20 BOOKS FOR SUMMERTIME POOLSIDE READING
The summer season is unofficially officially here. This means trips, slowing down (hopefully), green grass and yes, pools. Hopefully for many of us poolside will be accompanied by a good read too. Today we’re picking 20 plus summer poolside reads for you to possibly take with you, which I say while dinking a mug of a hot chocolate concoction.
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💦🌊20 BOOKS FOR SUMMERTIME POOLSIDE READING🌊💦 Ideas for #SummerReading to enjoy while poolside. #SummerReads #Summertime #Summer #Reader #Readers #Reading Share on XWe’ve tried to pull from every genre. Young adult and adult, romance and mystery, historical and more. Hopefully, something will catch your eye or at least lead you to something that interests you. We’re sure some of these appeared on our lists from year’s previous, but we do try to incorporate new titles so there’s different options. Let’s get our list rolling and see what we find.
SUMMER POOLSIDE READS
MAKE THE FIREFLIES DANCE, RACHEL BATEMAN
If you like “fluff” reads and don’t mind the YA genre, Make the Fireflies Dance is really sweet. It’s about a girl who chases a mystery kiss when she receives a kiss in a dark space at a party. The trouble is, which boy is her perfect match? Goodreads
Note: this is young adult secular fiction, but the novel is a soft PG-13 rating
THE BODYGAURD + HELLO, STRANGER, KATHERINE CENTER
Katherine’s books always look super summer-y. I don’t know if they are but they look it. The Bodyguard is her last release and Hello, Stranger her 2023 release. Have you read either one? Bodyguard on Goodreads • Stranger on Goodreads
Note: these are adult secular novels, and according to reviews does contain language, and is “sweet” versus “steamy.”
PICTURE PERFECT BOYFRIEND, BECKY DEAN
The cover of this one screams summer, and someone on Instagram was talking about how sweet Becky’s Love and Other Great Expectations was. So, here’s hoping this one would follow suit and be that perfect YA read. Goodreads
Note: this is young adult secular fiction
RULES OF MURDER, JULIANNA DEERING
I don’t know if I’ve used these on a summer reading list before or not. However this book is a fun read. It’s at a country estate with an owner who fancies himself a bit of an amateur sleuth and an American beauty who catches his eye. Plus, if you enjoy these, there’s six books in the series, so start here and enjoy! Goodreads
Note: this is an adult novel from the Christian fiction market
ALONG FOR THE RIDE, SARAH DESSEN
If you like teen reads, there’s probably very few that have the nostalgic quality as Sarah Dessen’s do. I’d never read anything by her, but did start (note to self, now you should finish reading this one) Along for the Ride. It’s about a girl who heads to her fathers for the summer, and in that way, it kind of reminds me of the Nicholas Sparks story The Last Song. Goodreads
Note: this is young adult secular fiction, what I’ve read tags this as one of the “cleaner” in the genre.
SOMETHING IN THE HEIR, SUZANNE ENOCH
This one has an interesting mix of reviews. Most I’d say tend more negative than positive. It’s a historical novel about two best friends who marry for convenience and largely live two separate lives until eight years later, he learns his wife invents children they don’t have. Sounds, in theory, like a fun novel… but maybe it’s not? Let me know if you’ve read it! Goodreads
Note: this is adult secular fiction that reviews claim sex is only talked about
THE SUMMER I TURNED PRETTY, JENNY HAN
Pretty sure this one appears on any summer book list I make. But it’s tailer made for the season and a kind of “classic” for the summer reading genre. Plus there is three books and this is an adapted series, so what better time than now to binge the series? Goodreads
Note: this is young adult secular fiction, what I’ve read tags this as one of the “cleaner” in the genre.
A LADY’S GUIDE TO FORTUNE HUNTING, SOPHIE IRWIN
I picked this one up after seeing it on a list or somewhere, and reading a bit about it. It sounds like a fun time following a woman with inherited debts which means she needs to find the perfect husband candidate. Goodreads
Note: this is adult secular fiction
THE DEJA GLITCH, HOLLY JAMES
Described as a kind of Groundhog Day in combination with 50 First Dates, this could be a fun read… right? I know little about the book beyond this but the cover is cute and surprisingly, I do enjoy 50 First Dates. Goodreads
Note: This is adult secular fiction
LOVE YOUR LIFE, SOPHIE KINSELLA
This book seems like a fun read, penned by the Confessions of a Shopaholic author. Kinsella is an author I feel like is missed in that so many just attribute the ‘Shopaholic’ books to her and forget she writes other things. Goodreads
Note: This is adult secular fiction
AMERICAN ROYALS, KATHERINE MCPHEE
Something about this one just seems like it’d be a good summer pool read. It reimagines American politics by suggesting we had a monarchy, and the heirs are descendants from former founding fathers. If you’ve read other of Katherine’s novels, you know they tend to be drama fueled, so I suspect this is too. Goodreads
Note: this is young adult secular fiction
SAME TIME, NEXT SUMMER, ANABEL MONAGHAN
This one is unfamiliar to me, but the cover and title suggest it could be a good read. It follows a woman with the perfect life who runs into the teenage ex who broke her heart. Goodreads
Note: this is adult secular fiction that reviews say has “no extreme sex scenes”
BETTER THAN THE MOVIES, LYNN PAINTER
This one sounds super cute and fun. It’s about a girl who must “reexamine” everything she thought about HEA. Goodreads
Note: This one does say there’s quite a lot of language and a review rates it TV-14 which would be a PG-13 rating
ONE TRUE LOVES, TAYLOR JENKINS REID
If you look for something with some romance but more emotion, Taylor’s may be your cup of tea. The cover looks summer-y and the novel was recently adapted as a film, so there’s that too. The story is about a woman who loses her husband and just as she’s healed and ready to move on, he reenters her life. Goodreads
Note: this is secular adult fiction
THE ONLY GAME IN TIME, LACIE WALDON
I haven’t read anything by Lacie, however this book has that summer feel. It follows two people with different lives who must compete in a game to possibly win an inheritance. Goodreads
Note: this is secular adult fiction that reviews say has no “explicit sex scenes”
LOVE & GELATO + LOVE & OLIVES, JENNA EVANS WELCH
Jenna’s books also seem like ideal summer reading. They visit fun locales (like Italy!) and just seem generally ideal summer. I did read one by her, and thought it was sweet albeit more emotional than expected. L&G Goodreads • L&O Goodreads
Note: these are secular YA fiction
PLACES WE’VE NEVER BEEN + SUNKISSED, KASIE WEST
I have to add Kasie’s novels… every year. These both involve a road trip vacation story and the one I’ve read is cute, and the one I haven’t sounds like it would be equally so. Places Goodreads • Sunkissed Goodreads
Note: these are secular young adult fiction, though anything I’ve read by Kasie could pass as a PG type story
NEVER VACATION WITH YOUR EX, EMILY WIBBERLEY
The one novel I read by Emily and her co-author didn’t work for me, but one cannot deny that their covers and titles are fun. Same is true of Never Vacation with Your Ex, their 2023 novel. I mean it does seem like a fun read, right? Goodreads
Note: this is secular young adult fiction
Which of these are you familiar with? Have you read any? Would you pick any of these as your summer poolside reads? Comment all of your thoughts. Let’s chat. And make sure to tell me what you’d add to the list.
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