Calling all music fans! Not only are these books fun summer romps, but they all share titles with some of your favorite songs!
Take A Chance On Me by Elizabeth Eulberg
17-year-old Evie flees to London to stay with her estranged father for the summer after a video of her breakup goes viral, but finds herself desperate for a distraction from his controlling attitude. She meets a busker named Aiden who seems funny and kind, but she’s not sure she is ready to open herself up again.
Better Than Revenge by Kasie West
Seventeen-year-old Finley has only ever had one to become a famous podcaster. This includes coming up with the perfect pitch to land her on her school’s podcast team. But when her football-obsessed boyfriend, Jensen, decides to also try out–and uses her idea–she’s left confused and betrayed. Determined to get back at him, Finley and her friends try to find the perfect revenge scheme, but quickly discover that Jensen is almost-impossible to best. Keyword, almost. By chance, Finley discovers a knack for kicking and decides to take Jensen’s spot on the football team. To help her train, she recruits Jensen’s cute but conceited nemeses, Theo. Soon the two discover that their connection runs deeper than football. But Finley can’t let herself get distracted, and Theo has secrets of his own. Is true love really better than the perfect revenge?
Cool For The Summer by Dahlia Adler
Larissa Bogdan was supposed to spend her summer babysitting and bookselling. Instead, she tagged along with her mom to the Outer Banks, working on her tan and making new friends. Now she’s back and starting her senior year at Stratford High, only to face another unexpected turn: She’s finally attracted the attention of superstar quarterback Chase Harding, the guy she’s crushed on since middle school. Then Jasmine Killary shows up. Jasmine, who’s supposed to be in North Carolina, not the New York City suburbs. Jasmine, who immediately entices Stratford’s student body with her glittering beauty and casual-cool style. Jasmine, who gave Larissa the three most perfect months of her life. But now Jasmine’s keeping her distance, not even acknowledging their friendship, much less the hot summer nights they spent together. Larissa knows she should be glad to bury their secret, but she also knows she never felt more comfortable, more confident, more herself than when she was with Jasmine. What was supposed to be a playful fling became something much deeper than she ever could have imagined. If Larissa’s finally got the guy, why can’t she stop thinking about the girl?
Long Story Short by Serena Kaylor
A sixteen-year-old homeschooled math genius finds herself out of her element at a theater summer camp and learns that life–and love–can’t be lived by the (text)book.
As You Walk On By by Julian Winters
Seventeen-year-old Theo Wright has it all figured out. His plan (well, more like his dad’s plan) is a foolproof strategy that involves excelling at his magnet school, getting scouted by college recruiters, and going to Duke on athletic scholarship. But for now, all Theo wants is a perfect prom night. After his best friend Jay dares Theo to prompose to his crush at Chloe Campbell’s party, Theo’s ready to throw caution to the wind and take his chances.
But when the promposal goes epically wrong, Theo seeks refuge in an empty bedroom while the party rages on downstairs. Having an existential crisis about who he really is with and without his so-called best friend wasn’t on tonight’s agenda. Though, as the night goes on, Theo finds he’s not as alone as he thinks when, one by one, new classmates join him to avoid who they’re supposed be outside the bedroom door. Among them, a familiar acquaintance, a quiet outsider, an old friend, and a new flame…
Never Ever Getting Back Together by Sophie Gonzales
Eighteen-year-old Maya Bailey enters a reality dating competition to get revenge on her cheating, royal-adjacent ex-boyfriend, and she ends up falling for another girl on the show–in fact, the girl he cheated on her with.
Run Away With Me by Brian Selznik
Danny is spending his sixteenth summer in Rome. As his mother spends the day at work in a mysterious museum, he wanders the ancient sites and streets. Soon after his arrival, he encounters a shadow… who becomes a voice… who becomes a boy his age. Angelo.
Soon Danny and Angelo are spending as much time as they can together, piecing together stories of the city while only gradually letting their own histories be shared.
The Way You Make Me Feel by Maureen Goo
Clara Shin lives for pranks and disruption. When she takes one joke too far, her dad sentences her to a summer working on his food truck, the KoBra, alongside her uptight classmate Rose Carver. Not the carefree summer Clara had imagined. But maybe Rose isn’t so bad. Maybe the boy named Hamlet (yes, Hamlet) crushing on her is pretty cute. Maybe Clara actually feels invested in her dads business. What if taking this summer seriously means that Clara has to leave her old self behind?
Begin Again by Emma Lord
College freshman Andie is used to fixing other people’s problems, but when her seemingly perfect plan for her future starts to crumble, Andie struggles to fix them and learns that the best-laid plans are not necessarily the right one.
Friday I’m In Love by Camryn Garett
It’s too late for a Sweet Sixteen, but what if Mahalia had a coming-out party? A love letter to romantic comedies, sweet sixteen blowouts, Black joy, and queer pride.
