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Top Historical Fiction Books for Summer

Updated: Jul 15

By:  Angela & Melissa, The Book Girls’ Guide. Reprinted from June 4, 2024


Summer days are perfect for soaking up some much-needed Vitamin D. They’re also a fantastic opportunity to escape into the pages of a good book. If you’re a fan of historical fiction, you’re in for a treat,” say Angela and Melissa of The Book Girls’ Guide. “We’ve compiled a list of captivating historical fiction books with summertime themes and settings that will transport you to bygone eras while you bask in the warm summer sun. From the 1800s to the 1970s, these summer novels will leave you yearning for the smell of salty air. We’ve included a mix of new releases and older novels, which may be easier to access at the library.


1.      The Girl from the Grand Hotel by Camille Aubray

·       Publication Date: 04/30/2024

·       Setting: French Riviera, 1939

 

2.      Husbands & Lovers by Beatriz Williams

·       Publication Date: 06/25/2024

·       Setting: Egypt, 1951 & New England, 2022

 

3.      Haven Point by Virginia Hume

·       Publication Date: 06/08/2021

·       Setting: Coastal Maine, 1944, 1970, & 2008

 

4.      Don’t Forget to Write by Sara Goodman Confino

·       Publication Date: 09/01/2023

·       Setting: 1960, Philadelphia & Jersey Shore

 

5.      A Darling Lovebug Summer by Tanya Rumford

·       Publication Date: 05/31/2023

·       Setting: 1960s & Present Day, Georgia

 

6.      The Beautiful People by Michelle Gable

·       Publication Date: 04/16/2024

·       Setting: Palm Beach, Florida 1960s


7.      Hotel Laguna by Nicola Harrison

·       Publication Date: 06/20/2023

·       Setting: 1942, Laguna Beach, California

 

8.      The Last Bathing Beauty by Amy Sue Nathan

·       Publication Date: 04/02/2020

·       Setting: 1951 & Present, Michigan

 

9.      The Last Summer by Karen Swan

·       Publication Date: 07/21/2022

·       Setting: 1930s, remote Scottish Island

 

10.  The Beautiful Strangers by Camille Di Maio

·       Publication Date: 03/05/2019

·       Setting: San Diego, California, 1958

 

11.  We Came Here to Shine by Susie Orman Schnall

·       Publication Date: 06/16/2020

·       Setting: 1939, New York

 

12.  The Lost Summers of Newport by Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willig, and Karen White

·       Publication Date: 05/17/2022

·       Setting: Newport, Rhode Island Late 1800s-Present

 

13.  When the Summer Was Ours by Roxanne Veletzos

·       Publication Date: 08/25/2021

·       Setting: 1940s-1950s, Hungary

 

14.  The Bungalow by Sarah Jio

·       Publication Date: 12/01/2011

·       Setting: 1940s, Bora Bora

 

15.  Summer of ’69 by Elin Hilderbrand

·       Publication Date: 06/13/2019

·       Setting: 1969, Nantucket, Massachusetts

 

16.  Meet Me in Monaco by Hazel Gaynor & Heather Webb

·       Publication Date: 07/23/2019

·       Setting: 1955-1956, Monaco

 

17.  Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid

·       Publication Date: 05/27/2021

·       Setting: 1983, Malibu, California

 

18.  Park Avenue Summer by Renée Rosen

·       Publication Date: 04/30/2019

·       Setting: 1965, Manhattan

 

19.  Lighthouse Bay by Kimberley Freeman

·       Publication Date: 01/01/2012

·       Setting: 1901 & 2011, Queensland, Australia

 

20.  The Beach at Summerly by Beatriz Williams

·       Publication Date: 06/27/2023

·       Setting: 1946 & 1954, New England

 

21.  At Summer’s End by Courtney Ellis

·       Publication Date: 08/10/2021

·       Setting: 1920s, England

 

22.  That Summer in Berlin by Lecia Cornwall

·       Publication Date: 10/11/2022

·       Setting: 1936 Olympics, Berlin, Germany

 

23.  Mary Jane by Jessica Anya Blau

·       Publication Date: 05/11/2021

·       Setting: Baltimore, Maryland, 1970s

 

I highly recommend 10, 12, 17 and have #3 put aside for a late summer trip to coastal Maine. 

What have you read?

What would you add to the list?

For more summer reading lists, visit The Book Girls' Guide.

 

Happy summer reading, my friends! Victoria

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