From teen coming-of-age stories to adult romances, these are the best books like The Summer I Turned Pretty
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17 Best Books Like The Summer I Turned Pretty
Updated on Aug. 19, 2024
Books similar to The Summer I Turned Pretty series
Anyone who has read Jenny Han’s The Summer I Turned Pretty series knows two things: The novels are impossible to put down, and they’ll leave you with a major book hangover. If you’ve already read The Summer I Turned Pretty books in order—and watched the first two seasons of the Amazon Prime series of the same name (the third is due in summer 2025)—you might be looking for more books like The Summer I Turned Pretty.
Thankfully, there are plenty of beach reads similar to the blockbuster teen book series to keep you busy. And as a teen librarian (and YA reader myself), I know just what fans of this series adore. To help you sate your craving for books like The Summer I Turned Pretty, I scoured shelves for novels with summertime vibes, coming-of-age storylines and compelling romances.
Ahead, you’ll find YA novels and adult titles (think of them as grown-up versions of Han’s series) from some of readers’ favorite authors, including Emily Henry, Morgan Matson and Gloria Chao. Like all the best books, these novels will have you turning pages and lost in stories all summer long.
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The Unexpected Everything by Morgan Matson
What you’re in for: Dog-walking gigs, family dynamics and swoon-worthy young love
Andie’s carefully constructed plans have imploded, thanks to the scandal keeping her congressman father home for the summer. Instead of heading off to a prestigious premed internship, she’s picking up dog-walking gigs and trying to recalibrate her expectations of what these sunny months will hold. Like Belly, Andie works through big emotions as things fall apart with some of the adults in her life, and like Belly, she also finds herself falling for a cute boy. A feel-good book published in 2016, The Unexpected Everything will capture your heart and put you in the mood for summer fun.
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Right Where I Left You by Julian Winters
What you’re in for: Complicated love triangles, LGBTQ romance and summer sun
As this 2022 release opens, Isaac Martin is looking forward to spending the summer with his best friend, Diego. It’s the last summer the pair will be together—after that, it’s off to college in the fall. So Isaac plans to spend the time they have left at Legends Con and at Teen Pride. Unfortunately, his old crush, Davi, makes an appearance, distracting Isaac during the ticket sale window and making him lose out on the tickets. When Diego finds out about Isaac’s error—and his evolving relationship with Davi—everything about Isaac’s epic summer turns messy.
I get so excited when I get to introduce a reader to Julian Winters because he has such a great catalog of wonderful LGBTQ romance books to read. Character is truly where Winters shines, and anxious Isaac from Right Where I Left You is my favorite of his leading characters.
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To All the Boys I Loved Before by Jenny Han
What you’re in for: Young love, a multicultural family and a wonderful sisterly bond
If you loved The Summer I Turned Pretty, you might like another Jenny Han book, 2014’s To All the Boys I Loved Before. The story revolves around teenager Lara Jean, who is mortified to learn her little sister has found, mailed and delivered Lara Jean’s stash of secret love letters to undeclared crushes. As if life wasn’t complicated enough! But the delivery of her love letters results in much more than her initial mortification and may, in fact, bring about something wonderful: life surprises and tender moments.
“The summertime setting and love triangle in The Summer I Turned Pretty may get all the attention, but the characters are the heart of the novel,” says Reader’s Digest Books Editor Tracey Neithercott, who highly recommends Han’s follow-up series to fans. “They’re one of the reasons Han is an auto-buy author for me. She crafts realistic characters, explores rich family relationships and offers a nuanced portrayal of growing up. You’ll get all of that in her follow-up series, To All the Boys I Loved Before.”
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Rise to the Sun by Leah Johnson
What you’re in for: A summer music fest with all the jams, queer love and some solid grief processing
The Farmland Music and Arts Festival is the perfect venue for some great summer melodies, and that’s exactly what’s awaiting Olivia and Toni. Olivia is fresh off a breakup and looking for a new start; Toni is still grieving her late musician-turned-roadie father and hoping to find a connection at the festival that was so important to him. The teens find each other, and in the swarm of messy feelings that follow, they both might just find what they’ve been looking for.
Released in July 2021, Rise to the Sun is packed with summer vibes, just like The Summer I Turned Pretty. And if you’re someone who loves to jam out (when you’re not listening to your favorite audiobooks, that is), this is the book for you.
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Rent a Boyfriend by Gloria Chao
What you’re in for: Fake dating, multicultural families and faux-to-beaux romance
If the fake-dating trope is your romance novel go-to, you’ll fall for Gloria Chao’s 2020 Rent a Boyfriend. Chloe is about to introduce her boyfriend to her parents … and meet him for the first time. See, she hired Drew from Rent for Your ‘Rents, hoping to avoid further pressure from her parents to accept a proposal from Hongbo, a wealthy young bachelor from their community. Naturally, things get complicated when real feelings bloom between Drew and Chloe. For readers who love Jenny Han and are looking for even more Asian American authors, Chao is a great choice; she writes light, fun YA contemporaries.
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The Quantum Weirdness of the Almost Kiss by Amy Noelle Parks
What you’re in for: A Wrinkle in Time levels of nerdy adorableness and friendship, a friends-to-lovers trope and fierce but bumbling teens
If you like Jenny Han’s characters in The Summer I Turned Pretty, chances are high that you will love the quirky and complicated characters in Amy Noelle Parks’s 2021 YA novel, The Quantum Weirdness of the Almost Kiss. Though most of the story takes place during the school year, you’ll enjoy some serious summer flashbacks as you comb through the list of almost kisses. It’s a warm and wonderful story of high-school friendships and young love unfolding over a backdrop of math, science and humanities. Amid all the love and fun, The Quantum Weirdness of the Almost Kiss also explores complex questions like how to love or care for others around us and what it means to own our choices—all while positively portraying quality therapy and taking care of our mental health.
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Ophelia After All by Racquel Marie
What you’re in for: Diverse characters, queer love, self-discovery and identity development
Ophelia Rojas has the heart of a romantic and an endless stream of crushes on boys. So this thing she feels for Talia Sanchez? It’s kind of rocking her world—and throwing everything she’s ever believed about her sexuality into question. If you’re looking for books like The Summer I Turned Pretty, check out Ophelia After All, which was published in 2022. It’s another impeccable coming-of-age narrative focused on a girl rediscovering herself and her emotions while tackling crushes and identity. In other words, it’s the perfect teen book for summer.
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Our Way Back to Always by Nina Moreno
What you’re in for: An exploration of deep feelings, a friends-to-lovers trope and fun with bucket lists
The summer before senior year isn’t exactly the easy, breezy vacation it should be. Ever since Lou’s sister gave up her Princeton scholarship to have a baby, their mother’s expectations have landed squarely on Lou’s shoulders. But her sights are on another set of expectations: those she’d had for herself as a kid while crafting a bucket list with Sam, her next-door neighbor and former best friend. Inspired by the recently uncovered list, Lou is determined to accomplish the goals her younger self set, and Sam joins in on the fun.
Nina Moreno’s gorgeous summertime YA book from 2021 explores deep feelings and the evolution of romance between childhood friends. I’ll say it: Nina Moreno should be a household name! From delightful middle-grade coming-of-age stories to swoony YA romances, every single book she’s released has been fabulous, perhaps none more than Our Way Back to Always. I’ve read a lot of YA books about falling in love, and the relationship between the two leads in this book just blows so many YA relationships out of the water. (It’s not a competition, of course, but if it was, this book would win.)
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One True Loves by Elise Bryant
What you’re in for: Romance on the high seas, teen love and Mediterranean travel
Lenore’s parents expect her to have everything about her future plotted out. As they remind her in this 2022 release, “Black kids have to be 110% prepared.” But before she heads off to NYU, where she’ll remain “undecided” until she gets even the slightest idea of what she wants to do with her life, her family is heading on a Mediterranean cruise. The last thing she expects is for her parents to bond with another family—a family with a hopeless romantic for a son (who just so happens to be her age).
If I were asked about what book leaves me with a silly grin on my face because it’s so cute, chances are I’d hand you an Elise Bryant book, specifically One True Loves. The epitome of a beach read—one that made me feel like I was blissfully sailing away from reality—it’s the perfect choice for a day when you just want to escape into a book.
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One Italian Summer by Rebecca Serle
What you’re in for: An exploration of grief and love, mother-daughter bonding and an Italian setting
Katy’s on a trip to Positano, Italy, but it’s not the vacation she was expecting. Originally planned as a mother-daughter trip to the town her mom visited the summer before meeting Katy’s father, it is now, after her mother’s death, a solo vacation. Sounds like the setup for a typical women’s fiction story, right? Well, there’s a twist in this 2022 release: Katy runs into the version of her mother who had taken the trip decades ago. Impossibly, she’s alive and a thirtysomething, just like Katy. As One Italian Summer unfolds and Katy gets to experience a whole new side of the mother she lost, readers are immersed in a touching story about mothers and daughters, grief and love.
The book has been optioned by Paramount, so if  you’ve been looking for some books to catch up on before they become movies, this is a great one to check out.
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An Island Princess Starts a Scandal by Adrianna Herrera
What you’re in for: Steam, drama, a Parisian setting and one fierce female
It’s Manuela’s last summer of freedom before her marriage—a marriage that, to be clear, is not her idea. So she’s heading to Paris to show her paintings at the 1889 Exposition Universelle. While she’s there, she runs into Cora, Duchess of Sundridge, who is hoping to purchase some of Manuela’s land. Manuela has no intention of selling the land—that is, until she realizes she can offer it to Cora in exchange for a summer to remember. Before she’s doomed to a loveless marriage, she can fill her days with art and nights with passion.
I do sometimes wish I had a documentary crew following me around while I give book recommendations because I feel like my facial expression when I recommend this one to people is equivalent to the Grinch doing his evil little smirk. This 2023 historical adult romance is steamy, full of drama and set in Paris—what else could one possibly want?
A can’t-miss romantic historical fiction book, Adrianna Herrera’s An Island Princess Starts a Scandal will appeal to anyone who loves reading about vacations filled with complicated romance (aka books like The Summer I Turned Pretty) but who wants a grown-up version with a little spice.
The Last Thing You Said by Sara Biren
What you’re in for: An emotional exploration of grief and loss, a tender love story and themes of forgiveness, friendship and hope
Summers used to be for fun adventures. Lucy had the lake. She had her best friend, Trixie. And she had her longtime crush, Trixie’s brother, Ben. But that was before. In the after, there’s no Trixie, there’s no fun and there’s nothing between Lucy and Ben. Will they be able to work through their grief and find each other—and hope—again? In this moving YA novel, author Sara Biren explores themes of loss, forgiveness and friendship.
“What I loved so much about The Summer I Turned Pretty was the mingling of hopeful themes with the grief running through the series,” says Neithercott. “That’s why I always recommend The Last Thing You Said to fans. Like The Summer I Turned Pretty, it’s a bittersweet summertime read that doesn’t shy away from heavy themes while giving its teen characters a chance to grow and fall in love.”
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Book Lovers by Emily Henry
What you’re in for: Enemies-to-lovers, self-discovery, family ties and bookishness
The month of August is supposed to be set aside for sisterly bonding. That’s why literary agent Nora took a break from the big city to pal around Sunshine Falls, North Carolina, with her younger sis, Libby. But Charlie, a brooding editor she’s had some not-so-great encounters with, is also in Sunshine Falls, putting a damper on her time away. As the rivals run into each other over and over again, they find themselves reworking the stories they’ve told themselves about each other.
You may be tempted to reach for another bingeable Emily Henry romance novel, Beach Read, for its title alone this summer, but Book Lovers, published in 2022, is a great pick for anyone looking for books like The Summer I Turned Pretty. Like Belly, Nora is rediscovering a person she’s known for a long time and falling for him in the process.
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The Neighbor Favor by Kristina Forest
What you’re in for: Hidden love and bookish romance
Aspiring children’s book editor Lily is trying to move on after being ghosted by the fantasy author she’d been corresponding with via email. And that starts with getting a date for her sister’s wedding. The perfect plus-one? Her hot new neighbor, Nick, who, unbeknownst to her, happens to be the author who fell in love with her over email. Fans of The Summer I Turned Pretty love triangle will experience the same intense emotions here, except in this 2023 book, Lily’s love interests are, well, the same guy. It’s the perfect novel for bookish types who love reading—and reading about reading.
Books about books are my bread. Books about characters who communicate with each other semi-anonymously and also in real life without connecting the two are my butter. I guess that means this book is some delicious buttery toast. I keep expecting a film trailer for an adaptation because, truly, The Neighbor Favor is one of the best adult romances published in the past few years, and I love recommending it to everyone who will listen.
American Panda by Gloria Chao
What you’re in for: Laughs, young love and immigrant family dynamics
Another must-read Gloria Chao book for fans of The Summer I Turned Pretty is the 2018 YA novel American Panda. This sparkling story revolves around Mei Lu, who is only 17 but already a freshman at MIT and on track to be the perfect Taiwanese American daughter. She’s trying to figure out how to be herself and not just who she is expected to be, and she’d like to do it without getting exiled from her family like her brother—or worse (and there are much worse options). Can she also manage to be with the guy she likes, even if he is not what her family has in mind for her?
Though it takes place during the school year, summer is the perfect time to pick up this delightful book that is positively simmering with wry wit, served up with a perfect side of tender insights. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry and you might even flip back to the front to start over again as soon as you finish the last page.
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Every Summer After by Carley Fortune
What you’re in for: Nostalgia, a friends-to-lovers romance and second-chance love
Growing up, Persephone and Sam spent six summers together at Barry’s Bay until everything fell apart. Now, a decade later, she’s returning for Sam’s mother’s funeral—and realizing that the past she left behind won’t stay buried forever, especially when there’s still a connection between her and Sam. Like The Summer I Turned Pretty, Every Summer After, published in 2022, sees characters with deep emotional histories connecting in a new way. If you love Elin Hilderbrand books or made-for-summer stories, this second-chance romance will serve up swoons with a side of nostalgia.
Bite Me, Royce Taslim by Lauren Ho
What you’re in for: Enemies-to-lovers, stand-up comedy and international life
Lauren Ho, author of the comedic Last Tang Standing and touching Lucie Yi Is Not a Romantic, makes her YA debut with this 2024 treat. Bite Me, Royce Taslim is a total teen rivals-to-lovers rom-com set primarily in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Agnes Chan’s life collides with disgustingly handsome Royce Taslim, a member of the Kuala Lumpur elite and her absolute archnemesis as she dives into the world of stand-up comedy and pursues the chance to compete on the world stage.
The dry humor and sizzling wit alone are worth a read, but this sharp and exuberant story packs more than a laugh; it also explores themes of mental health and well-being, friendship (good as well as toxic) and inequality. Whether you read the story in print or listen to the audiobook version, Bite Me, Royce Taslim is a must for any fans who are looking for books that go well with The Summer I Turned Pretty.
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