2021 Adult Summer Reading Most Popular Books

Golden Girl

Elin Hilderbrand

Entering the afterlife due to a hit and run accident, a successful author learns she can observe the earthly lives of her nearly grown children and is also permitted three “nudges” to alter the outcome of events.

“Great summer read.”

“Excellent summer reading. You cry, you laugh and just enjoy.”

“Great author.”

Malibu Rising

Taylor Jenkins Reid

Set against the backdrop of the Malibu surf culture of the 1980s this novel follows the daughter of a famous singer who, once she finds fame, must grapple with the fact that her father abandoned her and her siblings when they were young.

Last Thing He Told Me

Laura Dave

When her husband of a year disappears, Hannah quickly learns he is not who he said he was and is left to sort out the truth with just one ally- her husband’s teenage daughter, who hates her.

“Keeps you guessing from the first chapter. Quick fast paced read.”

“Heard lots of hype about this book. Julia Roberts is to play the main character in a movie on Apple TV, Reece Witherspoon recommended it for her book club, and it is one of the Book of the Month books. However, I found it kinda slow and dragged on. Not sure if it’s the book or if I just had a lot going on while reading it so my focus wasn’t as strong. I just didn’t really care for it that much.”

Pretty Little Wife

Darby Kane

Darby Kane thrills with this twisty domestic suspense novel that asks one central question: shouldn’t a dead husband stay dead?

“Crazy twists develop!”

“Such a great book!!!!!”

“This book should get 10 stars!!!! It is the best thriller/suspense novel that I have ever read!!”

“Page-turner.”

Four Winds

Kristin Hannah

A Depression-era woman confronts a wrenching choice between fighting for the Dust Bowl-ravaged land she loves in Texas or pursuing an uncertain future in California.

“Good read. Good reflection of how people struggled during the depression and the endurance of people. And the fact that we don’t seem to treat people with the respect they deserve today either.”

Local Woman Missing

Mary Kubica

When Delilah, who disappeared 11 years earlier when she was only 6 years old, shockingly returns, the residents of a quiet suburban neighborhood want to know what happened to her, but no one is prepared for what they’ll find.

The Newcomer

Mary Kay Andrews

After her sister is murdered, Letty Carnahan goes on the run with her 4-year-old niece to Florida’s Gulf Coast where she is taken in by a hotel owner and her cynical son, a police detective, who believes she is a danger to them all.

“Excellently good story.”

“The is the best time of year to indulge in a Mary Kay Andrews beach read. It did not disappoint. Sun, sand, love, all wrapped in a mystery. Well Done!!”

Anxious People

Fredrik Backman

Taken hostage by a failed bank robber while attending an open house, eight anxiety-prone strangers—including a redemption-seeking bank director, two couples who would fix their marriages, and a plucky octogenarian—discover their unexpected common traits.

Hour of the Witch

Chris Bohjalian

A resourceful Puritan woman in 1662 Boston plots to escape a violent marriage only to find herself targeted by her disapproving and superstitious neighbors for failing to save a child’s life.

Legacy

Nora Roberts

After launching her own line of yoga and workout videos, Adrian Rizzo begins receiving death threats, which lead her back home to Maryland, where she, with the help of her childhood crush, must find the truth when the threats escalate to murder.

“A great story!!!!!!”

“Nora Roberts is my favorite author and this novel is exceptional. She is an amazing author.”

Pack Up the Moon

Kristan Higgins

When his wife leaves behind a series of letters—one for every month after her death, Joshua is taken on a journey through pain, anger and denial—one that will teach him that the path to happiness doesn’t follow a straight line.

“Wonderful book. Kristen did a fantastic job.”

“I kept saying this is sad, but it kept me wanting to read. Loved the way the author set up the story line.”

People We Meet on Vacation

Emily Henry

Best friends Alex and Poppy try to repair their relationship two years after a disastrous vacation together by planning another vacation together in the new novel from the New York Times best-selling author of Beach Read.

Project Hail Mary

Andy Weir

The sole survivor on a desperate, last-chance mission to save both humanity and the earth, Ryland Grace is hurtled into the depths of space when he must conquer an extinction-level threat to our species.

“Loved this book! Loved the main character! I liked it almost as much as the Martian!”

That Summer

Jennifer Weiner

While trying to pinpoint the root of her dissatisfaction with her life, Daisy Shoemaker begins receiving misdirected emails meant for another woman and starts living vicariously through her until she discovers that their connection was not completely accidental.

28 Summers

Elin Hilderbrand

Based on the classic film Same Time Next Year (which Mallory and Jake watch every summer), 28 Summers explores the agony and romance of a one-weekend-per-year affair and the dramatic ways this relationship complicates and enriches their lives, and the lives of the people they love.

“Very good summer read.”

“Always a great, easy read from Elin!”

The Cellist

Daniel Silva

After the poisoning of a Russian billionaire, Gabriel Allon travels across Europe and finds himself in the reach of a virtuoso cellist who may be able to help uncover the truth about his friend’s death.

Good Company

Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney

In this bighearted story of the lifelong relationships that both wound and heal us, Flora Mancini finds everything she thought she knew about her husband, her marriage and her relationship with her best friend upended when she makes a startling discovery.

The Good Sister

Sally Hepworth

Twin sisters who are polar opposites but who are harboring a deep, dark secret about their sociopathic mother must face the consequences of both her actions and their own when one tries to start a family.

Homegoing

Yaa Gyasi

Two half sisters, unknown to each other, are born into different villages in 18th-century Ghana and experience profoundly different lives and legacies throughout subsequent generations marked by wealth, slavery, war, coal mining, the Great Migration and the realities of 20th-century Harlem.

“Thought provoking read!!”

“Amazing historical account!!”

The Last Flight

Julie Clark

Two women meet in an airport, both alone, both scared, and both urgently needing an escape from their lives. Together they hatch a plan to switch tickets—but when one plane crashes, and it’s clear that one of them wasn’t telling the truth.

“I couldn’t put this very intriguing mystery down.”

“Great mystery!”

The Lost Apothecary

Sarah Penner

Secretly dispensing poisons to liberate women from the men who have wronged them, a London apothecary triggers unintended consequences that shape three lives across multiple centuries. A first novel.

“Tells the story of Nella, an apothecary in 1781 who specializes in dispensing poisons to women who seek revenge on faithless husbands, and the present day story of Caroline, who uncovers Nella’s untold story while visiting London. I loved how the two stories wove together.”

The Maidens

Alex Michaelides

When a member of a secret society known as The Maidens is murdered, a brilliant, but troubled, group therapist finds her obsession with proving the guilt of an untouchable Cambridge University professor spiraling out of control, threatening to destroy her credibility as well as her life.

“Book was so good!”

The Plot

Jean Hanff Korelitz

Wildly successful author Jacob Finch Bonner, who had stolen the plot of his book from a late student, fights to hide the truth from his fans and publishers, while trying to figure out who wants to destroy him.

The Push

Ashley Audrain

A devoted mother with a painful past gradually realizes that something is very wrong with her daughter, a fear that is complicated by her husband’s dismissive views and the birth of a healthy son.

“Love this book and it’s ending is the best!!”

Reunion Beach
Stories Inspired by Dorothea Benton Frank

Patti Callahan, Elin Hilderbrand, Adriana Trigiani, Mary Alice Monroe, Cassandra King Conroy

A group of bestselling authors and writers pay tribute to legendary, larger-than-life New York Times bestselling author Dorothea Benton Frank and her literary legacy, capturing her unforgettable spirit, joy, and humor in stories of reunions and love.

“Celebrating the life of Dorothea Benton Frank.”

The Rumor

Elin Hilderbrand

Struggling with looming bills and writer’s block while her best friend faces a life-changing decision, Nantucket author Madeline King tackles escalating rumors during a summer of explosive secrets.

“Great beach read!”

“Wow! What a great beach read.”

Something in the Water

Catherine Steadman

A successful banker and a rising filmmaker embark on a blissful paradise honeymoon in Bora Bora, where the discovery of a mysterious bag of riches triggers a sequence of events that indelibly marks their marriage and lives.

“A thriller that keep you guessing to the end. It also is one of those books that asks you What would you do?”

“Gripping!”

Sooley

John Grisham

After seventeen-year-old Sooley receives a college scholarship to play basketball, he moves from war-torn South Sudan, enrolls in classes, joins the team, and prepares to sit out his freshman season. But Sooley has a fierce determination to succeed so he can bring his family to America, working tirelessly on his game until he dominates everyone in practice, and when Sooley is called off the bench, the legend begins.

Survive the Night

Riley Sager

When her best friend is the third victim of a serial killer targeting college students, Charlie, deciding to leave campus, accepts a ride home from Josh Baxter and, realizing his true identity too late, must win a twisted game of cat and mouse by surviving the night.

Troubles in Paradise

Elin Hilderbrand

As drama unfolds around her and her family after the death of her husband, who was leading a double life, Irene Steele gets some help from a mysterious source and a new beginning in the paradise of St. John after the truth is finally revealed.

“Very difficult to follow. Have enjoyed this author before, but not this book.”

What Comes After

Joanne Tompkins

The grieving single parents of two recently deceased teenage boys forge an unexpected bond over the appearance of a mysterious pregnant girl who offers insight into the tragedy.

When All is Said

Anne Griffin

An 84-year-old loner, sitting at a grand hotel bar in Ireland, toasts the five people who have meant the most to him while recalling unspoken losses and joys, a tragic secret and a fierce love.

“Loved it! Sweet, great story line, clever structure (each chapter is one man’s final toast to someone in his life). Set in Ireland, for a more authentic escape, try the audio. Once you adjust to the brogue, it’s mesmerizing.”

“Enjoyed it very much.”

“Tear jerker, but incredibly touching book.”

Where the Crawdads Sing

Delia Owens

Viewed with suspicion in the aftermath of a murder, Kya Clark, who has survived alone for years in a marsh near the North Carolina coast, becomes targeted by unthinkable forces.

“Excellent—the 1st half was slow—the rest was good.”

Yoga Pant Nation

Laurie Gelman

Class mom—again—for her son’s fifth grade year, Jen Dixon is kept on her toes by fundraising, a class bully, spin-teacher training and her irresistible granddaughter and must rely on her sense of humor to get through all the craziness.

“Not as great as her other two novels, but still a great chuckle out loud book! Easy breezy read, perfect for poolside.”