10 Books to Add to Your Reading List This Summer

Reading provides a great escape and is the perfect way to pass the time when you’re traveling, sitting by the lake or beach, or at home during those mid-summer afternoon thunderstorms. This year I set a goal for myself to read 15 books and by the end of May, I had already surpassed that goal by reading 22 books! It was easy to fall back into reading when I had the right books and were reading ones that captured my attention, transporting me into a different world sometimes. That’s what this list of books has done for me over the last few months. Therefore, I’m here to recommend 10 books to add to your reading list for the summer of 2019. Write them down, purchase them from Amazon, or borrow them from the nearest library! Whether you’re a digital reader like on a Kindle, you like listening to books on Audible, or you prefer the paperback version, these books will keep you entertained all summer long.

I read a lot of different genres – anything from fiction to non-fiction. I love historical fiction and shy away from gushy love stories. A lot of the books below had a GOTCHA moment where I had no idea the ending was going to turn out that way. Those are my favorite kind of books. Some of these books are also military or war-related books, being that Stephen is in the military and it fits in with our lives and living in Europe!

Under each book, you’ll find a short summary, my review, and where to find the book! Let me know what you think & leave a comment at the end if you have any to add! Find me here on the Goodreads App to see my complete list of books, including those that are marked “want to read”!

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1. The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena

About:

It all started at a dinner party. . .
A domestic suspense debut about a young couple and their apparently friendly neighbors–a twisty, rollercoaster ride of lies, betrayal, and the secrets between husbands and wives. . .

My Review:

WOW! I finished this book in less than 2 days. I could barely put it down. When the book tells you that it’s twisty and a rollercoaster ride…you better believe they speak the truth. You won’t even believe the things that happen. You just have to read it to know!!

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2. The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah

About:

Alaska, 1974.
Unpredictable. Unforgiving. Untamed.
For a family in crisis, the ultimate test of survival.
Ernt Allbright, a former POW, comes home from the Vietnam war a changed and volatile man. When he loses yet another job, he makes an impulsive decision: he will move his family north, to Alaska, where they will live off the grid in America’s last true frontier.

My Review:

I picked up this story thanks to a recommendation from our librarian. I always thought that I could see myself living in Alaska, but after reading this story that’s a big no way. It’s the type of story I couldn’t put down. I truly never expected the road that it went down and the events that took place. Sadness, death, loss, abuse – so much was felt while reading this book. It’s a page turner and will make you rethink the wild.

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3. Beneath a Scarlet Sky by Mark T. Sullivan

About:

Based on the true story of a forgotten hero, Beneath a Scarlet Sky is the triumphant, epic tale of one young man’s incredible courage and resilience during one of history’s darkest hours.
Pino Lella wants nothing to do with the war or the Nazis. He’s a normal Italian teenager—obsessed with music, food, and girls—but his days of innocence are numbered. When his family home in Milan is destroyed by Allied bombs, Pino joins an underground railroad helping Jews escape over the Alps, and falls for Anna, a beautiful widow six years his senior.

My Review:

Hands down one of the best books I’ve ever read. It takes place in our beloved temporary home in Italy and the famous Dolomites – which we have come to love so much. Many of the places mentioned in the book are places that we have been to and thoroughly enjoyed! If you have any interest in northern Italy, Nazis, Germans, or anything military related – this is the book for you. It’s an incredible, yet heart-tugging storyline based on real events.

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4. Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman

About:

Eleanor Oliphant has learned how to survive – but not how to live. Eleanor Oliphant leads a simple life. She wears the same clothes to work every day, eats the same meal deal for lunch every day and buys the same two bottles of vodka to drink every weekend. Eleanor Oliphant is happy. Nothing is missing from her carefully timetabled life. Except, sometimes, everything. One simple act of kindness is about to shatter the walls Eleanor has built around herself. Now she must learn how to navigate the world that everyone else seems to take for granted – while searching for the courage to face the dark corners she’s avoided all her life. Change can be good. Change can be bad. But surely any change is better than. . . fine?

My Review:

While this is definitely not the type of book I usually read, a friend insisted that I try it. Turns out it was addicting, yet super weird. I couldn’t put it down but at the same time, I cringed at the things that Eleanor said or did. In the end I thought: What an ending! I had NO idea that was coming. Of course, everything ended up being just “completely fine”.

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5. Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed

About:

At twenty-two, Cheryl Strayed thought she had lost everything. In the wake of her mother’s death, her family scattered and her own marriage was soon destroyed. Four years later, with nothing more to lose, she made the most impulsive decision of her life. With no experience or training, driven only by blind will, she would hike more than a thousand miles of the Pacific Crest Trail from the Mojave Desert through California and Oregon to Washington State — and she would do it alone.

Told with suspense and style, sparkling with warmth and humor, Wild powerfully captures the terrors and pleasures of one young woman forging ahead against all odds on a journey that maddened, strengthened, and ultimately healed her.

My Review:

This book frustrated the hell out of me. Honestly, who decides they’re going to hike the PCT with little to no preparation, barely any money, and with a pocket full of condoms? But, who am I to judge and tell someone they can’t accomplish a task because in the end, I know I’ve done things (like mountain climbing) that I was way underprepared for. This was what she needed in her life at the time and I am not one to argue that hiking is therapeutic and soothing. I truly couldn’t put the book down because I was rooting for her – the entire way. Rooting for her to finish, no matter how many trials and tribulations she encountered. It’s a great analogy for life to just keep on walkin’ when the goin’ gets tough!

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6. The High Tide Club by Mary Kay Andrews

About:

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Weekenders comes a delightful new novel about new love, old secrets, and the kind of friendship that transcends generations. The High Tide Club is Mary Kay Andrews at her Queen of the Beach Reads best, a compelling and witty tale of romance thwarted, friendships renewed, justice delivered, and true love found.

My Review:

I listened to this book on Audible while driving back and forth from Georgia to North Carolina a few months ago. It kept me entertained all 10+ hours! It has a great storyline with some unexpected turns. It’s a good book about friendship, love, trust & loyalty. The book is set near Savannah, GA!

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7. Something in the Water by Catherine Steadman

About:

If you could make one simple choice that would change your life forever, would you?
Erin is a documentary filmmaker on the brink of a professional breakthrough, Mark a handsome investment banker with big plans. Passionately in love, they embark on a dream honeymoon to the tropical island of Bora Bora, where they enjoy the sun, the sand, and each other. Then, while scuba diving in the crystal blue sea, they find something in the water. . . .
Catherine Steadman’s enthralling voice shines throughout this spellbinding debut novel. With piercing insight and fascinating twists, Something in the Water challenges the reader to confront the hopes we desperately cling to, the ideals we’re tempted to abandon, and the perfect lies we tell ourselves.

My Review:

Have you ever read a book that makes you look at your husband or significant other and think: “oh my god, could our entire relationship be a lie? Could he be a cold-blooded killer?”. Yeah, that’s what this book made me think after I finished reading it. No worries though guys, because Stephen is too kind to ever do something like that… 😉

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8. Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly

About:

Inspired by the life of a real World War II heroine, this debut novel reveals a story of love, redemption, and secrets that were hidden for decades.

New York socialite Caroline Ferriday has her hands full with her post at the French consulate and a new love on the horizon. But Caroline’s world is forever changed when Hitler’s army invades Poland in September 1939—and then sets its sights on France.

My Review:

Often times, I had to take a break from this book and really decide – are they saying what I think they’re saying? The author doesn’t hide any of the details that these women, the Rabbits, endured in concentration camps. But this book has so much more than just torture performed by Nazi doctors. You’ll read about hope, survival, love, resilience, and strength. It’s a powerful story about these three women, and others, that deserve our attention and respect.

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9. Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand

About:

In her long-awaited new book, Laura Hillenbrand writes with the same rich and vivid narrative voice she displayed in Seabiscuit. Telling an unforgettable story of a man’s journey into extremity, Unbroken is a testament to the resilience of the human mind, body, and spirit.

On a May afternoon in 1943, an Army Air Forces bomber crashed into the Pacific Ocean and disappeared, leaving only a spray of debris and a slick of oil, gasoline, and blood. Then, on the ocean surface, a face appeared. It was that of a young lieutenant, the plane’s bombardier, who was struggling to a life raft and pulling himself aboard. So began one of the most extraordinary odysseys of the Second World War.

My Review:

Another book detailing the torture and circumstances that humans had to go through during war time. It’s not an easy book to read – in fact, it took me the longest to read this book, because it felt like it hit too close to home. I don’t know what I would ever do if I found myself waiting for my loved one at home, wondering where he was all those months. The journals he kept and the details he remembered from those horrific events are incredible and have been well written by the author. There is a movie, but I have yet to see it!

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10. The Silent Sister by Diane Chamberlain

About:

In The Silent Sister, Riley MacPherson has spent her entire life believing that her older sister Lisa committed suicide as a teenager. Now, over twenty years later, her father has passed away and she’s in New Bern, North Carolina cleaning out his house when she finds evidence to the contrary. Lisa is alive. Alive and living under a new identity. But why exactly was she on the run all those years ago, and what secrets are being kept now? As Riley works to uncover the truth, her discoveries will put into question everything she thought she knew about her family. Riley must decide what the past means for her present, and what she will do with her newfound reality, in this engrossing New York Times bestselling mystery from Diane Chamberlain.

My Review:

The Silent Sister is a story about love, hate, and families. It’s about the secrets we keep and the lies we tell to protect our loved ones. This is another book that I listened to on Audible and listened to it every second I could. I love these mystery type books and Diane Chamberlain is a great author in general!

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If you enjoyed this list, be sure to pin it plus add these books to your reading list this summer. Have any others you think I should add? Let me know in the comments below!

When I’m not reading or listening to a book on Audible, Podcasts are my go to! Here are my favorite Podcasts for car rides, road trips, and everything in between.