10 Books That Made My Summer: My Favorite Reads of the Season

As August wraps up and the weather gets cooler (well, not here in Texas, but a girl can dream), I wanted to reminisce on the books that brought me the most joy from May through August.

I read 70 books between May 1 and August 31, which was a bit of a jump-scare when I actually did the math. Of those 70 books, 10 earned a rating of 4.5 stars or higher—and only one managed to snag a full five stars. Apparently, I’m getting stingier with my ratings.

So, without further ado, here are the books that made me laugh, cry, obsess, and occasionally question my own sanity this summer.

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10 Books I Gave 4.5 Stars

This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me by Ilona Andrews. This was an impulse buy, and boy, am I glad I don’t have better self-control. First of all, it’s every reader’s dream scenario: the protagonist, Maggie, wakes up inside her favorite book series—although she is understandably terrified for her life. The universe she finds herself in is very Game of Thrones, so if you’ve ever imagined stepping into the world of Westeros and saving your favorite characters from their impending doom, you’ll enjoy this book (although it’s not nearly as dark).

Into the Blue by Emma Brodie. I once heard someone say that a love story is different from a romance, and I never really understood that sentiment until I read Into the Blue. It’s definitely not your typical romance that leaves you kicking your feet and squealing every five pages. This book hurts. But it’s so worth it. AJ and Noah’s love story spans decades, and even when you’re sobbing, you won’t want to stop reading about it.

Heart the Lover by Lily King. Ah, yes, another book that made me want to bawl my eyes out. Heart the Lover is having its day in the sun, and I get why. I assumed I’d be a bit bored reading it, but following “Jordan” through the alternating timelines of her life, from college to middle age, and watching her navigate loves both lost and found captivated me much more than I expected. It’s a quick read, too, so it’s perfect if you’re looking to pull yourself out of a reading slump or simply want something you can binge in a sitting or two.

Never Over by Clare Gilmore. This book is especially fun because it turns out I went to high school with the author! As someone who grew up in Nashville, the songwriting, tour logistics, and music business were really interesting to me, especially because you can tell that Clare Gilmore knows what she’s talking about as someone who also grew up in Nashville. It’s refreshing to see a main character who doesn’t have it all figured out and doesn’t feel the need to have it all figured out right away. Everyone has their own path, and sometimes figuring out where you’re going means being willing to admit that the path you thought you wanted isn’t actually the one for you.

Blood Over Bright Haven by M.L. Wang. This book is entirely fantasy, but worryingly relevant. It delves into a heavily patriarchal society that has built itself up to greatness on a terrible secret and will do anything to keep the status quo. I love a strong female protagonist who experiences torrential character development, and Sciona’s journey absolutely delivered. Watching her slowly question everything she has been taught about her world—and then realizing just how deeply that system has failed her—was one of my favorite parts of the book. It’s dark and heavy at times, but the world-building, magic system, and themes of power and inequality made it impossible to put down.

Promise Me Sunshine by Cara Bastone. This was my first Cara Bastone experience, but it will not be my last, that’s for sure. This was exactly the kind of romance I was craving this summer: a relationship that goes beyond the physical between two characters who grow on their own at the same time. Lenny and Miles are barely friends at first, and their romance comes from being each other’s safe place, rather than some lust-filled rampage that screeches to a halt during a third-act breakup only to reunite twenty pages later (although there’s a time and place for those, too). It felt genuinely tender without being saccharine, and I loved watching their relationship develop naturally.

Main Characters by Bobby Palmer. I was originally a bit torn on how to rate this book because the characters were absolutely infuriating. What sold Main Characters for me as a 4.5-star book, though, was the fact that not a single chapter was from the point of view of either of the main characters, yet you’re still able to know exactly what’s going on with them. It’s such a clever way to tell a story, and I found myself constantly piecing together what each character was thinking and feeling based on everyone else’s perspectives. If you want a book that breaks from the typical dual-POV love story, this is for you.

Blood Bound by Ellis Hunter. This book threw me headlong back into my fantasy mood, and I have never been happier. I love romantasy dearly, but lately, it’s become so predictable to me, so Blood Bound was refreshing because the romance subplot took a back seat (there’s still definitely romance, though). I found myself invested in all of the characters, and I had no idea how they were going to get out of their predicaments, so I was locked in from start to finish. It was exactly what I needed to remind me why I love fantasy in the first place: a world I could get lost in, characters I actually cared about, and enough twists to keep me guessing.

East of Eden by John Steinbeck. I am not a John Steinbeck fan (mostly because I’m still traumatized from reading The Pearl and Of Mice and Men in middle school). I went into this book with trepidation and at least one false start, but let me tell you: this book is fascinating. Sure, it goes off on tangents sometimes about California geography or what Americans learned from British soldiers, but I always had to know what was coming next. The absolute insanity of the Cathy chapters was my favorite part—we’re not going to deep-dive into what that says about me. For a book that is nearly 600 pages and was published in 1952, I was shocked by how invested I became in these characters and their endlessly messy lives.

1 Book I Gave 5 Stars

The Shampoo Effect by Jenny Jackson. Last but certainly not least, we have my singular five-star read from the summer. I fully thought The Shampoo Effect was going to be overhyped, I can’t lie. I absolutely ate it up. Every. Last. Word.

I was pleasantly surprised to get the POVs of every woman in the friend group, not just Caroline (the newest addition), and I was even more shocked that Bailey—the woman that Caroline’s new boyfriend got pregnant—is one of my favorites. Jenny Jackson does “messy” very successfully without making me want to melt off the face of the earth with secondhand embarrassment. Every character felt complicated and flawed in a way that made me want to keep reading, and I loved how the different perspectives slowly filled in the gaps between everyone’s versions of success and happiness.

And that’s a wrap on my summer reading! Seventy books later, I apparently have very high standards for a five-star rating, but I also came away with some new favorites, a renewed love for fantasy, and a few books that I know I’ll be thinking about long after the temperatures finally drop below 90 degrees. Here’s hoping fall brings just as many great reads—and maybe a few more five-stars while we’re at it.