- Beach Read by Emily Henry- 8.5/10
Beach Read is the first Emily Henry book I’ve ever read, and it’s perfect for summer vacation when you want something fun, silly, and lighthearted to dive into! The two main characters, Gus and January, are living next to each other for the summer in a coastal town. They are relatable in so many ways, and the book holds important messages about trauma, past wounds, and learning to be vulnerable in a relationship, or “learning to dance in the rain”. It was one of my favorite books to read this summer! - Happy Place by Emily Henry- 9/10
Another Emily Henry favorite I read this summer, Happy Place is a light and fun vacation read that drops you into a peaceful Maine island cottage. It spans from the characters’ senior year of college to eleven years later where the friend group is 30 and gone their separate ways. Long-time couple Wyn and Harriet have recently broken up; however, their best friends were not informed of this, and now they have to try their best to pretend that they’re still together for a week as Sabrina’s family is preparing to sell the cottage. I love the way this story flips back and forth between the past and the present, showing how the past relationship dynamic influences the fallout in the present. I also love how it shows how hard it is in reality to keep an important (and potentially catastrophic) secret.
- Every Summer After by Carley Fortune- 8/10
This book follows main characters Persephone (Percy) and Sam over the course of 17 summers, first meeting as 13 year old kids in a Canadian coastal cottage town and then growing up and falling more deeply into love with each other. Throughout their relationship, there are arguments, accusations, and so-called “friends” who get in the way of their feelings for each other. Just like in Happy Place, this book flip-flops between the past when the characters were kids, and the present as 30 year olds.