I don’t know about you, but for me, summer means freedom from the shackles of assignments, deadlines and academic readings and the time to finally read for pleasure. Put me on a breezy beach in a Tommy Bahama with an iced coffee in one hand and a good book in the other and I’m in heaven. This summer in particular I read some of the most impactful and entertaining books of my life, and I don’t say that lightly. Here are my favorite five:
- Everything I Know About Love by Dolly Alderton
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Everything I Know About Love is a recount of the author’s life as she grows up in London and reflects on her experiences from childhood and into her thirties. As a 21-year-old woman, I found this book to be so comforting; Dolly’s struggle with her identity, relationships and career was an honest and vulnerable look at what life is like in your twenties. It’s full of breakups, uncertainty, exploration, rebirth, perhaps a career change, the list goes on. The point is — your twenties aren’t perfect. With social media, it’s easy to feel like everyone has their lives together and knows exactly what they’re doing, but Dolly proves that isn’t the case. And that’s okay. If you are a woman in your twenties, you need to read this book.
- Happy Place by Emily Henry
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Okay, we’re switching genres a bit. Happy Place is a romance novel about a couple, Harriet and Wyn, who unbeknownst to their four friends have called off their engagement. The friend group is getting together for one last getaway trip to Maine and Harriet and Wyn have to pretend they are still together for the entire trip. Can you imagine? Not only is the plot incredibly juicy, but Henry’s writing and ability to develop characters is wonderful; the book is entirely from Harriet’s point of view but you still get a full characterization of Wyn through his actions and words. Throughout the book, we are jumping from past to present timelines, from pre-breakup to post-breakup. I’m normally not a huge fan of flashbacks, but I wanted more when reading this book. Not to mention it’s also very Taylor Swift Folklore, Lover, Midnights coded. *Chefs kiss*
- The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion
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It’s hard to capture the emotional journey that is this book, but I will start by saying that anyone who has experienced grief should read The Year of Magical Thinking. Didion writes about the time period in her life following the sudden death of her husband during which her daughter was dealing with an acute illness. She explores the concept of grief and how it is fluid — it ebbs and flows. It is a raw account of what it is like to lose someone you love. I’m sure I will return to this book later on in my life.
- The Girls by Emma Cline
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I came across this book on TikTok *shocker* and was immediately intrigued by the summary. The Girls takes place in California at the end of the 1960s and focuses on a young girl named Evie. She becomes enthralled by an older group of girls who we learn are part of a cult, and she joins in their debauchery for the better part of the summer. We also hear Evie’s point of view as a middle-aged woman when the book shifts forward from time to time. I really enjoyed this book and found Evie to be a very relatable character — minus the part where she joined a cult. Rather, in the way she encapsulates the desperation we feel as young girls and young people to fit in and feel accepted. If you liked Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid, I would give this book a try!
- Girlhood by Melissa Febos
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Girlhood is a collection of seven essays that focus on the time between adolescence and womanhood, a period in which women experience the consequences of the patriarchy and the need to fulfill the desires of men for the first time in their lives. Febos uses insightful metaphors coupled with personal anecdotes which creates a deeply moving account of what it means to grow up as a woman. This is more of an intellectual read, but Febos has a way of marrying academics and anecdotes that will keep you invested.
There you have it: the five best books I read this summer. I’m so glad I branched out from my typical romance novels and into some memoirs and personal essays; light, flirty fiction novels are entertaining, but it felt so rewarding to read for pleasure and learn about myself in the process. I highly recommend all of these books and hope you give one or two a try.