Top 10 Books of Summer 2021
Summer 2021 has arrived, and with it, a whole host of new books which have quadrupled my TBR in size. No, but seriously - now is the perfect time to get your summer 2021 reading list ready! Whether you're a fan of the classic beach read, or you prefer your gritter thrillers and historical fictions, there is a book coming this summer for everyone.
Seven Days in June - Tia Williams
"Seven days to fall in love, fifteen years to forget
and seven days to get it all back again... From the author of The Perfect Find,
this is a witty, romantic, and sexy-as-hell new novel of two writers and their
second chance at love.
Brooklynite Eva Mercy is a single mom and bestselling
erotica writer, who is feeling pressed from all sides. Shane Hall is a
reclusive, enigmatic, award-winning literary author who, to everyone's
surprise, shows up in New York.
When Shane and Eva meet unexpectedly at a literary event,
sparks fly, raising not only their past buried traumas, but the eyebrows of New
York's Black literati. What no one knows is that twenty years earlier, teenage
Eva and Shane spent one crazy, torrid week madly in love. They may be
pretending that everything is fine now, but they can't deny their chemistry-or
the fact that they've been secretly writing to each other in their books ever
since.
Over the next seven days in the middle of a steamy Brooklyn
summer, Eva and Shane reconnect, but Eva's not sure how she can trust the man
who broke her heart, and she needs to get him out of New York so that her life
can return to normal. But before Shane disappears again, there are a few
questions she needs answered. . .
With its keen observations of Black life and the condition
of modern motherhood, as well as the consequences of motherless-ness, Seven
Days in June is by turns humorous, warm and deeply sensual."
If you're looking for a romance which isn't a typical
romcom, this is a definite must read for you this summer.
One Last Stop - Casey McQuiston
"For cynical twenty-three-year-old August, moving to
New York City is supposed to prove her right: that things like magic and
cinematic love stories don’t exist, and the only smart way to go through life
is alone. She can’t imagine how waiting tables at a 24-hour pancake diner and
moving in with too many weird roommates could possibly change that. And there’s
certainly no chance of her subway commute being anything more than a daily
trudge through boredom and electrical failures.
But then, there’s this gorgeous girl on the train.
Jane. Dazzling, charming, mysterious, impossible Jane. Jane
with her rough edges and swoopy hair and soft smile, showing up in a leather
jacket to save August’s day when she needed it most. August’s subway crush
becomes the best part of her day, but pretty soon, she discovers there’s one
big problem: Jane doesn’t just look like an old school punk rocker. She’s
literally displaced in time from the 1970s, and August is going to have to use
everything she tried to leave in her own past to help her. Maybe it’s time to
start believing in some things, after all."
However, there's nothing wrong with a light and fluffy
romcom, so make sure to add this book to your list if that's your kind of book!
While We Were Dating - Jasmine Guillory
"Ben Stephens has never bothered with serious
relationships. He has plenty of casual dates to keep him busy, family drama
he's trying to ignore and his advertising job to focus on. When Ben lands a
huge ad campaign featuring movie star Anna Gardiner, however, it's hard to keep
it purely professional. Anna is not just gorgeous and sexy, she's also down to
earth and considerate, and he can't help flirting a little...
Anna Gardiner is on a mission: to make herself a household
name, and this ad campaign will be a great distraction while she waits to hear
if she's booked her next movie. However, she didn't expect Ben Stephens to be
her biggest distraction. She knows mixing business with pleasure never works
out, but why not indulge in a harmless flirtation?
But their lighthearted banter takes a turn for the serious
when Ben helps Anna in a family emergency, and they reveal truths about
themselves to each other, truths they've barely shared with those closest to
them.
When the opportunity comes to turn their real-life fling
into something more for the Hollywood spotlight, will Ben be content to play
the background role in Anna's life and leave when the cameras stop rolling? Or
could he be the leading man she needs to craft their own Hollywood ending?
"
This is the sixth book in Guillory's Wedding Date series. If
you've never read any of the books in this series, they're perfect if you're
looking for a sweet, uplifting read.
The Chosen and the Beautiful - Nghi Vo
"Immigrant. Socialite. Magician.
Jordan Baker grows up in the most rarefied circles of 1920s
American society—she has money, education, a killer golf handicap, and
invitations to some of the most exclusive parties of the Jazz Age. She’s also
queer, Asian, adopted, and treated as an exotic attraction by her peers, while
the most important doors remain closed to her.
But the world is full of wonders: infernal pacts and
dazzling illusions, lost ghosts and elemental mysteries. In all paper is fire,
and Jordan can burn the cut paper heart out of a man. She just has to learn
how."
This diverse retelling of The Great Gatsby
sounds...incredible (also, how stunning is that cover?!)
A Touch of Jen - Beth Morgan
"Remy and Alicia, a couple of insecure service workers, are not particularly happy
together. But they are bound by a shared obsession with Jen, a beautiful former
co-worker of Remy’s who now seems to be following her bliss as a globe-trotting
jewelry designer. In and outside the bedroom, Remy and Alicia's entire
relationship revolves around fantasies of Jen, whose every Instagram caption,
outfit, and new age mantra they know by heart.
Imagine their confused excitement when they run into Jen, in
the flesh, and she invites them on a surfing trip to the Hamptons with her
wealthy boyfriend and their group. Once there, Remy and Alicia try (a little
too hard) to fit into Jen’s exalted social circle, but violent desire and class
resentment bubble beneath the surface of this beachside paradise, threatening
to erupt. As small disturbances escalate into outright horror, we find
ourselves tumbling with Remy and Alicia into an uncanny alternate reality, one
shaped by their most unspeakable, deviant, and intoxicating fantasies. Is this what “self-actualization” looks
like?"
This dark comedy takes a look at the toxic effect social
media has on our modern day lives. It sounds really interesting, if a little
creepy!
The Other Black Girl - Zakyia Dalia Harris
"Twenty-six-year-old editorial assistant Nella Rogers
is tired of being the only Black employee at Wagner Books. Fed up with the
isolation and microaggressions, she’s thrilled when Harlem-born and bred Hazel
starts working in the cubicle beside hers. They’ve only just started comparing
natural hair care regimens, though, when a string of uncomfortable events
elevates Hazel to Office Darling, and Nella is left in the dust.
Then the notes begin to appear on Nella’s desk: LEAVE
WAGNER. NOW.
It’s hard to believe Hazel is behind these hostile messages.
But as Nella starts to spiral and obsess over the sinister forces at play, she
soon realizes that there’s a lot more at stake than just her career."
This thriller is set against the backdrop of the New York
publishing industry, full of insightful social commentary.
Velvet Was The Night - Silvia Moreno-Garcia
"1970s, Mexico City. Maite is a secretary who lives for
one thing: the latest issue of Secret Romance. While student protests and
political unrest consume the city, Maite escapes into stories of passion and
danger.
Her next-door neighbor, Leonora, a beautiful art student,
seems to live a life of intrigue and romance that Maite envies. When Leonora
disappears under suspicious circumstances, Maite finds herself searching for
the missing woman—and journeying deeper into Leonora’s secret life of student
radicals and dissidents.
Meanwhile, someone else is also looking for Leonora at the
behest of his boss, a shadowy figure who commands goon squads dedicated to
squashing political activists. Elvis is an eccentric criminal who longs to
escape his own life: He loathes violence and loves old movies and rock ’n’
roll. But as Elvis searches for the missing woman, he comes to observe Maite
from a distance—and grows more and more obsessed with this woman who shares his
love of music and the unspoken loneliness of his heart.
Now as Maite and Elvis come closer to discovering the truth
behind Leonora’s disappearance, they can no longer escape the danger that
threatens to consume their lives, with hitmen, government agents, and Russian
spies all aiming to protect Leonora’s secrets—at gunpoint."
From Daisy Jones and the Six to this book, I feel like we
have entered a new era of historical fiction. These new books are edgy and sexy
and have really invigorated a genre which I think a lot of readers often though
to be slightly boring (no offence intended if you love your historical
fiction!). This one sounds amazing - I haven't yet got round to reading Mexican
Gothic, but I know how popular that was and no doubt there are many readers who
can't wait to get their hands on this new book!
The Maidens - Alex Michaelides
"Edward Fosca is a murderer. Of this Mariana is
certain. But Fosca is untouchable. A handsome and charismatic Greek Tragedy
professor at Cambridge University, Fosca is adored by staff and students
alike—particularly by the members of a secret society of female students known
as The Maidens.
Mariana Andros is a brilliant but troubled group therapist
who becomes fixated on The Maidens when one member, a friend of Mariana’s niece
Zoe, is found murdered in Cambridge.
Mariana, who was once herself a student at the university,
quickly suspects that behind the idyllic beauty of the spires and turrets, and
beneath the ancient traditions, lies something sinister. And she becomes
convinced that, despite his alibi, Edward Fosca is guilty of the murder. But
why would the professor target one of his students? And why does he keep
returning to the rites of Persephone, the maiden, and her journey to the
underworld?
When another body is found, Mariana’s obsession with proving
Fosca’s guilt spirals out of control, threatening to destroy her credibility as
well as her closest relationships. But Mariana is determined to stop this
killer, even if it costs her everything—including her own life."
From the author of the bestselling The Silent Patient comes
another scintillating thriller...this sounds amazing and has been bumped to the
top of my own TBR.
Everyone Knows Your Mother is a Witch - Rivka Galchen
"The story begins in 1618, in the German duchy of
Württemberg. Plague is spreading. The Thirty Years' War has begun, and fear and
suspicion are in the air throughout the Holy Roman Empire. In the small town of
Leonberg, Katharina Kepler is accused of being a witch.
Katharina is an illiterate widow, known by her neighbors for
her herbal remedies and the success of her children, including her eldest,
Johannes, who is the Imperial Mathematician and renowned author of the laws of
planetary motion. It's enough to make anyone jealous, and Katharina has done
herself no favors by being out and about and in everyone's business.
So when the deranged and insipid Ursula Reinbold (or as
Katharina calls her, the Werewolf) accuses Katharina of offering her a bitter,
witchy drink that has made her ill, Katharina is in trouble. Her scientist son
must turn his attention from the music of the spheres to the job of defending
his mother. Facing the threat of financial ruin, torture, and even execution,
Katharina tells her side of the story to her friend and next-door neighbor
Simon, a reclusive widower imperiled by his own secrets.
Drawing on real historical documents but infused with the
intensity of imagination, sly humor, and intellectual fire for which Rivka
Galchen is known, Everyone Knows Your Mother Is a Witch will both provoke and
entertain. The story of how a community becomes implicated in collective
aggression and hysterical fear is a tale for our time. Galchen's bold new novel
touchingly illuminates a society and a family undone by superstition, the
state, and the mortal convulsions of history."
I absolutely love seeing historical fiction books set around
the early modern European witch hunts beginning to become more popular! I
studied this area of history relentlessly for my degree, and have always
thought it is such an underrated time period for adaptations and retellings.
Can't wait to pick this one up.
Somebody's Daughter - Ashley C. Ford
"For as long as she could remember, Ashley has put her
father on a pedestal. Despite having only vague memories of seeing him
face-to-face, she believes he's the only person in the entire world who
understands her. She thinks she understands him too. He's sensitive like her,
an artist, and maybe even just as afraid of the dark. She's certain that one
day they'll be reunited again, and she'll finally feel complete. There are just
a few problems: he's in prison, and she doesn't know what he did to end up
there.
Through poverty, puberty, and a fraught relationship with
her mother, Ashley returns to her image of her father for hope and
encouragement. She doesn't know how to deal with the incessant worries that
keep her up at night, or how to handle the changes in her body that draw
unwanted attention from men. In her search for unconditional love, Ashley
begins dating a boy her mother hates; when the relationship turns sour, he
assaults her. Still reeling from the rape, which she keeps secret from her
family, Ashley finally finds out why her father is in prison. And that's where
the story really begins."
If you're a fan of memoirs this is one to add to your summer
reading list!
Posts
No comments: