16 Must-Read Novels for Your Summer TBR Pile

1. Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry

Henry’s latest (and much anticipated book for summer) focuses on the life and times of Margaret Ives, the fictional American heiress in her 80s who vanished from the public eye decades ago. She finally has decided to share her story with the world and has enlisted two young writers to do the job. The catch: She invited both Alice Scott and Hayden Anderson to her remote island town for a one month trial period with each before making her final decision on who will write it. While this storyline is more serious than Henry’s other novels, you can, of course, expect a budding and steamy romance to unfold between the two competitors! 

Buy it: Great Big Beautiful Life

2. Atmosphere: A Love Story by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Taylor Jenkins Reid has an effortless way of immersing readers into the setting and characters of her novels, and this pick for best book for summer is no exception. Atmosphere takes us back to the 1980s, where we meet Joan Goodwin, a physics and astronomy professor in Houston, Texas. Her quiet life blasts into another dimension when she is chosen as one of the first women to join NASA’s space shuttle program. As she and her teammates begin their training at Johnson Space Center, she falls in love and takes on life with a new passion. But in December of 1984, in the midst of their mission, everything changes.

Buy it: Atmosphere: A Love Story

3. The Griffin Sisters’ Greatest Hits by Jennifer Weiner

Jennifer Weiner is back with another best book for summer saga centering on sisterhood, love, and secrets. Casie and Zoe Grossberg were the hottest pop duo of the early 2000s, making their way to MTV, SNL, and the cover of Rolling Stone. The two were polar opposites when it came to being in the spotlight, and after just one year, everything fell apart. Two decades later, the sisters haven’t spoken, and Zoe’s daughter Cherry wants answers. Music lovers will especially love this story, while reminding us that second chances are always out there.

Buy it: The Griffin Sisters’ Greatest Hits

4. My Friends by Fredrik Backman

A famous painting created by the most unlikely of characters is the center of this moving new novel from Fredrik Backman, who also wrote the masterpiece A Man Called Ove. Louisa, a young woman who grew up enduring the horrors of the foster-care system, first becomes acquainted with the painting as a child. She then makes it her mission to learn the story of the artist and three people in the distant corner of the masterpiece. After a chance and bizarre meeting, the painting becomes hers. This is the start of a journey for the answers she has been searching for her entire life.

Buy it: My Friends

5. The Wedding People by Alison Espach

Phoebe Stone can finally check off a visit to the lavish Cornwall Inn in Newport, Rhode Island, on her bucket list. However, she soon realizes she is the only guest who is not there for a wedding extravaganza taking place that weekend. Ironically, she and her husband split and she is there to seek solace one last time before making a life-changing decision. The bride is horrified regarding Phoebe’s presence at HER big event, and what ensues ranges from hilarious to heartwarming realizations. 

Buy it: The Wedding People

6. The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern by Lynda Cohen Loigman

Augusta Stern has recently retired from a long career as a pharmacist in Brooklyn, New York. She relocates to an active seniors community in South Florida and immediately runs into Irving Rivkin, the boy who broke her heart 60 years ago. This takes the reader back to Augusta’s early years, where we find her in the middle of two opposite worlds: her father’s pharmacology practices and her great-aunt’s unconventional natural remedies. This eventually causes a major rift in the family. As she prepares to leave for pharmacy school, the thought of leaving Irving without a clear future pushes her beyond the edge of reason. She takes it upon herself to use one of Aunt Esther’s most powerful potions, which naturally backfires into a disaster. This charming and heartfelt novel is the perfect book for summer break, along with Loigman’s last novel, The Matchmaker’s Gift.

7. Good Dirt by Charmaine Wilkerson

If you enjoyed Charmaine Wilkerson’s previous bestseller, Black Cake, you must check out Good Dirt. When Ebby Freedman was just 10 years old, tragedy struck; Her brother, Baz, was shot and killed in front of her during a robbery gone wrong in their home. As one of the few black families in their wealthy New England town, the tragedy made headlines, and the case remained unsolved. When her life is once again shattered on her wedding day, she takes off to France to hide from the media frenzy. Here, she must confront her past, which also involves discovering the mysteries and history of the large stoneware jar that is the centerpiece of it all.

Buy it: Good Dirt

8. The Faculty Lounge by Jennifer Mathieu

I know, I know, we aren’t supposed to be talking about school right now. But author and fellow educator Jennifer Mathieu nailed it with this entertaining story set in a high school. I could easily relate to some of the situations portrayed in this humorous novel. The dynamics between the characters are equally amusing, often reminding me of different educators I work with. See for yourself as we take a glimpse into the work and personal lives of the staff of Baldwin High. 

Buy it: The Faculty Lounge 

9. We’ll Prescribe You a Cat by Syou Ishida

Calling all cat people! Cats are majestic and whimsical creatures that bring joy to those around them. If just the thought of these sweet and fuzzy creatures (or any pets, for that matter) makes you smile, this book is for you. The charming vignettes explore the special companionship between cats and humans, along with their whimsical and mysterious behaviors. A secret clinic in Kyoto, Japan, prescribes cats as medication to those who can find their way there. Their healing powers end up being far better than any medications, of course. Meow!

Buy it: We’ll Prescribe You a Cat

10. All That Life Can Afford by Emily Everett

Anna has dreamed of a glamorous life in London her entire life. When she finally arrives across the pond, her paycheck-to-paycheck tutoring job and run-down apartment are the opposite of what she envisioned. When the wealthy Wilder family invites her to Saint-Tropez with them to tutor their daughter, she is swept up into a world of wealth. She soon meets two wildly different men who both sweep her off her feet. Can she remain true to herself while trying to navigate through this unfamiliar territory?

Buy it: All That Life Can Afford

11. Happy Wife by Meredith Lavender and Kendall Shores

In this rags-to-riches tale, we meet 28-year-old Nora, who is barely making a living wage. She waits on the rich at work, at a ritzy country club in the suburbs of central Florida. She quickly becomes involved with Will, a much older, wealthy single father, shocking the rest of the community. Flash-forward to the morning after (now husband) Will’s birthday party, when he mysteriously vanishes. Nora naturally becomes the prime suspect, sending the reader into a thrilling search for answers.

Buy it: Happy Wife

12. One Golden Summer by Carley Fortune

The summer Alice spent with her grandmother at the lake as a teenager changed her life. She discovered her true talent for photography there, acting as the springboard to her successful career in the field as an adult. She and Nan decide to go back all these years later when Nan needs a place to heal her broken hip. They soon are reunited with handsome and flirty Charlie Florek, causing Alice to reexamine the past and present. Alice has a great eye, but she isn’t used to her subjects seeing her true self too. Is her heart ready to open up? Find out when you read this best book for summer selection.

13. Run for the Hills by Kevin Wilson

If you are looking for a good laugh weaved into a heartwarming story, this one is for you. Madeline and her mother have lived a quiet life on a farm in Tennessee for the last two decades, ever since her father performed a disappearing act. All is status quo until Reuben Hill shows up, claiming he is Madeline’s half-brother. With the help of a private investigator, he discovered there are numerous other half-siblings out there. Reuben convinces Madeline to join him on a mission to reunite with their long-lost father, find their relatives, and answer their questions. Talk about a road trip for the ages! Life will never be the same for either of them, to say the least.

Buy it: Run for the Hills

14. Three Days in June by Anne Tyler

Pulitzer Prize–winning author Anne Tyler is back with a book for summer about the highs and lows of love, marriage, and family. Gail Banes loses her job the day before her daughter’s wedding. On top of that, the groom’s mother didn’t include her in the pre-wedding spa day. Last but not least, her ex-husband shows up at her doorstep completely unprepared for the big day. Just when things couldn’t get any worse, her daughter shares a secret about her future husband, and the drama ensues.

Buy it: Three Days in June

15. The Amalfi Curse by Sarah Penner

Nautical archaeologist Haven Ambrose has arrived in Positano in search of answers to the mysterious shipwrecks that have plagued the area. However, Haven has an ulterior motive: She also hopes to find the priceless gemstones her father uncovered on his last dive. As strange occurrences surround her upon arrival, she begins to wonder if the legends are true and the island is cursed. Can she solve the mystery before any more catastrophes occur?

Buy it: The Amalfi Curse

16. The Phoenix Pencil Company by Allison King

Monica is a college freshman who has a hard time socially. She hides herself in the digital world alone with solitary projects, counting the days until she can just go home and spend time with her aging grandparents. Monica is also on a quest to find her grandmother Yun’s long-lost cousin, who is the key to a hidden family history of the young women’s time in Shanghai circa World War II. Monica receives a pencil that ends up being a huge clue to their time working at the Phoenix Pencil Company. Through a process called Reforging, the women kept secrets in their veins, with the government eventually catching on. This tale of family history, combined with fantasy, mystery, and coming of age, is a great choice for fans of magical realism.    

Buy it: The Phoenix Pencil Company

17. The Names by Florence Knapp

In the midst of a destructive storm, Cora heads to the town registrar to apply for her newborn son’s birth certificate. Her controlling and abusive husband, Gordon, instructed her to name the baby after him. Of course, as the town doctor, he is respected in the community, putting on a facade for the public. The story then enfolds into three alternate scenarios, based on three names chosen, over a 35-year period. With themes of domestic abuse, family drama, and the possibility of escaping to a new life, this is a heavy and thought-provoking read.

Buy it: The Names