Summer is underway and I have started my list of the Best Books of Summer 2020. If you’re looking for a great beach or perfect vacation read, look no further than my list of Best Summer Reads of 2020!
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Best Summer Books of 2020!
Welcome to my list of Best Summer Reads of 2020 – need a great beach read, a vacation read, or just a book that makes you feel like you’re on vacation? Then The Best Summer Books of 2020 list is for you! My rules for the list are:
- Books must be published at the time they are added to the list – hearing about a great book that isn’t out yet is as sad as a rained-out vacation.
- Books must be published in 2020.
Best Beach Reads of Summer 2020
The Last Flight by Julie Clark
I LOVE life switch plots, like Freaky Friday and The Parent Trap. This suspenseful book features two desperate women who impulsively decide switch plane tickets. They think they are escaping trouble but .. maybe not so much! It was really fun and twisty! If you’ve read it, come talk spoilers with me on my secret spoiler page for the Last Flight!
Big Summer by Jennifer Weiner
You can check out my review of Big Summer here. It has a great summery setting and definitely kept my interest! If you’ve already read the book and want to talk spoilers, go to my secret Big Summer spoiler page.
Favorite Romances of Summer 2020
Take a Hint, Dani Brown by Talia Hibbert
Take a Hint, Dani Brown had everything I like in a romance: a strong female lead, a sweet, adorable love interest, humor, and a fauxmance. (And some scenes that were as steamy as a hot summer day.)
Want more romances? I have all my romance reviews summarized here!
Favorite Page-Turners of Summer 2020
The Year of the Witching by Alexis Henderson
I don’t read a lot of speculative fiction, but I really do love books about witches. This book has a historical fiction feel, but featured a feminist take on gender issues and had some great horror scenes as well.
Little Secrets by Jennifer Hillier
Little Secrets was twisty and suspenseful. It’s a story about a missing child and there are so many reveals and shocking revelations! If you’ve read it, you can check out my secret spoiler page for Little Secrets here.
I Killed Zoe Spanos by Kit Frick
Sorry to say it, but most YA thrillers aren’t all that thrilling. This one was good though – loosely inspired by Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier, it had a podcast element and was set in a summery Hamptons beach town.
Want more thrillers? Check out this post on my favorite Thrillers With a Big Twist! Or if you want YA books, I have a master list of YA Mysteries.
Favorite YA of Summer 2020
Today Tonight Tomorrow by Rachel Solomon
This was such a fun book. It was a romance, it was a travelogue (so nice in a pandemic), it was a story about endings and beginnings. You can find my review of Today Tonight Tomorrow here.
10 Things I Hate About Pinky by Sandhya Menon
This book featured some of my favorite rom com tropes: fauxmance, hate to love and tough girl/sweet guy. It was a great summer read! You can find my review of 10 Things I Hate About Pinky here.
Favorite Literary Fiction/Book Club Books of Summer 2020
The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
I don’t know about you, but I find the beach a great place to think and reflect. This book was not only gripping and readable, it also raised a lot of interesting and important questions about identity, family, gender, and race.
The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel
This was a haunting and beautiful book about people living with secrets – it’s a group of characters all connected to a financial pyramid scheme. (If that sounds boring, it’s not. Amazon categorizes it as a mystery and even though it’s not a traditional one, it is suspenseful. I’ve recommended it to two people with really different reading tastes and they both enjoyed it!)
Long Bright River by Liz Moore
This is a mystery, but I’m not putting this in the “twisty thrillers” section because even though it’s a police procedural, it’s definitely more literary. It’s a beautifully told story about family, addiction, and sister relationships.
Okay, tell me about your Best Reads of Summer 2020 in comments!
I just finished Big Summer yesterday, and it was quite a surprise. I liked how the story took such a big turn.
I literally screamed. I scared my entire family when that thing happened!
Oo I’m gonna check out I Killed Zoe Spanos!
Hope you like it!
Great list Jen!
I really need to read Get a Life Choe Brown then get to Take a Hint, Dani Brown. Been reading great things about both! The Glass Hotel is also currently on my wishlist!!
YES! I liked Chloe and really loved Dani. And The Glass Hotel is definitely on my favorites of 2020 list.
We’ve discussed Big Summer before so you know I enjoyed that one. 🙂 And I’ve seen so many glowing reviews of Take a Hint, Dani Brown that I’m convinced I need to read it.
YES please read it. I have not had as much fun reading a book in a while!