Summer is fast approaching, and the vacation is a great time to enjoy a good book under the sun. Here are our reviews of some summer books: perfect for if you are looking for something to add to your summer reading list.
Our rating system:
1/5: It’s so bad I wanna give you a 0, but I can’t so I’ll give you a 1
2/5: Wouldn’t wish that on my worst enemy
3/5: I plead the fifth
4/5: Snap girl, I think you dropped something… my JAW
5/5: I would sell all of my organs for this book
We Were Liars by E. Lockhart
☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️/5
A rich family who would rather lock their skeletons in a closet with 3 locks and sweep their grief under a rug goes to their private island every summer. 4 of the older teens form a group called the liars running around laughing and causing mischief.
I heard mixed things about this book coming into it and mixed things coming out however there is no doubt that this book left me speechless and became one of my all-time favorites. I went into this book expecting a cutesy coming-of-age summer romance book that would leave me feeling all warm and fuzzy. Boy was I wrong. I couldn’t get through the last chapter because my vision was blurred from tears, I sobbed for a good 10 minutes. One of the first books that brought out a reaction like that from me. We follow Cadence Sinclair a rich girl who goes back to her summer island after skipping the family trip for 2 years. You start out the book feeling like something is wrong, but you can’t put your finger on it. Those are the best books. The feeling of dread just keeps creeping up on you until it explodes and you’re left a mess. The plot twist was one I was not expecting, and the end though sad was beautiful and tied everything together. The main reason that many people don’t like this book is because of its sentence structure and strange metaphors that will sometimes leave you confused, however, I believe this is what gave the book its character and charm that I loved so much. I will admit the confusion it gave me made me meh about the book for about half of it however by the end when I understood what was going on I could go back and re-read it with a new found appreciation being able to see all the foreshadowing. I highly recommend it if you’re looking for a good, quick summer read and need a good cry because we all need those sometimes.
Alex, Approximately by Jenn Bennett
☀️☀️☀️.5/5
Bailey Rydell has spent months chatting online with Alex and after moving in with her dad she now lives in Alex’s hometown. Not willing to risk the consequences of stranger danger, she decides not to tell her online crush that they happen to be in the same town. But when she meets Porter at her new job, she faces an internal dilemma over whether she’s starting to have feelings for Porter and where Alex’s role is in all that.
I have to say, this was a cute read but not much more than that in my opinion. I read Alex, Approximately quite a while ago and it didn’t stand out to me that much in the sense that I’ve pretty much forgotten about it. That being said, it is a great summer read and an enjoyable romcom, the summer scene vividly created with the story taking place in a California surfing town. The main problem for me was that there were some cringe moments for sure and that the “plot twist” (not sure if you can call it that given that it’s spoiled in the blurb) was very predictable. In fact, it was so predictable that it really annoyed me how long it took for Bailey to figure it out. I also wasn’t a big fan of the fact that the romance aspect was somewhat limited with Bailey not sure of whether she liked Alex or Porter which also led to points of conflict. I have always hated the miscommunication trope but this novel brought miscommunication to a whole new level in a way. It also didn’t help my reading experience that instead of the book cover shown here I got the uglier one with the random neon orange motorcycle on the front which in itself didn’t capture the vibes of the book that well. However, despite all the negatives I’ve just listed, I did still like Alex, Approximately and I am sure some people would enjoy it, but like I’ve said, it simply didn’t stand out to me.
Beach Read by Emily Henry
☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️/5
January and Augustus are polar opposites. College rivals, both acclaimed authors. She writes romance, Augustus writes literary fiction. When January moves to a beach house for the summer neighbouring Gus, the two of them decide to compete: all they have to do is write a novel in each others’ genres and see who’s becomes more successful once published…
I have said it before and I will say it again- Emily Henry always delivers with her summer romcoms. She is probably my favourite romance writer and Beach Read is one of the main reasons why. Firstly, I absolutely adored the summer vibes of this story, the beach houses and writing research excursions really setting the scene. But what Emily Henry always does spectacularly is writing dialogue. It really feels like real people speaking and I just love the banter and wit in the conversations between January and Gus. Both characters were three dimensional and January’s character growth added a lot of value to the overall story. Though Beach Read is a wholesome romcom, the main character is relatable and has such depth to her. I, as an avid reader, also love how many of Emily Henry’s characters have book-related jobs and this definitely was a favourite of mine in that aspect- the plot line of January and Gus attempting to write in each other’s genres was interesting and I enjoyed seeing how such genres can be seen from different perspectives with the end products they wrote. Obviously, the main thing that sold it for me was the dynamic between January and Gus. Like “I feel overwhelmed that you exist”? That iconic line is iconic for a reason. I definitely recommend Beach Read for romance lovers, it really does deserve all the hype.
