12 Best Books of Summer
by Eleni Kataxenos

Get your last summer reading in before we jump into Fall! Whether you’re soaking up the remaining summer’s rays at the pool or the beach, or relaxing in your hammock, a book is the perfect accessory. If you want something romantic, lighthearted, thrilling, or moving, we’ve got you covered with 12 incredible books you should definitely add to your summer reading list.

Andrea Hoffman Goes All In by Diane Schneider

Andrea Hoffman gets an unexpected career change when she enters the world of finance in early-1980s Chicago. Despite having two strikes against her–being Jewish and a woman–Andrea’s work ethic lands her a sales job and her career takes off. Making more money than ever before, Andrea embraces this new life of cocktails, cocaine, and casual sex. However, she eventually realizes that she has to decide what success really means to her. This book is fun, humorous, and an all-around great read for women everywhere.

Bit Flip by Mike Trigg

If you’re looking for a fast-paced modern thriller, Bit Flip is the perfect choice. Sam works in Silicon Valley, but after a public meltdown, his views on the Bay Area’s tech bubble change. He’s left wondering if his start-up career and marriage are both close to their end at fortysomething. When an accidental discovery leads him to his former company, he starts to untangle the deceitful schemes of the founder and investors, discovering fraud, blackmail, and manipulation that has tragic consequences. How far is Sam willing to go to achieve his dreams–and what does he stand to lose in the process?

Can’t Look Away by Carola Lovering

This suspenseful page-turner about young love and second chances is a perfect binge read. Molly met Jake, a singer in a band, when she was twenty-three and the two fell in love quickly, especially after Jake wrote a hit song about her. Almost ten years later, Molly is living with her young daughter and husband–who isn’t Jake. She feels lonely until she befriends Sabrina, a newcomer in town. But as Sabrina’s hidden agenda is slowly revealed, Molly’s secrets also come to light. At the same time, a new version of Jake’s hit song is on the radio and Molly is forced to face her past and ask herself difficult questions.

Things We Do in the Dark by Jennifer Hillier

Paris Peralta’s celebrity husband is dead in a bathtub and Paris is standing in front of him, covered in blood and holding a straight razor. She’s arrested on the spot and knows she will be charged with his murder. However, what worries her most is the media attention that now surrounds her, and the chance that someone from her past will recognize her and destroy her new life. Twenty-five years prior, Ruby Reyes was found guilty of a similar murder in Canada. Ruby knows the truth about Paris and when she is suddenly released from prison, she threatens to reveal all the secrets Paris has worked to bury. Reaching a dead end, Paris is forced to face the murky past she left behind. Because even though a murder charge is bad, it’s better than two murder charges.

You’re Invited by Amanda Jayatissa

When Amaya receives an invitation to her former best friend’s extravagant wedding, she’s shocked after years of silence. When she finds out the groom is her ex-boyfriend, she’s determined to stop the wedding. And when the bride goes missing and is presumed dead, Amaya is the main suspect, but she’s not the only one with a hidden agenda and a score to settle. This dangerously addictive thriller will have you flipping pages until the very end.

For Butter or Worse by Erin La Rosa

Nina Lyons is an incredible chef whose talents have been overlooked in the male dominated culinary world. As a co-host on a competitive reality TV series, she has a chance to truly make a name for herself. But she can’t stand her co-host. Leo O’Donnell is a restaurateur who never meant to irritate Nina. It just happened as a result of his anxiety and stress. But when Nina quits the show on live TV after a joke is taken too far, Leo is unprepared. With both of their careers on the line, they realize a fake relationship may be the most beneficial thing for both of them. They just have to pretend not to despise each other. With the perfect amount of tension, spice, and banter, Erin La Rosa whips up a delicious enemies-to-lovers romance.

Sophie Go’s Lonely-Hearts Club by Roselle Lim

For some people, matchmaking is more than a hobby–it’s a career. Sophie Go is one of those people and she’s just returned to Toronto as a professional matchmaker. But she may find herself unemployed when it’s revealed that she never actually graduated matchmaking school. In an attempt to fix her reputation, Sophie makes it her goal to find love for seven septuagenarian Chinese bachelors in her condo complex. But these men prove to be more difficult than she expected as she peels back layers of loneliness and heartbreak.

The Lost Girls of Willowbrook by Ellen Marie Wiseman

Sage Winters lost her twin sister Rosemary to pneumonia six years ago. Their mother was killed in a car crash, and sixteen-year-old Sage is left as a burden to her stepfather Alan. But then she finds out that Rosemary never died. She was sent to Willowbrook State School and has lived there until a few days ago, when she went missing. Sage is determined to find her sister, but when she walks through Willowbrook’s doors and is believed to be Rosemary, she discovers horrors that will change her life forever. This haunting story ties in facts about the real life institution in Staten Island where heartbreaking abuse took place.

Midnight on the Marne by Sarah Adlakha

Marcelle Marchand works as a nurse and a spy in France during World War I. She meets George Mountcastle and the two feel an instant connection. George is an American soldier who stops his best friend from sacrificing himself in an act that could have won the Second Battle of the Marne. After Germany’s victory, George and Marcelle flee and navigate life in occupied France, experiencing oppression, loss, love, and joy. Years later, tragedy strikes, and George is given the chance to change the past and alter his fate, though he doesn’t know if it will be for the better.

Call Me When You’re Dead by A.R. Taylor

Eleanor Birch’s friend Sasha told her something odd during dinner one time: “If anything bad happens to me, I want you to get him.” When something bad does happen, Eleanor is determined to figure out the truth. Her target ends up becoming her ally… and then her lover. Eleanor’s journey hits highs and lows in this darkly comic novel that sheds light on women, friendship, and payback.

Tomorrow in Shanghai by May-Lee Chai

This short-story collection takes a closer look at multicultural intricacies in China, the Chinese diaspora in America, and the world overall. Told from various class, wealth, age, gender, and sexuality perspectives, these stories offer insight to interpersonal and institutional power. They explore family dynamics and morality, and transport readers to rural China, to France, and even to a future Chinese colony on Mars.

Take it From Me by Jamie Beck

Wendy is a recent empty-nester slash kleptomaniac. She keeps her problem under control but now she’s lonely and anxious and in desperate need of a new project. Harper is an author plagued by writer’s block who needs inspiration. She befriends Wendy to get material for her new main character and the story practically writes itself. A genuine friendship starts to grow but as their secrets are revealed, they’ll have to come to terms with who they are and who they want to be.

If you’d LOVE a chance to WIN all twelve of these books, head over to our Instagram sweepstakes before Saturday, August 21st at 11:59 pm pt to enter!

This list is brought to you in collaboration with @BookSparks.