This post includes affiliate links. This is at no extra cost to you, though we may earn a commission on any purchases you make via the links. For further information, please see our Privacy Policy.
If you’re looking for a great backlist romance book to read on your next vacation this summer, I’ve got you covered! This list showcases my top 10 popular romance books, that you absolutely should add to your summer holiday TBR!
I love a good romance novel, the more summery the better! Whilst I find them to be the perfect palate-cleansers in between heavier reads throughout the year, summer tends to be when I go all out for the summer romance vibes. Give me far-flung places, somewhere near a water source, with strong, cute main characters that I cheer for from the beginning! This list is not exhaustive, and I could easily add more, but these are the novels I have most recently read and enjoyed, all with varying themes, settings, and circumstances between the protagonists (not that there tends to be antagonists in rom-com novels… right?!). They are all popular for excellent reasons!
So, here are my top 10 popular romance books for your summer vacation TBR!
10. Seven Days in June – Tia Williams
This is such a hot book it easily sizzled its way into this list! Set in New York during a heatwave, it follows a pair of novelists, one highly successful within a niche audience but struggling to break out of the vampire romance genre, and the other also very successful but reclusive and unknown to his fanbase. Eva and Shane bump into each other at a bookish event, sparks fly, and takes them right back to when they were fifteen years old when they first met, full of drugs, alcohol and passion.
The backstory is what gives Eva and Shane so much life here, and I adored their second-chance romance story – a trope I don’t usually enjoy. It was done so well, with additional characters that meld the story together with real depth (Eva’s feisty daughter! <3). Wandering the streets of New York with them was fun, and seeing their development as people was wonderful.
9. Wanderlust – Elle Everhart
Dylan wins a radio contest to travel the world, but there’s a catch – the hosts get to pick one of her phone contacts at random to accompany her! Enter Jack the Posho, a one-night stand that Dylan ghosted! Dylan is the happy-go-lucky sunshiney girl to Jack’s cautious, dry, seemingly uptight character. The tension between them is palpable as they jetset to Sydney! Its a cute book, though I did have some issues with it (notably Dylan’s decisions regarding her travel column). However, overall its quick to read and has some fab descriptions of places they visit around the world!
8. Hits Different – Tasha Ghouri & Lizzie Huxley-Jones
Such great representation in this novel, and don’t think I’ve ever read from the perspective of a deaf person before. Learning about Cassie and her experiences as a deaf person opened my eyes to that community. Learning about different communities of people and their experiences of the world is something I think all readers should seek to do. Cassie gets a job as an understudy dancer for a famous pop artist in Ibiza, and moves out there with her best friend Pen. There is a love interest, which was cute, but this book is more about self-love than anything, which is just as sweet a read!
7. Malibu Rising – Taylor Jenkins Reid
Okay so… maybe not a romance novel, and more literary fiction, but the summer vibes are ALL there. As the title suggests, it is set in Malibu, and focuses on the famous Riva family. The four siblings throw their annual mega-party to celebrate the summer – the party vibes are immaculate! It’s steamy and fuelled by drama, and I loved it!
6. You and Me on Vacation – Emily Henry
Can Emily Henry do any wrong? No is the simple answer! I love every single one of her books, and this one is one of my favourites. This might be an unpopular opinion (frequently see this at the bottom of EmHen ranks), but I adore Poppy and Alex’s dynamic. Her peppy quirkiness, and his studious seriousness – and how important their friendship is to one another. I enjoyed reading about their vacations each year, and living the places through their friendship. As they embark on one last trip, can Poppy and Alex finally realise that maybe they can be more than friends? You’ll have to read it to see… This book, about summer vacations, is literally perfect for your own vacation TBR!
5. The Catch – Amy Lea
To be honest, I wasn’t expecting much with this one, as I read another of her novels and had a lot of issues with it. Those issues (farrrr too many tropes and overuse of the cute teeny female with the hulking strong man) are still somewhat present in The Catch, but much less so. I felt that the plot and dynamic between the characters made up for it. Mel is a city girl who decides to up her social media business game by spending a week out in the countryside, which takes her to a small, failing inn in Cora’s Cove, Nova Scotia. There, she meets Evan. When a boating accident causes the two of them to pretend they are engaged, Evan shows Mel around the cute fishing town. I fell in love with the charming quaintness of Cora’s Cove just as Mel does!
4. This Summer Will Be Different – Carley Fortune
I adored this! Set in a lobster town on Prince Edward Island, Lucy accidentally gets together with her best friend’s brother whilst vacationing on PEI! Over the next five years, Lucy and Felix decide they will only ever be friends and try to stay apart. During the present day, Lucy’s best friend Bridget is getting married, and Lucy realises her feelings for Felix are more than platonic. The friendships in this novel are fantastically written, and the history between Lucy and Felix is played out perfectly. Consequently, I now want to visit Prince Edward Island and try lobster, because it sounds delicious and perfect!
3. Seven Summer – Paige Toon
This was gearing up for a five stars from me… until that weird epilogue. Until that point though, this was honestly perfect. Set in coastal Cornwall, this gives a snapshot of each summer over a seven year period, following Liv and Finn. Each year, Liv and Finn spend the summer together, and then break each other’s hearts when Finn returns to his band in the USA. However, this summer, Tom arrives in St Agnes, and thus Liv’s life changes. Though this is technically a love triangle, it didn’t feel like one, and I lapped this up and adored every page.
2. Just For The Summer – Abby Jimenez
Though this is the third in a series, I have only read this one, and didn’t feel as though I missed out at all! Set on the sunny shores of Lake Minnetonka in Minnesota, Emma and Justin attempt to break their ‘curse’. Every person that each of them dates then goes on to find their soulmate! By dating one another and then breaking up, they hope to then find the loves of their lives! Traumas and family problems highlighted, which makes this book so much more than a romance novel. It’s deep and thoughtful and the writing is stunning.
1. You, With A View – Jessica Joyce
My absolute favourite summer read! Noelle has recently lost her beloved grandmother. When she discovers that her gram had a first love before her marriage, Noelle decides to locate the mystery man! This leads her to discovering that Paul is the grandfather of her high-school nemesis, Theo. Paul asks her to accompany him and Theo on the road trip that he and gram were supposed to take, and so Noelle finds herself in close quarters with her enemy. Paul is the cutest human, and Noelle and Theo have fabulous banter. I loved the descriptions of the places they visit, and the connections between the characters. Highly recommend!
Chat with us!
Which adorable romances will you be adding to your summer holiday TBR? What books would you add to this list? I love a good bookish recommendation! Chat with us in the comments!
