2021 Summer Reading Guide: Page-Turning Novels
These are the titles that are so fun and so gripping, you’ll stay up way too late reading (good thing there is no school tomorrow!) or hope your trip lasts just a bit longer.
The Good Sister by Sally Hepworth
If I was forced to choose a single favorite book for the Summer Reading Guide. . . .it might be this one. I read this on our spring break trip earlier this year and blew through it in less than two days. It’s the story of two sisters who grew up with a very difficult mother and got each other through it. Now they’re both adults and still lean on each other, although Fern relies much more heavily on Rose, who is the more stable of the two. But when Fern discovers that her sister can’t have the thing she most wants – a baby – Fern decides this might be the moment she can pay Rose back for a lifetime of taking care of her. What could possibly go wrong?
Head Over Heels by Hannah Orenstein
If you’re excited for the Olympics this summer, this is the perfect book to get your ready to watch these world-class athletes compete. Avery Abrams spent her life training to make the Olympic gymnastics team, only to have it all fall apart with one terrible performance. Now, seven years later, she’s just broken up with her boyfriend and returned to her hometown where she gets a job training another young gymnast with her eye on Olympic gold. But Avery has other things to concentrate on, like the fact that she’s co-coaching with the handsome gymnast she had a crush on for most of her teen years or the fact that her best friend and teammate has married their former coach, who was truly cruel to them both for years. This one was just a complete page-turner for me with a nice dose of romance.
Dragon Hoops by Gene Luen Yang
This book changed my mind about graphic novels (I’d always been a fan for my kids, but never thought of myself as a graphic novel reader). I don’t even care about basketball and I was incredibly invested in this true story of a high school team that’s trying to win the state championship title that has eluded them for decades. Packed with history, incredible stories, and a season-long chase for glory, I couldn’t put this down or stop talking about it. Even if you’ve been dubious about graphic novels, I strongly urge you to give it a try.
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
I was a massive fan of The Martian and I was delighted to see a new title from Andy Weir this year. In this one, Ryland Grace wakes up in a spaceship with no idea where he is, what he’s supposed to do or even what his own name is. As memories slowly start returning, he remembers that the sun was dimming and that there were only a few decades to find both the problem and a solution before life on earth became unsustainable. And he’s now in outer space on a mission alone to save all of humanity. No pressure. Like The Martian, this one is full of humor, suspense, and science that’s (mostly) understandable to the layperson.
Touch & Go by Lisa Gardner
If you love a thriller or mystery, this one is a home run. I read it years ago and couldn’t put it down – I kept waiting for nap time so I could squeeze in another hour of reading! Justin and Libby Denbe have the perfect life – beautiful home, great marriage, and a lovely daughter. And clearly someone else thinks so too, because all three of them have been abducted without a trace. Tessa Leoni is the investigator on this case and she’s going to have to find them fast – which is hard because there are no witnesses and no random demands. Told from multiple points of view, this story keeps twisting and turning right up until the very end. (Warning that this one has quite a bit of swearing).