I present to you my summer 2021 booklist!!! I grew up as an avid reader but sadly reading for pleasure was put on the back burner throughout high school and my couple years in college. It’s difficult to keep up with reading on your own when you have assignments and textbooks to read for class also. Hats off to those who can pull it off. I decided and definitely took to heart this summer that I needed to utilize breaks to catch up on my reading for pleasure because it really does bring me lots of joy and peace. I read seven books this summer and I wanted to share my picks with you and my take on them- the good and the bad.
BookTok held a big influence on my choice of books this summer and if you’re on Tiktok and love to read I encourage you to check it out.
“BookTok” is a community of users on TikTok who post videos reviewing and recommending books, which has boomed in popularity over the past year.
Disclaimer: My genre of choice is contemporary romance so things might get a little gushy. Romance can be cheesy but it’s also very honest and very beautiful. I encourage you to give it a chance. But if you just really hate romance I would click off now 🙂
Also, I beg you not to form an opinion on these books based on my attempt to summarize them. These are just my own thoughts about what I loved and what I did not! Pick up the book and form your own opinion as well!
Now onto the list!!! (in no particular order but rated out of 5 stars)
Anamaria’s Summer 2021 Booklist
#1
It Ends With Us ~ Colleen Hoover ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Lily, an avid flower lover, meets a nerurosurgeon, Ryle Kincaid at night on a rooftop in the middle of Boston. The two strangers connect through casual conversation while in their heads, they feel a lot more than their polite words suggest. Still, on they went their separate ways. A few months later Lily ends up quitting her job to pursure her dream of opening a flower shop, something she has always been passionate about. She buys a space that needs a lot of fixxing up and the first day that she begins working on it in walks Allysa, her first employee and soon to be lifelong friend. Who would have known that Alyssa’s brother is Ryle Kincaid himself. The rest is history. The outstanding message of this book exemplifies a courageous female who makes the heartbreaking decision to turn away from true love for the sake of her wellbeing and the wellbeing of her daughter. The book is a beautiful story and I felt like a stronger woman after reading it.
#2
Malibu Rising ~ Taylor Jenkins Reid ⭐️⭐️⭐️
This was a fine book. Nothing super intriguing but you are on your toes a lot waiting for the main event: The Big Fire of Malibu, which is what the summary is based on. It’s definitely a great summer read especially if you like surfing. I read this book while I was in Costa Rica learning how to surf myself, so it was a nice pairing haha. Malibu Rising is a story about a broken family doing the most to hold on to each other while a lot of other messiness blows up in their face. A good read about the family bond.
#3
People We Meet on Vacation ~ Emily Henry ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I instantly grew to liking this book from the very first chapter. I drew on many of the same interests that I shared with the main character, Poppy. Her career started with a travel blog she created which grew pretty big for her. She then landed her dream job as a travel journalist at an upscale magazine called “Rest & Relaxation”. Her position allows her to partake in the most luxurious vacations, all paid for by her comany, and then she writes about her experiences. A literal dream, am I right? Ayways, her best friend Alex (a guy Alex), who she met in college usully tags along with her for a trip over the summer. Since they are both busy with their professional lives it’s their own little tradition to travel together on a summer trip so they can catch up and hang out with each other. This book is both a flashback, taking us into the past to experience the beginnings of Poppy and Alex’s friendship, as well as into the present where we find that things are not the same between them anymore after an episode gone bad on their last summer trip to Croatia. Well what happened you ask? Just read the book and you’ll find out all the juicy details!!! Hehe.
#4
One Day in December ~ Josie Silver ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Yes, I know what your thinking, this book does not scream summer read lol but the summary intriged me so I had to give it a go. See if this doesn’t pull you in: Laurie lives in London and is riding the bus home for the holidays. She is standing in the aise of the bus with tinsle in her hair from the work party, when the bus makes a stop. She looks out the window, her eyes settling on a man sitting on a bench. They make eye contact and smile at each other. Hello love at first sight! She wants to get off the bus but takes to long to decide and before she knows it they are on their way. She spends the next year searching for the London bus stop boy, losing hope with every passing day. The next holiday season rolls around and Laurie is attending her best friend Sarah’s holiday party, where Laurie is supposed to meet Sarah’s new boyfriend. Can you guess who it is? Mr. London bus boy himself. Jack. SPOILER ALERT AHEAD!!! STOP READING NOW IF YOU DON’T WANT THE BOOK SPOILED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The reason why the book only got three stars is becuase it took almost the entirety of the book for Laurie and Jack to finally get together. The entire read you are just waiting for it to happen and then it ends so suddly you don’t get to experience their happiness together. Sigh.
#5
All Your Perfects ~ Colleen Hoover ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
5 STARS!!! A rare occasion that a book recieves a five star rating from Anamaria Evans but the genius Colleen Hoover blew me away with this one. Literally left me speechless. It’s another flash back and forward from present day and the past, with each chapter from the past giving you a glipse of how the characters lives devolped to where they are now in the future. To set the beginning scene: Quinn arrived home early from a work trip and was on her way to surprise her fiance. Upon exiting the elevator at the apartment there was another man pacing infront of her finace’s door. As she approached the door, the man looked up at her and said, “Don’t go in there, my girlfriend is cheating on me with the guy who lives here.” Fast forward to present day and Quinn and Graham, the man she met standing outside of her ex-finace’s apartment, are in a stuggling marriage. That’s all I’m going to say because you must read for yourself why this book recieved 5 stars!!! I’m not kidding!!!!!
#6
Beach Read ~ Emily Henry ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
A book about writing a book. Emily Henry took all the feels I feel about reading, from falling in love with characters to having an author depict a moment so well that it brings you to tears, and she wrote an entire story about it. A romance story about two young authors, one who writes bestselling romance and the other literary fiction. College competitors, turned lifelong lovers. I ended my summer reading this book becuase the storyline didn’t strike me at first but Booktok just couldn’t stop talking about it so I had to pick it up and I am beyond happy that I did.
#7
The Magnolia Story ~ Chip and Joanna Gains ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Yes, an autobiography. I know it might seem out of place but don’t worry if you love Fixxer Upper and the quirky personalities of Chip and Joanna, you’re not gonna want to miss this one. The Magnolia Story was recommended to me by a friend and I thank them so much for lending me the book. I thought this book was just going to be their story and how they have created, now, an entire Magnolia TV Network- and it was… BUT it was also filled with so many pearls of advice, inspiration, and beautiful insight. Their story is incredible and filled with so much love, sacrifice, and hard work. It’s a GREAT read and I would reccommend it to anyone I know.
