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Article  •  16 December 2022

 

Escape into summer with these YA bestsellers

Dive right into these amazing YA books for a summer of great reading ahead.

It’s officially summer and luckily for us all there are plenty of amazing YA books to binge on this year!

Taking a cue from The Summer I Turned Prettywe’re dubbing summer 2023 the ‘The Summer I . . . read a Penguin book'!

Cute, right?

If you’re down for the challenge but aren’t quite sure what to read, scroll on for some of our top picks. We promise you can’t go wrong with any of these fabulous reads!

The summer I . . . fell in love

If you’re hoping to swoon this summer, we recommend you read either Take a Bow, Noah Mitchell or Our Chemical Hearts (or both!).

'Take a Bow, Noah Mitchell' book cover.

Take a Bow, Noah Mitchell by Tobias Madden

Take a Bow, Noah Mitchell tells the story of a teenage boy who is in love with his online BFF. When he sees the opportunity to meet him IRL, Noah decides to go for it. Sure, he’ll have to join a local production of Chicago, put up with his slightly-narcissistic mum and even sing in front of people, but love is worth the risk. Right?

'Our Chemical Hearts' book cover.

Our Chemical Hearts by Krystal Sutherland

Our Chemical Hearts, on the other hand, tells the story of Henry Page – a boy who isn’t looking for love – and the girl who steals his heart. When Grace Town starts at Henry’s school, she changes his world. With her baggy clothes and cane, she’s hardly the dream girl Henry had imagined for himself, but when they start working on the school paper together, sparks fly. Henry is about to find out firsthand just how disastrous first love can be.  

The summer I . . . read Jenny Han

Three books from The Summer I Turned Pretty series by Jenny Han.

The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han

If you haven’t read Jenny Han yet, then you absolutely must read The Summer I Turned Pretty series this summer! Starting with The Summer I Turned Pretty, the series follows Belly Conklin for three summers at her favourite place in the world: her family friends’ vacation house at Cousins Beach. In just a few summers, Belly’s life will change entirely as she falls in love and finds her way toward adulthood.

The summer I . . . discovered magic

'The Blood Traitor' book cover.

The Blood Traitor (The Prison Healer Book 3) by Lynette Noni

Do your summer aspirations involve a dose of magic? If so, you need to grab a copy of The Blood Traitor. In this final book of The Prison Healer series, Kiva is forced to reckon with the choices she’s made and figure out the best way forward. With plenty of plot twists, tension and the same lovable characters, this book is the perfect ending to the trilogy.

If you haven’t read the other two books yet, it should go without saying that The Prison Healer and The Gilded Cage also deserve a spot on your TBR list.

The summer . . . I solved a mystery

'Nothing More to Tell' book cover.

Nothing More to Tell by Karen M. McManus

If you’re a fan of YA crime queen Karen M. McManus, then Nothing More to Tell should absolutely be your next read. Even if you haven’t read any of her books yet, this is the perfect place to start. Though she’s best known for her One of Us is Lying series, Nothing More to Tell is a standalone novel that embodies the same page-turning creepiness that the author is much-loved for.

The summer . . . I inherited a fortune

'The Inheritance Games' series by Jennifer Lynn Barnes.

The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Are you looking for a highly-addictive series to dive into? The Inheritance Games trilogy tells the dark and twisty story of one teenage girl who is randomly bequeathed a fortune by a mysterious billionaire . . . but there’s a catch (of course). To get her hands on the money, she must first spend a year living in the deceased man’s mansion with his family who wants nothing much to do with her. With endless puzzles and strange riddles scattered about the home, it’s unclear exactly how far this family will go to keep their fortune.

 

See more amazing books to read this summer here

Featured Titles

Take a Bow, Noah Mitchell
Tobias Madden delivers another swoonworthy YA rom-com winner with his second novel!
Read more
Our Chemical Hearts
An irresistible story of first love, broken hearts, and the golden seams that put them back together again. A new edition of the brilliant debut YA novel by the New York Times bestselling author of House of Hollow, Krystal Sutherland.
Read more
The Summer I Turned Pretty
The Summer I Turned Pretty is now a major new TV series on Amazon Prime! If you loved The Kissing Booth and Jenny Han's smash-hit Netflix movie series To All the Boys I Loved Before, then you'll adore this gorgeouslu funny, romantic story!
Read more
It's Not Summer Without You
Now a major TV series on Amazon Prime! The second gorgeous book in the bestselling The Summer I Turned Pretty series, perfect for fans of To All The Boys I've Loved Before and The Kissing Booth.
Read more
We'll Always Have Summer
The final book in the The Summer I Turned Pretty series, now major TV show on Amazon Prime! Perfect for fans of To All The Boys I've Loved Before and The Kissing Booth.
Read more
The Blood Traitor (The Prison Healer Book 3)
The finale of the Prison Healer trilogy, from Australia's #1-bestselling YA author Lynette Noni.
Read more
Nothing More to Tell
From the author of the international bestseller One of Us Is Lying comes a brand new unputdownable YA thriller.
Read more
The Inheritance Games
The international bestselling, TikTok sensation, addictive, twisty thriller, full of dark family secrets and deadly stakes - now in a global cover look!
Read more
The Hawthorne Legacy
Intrigue, riches, and romance abound in this thrilling sequel to the New York Times bestselling The Inheritance Games
Read more
The Final Gambit
The thrilling conclusion to the global bestselling, BookTok sensation, Inheritance Games trilogy, where Knives Out meets One of Us is Lying.
Read more

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