During the springtime, I am itching—perhaps even more than at New Years—to start anew, specifically in making time for my hobbies and personal pleasures. My biggest Spring Resolution is always making time for recreational reading, and planning out my Summer Reading List. If you happen to feel the same way, here’s a curated list of book recommendations with brief summaries for your renewed spring and rejuvenating summer reading! Lose yourself in their bright covers and wondrous stories that fit the vibes (at least in my opinion) of the seasons we’re entering. Happy reading!!
Emma, Jane Austen — For my ‘sitting outside and yapping once the weather hits 60 degrees’ classic literature lovers
Emma has no intentions of marrying—but she has no problem matchmaking marriages for those around her! Filled with picnics, gossip sessions, and dramatic love confessions, Emma explores women’s roles in 19th century England while remaining timeless in its depiction of—some, although not all—experiences of girl- and womanhood.
Funny Story, Emily Henry* — For my ‘female leads finding themselves and love’ romance lovers
And they were roommates! Emily Henry’s new novel brings all out favorite tropes to the table, as per always, with a pair of opposites who become roommates and start fake dating (or, at least posting on their social medias as if they were dating) to get revenge on their exes (who are now dating) and find love in each other along the way. One of my favorite things about Emily Henry romances is that she always brings more depth to the story than just the classic romantic comedy tropes and makes us see the beauty in her characters—and ourselves—along the way.
*Release date: April 30, 2024
Yellowface, RF Kuang — for my ‘hot girls educate themselves’ literary fiction lovers
Athena Liu = literary genius & June Hayward = aspiring bestseller—what will June do with Athena’s unfinished manuscript in her hands? RF Kuang explores the dark side of publishing and tackles issues of diversity in literature, racism, cultural appropriation, and cancel culture in her novel of one author stealing the work of another and the desperate lengths she’s willing to go to hold on to fame. Perfect for those wanting to lose themselves in a story that’s educating, provocative, and at times equally ridiculous and horrifying.
Under the Whispering Door, T.J. Klune — for my ‘grab a cup of tea, stay awhile, and feel yourself healing’ cozy fantasy lovers
Some books wrap you up in a hug or bundle you in a blanket, while this book acts as a shoulder to cry and lean your head on. A haunting yet kind about regretting the life we did not live, the emotional waterfall of processing grief, and the second chances we receive to build up a home. For anyone who needs a healing book to gently and lovingly explore grief.
Cinderella Is Dead, Kalynn Bayron — for my ‘fairy tale retellings plus semi-dystopian world plus queer representation’ YA fantasy lovers
If you’re someone who never gets tired of Selena Gomez and Hilary Duff’s Cinderella Stories, then I bring to your attention a very new Cinderella retelling featuring diverse characters and hidden secrets—all the while in preparation for a grand ball (that this Cinderella might just flee far before midnight)! A society built on Cinderella’s fairy tale, teenage girls saving the day and breaking barriers, secrets, and redefining our constructs of who can be a hero or a villain.
The All-Night Sun, Diane Zinna — for my ‘Midsommar (2019 film) meets mystery meets academia meets summer heat bringing out the crazy in us all’ thriller lovers
We all need a summer holiday to relax, rejuvenate, and rediscover ourselves—although I’m sure we can go without the underlying eeriness accompanying our voyage. Full of dichotomy, Diane Zinna’s debut novel rests on a line separating emotion and alienation, devotion and obsession, art and destruction. A literary fiction novel simmering with elements of a thriller, even the sun on the longest day of the year cannot shine light on the darkest of truths.
Everything I Know About Love, Dolly Alderton — for my ‘coming of age (adulthood version), finding love everywhere, and coming to terms with turning/being 20’ memoir lovers
Basically the big sister novel of the century, full of advice for growing up, growing away, and growing with love, loss, friendships, and jobs. I like to think of this one a bit like the Disney Channel show Good Luck Charlie—ready to support and give advice from a heart that has felt it all. Above all, the memoir seeks to remind us about the potentially unacknowledged love in our lives and remember that we always have ourselves, and we are always enough.
— Happy Spring and Summer reading!! Take care of yourselves, always.