Top Books I’m Reading Summer 2026: Must-Read Picks

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It’s time — I love kicking off Memorial Day weekend with my summer reading list.

This is one of my favorite days of the year. There are so many wonderful books already out and many more arriving in the coming months. I can hardly wait to dive in.

The list below is arranged with currently available titles first, followed by upcoming releases in order by release date. Most of the books are available through bookshop.org. If you can purchase through Bookshop, it helps support independent bookstores, which I adore. Walking into a bookshop always makes me feel a little cinematic and like I could stay there all day.

If you’re new here, my preferred reads tend to be women’s fiction — light, fun, beachy stories are my go-to. I also enjoy nonfiction, memoirs and autobiographies on Audible. I read thrillers sometimes but avoid certain triggers. For me, reading is about escape: getting lost in a story, feeling like the characters are friends, and then mourning them a bit when the book ends. It’s the best kind of bittersweet.

I’m excited to hear your recommendations in the comments — what you’re reading now and what’s on your list. If I missed any must-reads, please let me know.

My 2026 Summer Reading List

Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke

Our Perfect Storm by Carley Fortune

Pink Sand Summer by Chassity Evans

The Island Club by Nicola Harrison

Homebound by Portia Elan

American Spirits by Anna Dorn

Good Joy, Bad Joy by Mikki Brammer

The Sane One by Anna Konkle

The House of Hidden Letters by Izzy Broom

Happy Ending by Chloe Liese

The Last Kiss of Summer by Jessica M. Felleman

Caller Unknown by Gillian McAllister

Last Summer at Maine Chance by Jessica Everett

Famesick by Lena Dunham

The Calamity Club by Kathryn Stockett

The Night We Met by Abby Jimenez

Anatomy of An Alibi by Ashley Elston

Strangers by Belle Burden

American Fantasy by Emma Straub

Lake Effect by Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney

Liberty Island by Virginia Hume

Kin by Tayari Jones

Laws of Love and Logic by Debra Curtis

The May House by Jillian Cantor

Once and Again by Rebecca Serle

The Things We Never Say by Elizabeth Strout

Annie Knows Everything by Rachel Wood

Mad Mabel by Sally Hepworth

Fever Dream by Elsie Silver

The One Day You Were My Husband by Rosie Walsh

Take Me With You by Steven Rowley

Summer State Of Mind by Kristy Woodson Harvey

June Baby by Shannon Garvey

Last Night in Brooklyn by Xochitl Gonzalez

The Midnight Train by Matt Haig (5/26)

The Summer Share by Jenn McKinlay (5/26)

Waiting On A Friend by Natalie Adler (5/26)

Dolly All the Time by Annabel Monaghan (5/26)

Whistler by Ann Patchett (6/2)

Marion by Leah Rowan (6/2)

The Windsor Affair by Melanie Benjamin (6/2)

Summerland Cove by Ellen Baker (6/2)

Down with the Shipmans by Meg Mitchell Moore (6/2)

Lovers XXX by Allie Rowbottom (6/2)

Road Trip by Mary Kay Andrews (6/2)

The Missed Connection by Tia Williams (6/9)

Off the Record by Sara Goodman Confino (6/9)

Pool House by Mary H.K. Choi (6/9)

The Someday Garden by Ashley Poston (6/16)

Play It Again by Georgia Clark (6/16)

The Lowe Job by Grace Alexander (6/16)

The Lake Club by Lina Patton (6/16)

Tropesick by Lauren Okie (6/16)

It Could Have Been Her by Lisa Jewell (6/23)

When You Loved Me by Beatriz Williams (6/23)

Worse Than Strangers by Kyleigh Leddy (6/23)

Down to Earth: An 831 Stories Romance by Julia Turshen (6/23)

Wasp’s Nest by Kat Stoddard (6/30)

The Top of the World by Ethan Joella (6/30)

The Shampoo Effect by Jenny Jackson (6/30)

Main Characters by Bobby Palmer (6/30)

The Kings of Vegas by Karen Mack and Jennifer Kaufman (6/30)

Helpless by Jessica Knoll (7/7)

Crash Into Me by Robinne Lee (7/7)

The Great Wherever by Shannon Sanders (7/7)

Ungodly Rich by Katharine McGee (7/7)

Single Girls by John Searles (7/7)

Love You More by Emily Giffin (7/7)

Every Version of You by Natalie Messier (7/7)

The Mash Up by Laura Marie Meyer (7/7)

Star-Crossed Summer by Devon Daniels (7/7)

An Infinite Love Story by Chanel Cleeton (7/7)

Hot Girl Murder Club by Ashley Winstead (7/14)

The Romance Revival by Christina Lauren (7/14)

Not That Kind of Proposal by Victoria Lavine (7/21)

Married with Benefits by Ellie Palmer (7/21)

Beginning Middle End by Valeria Luiselli (7/28)

Getting Away with Murder by Shari Lapena (7/28)

Meet Me in Paris by Kristin Harmel (7/28)

When Mikan Road Was Ours by D.K. Furutani (7/28)

A Thousand Little Goodbyes by Lucy Gilmore (8/11)

You’ll Love it Here by Natalie Sue (8/11)

Big Little Truths by Liane Moriarty (8/25)