While sometimes it seemed like this school year would never end, summer is just around the corner. It’s almost time to trade in all-nighters spent in the library for relaxing days at the beach. While it might be tempting to devote your newly acquired free time to binge-watching the latest Netflix original series (I’ve heard Girlboss is fantastic), I’d suggest breaking out a book and reading while lounging outside by the pool. Here’s a list of books that make for a perfect summer read
1. Shut Out by Kody Keplinger
This book helped spark my own feminist awakening. It’s about a group of teenage girls who, sick of the rivalry between the football and soccer teams at their high school, withhold sex from their boyfriends in an effort to force the civil war to come to an end. What follows is an amazing guys-versus-girls battle that not only brings together the two teams, but also highlights the ridiculous double-standards that gets guys labeled as “legends” but girls labeled as “sluts.”
2. Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon
Make sure to read this young adult romance before it hits theaters on May 19, 2017! The story follows Maddy, a girl with a life-threatening illness that forces her to stay indoors 24/7. Maddy has come to terms with her illness, but everything changes when cute new neighbor Olly moves in next door. This book will leave you smiling, laughing, and crying all within the span of one chapter. Plus, the movie is always better than the book, at least in my humble opinion.
3. Unfiltered by Lily Collins
Actress Lily Collins opens up in a series of personal essays about heartbreak, body issues, and more. This book is apparently so good former First Lady Michelle Obama wrote Collins a letter telling her how much she enjoyed the book. With an endorsement like that you know it has to be good.