2023 Summer Reading Guide: New Releases

🎶 It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year 🎶

Sing it with me, folks! Summer reading is my favorite reading of the year. I love sitting on our patio early in the morning, before it’s too hot, and read with my coffee. I love to sit out there in the evening, as the sun sets, with the smell of a citronella candle burning. I love beach days, where my books collect sand in the spine. I love reading on my waterproof Kindle Paperwhite in the pool when it’s too hot to be anywhere else. But the highlight of my Summer for the last three years has been releasing my Summer Reading Guide.

I read A LOT of summer-y books and always share my honest reviews, along with the books I think are worth your very valuable time. Whether you’re traveling this Summer or staying close to home, I’ve broken down all the buzzy releases by month. I hope you find something that makes your Summer Reading shine!

APRIL

Happy Place by Emily Henry

I feel like Emily Henry’s books can be quite polarizing, but I’ve got to say…this one is my favorite. I’ve had the chance to interview Emily Henry twice and she is so lovely, so I’m thrilled to see her success. If you have somehow missed the buzz around Happy Place, it’s about a group of friends from college who go on a week long vacation to Maine each Summer. But this year, one of the couples is no longer together but they haven’t told everyone yet. There’s a surprise wedding so they decide to fake being together for one final week.

The Nanny by Lana Ferguson 

Looking for something spicy and quick this Summer? This is a spicy single dad romance about a former OnlyFans esque user who ends up working for her former…only fan 👀

MAY

Holiday Read by Taylor Cole–May 11, 2023

A perfect choice if you’re looking for an English love story and it’s available on Kindle Unlimited!

Emma of 83rd Street by Audrey Belleza–May 23, 2023

I haven’t gotten to read this one yet, but it’s a modern retelling of Jane Austen’s Emma and we know I loveee a retelling. Plus, it’s set in NYC!

The Comeback Summer by Ali Brady

I thought this book was cute! I didn’t love it more their first book, The Beach Trap, but I really liked the Chicago setting. It’s about two sisters who take over their grandmother’s legacy PR company and it’s in trouble. A potential big client arrives but they have to complete her 12 week challenge in order to qualify; and that challenge requires them to push themselves out of their comfort zone. And of course, there are romantic subplots.

The True Love Experiment by Christina Lauren

I won’t lie, this book totally and completely surprised me. It is SO joyous and fun, with excellent banter and a broody, British love interest. It’s about a romance author who is tapped to be the star of a new reality show starring romance trope heroes (cinnamon roll, hot nerd, etc) but things heat up more off camera with the producer. It’s so good!

Meet Me at the Lake by Carley Fortune May 2, 2023

Tis no secret I LOVED Every Summer After last year so I was so excited for Meet Me at the Lake! It’s once again full of lakeside Summery vibes in the Muskoka region of Canada. It’s told in two timelines, now and then, after a chance encounter between two people ten years ago. When they reunite at a Dirty Dancing-esque resort, they’re both faced with acknowledging the very different people they’ve grown into.

The Celebrants by Steven Rowley–May 30, 2023

This book is a little bit more serious than The Guncle (which I LOVED) but it’s full of the same heart. It’s about a group of friends who vow to hold a living funeral for their friend group, whenever each one of them is at their lowest point. It’s a tearjerker for sure.

The DayDreamers by Laura Hankin

I really think this book needs to be getting more hype! It’s more on the women’s fiction side of things, but it’s still a second chance celebrity romance inspired by the Brittany/Justin years.

JUNE

The Girls of Summer by Katie Bishop–June 6, 2023

This book has a dreamy setting and starts off really strong, but then my interest faded. I think it will still work for some readers!

Same Time Next Summer by Annabel Monaghan–June 6, 2023

Okay, if you loved Every Summer After, you will LOVE this book. It’s set on Long Island but not the Hamptons, so it’s a little more low key. It’s a second chance romance, childhood friends to lovers Romance told in dual timeline and I flew through it.

Play For Me by Lizzy Hubscher–June 20, 2023

I have three words for you: New England Boarding School. It’s about an athletic trainer who has her dream job working for MLB and a perfect boyfriend…until she loses them when the team loses the World Series. So, she has to get a job an arts focused boarding school where the orchestra teacher can’t stand her.

Hotel Laguna by Nicola Harrison–June 20, 2023

I don’t read a TON of historical fiction, but I met Nicola Harrison a few years ago and enjoyed her first book, Montauk! This takes place in 1942 California when a Kansas girl decides to be part of the war effort. She’s torn between her dream and her dream life.

Will They or Won’t They by Ava Wilder–Random House-Ballantine–June 27, 2023

Oh my GOODNESS did I love this book. It’s a celebrity second romance that also have the love to hate to love trope. If you were a fan of The Mediator Series or The Vampire Series, I think you’ll love the idea behind the fictional show the two actors star in. It’s got great banter and borders on the edge of literary, much like romances by Emily Henry and Carley Fortune.

First Position by Melanie Mamrick–Berkley–June 20, 2023

There’s something about a book set in the world of ballet that always draws me in! This is about a young dancer five years into her professional career when everything in her life blows up, from her relationship to friendships, to her career. It’s juicy, dark, and a real page turner, especially if you liked the movie Black Swan!

What Happens After Midnight by K.L. Walther–June 27, 2023

I discussed K.L. Walther in the Summer of 2021 and I have anxiously been awaiting her next novel. And it didn’t disappoint! It’s a boarding school story, set in Newport, about the daughter of a faculty member and an annual night of pranks that happens senior year.

Much Ado About Nada by Uma Jalaluddin—June 13, 2023

A second chance Romance based on Jane Austen’s Persuasion! A summer of Austen retellings.

JULY 

The Prince and the Apocalypse by Kara McDowell–July 11, 2023

If you’re looking for something fast paced and highly original, I can’t recommend this book enough! It’s about an 18 year old girl who goes on a study abroad trip where everything goes wrong. She ends up running into a stranger who owes her a favor and it turns out, it couldn’t come at a better time because a meteor is predicted to hit Earth in seven days. She calls in her favor and turns out, the stranger is actually a Prince. It’s SO fun and unlike anything I’ve read recently. It was a good time!

The Dane of My Existence by Jessica Martin–July 4, 2023

Last summer I read and enjoyed For the Love of the Bard, which is about a Shakespeare inspired town in New Hampshire. This time, the town is in trouble so Portia, a lawyer, clashes with a hot shot developer.

The Legacies by Jessica Goodman—July 25, 2023

This is perfect for fans of Riverdale and Gossip Girl. It takes place in the high stakes society of elite Manhattan high schools. It’s fun, mysterious, and juicy.

AUGUST

The Art of the Scandal by Regina Black–August 1, 2023

This book was recommended to me by Ashley Herring Blake and it did not disappoint. It’s kind of like the book The Idea of You mixed with the show Scandal. It’s SO good.

The Book of Silver Linings by Nan Fischer–August 15, 2023

This is another emotional book if you like to cry on the beach! It’s about a young woman who finds out the history behind her antique engagement ring, striking up a pen pal relationship with the last person she could have expected, expressing her doubts and uneasiness. Could this mystery person actually be her soulmate instead?

On My Radar

MAY RELEASES

The Boyfriend Candidate by Ashley Winstead

This book sounds SO cute. It starts with a one night stand between a shy librarian and hot stranger in a bar…until there’s a fire and the stranger is caught on camera carrying her out from the flames. Turns out, he’s the rival candidate for governor! They have to fake date to save his campaign 👀

One of the hottest books of the moment! It’s about two writers, June who is white and Athena who is Asian American. When June witnesses Athena’s death, she does the unthinkable and steals her unfinished manuscript and puts HER name on it…it’s fast paced, wickedly smart, and highly relevant to living our lives online.

JUNE RELEASES

Growing up as the daughter of a ballerina and being involved in the arts from a young age, I will always have a soft spot for dance books. This is a YA book about a Black ballerina who is experiencing discrimination as she applies for the top ballet programs in the country.

This cover SCREAMS Summer! Dahlia Adler’s book Cool for the Summer was an adorable smash hit as well and I can’t wait to read this one! I think it will be particularly good on audio.

I feel like Riley Sager can be quite divisive but I always look forward to his new book every Summer. Since I’m not a huge thriller reader, I’m always intrigued! It’s set on the Maine coast as well and seems spookily atmospheric.

I ended up reading this early and it was a fast paced read! Like The House Across the Lake, the beginning was packed full of details that felt unnecessary until everything came together at the end. I enjoyed it, it’s a Gothic thriller set in the 1980’s. Personally, I liked Sager’s cheeky nature but readers will be pleased to know there are no surprise paranormal aspects in this book lol.

JULY RELEASES

Katherine Center is a great option for Romance readers who enjoy their romance with closed doors. Her latest is about a woman experiencing temporary blindness and falls in love with not one but two men.

I LOVE Chloe Gong’s books. Her newest book is inspired by Antony and Cleopatra so I cannot wait to read.

If dramatic suburban stories filled with scandal and intrigue are your Summer vibe, this seems to fit the bill!

AUGUST RELEASES

The Blonde Identity by Ally Carter

I was OBSESSED with the Gallagher Girl series by Ally Carter when I was in middle/high school. I reread them during the beginning of Covid and for the most part, they held up for me. I am so excited for this romantic mystery!

Reign by Katharine McGee

The conclusion to the American Royals series is finally here! After the cliffhanger of book three, I am ready for this series’ conclusion.

Lisa Jewell is a Summer staple for thriller readers! Her newest book is out July 11.

Alright…if you’re a longtime reader, you’re probably like PHOEBE?! ANN PATCHETT?! And me too, I’m shocked. BUT I am so intrigued by the premise! I worry the writing will be too boring for me, but it’s about three sisters who travel home to the midwest to quarantine with their mother during Covid. While their home, they try to get her to tell the story of her affair with a famous actor when they worked together at the Tom Lake Theatre Company. C’mon! Lakes! Theatre! All my passions !