Nothing says "summer" like ocean views and a scintillating beach read. The 4th may have come and gone, but there's still plenty of time to crack open that buzzy title that everyone and their mother is talking about. If you need a seasonal refresher, we've got seven recommendations, from Kimberly Rae Miller's candid body image memoir to Zinzi Clemmons's debut about a young biracial woman growing up Pennsylvania. Paging all book clubs.
Made for Love by Alissa Nutting
Nutting's second novel is a meditation on technology, interconnectedness, and our desperate need to escape its reaches. The protagonist, Hazel, even goes so far as to move into a trailer park with her father and his sex doll to avoid her tech mogul fiancé. It's random, but somehow works.
What We Lose by Zinzi Clemmons
In this loosely autobiographical novel, newcomer Zinzi Clemmons tells the story of Thandi, a South African and American struggling to find her own identity following the death of her mother.
Amanda Wakes Up by Alisyn Camerota
A lowly local TV news anchor nabs her dream job on-air only to be bogged down with responsibilities that threaten to destroy her personal life, which begs the question: can she have it all?
Goodbye, Vitamin by Rachel Khong
A thirty-year-old woman ditches her fiancé, quits her job, and moves back into her parents' house to care for her ailing father, a history professor diagnosed with Alzheimer's
The Goddesses by Swan Huntley
After being cheated on by her husband, a woman relocates her family to Hawaii and strikes up an unlikely friendship with her yoga teacher that borders on obsession (think: Single White Female in a tropical setting).
Hello, Sunshine by Laura Dave
When an Instagram-famous chef is unexpectedly hacked, she loses everything important to her (her husband, her apartment, her beloved cooking show), and is forced to live a low-key life at home with her parents.
