Summer is coming soon, collegiettes! And with all the time off from homework and studying, we at Her Campus UGA wanted to give you a list of un-required reading to keep you busy. Here are some light, sunny page turners best enjoyed in the shade with a glass of lemonade.
Since You’ve Been Gone by Morgan Matson
While definitely a YA summer novel at heart, this cute romance also has a bit of substance. It’s full of friendship, honesty, and finding yourself. There’s love, but it’s not centrally a love story. It’s a story about embracing the unknown and discovering who you are on your own, outside of your defining relationships. Plus, it’s based on a list, and I love lists!
The Probability of Miracles by Wendy Wunder
If you’re a big fan of John Green’s The Fault in Our Stars, this is the summer novel for you. The protagonist has cancer, but this isn’t necessarily “a cancer book.” She sets off to accomplish a series of whimsical tasks called “The Flamingo List.” This book is full of appreciation for life’s little wonders.
The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han
This book has everything you need in a light, beachy read. Centered around three childhood friends, this book tells the story of what happens when kids grow up and attractions start to form. The love triangle will leave your heart torn between the two boys!
Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare
If your YA style is more fantasy/supernatural than contemporary romance, this could be a good pick for you. Cassandra Clare is famous for City of Bones and the rest of her Mortal Instruments series, and Lady Midnight is the first book in a new trilogy that also takes place in the world of the Shadowhunters.
Bad Feminist by Roxanne Gay
Furiously Happy by Jenny Lawson
The Defining Decade by Meg Jay, PhD
Would you rather read something helpful that you can apply to your life instead of a cheesy summer romance? Learn how you can make the most of being a twentysomething in this book by clinical psychologist Dr. Meg Jay! The New Yorker says the book takes “the specific complaints of twenty-something life and puts them to diagnostic use.”