What could be more alluring than a summer reading list? After a school year filled with assigned reading and homework essays, blissful weeks stretch ahead during which you can pick up whatever you like, put down anything you don’t, and read purely for the sheer joy of engaging with the author’s world—without the pressure of knowing that tomorrow in class your teacher might call on you to comment on the symbolism in Chapter 13. These five immersive titles offer readers a broad variety of genres and themes to explore.

Liar’s Test by Ambelin Kwaymullina (Knopf, May 21): The latest from acclaimed Western Australian author Kwaymullina (Palyku) is a complex, page-turning work of speculative fiction. In Mistfall, the Treesingers live in a symbiotic relationship with trees. But Bell Silverleaf’s grove, Falling Leaves, has been at risk since its birth tree succumbed to an illness. Bell’s mission to help her people depends on her ability to dissemble as she’s forced by her land’s oppressive rulers to fight for her life in the Queen’s Test.

Four Eids and a Funeral by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé and Adiba Jaigirdar (Feiwel & Friends, June 4): Romance fans will delight in this charming transnational literary collaboration between Londoner Àbíké-Íyímídé and Dubliner Jaigirdar. Set in Vermont, the story follows two ex–best friends, Tiwa Olatunji and Said Hussain, who are thrown back together over summer break. Working together on a meaningful cause—saving their local Islamic center—helps the young people overcome their complicated history. As the initial tension between the two thaws, space opens for love to grow.

Heiress Takes All by Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka (Little, Brown, June 4): The husband-and-wife writing team break from their string of successful romances for a thriller, and the result is a fun, twist-filled series opener centering on a wronged teen. Olivia, 17, is incensed: Her unfaithful, deadbeat father left her and her mom to struggle financially. Now he’s marrying a woman only eight years older than Olivia. Why not assemble a team to pull off a heist and redistribute her dad’s immense wealth?

Brownstone by Samuel Teer, illustrated by Mar Julia, colors by Ashanti Fortson (Versify/HarperCollins, June 11): Fourteen-year-old Almudena doesn’t want to spend the summer renovating a brownstone with the Guatemalan dad she doesn’t know. But her white mom is heading off on a dance tour, and she believes it’s a great opportunity for the two to bond. This visually captivating graphic novel thoughtfully explores evergreen coming-of-age themes around self, family, and community, as Almudena is pushed out of her comfort zone and grows into a fuller version of herself.

Dashed: A Margaret Dashwood Novel by Amanda Quain (Wednesday Books, July 16): Quain is back with another clever reimagining of a Jane Austen novel. This time it’s Sense and Sensibility set against the backdrop of a Caribbean cruise during which the Dashwood sisters reckon with clashing personalities, family grief and trauma, and, of course, romance. Readers who know the original will enjoy spotting the parallels, but anyone who appreciates relationship-driven stories will be won over by the deft balance of lighter and more serious themes.

Laura Simeon is a young readers’ editor.