Summer Reading List
By Debasmita Bhattacharya
- 2025 Summer Issue
For me, reading in the summer is a special joy. I cannot think of anything better than lying on the grass, reading a book in the park (or, let’s be honest, at home with a fan pointed directly at you). It’s even better when you’re reading books that feel like summer, books that are fast paced, hot, bright and filled with charming characters and intriguing plots. So, I’ve scoured the net to find the perfect reads for this summer.
Flashlight, Susan Choi: A young girl’s father goes missing, she remembers nothing, and history and family weave together to create this gorgeous new mystery.
Bonjour, Tristesse, Francois Sagan: A teenager joins her father to summer in the French Riviera, explores new love and plots to end others’ love.
Spectacular Things, Beck Dorey-Stein: Two sisters, women’s soccer, and an exploration of sacrifice.
Great Big Beautiful Life, Emily Henry: Two authors are invited to an octogenarian former glitterati member’s island home for a month to fight for the chance to write her biography: drama & romance ensues.
Problematic Summer Romance, Ali Hazelwood: An imbalanced power dynamic + a Sicilian destination wedding = a summer fling, even if it is problematic.
One Golden Summer, Carley Fortune: A summer at the lake and a reunion with a childhood love. What’s the worst that could happen?
The God of the Woods, Liz Moore: A young girl goes missing at a summer camp and an influential family’s secrets unravel.
With a Vengeance, Riley Sager: A woman avenges her family by gathering those who have wronged them on a train journey, but will justice be served?
Bury our Bones in the Midnight Soil, VE Schwab: A vampire novel about three women separated by centuries but united by a thirst for power.
Katabasis, R F Kuang: Two students journey to Hell to save their professor’s soul.
No Sense in Wishing, Lawrence Burney: Essays on how a single song, album or film can change a person’s way of life.
Baldwin: A Love Story, Nicholas Boggs: An investigation into how James Baldwin’s relationships impacted his work.
Share your favourite reads with us to see them appear in the next issue!