Summer’s here and the days are hot. What’s better than settling in poolside with a great book by a fabulous female author? Not much! Here we have selected some must-reads books of summer by women that you’ll love.

Mrs. Everything by Jennifer Weiner

Jo and Bethie grew up in Detroit in the 1950s, in a seemingly pleasant and perfect environment. But is truth always as it is imagined? Through the decades of free love, Vietnam, Woodstock and women’s liberation, we follow the lives of these two very different sisters as they search for their happily ever after. Jennifer Weiner weaves history and fiction in this ambitious long-awaited novel about two sisters and their quest for happiness.


The Islanders by Meg Mitchell Moore

When three strangers meet on Block Island for a summer of recovery and solitude, it will turn into something none of them anticipated. Anthony Puckett is recovering from his fall from grace as an author, while café owner Joy is battling the arrival of a food truck in town who is wreaking havoc on her business. Mother and wife Lu is struggling with the fact that she agreed with her husband to raise their children while he worked, and she is missing her job in corporate law. When the secrets and lies of these three come to the surface over the course of the summer, it will be up to them to figure out their values, wants and desires.


I’ll Never Tell by Catherine McKenzie

The death of Amanda Holmes 20 years ago at Camp Macaw had never been solved. No one knows who bludgeoned the girl and left her body in a rowboat at the MacAllister’s camp. With the sudden death of their parents, the six MacAllister siblings are left with a will. And a stipulation. They must find out what happened to Amanda in order to settle the estate, which puts the siblings in a quandary. Each sibling holds a piece to the secret of what happened, but they won’t discover the truth until they each share what they know about the night Amanda died.


How to Say Goodbye by Katy Colins

Grace Salmon has a job that most people would not want – she arranges funerals and the handles the minute details that go into giving people a last chance to say goodbye to their loved one. When she heads to Facebook to find out more about some grieving relatives, she discovers a little bit too much and must decide what details are too important to share with those who have lost someone dear to them.


The Most Fun We Ever Had by Claire Lombardo

Parents to four drastically different daughters, Marilyn and David have had their share of parental woes. And now that they are all grown, each daughter is grappling with serious life issues revolving around booze, anxiety, unwanted pregnancy and lies. Beneath all the turmoil, the daughters all fear that they will never find a love like their parents have. This is a story of triumph, love, forgiveness and the joy that comes from family.


The Summer Guests by Mary Alice Monroe

When a group of strangers flees toward safety from an impending hurricane, the only thing they have in common is the hosts that will take them in. Grace and Charles Phillips open their home to their daughter and her dogs, an equestrian, a makeup artist and a horse breeder and her daughter for a most challenging week as the group rides out the storm. While they brought only what they needed, they will leave with more than they ever thought possible.


City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert

You probably know this author for her New York Times bestselling memoir, Eat, Pray, Love but Elizabeth Gilbert is out with a new fiction title you’ll want to check out. When Vivian is kicked out of college, her parents send her to live with her aunt in Manhattan. Aunt Peg runs a desolate theater and Vivian is there to help revive it. When a mistake causes her new world to unravel, Vivian will finally understand what kind of life she wants. Told from the perspective of Vivian at age 89, City of Girls takes the reader on a journey of one woman’s search for connection and love.


The Bride Test by Helen Hoang

Khai Diep’s autism causes him to think he’s defective but his family knows that he just processes things differently. His mother is on a quest to find him the perfect woman to marry and heads to Vietnam in her search for a woman who will understand her dear son. When Esme gets the opportunity to move to America to meet Khai as her potential husband, she knows she has to accept the offer. She never expected to fall in love with a man who she fears may never be able to reciprocate her feelings.


The Wedding Party by Jasmine Guillory

Alexa, who is soon to be married, is best friends with Maddie and Theo, who hate each other. But after a night when Maddie and Theo hook up, the two can’t stop thinking about each other. As Alexa’s wedding approaches, Maddie and Theo have to spend more and more time together. They start sneaking off together for rendezvous when Alexa’s not around, promising to end things after the wedding. But will the two find that they’re better together than apart?


Montauk by Nicola Harrison

As Beatrice and her husband Harry head to Montauk for the summer, she is hopeful to reignite the passion they once had. Harry, however, has other ideas and is focused on business. As Bea discovers she is stuck for three months with the high society elite she wants nothing to do with, Harry withdraws into his business. Unhappy being surrounded by privileged mothers, childless Bea rethinks everything about her life. A new man, much different from Harry, will offer Bea the strength she needs to make changes and find happiness.


The Chelsea Girls by Fiona Davis

In 1950s New York, the place to be for glitz and glamour is the Chelsea Hotel. There, playwright Hazel and actress Maxine set their sights on fame on Broadway. The harder they work to make their dreams happen, the more they realize the politics involved with becoming successful. Their friendship and freedom will be tested in the backdrop of the historic Chelsea Hotel in this new Fiona Davis novel.

*Disclosure: The links above are affiliate links. These picks are editorially selected, but if you purchase, She Reads may get something in return. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. 

(Feature image courtesy of @riverheadbooks)