The Ultimate Summer 2023 Reading List: The Best Books to Read Right Now
Ava Bailey For those who love snuggling up with a good book, reading is the pinnacle of relaxation.
Whether you plan to read this summer while lounging in a hammock, sitting on a sandy shore, or staying indoors next to a window basking in the sunlight with the added comfort of your air conditioner, you'll still need one thing: the perfect summer read. Actually, you'll likely need several books to read this summer.
One such read is The Snow Girl from international best-selling author Javier Castillo. It's not only a page-turner but it has also been adapted into a popular series on Netflix.
"The Snow Girl"
Amazon"The Snow Girl"
"The Snow Girl makes for a great summer read because it offers an exciting escape from everyday life," the author Castillo told ET. "The book revolves around the disappearance of Kiera Templeton, a 3-year-old girl, during the Thanksgiving parade in New York City in 1998. Five years later, after the parents have lost all hope, they receive a VHS tape of the girl playing in an unknown room."
$17 $14
ET spoke with novelist Castillo about his book's transposition to the screen. "Hearing that Netflix wanted to pick up my book was an incredible and surreal experience," Castillo shared. "As a writer, you always dream of your work reaching a wide audience, so to have such a powerful platform like Netflix show interest in adapting my story into a series was a true honor. It felt like an opportunity to show the stories I write to a global audience, and a testament to the captivating nature of The Snow Girl."
Along with The Snow Girl, we've rounded up 16 more summer reads you'll want to add to your booklist this year. From steamy romances to light-hearted stories to thrillers that will have you on the edge of your seat and everything in between, we've found books for every type of reader this summer.
"Happy Place" by Emily Henry
Amazon"Happy Place" by Emily Henry
Happy Place by Emily Henry follows the story of a happy couple, Harriet and Wyn, who break up for a reason they won't discuss. Things get complicated when they must pretend to be together during a summer vacation.
$27 $16
Amazon
Shop Now$12
Apple
Shop Now"The Covenant of Water" by Abraham Verghese
Amazon"The Covenant of Water" by Abraham Verghese
Taking place in South India in the 1900s, this book follows three generations of a family who have gone through their share of grief. The book made Oprah's Book Club and Winfrey raved about it, saying, "One of the best books I’ve read in my entire life. It’s epic. It’s transportive . . . It was unputdownable!”
$32 $17
Amazon
Shop Now$17
Apple
Shop NowQueen Charlotte
AmazonQueen Charlotte
Before it was a Netflix show, Bridgerton was a successful book series. With the release of the prequel, Queen Charlotte, on the streaming service they've also released a novel for those who prefer to read the book first.
$30 $18
The Ferryman: A Novel
AmazonThe Ferryman: A Novel
Prospera is an island paradise safe from the outside world. When residents are ready to retire from this utopia, they take a ferry ride to the Nursery where they become reborn. When the man who drives the ferry sees his own father fighting to stay in Prospera only to be forced on to the ferry, leaving his son with a cryptic message, the ferryman has to uncover the truth.
$30 $17
Things I Wish I Told My Mother
AmazonThings I Wish I Told My Mother
Centered around a daughter taking her mom on a dream vacation, this book celebrates the relationship between a mother and daughter. Since James Patterson helped write this book, you'll also enjoy some unexpected twist and turns.
$27 $13
Meet Me at the Lake
AmazonMeet Me at the Lake
Carley Fortune's best-selling romance novel Meet Me at the Lake, which Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are adapting for Netflix. In the book, Fern's life was once full of potential, but now she's back home running her mom's lakeside resort, which she never wanted to do. Her life is turned upside down when a man from her past shows up offering to help.
$28 $17
The Wedding Planner
AmazonThe Wedding Planner
A steamy romance novel by best-seller Danielle Steel won't disappoint. In The Wedding Planner, Faith, who plans the most lavish weddings, doesn't have time for a love life, but things take a turn when she meets a groom's brother.
$20 $16
The 23rd Midnight
AmazonThe 23rd Midnight
James Patterson is always a solid choice if you're on the hunt for a thriller or murder mystery. His latest novel, The 23rd Midnight, is part of The Women's Murder Club series, but the book stands alone if you haven't had a chance to read the previous novels.
$30 $17
Taylor Jenkins Reid Boxed Set
AmazonTaylor Jenkins Reid Boxed Set
Fans of Daisy Jones & The Six, the book or Amazon Prime Video series, will want to pre-order this boxed set with four more of the author's incredible novels was released to shelves on June 13. Full of emotions, struggles and complex situations, the curated box will keep you entertained all summer.
$71 $63
Practice Makes Perfect: A Novel
AmazonPractice Makes Perfect: A Novel
Annie has a happy life working at the floral shop in a small town of Kentucky, but her dating life is limited and the few dates she does have are anything but exciting. When a security guard comes to town for a wedding, she enlists his help to spice up her romantic life.
$17 $13
Simply Lies: A Psychological Thriller
AmazonSimply Lies: A Psychological Thriller
A single mom — and former detective — is asked by a friend to go check out a home. Nothing is as it seems when she arrives, especially when she stumbles across a dead body, making her the main murder suspect.
$30 $16
Yours Truly
AmazonYours Truly
A lot is going on in Dr. Briana Ortiz's life: Her brother needs a kidney, she's finalizing her divorce and there's a new doctor at her work she can't stand. But when the new doctor offers her brother a kidney, Briana realizes she might have judged the suave doctor too soon.
$17 $12
Swamp Story: A Novel
AmazonSwamp Story: A Novel
Jesse lives in the Everglades with her infant and ex-boyfriend in a tiny cabin. One day she stumbles upon a treasure that she knows she can use to change her life for the better. The only problem is that a group of dangerous men are also looking for the treasure.
$28 $25
The Secret Book of Flora Lea
AmazonThe Secret Book of Flora Lea
Sisters Hazel and Flora are sent to a rural town to escape war-torn London in 1939 only for Flora to disappear without a trace after arrival. Twenty years later, Hazel is working in a book store when she unwraps a book titled Whisperwood and the River of Stars, a place Hazel created for Flora that she shared with no one besides her missing sister.
$29 $15
For Butter or Worse: A Rom Com
AmazonFor Butter or Worse: A Rom Com
Chef Nina Lyon understands that being a woman in the culinary industry has its challenges. She is delighted to host a new competition show, until she learns she will be co-hosting with a smarmy jerk. But is it possible there's more to him than she thinks?
$16 $12
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