Are you looking for good books to read on your porch on a warm, summer day? Rain or shine, these are my top 3 favorite books to read in the summer. Each book is in the genre of romance, but who doesn’t love a good, heartfelt romance story for their summer?
*This article may contain spoilers. Read at your own discretion.
- Funny Story by Emily Henry
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Genre: Romance
Funny Story by Emily Henry is a feel-good romance with the very popular trope of fake lovers to real lovers, as well as forced proximity. The two main characters, Daphne and Miles, both get dumped. Daphne by her fiancé, Peter, and Miles by his girlfriend, Petra, but they end up with each other. The break-ups force Daphne to move into Miles’ apartment while he grieves his relationship and she picks up the pieces of hers.
To make their exes jealous, Daphne and Miles pretend to be in a relationship with each other, but what neither one of them suspects is that they’ll fall in love for real. While still grappling with the fallout of their breakups, the two realize they need each other more than they need their exes, and they clean up the mess they left behind.
Funny Story is a cute romance that takes heartbreak and turns it into something good. Without their breakups, Miles and Daphne wouldn’t have realized how bland their lives were with their exes were and how much more fun they find themselves having once they allow themselves to live — and more importantly how to live with someone who loves them for everything they are.
- Love and Other Words by Christina Lauren
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Genre: Romance
Love and Other Words by Christina Lauren is a heartbreaking, yet heartwarming read about the treacherous nature of falling in love. The main character Macy and her best friend Elliot tell the story of their relationship between two timelines of ‘then’ and ‘now.’ An innocent neighborhood friendship quickly blossoms into more as the pair grow up together and go through their own versions of heartbreak; Macy loses her mom and Elliot helping her through the grief.
However, the night that Elliot confesses his love for Macy is the same night he shatters her heart, and the two lose touch until Macy and Elliot are well into their adult lives. As time goes on, the truth unfolds about what really happened the night that Elliot broke Macy’s heart into pieces, and they question whether they can put that heartbreak aside and be with one another yet again.
The rollercoaster of emotions this book brings you on is perfect for a warm summer day, either at the beach or simply on your back porch. Once you pick it up, you won’t be able to put it back down. You’ll keep going back to this book just like Macy and Elliot always go back to each other.
- Every Summer After by Carley Fortune
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Genre: Romance
Every Summer After by Carley Fortune is another childhood best friends to adult lovers read. This story is told over the course of six summers and one weekend. The main characters, Persephone (Percy) and Sam are next door neighbors every summer, when Percy’s family goes to the cabin on the lake that Sam lives on. Similarly to Love and Other Words, the couple breaks each other’s hearts just to find their way back to each other many years later.
A tragedy sends Percy back to Barry’s Bay, where she and Sam discover that their connection was never lost. Their chemistry is just as strong as it was before, and it takes a repetition of the past for the two to discover that they were never meant to be apart.
This heartfelt read may be relatable for some, and will have you realizing that love is more painful than it’s made out to be. The realization of Percy and Sam’s biggest mistake has them unable to be apart once they find each other again. The ups and downs of this book are perfect for when a situationship or relationship deters you from loving again, and will have you holding out hope for love in the future.