This Summer's Best Books for You and Your
Book Club
Get ready for a summer filled with captivating stories and unforgettable characters! Our 2024 Summer Reading Guide features an eclectic mix of genres and authors, offering something for every book lover. From heartfelt hometown romances and family sagas to thrilling mysteries and magical adventures, these selections promise to keep your book club engaged and entertained all season long. Scroll down to discover these new books, add them to your “want to read” shelf, and enjoy the magic of these must-read picks!
Meet Me at the Starlight by Rachel Hauck
“I was fully invested in these memorable characters who are as colorful as the iconic Starlight’s neon sign.”—Nancy Naigle, bestselling author of The Shell Collector. In 1987, supermodel Harlow Hayes comes to Florida to hide and heal. Instead, she finds a former costar with a bad-boy reputation and his plucky grandmother who runs the local landmark skating rink, the Starlight. The place has a kind of magic, but when it’s threatened with demolition, saving the Starlight might be the second chance everyone needs.
Happy Harbor by Rachel Hanna
Josie Campbell has spent her adult life distancing herself from her childhood in the small town of Happy Harbor. Now, she finally has it all—great job, condo in one of Atlanta’s most desirable areas, successful fiancé, and her teenage daughter enrolled at a top-rated school. But when her beloved nana dies, Josie is forced to return to the place she never wanted to visit again. From USA Today bestselling author Rachel Hanna, Happy Harbor is a heartfelt, hometown romance perfect for fans of Debbie Macomber and Susan Mallery.
The Townsend Family Recipe for Disaster by Shauna Robinson
From the acclaimed author of The Banned Bookshop of Maggie Banks and Must Love Books comes a heartfelt book club read following one Black woman’s journey to reconnect with her estranged family in the south, just as it’s on the brink of falling apart. The Townsend Family Recipe for Disaster is perfect for fans of The Chicken Sisters and The Last Summer at the Golden Hotel.
Métis cousins Ezzy and Grey hatch a plan to capture a herd of bison and release them in downtown Edmonton. They want to be seen, to be heard, and to disrupt the settler routines of the city, yet they are unprepared for the fateful consequences. Balancing wit and sorrow with satire and social commentary, Prairie Edge explores the radical possibility that a couple of inspired miscreants might actually have the power to make a difference. “Expertly capturing the contemporary Métis spirit, Prairie Edge is truly an essential story for our time.” —Waubgeshig Rice, author of Moon of the Turning Leaves
The Return of Ellie Black by Emiko Jean
“The Return of Ellie Black is a page-turning suspense novel, a shrewd character study, and a captivating mystery, all at the same time. The last fifty pages are magnetic. I couldn’t put it down until I’d experienced every last twist and turn.” —Stephen King
Detective Chelsey Calhoun’s life is turned upside down when she gets the call Ellie Black, a girl who disappeared years earlier, has resurfaced in the woods of Washington state—but Ellie’s reappearance leaves Chelsey with more questions than answers.
“The book we all need to revive our souls” (Nicole Dennis-Benn): A sweeping family saga about the complicated bond between mothers and daughters, the disappearance of a father, and the long-hidden history of a declining New England mill town.
“A powerful novel about how our family history shapes us. Swift River broke my heart, and then offered me hope.” —Ann Napolitano, New York Times bestselling author of Hello Beautiful
In the Hour of Crows by Dana Elmendorf
Weatherly's a Death Talker. She has the unique gift of saving lives by talking the death out of the dying, but it comes at a price. After her cousin Adaire, a Scryer who could see the future, dies in a suspicious accident, Weatherly is convinced it was murder. When she fails to save the mayor’s son, the town suspects her of revenge. Determined to uncover the truth, Weatherly uses Adaire's clues and her family's Granny Witch recipe box. Imbued with magic, witchery, and suspense, Dana Elmendorf’s In the Hour of Crows is a thrilling tale of friendship, identity, and love.
Dulcinea by Ana Veciana-Suarez
What would you risk to see your forbidden lover one last time?
When Dolca Lull Pratt, the Barcelona woman who served as Miguel Cervantes’ muse, receives his deathbed letter, she must travel across Spain to confess a secret and ask forgiveness — but will she make it on time?
Rich in historical detail and emotional depth, this historical novel is about the choices we make in life, the regrets we harbor, and the courage we find to make things right.
"A well-researched and compelling homage to Cervantes’ Dulcinea." —Kirkus Reviews
One Perfect Couple by Ruth Ware
Harkening to Agatha Christie’s classic And Then There Were None, this high-tension and ingenious thriller follows five couples trapped on a storm-swept island as a killer stalks among them—from Ruth Ware, the New York Times bestselling author who “is turning out to be as ingenious and indefatigable as the Queen of Crime” (The Washington Post).
The Paradise Problem by Christina Lauren
Christina Lauren, the instant New York Times bestselling and “reigning romance queens” (PopSugar), returns with a delicious new romance between the buttoned-up heir of a grocery chain and his free-spirited artist ex as they fake their relationship in order to receive a massive inheritance.
Dear Dotty by Jaclyn Westlake
A witty and hilarious coming of age romcom for twenty-somethings and animal lovers feeling lost and overwhelmed by the chaos of life in their 20s!
Long Island Compromise by Taffy Brodesser-Akner
From the New York Times bestselling author of Fleishman Is in Trouble, this compelling novel tells the story of the Fletcher family, whose suburban paradise is shattered when Carl Fletcher is kidnapped in 1980. Though he returns home safely, the trauma lingers for decades, affecting each family member's life. As their fortune dwindles nearly forty years later, Carl, Ruth, and their three grown children must confront their past and the impact of their wealth on their successes and failures. A thought-provoking choice for book clubs this summer.
"Brodesser-Akner is a steady, imaginative, insightful writer, and there are riotous passages, haunting dybbuks, and unseen twists that make it thoroughly discussable" —Booklist, starred review
These book selections are a combination of titles chosen by the Bookclubs editorial staff, and the top titles recommended for book clubs by publisher sponsors. If you buy books through links on this page, we may earn a commission at no additional cost to you.
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