Books To Burn Through This Summer

Blog no. 2  

A warm welcome back to the candlelight entries. Please light your candle of choice and settle down.

In this week's blog, it crossed my mind that it would be fun to share some book recommendations centred on summer. I also thought, rather than suggest books that are repeated in the media. I would like to share recommendations that I rarely see online and that I believe deserve more appreciation. 

I am including books under romance, fantasy, and thriller genres. Some will be set in summer, whereas others may just give off that vibe from the world-building, or it could just be that they are easy little beach reads. There will also be a mixture of young adult and adult books. Next to each of the titles, I will insert either (YA) if it is a young adult or (A) if it is an adult book rating. I still please recommend checking trigger warnings to see if they are suitable for you before reading. 

You will find summer book recs listed below!

Romance

1) Wild Summers by Cassie Steward (YA)

Wild Summers takes place during the late sixties in London. It focuses on seventeen-year-old Joan Summers as her life is turned upside down when the Nelson family moves next door. With them, Joan's new neighbours bring whispers. Somehow Joan gets pulled into the centre of an underground community and explores the freedom that comes with it, discovering things about herself and her hometown. 

Before we move on, can we please take a moment to look at this cover!!! It is absolutely stunning. If you are not sold just yet, here are some tropes: coming-of-age, historical and found family.

Cassie Steward worked on this novel for four years. It has truly paid off. This was published just over a week ago on 23rd of July! Wild Summers is available for purchase at Waterstones, Amazon and many more, also in all formats.

2) This Song Is About Us by Sara Barnard (YA)

This Song Is About Us explores the hardship of Drew and Ruby's relationship battling with the results of fame.  When they choose to keep their relationship private from the media, consequences begin to arise. It unfolds over one summer, as it follows the couple to music festivals, where Drew's band is playing. 

I will mention that This Song Is About Us does deal with the heaviness of mental health. So just make sure you look up the trigger warnings before going into this. Due to the heavy content, it is aimed towards older teens. 

Sara Barnard is an author that I found when I was sixteen, and five years later I still find my way back to her. This Song Is About Us was released back in 2025 and is her most recently published book. If you are looking for something more emotional and contemporary, definitely give this a go. Available as an ebook, audiobook, and paperback.  

3) Our Summer by Ashley Lauren (YA)

Our Summer centres on Aliyah, who recently discovered her boyfriend's infidelity. After cutting ties with him, Aliyah decides to reunite with her father, whom she hasn't seen since he walked out. The town her father lives in has many tempting aspects, such as a beach, a handsome boy next door, and so much more.

To sell you even more, here are some key tropes embedded throughout: friends-to-lovers, boy next door, golden retriever, small town romance... the list is really endless. The cover for Our Summer is also absolutely gorgeous.

Not only is Our Summer such a fun, beautifully written novel, but Ashley Lauren published her book by building her own publishing company from scratch. So inspirational. If you wish to look into Ashley's company more, you will find it under the name Wanderlust Publishing. It is also the website where you purchase her novel, either as an ebook or a signed paperback.

Fantasy

4) What The River Knows by Isabel Ibanez (YA)

What The River Knows chronicles Inez Olivera's journey as she arrives in Egypt with her father's ring for safekeeping, determined to discover the truth of the mystery behind her parents' sudden deaths. The quest is ignited when she receives a letter from her uncle. The book delves into ancient magic; Inez's ring may be tied to it. While in Egypt, she stays with her uncle, and his handsome assistant challenges her in ways no one has before.

It is the first book in a duology, which is completed. So after finishing this one, you can jump straight into the second, if you wish. The tropes that are found within these pages are slow burn, rivals-to-lovers and forced proximity.

Isabel Ibanez also wrote Graceless Heart, which has been climbing through the media recently. So if you have read that or her other books, why not give this duology a try? This is available for purchase on Amazon and your local stores, in all the usual formats. 

5) A Dance of Lies by Brittney Arena (A)

Brittney Arena's book tells the tale of a dancer, Vasalie, who is turned into a prisoner and released after two years to work for the king who framed and locked her away. She is forced into a bargain: becoming his spy in exchange for her freedom. Vasalie is thrown into the dangers of a perilous political divide. While battling the physical effects of her imprisonment, which damaged her body and her ability to dance. As Vasalie gets further into her tasks, she becomes torn between kings, loyalties, love and the guilt that stirs with betrayal. 

This book is packed with delicious tropes, such as rivals, slow burn, high stakes, political betrayal, plus so many other beloved micro-tropes. A Dance of Lies is decorated with beautiful world-building; you will never want to leave the world Arena has created.

Brittney Arena used creativity that comes with writing and reading as a means of perseverance through her chronic illness. That alone puts her as a pillar of strength to all those who are experiencing a similar situation, proving you can get through it. Arena drew on her personal health experience to create the beloved protagonist of A Dance of Lies, Vasalie. Available in all formats, located at your local bookstores, online and in the physical shop.

6) Anji Kills A King by Evan Leikam (A)

Anji is stuck as a servant for a king whom she despises. An opportunity for Anji to take out the king arises; seizing it, she succeeds. With that, the consequences of Anji's actions force her to run. Anji is crowned with a bounty, making her more of a target than ever before. The Hawk finds Anji before anyone else. The Hawk wears her mask, which descends as an ancient relic oozing in power. Anji soon discovers her safety is conditional due to The Hawk having her own reasons for protecting Anji from other Menagerie like The Hawk. 

Anji Kills A King includes the following tropes: coming-of-age, alliance, and many others. I will warn that there is no romance in this book, but it has such a strong plot that it does not need it to be interesting. 

This is Evan Leikam's debut novel, the first in the Rising Tide series and the second is set to release at the beginning of January next year. Anji Kills A King should be available on your local websites and bookstores you have access to, in paperback and Kindle. 

Thriller

7) Drop Dead Famous by Jennifer Pearson (YA)

Stevie is at her sister Blair's hometown concert, with her parents. Only the concert takes a traumatic turn when Blair appears on stage motionless. Murdered. Stevie takes it upon herself to investigate and discover what happened to her beloved sister. Though the detective work is harder than it seems, Stevie teams up with her sister's biggest fan, Colby, who also has a social media page dedicated to the pop star Blair. Together, they unveil buried secrets.

Key tropes that drive the plot: small town secrets, unexpected friends, dysfunctional family. To entice you even more, let's just say Stevie's sister isn't the only murder to occur in this small town! Please check the trigger warning list if you decide to read. 

This book is a real page turner, and hooks you right from the first chapter. Jennifer Pearson's sequel to Drop Dead Famous is planned to release in May next year, with a third to follow a year after that. It is sold in all formats and found at your local bookshops and websites.

8) Dead Girls Walking by Sami Ellis (YA)

Dead Girls Walking is a book that delves into the point of view of Temple Baker, who is known as the daughter of a serial killer. Her father has been suspected of killing over twenty innocent women, and to add to it, Temple believes he took her mother's life too. He confesses, so Temple decides to return to where her father committed his crimes. Only the world keeps moving, so the grounds have been turned into a camp for horror lovers. While sticking around the camp, a girl is found dead in the woods; Temple's gut feeling screams that one of her father's so-called fans is trying to imitate his killing. 

This novel features LGBTQ+ representation, found family, summer camp, and the sins of a father. As the book is set during summer, it perfectly fits into your summer reading list. No hesitations if you love something a bit more intense. Please check the trigger warnings before pursuing this book, as it contains many.

This novel is a standalone, so no bigger commitments needed for this one. It is available in the normal formats besides paperback; however, the hardbacks I've seen online are around £13.99 at the most. You should be able to find it at local bookshops and online sites.

9) Breakneck Bay by Faith Gardner (A)

Breakneck Bay is a waterpark that is no stranger to harmful accidents. This summer is different. It's worse. As a worker goes missing after their shift, the only evidence of their presence is a trail of blood. The main suspect is Kit's husband, Mitch, who is the park manager. This forces Kit to address and question her new marriage. Lurking from the shadows, someone is observing all that goes on, ready to strike and end what they began. The truth holds a darker power than the waterpark itself. 

This book is driven by the flurry of unanswered questions; you will find that you never want to part with the book. Set in the eighties, it provides atmosphere. Please definitely check trigger warnings before going into this. 

Breakneck Bay follows dual perspectives: Kit and the killer. Faith Gardner has a reputation that orbits her social circle as an author who can pull the rug right from under you just from the plot twists and the dark secrets she plants inside her books. So why not experience that for yourself? It's available for purchase as a paperback, audiobook and ebook.

Bonus recommendation!

I had to add a cosy summer book into the list, as I felt it was very fitting for this blog.

Summerween by Joss Wood (A)

Wren is roped into the Summerween spectacular, where she is now expected to teach dance. The downside is the dance studio is beginning to show signs of haunting. Battling the challenge of avoiding the notice of Dane, a town newcomer. Wren and Dane later discover that the assumed magic that goes into the Summerween spectacular may not be supernatural after all. 

Summerween is full of small-town charm, a cosy summer, grumpy-sunshine, forced proximity and supernatural magic. Overall, if you are a huge lover of autumn/fall, cosy books, and Halloween, then this book is screaming your name. 

It was published recently, in mid-July, and can be found in all formats excluding hardbacks. Summerween is listed at your local bookstores and online, such as Amazon, Waterstones, and so on. Two other books in this series are set to release this year; Halloween Town is out later this month. Pumpkin Lane (book three) out in October. So this series is definitely one you do not want to miss out on.

Blog Wrap Up.

Selecting the romance books was super easy. Originally the plan was to have nine summer romance books. However, once I started listing the books, I thought to myself, I don't just read romance all summer!  So I included fantasy and thrillers. The hardest to come up with recommendations for was definitely fantasy, as the plot rarely centres on summer; the closest books involve pirates or mermaids. I wanted to go outside of the box a bit more than that. So, I had to get inventive. Which is why I ended up picking books that could be read whilst on holiday or have a strong summery world-building element. If you know any fantasy books that revolve around summer, please let me know. Thrillers were also quite simple to pinpoint, as many are set during summer, or at summer camps and lakes. They also have that fast-paced element that makes them a good beach read. I really hope you found at least one book to consider reading in the future. Thank you for taking the time to read this as always!

Question: What book is on your summer TBR?

Until the next wick burns low,

Esme-Rose xoxo