REVIEW | Hamber Reads: Summer Book Recommendations
Photo Credit: Goodreads
Whether your summer break plans include a tropical vacation, summer camp, or staying home all day, it's always nice to have a good book by your side. These novels are perfect for such summer activities — they’re packed with colourful settings and engaging, fast-paced storylines that are guaranteed to keep you turning the page.
My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante
My Brilliant Friend is a heart-wrenching yet beautiful narrative that follows the close friendship between two young girls: Elena and Lila. The pair grow up in the slums of Italy together during the 1950s, and their lives are heavily intertwined with their country. The book reveals different aspects of Italy at the time, including its post-war dynamics, social classes, and the mafia. Despite Lila’s upbringing in an abusive household, she is sharp-witted, fiercely intelligent, and beautiful. Elena is bright and has a world of opportunities, and the girls’ polarity brings comparison and difference. The two fight tooth and nail alongside each other to find their places in the world.
Elena and Lila navigate through poverty and social constraints, as well as the reality of being young girls. This story encapsulates girlhood: the pain, the messiness, the beauty, and everything else in between. My Brilliant Friend is set along the sun-drenched coast of Naples, a perfect place to transport yourself this summer.
Sunrise on The Reaping by Suzanne Collins
Sunrise on the Reaping is the brand new and highly anticipated installment of The Hunger Games. The tragic prequel illuminates how the stony, cynical, and closed-off Haymitch Abernathy came to be. He is one of four District 12 tributes selected for the 50th Hunger Games. Haymitch is torn away from everything he knows — his friends, his family, and his first love. The book deals heavily with themes of government manipulation, propaganda, and rebellion.
Read Sunrise on the Reaping this summer to prepare yourself for the upcoming 2026 movie release. The adaptation is being taken on by Lionsgate, and casting has already begun. Actors include stars like Mckenna Grace, Elle Fanning, and Kieran Culkin. Enter (or revisit) Panem this summer and follow along with Haymitch’s journey of struggle and bloodshed.
Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Malibu Rising is a historical fiction novel set in 1983. It follows the Riva children: Nina, Jay, Hud, and Kit, and their parents, Mick and June. The book alternates from the present, in which the children juggle their personal lives while preparing for Nina’s annual end-of-summer party, and the past, in which new parents Mick and June navigate Mick’s singing career and rise to fame. Mick and June’s relationship slowly unravels, and Nina’s party escalates into chaos. The story engages readers with complex family dynamics, which are woven together by both secrets and betrayals. Taylor Jenkins Reid encapsulates a 1980s Malibu summer, ingraining surf culture and a wealthy, laid-back lifestyle throughout the book. The sun-soaked backdrop of Malibu and the compelling family drama will keep you hooked to the story. Whether reading on the beach or in your bed, Malibu Rising is the perfect lore-filled beachy summer read.
The Summer of Broken Rules by K. L. Walther
The Summer of Broken Rules is a YA summer romance covering loss and a new beginning. It is the perfect quick summer read for when you’re at the beach or a cottage. The book follows Meredith Fox as she returns to visit her family's compound on the scenic Martha’s Vineyard for her cousin's wedding. After the recent passing of Meredith's beloved sister Claire, and an unexpected dumping by her long-distance boyfriend, her family’s annual game of assassin is the perfect distraction from Meredith's trainwreck of a life. While visiting, Meredith meets Wit, a charming groomsman. They share a similar feeling of grief through the loss of a loved one, but by finding him, she also finds herself again. The Summer of Broken Rules is perfect for anyone who is looking for a swoony teen romance packed with lyrical nods to Taylor Swift.