It’s official: summer 2021 is here, everyone! After over a year of being cooped up, things are beginning to return back to (somewhat) normal, and it’s time to live it up. Summer is my absolute favorite season, and one of my favorite summer activities is grabbing a good book and lounging by the ocean. IMO, it’s the best way to relax, soak up some vitamin D, and get away from the real world, which is why I’ve compiled this list of the perfect summer reads. These are new releases from this year, and are perfect for a relaxing summer day (just don’t forget the sunblock!). Also, don’t forget to follow along my reading journey on the Goodreads app, and find out my favorite books in real-time! Scroll below for the summer reads that will be your perfect summertime getaway.
Fun in the Sun: Summer Reads:
The Hunting Wives by May Cobb
“The Hunting Wives share more than target practice, martinis, and bad behavior in this novel of obsession, seduction, and murder.”
This is a seductive, scandalous, salacious, jaw-dropping 5/5 star read. The Hunting Wives is told from the POV of our main character and narrator, Sophie O’Neill, who’s left behind her envy-inspiring career and fast-paced, competitive life in Chicago to settle down with her husband and young son in an idyllic, small Texas town. The town is just the kind of place she’s envisioned raising her family. But soon after her family has put roots down in the community she realizes that she’s restless and bored–that is, until she meets the beguiling Margot Banks–an alluring socialite part of a secret clique full of other wealthy woman who have dubbed themselves the Hunting Wives. As Sophie gets sucked into Margot’s world, the placid life she knew and hoped for begins spiraling out of control. The writing is dark and enthralling, and the voice of Sophie is simply magnetic, and those two elements combined make this book that much more dark, twisted, and scandalous.
The Good Sister by Sally Hepworth
“Two sisters, one truth. But which one of them knows it?”
Fern and Rose Castle are fraternal twins who are polar opposites: Rose has always been the responsible one, and Fern’s always been the weird one. The two have always shared a strong bond and devotion to one another, and Rose has always been fiercely protective over Fern. Growing up, the Castle sisters grew up under the strict thumb of their sociopathic mother, and Rose was the only one able to see her for what she really was. Years ago, Fern did something horrible, and Rose has been covering up for her ever since. When Fern finds out that Rose is struggling to have a child–her heart’s biggest desire–Fern finally sees the opportunity to pay her back for her undivided loyalty and protection. It’s simple: she’ll find a father, get pregnant, and give the baby to Rose. Alternating between Fern’s POV and Rose’s diary entries, both narrators soon have wildly conflicting stories of what really happened in their childhood and different versions of the truth. The Good Sister focuses on the bonds of sisterhood, the power of memories clear and buried, and the people we trust.
The Photographer by Mary Dixie Carter
“A slyly observed suspenseful story of envy and obsession, told in the mesmerizing, irresistible voice of a character who will make you doubt that seeing is ever believing.”
Another dark, twisted story about obsession, The Photographer is told in the voice of Delta Dawn. Delta is a professional photographer living in NYC, hired to do shoots for the elite: transforming images to fit the narrative her customers want to tell. When she’s hired to capture Natalie Straub’s eleventh birthday, she meets the charming Amelia Straub and her husband, and suddenly, she no longer wants to be behind the lens. What ensues is an unsettling journey of twisted friendship that will have dire consequences for all involved.
Mirrorland by Carole Johnston
”With the startling twists of Gone Girl and the haunting emotional power of Room, Mirrorland is a thrilling work of psychological suspense about twin sisters, the man they both love, and the dark childhood they can’t leave behind.”
Cat and El are mirror twins, and long ago, at 36 Westeryk Road–an imposing gothic house in Edinburgh–they endured unspeakable things. During their time there, their only refuge was a place called Mirrorland: a dark and imaginary world filled with witches, pirates, and clowns located underneath the pantry stairs. But one night, after the unspeakable happened and the twins were 12, they fled 36 Westeryk Road and promised themselves and each other they’d never look back, and they’d never, ever speak about it. Now, fast-forward, and the twins are estranged. Cat is living in Los Angeles, trying to escape and completely forget about Mirrorland, when she learns that El has mysteriously disappeared, and Cat is forced to go back to 36 Westeryk Road–the home that El now shares with her husband, Ross–and confront the past. As El leaves mysterious clues for Cat, Cat begins questioning her own memories, what’s real and what’s not, and what really went down that unspeakable night years ago. Mirrorland is a dark and twisted read filled with elements of folklores, fairytales, and fantasy.
Tell Me My Name by Amy Reed
“We Were Liars meets Speak in this haunting, mesmerizing psychological thriller–a gender-flipped YA Great Gatsby–that will linger long after the final line.”
Fern is living on the wealthy Commodore Island, watching and waiting–for summer, for college, for her childhood best friend to decide he loves her. Until teenage superstar Ivy Avila shows up and changes everything. Fern, for the first time ever, finally feels seen. She sees the secrets behind Ivy’s enormous glass house, the lavish parties, her fame and fortune, and realizes that Ivy hurts in ways she can’t even begin to understand. As Fern and Ivy grow closer, Fern’s quaint life on Commodore Island unravels and chaos ensues, drought descends, fires burn, and one night spins out of control with life-altering consequences, and everything Fern believed she understood about herself, the boy she loved, and Ivy herself, will be forever changed and morphed into something new. Dubbed as a gender-flipped, queer Great Gatsby, Tell Me My Name explores what it means to be a young woman in a wold that takes so much more than most of us even realize. It shows how impactful moments can be, and how they can change the course of our lives forever. Tell Me My Name is a mind-altering fever dream written in the most enchanting, poetic, and beautiful way; there’s a shortness and simpleness in the writing that is somehow dark and beautiful. This is a quirky book that makes you question what’s really going on, what’s fact and what’s fiction.
The Girls Are All So Nice Here by Laurie Elizabeth Flynn
“Two former best friends return to their college reunion to find that they’re being circled by someone who wants revenge for what they did ten years before—and will stop at nothing to get it—in this shocking psychological thriller about ambition, toxic friendship, and deadly desire.”
“The girls are all so nice here,” she gushed over the phone. “Especially my roommate.” Spoiler alert: the girls aren’t nice at all. Ambrosia Wellington is 10 years out of college, but is still haunted by one single night, and the events leading up to it. When Ambrosia gets an invitation for her 10-year reunion along with a cryptic note: “We need to talk about what we did that night” she has no choice but to go. This book reminded me of Mean Girls on steroids–dark, horrible, twisted, and ugly–and I loved it. Flynn masterfully paints the pettiness between young women that most can’t ever escape from, and the lengths we will go in order to hide things from ourselves, rationalizing and changing circumstances and events to absolve ourselves of our own guilt.
House of Hollow by Krystal Sutherland
“A dark, twisty modern fairytale where three sisters discover they are not exactly all that they seem and evil things really do go bump in the night.”
Iris Hollow, a 17-year-old girl, has always been a bit strange. One night, when her and her two older sisters–Grey and Vivi–were children, something strange happened to them; something they can’t exactly remember, but that left them each with an identical half-moon scar at the base of their throats. But that was years ago, and Iris has spent her life making up for it dutifully: being the perfect daughter, never disobeying her mother, and getting good grades. Until her older sister Grey goes missing, and all hell breaks loose. As Iris and her sister Vivi team up to locate Grey, they quickly realize that the only way to find their sister is is to figure out what really happened that night long ago.
The Power Couple by Alex Berenson
“The Power Couple is both a fast-paced, globe-trotting espionage novel full of surprising twists and a nuanced look at modern marriage—the challenges of balancing career, parenthood, sex, and love.”
Rebecca and Brian Unsworth seem to have it made: a nice house in the suburbs of Washington D.C, two well-behaved teenage children, and important government jobs–Rebecca in the counterterrorism unit for the FBI, and Brian as a coder for the NSA. But after two decades together, the couple’s drifted apart. In an effort to rekindle their marriage, they decide to take a trip with their children–Kira and Tony–in tow throughout Europe. All seems to be going well, until one night in Barcelona when Kira disappears. What ensues is an action-packed novel full of dangerous secrets, espionage, ransom, traitors, and enemies.
Malice by Heather Walter
“A princess isn’t supposed to fall for an evil sorceress. But in this darkly magical retelling of “Sleeping Beauty,” true love is more than a simple fairy tale.”
We’ve all heard it before: on princess Aurora’s sixteenth birthday, she will prick her finger on a spindle and fall into a death-like sleep, and only a true love’s kiss can break the spell. We’ve all seen it from the princess’s and royal family’s POV, and maybe even Maleficent’s, but we’ve never seen it like this. Alyce, our main character and narrator, has been branded an evil villian by her home, Briar. She has been ostracized and bullied all her life because of the dark magic she possesses. But that all changes when princess Aurora meets Alyce and asks for her help. Alyce has never been treated the way princess Aurora treats her. As the two grow closer and race against the clock to break Aurora’s curse, Alyce’s mistreatment by the rest of Briar only intensifies, and what happens next is something neither Alyce, Aurora, or anyone else living in Briar ever saw coming. Heather Walter demonstrates the long-term effects of bullying and mistreatment, shows life from a villain’s perspective, and reimagines “Sleeping Beauty” in the most inclusive way possible.
The Devil Wears Black by L.J. Shen
“They say keep your enemies close. But what if your enemy is also the man you love?”
Maddie Goldbloom has made a life for herself in NYC: a career in fashion, a chic apartment, and even a pediatrician boyfriend. The story starts six months after Maddie’s breakup with “the devil”–aka Chase Black. She’s finally moving on when suddenly, Chase storms back into her life with an out-of-this-world request to help her fulfill his dying father’s last wish. It’s simple: play as his fiancée until his father passes, and then they can go their separate ways again. Maddie, being the kind and caring person she is, begrudgingly accepts his request. What happens next is a series of events that blow up both Maddie and Chase’s lives, and forces them to confront reality.
