Are you ready to fill your to-read list with good summer reads? The Summer Reading List 2024 will help you find all the best books to read this summer.
I recently sat down to figure out my summer plans.
I’m kicking off the summer with a big trip to Europe for my fifteenth anniversary. After that, I’ve filled up my summer with the typical summer things: beach days, hikes, theme park visits, camping, bike rides, and pickleball.
As always, I’ve made sure to pencil in plenty of time to get through my summer reading list for 2024.
Of course, you only want the best summer reads to appear on your summer book list. No one has time to waste reading overrated bestsellers.
That’s where I step in. I’ve already read dozens of new and upcoming releases, and I’ve compiled suggestions for summer reading for adults.
Plus, I’ve got books becoming movies, the hottest new releases, 2023 bestsellers, and some older reads you might have missed.
Summer Reading List 2024
The Women
Kristin Hannah
When her brother ships off to Vietnam, nursing student Frankie McGrath impulsively decides to leave her sheltered life on Coronado Island and join the Army Nurse Corps. In Vietnam, Frankie is overwhelmed by the chaos of war. Yet, even more unsettling is the shock of coming home to a country that has been divided by war and disillusioned by politics. The Women reminds us that war is a messy, traumatizing business even when veterans are fully supported. And Vietnam was messier than any other war in American history, leaving unheard of struggles for returning soldiers, especially for the women who were often overlooked and forgotten.
Just for the Summer
Abby Jimenez
Justin finds himself with an unusual curse: every woman he dates finds her soulmate the minute she breaks up with Justin. Emma has the same problem, so Emma and Justin hatch a plan to rent a cottage together in Minnesota, hoping to break each other’s curses. Things go awry when Emma’s toxic mother shows up and Justin assumes guardianship of his younger siblings. It seems Fate may have more in mind than a quick summer fling. With her ability to hit on deeper issues, Abby Jimenez is quickly becoming one of my favorite romance writers and a must-have on any summer reading list.
The Ministry of Time
Kaliane Bradley
For fans of Outlander comes a new genre-bending time travel romance that is on everyone’s summer reading list. After being offered an exorbitant salary, a government worker starts a new position at the Ministry of Time. Studying whether time travel is possible and feasible, she is tasked with being a “bridge”, an assistant to a time traveling expat. Now she is unlikely roommates with Commander Graham Gore, who history records as having died on an 1847 Arctic expedition. By the time the Ministry of Time’s true objectives come to light, she has fallen hopelessly in love and must decide if she is able, and willing, to change the future.
Daughter of Mine
Megan Miranda
After her father, Mirror Lake’s longtime detective, dies, Hazel Sharp unexpectedly inherits her childhood home. Returning to Mirror Lake, Hazel feels wary of the town she fled over a decade ago. When a drought causes the lake to dry up, hidden clues emerge that might help Hazel finally solve her mother’s disappearance. An atmospheric read with complicated family dynamics, Daughter of Mine is the perfect summer thriller to include on your summer reading list.
Listen for the Lie
Amy Tintera
For Lucy, the night five years ago still remains a blank though their entire Texas town knows that Lucy killed her best friend Savvy. When a popular true crime podcaster chooses to investigate Savvy’s murder, Lucy finally returns home at her grandmother’s insistence. Now Lucy must face her ex-husband and her distrust family while trying to find out the truth about Savvy’s death, even if it ends up pointing to herself. Lucy’s cynical sarcasm will make you laugh and the podcast chapters sounded so realistic in the audiobook version that you will be gripped from the start.
Books Becoming Movies and TV Series in 2024
Dark Matter
Blake Crouch
May 8, 2024 – Walking home one night, Jason Dessen is kidnapped and forced into an alternate reality. He’s been thrust into the multiverse, a world where instead of marrying his wife when she got pregnant with their child, he single-mindedly persevered with his research. Although the middle was a bit slow, Crouch’s premise will boggle your mind and the story concludes with a thrilling finale.
The Watchers
A. M. Shine
June 7, 2024 – When Mina’s car breaks down, she doesn’t realize she has entered the boundaries of a mysterious forest. Walking into the woods, she encounters a screaming woman and flees with her to a concrete bunker. Finding herself in a room full of glass, Mina realizes the humans are being caged like zoo animals for the Watchers. Desperate for answers, Mina will not settle until she understands what the Watchers want and who they are.
My Lady Jane
Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, & Jodi Meadows
June 27, 2024 – Hand, Ashton, and Meadows collaborate to write a snarky and not very historically accurate portrayal of Lady Jane Grey, who was the Queen of England for nine days. To secure the throne for Jane instead of his Catholic half-sister, a dying King Edward marries Jane off to a stranger, Gifford. But when Gifford turns into a horse, Lady Jane sets off with him on an epic adventure to save England. With a Monty Python feel and plenty of magical shenanigans, My Lady Jane is a quirky lighthearted read that makes the perfect audiobook for your next vacation.
It Ends with Us
Colleen Hoover
August 9, 2024 – On the day of her father’s funeral, Lily meets Ryle, a handsome neurosurgeon, and sparks immediately fly. Although Ryle is notoriously commitment-phobic, he can’t seem to stay away from Lily. As Lily and Ryle’s relationship goes through ups and downs, Lily takes to reading her journals about her first love, Atlas. When Atlas reappears in her life, everything Lily has built with Ryle threatens to come tumbling down. One of the most anticipated books to movies in 2024, It Ends with Us is a steamy love story that shifts to a tale of domestic violence that has taken TikTok by storm for the last few years.
Best Books of Summer 2024
One Perfect Couple
Ruth Ware
With her post-doc research going nowhere, Lyla agrees to go on a new reality tv show with her boyfriend Nico, an aspiring actor. On One Perfect Couple, Lyla and Nico must compete against four other couples on a remote island in the Indian Ocean. After the first challenge leaves everyone angry, a storm cuts off the contestants. At first, everyone is grateful when a leader emerges, but they quickly begin to wonder if they made the right choice. Lyla’s levelheadedness, realistic plot twists, and page-turning pace keep you glued to the page in this psychological thriller that belongs on all the summer reading lists.
The Midnight Feast
Lucy Foley
From the author of The Guest List comes another locked-room mystery where not everyone will make it out alive. At the opening weekend of The Manor, a luxury resort in an ancient forest, the guests each have their own agenda. On the guest list: the founder, the lover, the mystery guest, the kitchen help, and the detective.
Five Broken Blades
Mai Corland
The god king Joon rules over Yusan with a merciless immortal hand, letting the nobles thrive and everyone in ruins. To overthrow his rule, the five deadliest blades in the land band together to murder the king. But killing a god requires more than the desire for revenge forcing them to learn to trust each other. Yet, even if they win, only one can hold the crown in this epic fantasy romance.
First Lie Wins
Ashley Elston
Every time an assignment comes in from the mysterious Mr. Smith, Evie takes a new identity and learns everything she can about the town and its people. Her newest mark: Ryan Sumner. But Evie connects with Ryan in a way she hasn’t in a long time. When a woman shows up using Evie’s real name, Evie must do everything she can to stay one step ahead of her boss and complete her mission. Especially after what happened last time. With relatable characters and a delicious cat-and-mouse game, First Lie Wins keeps you on your toes from the very first page to its clever ending.
The Situation Room
George Stephanopoulos
Created under President Kennedy, the White House Situation Room has been the epicenter of crisis management in the United States for the last six decades. A former presidential advisor and well-known political commentator and tv host, George Stephanopoulos describes twelve high-pressure situations that were dramatic turning points in American history: including the moments after Kennedy’s assassination, the hours after planes struck the Twin Towers, the raid on Osama bin Laden, and the staff watching the unfolding events on January 6th.
The Briar Club
Kate Quinn
In 1950, the Briarwood serves as a women’s boardinghouse in Washington, D.C. When Grace March moves to Briarwood, the mysterious widow creates strong female friendships between the residents with her weekly dinner parties and tea. With the fear of McCarthy’s Red Scare spreading through town, a shocking act of violence divides the house and forces the women to ponder who truly is their enemy.
Book Club Books for 2024
The Storm We Made
Vanessa Chan
In 1945 in Malaya, Cecily Alcantara’s family is trying to survive until the end of World War II. Cecily’s son has disappeared, her youngest daughter must stay hidden so she isn’t forced to work in the comfort houses, and her oldest daughter hates serving drunken Japanese soldiers in the teahouse. Cecily knows it’s all her fault; for a decade ago, Cecily was drawn into a campaign to keep “Asia for Asians.” Tired of being a housewife, Cecily became a spy who unwittingly ushered in the Japanese invasion. Now Cecily must face what she has done in order to save her family.
The Berry Pickers
Amanda Peters
In July 1962, a Mi’kmaq family travels to Maine to pick blueberries for the summer when four-year-old Ruthie disappears one day after lunch. For decades, Ruthie’s disappearance haunts her family, especially her six-year-old brother Joe who was the last to see her. Meanwhile, Norma grows up as the only child of an overbearingly protective affluent white couple. Although she dreams of another life and another mother, she takes decades to trust her instincts and uncover her family’s secret. The Berry Pickers alternates between a dying Joe reminiscing about his life and Norma as she grows up, making it the perfect summer book club pick.
The Husbands
Holly Gramazio
One night when Lauren returns home to her London flat, she is greeted by her adoring husband Michael. Except Lauren isn’t married. But her house and her friends seem to indicate that Lauren and Michael have been together for years. Then one day Michael goes into the attic and out emerges a new husband and a new and improved life. With this magical ability to swap out husbands and lives, Lauren must now decide what she wants her life to be and when to stop trying for something perfect.
The Great Divide
Cristina Henríquez
Cristina Henríquez, the author of The Book of Unknown Americans, tells a tale of the building of the Panama Canal from the perspective of fishmongers, laborers, doctors, and journalists. Local fisherman Francisco isn’t happy about the foreigners wanting to carve a canal through Panama but his son Omar sees it as a means for escape. When Omar collapses after a grueling shift, Ada, a teenage immigrant from Barbados, rushes to his aid. Moved by her act, John Oswald, a researcher studying malaria, hires Ada to care for his sick wife, an action that will set into motion a sweeping tale of loyalty and ambition.
The Sicilian Inheritance
Jo Piazza
Sara Marsala feels completely lost after the failure of her business and her marriage. When her beloved great-aunt Rosie dies, Sara is left the deed to a potentially valuable plot of land in Sicily. Traveling to Italy, Sara must solve the mystery of her fierce great-grandmother Serafina who served as a healer for her town before being murdered. Alternating between Sara and Serafina, The Sicilian Inheritance is a multigenerational story of the heroism of everyday women.
Beach Reads 2024
Funny Story
Emily Henry
Daphne and her fiancé Peter have the perfect cute story of how they met, up until Peter leaves her for his childhood best friend Petra. Stranded in Peter’s lakeside Michigan hometown with a job as a children’s librarian she loves, Daphne needs a roommate to help pay the bills. Who better than Petra’s ex, Miles, who is completely Daphne’s opposite? And no big deal if they happen to post misleading photos to make their exes jealous because there’s no way they would ever actually fall in love.
Lies and Weddings
Kevin Kwan
The son of a Hong Kong supermodel and British nobility, Rufus Leung Gresham seems to have it all – a lavish life of manors and yachts. But the future Earl of Greshambury is actually set to inherit a mountain of debt. His scheming mother has the answer – he must attend his sister’s lavish wedding at a lavish eco-resort and seduce a rich woman to become his wife. Rufus must decide whether to follow the plan or follow his heart and marry the everyday girl from next door, all while a volcanic eruption and a secret tryst damage the Gresham family’s sterling reputation.
Eruption
Michael Crichton and James Patterson
I never thought I’d see a new Michael Crichton book on my summer reading list! At the time of his death, bestselling author Michael Crichton (Jurassic Park, The Andromeda Strain) was working on a passion project that he never got to finish. Waiting for the right co-author, his wife eventually gave the unfinished manuscript to legendary mystery author James Patterson to finish. In what might be one of the summer’s biggest thrillers, a deadly volcanic eruption is about to burst on the Big Island of Hawaii forcing a terrifying military secret to come to light.
Bride
Ali Hazelwood
Ali Hazelwood switched from STEM Romance to paranormal with her newest February book release. Misery Lark’s days of living in obscurity among humans are over. As the daughter of the most powerful councilman of the Vampyres, she is promised in marriage to their mortal enemies, the Weres, as a peacekeeping measure. Lowe Moreland, the Weres alpha, is suspicious of Misery from the start. And he should be, because Misery has her own hidden agenda, and she will do whatever it takes to get back what’s hers.
The Paradise Problem
Christina Lauren
To gain access to subsidized college housing, Anna married Liam West and she thought she’d signed the divorce papers at graduation. Being the heir to a major corporation, Liam needs to remain married for at least five years to receive his inheritance. With pressure from his family to meet his mysterious wife, Liam must introduce his unpolished not-so-ex-wife to his upper class family. But Anna’s pure heart makes Liam begin to question if the payout is worth ruining what might be true love in this fun romance that will lighten up your summer reading list.
Best Books of 2023
Hello Beautiful
Ann Napolitano
After a childhood of being ignored by his family, William Waters finds refuge playing basketball in college. When William meets Julia Padavano, a lively girl extremely close to her parents and three sisters, he quickly becomes a part of the close-knit Padavano family. Although cracks start to appear in the family, William never imagined he’d be the wedge to drive them apart. A homage to Little Women, Hello Beautiful gorgeously describes family and sisterhood, mental health, and forgiveness, in such a way that you will never forget this story.
Fourth Wing
Rebecca Yarros
Violet Sorrengail is all set to live a quiet life among her books until her mother orders her to become a candidate for the highly competitive dragon riders. But dragons usually prefer to kill rather than bond with weak humans like Violet. With half the competition willing to kill her to improve their odds and the other half hating her because of her mother, Violet must use all her wits to survive the war college. Fourth Wing took the book world by storm last year, so if you are looking for the perfect summer read, a steamy fantasy romance with dragons might be the perfect choice for fans of Sarah J. Maas.
The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store
James McBride
In the rundown Chicken Hill neighborhood of Pottstown, Pennsylvania, African-Americans and Jewish immigrants have lived side-by-side for decades. Moshe and Chona Ludlow are an integral part of the community. Moshe’s integrated theater and Chona’s grocery store provide a much-needed sense of community as the residents struggle to living in the margins of a white Christian society. When workers discover a skeleton at the bottom of a well in 1972, long-hidden secrets come to light as.
Yellowface
R. F. Kuang
Although June and Athena went to school together, Athena has found major success as an Asian-American novelist while June struggles to get a foot in the door, probably because she’s just another basic white girl. When June witnesses Athena’s death in a freak accident, she impetuously snatches up Athena’s unfinished work. Publishing it as her own, June rebrands herself as a racially ambiguous Juniper Song and becomes an instant bestseller. Yet as the truth threatens to come out, June must decide how far she is willing to go to keep her secret.
The Wager
David Grann
Let’s add a little nonfiction to your summer reading list. In 1742, a patched-together vessel washed up on the shores of Brazil with thirty emaciated men. They told an astounding tale of surviving after the HMS Wager was shipwrecked chasing a Spanish treasure galleon. After cobbling together a raft, they floated for 100 days and traveled 3,000 miles. The sailors were lauded as heroes until six months later when three more castaways washed ashore accusing the first men of mutiny. With accusations of treachery and murder, a court-martial is convened to find the truth, with the guilty party likely to be hung.
Tom Lake
Ann Patchett
In 2020, three grown daughters return to their family orchard in Michigan to isolate with their mother. They beg her to tell them about a story from her youth when she fell in love with famous actor Peter Duke when they performed together at the Tom Lake Theater Company. As Lara ponders her life, her daughters begin to wonder about their own choices. Everyone should listen to the audiobook version of Tom Lake narrated by Meryl Streep. Streep perfectly embodied Lara, delivering an outstanding performance where you can hear the wistful reflection and the amused nostalgia in every line.
Outlive
Peter Attia
Who doesn’t want to live longer? Peter Atria has all the strategies that will help you live longer … and better. Using the latest science, Atria explains how to improve your physical, cognitive, and emotional health so that you can help prevent chronic disease and extend your lifespan. If you want to improve your health this summer, be sure to add Outlive to your summer reading list.
Backlist Books Not To Miss
The Violin Conspiracy
Brendan Slocumb
Growing up in rural North Carolina, Ray McMillian will not let his family’s doubts or inherent racism against Blacks stop him from becoming the world’s best classical violinist. Which is why it’s a dream come true when he realizes his grandfather’s old fiddle is really a priceless Stradivarius. On the eve of the most prestigious music competition, his violin is stolen and replaced with a ransom note. Ray must do everything he can to get it back, all while the descendants of his ancestor’s former slave owner claim the violin is rightfully theirs. Brendan Slocumb has penned an intriguing mystery that packs a double punch with its powerful story of a Black man navigating the predominantly white field of classical music. If you can, I recommend listening to the audiobook with its compelling narration and snippets of violin music.
My Rating:
Publication Date: 1 February 2022
Amazon | Goodreads | More Info
Divine Rivals
Rebecca Ross
With the gods fighting again after centuries of sleep, eighteen-year-old Iris Winnow just wants to keep her family safe. Her mother is fighting addiction, her brother has disappeared from the front lines, and Iris hopes a promotion as a columnist at the Oath Gazette will help. In her spare time, Iris writes letters to her brother, which vanish when she slips them under her wardrobe and are answered. What she doesn’t realize is that the letters in return are by Roman Kitt, her rival at the paper. The two rivals spark a bond that will stay with Iris as she fights to save her brother in this stunning young adult historical fantasy.
Remarkably Bright Creatures
Shelby Van Pelt
After her husband died, Tova Sullivan began working the night shift at the Sowell Bay Aquarium. Thirty years ago, Tova’s son Erik disappeared on a boat in the Puget Sound, and cleaning the aquarium helps her cope. When she befriends Marcellus, the aquarium’s giant octopus, Marcellus discovers what happened to Erik and must find a way to show Tova the truth before it’s too late.
The Dead Romantics
Ashley Poston
Florence Day is a ghostwriter for one of the most popular romance writers of the day. But after a bad breakup, a disillusioned Florence struggles to write about love. With a new book due and her editor refusing an extension, Florence’s career is all but over. When her father dies, Florence returns to her sleepy Southern hometown only to be shocked to find the ghost of her editor, whose unfinished business has her second-guessing everything she knows about love stories.
What’s on Your 2024 Summer Reading List?
What do you think? What summer reads did I forget to add to my list? Did I include any overhyped authors on my summer reading list? As always, let me know in the comments!
More Summer Reading Lists:
Ann says
Rachael
I swear, yours are always my favorite lists, hands down! You’ve given us a great mix. Some overhyped, perhaps? I’ll need to read and find out. But typically you and I are on the same page.
I have become really guilty of getting on new release wait lists at my library & sometimes, I accidentally kinda hoard books and don’t get around to them. That has been the case with The Husbands. Now it is due back & I never got up it, Between book club/this month it is Sing, Unburied, Sing & endless TBR, I sometimes bite off more than I can get around to.
I recently found Listen For The Lie in a Little Free Library. So that at least is one I do not have to worry about a due date on.
I recently read a slim book: Clear by Caryn Davies. That deserves some recognition. Very layered and surprising.
Some summer I will get around to reading Lomesome Dove and the Louise Penny books. But who am I kidding. It may not be this Summer.
I have Just For The Summer on hold as we speak! So that might be an apt way to kick things off. Also dealing with a moody husband who is somewhat stranded (but recovering fast) from a knee arthroscopy. A daughter who is between college & grad school & seems to be having a delayed (she took a gap year) post grad crisis. But she has a masters course abroad lined up, so we will get through this!
I found out a road is going to run in front of my childhood home. So my brother is in the midst of arranging moving this long wooden 1920s building somewhere away from all that. Big changes in what once was my small home town,
Me, I’d be happy to just read all Summer! Should I feel guilty??! So thanks for this list.
Enjoy Europe!!!!!!!
Rachael says
I can guarantee that I have at least one overhyped book on my list. I am constantly looking back at my old lists regretting some of the books I thought were going to great turn out to be duds. But I do the best I can. I hope you do get to read all summer long, or at least a good chunk of it!