Towards the end of spring semester, I told myself I wanted to read at least 10 books this summer. I wanted to set my goal to 12 books, although that felt too ambitious, but it turns out I could do it anyways because I ended up reading 15 books. I read so many good books this summer that I want to share them with all of you.
- Heartstopper by Alice Oseman (She/They)
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I think “Heartstopper” was the fastest I’ve ever read a book (I read the entire series in 4 hours). “Heartstopper” was good for so many reasons but my top three were the loveable characters, fast pace, and the LGBTQ+ representation. I loved Charlie and Nick, but the other characters stood out just as well. Alice Oseman did such a good job at creating background characters that felt like main characters. I can’t wait to read volume five when it comes out – hopefully – next year. I also really loved how Alice Oseman makes people in the LGBTQ+ community feel seen. They really had a way of making you feel like you weren’t alone in this world that can be so cruel sometimes. I gave every book in this series five stars. There is also a Netflix adaptation and I watched it the instant I finished the books. It was just as good as the books were. I definitely recommend reading the books and watching the show.
- I Kissed Shara Wheeler by Casey McQuiston (They/She)
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I absolutely loved this book. I loved the characters, the plot, the banter, the representation, literally all of it. Casey did such an amazing job with the diversity and LGBTQ+ representation. Like Alice Oseman, McQuiston made each character, background or not, someone memorable. I truly enjoyed this book mainly because of each character interaction. The main trio (Chloe, Rory, and Smith) have the perfect amount of banter in this book and I really loved their friendship. They did a great job with the plot and how we discovered new things about each character. This was their debut YA novel and I can’t wait to see what they do next.
- People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry (She/Her)
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Dear Emily Henry, I love you. Emily Henry is one of my favorite authors and she does not miss. Her big three are “Beach Read,” “People We Meet on Vacation,” and “Book Lovers.” I have read “Beach Read” and “People We Meet on Vacation” so far and absolutely loved them. “People We Meet on Vacation” is so funny, sweet, and a little sad. Henry did absolutely amazing writing this. I loved the characters Alex and Poppy, from their friendship to all of their vacations. They are just absolutely one of my favorite book couples. This book was the perfect summer book and I would recommend this to anyone who is also a romance lover.
- A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson (She/Her)
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I adored this book. It was just perfect. I loved the plot and the characters so much. Pip and Ravi are my all time favorite duos. I loved their banter and how they grew together. This book kept me on my toes. There were so many plot twists that I never saw coming and it was so hard to put this book down. I think this book is absolutely perfect for anyone that wants to get out of a reading slump. I absolutely loved this book and cannot wait to finish the rest of the series.
- Every Summer After by Carley Fortune (She/Her)
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This book was fantastic. Carley Fortune did such an amazing job with her debut novel. I could’ve read this book in one sitting but wasn’t able to because I was so busy. However, I did read it in three days while being extremely busy, that’s how good it was. This was another book that was extremely hard to put down because I just wanted to find out what happened. I really enjoyed the dual timeline because readers are able to see what happened during the past and present. Carley is writing another novel and I am so excited to read it just because of how good this book was.
If you read any of these then I hope you love them as much as I did. These have been some of the best books that I’ve read this year. I hope you all had a great summer and are ready for this semester.