Book Girl Summer: Book Recommendations for summertime

Here in the UK, we have just survived a forty degree heatwave, however, I am now very much aware that the sun is setting a little earlier and it will soon be back to school/uni season. This means that the pressure is now on for me to squeeze in all my summer mood reading, and I have so many great books that I have read/am looking forward to reading and I thought I would share!

I think this is a very diverse bunch of books so I am hoping there will be something for everyone here, and without further ado, lets get into the recommendations!

My first book rec is Love and Gelato by Jenna Evans Welch. This book is a love story set in Italy, it follows Lina, whose mother has passed away, but left her with a journal, and we basically follow Lina’s summer in Italy and of COURSE there is a gorgeous gorgeous love interest and tonnes of stunning descriptions throughout.

This book was like its own little holiday, it was so fluffy and cute and fun and I had an incredible time reading it!

Next is a classic, but even if you have already read it, something about Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland gives me all the summer vibes, its such a good book for just sitting outdoors for hours and getting lost, and I also love the escapism element, which I think is something that a lot of people need during summer.

Fable is a great fantasy to read during summer due to the pirate/nautical vibes, we follow Fable, who is the daughter of what I gather is a pirate pimp, girl bossing her way through a very masculine world. I started reading this back in January but then thought it would be prefect to save until summer, and I can’t wait to start it again! This is also a duology, which I love because it is enough time to adore the characters but not the commitment of an eight book series.

I also think that Greek mythology books are stunning to read in summer because of the settings and descriptions, and Ariadne did this so so perfectly. Ariadne is a feminist reimagining of the tale of Ariadne, but I don’t think you need any background knowledge at all to love this book. It is told so beautifully and the setting and descriptions are literally magical.

The next book is one I won’t be shutting up about for a while, because I absolutely LOVED Idol by Louise O’Neill. When I tell you I did not put this bitch down until I finished it I am not kidding you. This book follows Samantha Miller, a wellness influencer, who is accused of a number of things that would most definitely get her cancelled. I love that this book raised such a broad variety of issues: how we treat women in the spotlight, wellness culture and the concept of influencers as a whole, but did it in a way that didn’t make it feel like I was being preached at or condescendingly told about.

This book had such incredible gossipy summer vibes and also really reminded me of Taylor Jenkins Reid’s writing (which I also LOVE), such a great beach read and you will get through this so so fast.

The next recommendation is another romance, but definitely a different vibe, Bringing Down the Duke is a more Bridgerton, period drama type romance. I read this the day I finished my uni exams and had so much fun just getting lost in descriptions of big manors and beautiful dresses. A point that I really loved in this book is that there was still a focus on feminism, and the female protagonist had a clear personality and she didn’t just feel like a limp slice of bread who happened to fancy a Duke, which happens a lot in these kinds of books. Obviously the book is not a clear or accurate representation of feminism in the past, but it is a lighthearted read that doesn’t completely ignore/or just blindly accept the treatment of women.

Next is a collection of essays for all my non-fiction girlies. I will say, Trick Mirror is not entirely made up of great essays, some I felt kind of dragged and others were just a bit pointless, but one essay that I loved, and that I feel like a lot of people may need to hear, particularly during summer, is ‘Always be Optimising’; I think it gave a really great insight into toxic productivity, hustle and wellness culture and just helps you to see reality, particularly for people like me who feel like they should always be improving or bettering themselves in some way.

Moving on to a book on my TBR, A Sky Painted Gold was described as Gilmore Girls meets Gatsby, and if you think that after hearing that there is a chance in hell that I am not immediately purchasing, you are very much mistaken. The book follows Lou, a Cornish girl who gets swept up into the lives of the Cardews when they arrive in their grand summer house one year. This book literally sounds incredible and like the definition of summer escapism, I’m actually so surprised I had never heard of it before but I am very much excited to read this one!

Next up is a retelling, and if there is one thing I love, it is a classic book retelling, which is exactly what Pride and Premeditation is: Pride and Prejudice turned MURDER MYSTERY, need I say more? I think books like this are a really good way to get the vibe of reading a classic without the barrier of feeling really intimidated by a classic, which I know a lot of people feel, and it is also just a really fun way to experience a story that we all know so well.

Another book that I am so beyond excited to get to is So Happy for You, which follows two best friends, one is getting married and one is a very reluctant Maid of Honour, over the weekend of a wedding when things seem to keep on going wrong. This book is genuinely the type of bonkers, unhinged book I adore and I am praying that it gives me the same vibes as Idol. Its also about WEDDINGS, so if you are being invited to/are in a party/are getting married, this would be so so fun to read (hopefully your wedding goes better than this one though xx)

Finally, nothing screams summer like dark disturbing kidnappings, right? I know it isn’t just me who loves a good mystery/thriller during summer, they are just so so quick to get through, they keep you completely hooked and you will not get bored at all. My choice for this list is Call Me Mummy, which follows Mummy, a woman who has everything but a child of her own, when she decides to kidnap the daughter of Kim, who was not paying attention to her own child. This book literally sounds like an ITV drama and I cannot wait to read it all in one sitting like I know I will.

And that is all for my summer book recommendations, I hope this post has given you some inspiration for your TBR as we enjoy the rest of summer! Let me know if you have read any of these, if you are hoping to, or if you have any other recommendations! Thank you so much for reading and I will speak to you all next week MWAH xoxo