Even though we are well into summer now, I wanted to make a list of some of my favorite YA summer reads from over the years. Some of these I only just recently read, but instantly fell in love with. These all give me major summer vibes with summer camps, or beach towns, or even dreadful summer jobs. In no particular order, these are my top 10 YA summer reads.
1. Sleepaway Girls (Whispering Pines #1) by Jen Calonita
I’ve been a long time fan of this book. It takes place at a summer camp full of swoony boys, late-night pranks, and cute little kids that make you just want to squish their cheeks. This is a fun, summer read for those who are fans of Jenn Bennett and Kasie West.
2. Alex, Approximately by Jenn Bennett
This lovely Jenn Bennett book takes place in a beach town in California. It’s based off of ‘You Have Mail’ and so cute and adorable. If you’ve been in the contemporary romance book community long enough, you’ve probably heard about and/or read this book, but there’s nothing like reading it out in the summer sun.
3. Love, Life, and the List (Love, Life, and the List #1) by Kasie West
Okay. Let’s be honest. Pretty much any Kasie West book is a perfect summer read. This one, in particular, takes place over the summer as one girl tries to accomplish all the things she never did before with her best friend and long time crush. If you’re looking for a best-friends-to-lovers trope, this is it.
4. Say Yes Summer by Lindsey Roth Culli
This is a great book about a girl who decides to spice up her life and summer by saying yes to everything. Things get a little crazy and out-of-hand, but that’s what summer is all about, right? Plus, this book just came out this year so it’s ready for some love.
5. The Summer I Turned Pretty (Summer #1) by Jenny Han
If you’re a fan of TO ALL THE BOYS I’VE LOVED BEFORE, then you’re bound to like this other series by Jenny Han. It focuses on a girl who returns to the place she spends summer every year only to find that the boys who used to never even glance at her, the brothers of long-time family friends, are all of a sudden interested in getting to know her.
6. Since You’ve Been Gone by Morgan Matson
I haven’t read this one yet, but I’ve heard so many good things about so I knew it had to go on the list. It’s about one girl who follows a bucket list of sorts, her best friend leaves behind that takes her on one crazy summer adventure.
7. Stay Sweet by Siobhan Vivian
For all you lovely people that appreciate a summer job story, this one is for you. Our main girl gets put in charge of a wonderful ice cream shop, but when the owner dies, she must then work with the owner’s insufferable grandnephew to keep things going.
8. Meet me at Midnight by Jessica Pennington
This is another new release of this year. It focuses on two teens who have always enjoyed the summer pranking each other but must team up for their last summer to prank a new target. Except, this is a YA romance novel so it can never really be ‘just pranks.’
9. Love & Gelato (Love & Gelato #1) by Jenna Evans Welch
This book is for all of you wanting to travel to Italy for the summer. We get to follow our main character through her summer of self-discovery, love, and family secrets. It’s a must-read for those in the mood for a dramatic rom-com.
10. Hot Dog Girl by Jennifer Dugan
Now, I know you’re thinking this is a strange title (and you would be right), but it’s a wonderful summer read so I couldn’t deny it. This story revolves around a girl who is working at an amusement park for the last summer before starting her new life. She has a bunch of goals for that summer and none of them seem to be working out, especially when all the employees of the park must work together to save it. This is a funny and odd story that’s a must for this summer.
And that about wraps up the list for perfect summer reads. I know there are so many more books out there that are summertime favorites so comment your recommendations down below. Thanks so much for reading it and you can check out more book lists in the ‘Other’ category.
Great list! I see a few books that I definitely want to try reading. And I am delighted to see Since You’ve Been Gone on the list, that book was AMAZING.
Thank you! I didn’t realize how many wonderful summer books there were out there until I started compiling this list
I’m probably going to sound like a dumbass for asking this, but does “YA” stand for something?
Not at all! It means Young Adult. Basically any book that’s in the ‘teen’ section is usually categorized as ‘teen’ or ‘YA’
These books sound like the fun, light reading that we all enjoy by the pool or kicking back in the hammock in the summer. So perfect! I am definitely going to check some of them out.
Yes! That’s the vibe I was going for. Thanks for checking it out!
Great suggestions! I’m always looking for new ya romances and I haven’t read any of these so I’ll definitely be adding some to my tbr!!
Thank you! They’re all really good so you can’t go wrong reading any of them
What great book ideas! I am going on holiday for a little week away in a caravan so I doubt I will be going many places. Thank you for your recommendations, I need to look at getting some of these books!
Em | http://www.loveemblog.com
There are some really good ones on this list!
I really love reading YA content even though I’m definitely not a young adult anymore… was just looking for new books to read so thank you for these recommendations! 😊
🌿 Marissa Belle × marsybun.com 🌿
Yeah. I haven’t been the intended audience for YA books for a few years now, but I still really enjoy reading them!
This list is so good! Lots of different stories! I’ve recently found my mojo for reading again so thank you for sharing this list!
Finding one’s reading mojo is such a good feeling. Thanks for checking out my post!
Some fantastic choices here – I’m really interested in The Summer I Turned Pretty (LOVED To All The Boys…), Since You’ve Been Gone (I own this one but haven’t read it) and I’ve heard great things about Love & Gelato. But I’d never heard of Hot Dog Girl before and that sounds 100% like something I have to read so thanks for recommending that!
For my recommendations, I’d go with We Were Liars by E. Lockhart. I haven’t read it yet but apparently it’s a twisty YA mystery set in the summer! 🙂
I read WE WERE LIARS like when it first came out and did not like it, but everyone else seems to love it so I’m wondering if I should read it again. Of course, now that I know the ending, it might take away some of the fun lol
Thanks for these suggestions! I’m always looking for new YA reads 🙂
No problem! Thanks for reading!