My guide to summer reading
With free downloadable list of 65 book recommendations
I can’t quite believe I’m writing this…
Last week I handed in the first draft of my seventh novel!
Writing this one has been quite a journey. I really struggled with self-doubt and at several points thought I wouldn’t be able to finish it. But I have!
At least, I have finished the first stage in the process. The reality is, it will be a long time until it is truly ‘finished’. But it still feels like a big milestone.
I’m now enjoying a few weeks off while I wait for feedback from my editors. I’m spending the time hanging out with my family, swimming, and, of course, reading.
As the weather warms up here in Somerset, England, and we enjoy long, sun-soaked days, I’m craving summer reads to get lost in.
If you’ve read my latest novel, This Book Made Me Think of You, you’ll be familiar with the ‘Book Lane Recommends’ reading lists that are dotted throughout the book.
I had such fun compiling these themed reading lists that I thought I would do the same for my own summer reading recommendations.
Keep scrolling for my list of 65 summer reading recommendations. I have also attached the list as a free downloadable PDF so you can print it out and make your own summer reading list.
You can also shop the full list of my favourite summer reads here.
And if you have read This Book Made Me Think of You and enjoyed the reading recommendations, you can find a full list of all the books I mention in the novel here.
Some more news…
I was so happy to learn that This Book Made Me Think of You was chosen by Amazon editors as one of the top romance reads of 2026 so far. Thank you so much to everyone who has read and supported this book - it means so much.
This month, This Book Made Me Think of You was published in France (as La Librarie de Primrose Hill). The book is now set to be published in well over 20 languages, which blows my mind!
I have one final in-person event coming up this year. Next month I will speaking at the Love Stories Etc Festival in Manchester, alongside a whole host of romance authors. I hope to see some of you there!
Libby Page Recommends
Summer Reads
But first… What makes a book a summer read?
You might have your own definition of a summer read, but here is mine:
A book that feels like a treat to read
A book you can easily get lost in
Ideally set during summer and/or in an escapist location
A real page turner OR gentle and soothing like a warm breeze
I hope you enjoy this guide to my favourite summer reads. I’d love to hear yours, too.
Libby Page recommends…
Steamy romances to read in a heatwave
Our Perfect Storm, Carley Fortune
You made a Fool of Death with your Beauty, Akwaeke Emezi
Seven Days in June, Tia Williams
Deep End, Ali Hazelwood
People We Meet on Vacation, Emily Henry
Beach Read, Emily Henry
Happy Place, Emily Henry
Sand-between-your-toes books (books featuring beaches to read on the beach)
Sandwich, Catherine Newman
The Shell House Detectives, Emylia Hall
Malibu Rising, Taylor Jenkins Reid
Summer of ‘69, Elin Hildebrand
28 Summers, Elin Hildebrand
The Secret Beach, Veronica Henry
Books you’ll want to ignore your loved ones to keep reading
Big Little Lies, Liane Moriarty
So Thrilled for You, Holly Bourne
The Wedding People, Alison Espach
Yellowface, Rebecca F. Kuang
Mother Faker, Anna Brook-Mitchell
The Girls, Emma Cline
Atmosphere, Taylor Jenkins Reid
A Classic summer (Classics to read under the shade of a tree)
Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day, Winifred Watson
Persuasion, Jane Austen
Far From the Madding Crowd, Thomas Hardy
Rebecca, Daphne Du Maurier
A Room With a View, E.M. Forster
I Capture the Castle, Dodie Smith
A Historical Summer (charming historical reads for summer)
The Offing, Benjamin Myers
City of Girls, Elizabeth Gilbert
Lessons in Chemistry, Bonnie Garmus
Behind the Scenes at the Museum, Kate Atkinson
The Signature of All Things, Elizabeth Gilbert
Plane ticket books (books that will transport you)
Where the Crawdads Sing, Delia Owens
Still Life, Sarah Winman
After Paris, Nicole Kennedy
The Artist, Lucy Steeds
My Family and Other Animals, Gerald Durrell
The Food of Love, Anthony Capella
Travel without limits (books featuring time travel)
The Seven-Year Slip, Ashley Poston
I Know How This Ends, Holly Smale
Cassandra in Reverse, Holly Smale
The Time Traveller’s Wife, Audrey Niffeneger
Stay-fiction (books featuring hotels, inns and B&Bs)
The Hotel Nantucket, Elin Hildebrand
A Gentleman in Moscow, Amor Towles
The Burnout, Sophie Kinsella
My Favourite Mistake, Marian Keyes
A Witch’s Guide to Magical Inn Keeping, Sangu Mandanna
Jump right in, the water’s lovely (books featuring water)
The Lido and The Lifeline, by me!
The Summer Book, Tove Janson
The Whitstable High Tide Swimming Club, Katie May
The House in the Cerulean Sea, TJ Klune
Nostalgic fiction (brilliant backlist books you might have missed)
The Girl on the Train, Paula Hawkins
The Secret History, Donna Tartt
The Thirteenth Tale, Diana Setterfield
A Home from Home, Veronica Henry
A Song for Summer, Eva Ibbotson
The 24-Hour Café, The Vintage Shop and The Island Home, by me!
In my suitcase (what I’m planning to read this summer)
The Someday Garden, Ashley Poston
The Homemade God, Rachel Joyce
Summer, Edith Wharton
Beautiful Ruins, Jess Walter
The Enchanted April, Elizabeth Von Arnim
Wishing you a very happy summer of reading.
What do you think of my recommendations? Let me know!
Thank you, as always, for supporting me and my books! I couldn’t do what I do without you.
Obsessed with this list. Thank you! Have read enough on it to know that our tastes overlap and I’ll love the other ones too 🤩
Congratulations on finishing a draft! And thank you so much for this wonderful list, I have many to add to my TBR this summer.