Summer is fast approaching, and with it comes ice-cream trucks, lounging in shopping malls, and heading out to the beach. Volleyball and surfing aside, the beach presents an opportunity to curl up with a good book. Here are the five that I’d put in your hands this summer. Some are already out; others are worth the wait.
1) Boring Asian Female by Canwen Xu
While law school is the last thing one would expect in a beach read, Xu’s novel goes deeper than LSAT scores and grad school admissions. When Harvard Law School rejects Elizabeth for not standing out enough—which she knows means she’s just another boring Asian female—her carefully constructed life falls apart. What shocks her even more is that Laura Kim, a classmate at Columbia, got in. Elizabeth can’t figure out how this could have happened. Why was Laura accepted? What makes her so interesting? At first, she follows her because she’s just curious. What Laura orders for lunch. Where Laura shops. What Laura’s hobbies are. All of these things must contribute to her overall package, what makes her an acceptable person to Harvard. But still, Elizabeth just can’t see it. The only thing she sees is that Laura has taken her spot. Akin to R.F. Kuang’s Yellowface, this is a page turner you won’t put down.
2) We Are Gathered Here Today by Bobby Finger
The Wedding People meets The Celebrants in this hilarious and profound novel about a recently engaged gay man second guessing marriage, and his cousin’s chaotic Texas wedding weekend with old friends and unexpected strangers that will help guide him to the truth. 36 year old Finlay Hightower has attended countless incredible, cringe-worthy, and disastrous wedding celebrations with his best friends. Their secret to surviving wedding chaos? The Hour of Disrespect—a pact to reserve judgement to one hour after the couple’s Big Day, protecting the wedding glow and leaving only with the good memories. That is tested when his beloved cousin Elaine Wheeler is getting married at a Wild West-themed venue in the sweltering Texas summer heat that is as meticulously itineraried as it is kitchy. On top of that, Fin has a secret: he’s just gotten engaged to the man of his dreams, and a sense of unease has him questioning if he believes in the institution of marriage at all. A rambunctious novel, this reminds you of the chaotic weddings you’ve attended; both the good and bad. (Comes out June 16)
3) Take What You Can by Naima Coster
Val and Milly fell in love with France at the same time they fell in love with each other and became immediate best friends. Then, they bonded as the only Black students on a study-abroad trip. On that first trip to France, these two motherless daughters were taken under the wing of an older woman named Helene. She showered them with money, love, and attention and showed them the possibilities of an independent and abundant future. Now they are in their thirties, each married and with a baby girl on the way. Milly, a successful influencer married to restaurant royalty, is occupied with her desire for freedom. Val, a brilliant journalist, is unsure whether she fits into Milly’s new world. When Milly suggests Val move to New York so they can raise their daughters together after a decade apart, it’s a resounding yes. Examining class, race, found family, and motherhood, this is great to read with your friends, parents or not. (Coming August 4)
4) June Baby by Shannon Garvey
At seventeen, Ruth lost her mother to cancer, and her father, unable to handle his grieving daughter, shipped her off to Block Island with nothing but a name scribbled on the back of a receipt: Diana Beckett. Diana, a renowned photographer, took Ruth in for the summer, and Block Island became Ruth’s refuge, a place of beauty and creativity, a place where she could nurture her dreams of being a writer, a place where she could fall in love for the first time—with Diana’s nephew, Charlie. Now, at twenty-seven, Ruth has spent the last ten summers living and working among the lucky few who get to vacation in this wealthy beach town, and the rest of the year just scraping by, yearning to return to the place where she feels safe and unburdened. But then Ruth’s world is upended by tragedy again. And when another surprise comes in the form of a box left for Ruth by Diana, its contents raise questions about just how well she knew the two women who raised her. An old-fashioned summer romance mixed with tender explorations of grief and loss, this is a love letter to private beaches and summer-fueled mysteries.
5) Down With the Shipmans by Meg Mitchell Moore
It’s the week after Fourth of July, and the Shipman sisters are returning to their picturesque summer home on the New Hampshire coast for what they believe is a family reunion, the first without their late mother. However, their tranquil setting quickly becomes a stage for drama when their father, Calvin, drops the bombshell news that he plans to sell the cherished beach house. Mae, the youngest daughter, who has a newfound penchant for attracting trouble, is distraught, already dealing with her own emotional scars and a problematic rescue dog. Natalie, the middle sister and social media darling known for her seemingly idyllic life as a tradwife, is equally anxious, especially since her flawless public image is on the verge of imploding. Meanwhile, Jordan, the eldest, a high-powered crisis communications expert, is ready to be rid of the house so she can tend to her own professional disaster. As old memories are stirred up and the sisters navigate both the packing of the house and their personal crises, the arrival of Calvin’s new wife pushes Jordan, Natalie, and Mae to decide how far they’re willing to go to preserve the Shipman bond. Equal part heart and humour, this is a perfect beach read. (Out now!)
