The best fun summer reads for lazy days by the pool

Why am I passionate about this?

There’s nothing better than sitting down at the pool to read a fun, engaging story that transports you into another world and keeps you entertained. I’ve always loved reading to escape, and when I started writing and posting my stories for free online at 17 years old, I discovered my true calling. My first story amassed 140 million reads with millions of comments, where people shared how much fun they had reading the story and how it helped them escape from their lives. Since then, I’ve continued writing stories I’m passionate about and sharing them with people who love a good, fun, romance.


I wrote...

Best Vacation Ever

By Jessica Cunsolo,

Book cover of Best Vacation Ever

What is my book about?

Lori is beautiful, smart, and athletic. The one thing she can’t do is speak up for herself. She certainly can’t tell her parents that she wants to take a year off to backpack around Europe. When her best friend, Faye, invites her on an all-expenses-paid, weeklong trip with Faye’s brother, Adam, and his friends, she jumps at the chance.

Faye is Lori’s opposite in a lot of ways—maybe that’s why they’re such good friends. The only problem in Faye’s life is that her brother hates her, and she’s hooking-up with his best friend, Kellan, behind his back. When Faye hatches a scheme designed to make Kellan jealous, she drags everyone else into her drama. Soon everyone is fighting with everyone else and relationships are being ripped apart as secrets are revealed.

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of Robyn

Jessica Cunsolo Why did I love this book?

This was the first book that got me into reading full-length novels, and it just happens to be a fun YA summer book. If you want a light, fast-paced, easy read to keep you entertained while lounging by the pool, this is the book for you.

It follows Robyn, a teen working at a water park with her best friend, Caitlin, and Caitlin’s very hot brother, who happens to be Robyn’s supervisor! Making a splash: Robyn, is an adorable, coming-of-age summer love story, and there are two more books from Robyn’s friend’s perspectives if you want more nostalgic summer romance.

By Jade Parker,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Robyn as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 12.

What is this book about?

A funny, sweet trilogy about three girls and the friendship and romance they find working summer jobs at a water park!

Caitlin and Robyn, long time best friends, get summer jobs together working at The Splash, the local water park. While Caitlin gets to be a lifeguard, Robyn is stuck pushing little kids in inner tubes down a slide. And to complicate matters, Robyn's long-standing crush on Shane is turning into something more. There's just one problem....he's Caitlin's brother!


Book cover of The Unhoneymooners

Jessica Cunsolo Why did I love this book?

When I think of the perfect, fun, poolside read, this book is the first to pop into my head.

The Unhoneymooners follows Olive, who ends up having to fake date a man she hates while on their fake honeymoon in Hawaii. I love those tropes (fake relationships, enemies to lovers, forced proximity) but on top of that, this book is laugh-out-loud hilarious.

I was giggling in the pool the entire time I read this, and the light, fast-paced, engaging vibe makes this book the perfect poolside read.

By Christina Lauren,

Why should I read it?

4 authors picked The Unhoneymooners as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER!

Starred reviews from Kirkus Reviews * Publishers Weekly * Library Journal

Named a “Must-Read” by TODAY, Us Weekly, Bustle, BuzzFeed, Goodreads, Entertainment Weekly, Publishers Weekly, Southern Living, Book Riot, Woman’s Day, The Toronto Star, and more!

For two sworn enemies, anything can happen during the Hawaiian trip of a lifetime—maybe even love—in this romantic comedy from the New York Times bestselling authors of Roomies.

Olive Torres is used to being the unlucky twin: from inexplicable mishaps to a recent layoff, her life seems to be almost comically jinxed. By contrast, her sister Ami is…


Book cover of Never Coming Home

Jessica Cunsolo Why did I love this book?

Not a big romance/romcom reader? No worries, Never Coming Home is the perfect poolside book for you.

This summer YA mystery/thriller follows a group of teen influencers who are invited to a hot new exclusive island, but everyone’s hiding secrets, and then people start dying. I enjoyed this book as a poolside summer read because it’s so fast-paced and intriguing that I was sucked right into the story.

It’s a summer slasher read full of twists and perfectly unlikeable characters that kept me turning pages until it was done in one sitting.

By Kate M. Williams,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Never Coming Home as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 14, 15, 16, and 17.

What is this book about?

The escapist read you have been dying for! When ten of America’s hottest teenage influencers are invited to an exclusive island resort, things are sure to get wild. But murder isn't what anyone expected. Will anyone survive?

Everyone knows Unknown Island—it’s the world’s most exclusive destination. Think white sand beaches, turquoise seas, and luxury accommodations. Plus, it’s invite only, no one over twenty-one is allowed, and it’s absolutely free. Who wouldn’t want to go?

The mysterious resort launched with a viral marketing campaign, and now the whole world is watching as Unknown Island opens its doors to the First Ten,…


Book cover of Fallen Too Far

Jessica Cunsolo Why did I love this book?

Abbi Glines is the best at writing fun, steamy, New Adult summer romances.

You can’t help but be immediately immersed into the story, especially with all of the angst and drama and tension that leaves you needing to see how it’ll all work out. This book has got all those fun tropes that make a great poolside read: bad boy/good girl, enemies to lovers, step-siblings, forced proximity, and a coastal beach town.

By Abbi Glines,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Fallen Too Far as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The New York Times bestselling novel that launched the beloved world of Rosemary Beach and introduced the world to Rush and Blaire.

The wealthy son of a rocker. A tough farm girl from Alabama. Two step-siblings from different worlds. One summer in Rosemary Beach.

The last thing Blaire Wynn wants is to move in with her father’s new family in Rosemary Beach, Florida. She has no choice. Blaire’s mother has passed away after a long illness, leaving behind a mountain of medical debts and no way for Blaire to keep their small Alabama farmhouse.

Driving into the wealthy resort town…


Book cover of 24 Hours in Italy

Jessica Cunsolo Why did I love this book?

24 Hours In Italy is the perfect poolside summer read, especially because it transports you to the picturesque Amalfi Coast while enjoying a second chances romance.

I’m recommending this book not only because the author, Romi Moondi, is a fellow Canadian and happens to be my author bestie, but because it’s a genuinely amazing and well-written book. (It got a starred review in Publishers Weekly, so you know I’m not just saying that because I’m biased!).

It’s technically a sequel but it reads as a standalone, and the heartfelt emotions, descriptive setting, and meaningful character arcs make it a perfect summer read.

By Romi Moondi,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked 24 Hours in Italy as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 13, 14, 15, and 16.

What is this book about?

"Readers will swoon for this sequel . . . " ― Publishers Weekly, starred review

A new destination, a familiar spark . . .

Two years have passed since Mira and Jake missed their flight and spent a magical 24 hours together in Paris. Sparks flew. Romance bloomed. But life got in the way. When they’re reunited for another whirlwind adventure, will they connect in the same way?

Mira’s living her best life, having started a new chapter by taking a leave from her high pressure corporate position to spend time in Italy. Surrounded by amazing scenery, fantastic food and…


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Book cover of Dulcinea

Ana Veciana-Suarez Author Of Dulcinea

New book alert!

Why am I passionate about this?

I became fascinated with 16th-century and 17th-century Europe after reading Don Quixote many years ago. Since then, every novel or nonfiction book about that era has felt both ancient and contemporary. I’m always struck by how much our environment has changed—transportation, communication, housing, government—but also how little we as people have changed when it comes to ambition, love, grief, and greed. I doubled down my reading on that time period when I researched my novel, Dulcinea. Many people read in the eras of the Renaissance, World War II, or ancient Greece, so I’m hoping to introduce them to the Baroque Age. 

Ana's book list on bringing to life the forgotten Baroque Age

What is my book about?

Dolça Llull Prat, a wealthy Barcelona woman, is only 15 when she falls in love with an impoverished poet-solder. Theirs is a forbidden relationship, one that overcomes many obstacles until the fledgling writer renders her as the lowly Dulcinea in his bestseller.

By doing so, he unwittingly exposes his muse to gossip. But when Dolça receives his deathbed note asking to see her, she races across Spain with the intention of unburdening herself of an old secret.

On the journey, she encounters bandits, the Inquisition, illness, and the choices she's made. At its heart, Dulcinea is about how we betray the people we love, what happens when we succumb to convention, and why we squander the few chances we get to change our lives.

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