Last Updated on March 27, 2024 by BiblioLifestyle

Welcome to the fourth annual BiblioLifestyle Summer Reading Guide!  Summer is a time for relaxation, reflection, and of course, reading.  It’s also an excellent opportunity to explore some great new books.  So whether you’re looking for a light-hearted beach read, page-turning nonfiction, or a gripping thriller, there is something in this guide for you.

About The 2023 Summer Reading Guide

The 2023 Summer Reading Guide has been carefully curated, with some of the best titles coming out this summer.  The guide has forty-eight books organized into eight categories, making it easy to find something based on your genre preference or current reading mood.  Plus, there is also one extra category dedicated to the minimalist reader.  The Minimalist Reads List is for readers only planning to pick up a few books this season.  Because we’re all about lifestyle here, you’ll also find fun things to do this season, tips to help you be more present this summer, and some summer-themed recipes.  You’ll also find tips to help you incorporate reading into your life and read more books.

SUMMER READING LINKS:

• Get our latest Summer Reading Guide here.
• Looking for only a handful of books? Check out The 2023 Summer Reading Guide: The Ultimate Book List!
• If you’re keen on picking up a classic novel, check out our list of classic novels to read in the summer.

VIDEO: Watch Victoria share some books from The 2023 Summer Reading Guide!

Readers, I was a guest on Daytime at WFLA, a lifestyle and entertainment program that airs weekday mornings, to talk about beach reads and recommend some books for their viewers. I shared five new books and two classics with host Maggie Rodriguez; all books can be found in The 2023 Summer Reading Guide!

More About The Guide

Reading is a personal experience, so in the guide, you’ll find a one-sentence elevator pitch for each title to help you decide if a particular book sounds right for you based on your taste, interests, and current reading mood.  I’ve also included publication dates so you’ll know what comes out when, although these dates may change.

Some of these titles have heavy themes, so if you need trigger warnings, please email me at hello[at]bibliolifestyle[dot]com, and I will do my best to advise you accordingly.  I also recommend using The StoryGraph for trigger warnings as well.

If you’re looking for ways to make your summer reading more fun, I invite you to join The 2023 Summer Reading Challenge!  There are five prompts for the season, and there are many books in the guide that would be a good fit.  If you want to add a classic to your reading list. You’ll also find a list with three iconic novels.

If you like what I’ve put together in The Summer Reading Guide, please don’t keep it to yourself!  Instead, share the guide’s homepage on your favorite social media channels or directly with your favorite bookish friends so they can sign up and get a copy of the guide.

Remember to tag @bibliolifestyle and use the hashtag #bibliolifestyleSRG in your posts so we can also see what you’re reading.

I hope you’ll find plenty of books you love in this guide. I’m excited to see the books you will love and capture your heart and imagination! Finally, I wish you and your loved ones a happy and safe summer full of sunshine, smiles, and lots of reading!

List of Books from The 2023 Summer Reading Guide

LITERARY FICTION BOOKS FROM THE 2023 SUMMER READING GUIDE

Homebodies by Tembe Denton-Hurst

Chronicles the growing pains of a queer Black woman after she loses her dream job and is then forced to confront her realities and find her voice and place in the world.  

The Three of Us – by Ore Agbaje-Williams

Over the course of one day, the long-standing tensions between a husband, his wife, and her best friend finally come to a breaking point.

Yellowface by R. F. Kuang

A satire of the publishing industry that centers on a struggling writer who steals her successful dead college friend’s manuscript and publishes it as her own.

Dances by Nicole Cuffy

An African American ballerina at the height of her career questions whether she will ever find fulfillment as she confronts the tension between her family, career and art.

Farrell Covington and the Limits of Style by Paul Rudnick

A witty and charming love story about the decades-long romance between an aspiring writer and the son of one of America’s wealthiest families.

Ripe  by Sarah Rose Etter

A Silicon Valley woman is struggling in both her professional and personal life while the world around her unravels and she starts to question if this toxic workplace is worth it.

HISTORICAL FICTION BOOKS FROM THE 2023 SUMMER READING GUIDE

The Disenchantment by Celia Bell

Set in 17th-century Paris during the Affair of the Poisons, the novel follows a passionate love affair between two noblewomen and the crime that threatens to endanger their secret.

Good Night, Irene by Luis Alberto Urrea

Seeking an escape from their lives, two women joins America’s war effort as a member of the Red Cross Clubmobile during WWII and they experience both the surprises and tragedies of war.

Lady Tan’s Circle of Women by Lisa See

Set in 15th-century China and inspired by the true story of a woman physician born into an aristocratic family and her lifelong friendship with the daughter of her family’s midwife.

The Paris Daughter by Kristin Harmel

Set during WWII in Paris, two American expats and mothers must make unthinkable choices in the face of the Nazi occupation and personal tragedy and one mother’s search to reunite years later.  

Loot by Tania James

Set in 18th century India, a young Indian man apprenticed to a French clockmaker must retrieve a tiger automaton looted from his homeland by British troops and is now in the hands of a widow. 

The Cherokee Rose by Tiya Miles

Inspired by a true story, three women uncover the secrets of a Georgia plantation and their possible ties along with the little-known history of Cherokee slaveholders in the antebellum South.

FAMILY & FRIENDSHIP BOOKS FROM THE 2023 SUMMER READING GUIDE

The Collected Regrets of Clover by Mikki Brammer

An inspirational and life affirming story about a death doula who lives in isolation but discovers that in order to care for others, she must also open up and let herself be care for too.

Summer Stage by Meg Mitchell Moore

A family of actors spend the summer working together on a production while dealing with choices they made in the past and how they can they can move forward for the future.

The Wishing Game by Meg Shaffer

A bestselling children’s author comes out of retirement to hosts a one-of-a-kind competition based on his books and invites three superfans to compete for the only manuscript of a brand new book in series. 

Fireworks Every Night by Beth Raymer

A coming of age novel that chronicles the life of a girl who grew up in a dysfunctional South Florida family and her determination to create a better life for herself despite everything unraveling around her.

Save What’s Left by Elizabeth Castellano

A woman moves from Kansas to a small beach town on Long Island to start over but she finds herself enmeshed in a war with a new home construction next door and small town politics and drama. 

High Time by Hannah Rothschild

The illegitimate daughter of a highborn British family is working to restore the family’s castle, but she discovers her husband plans to divorce her and sell the castle, so she schemes to buy it from under him.

NONFICTION BOOKS FROM THE 2023 SUMMER READING GUIDE

Camera Girl by Carl Sferrazza Anthony

A biography young Jackie Bouvier Kennedy that covers her formative adventures in Paris and her life as a writer and photographer in Washington, DC.

Wildflower by Aurora James

A award-winning fashion designer, entrepreneur, and activist reflects  on her life and shares a new ways of envisioning economic equality for everyone.

The Elissas by Samantha Leach

An investigation into the tragic fate of three girls who meet at a for profit boarding school for troubled teens and the circumstances that would see all three dead in eight years.

George by Frieda Hughes

A painter and poet chronicles how in the wake of sadness and loss, caring for a wild baby magpie she found one spring day, changed her life.

The Con Queen of Hollywood by Scott C. Johnson

Chronicles the international manhunt for a psychopathic con artist who impersonated entertainment executives and exploited creators and gig workers.

A Thread of Violence by Mark O’Connell

A gripping account of one of the most scandalous murders in modern Irish history, that was committed by socialite Malcolm Macarthur due to his dwindling inheritance.

MYSTERIES & THRILLERS BOOKS FROM THE 2023 SUMMER READING GUIDE

Bad Summer People by Emma Rosenblum

Set in a fictional exclusive summer haven on Fire Island, a group of upper-class New Yorkers summer is upended when a dead body is discovered face down off the side of the boardwalk.

Drowning by T.J. Newman

A plane makes an emergency landing in the Pacific Ocean after an engine explodes, but then it sinks to with passengers trapped inside and it’s up to the rescuers to save them before they sink to the point of no return. 

The Quiet Tenant by Clémence Michallon

A Hudson Valley family man and serial killer has a hostage who convinces him to move her into his new house and when she meets the other women she wonders if they will help or hinder her.

The Bones of the Story by Carol Goodman

A twisty locked-room mystery about a group of former classmates trapped by a winter storm on their college campus and they discover there is a murderer in their midst.

The Stolen Coast by Dwyer Murphy

A man who helps fugitives of all kinds disappear and his shady lawyer ex-girlfriend plan a heist to steal diamonds worth millions but their crew runs into a slew of bad luck.

I Did It For You by Amy Engel

A woman starts her own investigation when two teens are killed under identical circumstances to her sister fourteen years prior even as she fears becoming a target herself.

SCIENCE FICTION FANTASY BOOKS FROM THE 2023 SUMMER READING GUIDE

The Book That Wouldn’t Burn by Mark Lawrence

A girl aspiring to be a librarian and a boy trapped in library were never supposed to meet but when they do they attempt to unravel its mysteries.

The Will of the Many by James Islington

A Roman-inspired fantasy where an orphaned boy is adopted and sent to an elite academy where he becomes a double agent while keeping his true identity a secret.

Ink Blood Sister Scribe by Emma Törzs

Two estranged half-sisters tasked with guarding their family’s library of magical books must work together to unravel a deadly secret at the heart of their collection.

Translation State by Ann Leckie

A space opera adventure and mystery that follows three people brought together by the mystery of a missing translator.

The Splinter in the Sky by Kemi Ashing-Giwa

A space opera that follows a young tea expert who is taken as a political prisoner and recruited to spy on government officials.

The Sun and the Void by Gabriela Romero Lacruz

Inspired by the history and folklore of colonial South America, two young women search for a sense of belonging as they navigate ancient magic, betrayal and curses.

ROMANCE BOOKS FROM THE 2023 SUMMER READING GUIDE

Emma of 83rd Street by Audrey Bellezza, Emily Harding

A modern Jane Austen reimagining of Emma where we meet a wealthy grad student who plays matchmaker with her new friend and recognizes her attraction to her childhood friend and neighbor.

Ciao For Now by Kate Bromley

An enemies-to-lovers romance where an American intern in Rome butts heads with her professor’s grumpy son, and sparks fly as they’re forced to spend time together!

Love, Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood

A humorous STEM-themed rivals-to-lovers romance where the worlds of two different physicists with opposing views collide amidst fake dating shenanigans.

Much Ado about Nada by Uzma Jalaluddin

A second chance romance inspired by Jane Austen’s Persuasion in which we Nada who’s feeling struck in her life but then bumps into her on-and-off again college boyfriend.

Will They or Won’t They by Ava Wilder

A second chance romance where former lovers and co-stars who can’t stand each other reunite to film the last season of their show and it’s clear they’re still attracted to each other. 

To Have and to Heist by Sara Desai

To rescue her best friend, one woman must mastermind a jewelry heist with the help of a criminal, and she’s not sure she can trust his motives with the job or her heart.

COZY MYSTERY BOOKS FROM THE 2023 SUMMER READING GUIDE

The Late Mrs. Willoughby by Claudia Gray

Featuring a cast of Jane Austen characters, Jonathan Darcy and Juliet Tilney find themselves having to solve the murder of Mrs. Willoughby who has died after drinking a glass of poisoned port

A Novel Disguise by Samantha Larsen

A forty year old spinster assumes the identity of her half-brother as palace librarian after his death but when a palace maid is also murdered it drives Tiffany to investigate.

Murder on Mustang Beach by Alicia Bessette

When a newly wed is found dead in her love interest Toby’s dojo, and another body is found at the beach bookseller Callie Paget is on the case to find the killer and clear Toby’s name.

Rehearsed to Death by Frank Anthony Polito

When the local community theater brings in a new hotshot director who turns up dead Peter and JP must solve the crime ahead of opening night in an attempt to save the play.

A Most Agreeable Murder by Julia Seales

Set in early 19th century England, a wealthy bachelor drops dead at a ball and a young lady who has spent hours dreaming about solving crimes has finally has her moment.

Charlotte Illes Is Not a Detective by Katie Siegel

A twenty-something former kid detective is coaxed out of retirement by her brother’s girlfriend for one last case which she hopes will help her find herself.

What books are you planning to read this summer?

Are you looking forward to reading any books from the 2023 summer reading guide?  What are some of your most anticipated summer books?

PAST SUMMER READING GUIDES BOOK LISTS:

• The 2022 Summer Reading Guide
• The 2021 Summer Reading Guide
• The 2020 BiblioLifestyle Summer Reading Guide