As the days get longer and the sun gets warmer, all I can think about is spending long, luxurious stretches of time, stretched out by a body of water, with a book in hand. Every season is reading season, but some of my favourite summer memories involve gently bobbing on a floating dock, or splayed on a sandy beach, sipping a cold drink, and tearing my way through a great book.

In order to help you make the most of your summer reading, I’ve got a list of some must-reads to take to the beach or the cottage, and help keep you cool this summer.

Fake Skating by Lynn Painter

If you’re obsessed with Off Campus like I am, maybe you’re in the mood for another hockey romance with the fake dating trope. If so, you’re in luck with Lynn Painter’s swoony young adult rom-com, Fake Skating. This is a charming story about two childhood sweethearts who reunite years later, when Dani moves back to Minnesota, excited to reconnect with nerdy and comfortable Alex. But teenage Alex is nothing like she remembers. He’s a hockey star, in a town where hockey players are worshipped like gods, and he loves it. When one thing leads to another, they find themselves thrown together, pretending to be boyfriend and girlfriend, and things get infinitely more complicated. 

A Kiss of Crimson Ash by Anuja Varghese

Anuja Varghese’s A Kiss of Crimson Ash is the first book in a new fantasy trilogy inspired by Medieval India. Taara is the newly crowned Queen of Abhaya, and she must marry, whether she wants to or not. Her betrothed is Garjan, the Prince of a neighbouring city, full of spellcasters and secrets. His forbidden love is Bhediya, a courtesan with magic in her blood. Then there’s Roland, a thief who is attached to nothing and no one, who stumbles onto a plot to unearth a weapon that’s only lived in myth, until now. Linked by desire, destiny, and a dangerous enemy, these four must summon an ancient power in a battle to reshape the empire.

Follow the Sun by Liz Locke

Liz Locke’s Follow the Sun is set in the ‘60s and follows socialite Caroline Kimball, who sees travel as a means to hide from responsibility, and keep her musical ambitions a secret from her mother. When she meets a handsome photographer, his encouragement shows her that she could be more than a bored and beautiful heiress, and that her childhood dreams may not be as impossible as she thinks. Caroline decides to leave her life behind and run away with him to a small Spanish island where she is finally able to confront the loss of her father, while her mother’s secrets start to catch up with her. Caroline soon finds herself torn between her relationship, her dreams, and saving her family from financial ruin. 

Getting Away with Murder by Shari Lapena

I read my first Shari Lapena book last year, followed quickly by my second, third, and so on… Getting Away with Murder is her latest. Jill and Ted adore their New York brownstone, almost like a child. They’ve made every inch of it their own. So, when Ted’s inheritance runs out, and he makes a bad investment, they panic… how can they protect their home, and their lifestyle? The answer is obvious… at least to them. The death of one wealthy family member could solve all of their problems. Together, they could get away with murder…

Let’s Kiss and Tell by Joss Richard

Canada Reads Finalist Joss Richard’s latest, Let’s Kiss and Tell, is an unputdownable workplace rom-com. Lucy Reid is a sex columnist whose views on relationships aren’t necessarily the most optimistic. She spends her time encouraging her readers to embrace their sexuality and find fulfillment, even without a relationship. But when she’s informed by her team that all of their readers appear to be in relationships, she has to pivot, and fast. Enter Marshall Oakley, the new senior news writer, who has just confessed to needing a girlfriend for his ex’s wedding. Faking a relationship is the perfect idea. Marshall can prove that he’s moved on, and Lucy can write about finding “the one”, then break up, and prove to her readers (and her bosses) that relationships don’t solve everything… But the more time they spend together, the more the lines start to blur. 

The Faraway Inn by Sarah Beth Durst

The Faraway Inn is Sarah Beth Durst’s latest, a cozy and charming young adult fantasy that follows Calisa, who is desperate for a change in scenery after her lying ex-boyfriend ruins the perfect Brooklyn summer she’d planned. On her parents’ suggestion, she decides to spend the summer in rural Vermont, at her great aunt’s cozy bed and breakfast. But when she arrives, Calisa is stunned to find the inn is run down, with only a couple of guests… and to make things worse, her prickly great-aunt doesn’t even want her there. Auntie Zee doesn’t want anyone messing with her beloved inn, even though she clearly needs the help. So, Calisa decides to earn her keep by trying to help restore the inn, with the help of the groundskeeper’s (handsome) son. But the longer she’s there, the more she’s sure — this isn’t a normal inn. There’s something otherworldly about the inn, and its guests, and to protect the inn, Calisa must uncover its secrets. 

The River She Became by Emily Varga

Emily Varga’s The River She Became is an action-packed romantasy book about a relic-hunter on the hunt for an ancient fae object, so she can restore magic to her world. Yaseema is a brilliant scholar, and a loyal servant of the Empire… or so they think. By day, she works to catalogue the fae relics of her conquered kingdom, but by night, she reclaims the artifacts in secret, in order to restore magic to her dying land. When she finds the long-lost key to cross the river into the fae world and save her people, she finds a ruthless realm, ruled by monsters wearing beautiful skin, including the cold-eyed captain, who sees through her lies. But even he isn’t what he seems. He’s secretly working to overthrow the cruel regime, and in order to succeed, he needs an ancient relic… the same one Yaseema is hunting for.

This is Not a Test by Courtney Summers

There’s something about the summer that makes me crave horror books and movies a lot more, and Courtney Summers’ This Is Not A Test is one of my favourite horror books I read this year. It’s a dark and twisty action-packed thriller that takes place at the end of the world. Six students are residing in their high school, but their shelter is little comfort when the dead keep pounding at the doors, waiting to deliver the fatal bites that will bring people back as monstrous versions of themselves. That doesn’t sound so bad to Sloane. Six months ago, her own world collapsed, and since then she hasn’t been able to find a reason to keep going. Now feels like the perfect time to give up. Dark, complicated, messy, and compelling, this book is unafraid to ask – what do you live for at the end of the world?

Leave and Come Back by Lavanya Lakshmi

Lavanya Lakshmi’s Leave and Come Back is a romantic comedy debut full of family drama that kicks off when a young woman’s new boyfriend accidentally shows up to a two-week-long family wedding. Family drama is already at a high when Leo, Simran’s new boyfriend, accidentally crashes her cousin’s engagement party. In order to avoid provoking her family’s judgment and ire, the cousins decide to rally. Following the lead of their favourite Bollywood movie, DDLJ, they decide to trick strict aunt Veena into adoring Leo. This book is full of hijinks, comedy, and a beautiful heart, all about opening up to love, honouring the past, and embracing the present.

Aicha by Soraya Bouazzaoui

Soraya Bouazzaoui’s Aicha is an epic fantasy story about mythology and female rage. The Portuguese have colonized Morocco, ruling with an iron fist… but all empires must eventually fall. Aicha is the daughter of a Moroccan freedom fighter, and she was born for battle. She’s witnessed the starvation, torture, and death of her people at the hands of the occupation, and it has stoked her rage. Only her secret lover, rebellion leader Rachid, can calm her anger. But as the fight for Morocco’s freedom reaches its violent climax, the anger beneath Aicha’s veins will not be ignored.

Venom Lake by Emma White

Emma White’s Venom Lake is a twisty thriller set during a weekend getaway for a true-crime book club. Four women retreat to the sole cottage on isolated Snakebite Island, and what was supposed to be a fun weekend of getting drunk and talking serial murder ends up taking a dark turn, when a member of the group is found dead on the shore. Murdered, by one of her so-called friends. Under the surface, there’s a lot of turbulence in the group – addiction, affairs, blackmail, financial misconduct, a missing husband, and other dangerous secrets… how far are they willing to go to keep them? 

Lucky by Marissa Stapley

Marissa Stapley’s Lucky is a thrilling ride about a heist gone wrong. Lucky Armstrong is a talented grifter who has just pulled off a million-dollar heist with her boyfriend, Cary. She’s ready to start her new life when things go sideways, and she finds herself alone, navigating the world without her boyfriend or her father — the two figures who taught her the art of scamming. When she discovers the lottery ticket she bought on a whim has won millions, she’s thrilled, but if she cashes in, she’ll be arrested for her crimes. As Lucky tries to avoid capture, she must confront her past, and try to learn how to live the kind of life she wants to live… before her luck runs out. Read it before the series, starring Anya Taylor-Joy and Drew Starkey, releases on Apple TV this July. 

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Ameema Saeed (@ameemabackwards) is a storyteller, a Capricorn, an avid bookworm, and a curator of very specific playlists and customized book recommendations. She’s a book reviewer, a Sensitivity Reader, a book buyer at Indigo Books & Music, and the Books Editor for She Does the City, where she writes and curates bookish content, and book recommendations. She enjoys bad puns, good food, dancing, and talking about feelings. She writes about books, big feelings, unruly bodies, and her lived experiences, and hopes to write your next favourite book one day. When she’s not reading books, she likes to talk about books (especially diverse books, and books by diverse authors) on her bookstagram: @ReadWithMeemz