[Note from Frolic: We are so excited to have our friends over at SheReads guest post on the site today. Take it away SheReads!]
Summer is coming which means it’s time to book your travel plans and start planning which new reads you’ll be packing in your carry-on. For the voracious readers who can’t wait to get their hands on all of the upcoming summer titles, prepare your #TBR now with these 20 highly-anticipated books of summer, all written by women.
The Wife Who Knew Too Much by Michele Campbell
When Tabitha Girard reconnects with her former lover Connor Ford, she knows that the two have unfinished business. Shortly after reconnecting, Connor’s wife takes her own life, leaving the two to be together once again. But all of that changes when Tabitha finds the diary of Connor’s late wife claiming that if she was ever found dead, her husband and Tabitha had something to do with it. Who was responsible for her death and what plans does Connor have for Tabitha?
Big Summer by Jennifer Weiner
Daphne Berg hasn’t seen Drue Cavanaugh since their friendship ended six years ago. Having developed a new sense of confidence in herself and her future over those six years, Daphne is utterly shocked when Drue waltzes back into her life asking her to be her maid of honor. Accepting the proposal, Daphne is thrown into the chaos of Drue’s life once again and will have to keep in mind the woman she’s become if she wants to maintain the happiness she’s worked so hard for.
Summer Darlings by Brooke Lea Foster
Leaving Brooklyn behind her, Heddy Winsome boards a ferry to Martha’s Vineyard to nanny for an extremely wealthy family in 1962. Quickly getting swept up in the family’s affairs, it isn’t until her academic scholarship at Wellesley is revoked that she begins to think about alternative plans for her future. Embracing the glamorous lifestyle of the island, it doesn’t take long before she learns her happily ever after may be harder to find than she had originally planned.
The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
Identical twins Stella and Desiree were attached at the hip while growing up but after running away at 16, the two began to create very different lives for themselves. Over a decade later, Stella does her best to pass as a white woman, married to a man who doesn’t know anything about her past. Desiree on the other hand has moved back to their hometown with her daughter. When their paths cross again, they’ll be forced to re-evaluate the way they look at family and the life decisions they’ve made over the past 14 years.
The Book of V by Anna Solomon
The stories of three women across three centuries are brought to life in The Book of V. Lily always wanted to be a writer but when she had children all of that went to the wayside. She now struggles to define her role as a mother and wife in her Brooklyn apartment in 2016. In the 1970’s, Vivian Barr is trying to be the perfect political wife until her husband proposes she do him a humiliating favor that will change their lives indefinitely. Esther, living in ancient Persia, makes an innocent mistake that will force her to be a leader for her people before she’s ready.
Take A Hint, Dani Brown by Talia Hibbert
Danika Brown is only concerned with three things: her career, her education and her romantic flings. When she meets local security guard, Zafir Ansari, she thinks she’s just met her next friends-with-benefits. After a video of them goes viral, the internet begins to ship the two as a couple and they decide to play along because it means major publicity for Zaf’s charity. As hard as Danika will try to seduce him, he pushes back, doing everything in his power to knock her walls down and make her fall in love with him.
If You Must Know by Jamie Beck
As sisters, Amanda Foster and Erin Turner never had much in common. Now adults, both are living dramatically different lives with Amanda being the dutiful wife and mother and Erin living a more carefree existence, intent on honoring their father at all costs. Despite their differences, the two women must come back together when a lie is exposed, threatening their family’s legacy. Amanda and Erin will have to forgive one another and forge a new sense of trust if they want to save their family.
Catherine House by Elisabeth Thomas
Catherine House promises students a life of prosperity and success if they just subject themselves to three years of completely uninterrupted learning without distractions from the outside world. Ready for a change and a chance to make something of herself, Ines Murillo begins her time at Catherine House hopeful. But soon, she finds the school can oftentimes feel like a prison. When tragedy strikes the school, Ines begins to believe that school may have a more dangerous agenda and plan for a select group of students.
The Vanishing Sky by L. Annette Binder
World War II is nearing its final days in Germany and the Huber family is desperate to finally be free of the constant danger and fear. Both of Etta Huber’s sons are serving in the war with one on the Eastern front and her youngest attending a school for Hitler Youth. When Max returns from fighting, she realizes something is not right with him and vows to make things better despite the fact that she doesn’t have her husband’s full support. Meanwhile, her youngest, Georg, has just left his school, ready to make the dangerous trip back home by himself.
Recipe for Persuasion by Sonali Dev
Ashna Raje is concerned with one thing: saving her failing restaurant. As a last ditch effort to save her business and prove to her mom she’s not a failure, Ashna joins the cast of Cooking with the Stars. But much to her dismay, she’s paired up with her ex-lover, soccer star Rico Silva. With people on social media rooting for them to be more than just partners on a TV show, the two begin to realize the chemistry they still have and they will have to decide whether or not giving into temptation is what they both really want and need.
We Came Here to Shine by Susie Orman Schnall
Vivi has finally been given the Hollywood break she’s been working towards when she’s sent back to New York by the studio head to fulfill the lead role in the Aquacade synchronized swimming spectacular at the World’s Fair. Meanwhile, aspiring journalist Max has just lost her job at the New York Times and picks up a gig writing for the daily paper of the World’s Fair. With both women unsure of their futures, they find comfort in each other and the belief that one day they will both reach their dreams.
Brunch and Other Obligations by Suzanne Nugent
Molly always had a way of bringing her friends Leanne, Nora and Christina together despite the fact that they’re all vastly different people. But their lives are turned upside down when Molly passes away, leaving them with one last request: have brunch together every month for an entire year. Throughout this year of brunches, bonding and lighthearted moments, the three unlikely pals learn how to process their grief and find hope in the smallest of moments.
A Burning by Megha Majumdar
Young Muslim girl Jivan has just been accused of a terrorist attack on a train after posting a negligent comment on Facebook. PT Sir on the other hand is a right-wing political figure who finds that as Jivan’s case worsens, his popularity rises. However, amidst all the chaos, outcast Lovely knows that Jivan is innocent and has the evidence to prove it. But in order to clear Jivan’s name, Lovely will have to make a major sacrifice and surrender everything that matters to her.
Party of Two by Jasmine Guillory
The last thing Olivia Monroe expected to find in LA was the chance at love but when the hotshot lawyer meets junior senator Max Powell, it’s obvious the two have a connection. Embarking on a whirlwind romance of secret dates and disguises, everything changes when they make their relationship public. Now subject to public scrutiny, people begin digging up things from Olivia’s past and causing issues for her newly formed law firm. She’ll have to decide if their relationship is worth the fallout or if she needs to focus on the one thing she has control over: her career.
The Safe Place by Anna Downes
Emily Proudman has just lost everything including her apartment, her acting agent and her job. Desperate to get her feet on the ground again, she accepts a job as a summer housekeeper at a breathtaking French estate. Working for Scott Denny and his picture-perfect family, Emily quickly gets swept up in the glamour of their everyday life. But then everything begins to fall apart as Emily finds out about dangerous secrets the couple is keeping. She must play into their dark affairs or risk putting her life in danger.
Her Last Flight by Beatriz Williams
It’s 1947 and Janey Everrett has just arrived at a remote village in Kauai, ready to do research on the famed pilot Sam Mallory. Tracking down Irene, a woman she believes once worked closely with Mallory and then disappeared, it doesn’t take long before the two begin to share information about the pilot they both admired. But much to Janey’s surprise, Irene begins to dispel secrets from her past, including details about the relationship she had with Mallory and how it impacted her marriage to the famous publisher, George Morrow.
Hurry Home by Roz Nay
Child protection professional Alexandra Van Ness has everything she wants in life, living in her comfortable home in the Rocky Mountains. But all of that is turned upside down when her long-lost sister Ruth shows up at her home, requesting her help and a local child is put in danger. Now the two women will have to re-visit their tumultuous past and the secrets they swore they’d never let resurface if they want to save the child and themselves.
You Exist Too Much by Zaina Arafat
In You Exist Too Much, the protagonist, a young Palestinian-American woman, is constantly judged and shamed for her sexuality. Identifying as a queer woman in a country that doesn’t accept her for who she is, the main character moves to Brooklyn, becoming a well-known DJ and an aspiring writer. But as she tries to get a handle on her new career and her relationship with her first real girlfriend, she finds herself needing freedom to live her life and eventually ends up in a treatment center for “love addiction” where she must come to terms with the trauma from her past.
Fast Girls by Elise Hooper
Betty Robinson, Louise Stokes and Helen Stephens all have one thing in common: they’re ready to prove to the world that women can achieve anything they put their minds to. As the United States and Europe edge closer to war, these three women are about to show everyone what they’re made of. All from different backgrounds and walks of life, they’re brought together to compete in the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin where they’ll have the chance to claim the title as the fastest women in the world.
The Lies That Bind by Emily Giffin
One night while alone in a New York bar, Cecily Gardner begins to question her life and the decisions she’s made up until now. About to call up her ex-boyfriend, she’s distracted by a stranger who advises her not to call him. Spending the night together, Cecily and Grant find that they have a connection they can’t let go of. But all of that changes when the World Trade Center is struck by two planes and Grant goes missing. Now, Cecily is on a mission to find not only him but also more details about his life and whether or not he’s the man he claimed to be.
