Summer Reading List 2020

It is time for my Summer Reading List 2020! Every year I look forward to sitting in the sun with a pina colada & enjoying a good book. This year, I am sharing all the books I plan to read this summer. Since the majority of my reading friends head back to school in August, all of these titles come out June – August 4th. That way, you have plenty of time to read this summer! I even placed this list in order of publication date. I hope you enjoy your Summer Reading!

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Summer Reading List 2020

The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett

Pub Date: June 02, 2020

“From The New York Times-bestselling author of The Mothers, a stunning new novel about twin sisters, inseparable as children, who ultimately choose to live in two very different worlds, one black and one white.”

I read & loved Brit Bennett’s The Mothers. It’s a fantastic tale about women & I love the audio. As soon as I saw The Vanishing Half, it moved to the top of the Summer Reading List 2020! I’m currently writing this post right after finishing the book & I love it. You can catch my full review here. Read this if you’re in the mood for a beautifully written tale about sisters, race, self-identity & family.

Last Tang Standing by Lauren Ho

Pub Date: June 09, 2020

“Crazy Rich Asians meets Bridget Jones’s Diary in this funny and irresistible debut novel about the pursuit of happiness, surviving one’s thirties intact, and opening oneself up to love.”

All you need to do is check out the blurb for Last Tang Standing to know why it is on my TBR. I love CRA & Bridget Jones. First, since I’m not heading to Singapore this summer, at least I can visit by reading this book. It sounds like this book deals with family drama, love interests, possible love triangle, lush night clubs & a fierce heroine. my type of book! My full review is here.

The Boyfriend Project by Farrah Rochon

Pub Date: June 09, 2020

“In this witty rom-com celebrating the “unique joys of strong female friendships,” three young women bond when the live Tweeting of a disastrous date leads them to discover they’ve all been duped by the same man.” -Jasmine Guillory

Y’all will like this one. First, I need to say that even non-romance readers will be rooting for Samiah & Daniel.  For me, this romance is believable & takes a more natural course. I also love the fact that it has a tech setting, the locale is my hometown of Austin, TX & it features strong female friendships. The Boyfriend Project is a slower burn & the longer I sit with it, the more I really appreciate the story.

The Last Flight by Julie Clark

Pub Date: June 23, 2020

“Two women. Two flights. One last chance to disappear. The Last Flight is the story of two women—both alone, both scared—and one agonizing decision that will change the trajectory of both of their lives.”

Immediately, I’m getting Strangers on Train vibes from The Last Flight. Lately, I am so burnt out on thrillers & suspense. This one sounds so promising Two women desperate for a new start make a decision that changes the course of everything. The premise is so intriguing & I can’t wait to read this one.

Eliza Starts a Rumor by Jane L. Rosen 

Pub Date: June 23, 2020

I just love a story about women & neighborhood secrets. This one is giving me serious Liane Moriarty vibes & we are all huge fangirls of Liane around here. An empty nester stars a rumor to save her neighborhood’s bulletin board & it spirals from there. I’m hoping readers get some laugh, salacious secrets & strong female characters. Eliza Starts a Rumor is high on my Summer Reading List 2020! I can’t wait to read it.

Sex and Vanity by Kevin Kwan

Pub Date: June 30th, 2020

“The iconic author of the bestselling phenomenon Crazy Rich Asians returns with the glittering tale of a young woman who finds herself torn between two men: the WASPY fiancé of her family’s dreams and George Zao, the man she is desperately trying to avoid falling in love with.”

Decadence, family relationships, laughter & a bit of romance is what I expect from Kevin Kwan. I am a huge fan of the Crazy Rich Asians series & Sex & Vanity so definitely on my Summer Reading List 2020! Sounds like a  love affair & your family doesn’t approve. Years later, you’re drawn back to the same person. Ooh, let’s read this one bathing in the sun with a cocktail!

Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno Garcia

Pub Date: June 30, 2020

“An isolated mansion. A chillingly charismatic aristocrat. And a brave socialite drawn to expose their treacherous secrets. . . .”

A while back, my mom raved about The Beautiful Ones by Silvia Moreno-Garcia. Reading my Mom’s rave review, she talks about the suspense, family secrets & tension. We are both so excited about Mexican Gothic. A gothic home, suspicion & a strong female lead set in 1950s Mexico. Yesss! Let’s go!

The Bright Lands by John Fram

Pub Date: July 7, 2020

“Shocking, twisty and relentlessly suspenseful, John Fram’s debut is a heart-pounding story about old secrets, modern anxieties and the price young men pay for glory.”

Texas, football & Sci-fi. That’s all I need to tell Derek about this one & I know it will be on our Summer Reading List 2020. A coming home type of story to solve a mystery in a town filled with secrets, suspense & an urban legend. I can’t wait to take this one in.

Florence Adler Swims Forever by Rachel Beanland 

Pub Date: July 07, 2020

“Over the course of one summer that begins with a shocking tragedy, three generations of the Adler family grapple with heartbreak, romance, and the weight of family secrets in this stunning debut novel that’s perfect for fans of Manhattan Beach and The Dollhouse.”

I’ll admit that Florence Adler Swims Forever is not initially on my radar. Yet, the more I read the synopsis, I am wanting to pick it up immediately. While family sagas can be too melancholy for me, this one may do the trick. Set in Atlantic City in 1934, sisters summer together. Throw in a woman who recently emigrates from Nazi Germany & it sounds like we have an emotional story of family bonds & human spirit.

South of the Buttonwood Tree by Heather Webber

Pub Date: July 21, 2020

“USA Today bestselling author Heather Webber’s South of the Buttonwood Tree is a captivating blend of magical realism, heartwarming romance, and small-town Southern charm.”

If you haven’t read Midnight at the Blackbird Cafe, stop what you’re doing & read it now! It is truly a book that I recommend to so many people. After loving the sweet nature, hopeful spirit & magical realism of Webber’s writing, South of the Buttonwood Tree is undoubtedly on my Summer Reading List 2020. In her newest, we meet Blue who is always finding things & this time finds a baby. Blue crosses paths with Sarah & secrets are revealed, family ties are tested & each woman reveals who they truly are.

You Had Me at Hola by Alexis Daria

Pub Date: August 04, 2020

“Soapy, smart and so sexy… with vibrant characters and electric chemistry comparable to the telenovelas that inspired it, you’ll be thrilled You Had Me At Hola doesn’t come with commercials!”-Sarah MacLean

Do I want to add a Jane the Virgin style rom-com set in the world of telenovelas? You bet your ass I do! Honestly, I need nothing more than that descriptor to add this to my TBR! Sounds like an enemies to lovers romance with a backdrop of juicy soap operas is just what I need to lift my spirits on a hot summer day.

Bookish and the Beast by Ashley Poston

Pub Date: August 04, 2020

“A tale as old as time is made new in Ashley Poston’s fresh, geeky retelling of Beauty and the Beast.”

Fair warning, this is the third book in Ashley Poston’s Once Upon a Con series. Y’all, read this series! It is so stinking cute & full of vibrant & authentic characters. You can read my full review of (Book 1) Geekerella & (Book 2) The Princess & the Fangirl! Just please trust me when I say this series is such a blast for young adult readers & I love that it features LGBTQ characters & relationships.