Ten Books On My Summer Wishlist

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Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by The Broke & The Bookish in which we can spotlight our favourite books according to the topic of the week. If you want a full list of upcoming topics, check out this page.

This week's topic is books we want to read this summer. Summer is the season for cute contemporary novels and since I haven't actually read a whole bunch, I decided to feature books that I want to read this summer, rather than focus on recommendations. I'm not particularly far into my contemporary challenge of the year so hopefully writing this list will inspire me to stock up on novels to enjoy in the sun.

1. THE SUMMER I TURNED PRETTY BY JENNY HAN

Belly measures her life in summers. Everything good, everything magical happens between the months of June and August. Winters are simply a time to count the weeks until the next summer, a place away from the beach house, away from Susannah, and most importantly, away from Jeremiah and Conrad.

They are the boys that Belly has known since her very first summer - they have been her brother figures, her crushes, and everything in between. But one summer, one terrible and wonderful summer, the more everything changes, the more it all ends up just the way it should have been all along.

ADD TO GOODREADS.

I've heard absolutely amazing things about Jenny Han and her Summer trilogy, and since this book was published way back in 2009, there's absolutely no excuse for me to have not read it yet. I can't wait to get my hands on a copy... with a 4.0 average over 74.5k ratings, the author's definitely done something right.

2. TWENTY BOY SUMMER BY SARAH OCKLER

According to Anna’s best friend, Frankie, twenty days in Zanzibar Bay is the perfect opportunity to have a summer fling, and if they meet one boy every day, there’s a pretty good chance Anna will find her first summer romance.

Anna lightheartedly agrees to the game, but there’s something she hasn’t told Frankie - she’s already had her romance, and it was with Frankie’s older brother, Matt, just before his tragic death one year ago.

ADD TO GOODREADS.

Sarah Ockler is another author whom I've heard nothing but good things about and this novel is the one that catches my eye when I browse through her books. Twenty Boy Summer sounds like an easy read that's laced with a little tragedy to really make you sympathize with the main character and at less than 300 pages, it's definitely going to be a quick read.

3. TWO-WAY STREET BY LAUREN BARNHOLDT

This is Jordan and Courtney, totally in love. Sure, they were an unlikely high school couple. But they clicked; it worked. They're even going to the same college, and driving cross-country together for orientation.

Then Jordan dumps Courtney - for a girl he met on the Internet.

It's too late to change plans, so the road trip is on. Courtney's heartbroken, but figures she can tough it out for a few days. La la la - this is Courtney pretending not to care.

But in a strange twist, Jordan cares. A lot.

Turns out, he's got a secret or two that he's not telling Courtney. And it has everything to do with why they broke up, why they can't get back together, and how, in spite of it all, this couple is destined for each other.

ADD TO GOODREADS.

I remember this book being released in the summer of 2013 and for weeks all I seemed to come across was stellar reviews of this book. I absolutely love roadtrip romance books, but this one sounds a little more tragic than the others I've read which may make or break this book for me.

4. TO ALL THE BOYS I'VE LOVED BEFORE BY JENNY HAN

Lara Jean keeps her love letters in a hatbox her mother gave her.

They aren't love letters that anyone else wrote for her, these are ones she's written. One for every boy she's ever loved - five in all. When she writes, she can pour out her heart and soul and say all the things she would never say in real life, because her letters are for her eyes only.

Until the day her secret letters are mailed, and suddenly Lara Jean's love life goes from imaginary to out of control.

ADD TO GOODREADS.

Yes, author Jenny Han made it onto this list twice but only because I've heard absolutely nothing but good things about this particular novel. Despite it being over a year old now, there are still fantastic reviews being posted everywhere I go. This novel sounds like a funny, cute read and I can't wait to see what all the fuss is about.

5. LOLA & THE BOY NEXT DOOR BY STEPHANIE PERKINS

Budding designer Lola Nolan doesn't believe in fashion... she believes in costume. The more expressive the outfit – the more sparkly, more wild – the better. And life is pretty close to perfect for Lola, especially with her hot rocker boyfriend.

That is, until the Bell twins, Calliope and Cricket return to the neighbourhood and unearth a past of hurt that Lola thought was long buried. So when talented inventor Cricket steps out from his twin sister's shadow and back into Lola's life, she must finally face up to a lifetime of feelings for the boy next door. Could the boy from Lola's past be the love of her future?

ADD TO GOODREADS.

I recently read Anna & The French Kiss for the first time and despite not loving it as much as I expected, I've been urged to carry on reading the companion novels. Apparently they get so much better, so I'm not going to shy away from this one. Plus, the covers are gorgeous and will look wonderful on my shelf.

6. SUCH A RUSH BY JENNIFER ECHOLS

Heaven Beach, South Carolina, is anything but, if you live at the low-rent end of town. All her life, Leah Jones has been the grown-up in her family, while her mother moves from boyfriend to boyfriend, letting any available money slip out of her hands. At school, they may diss Leah as trash, but she’s the one who negotiates with the landlord when the rent’s not paid. At fourteen, she’s the one who gets a job at the nearby airstrip.

But there’s one way Leah can escape reality. Saving every penny she can, she begs quiet Mr. Hall, who runs an aerial banner-advertising business at the airstrip and also offers flight lessons, to take her up just once. Leaving the trailer park far beneath her and swooping out over the sea is a rush greater than anything she’s ever experienced, and when Mr. Hall offers to give her cut-rate flight lessons, she feels ready to touch the sky.

By the time she’s a high school senior, Leah has become a good enough pilot that Mr. Hall offers her a job flying a banner plane. It seems like a dream come true... but turns out to be just as fleeting as any dream. Mr. Hall dies suddenly, leaving everything he owned in the hands of his teenage sons: golden boy Alec and adrenaline junkie Grayson. And they’re determined to keep the banner planes flying.

Though Leah has crushed on Grayson for years, she’s leery of getting involved in what now seems like a doomed business - until Grayson betrays her by digging up her most damning secret. Holding it over her head, he forces her to fly for secret reasons of his own, reasons involving Alec. Now Leah finds herself drawn into a battle between brothers - and the consequences could be deadly.

ADD TO GOODREADS.

I'd just started my blog when this book was released in the summer of 2012 and despite seeing all the hype surrounding it, I never actually grabbed a copy for myself... and I don't know why. This sounds like my kind of read and I can't wait to finally read it.

7. THE SUMMER I BECAME A NERD BY LEAH RAE MILLER

On the outside, seventeen-year-old Madelyne Summers looks like your typical blond cheerleader—perky, popular, and dating the star quarterback. But inside, Maddie spends more time agonizing over what will happen in the next issue of her favorite comic book than planning pep rallies with her squad. That she’s a nerd hiding in a popular girl's body isn’t just unknown, it's anti-known. And she needs to keep it that way.

Summer is the only time Maddie lets her real self out to play, but when she slips up and the adorkable guy behind the local comic shop’s counter uncovers her secret, she’s busted. Before she can shake a pom-pom, Maddie’s whisked into Logan’s world of comic conventions, live-action role-playing, and first-person-shooter video games. And she loves it. But the more she denies who she really is, the deeper her lies become... and the more she risks losing Logan forever.

ADD TO GOODREADS.

I was actually browsing Goodreads Listopia lists looking for summer reads when I came across this novel and I can't believe I haven't heard of it before. It was the title rather than the cover that grabbed my attention initially, but when I read the synopsis I knew I had to have it. Rocking it at only 250 pages, this sounds like a really fun, cute contemporary that I'm going to adore.

8. MY LIFE NEXT DOOR BY HUNTLEY FITZPATRICK

The Garretts are everything the Reeds are not. Loud, messy, affectionate. And every day from her rooftop perch, Samantha Reed wishes she was one of them... until one summer evening, Jase Garrett climbs up next to her and changes everything.

As the two fall fiercely for each other, stumbling through the awkwardness and awesomeness of first love, Jase's family embraces Samantha - even as she keeps him a secret from her own. Then something unthinkable happens, and the bottom drops out of Samantha's world. She's suddenly faced with an impossible decision. Which perfect family will save her? Or is it time she saved herself?

ADD TO GOODREADS.

This is another one of those 2012 summer releases that generated so much buzz and yet I didn't pick up a copy. I regret it every single time I see it on a blog so I've decided that I'm going to finally read it this year. It definitely sounds like a cute spin on Romeo & Juliet in a couple of ways and I can't wait to give it a shot.

9. SINCE YOU'VE BEEN GONE BY MORGAN MATSON

It was Sloane who yanked Emily out of her shell and made life 100% interesting. But right before what should have been the most epic summer, Sloane just... disappears. All she leaves behind is a to-do list.

On it, thirteen Sloane-inspired tasks that Emily would normally never try. But what if they could bring her best friend back?

Apple picking at night? Okay, easy enough. Dance until dawn? Sure. Why not? Kiss a stranger? Um...

Emily now has this unexpected summer, and the help of Frank Porter (totally unexpected), to check things off Sloane's list. Who knows what she’ll find?

Go skinny-dipping? Wait...what?

ADD TO GOODREADS.

Having absolutely loved Amy & Roger's Epic Detour, as well as Second Chance Summer, I'm willing to try anything written by this author. I'm excited to see what the list consists of - I can image this being a pretty humorous novel and Matson's writing has always managed to grab me and not let me go.

10. MEANT TO BE BY LAUREN MORRILL

It's one thing to fall head over heels into a puddle of hazelnut coffee, and quite another to fall for the - gasp - wrong guy. Straight-A junior Julia may be accident prone, but she's queen of following rules and being prepared. That's why she keeps a pencil sharpener in her purse and a pocket Shakespeare in her, well, pocket. And that's also why she's chosen Mark Bixford, her childhood crush, as her MTB ("meant to be").

But this spring break, Julia's rules are about to get defenestrated (SAT word: to be thrown from a window) when she's partnered with her personal nemesis, class-clown Jason, on a school trip to London. After one wild party, Julia starts receiving romantic texts... from an unknown number! Jason promises to help discover the identity of her mysterious new suitor if she agrees to break a few rules along the way. And thus begins a wild goose chase through London, leading Julia closer and closer to the biggest surprise of all: true love.

Because sometimes the things you least expect are the most meant to be

ADD TO GOODREADS.

I will admit that the only reason I checked this book out is because of the cover. After reading the synopsis, however, I have to say that it definitely sounds like something I would enjoy. Cute, romantic, and a whole lot of fun, I can imagine that it will be a quick 300 page read.

So what books made it onto your list this week? Leave me the link to your post/video and I'll be sure to check it out. For now, happy reading!