Yes, that's right. I'm a sucker for the stereotypical "set in the summer and by the water" novel. But every year I find it harder and harder to find novels that are worth lugging to the beach to read in my lounger. I've been preparing for this summer, though, since this summer will be my last real summer until I graduate in the fall. So here's my to-be-read list for this summer (many a-beach book and maybe even a couple paranormal/adventures included):
The Moon and More - by Sarah Dessen
This will Dessen's 11th book she's published, and just from the summary I know it's going to be the perfect beach read. It's about a girl named Emiline who has been with the same boy in the same sleepy beach town, Colby, for a long time until the summer before she goes to college. Then a New Yorker college-boy comes to Colby and offers her a new perspective of her role in the world, the same perspective that her slightly absentee father has been trying to get her to see. Should she cling to the roots she has in Colby, or set off for bigger, better horizons? Just from the summary, I know this book will be packed up with me on my beach trip later this summer.
Lola and the Boy Next Door - by Stephanie Perkins
This is the second book in Perkins' kind-of-a-series book series that includes Anna and the French Kiss, which I read about a week ago and absolutely LOVED! And since I've fallen hopelessly in love with Perkins' writing, I thought hey why not feed this romance with another one of her books. This story follows budding designer Lola
Nolan, and even though Lola’s style is outrageous, she’s a devoted daughter and
friend with some big plans for the future. And everything is pretty
perfect (right down to her hot rocker boyfriend) until the dreaded Bell
twins, Calliope and Cricket, return to the neighborhood. When
Cricket--a gifted inventor--steps out from his twin sister’s shadow and
back into Lola’s life, she must finally reconcile a lifetime of feelings
for the boy next door. No it's not set at the beach, but who cares when you have an amazing book at hand that you can't put down. You can bet this will be the book I'll be sneaking a read from between my classes I have at the beginning of this summer.
Keeping the Moon - by Sarah Dessen
One of Dessen's many YA coming-of-age novels, Keeping the Moon is about a girl named Colie who is sent to spend the summer with her eccentric aunt in the beach town of Colby. Colie doesn't have many friends, but then she gets a job at the Last Chance Diner and meets fellow waitresses and two best friends, Morgan and Isabel. Wacky yet wise, Morgan and Isabel help Colie see herself in a new way and realize the potential that has been there all along. Keeping the Moon doesn't look like a difficult read, which is exactly why I included it in this list. It seems light, yet I feel like it'll end in a lesson about friendships and relationships, which I honestly love about Dessen's writing. You always learn something from her books whether it be about yourself or the others around you.
The Infernal Devices Series - by Cassandra Clare
I've only just finished reading City of Glass, part 3 of Clare's The Mortal Instruments Series, and while I love that series, I've heard this one is even better and more action packed. The Infernal Devices is a prequel series to The Mortal Instruments set in nineteenth century London. I didn't even need to know anything other than that and I was all in. In between my sappy YA beachy reads, I sometimes like to read a more adventure-centered novel so this series will be my go to gets-your-heart-racing series this summer. And I know I'm a little late on this bandwagon, but I expect it will be a fun-filled ride.
The Truth About Forever - by Sarah Dessen
Oh look another one by Sarah Dessen, but guys hear me out. Her writing really is that good AND most of her stories take place in a beach town so it's a win-win for this summer reading list. This one is about Macy, a teenage who isn't excited about this coming summer. Her boyfriend will be gone and she'll be working most of the time, so she expects it to be a long boring summer. But then exciting things start happening, like getting a fun new job at a catering business, beach house renovations, or meeting Wes. As Macy ventures out of her shell, she begins to wonder, Is it really better to be safe than sorry? I've heard from many a-Dessen fan that this is their favorite of her novels by far, which makes me even more excited to read it, the sooner the better.
Frostbite - Richelle Mead
I once again find myself playing catch-up in trying to read past the first book of a series. This time it's with Richelle Mead's Frostbite, the second of her Vampire Academy series. I loved the first installment, Vampire Academy, much to my surprise. My younger sister highly recommended I read it, so of course I expected it to be cheesy and predictable, but was pleasantly surprised about midway through the book when I started to grow fond for the story and it's characters. I don't want to give away any spoilers for what happens in the first book, so I won't give a synopsis for this one. However, I will say that this series in general is about these teen vampires who go to a vampire boarding school in the US and events happen, and it also comes in graphic novel form. Okay, I know that's not a very good summary, but give me a break I read it almost a year ago and my memory isn't that great. And yes, it does sound like a set up for a really bad melodrama, but if you give the series a shot like I did, I'm sure it won't disappoint.
(If you click on the titles above, it'll take you to the goodreads pages of each book if you want a better idea of what they're about).
Happy summer and happy reading!
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