17 Books We Can’t Wait to Read in Summer 2024

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Which books will you be stuffing into carry-on bags and pulling out at the beach, pool, and/or lake house in 2024? I swear, summer reads get the most abuse. But that means they're the most loved! Here are some of the novels we're looking forward to in the summer of 2024. We've got some new titles from established authors we're obsessed with, the thrilling conclusions of a handful of series, as well as some debuts and hidden gems to dig into!

While I'm sure there will be some exciting memoirs and nonfiction reads that have people talking in 2024, I'm working off of the assumption that most of us want a little escape when we pick up a book in the warmer months. Maybe you don't have the time to get away from the grind. Maybe you don't even get Summer Fridays to hit up happy hour. That's where a nice romantic comedy novel, fantasy adventure, or chilling mystery can really come in clutch. You can always count on the written word to take you away, and reading is a great excuse to stay inside where there's air conditioning or under a tree, out of the sun, to catch the best breeze in an Adirondack chair.

Love, Lies, and Cherry Pie: A Novel by Jackie Lau

Get an early start on your summer reading with this fake dating romantic comedy. It's bad enough that Emily Hung's mother wants to set her up with a family friend's son who's more accomplished than she is but not that interesting. What's worse is that she ends up falling for him after they start spending time together to get the 'rents off their backs. Moms aren't supposed to be right about these things!

Release date: May 7

When Among Crows by Veronica Roth

You devoured Roth's Divergent series back in the day, and this summer she has a new novel set not in the world of Divergent but, similar to Divergent, in a fictionalized version of Chicago. When Among Crows is a magical take on Slavic folklore–specifically the Baba Yaga. Remember that scary fairy tale from your childhood?

Release date: May 14

Summertime Punchline by Betty Corrello

Do you love stories about stand-up comedians like The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and Hacks? This novel will provide the LOLs and feels for you this summer. It's about a comic who's forced to return to her childhood home, hopefully temporarily–a staple of romantic comedies everywhere.

Release date: May 21

Enlightenment by Sarah Perry

Thomas and Grace fall in love with other people but keep finding their way back to each other. It's fitting, perhaps, because of the presence of astronomy in their academic and personal lives. Are they proof that some things are just meant to be?

Release date: June 4

The Throne: The Machiavelli Trilogy, Book 1 by Franco Bernini

Names like "Borgia" and "Machiavelli" probably mean something to you. If I told you this was a story about manipulation and palace intrigue you'd be like... why yes! Right?? It's also about the complicated relationship between a biographer and their subject, something kinda meta that historical fiction rarely delves into.

Release date: June 11

A Happier Life by Kristy Woodson Harvey

Two women's stories unfold, decades apart, in the same seaside home. Family is lost and found all over again. It may or may not be a kissing book. This is a beach read in the truest sense of the phrase.

Release date: June 25

Children of Anguish and Anarchy by Tomi Adeyemi

The third book in the Legacy of Orisha series finds Zélie Adebola in a new bind after seemingly defeating the monarchy and bringing magic back to her kingdom. It's final battle time, and with the help of her friends, she'll have to use everything she's learned to prevail for real this time.

Release date: June 25

The Villain Edit: A Novel by Laurie Devore

With a title so good you know exactly what you're getting into, this novel is about a romance writer who thinks she's one step ahead of the reality dating show she's cast on and sees it as a way to fast-track her career comeback... but think again! The show's producers have something else in store for Jaqueline Matthis.

Release date: July 2

The Bright Sword: A Novel of King Arthur by Lev Grossman

Lev Grossman's Magicians trilogy offered an alternate, edgy take on the "wizard school" subgenre in fantasy literature. (He also wrote The Map of Tiny Perfect Things, JSYK.) This time he's offering his take on Arthurian legend with a story about a group of Round Table misfits going on a quest together.

Release date: July 16

The Black Bird Oracle Deborah Harkness

If you weren't already following the All Souls series (this is Book 5 btw), they started with A Discovery of Witches, which was adapted into a popular television series. While the television series only lasted three seasons, the books go on! Fans will finally get to know how it really ends.

Release date: July 16

No Road Home by John Fram

When it's hot as you-know-what outside, a gothic mystery as glistening as you are hits the spot. Fram's thriller is about a single father whose young young son becomes a person of interest in the murder of his televangelist father-in-law.

Release date: July 23

Slow Dance by Rainbow Rowell

Rainbow Rowell has an incredible ability to hide an emotional wallop in the middle of a light and romantic story. I expect nothing less from her summer release, about old childhood friends reconnecting at a mutual's wedding after their lives diverged drastically from the ones they used to dream about. Unless you're too in the weeds this wedding season to find someone else's nuptial adjacent drama escapist, this sounds nostalgic and juicy AF!

Release date: July 23

The Pairing by Casey McQuiston

After Red White & Royal Blue achieved world domination, fans are clamoring for Casey McQuiston's new romance. This one is about a pair of mischievous and promiscuous exes who compete to see who can hook up with whom on an accidentally shared vacation.

Release date: August 6

The Truth According to Ember by Danica Nava

Who hasn't lied on a job application, fudged their resume, or at least thought about it? But when the lie gets in the way of your office romance, that's a problem. Ultimately this is a romantic comedy, so it'll probably work out fine. But that doesn't mean you won't be desperate for what the next chapter reveals!

Release date: August 6

The Axeman's Carnival by Catherine Chidgey

Already an international bestseller, this novel hits American shores this August. It's about a talking bird who changes the course of a farmer and his wife's lives. Amazon reviews claim that the final chapters had them shook, so buckle up!

Release date: August 13

The Hypocrite by Jo Hamya

Theatre kids (and theatre adults), this one is for you! The Hypocrite is about a young woman who has written her latest play about her relationship with her father and used him to explore masculinity and other deeper/broader themes. Awkward? Eye-opening? All of the above!

Release date: August 13

Rise and Divine by Lana Harper

The fifth and final book in Harper's The Witches of Thistle Grove series is about Dasha, a necromancer, and the ex-girlfriend she's disappointed so many times but still can't get over. Planning a festival together forces them to work together (classic) but will it get them back together? And what about other, evil forces?

Release date: August 20

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