With summer in full swing, you may be looking for something to fill the boredom time off can bring. What better way to spend the next few months than reading a few novels? Here’s The Daily Clog’s list of books to add to your reading this season!

“The Love Hypothesis” by Ali Hazelwood

This cute romance novel is a perfect read to kick off your summer. Olive Smith is a busy third-year Ph.D. candidate who has no interest in romantic relationships. However, with the constant prodding of her love life, she lies to her friend about being in a relationship. While Smith hoped this would get her friend off her back, it ends up creating an interesting plot. After her friend’s demand for proof, Olive has no choice but to engage in a fake relationship with a young and uptight professor. This plan of placating a friend soon gets a little too close to real love. Full of nerdy banter and main characters you come to love, this is a sweet novel you have to read.

“A Cuban Girl’s Guide to Tea and Tomorrow” by Laura Taylor Namey

As a young adult romance set in the United Kingdom during the summer, “A Cuban Girl’s Guide to Tea and Tomorrow” is another book that is perfect for your reading list. Protagonist Reyes has a lot on her plate — especially as she loses loved ones, friends and family all in the span of a few weeks. It’s for these reasons that her parents decide to send her to England for the summer. Here, she meets Orion Maxwell, who she slowly falls in love with. Besides the main romantic storyline, the author addresses difficult topics like grief and mental health realistically. Although the novel starts off as a little bit of a downer, readers get to see Reyes grow as a person, which makes for a worthwhile read.

“Malibu Rising” by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Taking place in 1983, this novel focuses on four famous siblings. Over the course of an epic party, the reader soon learns about their different life stages. A few examples include divorce, dating and a profuse amount of secrets. By the end of the party, their mansion will be up in flames — but not before the family’s secrets rise to the surface. This riveting novel is perfect for those who want to read something other than a summer romance!

“Hello (From Here)” by Chandler Baker and Wesley King

This young adult romance novel is set in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. It puts an emphasis on some of the issues the reader may have experienced while tying love into the mix. Max and Jonah have to learn to balance their typical teenage crush for each other on top of differences in class, privilege and mental health. For those looking for a more serious summer read, this is perfect for you. As a content warning, however, this novel does mention instances of depression and losing a loved one due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. 

“People We Meet on Vacation” by Emily Henry

This contemporary novel focuses on two best friends named Poppy and Alex. The story centers on them and their annual summer vacations spent together. This, of course, was before their break up. Trying to salvage their friendship, Poppy asks Alex to go on one last summer vacation. This cute romance novel is another perfect read to add to your list this summer!

Hopefully you can kick off your summer with some of these intriguing reads!