Summer is here, and so is the yearly fantasy of lounging in a sunbeam with a book that melts stress faster than your sunscreen. Whether you’re poolside, couch-bound, or hiding from your relatives in a beach towel cocoon, this cozy summer reading list is here to rescue your brain from scrolling fatigue.
These aren’t just books—they’re portable serotonin. So grab your beverage of choice (hydration is hot), and let’s find your next favorite escape.
1. Happy Place by Emily Henry
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Mood: Angsty sunshine with a twist of wine
Emily Henry strikes again with a bittersweet rom-com that feels like your favorite ex texting “I miss us” while you’re already dating someone emotionally stable. Harriet and Wyn were the golden couple—until they broke up. Now they’re pretending to still be together during one last week at their friend group’s annual Maine getaway. It’s fake smiles, forced proximity, and feelings they thought were long gone.
Expect witty banter, painful honesty, and the kind of emotional unraveling you usually pay a therapist for. This isn’t just a romance—it’s a masterclass in what it means to choose someone… again.
Best for: Readers who want love stories with emotional bruises and wine-soaked revelations.
2. The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary
Genre: Romantic Comedy
Mood: Post-it notes and slow burns
Tiffy and Leon share a flat. Tiffy and Leon share a bed. They’ve never met. One works days, the other nights. But through an increasingly charming series of post-it notes, they go from strangers to something more. This book is the literary equivalent of someone offering you a cup of tea, a blanket, and a cat to nap with.
It balances quirky humor with unexpectedly serious themes like emotional abuse and healing, all while delivering top-tier slow-burn romance. You’ll be grinning like a fool one minute and internally screaming the next.
Best for: Anyone who wants adorable chemistry mixed with emotional healing and a dash of British charm.
3. The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Mood: Murder, but make it charming
In a sleepy retirement village, four amateur sleuths meet weekly to solve cold cases… until a real murder lands in their laps. Imagine Clue, but everyone is over 70 and has zero patience for nonsense.
Richard Osman’s dry wit shines as he gives you a cast of lovable characters with sharp minds, sarcastic tongues, and backstories you’ll actually care about. It’s a mystery that’s as much about life’s second acts as it is about whodunnit.
Best for: Fans of gentle mysteries with bite, clever retirees, and plots that don’t require a murder board and red string.
4. Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree
Genre: Cozy Fantasy
Mood: Cinnamon rolls and swords (mostly cinnamon rolls)
Retired orc barbarian Viv hangs up her sword to open a coffee shop in a city that has never heard of lattes. What follows is a low-stakes, high-cozy story about building a life, one pastry at a time.
Don’t expect epic battles or dragon politics—this is fantasy for your soul. It’s about friendship, starting over, and the radical act of choosing peace in a world that expects violence. And there’s a cinnamon bun scene that could make a grown warrior weep.
Best for: Fantasy fans who’d rather sip a mocha than battle a dark lord.
5. Book Lovers by Emily Henry
Genre: Enemies-to-Lovers Romance
Mood: Literary foreplay with emotional damage
Nora is a high-powered literary agent. Charlie is a brooding editor. They hate each other. Obviously, they end up in the same small town for the summer, thrown together in a series of Hallmark-movie-adjacent coincidences that lead to heartache, self-discovery, and snark-fueled passion.
Emily Henry delivers another smart, layered rom-com that pokes fun at tropes while fully indulging in them. It’s whip-smart, full of emotional depth, and deeply satisfying for anyone who’s ever felt too much or tried too hard.
Best for: The bookish, the burnout, and anyone who loves clever dialogue more than plot twists.
6. Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt
Genre: Literary Fiction with a touch of magical realism
Mood: Bittersweet, healing, and strangely aquatic
A widowed aquarium cleaner forms an unlikely bond with Marcellus, a highly intelligent (and oddly opinionated) giant Pacific octopus. Yes, you read that right. Through alternating POVs—including Marcellus, who is delightful and shady—this novel explores grief, loneliness, and the quiet beauty of second chances.
It’s charming, emotional, and surprisingly profound. You’ll root for an octopus. You’ll cry over an octopus. You’ll probably avoid calamari for a while.
Best for: Readers craving heartwarming fiction with a unique twist and unexpected friendship.
7. Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Genre: Historical Family Drama
Mood: Sunset scandal and sibling solidarity
Set in the glitzy surf-soaked world of 1980s Malibu, this novel follows four famous siblings as they prepare for the party of the year—one that will end in flames. Literally. As the story jumps between past and present, secrets unravel faster than a cheap bikini string.
Taylor Jenkins Reid masterfully weaves celebrity gossip, family dysfunction, and raw emotion into a tale that’s as beautiful as it is brutal. It’s the literary equivalent of eavesdropping on a very glamorous breakdown.
Best for: People who love family drama, retro settings, and books that double as beach accessories.
8. Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
Genre: Fantasy Romance
Mood: Dragons, death, and devastating chemistry
Violet Sorrengail is supposed to live a quiet life of books. Instead, she’s forced to enter an elite war college for dragon riders, where survival is not guaranteed and romance is…complicated. This isn’t your average fantasy—it’s ruthless, romantic, and absolutely unputdownable.
There’s danger. There’s betrayal. There’s a love interest with just the right amount of menace. And dragons. So many dragons. Perfect for anyone who ever yelled “Just kiss already!” at Game of Thrones.
Best for: Readers who want their cozy to come with claws, combat, and a smoldering slow burn.
Final Chapter: SPF and Page-Turners
Your summer reading list is now fully equipped for every mood swing, heat wave, and moment of socially acceptable escapism. Whether you’re lounging like a lizard on a sun-warmed rock or hiding inside with iced coffee and aggressively drawn curtains, there’s a book here that will feel like a soft place to land.
So go ahead—read until the ice in your drink melts and the real world feels just a little bit optional.
