The 2026 Summer Reading Guide

aka my favorite guide of the year

I am SO ready for Summer. In the five years I’ve lived in Buffalo, I have to say I think this was the longest Winter. Our first snow was the second week of November and the last time I saw flakes was the beginning of April. It was a LONG, cold, gray Winter and I am simply a better person when the sun is shining and the air is warm.

I usually create a theme for my Summer Reading Guides and this year, all I want is to relax. The last three years have been a lot on me (more on why soon) and I’m so grateful for some time off over the Summer to soak up my favorite season.

First up for the guide, some new releases!

May Releases

The Summer of Second Chances by KL Walther—I love KL Walther’s books so much. This book returns to Martha’s Vineyard and is full of summery tropes I love so much!

Our Perfect Storm by Carley Fortune—I don’t need much to convince me to read a Carley Fortune book but in case you do, this is a friends to lovers romance set in Tofino. It’s moody, summery, and emotional!

Change of Plans by Sarah Dessen—Sarah Dessen returns with a coming of age novel set during the Summer! This time, at a family vacation home our main character Finley never knew existed and is now about to be sold.

Dolly All the Time by Annabel Monaghan—Annabel Monaghan’s book have become a staple of my Summer reading the last couple years. This one is set in Newport, which is one of my favorite places in the world!

Take Me With You by Steven Rowley—Another auto-buy author for me! The description of this book is totally intriguing and I think it will pull at readers’ heartstrings, as Rowley’s writing often does!

June Releases

The Open Era by Edward Schmitt— I’m a tennis fan and even bigger fan of a rivals to lovers sports romance.

Whistler by Ann Patchett—This may surprise some people (IYKYK when it comes to The Dutch House) but after Tom Lake, I’ve become an Ann Patchett fan!

The Missed Connection by Tia Williams—Tia Williams does layered, sexy love stories so well. This follows a casting director who meets the a mysterious man on a flight to Paris and goes to great lengths to find him after not exchanging contact info.

Tropesick by Lauren Okie—Any angsty, emotional second chance romance set in NYC and the Hamptons.

Cece Downing’s Start Over Summer by Soon Wiley—A woman in her early 30’s takes a job as a deckhand on an Oyster boat after losing her corporate job. It’s set in New London, Connecticut and I think will make me miss home! It has romance, summer vibes, and mid-life struggles.

June Releases

Play It Again by Georgia Clark—All my fellow theatre kids, this is the book you need to have on your Summer TBR! Four friends reunite as adults to save the theatre where they grew up. They must face their long-buried secrets, the chemistry they’ve been fighting for years, and have a chance to rewrite the endings of their own stories.

Summerland Cove by Ellen Barker—Family secrets and summer celebrations at a family’s beloved cottage on the beach in Maine! The cover screams Summer read.

Chase Me If You Can by Heather Frances—If you were made there was no kiss at the end of the movie Twisters, add this book about two storm chasers to your TBR!

In Every Possible Way by Alicia Thompson—Bring back creative set ups for rom coms! Main character Jess goes on a bad date with a Irish man, hits her head in the parking lot, and wakes up in Ireland. Color me intrigued!

The Summer Girlfriend by Kristina Forest—This cover? Perfection. Fake dating? An elite trope.

July Releases

The Romance Revival by Christina Lauren—Speaking of creative set ups for a Romances…the new C.Lo fits that bill entirely! I don’t think I can do the description justice, so click over to read the blurb!

In Stormy Weather by Chelsea Curto—More storm chasers, more rivals to lovers, this time during hurricane season in Florida! One thing about me, I LOVE a good storm moment in a book. The stakes!

Extra-Curricular by Rachel Lynn Solomon—I am SO excited for this book to release! It’s about a former child star who enrolls in college at 26 in order to find some normalcy and the professor whose buttons she loves to push.

Return to Sender by Stephanie Parente— Cara Bastone blurbed this book and as she is one of my favorite authors, I knew I needed to bookmark this book. It’s an opposites attract romance that explores grief, sisterhood and finding love when you least expect it.

Wild Goose Chase by Sarah Adler—Sarah Adler writes some of the most unique romances I’ve read in the last few years and this one, about an antique dealer and a contraband taxidermy goose and his colleague certainly fits the bill!

And now, some backlist favorites of mine! A friend of mine is an exclusive library reader and I always love when she shares her seasonal lists to request from the library. SO many good books release year after year, it’s a great reminder to not get distracted by only the new ones!

Books at the Beach

This Summer Will Be Different by Carley Fortune—Perfect for fans of Anne of Green Gables, this beachy now and then romance is set on Prince Edward Island.

The Paradise Problem by Christina Lauren—This is a juicy, sexy, billionaire romance set on a tropical island that features a marriage of convenience and can be read in one sitting!

Along Came Amor by Alexis Daria—The third book in the Primas of Power series that may be my favorite of all of them! A one night stand turns into a relationship of convenience turns into something more while at a family wedding in Puerto Rico.

32 Days in May by Betty Corrello—An angsty, emotional love story set on the Jersey Shore as Summer blossoms.

Alice Chen’s Reality Check by Kara Loo and Jennifer Young—A woman who doesn’t believe in true love finds herself on a competition reality show that pushes couples to their breaking point.

Books at the Lake

The Suite Spot by Trish Doller—A sweet, well paced romance on a small island in the lake off Ohio (you weren’t expecting that I bet). It’s a single parent romance and one I think about often!

The Romantic Agenda by Claire Kann—A fake dating romance blooms while on a friend trip to the lake, in order to make another jealous.

The God of the Woods by Liz Moore—For my mystery lovers, you must read Liz Moore. This is a multigenerational mystery set in the Adirondack mountains after a camper goes missing.

Second Chance Summer by Morgan Matson—An emotional YA second chance romance that also explores the anticipatory grief of losing a parent.

Maine Characters by Hannah Orenstein—Two women from different backgrounds discover they share a father after his death when he leaves them his precious family lake house.

My All Time Summer Favorites

Every Summer After by Carley Fortune—If you haven’t read this book yet, it’s the perfect time since the series comes out on Prime June 10! It’s one of my all time favorite books. It’s a dual timeline second chance romance that truly feels like Summer to me.

Seven Days in June by Tia Williams—An epic second chance romance between two writers as they reunite for one week in New York City.

28 Summers by Elin Hilderbrand—Summer isn’t Summer without an Elin Hilderbrand novel and this one, loosely based on Same Time, Next Year, is one of my favorites.

Happy Place by Emily Henry—Hot take, but my favorite Emily Henry cause of the friendships, the second chance romance, and the New England summer setting!

Meet Me at Midnight by Jessica Pennington—A fun, flirty YA, childhood enemies romance set at a family lake house!

My Summer TBR

Between backlist books I’ve been meaning to read, a few new releases, and some Kindle Unlimited picks, I want to really enjoy my Summer reading. This is my Summer of rest, my Summer of joy, and there will be no room for anything less than a four star read!

Our Perfect Summer by Carley Fortune—This is the first year I didn’t read Carley’s book early because we’re headed to the lake in June and I wanted to save it! I can’t wait.

Golden Girl by Elin Hilderbrand—I’ve read almost all of Elin’s novels but this one slipped through the cracks a few Summers ago. I’m excited to go to Nantucket!

Pleasant Bay by Emily Wakeman Cyr—A Kindle Unlimited pick that was recommended to me by someone who also loves Every Summer After.

Score by Kennedy Ryan—I’m a forever fan of Kennedy’s and I can’t wait for her latest! It just released this month.

Phoebe Berman’s Gonna Lose It by Brooke Averick—I feel like this is the It Girl book of the Summer?? Everyone’s reading it! And as a Phoebe, it does feel like I’m obligated to see what it’s all about.

And there you have it, the 2026 Summer Reading Guide! I have tons of Summer Reading content coming soon and I can’t wait to read together this season. I think it’s my favorite!

Let me know your favorite Summer reads from years past and the ones on your TBR for this year!

Until next time,

Phoebe