The Summer 2022 Reading List You Need ASAP

I am an avid reader. I am currently reading my 23rd book this year. There is something about getting fully immersed into books that can’t be put down. I have a constant stream of books that I’m saving on Good Reads and I always have a hold for something at the library. It really brings me so much joy to read. I’ve been so busy recently, hence my lack of blog posts, but I’ve still managed to make time for reading.

So with that, I figured I’d share my current summer 2022 reading list. These are books I have on my list to read this summer. Knowing me, these won’t be the only books I read; but they’ll definitely be where I start. I’ve shared before that I love thrillers, but I also love reading other genres as well. This year, I’ve gotten more into both romance and historical fiction. Romance novels are always good beach reads so I’ve added a few of those below. I don’t currently have any historical fiction books on my list so if you have some recommendations, please send them my way!

Romance

The Guncle by Steven Rowley

I stumbled upon The Guncle by Steven Rowley while I was perusing a local bookstore in Logan Square, City Lit Books. I know they say don’t judge a book by its cover – but I always do. The covers that catch my eye, usually don’t disappoint. And this cover stood right out to me. The story follows gay Uncle Patrick (GUP) as he navigates becoming the primary guardian for his niece and nephew. The back cover describes it as “tender, charming and laugh-out-loud funny, The Guncle is a testament to finding happiness and peace in the most trying of times.”

It gives me Life As We Know It; but make it gay, and I am so here for it. This is one of the first books I plan to read this summer and I’m so excited. I actually just started it this week.

Beach Read by Emily Henry

I have seen People We Meet On Vacation by Emily Henry swirling around Good Reads for a few months before I finally read it last week. I absolutely loved it. After reading that book, I knew I needed to read more books by her. Beach Read is one of her popular books that came out in 2020. It’s about two writers, one dark and one romantic, living in the neighboring beach houses for the summer with writers block. They come up with a plan to write under each other’s genre and obviously, that plan does not include fall in love.

Beach Read has been on numerous summer reading lists and Emily Henry blew me away with People We Meet on Vacation; so, I’m excited to give it a shot! If I like Beach Read, I’ll probably also add her latest book, Book Lovers, to my list as well.

The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren

Okay, so this is another book that has been filling my Goodreads feed quite frequently. It’s also a recommended read if you liked any of the Emily Henry books. Olive is the unlucky twin and her luck just keeps dwindling when her sister, the bride, forces her to spend a day with her sworn enemy, the best man – Ethan. However, things take an interesting turn when everyone at the wedding gets food poisoning except Olive and Ethan. They end up going on an all expenses paid honeymoon to Hawaii in place of the bride and groom. Can they put their differences aside and pretend to be madly in love newlyweds for 10 days?

The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren has gotten some mixed reviews, but I’d love to give it a try myself. One reviewer referred to it as The Hating Game meets Forgetting Sarah Marshall and that is a combination I can get behind.

Thriller/Mystery

I know summer reads are typically light-hearted, but I will never not want to read a thriller. So of course, I have to add a couple options for my summer reading list.

Reckless Girls by Rachel Hawkins

I absolutely LOVED The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins. I could not put it down. I’m hoping I get that same feeling from Reckless Girls. The story is about seven young adults in their 20s being stranded on a secluded island in the South Pacific. It’s beautiful place to be stranded until one person goes missing and another winds up dead. It’s very And Then There Were None and if it’s anything like The Wife Upstairs then I know I’m going to love it. I love the vibrant yellow in the cover too. It’s very summer reading even if it’s not necessarily lighthearted.

The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Dalila Harris

The plot of this book starts with “Get Out meets Stepford Wives” and I’m not sure there is another combination that could make me more excited. I didn’t even have to read the rest of the plot before adding it to my Want To Read list.

The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Dalila Harris follows Nella Rogers, who was the only black girl in her office until Hazel arrives. She was excited to finally have someone to relate with when suddenly she becomes the stepping stone for Hazel’s spotlight. When she starts receiving threatening notes, she starts to wonder who is behind it. Will she endanger more than just her career to get to the bottom of who is sending them? My biggest hope with this is that the story can live up to the hype of Get Out and The Stepford Wives. We’ll see!

Another Stepford Wives-ish book on my list is The Husbands by Chandler Baker. I’m not adding it to my list here, but I’ll be sure to type up a review once I get to it.

The Club by Ellery Lloyd

Alright, so this book caught my eye in Target because one of my niece’s name is Ellery. However, it pulled me in as soon as I started reading the description. The story is set on an exclusive island for A-list celebrities. As so it goes with the wealthy, everyone has something to hide. Tensions are rising and so are the body counts. It sounds like Fyre Fest except they all die in the end. I am here for it.

Of course it’ll be good because it’s one of Reese Witherspoon’s book club books and those never disappoint! I’m very excited to read it. Hart convinced me to not buy it and pick it up from the library; however it has a waitlist of over 100 readers. I’ll probably end up buying it at some point this summer! Ellery Lloyd also wrote People Like Her which has been on my list for a little bit now as well.

Final Thoughts

My Goodreads list is much longer than this, but I figured I’d keep it down to to just a handful of books. I’ll be sure to keep you posted with what I’m reading throughout the summer.

Anyway, if you’re looking for some additional suggestions for your list, let me recommend a thriller like The Perfect Marriage by Jeneva Rose or a historical fiction like Memphis by Tara M Stringfellow. Both are great reads that I just finished within the last couple of weeks. For a more light-hearted option, I just read One Italian Summer during a trip to a Italy and couldn’t put it down! You can also see past book posts here.

Let me know what you’re reading this summer in the comments below!