(Even More) Books to Read This Summer!

Earlier last month, I shared my top picks for summer reading this year, but I’ve been reading more than ever lately and I wanted to pass along a few more favorites! I ended up finishing six books during our Week in Outer Banks.

With the weather finally being nice out, I’ve been trying to finish every evening during the work-week by spending some time out on our patio with a book in hand to decompress from every day. One of my best friends is a teacher, and she’s been doing a lot of reading this summer too (and normally she’s not a big fan!) so being able to give her my favorite recommendations have been so much fun. 

Be sure to check out the first list of books here, but in case you wanted even more, I’ve got five more reviews below!

PS – I don’t like giving away actual plot details because I’m always afraid of spoiler alerts, and I don’t think I can do a better job than the book descriptions themselves, so below you’ll just find my reviews and recommendations, and if you click the book title it’ll take you to an actual plot description/space for purchase!

Everything You Want Me to Be | This book had me really on the fence for the majority of it. Overall, I enjoyed it, and I wouldn’t say it “wasn’t worth the read”. That being said, the beginning took a little while to get going, and even when there were major plot twists towards the end they just didn’t have that “shock factor” you’d expect or want. It was still a good story, and a solid summer read, but overall I’d give it a 6/10.


The Wrong Side of Right | I finished this book in less than a day when I first arrived to the Outer Banks, and I really enjoyed it! It’s definitely different than my usual reads, but I thought the plot idea was unique and interesting so I gave it a shot. This would be a great easy summer read by the pool or beach, and don’t be fooled by the description – it’s not an overly political book whatsoever. Somewhat similar to the movies First Daughter or Chasing Liberty!

Into The Water | I’m reviewing this book for the sole purpose that I felt fooled by it, and I was honestly so extremely disappointed. This is one of maybe 5 books that I’ve ever just outright not finished (even when I’m hating a book, I’m just too Type A usually to not complete it to the end). I picked this one up because it was the same author as Girl On the Train, and I was just so bored by the plot. There were way too many characters, and even about halfway through I just couldn’t figure out why I should care about the plot! You’ve been warned…

The Real Real | A combination of the authors and the description were what really hooked me into buying this one for the trip. I could tell it would be such a light and easy beach read, and I really liked The Nanny Diaries, so I thought I’d give this one a shot. It wasn’t groundbreaking or legendary in terms of writing talent or plot, but it was good and entertaining, and took me back to the days of watching Laguna Beach & The Hills. (And honestly, it had me re-thinking and questioning a lot of the scenes on those shows!) Overall, I’d recommend it for the summer!

Undecided | I was weirdly drawn in by this book, and it caught me off guard. It definitely has some racier scenes, but I liked the general concept of the plot and typically think college-themed books are pretty entertaining. I ended up liking the characters so much that I ended up reading the sequel immediately just to keep it going. By far the most “mindless summer beach read”on this list, but I think it was good!