aka. the two boys, Conrad and Jeremiah). For as long as she can remember, she has been in love with Conrad. But as most romance novels go, there's a conflict: Jeremiah has feelings for her too. Jenny Han integrates a lot of flashbacks, which sometimes makes readers confused, but I enjoyed going back in time to different periods in Belly's life. Hopeless romantic warning: My position when I finished the last book, We'll Always Have Summer, was sobbing on the couch. That book hit all the right feel-y buttons. This is a perfect book for relaxing on the beach, pool, or curling up after a long day of summer activities.

“For me, it was almost like winter didn’t count. Summer was what mattered. My whole life was measured in summers.” -The Summer I Turned Pretty

2. The Siren by Kiera Cass

Yes, I have mentioned Kiera Cass a lot. No, I'm not going to stop. As far as romance novels go, this one is so well put together: just the right mix of love, suspense, and...all the other things you're looking for in a summer-themed romance book. The book is about a siren (I know, crazy, right?), Kahlen, who has lived hundreds of years waiting to start her own life away from the secrets and silence that is the sisterhood of sirens. But then a human named Akinli shows up, and her world is flipped upside down.

It's been a while since I've read this book, and so I was just kind of looking back at the reviews on Goodreads, and was kind of reminded of why I liked this book so much. It's a fairly simple book, but it's just a really beautiful read. Kiera Cass's writing in this one is so flowery and poetic; I just love it. Also, I'm a sucker for those love-me lines (you know, those ones).

"Books were a safe place, a world apart from my own. No matter what had happened that day, that year, there was always a story in which someone overcame their darkest hour. I wasn't alone.” -The Siren

3. The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune

The House in the Cerulean Sea is, according to Goodreads, "An enchanting story, masterfully told, The House in the Cerulean Sea is about the profound experience of discovering an unlikely family in an unexpected place—and realizing that family is yours."

Doesn't that just make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside? This book was such a delight to read. It has all the perfect aspects of a feel-good story; magic, adventure, humor. It is truly one of the best books I have ever read. Wonderfully written, so simplistic with a message that runs deeper than just the story itself. Go look it up- I promise you won't regret it.

“A home isn't always the house we live in. It's also the people we choose to surround ourselves with.” -The House in the Cerulean Sea

I hope y'all have a blessed and safe summer. Have lots of fun, and reads LOTS of books!

Love, Alaina