Summer Bucket List Book Tag

There’s just something about waking up with the sun hitting your face to put you in a good mood. After all, summer isn’t just a season; it’s a feeling. Summer is driving down the coast with the windows rolled down. It’s ice cream dripping on the board walk. It’s salty hair and red shoulders. It’s playing cricket in the backyard and catching fire flies at twilight.

If I could live in perpetual summertime life would be perfect.

The Summer Bucket List Book Tag was originally conceived by Tiffany from Read By Tiffany. Let me tell you – this book tag has been at the pinnacle of my to-do list  so I need to give a big shout out to my girl Siobhan. Thank you for tagging me Sibby! Please show her some love and check out her blog too!

Before I get into Tiffany’s questions I figured, since summer is on the horizon [well, at least it is Down Under], I’d share my own summer bucket list:

Also my new summer anthem:

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Jenny Han’s The Summer I Turned Pretty trilogy is basically the holy grail of summery contemporary novels.  Something about Jenny’s writing style and Belly’s voice just captures perfectly the essence of summer. This book just feels like driving along the coast with the windows rolled down or lying out in the sand on a warm day.

The Sun Is Also A Star is a deeply moving, unexpectedly philosophical novel that forces you to think about how your choices impact others. It’s about random acts of kindness, it’s about the chaos theory, the butterfly effect and how one day can change everything. But it also features a beautiful romance between Natasha, a pragmatist and Daniel, an aspiring poet. 

The ultimate road trip, Amy & Roger’s Epic Detour features both a literal journey across America and a psychological journey. Amy is drowning in her grief, struggling with her father’s death. Enter Roger and a forbidden detour and you have the makings of a powerful romance. Featuring receipts, playlists, journal entries, sketches and photos, this book feels like a holiday. 

Second Chance Summer is all about, you guessed it, second chances and do-overs. Set in a lakeside beach community, Second Chance Summer just screams catching fireflies in the backyard. Besides movies on the sand and stargazing, Second Chance Summer explores family dynamics and deals with loss. 

After was the perfect series to get the ball rolling after my dreaded slump. I was consumed by the angst-y melodrama and the steamy romance. I practically lived and breath this world – After literally traveled with me everywhere. I read it on the train to work, during my lunch break and even in the bath. If the college setting  gives you more of an autumn vibes just wait to you read the lake scene… 

For those wanting to broaden their horizons and venture outside of the USA, feast your eyes on Love & Gelato. If the title doesn’t give it away, our protagonist Lina spends her summer in Tuscany with the swoon-worthy Ren. Love & Gelato is such an adorable summery book with a heavy focus on family and a good dose of adventure. There are no words to describe just how pure and cute Everything, Everything is. The perfect beach side read, this is a book that I come back to every summer. It’s a romance about taking risks and self discovery set against the backdrop of Hawaii’s topical paradise. There’s also representation of disability and abuse as house-bound Maddie takes a risk to see the world. 

Since You’ve Been Gone is yet another sun-kissed contemporary by Morgan Matson. What can I say? At this point Matson is the queen of summer contemporaries. Since You’ve Been Gone is the story of shy, wallflower Emily, the disappearance of her best friend Sloane and a mysterious summer bucket list. I’m talking apple picking, skinny dipping and dancing until dawn. 

Adorable and sweet, To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before is a fan favorite for it’s Rom Com plot and its swoon-worthy romance. I mean, aren’t Lara Jean and Peter basically the epitome of #relationship goals? Not only is Lara Jean super relatable but she loves to bake. Literally every other chapter we see her decked out in a frilly apron baking cookies or icing cakes. Yummy! 

Again, But Better wasn’t perfect but I was so here for the Suddenly 30 vibes and Shane who is awkward and socially anxious. Again, But Better is inspiring because it’s a coming of age story that focuses on a twenty-something struggling to get her shit together. Watching Shane open herself up to new experiences makes you realize that it’s never too late for a second chance – we just need to be brave enough to take it.

Danielle | Haley | Jess & Teagan | Rebeca | Carly