Summers are always filled with plans—beach getaways, vacations, family visits, new hobbies—and you are always hoping there’s a book in your bag for those short breaks of time in between leisure. Here are the perfect books for summer 2025 to keep you company through the hot months.
1. The Wedding People by Alison Espach
Absolutely adored The Wedding People by Alison Espach about a wedding in Newport, Rhode Island. In this novel, a rich bride has booked all the rooms in the Cornwall Inn for her wedding party, except one, which is booked by a sad, frustrated woman Phoebe. Phoebe has decided to kill herself, coincidentally on the day of the wedding. For Phoebe, this hotel stay is the last indulgent day of her life; she had hoped to visit the place with her ex-husband. On the other hand, the bride is aghast that the best day of her life might be interrupted with Phoebe’s death. I loved the relationship the strangers developed with one another and how ultimately life is an act of letting go and finding yourself. It is funny, tender, emotional, light, heavy—everything you want a perfect summer read to be!
I wrote a longer review on Satchel Notes linked here.
2. First Time Caller by B. K. Borison
How about a Sleepless in Seattle style of romance this summer? Aiden, who doesn’t believe in love is the host of Baltimore’s romance hotline. A young girl calls the show for dating advice for her mom. Now, everyone in Baltimore is pitching in to find Lucy, the mom, the love of her life. When Lucy is called to co-host the show, sparks fly between grumpy Aiden and sunshine-y Lucy. Make sure you follow it up with Sleepless in Seattle and a big bowl of popcorn.
3. The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley
Perhaps 400 pages of a time travel story with romance is what you are searching for a new addition to your summer books of 2025. In The Ministry of Time, a civil servant is tasked with assisting a person who died on the Arctic expedition of 1845 but is now brought back to life. She must assist and help the time traveler get accustomed to the modern world, without inviting attention. It is a book about defying history, ethics, love and other things. I found myself invested, even though I sometimes wished the characters were written to be more active on the page and took a center stage, especially during scenes of conflict.
Also Read : Aliens and Salads (on Satchel Notes)
4. The Anthropologists by Ayșegül Savaş
This could be my favorite book of the year! The Anthropologists follows a young couple, trying to build a home in a new country. It is told in vignettes with astute observations on life, ageing parents, belonging, new rituals, and finding home. Find my longer review on the novel here.
5. The Inheritance by Trisha Saklecha
This fast-paced thriller about a rich Indian dysfunctional family, the Agarwals, celebrating a wedding anniversary in an isolated island in Scotland, is a great summer read. The patriarch Raj is about to announce his succession plan for his multi-million dollar company. Dive into secrets, over parentified adult children, secrets, lifestyle for the gram, crumbling marriages, leverage, betrayal. Juicy!
6. The Man Who Died Seven Times by Yasuhiko Nishizawa, translated by Jesse Kirkwood
This one’s for cozy mystery fans. In The Man who Died Seven Times, Hisataro, a young member of the wealthy Fuchigami family, has the special ability to relive the same day multiple times. While he isn’t entirely sure what triggers the time loop, it gets incredibly useful when his grandfather is murdered and he can relive the day, and also change some incidents of the day.
Also Read : Two golden cozy mysteries from Japan
7. Marble Hall Murders by Anthony Horowitz
One more for cozy mystery fans. I am partial to the Susan Ryeland mysteries, where an editor tries to solve a real-life (her real-life) crime with hints from a fictional mystery written by one of the famous authors whose work she has edited in her professional capacity. Now as a freelance editor, editing the work of a new, erratic author, she begins to see eerie resemblances to real life, which might put her life, among many others, at risk. The novel is huge, and there are two mysteries in one, making it perfect for a summer pick. The TV adaptation of the series is absolutely worth your time. Horowitz mentions that the idea for the third and last book sprouted when the actor Lesley Manville who brilliantly plays Susan Ryeland in the series remarked that she wished she could play her one more time. Forever thankful to Manville for that.
If you are new to the Ryeland mysteries, start with Magpie Murders, my favorite. You do not need to be familiar with the earlier books, they all work as stand alones, but you might have to deal with spoilers of course.
8. Where are you Really From by Elaine Hsieh Chou
Disorientation by Elaine Hsieh Chou is one of my favorite books set in academia. When I heard she published a short story collection, I knew that I must get my hands on it. I thoroughly enjoyed these stories that linger on themes of belonging, micro aggressions towards the Asian community, cruelty, genuine relationships and love. My favorites in the collection are about a mail order bride in America becoming Americanized and integrating into the society while her husband wonders at the meaning of it all, and the woman who finds herself in Paris with a French doppelganger. These stories make you ask ‘who are you, really?’
9. Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng by Kylie Lee Baker
This horror book is for those who might enjoy a heavier theme this summer. Cora Zeng is a crime scene cleaner and works in China Town, cleaning up remnants of murders, deaths and suicides. She notices a pattern of East Asian women being murdered and bat carcasses at the crime scene. She fears she is being haunted by a ghost and she refuses to listen to her aunt about rituals about the Hungry Ghost Festival. This works great as an audiobook, looking at grief, sisterhood, racism against Asians, and loneliness. It is reflective, occasionally sad, and disturbing.
10. Song of the Asunam by C.G. Salamander, illustrated by Rajiv Eipe
A sweet picture book about an adventurous boy who dreams of hunting monsters and a rainbow scaled Asunam captured and chained by the boy. When the boy understands that the Asunam is merely lost, and not a threat, a friendship blossoms between them. Beautiful illustrations!
The best books to add to your summer reading list 2025 Share on X
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