Welcome back to campus! Are you sick of school yet? If you’re missing spending afternoons at the pool or lounging at the beach with a good read, you’ve come to the right place. I’ve got some book recommendations that will make you feel as if you’re on an island in the middle of nowhere and not a single soul has even heard of Waltham, Massachusetts. 

There’s the classic “The Summer I Turned Pretty” trilogy, a love triangle between Belly and two brothers, Conrad and Jeremiah. Written by Jenny Han, it was turned into a TV series which is available on Amazon Prime. If you’re a fan of the boy next door versus the bad boy trope, this is the series for you. You will have your heart torn between #TeamJeremiah and #TeamConrad, and you’ve got three whole books to fully immerse yourself in the summery world of Cousins Beach.

If you spend your summer taking large family vacations, K.L. Walther’s “The Summer Of Broken Rules” is perfect for you! Set during the annual family trip to Martha’s Vineyard, Meredith is mourning the loss of her older sister while attending a family wedding. Throw in a cute groomsman and a game of Assassin, and you’ve got the recipe for a wild summer. 

Looking for a romance book about adults? “Every Summer After” is set in dual timelines, telling the story of Percy and Sam as they grow up as teenagers and fall in love, and as they reunite years later. It’s a book about learning to love again, healing broken wounds and a reminder that secrets will always be unraveled. Carley Fortune is brilliant at hooking readers, weaving storylines together so it’s as if time never passes.

Now if your interests lie more towards adult books, Tessa Bailey’s “It Happened One Summer” is definitely towards the top of the list. When wild child Piper is shipped off to a small town and meets sea captain Brendan, neither expects the attraction that sparks between these two polar opposites.

Elle Kennedy’s “The Summer Girl’” gives off similar vibes. It’s your classic small beach down romance, starring neighbors Cassie and Tate. Cassie’s looking for her Mr. Right Now, but what happens when her feelings for Tate start growing? It’s fun, flirty and spicy with lots of banter, a must-buy summer read.

If you’re already bemoaning the ever changing weather of Waltham, take a trip to the Amalfi Coast with “One Italian Summer” by Rebecca Serle! Katy’s mother-daughter trip to Positano, Italy gets thrown for a loop when her mother Carol passes away, leaving Katy to travel cross-country by herself. Only when Katy arrives in Italy, she meets a woman named Carol—a younger version of her mother, alive and healthy, and with a spirit that Katy didn’t expect. It’s definitely not a quick, lighthearted read, so arm yourself with a box of tissues before reading.

Ending off with a lighter note, “Six Summers To Fall” by C.W. Farnsworth is one of my favorite fake dating books. Harper is dreading her sister’s wedding until golden boy Drew—who’s also her childhood crush—offers to pretend to be her boyfriend for the wedding festivities. With forced proximity, a fake relationship and the classic one bed trope, this romance read is sure to sweep you off your feet. 

So pick up a good book, curl up in your dorm and lose yourself in another world. A world where the sun is shining and the book boyfriends are sizzling. (Please check content warnings and age ratings for all books. You have been warned.)

Happy reading!