Growing up in a landlocked state, we were lake people. Most people in my hometown were—we had to drive or fly to a different state to go to a beach. Some of my best memories are hanging onto the innertube for dear life as my friend’s dad whipped the boat into back-to-back donuts, running around on the beach when we were sick of swimming, and cocktail (or mocktail) cruises at sunset.
Naturally, because of that, next up on the list of incredibly specific seasonal geographic book recommendations is “Midwestern summer, probably at the lake”. Tennessee isn’t the Midwest, but sometimes, it feels darn close, so for the sake of my nostalgia, that’s what we’re going with.
I’m cutting this one a bit close before Labor Day (which I consider the last unofficial day of summer), but here’s a collection of Midwestern summer books to enjoy by the lake—or at least from the comfort of your own couch—over your last long weekend of the season.
Romance
Beach Read by Emily Henry. I feel like this is the quintessential Midwest summer lakeside read. Gus and January are two authors who end up in neighboring houses on the lake in Michigan for the summer while trying to write their next bestselling books. It’s a perfect mix of small Midwestern beach-town charm, literary references, a little bit of rivalry, and, of course, romance. Plus, there’s something satisfying about reading a book called Beach Read while sitting somewhere near a body of water. It’s like it was meant to be.
Funny Story by Emily Henry. Emily Henry really is the queen of Midwestern beach reads (she has two, and they’re both on this list). Funny Story is less beachy than Beach Read, but it’s still an incredibly lighthearted summer read. Daphne’s fiancé calls off their wedding to be with his childhood friend, Petra, and Daphne ends up moving in with Petra’s ex-boyfriend, Miles, as she counts down the days until she can move out of Michigan. What happens next? Well, it’s kind of a funny story…
Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez. Abby Jimenez has a habit of cranking out books that are not only sweet romances, but also delve into more serious topics like mental health, addiction, and coping with past trauma. In Just for the Summer, Emma and Justin hatch a plan to date for the summer so that, after they break up, they’ll find their soulmates (it’s a lot of context to get to this point). The book captures an absolutely idyllic Minnesota summer, complete with lake life charm, while still delivering the emotional gut punches Jimenez is known for. Basically, it’s a perfect read if you want your summer romance to come with a side of feelings.
Literary Fiction
Tom Lake by Ann Patchett. Tom Lake is a split-timeline story, so half of it takes place in the present-ish pandemic era, but the other half explores a whirlwind summer romance in northern Michigan. As someone who went to sleepaway theater camp and has seen many productions of Our Town as a result, I really enjoyed the flashback story even more than the contemporary timeline. There’s something wonderfully nostalgic about the way Patchett captures a summer spent at a Michigan theater company, and the book manages to feel both deeply personal and distinctly summery. Patchett describes the book as “a meditation on youthful love, married love, and the lives parents have led before their children were born,” and let me tell you: it does not disappoint.
Thrillers & Mysteries
Murder Road by Simone St. James. If your ideal Midwestern summer involves a little less lounging by the lake and a little more driving down creepy back roads at night, Murder Road is for you. In 1995, newlyweds April and Eddie take a wrong turn on their way to a Michigan resort town and stop to help an injured hitchhiker, only to find themselves caught up in a string of mysterious murders along the same stretch of road. It’s part mystery, part supernatural thriller, and part very creepy road trip—and honestly, I think every lake town has at least one road that could inspire a book like this.
The River We Remember by William Kent Krueger. This book is much more on the mystery side than thriller. Taking place in Minnesota in 1958, our main character is the town sheriff, who’s charged with solving the murder of a wealthy landowner amid growing unrest in his small town. It’s a slower, more atmospheric read that really captures the feeling of a small Midwestern community—and how quickly that idyllic image can crack when something goes wrong.
Warrior Girl Unearthed by Angeline Boulley. Technically a YA mystery, Warrior Girl Unearthed is another book that makes excellent use of a Michigan summer setting. Sixteen-year-old Perry Firekeeper-Birch is stuck spending her summer in an internship when she discovers that the remains of an Indigenous ancestor are being held in a university archive. What starts as an effort to bring Warrior Girl home turns into a much bigger mystery involving stolen cultural artifacts, missing Indigenous women, and a daring heist. It’s a fast-paced summer read with a much heavier subject matter underneath the surface, and the Sugar Island setting makes it feel particularly rooted in the Midwest.
If you’re craving less Midwest and more straight-up lake, Carley Fortune’s books—namely, Meet Me at the Lake, Every Summer After, and One Golden Summer—are incredibly lake-centric, albeit Canadian. They may not technically qualify for the Midwest list, but I’m willing to bend the geographic rules a little when the vibes are this strong.
So whether you’re spending Labor Day weekend at an actual Midwestern lake or just wishing you were, hopefully one of these books can give you a little taste of that very specific end-of-summer lake-town feeling. What’s your favorite Midwestern summer read?
Sequels and Scribbles 