10 Book Recommendations For Your Summer Reading List

Are you looking for some new books to dive into this summer? On the hunt for some recommendations?

Well, do not fear, you’ve come to the right post as we’ve got 10 books you’ll really want to add to your summer reading list. 

With holiday reads for every bookworm included, you’re sure to find a real page-turner to read on your vacation, trip to the beach, or when you’re relaxing in the garden. 

Here’s our 10 book recommendations you need for that all-important YOU time this season! 

1. Everything I Know About Love by Dolly Alderton 

When it comes to book recommendations for summer, a particular story which we cannot get enough of is Everything I Know About Love by Dolly Alderton. 

This bestselling memoir has been all over #BookTok, and focuses on all the struggles of early adulthood and surviving your 20s. 

From experiencing heartbreak, navigating through all kinds of love, dealing with self-sabotage, getting through your university years, going on drunken nights out, graduating and getting a job, and so much more. 

If you’re after a book which delves deep into the struggles of growing up and growing older, Everything I Know About Love is for you. 

Once you’ve finished the book (you won’t want it to end!) There’s now a TV show adaptation on BBC One. 

2. The Lido by Libby Page 

If you’re wanting to get in the holiday feels for summer, a book we recommend is The Lido by Libby Page. 

This uplifting novel tells the story of two very different women Rosemary, 86, and Kate, 26, who come together to save their local lido from closure. 

Rosemary has lived in Brixton all of her life, but after hearing that her local lido where she swims every day is closing, everything she knows begins to change. 

Kate on the other hand, is a young journalist riddled with anxiety who has just moved to London, and has been assigned to write about the local lido’s closure for her local newspaper. 

Focusing on the importance of friendship and community, this feel-good book is one you’ll be thinking about for a long time! 

3. People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry 

Searching for summery reads? People We Meet On Vacation by Emily Henry is a book you won’t want to put down. 

This romance novel tells the story of Poppy and Alex, two long-distance friends who don’t have anything in common, but are the best of friends. 

For most of the year they live far apart from one another, but for the past decade they’ve gone on vacation together for one week during summer. Until two years ago, when the pair ruined everything. 

If you’re soaking up the sun rays at the beach, this is a book you need to have in your hand for sure! 

4. Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid 

For the fiction lovers out there, a book you need to immerse yourself into this summer is Malibu Rising.

This award winning historical novel is written by the iconic author Taylor Jenkins Reid, who’s behind Daisy Jones and The Six, as well as The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. 

Malibu Rising tells the tale of four famous siblings who throw an epic party to celebrate the end of the summer. However, over the course of twenty-four hours, their lives will change forever.

Without giving too much away, this book is definitely one you’ll want to sink into this coming season!

5. Call Me By Your Name by André Aciman

June is Pride Month so of course we had to feature the iconic novel Call Me By Your Name on our list of summer book recommendations. 

Call Me By Your Name by André Aciman tells the story of the sudden and powerful romance that blossoms between seventeen-year-old Elio and the older, experienced Oliver, who is a summer guest at his parents mansion. 

Set in the mid 1980s on the Italian Riviera, Call Me By Your Name is both a coming-of-age and a coming-of-age story, focusing on the summer romance between the pair and the 20 years that follow. 

After you’ve finished the book, the 2017 film starring Timothée Chalamet and Armie Hammer is a great watch! 

6. I Have Some Questions For You by Rebecca Makkai

Wherever you find yourself whiling away this summer, a book you need to pack in your bag is I Have Some Questions For You by Rebbecca Makkai. 

Who doesn’t love a murder mystery? I Have Some Questions For You is a deep dive into the life of Bodie Kane, a successful film professor and podcaster who is content to forget about her past, the murder of her former roommate, Thalia Ketih, in the spring of her senior year. 

Whilst the circumstances surrounding Thalia’s death and the conviction of the school’s athletics coach, Omar Evans, are causing speculation online, Bodie prefers-needs-to let sleeping dogs lie.

It’s up to you to find out what will happen, and whether Omar is the one responsible for Thalia’s death.

One thing’s for sure, this is a book which will captivate you from page to page! 

7. Really Good, Actually by Monica Heisey

Did someone say a hot book summer? They sure did! 

One of the most highly anticipated books of the year is the debut novel by Monica Heisey, Really Good, Actually.

This supercharged page turner is about the uncertainties of modern love, friendship and happiness, and tells the story of Maggie, whose marriage has just ended 608 days after it started. 

Don’t worry, Maggie’s fine – she’s doing really good, actually. 

She may be alone for the first time in her life, can’t afford her rent and her obscure PhD is going nowhere… but at the age of twenty-nine, Maggie is determined to embrace life as a young divorcee. 

8. Every Summer After by Carley Fortune

Looking for something to delve into whilst sunbathing around the pool? We have to recommend Every Summer After.

Released in 2022, Every Summer After is a breathtaking love story about two strangers who come together when they need each other most, once, in their early twenties, and again a decade later.

For six summers in Barry’s Bay, through hazy afternoons on the water and warm summer nights working in his family’s restaurant, Percy and Sam had been inseparable. Eventually their friendship became something more, and everything came crashing down. 

Until, Percy returns to the lake for Sam’s mother’s funeral and their connection is as undeniable as it had always been. 

What will happen next? That’s up to you to find out! 

9. The People on Platform 5 by Clare Pooley

There’s nothing better than enjoying a moment to yourself with an amazing summer read, and The People on Platform 5 is certainly one that ticks that box. 

The second novel by best-selling author Clare Pooley, is a feel-good fiction book about speaking to strangers on the train, no one does it, but what would happen if they did?

Every day at 8:05, Iona Iverson gets on the train to go to work. She sees the same group of people each day, who she makes assumptions about and gives nicknames to, but never talks to any of them. 

Until one morning, one of the commuters chokes on a grape right in front of Iona and another steps up to save his life, this one event then sparks a chain reaction. 

If you’re looking for a pick-me-up book then you’ll want to get a copy of this one for sure! 

10. The Man I Think I Know by Mike Gayle

The Man I Think I Know by Mike Gayle is the book of the moment, and is a must-read for all you men out there.

That’s not to say there aren’t other books on this list you’d enjoy, though! 

The Man I Think I Know is a beautifully written novel about unexpected male friendships and an unlikely love story, which touches upon issues which affect us all. 

What can you expect? Ever since ‘The Incident’, James DeWitt has stayed on the safe side, he likes to know what happens next.

Danny Allen on the other hand, is not on the safe side, he is more past the point of no return.

However, the past is about to catch up with both of them in a way that will change their lives forever, but redemption can come in the most unlikely ways.

It wouldn’t be summer without uplifting stories to read, so make sure to pick up a copy of this one for yourself!

That’s the end of our book recommendations for your summer reading list – don’t say we don’t treat you! 

Have a good summer and do let us know what you’re planning to read @universalstudentliving.

What’s better than enjoying a good book with a nice refreshing drink? Check out our post on Iced Tea Recipes To Try This Summer.