Reading on a Theme: A Wedding Setting

What is it about a wedding setting that makes for such a great summer read. In this lineup we have a bunch of characters who are part of wedding season, for one reason or another. What are your favorite books that involve a wedding?

The Wedding Planner's Daughter and the Caterer's Son:

Quinn Berkowitz and Tarek Mansour are both heirs to family businesses in the wedding industry, but Quinn isn't sure being part of the family business is what she wants and Tarek wants more responsibility in his family's catering company. It's been nearly a year since Quinn saw Tarek and running into him at event after event isn't exactly the most comfortable situation seeing as he ghosted her last year. Quinn's got a lot on her plate this summer, and she has a lot to learn about love. I loved Rachel Lynn Solomon's Today, Tonight, Tomorrow, and I was so eager to dive into her new fun, summer romance. We Can't Keep Meeting Like This is out June 8, 2021.

The Wedding Chapel Owner:

Holly Nolan's grandfather left her his Las Vegas wedding chapel in his will. Grandpa Jim also left her a letter to deliver to Dax Cranston, the grandson of his mortal enemy and the owner of the chapel next door. The Chapel Wars is a deceiving little book. You think that it's going to all light and cute, but it deals with so much and so many emotions.On top of mourning Grandpa Jim and dealing with a budding relationship with Dax, the Rose of Sharon chapel is in financial straits. For Holly the chapel is more than just a job. It's family, it's home, it's her grandfather's legacy, and she's desperate to save it. Lindsey Leavitt really delivers with this one.

 

 

The Groom's Sister:

The follow-up to Saints and Misfits, reunites us with Janna just in time for her brother's wedding. Nuah, who has been off at college, will be there for the festivities, and Janna has decided that she's ready to tell him that she's interested in a relationship. However, it wouldn't be a wedding if everything went according to plan. I loved this sequel! S.K. Ali doesn't let Janna have it easy, and the book is all the better for it. Janna's life feels real in all its complicated messiness. There's also a lot of love here. The connections between family and friends in this book are so strong. (And that tie-in to Love from A to Z!) Janna is going to be all right. Misfit in Love is out May 25, 2021. Review copy from NetGalley. 

 

 

The Florist:

Sophie Evans works for the local florist. She works at all the major events, from weddings to funerals, held in her small Alabama town along with her best friend, Micah Williams, who is the daughter of the local caterer. But, this year things are different because Micah's dad has won a mentorship with celebrity chef, Jet Hart, which means that this year the arrogant Jet and his annoying son Andrew are going to also be at all the events. I enjoyed the format of Maybe This Time. It takes place over the course of one year and nine events. The narration moves from event to event. Along with the romance (it is a Kasie West book), we also have some more complicated issues including some parent-drama, friend-drama, coming-of-age drama, and, of course, relationship drama. 

 

The Wedding Planner's Daughter:

Louna is the daughter of the popular wedding planner, Natalie Barrett, and every summer she works for her mom during the busy wedding season. This summer her mom decides to also employ Ambrose, an infuriating boy Louna's age.

I really enjoyed Once and For All. The wedding planner setting was so much fun, especially coupled with Natalie, William, and Louna's cynicism when it comes to lasting love. Ambrose, on the other hand, is full of optimism, even if he is an unabashed serial dater. It's tough to resist a hate-to-love romance, and Sarah Dessen's characters have just the right amount of chemistry. This book was the perfect summer read.

Reading on a Theme: Summer Camp

 I love a good summer camp setting. Campfires, hiking, bug spray and sunscreen, swimming in the late. Camp is such a great way to get into a summery mode. Here are five books that will take you to summer camp.

Camp Reynolds:

After taking a mail-in DNA test, Abby learns she has a full sister, Savannah, whom she's never met. Confused over why her parents never told her about her sister and feeling like a consolation prize, Abby doesn't tell them she's found out about Savvy or that she will be spending the whole summer with Savannah at camp. Suddenly having a sister doesn't mean that you suddenly have a new best friend, and clearly there's some backstory behind the sisters' parents. You Have a Match would make for a great summer read. Emma Lord doesn't take the easy way out with this story. Finding out you have a secret sibling makes for a rocky ride. Out January 12, 2021. Review copy from NetGalley. 

 

 

 

Bear Meadow Camp:

A Kasie West book set at summer camp! Count me in! Avery Young is headed for two months of family summer camp in the California mountains. Being off the grid makes it easy for Avery to avoid the drama she left behind at home, for better or worse. A series of events makes Avery realize that she needs to take more risks and that happens to include spending time with Brooks, the lead guitarist of the camp band. As a member of the staff, Brooks is strictly off limits, but as Avery sees Brooks reaching for his goals, it makes her want to face her fears too. Sunkissed is sweet and very cute. While it is a little predictable and requires a hefty suspension of disbelief, it is also the best kind of fun and fluffy summer romance. Out May 4, 2021. Review copy from NetGalley.  

 

 

Camp Daybreak:

Lucy has spent every summer at the church camp run by her father. but this summer is different. Her mother's cancer has returned, and Lucy's mom might not have much time left. Somehow Lucy's parents talk her into taking a job as a counselor at the summer camp on the other side of the lake. It's a camp for kids who have been through tough times, and Lucy feels a little out-of-her depth. What do you say to kids whose world is falling apart when your world is crumbling too? I found Lucy's struggle with her faith after finding out that her mom's cancer has returned to be so poignant and heartfelt. I've long been a big fan of Emery Lord, and The Names They Gave Us is my favorite of her books. 

 

 

 

Camp Blue Springs:

Sam is off to summer camp to be a counselor to a group of young girls. Her boyfriend, Eli, is headed to Europe, all summer, and at camp, Sam is undeniably drawn to Gavin. What I really liked about Just a Boy and a Girl in a Little Canoe is that it shows how you can be doing awesome in one aspect of your life (it was so gratifying to see Sam hit it out of the park with those campers) while simultaneously really flubbing up another aspect of it. It's not pretty, but it is very realistic. Sarah Mlynowski's book is definitely on the older side of YA. Sam has just finished her freshman year of college, and so this book is not appropriate for younger reader of YA. (CW: There is cheating here if that is a turn-off for you.)

 

 

 

Knights Day Camp:

On her first birthday Abbi Hope Goldstein became the face of 9/11 when she was captured in a famous photograph and dubbed Baby Hope. Fifteen years later, Abbi is looking for one summer of normal where she's not Baby Hope. Her solution is to become a camp counselor at a day camp two towns over. She won't find the anonymity she seeks, but she will find Noah Stern, who has his own reasons for obsessing over the Baby Hope photo. Hope and Other Punchlines is a beautiful, poignant, funny, and hopeful read. I absolutely loved the relationship between Abbi and Noah. Julie Buxbaum's books always perfectly balance serious subjects with a bit of lightheartedness and a whole lot of humanity. 

 

 

 

Reading on a Theme: Summer Jobs

As a teen, I had summer jobs working at a packaging plant, as a nanny, and at a call center. I have some good stories from those jobs, but I never had a summer job that was half as exciting as these characters' jobs are.

The Wedding Planner:
Louna is the daughter of the popular wedding planner, Natalie Barrett, and every summer she works for her mom during the busy wedding season. This summer her mom decides to also employ Ambrose, an infuriating boy Louna's age. I really enjoyed Once and For All. The wedding planner setting was so much fun, especially coupled with Natalie, William, and Louna's cynicism when it comes to lasting love. Ambrose, on the other hand, is full of optimism, even if he is an unabashed serial dater. It's tough to resist a hate-to-love romance, and Sarah Dessen's characters have just the right amount of chemistry. This book makes for a perfect summer read.

The Hotel Clerk:
During the summer before college, mystery-book lover, Birdie Lindberg, takes her first job at an historic Seattle hotel famous for its mysteries. She's working alongside Daniel, with whom she had a very awkward previous encounter. Daniel ropes her into investigating a mystery involving a famous author who regularly checks into the hotel. Jenn Bennett's contemporaries are the best summer reads. Serious Moonlight has it all. The romance has just enough bumps along the way to really get the reader invested. The mystery kept me on the edge of my seat. And the Seattle setting gets a big A+. I love Daniel and Birdie.

The Food Truck Worker:
The summer is not going the way Clara pictured, not even a little. After getting into some trouble, her dad decided she needed to straighten up by working in his food truck, the KoBra. But it's not just her, she's stuck working with Rose, a classmate she has nothing in common with. Can she make it through the summer with her identity intact? The Way You Make Me Feel was a delightful summer romp. The relationship between Clara and Hamlet was seriously cute, and I loved the way Clara's relationships with her dad and Rose grew over the course of the book. Maurene Goo really captured the feelings of summer and of growing up.


The Ice Cream Scooper:
Amelia has the best summer job. She's been a Meade Creamery girl for the past three summers, and this summer she is head girl. But before the season kicks off, Molly Meade, who has been making and selling ice cream at her stand since 1944 passes away. Amelia is devastated that the stand might close. Enter Grady, Molly's grandnephew and the new owner of Meade Creamery. Together Amelia and Grady learn that running a small business is tough. I loved so many things about Stay Sweet. Siobhan Vivian's book is the perfect summer read and made me want to go to the lake and eat ice cream. I really loved the back story behind Molly's business and how passionate Amelia was about the stand and its legacy.

The Dancing Hot Dog:
Elouise Parker is ready for an epic summer, but then she's cast (again!) as the Hot Dog at the Magic Castle Playland amusement park. Worse yet, Lou's boss tells them on the first day that this will be the last summer of Magic Castle; he's selling the park. Lou just can't stand to see that happen. Enter schemes. Lou is big on schemes, and they all involve her fellow coworkers.There's her scheme to keep the park open and her fake dating relationship with her best friend engineered to get Diving Pirate Nick's attention. Jennifer Dugan's debut novel has a great setting. I love that all the characters were crew members at Magic Castle. With LGBT main characters, Hot Dog Girl is a nice addition to the summer romance genre.


Once and For All, Serious Moonlight, Stay Sweet, and Hot Dog Girl reviewed by JoLee
The Way You Make Me Feel reviewed by Paige.

Reading on a Theme: American Girls Abroad

These books gave us a serious case of wanderlust. I love to read books about traveling in the summer. They are the perfect books to take on a trip, or, if you aren't traveling, they allow you to dream of exciting new places.

Doha, Qatar:
Zayneb gets suspended for challenging an Islamophobic teacher, and her parents send her to Doha, Qatar to stay with her aunt. Adam is traveling home to Doha for spring break and dreading having to break some bad news to his father. Turns out, Zayneb's aunt and Adam's father work at the same international school, and the two spend their break together and learn to face their fears. I loved S.K. Ali's first novel, and her sophomore book is just as wonderful. I enjoyed so much about this book. I really loved the Doha setting, Adam's kindness, and Zayneb's passion. The "Marvels" and "Oddities" journal format made for a really clever telling as well. Love from A to Z was out April 30, 2019. Review copy from NetGalley. 

London, England:
Shane's college experience isn't going so well. Sure she has fantastic grades and is on track for medical school, but she doesn't have any good friends and her romantic prospects are even worse. Plus, med school is more her parents' dream than her own, so Shane takes matters into her own hands and decides to reinvent herself on study abroad in London. But, in London, Shane learns she's still Shane, and it will take courage to go after her dreams. I adored Again, but Better. I found it so compulsively readable. Christine Riccio's debut brought back all the joy and all the insecurities of my study abroad experience. I loved the quirky characters. I love that they took advantage of their time abroad and saw things and went places. A fantastic tale of second chances. Again, but Better was out May 7, 2019. 

Sevilla, Spain:
High school senior, Emoni Santiago dreams of becoming a chef, and the new culinary arts program at her school is proving that Emoni has what it takes. Emoni desperately wants to go with the class on its study abroad trip to Spain, but with a two-year-old daughter to care for and her abuela to help support, the more responsible thing may be to stay home. I loved Elizabeth Acevedo's debut, The Poet X, and this book is every bit as magical. The prose is a departure from Ms Acevedo's early verse novel, but the narration is still so beautifully lyrical. I loved Emoni's voice and maturity. The imagery in this book is so vivid, and the characters so well drawn. With the Fire on High was out May 7, 2019. 


Kyoto, Japan:
Kimi Nakamura has been keeping a secret from her mother, and when the secret comes out, it seems like the ticket to Japan from her estranged grandparents couldn't have arrived at a better time. So, to escape her mother, Kimi hops on a plane a flies halfway around the world to stay with grandparents she's never met. I Love You So Mochi by Sarah Kuhn is such a cute read. I love books about family and finding family, and it was so delightful to see Kimi connect with her grandparents and start to see how that connection could help her understand herself and her mother better. There's also a very sweet romance in this book with a boy who occasionally dresses as a giant mochi mascot. I Love You So Mochi was out May 28, 2019.


Oxford, England:
Ella Durran is finally living one of her life-long goals: she's a Rhodes scholar at Oxford. She's also just been offered a job that's got her poised to have a promising political career once she returns to the States. Well-laid plans go awry when Ella falls for her English tutor, Jamie Davenport. At first it's just a fling, but things get real when Ella discovers that Jamie is keeping a big secret. My Oxford Year is voice actor Julia Whelan's first novel, and I found it completely engrossing. The connection between Ella and Jamie is so mesmerizing, and I was on the edge of my seat hoping that things would go right for them. Listen to the audiobook if you can, it's narrated by the author. My Oxford Year was out April 2018.