What could be more perfect for whiling away languid summer days than a sweet romance novel? It’s comforting to know that, despite hiccups, the leads will have their happily-ever-afters; you can relax and enjoy the journey. These recent releases cover a variety of settings and setups, but they all have just the right vibe to be your next swoony summer read.
Cozy mystery meets romance in Flirting With Murder by Amanda Sellet (Wednesday Books, April 21), a quippy story set in a Florida condo inhabited by theater world retirees. The residents of Castle Claude, which has “Pepto-Bismol pink spires,” enjoy murder mystery games. But when Virginia Tillis and Felix Gutierrez cross paths—they both have grandparents living there—not only do sparks fly between the adorkable pair, but a real dead body puts their sleuthing skills to the test.
In Celeste Dador’s delightful debut, Stars, Stripes & Summer Nights (Delacorte Romance, May 12), 17-year-old Abby Cary-Alzona, whose mom is the U.S. president, is used to having to “switch into ‘First Daughter’ mode.” When she meets the irritating (but gorgeous) Gabriel Calabrese at the White House, their shenanigans make headlines. Abby is packed off to visit her aunt in Gabriel’s rural Virginia town where, sheltered from scrutiny, she gets to do “normal” teenage things—like fall in love.
The Vacation Shift (Quill Tree Books/HarperCollins, June 23) marks adult romance author Lily Chu’s fun and entertaining YA debut. Sixteen-year-old Ivy Brown Yu is stuck on an organized tour of Japan with her recently separated mom and a bunch of much older folks. The only other younger people are fellow teen Matteo Robertson and his single dad. Ivy and Matteo try to foil the seniors’ efforts to set their parents up, in the process falling for each other.
Sarah Everett’s lightly magical The Romance Rewind (Putnam, June 23) surprises readers with its dramatic twists. Zadie Cartwright is devastated when her boyfriend, Jason Riddick, breaks up with her on their first anniversary; she’d expected a promise ring. When a car crash lands Jason in a coma, Zadie hides the breakup. Only Jason’s cousin Marcus knows the truth. He and Zadie fall in love as they meet in dreams where she relives the past year, seeking clues to what went wrong with Jason.
Ancient History Between Us by Kaitlyn Hill (Delacorte Romance, June 23) is a sun-drenched, culturally rich story that follows Cammie Lovett and West Jacobs, who grew up together on digs with their archaeologist parents. A kiss when they were 16 was a mistake, but after three years of estrangement, the two are reunited in Italy. Despite initial frostiness, the two new college students, who are each dealing with their own personal struggles, are inexorably pulled back together.
Hallie Griffin, the protagonist of Jessica Lewis’ sensitive, affirming Hallie’s Rules for a Recovering Romantic (Harper/HarperCollins, July 7), has planned a summer of self-improvement at an academically rigorous summer camp, beginning with the rule “absolutely no romance!” Bisexual Hallie, whose heart has been broken too many times, is working on self-acceptance and figuring out who she is without her exes. But getting to know her stunning, intense cabinmate Julia Brown leads Hallie to risk trusting—and loving—again.
Laura Simeon is a young readers’ editor.
