Need some summer reading inspo? Here are #1 New York Times best-selling author Emily Giffin’s picks for best books of the summer.
Summer would not be complete without a new Emily Giffin read—poolside, of course. Emily’s been one of my favorite authors for years and years (check out my Q&A with her about her last release, “First Comes Love” here), and this summer she’s back with another soon-to-be hit—set in Nashville, no less!
Emily’s latest, “All We Ever Wanted,” explores the themes of privilege and entitlement in an upscale Nashville community. When Nina Browning’s Ivy-League-bound son Finch takes a photo of classmate Lyla passed out at a party, adds a disturbing caption and circulates it among friends, the image spreads like wildfire. The viral images threatens the hopeful futures of both Lyla and Finch as the two families try to come to terms with the cruel act and how to move forward. V juicy (and just like something that would’ve happened at any high school near where I grew up on the North Shore of Chicago).
I also LOVED seeing all the spots the characters in the book hit up in town—from Five Points Pizza to Bongo East. (Check out all of Emily’s Nashville favorites here!) “All We Ever Wanted” is my top pick for summer reads, but I asked the queen of beach reads herself what’s on her summer reading list. Here are her top picks. BRB, adding these all to my Amazon cart.
1. “The Pisces” by Melissa Broder
Think “The Shape of Water,” but with a merman instead of a captive sea creature. After a bad breakup and much convincing, broken-hearted Lucy heads to her sister’s house in Venice Beach to spend the summer dog-sitting. What she finds is something she never saw coming. “A masterful blend of vivid realism and giddy fantasy, pairing hilarious frankness with pulse-racing eroticism, THE PISCES is a story about falling in obsessive love with a merman: a figure of Sirenic fantasy whose very existence pushes Lucy to question everything she thought she knew about love, lust, and meaning in the one life we have.”
2. “The Intermission” by Elyssa Friedland
Cass and Jonathan have been married for five years—and they both have their own secrets they’re hiding. As Cass begins to question their marriage, she suggests a six-month intermission, during which they’ll decide if the life they’ve chosen is one they want to continue. “The Intermission,” which is released July 8, dives into the complexities of a marriage, the secrets we keep, and how well you really know the person that sleep next to you at night.
3. “The Favorite Sister” by Jessica Knoll
Remember that book “Luckiest Girl Alive” that had everyone talking a few summers ago? Former mag editor Jessica Knoll is back with her second novel, another one that’s also on my list (and everyone else’s—even Andy Cohen!). “The Favorite Sister” centers around five successful sisters living in New York City starring in a reality show. Things take an unexpected twist when the series ends in a murder.
4. “I Can’t Date Jesus” by Michael Arceneaux
In case that didn’t get your attention, the full title is “I Can’t Date Jesus: Love, Sex, Family, Race, and Other Reasons I’ve Put My Faith in Beyoncé.” A collection of personal essays about growing up as a gay black man, Michael Arceneaux’s take on social issues and minority life in America has landed him on too many lists of the most-anticipated summer reads to count (including Vogue, BuzzFeed and the Los Angeles Times). “Leaving no bigoted or ignorant stone unturned, he describes his journey in learning to embrace his identity when the world told him to do the opposite.”
Want to meet Emily in person and hear her speak about “All We Ever Wanted”? Come see her on her on tour! I’ll be at the Nashville event Saturday, June 23 at Cheekwood Gardens, and she’ll also be in Chicago Monday, July 2 (with Colin Egglesfield, aka Dex from the “Something Borrowed” movie!).
And if you want even MORE summer book recommendations, I’ve got you.
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