As many college students, I found myself with a lot of extra free time on my hands at the conclusion of the spring semester. While the weather began to warm and academics were no longer a stressor, I knew the one thing I had to do immediately: create an astounding To-Be-Read list for the summer. As an avid Lavalette beach enjoyer and a person who has a relaxed job allowing me a gracious amount of time to take in new reads, I was able to read five romance books this far into the summer, four of which I would recommend to all of the romanticists out there.
- Happy Place by Emily Henry
Summary: Emily Henry’s Happy Place follows a couple named Harriet and Wyn who are exes, but to their closest friends, they are the ideal couple. When they run into each other on a vacation, they are overwhelmed with a wave of emotions that conflict them between choosing to be honest with their friends or fake-dating. Can they survive a weeklong vacation of pretending they are in love, or will the pretending be too much that it becomes easy for them?
My Thoughts: Happy Place by Emily Henry is the sole reason I got out of my year-long reading slump. Something about her feel-good style of writing captivated me, making me thirsty for more of her well-loved reads. Plus, I loved the ending. I read this from the end of finals to the beginning of summer and could not put it down. I rated this read four out of five stars.
- Funny Story by Emily Henry
Summary: When Daphne’s life turns upside down after getting dumped by her cheating ex-boyfriend, she is forced to find a new roommate, who ends up being the polar opposite of her. She ends up living with a young gentleman named Miles, and eventually their bond grows tighter than previously foreseen.
My Thoughts: Funny Story is my second Emily Henry read, and I honestly really enjoyed the book. This book was a perfect beach reach for the summer, filled with drama, lusting, and love. I gave this book four-and-a-half out of five stars.
- The Match (It Happened in Charleston, #1) by Sarah Adams
Summary: The Match by Sarah Adams is a love story centered around a woman named Evie who struggles with epilepsy. Evie uses her experiences as a disabled woman to empower herself, and she founded a company called Southern Service Paws, which helps match service dogs to clients in need. On an ordinary day, Evie finds herself enchanted and charmed by a dad named Jacob, whose daughter struggles with issues that Evie can relate to. Although there is tension between the two individuals in the beginning, they warm up to each other and form a strong friendship which later turns into much more.
My Thoughts: This book was quick, easy, and a wholesome read. My only notes about this read are that it was a little over-detailed in the beginning and slow, but definitely a quick and fun read. I rated this read three-and-a-half out of five stars.
- The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood
Summary: The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood follows a young woman named Olive who finds herself feeling desolated as a woman in STEM trying to obtain her Doctoral degree. After a failed relationship with her ex-boyfriend, Olive thought she swore off love for good. Yet Olive finds herself encaptivated by the grumpy professor Adam Carlsen, and Olive decides to test her theories about love with someone she could have never predicted.
My Thoughts: Although this read was far from classy and definitely did not contain any deep messages, it was overall a very entertaining read. This romance is definitely messy and more for entertainment than for applying moments from this book into your own life, which caused me to rate the book four out of five stars.