The beginning of September surrounds us with cooler weather and thoughts of school. The Summer August days looking further behind us. Summer, however, doesn’t officially end until the 21st which gives us plenty of time to read those summer reads we thought we ran out of time for! Here are five summer reads to squeeze in before it’s officially fall!
The Spanish Love Deception, by Elena Armas
Catalina Martín has a dilemma. Go to her sister’s wedding alone or take her infuriating coworker Aaron Blackford. Going to a wedding alone shouldn’t be a big deal, but Catalina doesn’t want to deal with pitying glances and assumptions. Panic ridden and without any other options, Catalina accepts Aaron’s offer. A three day trip to Spain and the plan: fooling her family into thinking she is happily in love with Aaron. What could go wrong?
This combination of enemies to lovers, fake dating, and slow burn will have you unable to put down the romance novel that is The Spanish Love Deception.
Love & Gelato, by Jenna Evans Welch
Love & Gelato tells the story of Lina who is spending the summer in Tuscany. A complete dream, right? Nope. Lina’s mother’s dying wish was that Lina get to know her father and that is the reason Lina ends up in Italy. Lina is less than thrilled about this since she hasn’t seen her father in sixteen years. Lina has low expectations for her summer until she is given her mother’s journal written when she lived in Italy. Follow Lina along on her adventure full of romance, art, bakeries, and the beauty that is Tuscany. Through her mother’s journal, Lina will learn a lot about her mother, father, and herself and she might even find her own love along the way.
This summer read will have you smiling all the way through its pages filled with romance, mystery, and a dream worthy summer!
The Unhoneymooners, by Christina Lauren
The Unhoneymooners is the right combination of comedy and romance! Olive Torres considers herself to be an unlucky person; especially compared to her twin twister Ami. Ami who somehow financed her whole wedding by winning contests. It gets worse when she has to spend her sister’s wedding day with her nemesis, who just so happens to be the best man, Ethan Thomas. Ready for her sister’s big day, Olive shows up to find the whole wedding party has gotten food poisoning, except for herself and Ethan. With the honeymoon already paid for, Olive and Ethan head to Maui as happy newlyweds. Ten days later and Olive isn’t so sure she’s still pretending to be a loving newlywed anymore…
This novel is the lighthearted end of the summer read you need; with tropes like enemies to lovers and fake marriage, it’s hard not love this novel!
Beach Read, by Emily Henry
Beach Read is about complete opposites Augustus Everett and January Andrews. Augustus writes literary fiction and January writes romance. The only thing they have in common is for the next three months, they are living in neighboring beach houses with bad cases of writer’s block. The two make a deal in order to help each other out of it. Augustus will spend his three months writing something happy and January will spend her time writing literary fiction. Each will take the other on trips related to their new genre of writing. By the end they will both finish a book.
This novel is a mix of slow burn and opposites attract that will keep you invested the whole way through!
The Rest of the Story, by Sarah Dessen
The Rest of the Story is about Emma Saylor’s first summer at North Lake since she was a little girl. After her dad unexpectedly can’t spend the summer with Emma, he sends her to be with her passed mother’s side of the family who lives there. As the summer unfolds, Emma grows closer to a family she had forgotten about and Roo, a best friend she barely remembered. Emma finds herself divided into two people: Saylor, the girl her mother’s side knows her as and Emma, the girl that spends her summer on the other side of North Lake – the wealthier side. As secrets from her mother’s passed are revealed Emma finds herself caught in the middle of who she was before that summer and who she is now.
This novel with healing relationships and creating new ones will keep the nostalgia for the summer at bay for just a little while longer.
Thanks for reading, and I hope you check out at least one of these perfect end of the summer reads. If you’re looking for more recommendations make sure to check our recent Three to Read and be on the lookout for more romance coming soon!