Anyone else dreaming of long, lazy summer days relaxing on a beach or lazing by a pool with an ice cold drink and a great summer read in your hand? Chances are this summer that the pool is really a paddling pool in your garden, and the drink is one you’ve grabbed from your weekly shop at Aldi. However, the great, summer read is definitely something we can help with!
We’ve put together some of our favourite love stories, perfect for summer time!
“You mistake love. You think it has to have a future in order to matter, but it doesn’t. It’s the only thing that does not need to become at all. It matters only insofar as it exists. Here. Now. Love doesn’t require a future.”
― Rebecca Serle, In Five Years
1. Our Stop, Laura Jane Williams
One of our Book Club picks and an ideal summer read, Our Stop is the story of Nadia and Daniel. Nadia gets the 7.30 train every morning without fail (unless she oversleeps). Daniel really does get the 7.30 train every morning, which is easy because he hasn’t been able to sleep properly since his dad died. One morning, Nadia’s eye catches sight of a post in the daily paper:
“To the cute girl with the coffee stains on her dress. I’m the guy who’s always standing near the doors… Drink sometime?”
This leads to a not-quite-romance of near-misses, true love, and the power of the written word. It’s a lovely read, well written and with some really funny moments.
2. The Flat Share, Beth O’Leary
A Beth’s Book Club favourite, The Flatshare is the story of Tiffy and Leon. Tiffy needs somewhere to live, and responds to an advert posted by Leon who is looking for a flatmate. The twist? Leon works during the day, so the two of them share a bed but they’ve never actually met. A unique story, beautifully written, brilliantly descriptive and with a lot more to it than initially meets the eye, it’s so much more than a simple rom-com.
3. The Unhoneymooners, Christina Lauren
Can you imagine going on a honeymoon with someone you can’t stand? That’s exactly what happens in this story. Through a series of unfortunate events, Olive and Ethan find themselves jetting off to Hawaii together, despite the fact they can’t stand each other. It’s an easy, lighthearted and sometimes a little silly summer read.
4. In Five Years, Rebecca Serle
Where do you see yourself in five years? This story follows Dannie, a lawyer who lives by numbers and stats, nothing like her lifelong best friend, the wild, whimsical, believes-in-fate Bella. Dannie’s meticulous life planning seems to have paid off after she nails the most important job interview of her career and accepts her boyfriend’s marriage proposal in the same day, and falls asleep completely content. But when she wakes up, she’s in a different apartment, with a different ring on her finger, and next to a different man. Dannie spends one hour exactly five years in the future before she wakes again in her own home, but it is one hour she cannot shake. This book is a brilliant, easy-to-read escape, and it’s not the love story you expect.
5. Where Rainbows End, Cecelia Ahern
A warm and touching novel, Where Rainbows End is the story of Rosie and Alex, who have been best friends forever. They’ve shared everything, but Alex’s family move to America, and their relationship inevitably changes. They stay in touch, but misunderstandings, circumstances and sheer bad luck seem to be conspiring to keep them apart. The story is told through letters, emails and online messaging and it’s a really heartwarming read.
