This beloved classic, Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson, has everything you could possibly want from a book, so we had to include it in our list of best summer reads. For a novel that is almost 150 years old, it holds its own against new releases, promising pages filled with action and intrigue on the seven seas. We follow the protagonist Jim as he is swept up by pirates in a hunt for buried treasure, captained by the notorious Long John Silver. Perfect for summer days when you’re looking to get lost in a new adventure.

We simply couldn’t write this list of best summer reads without including this quintessential classic, Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. Set against the backdrop of the rolling English countryside, Jane Austen’s literary masterpiece is a tale of love, misunderstanding, and social expectations. There’s a reason why this is one of the most popular books in the English language – Elizabeth Bennet and Mr Darcy’s love story is one that we will gladly pick up time and time again.

F. Scott Fitzgerald’s most well-known masterpiece, The Great Gatsby, transports you back to the jazz age of 1920s Long Island, a tale of obsession and unrequited love. Through the eyes Nick Carraway, we’re welcomed into the world of Jay Gatsby, a mysterious man who is hopelessly in love with an idea that may never become reality. This is the book you settle down with during golden hour in the garden that picks you up and drops you into another age, and it’s a story we will happily immerse ourselves in time and time again. 

This one is for all of you mystery lovers out there – in our opinion, Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier is a truly underrated classic. Set against the fictional stately home Manderley, situated on the Cornish coast, the setting of the book has everything it needs to make it feel like the perfect summer read – but hidden behind the façade are secrets waiting to be unravelled. The unnamed narrator untangles the web of mystery surrounding her new husband and his first wife, and the plot twist gets us every single time! A story that would be perfect to escape to on a long summer’s afternoon. 

One Day by David Nicholls recently took the world by storm in its recent adaptation for Netflix, following its earlier movie adaptation starring Anne Hathaway. If you think they tugged at the heartstrings, the novel will just about break you. You will fall completely head over heels with the main characters Emma and Dexter, as they make a promise to reconnect each year on St. Swithin’s Day, the fifteenth of July. It’s beautiful, utterly devastating, and one of our favourite modern love stories to pick up when we need to laugh and cry.

This list would simply not be complete without including the queen of summer love stories, Emily Henry herself (we just couldn’t help ourselves – there’s another one of her brilliant novels further down this list, too). Out of all of Emily Henry’s books, picking just one of her back catalogue was hard, but Beach Read lends itself as the perfect summer book, and not just by name. January and Gus’s love story is so endearing, you can’t help but keep turning the pages. If you haven’t let yourself fall into an Emily Henry story yet, do it! You won’t regret it.

Set on a private island, We Were Liars by E. Lockhart has the perfect backdrop for a quintessential summer novel, right? Add in a not-so-perfect family shrouded in mystery and tragedy, it’s a story that will grip you, and you will not see that twist coming (if you’ve read this one before, you’ll know exactly what we mean!). This book is perfect for you if you life your summer reading with less perfect, romantic beach settings and more dark, intriguing secrets waiting to come out of the shadows.

She’s beloved the world over thanks to her iconic depiction on the big screen by Renee Zellweger, but the original Bridget Jones’ Diary is a brilliant book that we are always recommending to people. It is light-hearted and so witty, written exactly like you are reading Bridget’s diary entries. We speed through it each time because it is just so easy to become invested in her story and her way with words. A great casual read for when you want a fun, romantic story this summer.

It’s summer, so why not escape to Paris? This getaway involves no eurostar or trip to the airport, simply getting lost in the pages of a good book: The Little Paris Bookshop by Nina George. Jean Perdu owns a floating bookshop on the Seine (sorry, this character really is living our dream) but can’t shake the call of his past. This charming book makes a wonderful lighthearted summer read. If you’re off to France anytime soon, or just want to feel like you are, this book is a great one to add to your summer TBR.

Historical fiction and romance all tangled up into one, Captain Corelli’s Mandolin is a novel we become more obsessed with on each reread, so we had to include it in this list! As you watch the characters Pelagia and Corelli fall in love with each other, you fall in love with them. Situated on the Greek island of Cephalonia during World War Two, the idyllic yet tragic setting of their love story is heart-wrenchingly beautiful. We recommend adding to your bookshelf (if its mention in the iconic film Notting Hill didn’t make you read it already!).

Where The Crawdads Sing is one of those novels that changes you forever once you have read it – and there is nothing like the first time you read the ending of this book! This coming-of-age novel is set in the 50s and 60s in North Carolina, and follows Kya, the solitary protagonist, as she is put on trial for murder. If you’re in a reading slump and are ready to be blown away by beautiful prose and an amazing story, we recommend you pick this one up next!

It would be a crime not to feature at least one book by our other queen of perfect summer fiction, Taylor Jenkins Reid (and we couldn’t pick so we’ve included two!). We picked Malibu Rising as we agreed it definitely feels the most ‘summery’ out of all of TJR’s books – but we’d recommend all of them in a heartbeat! Set in California in the 80s, Malibu Rising takes place over the course of one day and follows four famous siblings, their family history – and drama. It is super fast paced but still managed to be emotional and entertaining at the same time, so if that sounds like your kind of book, this is one to add to your TBR!

When it comes to idyllic summer settings, no book does it better than Call Me By Your Name by Andre Aciman. This story left us wishing we could escape to Italy for a summer and while away the days in a countryside villa with as many books as we could get our hands on. The story of Elio and Oliver is a familiar story of first love and the heartache that comes with it, and the prose is just beautiful. The perfect read to enjoy on a slow summer day.

One for the young adult fiction lovers, the hopeless romantics, and the Taylor Swift fans (if you know, you know). The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han is the story of 16 year old Belly and her yearly beach holidays with her family, and the family of her Mum’s best friend – including her two teenage sons, Conrad and Jeremiah. There’s of course a love triangle, teenage heartache and a whole lot of nostalgia. Once you’ve finished the book, don’t forget to watch the new series, too!

You were BIG fans of this new Taylor Jenkins Reid release, Atmosphere, when we asked you over on Instagram, and we can see why. Reid’s writing is completely addictive, and this novel is no different. This time we’re taken back to eighties, and the world of NASA’s shuttle program. Not only are we completely immersed in this completely foreign world (that is, unless you’re familiar with rocket science) but we’re also plunged into a story of emotion and identity. One of those books you just can’t put down!

The setting for The Wedding People by Alison Espach could not be more perfect for a summer read: a beach hotel in Rhode Island. Have you ever been to a wedding where the only people you know are the bride and groom, and you slowly start to find out more about everyone around you as the day goes on? This novel is like that but in a book, and with more secrets and intrigue than you can shake a stick at. You’ll find out more about these characters than you ever would in one day at a real wedding. It’s a great new read to get stuck into!

The second Emily Henry story we promised you on this list, but we couldn’t miss out her newest release, Great Big Beautiful Life, which we are completely obsessed with. It’s the Emily Henry romance we all know and love, intertwined with the story of Margaret Ives, former media superstar. Her story is slowly unravelled throughout the book as the slow burn between not-quite-enemies to lovers Alice and Hayden kindles, too. This time taking place on a tiny island off the coast of Georgia, it’s the summery setting and sensational story that we have come to adore from Emily Henry.

The Treasures is the newest release from The Times Top 10 bestselling author Harriet Evans, and it could not be more perfect for this list! The first book in the Sevenstones trilogy, we are eagerly awaiting the release of the next book to find our what happens next. We recently had the pleasure of interviewing Harriet all about her new book and her writing process after getting our hands on an early copy of The Treasures and not being able to put it down – you can take a read here!

If you have read any of Elif Shafak’s pervious novels, you will know what an amazing knack for beautiful storytelling she has, and There Are Rivers In The Sky is even more of that beautiful prose. It explores the connection of four different characters across countries, continents and centuries all through water. It’s historical, heartfelt, and completely addictive, and one to get completely immersed in this summer, especially if you’re considering spending any time near a river, lake, or the sea.

A story of friendship, art, and love that is perfect for summer, My Friends by Fredrik Backman has been eagerly anticipated for a reason. It is Backman’s writing style we have all come to know and love, and follows the story of a group of friends escaping their turbulent home lives by meeting every day on the pier over summer. One to add to your reading list if you’re looking for a story that will suck you in and make you feel all of the emotions, from heartbreak to happiness.