One of the best ways to spend summer is relaxing by the pool and catching up on your “to be read” pile! If you are unsure of what to read next, here are some of the best Young Adult books that I haven’t been able to put down recently. These are perfect for some easy reading at the beach, in the city or by the lake. Whatever summer has in store for you, there’s always a YA book to keep you company.
- “The Sun Is Also a Star” by Nicola Yoon
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If you’ve been to the movies lately or have been active on social media, you’ve probably seen the trailer for the movie adaptation of this book! If you are spending the summer wishing you were in NYC, this is the book for you. The Sun Is Also a Star follows Natasha, an illegal immigrant from Jamaica who is getting deported from her home in New York City by the end of the night. By a twist of fate, she meets Daniel, a Korean-American teenager who plans of attending Yale to become a doctor, even though his passion lies in poetry. Daniel is immediately infatuated with Natasha and convinces her to spend the day with him, telling her that by the end of the day he will get her to fall in love with him. However, Daniel does not know Natasha’s fate of deportation.
The book switches between Natasha and Daniel’s perspectives but is unique in the fact that it also includes brief perspectives of the people that they encounter throughout the day. I sat down and read this book in just a few hours. It’s hard to put down and will have you gripped till the end. Before the movie comes out this summer, be sure to read the book and reward yourself by hitting the movies after.
- “We Were Liars” by E. Lockheart
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The main piece of advice given to all readers who start this book is to go in with nearly no knowledge of what it is about. This book takes place on an island in Massachusetts, where the Sinclair family is vacationing during the summer. All that is known of the plot at the start is that there is a girl named Cadence who suffers from the trauma of a past accident that happened on the island, which she is finally returning to for the first time. To find out why, pick up this book and get drawn in by the mysterious and suspenseful plot.
- “My Lady Jane” by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton and Jodi Meadows
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If you love historical fiction, fantasy or comedy, you will absolutely love My Lady Jane. This book is a retelling of the tragic true story of Lady Jane Grey, who was beheaded only nine days after taking the English throne. The authors make the whole story comical and rewrite it to fit what they wish had happened, practically ditching the original story of history completely. It flips between different character perspectives, which keeps the readers wanting more—I constantly found myself saying “just one more chapter!”
This book is a lighthearted comedy for lovers of pretty much any genre. Some of the scenes in this book made me laugh so hard, and everyone else who has read it tends to agree. The combined work of the three authors was phenomenal and I highly recommend that everyone reads this book.
- “Love & Gelato” by Jenna Evans Welch
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This book is the epitome of a YA summer contemporary novel. Set in Tuscany, Italy, the book surrounds a teenager named Lina who moves to Italy to meet her father—who, might I add, she never knew of until after her mother passed away. After arriving in Italy, she receives her mother’s journal, which was written in when her mom studied abroad there and met her father. As she navigates through Italy with the help of her mother’s past adventures, she begins to understand more about herself, her family and why her mother sent her there in the first place.
This book is one of the most precious contemporary novels containing everything you could want in the summer— romance, family and adventures spent abroad. Bonus: there is a super cute romance that makes you want to move to Italy and fall in love ASAP.
- “The Unexpected Everything” by Morgan Matson
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The Unexpected Everything is one of my favorite contemporary books. Andie’s dad is a major politician and when a scandal interrupts his career, they also ruin Andie’s chances at the perfect summer internship. Suddenly, her whole summer is discarded and she must find a new plan of action. When she finds a last minute job walking dogs in her town, she meets Clark, and thus begins one of the cutest summer romances to ever exist. As she struggles to understand her strained relationship with her father and explores new friendships and a relationship, Andie learns more about herself than she anticipated.
This book is the perfect light summer read that manages to seamlessly incorporate family dynamics, friendships and romance all in one novel. Also, to be fair, literally any other book by Morgan Matson is amazing for summer reading.
Next time you head to the bookstore before summer starts, be sure to pick up some of these books and add them to your summer TBR. Get some Young Adult fiction in your life over the break, while you actually have free time before the fall semester begins!