Inspiration
10 of the best summer books for 2024 – as voted by you
Aug 1Hello summer! No matter if you’re adventuring abroad, driving to the coast or are simply unwinding outdoors with a glass of something chilled, having a brilliant book (and our trusty Book Journal) by your side is a must. If you’ve been here for a while, you’ll know that we’re big bookworms at Martha Brook and we were desperate to know what you, our community, recommend as the best summer books of 2024. The results are in…
10 of the best summer books for 2024
1. This summer will be different – Carley Fortune
We’re kicking this list off with the book that had the most suggestions by you! First up on the list of 10 of the best summer books for 2024 is This Summer Will Be Different by Carley Fortune. This beachy read centres around Lucy who holidays at a beach house on Prince Edward Island and meets the swoon-worthy local, Felix. Based over five summers, their chemistry is undeniable year after year, but for reasons out of their control they vow to stay away from each other. Or can they? This sizzling romance is one of the best summer books for 2024 and worth that worthy spot in your luggage!
2. Sweetness in the skin – Ishi Robinson
A sparkling debut novel, Sweetness In The Skin by Ishi Robinson is a beautifully told coming-of-age tale about Pumkin Patterson, a thirteen-year-old living in Kingston, Jamaica. Under one roof is the protaganist, her elusive mother, Paulette, who she rarely sees, her grandmother who wants better for her and her aunt Sophie who has big dreams for her and Pumkin to move to Paris.
When aunt Sophie gets the opportunity to work in France, she grabs it with both hands and promises to bring Pumkin to France in a year if she’s able to pass her French entrance exam. In need of the fee to pay for the exam, Pumkin turns her passion for baking into a business but it isn’t long until her school and her mum finds out what she’s been up to. A tender novel that will stay with you long after reading!
3. Funny Story – Emily Henry
No list of the best summer books is complete without an Emily Henry novel, right?! Plenty of you suggest Emily Henry point blank for our round-up of the best summer reads so let’s go with her most recent. Emily Henry does it again with her latest rom-com, Funny Story, where Daphne finds out her fiancé is head over heels for her childhood best friend, Petra.
With her life in tatters and no friends or family nearby, at least Daphne still has her dream job of being a children’s librarian despite barely making ends meet. To ease her situation, Daphne proposes to be roommates with the only person who can understand her pain, Petra’s ex, and together they craft a master plan. Will living her ex-fiancé’s new fiancée’s ex-fiancé get the revenge they both seek or be the start of a new chapter Daphne deserves?
4. Abroad in Japan – Chris Broad
The only non-fiction on this round-up, Abroad In Japan came in highly recommended by you, our community, as one of your favourite summer books for 2024! Chris Broad penned Abroad In Japan following the success of his YouTube channel of the same name. The Englishman details the chaos and culture clash that comes with living in a foreign country for a decade as well as interesting and hilarious stories that he has experienced along the way.
No matter where you’ll be absorbing this book this summer, this memoir will take the reader on one extraordinary and enlightening journey through all 47 prefectures of the Land of the Rising Sun.
5. The Burnout – Sophie Kinsella
If you’re looking for one of the best summer books to enjoy, Sophie Kinsella’s The Burnout does not disappoint and has been enjoyed by plenty of you recently. Sasha is burned out, over-worked and hits a wall, quite literally, after a melt-down after a rough day in the office. Taking some time off to rest, recuperate and recover, Sasha heads down to the beach where she used to holiday as a child for a spot of solitude.
The formerly grand hotel is now a run-down and dilapidated establishment with hilariously bad staff to match. Sasha escapes to the beach where the other only person frequenting it is the grumpy and miserable Finn. When curious messages start to appear on the beach, they’re forced to talk to one another, where they start to understand how each of them got there in the first place.
6. The Holiday Escape – Heidi Swan
One of the best summer books of 2024 as voted for by you is The Holiday Escape by Heidi Swan. Ally and her dad, Geoff, run a creative and dreamy retreat from their idyllic home, Hollyhock Cottage in Kittiwake Cove. Their family business is thriving and before the busy season begins, Ally recharges her batteries by taking a trip abroad.
She dreams of a glamorous and bustling city life and meets the dreamy Logan whilst away. Returning from her trip bright and bushy-tailed, Ally is set for a successful season ahead, that is until she discovers Logan is a guest on the retreat. She’s escaping the country, he’s escaping the city. What happens when their worlds collide?
7. Wild Love – Elsie Silver
One of you commented ‘everything Elsie Silver’ as your best summer books and Wild Love is a sizzling scorcher of a read to indulge in this summer. Meet Ford Grant, the World’s Hottest Billionaire according to Forbes Magazine. Wanting to escape the humdrum of his successful life, Grant’s dream is to open up a recording studio in the small town of Rose Hill.
His dream is quickly shattered when a 12-year-old claims to be his biological daughter and his days are filled with navigating his business, and parenting too. After spending some time in the city, his best friend’s little sister Rosie, who he has spent years resisting, returns to the town. Ford knows it’s a line he can’t cross, but can’t and shouldn’t are two very, very different things…
8. The Spare Room – Laura Starkey
There’s nothing better than a slow-burning, addictive rom-com for a holiday read and The Spare Room gives us exactly that. Rosie finds herself unexpectedly single and needing to make ends meet to make her rent. In a desperate bid to keep her home, she turns to Aled, her elusive upstairs neighbour, who is in need of a place to stay whilst his flat is being renovated.
Living in such close proximity didn’t seem to be an issue, with Rosie swearing off men for the rest of her life, but could being around Aled day and night give her a change of heart?
9. Seven Summers – Paige Toon
We’ve seen Seven Summers by Paige Toon doing the rounds on book-tok and were not surprised to see it voted for as one of the best summer books of 2024! Based on the coastline of Cornwall, Liv and Finn have worked together in a bar for six years. After a night of passion ends in tragedy, Liv and Finn are forever connected in complex ways.
Liv chooses to stay in her hometown in Cornwall whilst Finn chases his LA dream with his band, but both promise to spend each summer together if they are single. This summer a new arrival, Tom, causes sparks to fly as Liv and Tom fall for each other and now Liv must make an impossible choice…
10. Sandwich – Catherine Newman
And last on our list of the best summer books of 2024 as voted by you is Sandwich by Catherine Newman. Set in the idyllic Cape Cod, Rocky and her family have been holidaying at the same spot for the last 20 years and she always looks forward to the memories, the nostalgia and the magical chaos the yearly escape brings. Going through the menopause and juggling her grown-up children, Rocky ends up reliving some of the sorrowful summers past and is forced to confront some deep-buried secrets she can no longer hide…
We hope you’ve enjoyed this round-up of the best summer books of 2024 as voted by you! Do let us know in the comments if there are any must-reads for this summer you would recommend!
P.S. Like reading? You’ll love our Personalised Book Journal, designed to inspire readers of all ages!
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