The Ultimate List of Summer-Approved Paperbacks

Paperbacks are essential for summer.

They are easy to pack for every occasion—summer road trips, beach days, sleepaway camp, you name it! We know it can be hard to choose the right one (or five) and we are here to help. Check out our handy dandy guide to choosing the perfect summer paperback!

And, if you’re not totally convinced about the power of the paperback, check out our top ten reasons why paperbacks are seriously awesome.

**If you binged Season 2 of 13 Reasons Why:**

The Darkest Corners

By Kara Thomas

For fans of Gillian Flynn and Pretty Little Liars, The Darkest Corners is a psychological thriller about the lies little girls tell, and the deadly truths those lies become.

Beware That Girl

By Teresa Toten

A powerful psychological thriller set against the backdrop of New York City, this compelling novel delves into the dysfunctional yet mesmerizing world of the mega-wealthy elite and will keep readers guessing until the very last page.

We Were Liars: Deluxe Edition

By E. Lockhart

We Were Liars is a modern, sophisticated suspense novel from New York Times bestselling author, National Book Award finalist, and Printz Award honoree E. Lockhart.

Read it. And if anyone asks you how it ends, just LIE.

The Kissing Booth

By Beth Reekles

The movie everyone’s talking about is also a book! When never-been-kissed Elle decides to run a kissing booth at her school’s Spring Carnival, she locks lips with Noah and her life is turned upside down. Is Elle headed for heartbreak or will she get her happily ever after?

A Totally Awkward Love Story

By Tom Ellen, Lucy Ivison

Some loves are meant to be. Others are awkward. Get ready for the second type in this “laugh-out-loud” (Bustle.com) romance about missed connections and trying to find—and keep—“The One.” Written by a former real-life couple!

Tell Me Three Things

By Julie Buxbaum

“Three Things about this novel: (1) I loved it. (2) No, really, I LOVED it. (3) I wish I could tell every teen to read it. Buxbaum’s book sounds, reads, breathes, worries, and soars like real adolescents do.” —Jodi Picoult, New York Times bestselling author of Leaving Time and Off the Page

Illuminae

By Amie Kaufman, Jay Kristoff

Read the New York Times bestselling blockbuster that critics are calling “out-of-this-world awesome.” The first in an epic sci-fi series unlike anything else out there.

Gemina

By Amie Kaufman, Jay Kristoff

Now in paperback, the second edge-of-your-seat installment in the New York Times bestselling series by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff, called “stylistically mesmerizing” and “out-of-this-world-awesome” by reviewers.

Steelheart

By Brandon Sanderson

The #1 New York Times bestseller from Brandon Sanderson, the author of Oathbringer, coauthor of Robert Jordan’s The Wheel of Time series, and creator of the internationally bestselling Mistborn trilogy. And don’t miss the rest of the Reckoners series: Firefight and Calamity.

Seraphina

By Rachel Hartman

Lyrical, imaginative, and wholly original, this New York Times bestseller with 8 starred reviews is not to be missed. Rachel Hartman’s award-winning debut will have you looking at dragons as you’ve never imagined them before.

And I Darken

By Kiersten White

This vividly rendered novel reads like HBO’s Game of Thrones… if it were set in the Ottoman Empire. Ambitious in scope and intimate in execution, the story’s atmospheric setting is rife with political intrigue, with a deftly plotted narrative driven by fiercely passionate characters and a fearsome heroine.

Eragon

By Christopher Paolini

Perfect for fans of Lord of the Rings, the New York Times bestselling Inheritance Cycle about the dragon rider Eragon has sold over 35 million copies and is an international fantasy sensation. With newly updated interlocking art across the spines of all four books!

Trickster's Choice

By Tamora Pierce

When you gamble with kingdoms, all bets are off. Legends are born in this thrilling and New York Times bestselling spy saga from the fantasy author who is legend herself: Tamora Pierce.

The Alchemyst

By Michael Scott

Nicholas Flamel appeared in J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter—but did you know he really lived? And he might still be alive today! Discover the truth in Michael Scott’s New York Times bestselling series the Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel with The Alchemyst, book one.

Fallen

By Lauren Kate

Mysterious and aloof, he captures Luce Price’s attention from the moment she sees him on her first day at the Sword & Cross boarding school in sultry Savannah, Georgia. He’s the one bright spot in a place where cell phones are forbidden, the other students are all screw-ups, and security cameras watch every move.

How to Hang a Witch

By Adriana Mather

It’s the Salem Witch Trials meets Mean Girls in this New York Times bestselling novel from one of the descendants of Cotton Mather, where the trials of high school start to feel like a modern-day witch hunt for a teen with all the wrong connections to Salem’s past.

I Am the Messenger

By Markus Zusak

From the author of the extraordinary #1 New York Times bestseller The Book Thief, I Am the Messenger is an acclaimed novel filled with laughter, fists, and love.

Unbroken (The Young Adult Adaptation)

By Laura Hillenbrand

In this captivating and lavishly illustrated young adult edition of her award-winning #1 New York Times bestseller, Laura Hillenbrand tells the story of a former Olympian’s courage, cunning, and fortitude following his plane crash in enemy territory. This adaptation of Unbroken introduces a new generation to one of history’s most thrilling survival epics.

The Face on the Milk Carton

By Caroline B. Cooney

In the vein of psychological thrillers like We Were Liars, Girl on the Train, and Beware That Girl, bestselling author Caroline Cooney’s JANIE series delivers on every level. Mystery and suspense blend seamlessly with issues of family, friendship and love to offer an emotionally evocative thrill ride of a read.

Rumble Fish

By S. E. Hinton

From the author of the international bestseller The Outsiders comes a “stylistically superb” novel that “packs a punch that will leave readers of any age reeling” (SLJ, starred review).

The Ultimate List of Summer-Approved Paperbacks

Paperbacks are essential for summer.

If you binged Season 2 of 13 Reasons Why:

The Darkest Corners

By Kara Thomas

Beware That Girl

By Teresa Toten

We Were Liars: Deluxe Edition

By E. Lockhart

If you loveeeee Netflix’s The Kissing Booth:

The Kissing Booth

By Beth Reekles

A Totally Awkward Love Story

By Tom Ellen, Lucy Ivison

Tell Me Three Things

By Julie Buxbaum

If you saw Infinity War multiple times in the movie theater:

Illuminae

By Amie Kaufman, Jay Kristoff

Gemina

By Amie Kaufman, Jay Kristoff

Steelheart

By Brandon Sanderson

If you desperately miss Game of Thrones:

Seraphina

By Rachel Hartman

And I Darken

By Kiersten White

Eragon

By Christopher Paolini

Trickster's Choice

By Tamora Pierce

If you can’t wait for the second Fantastic Beasts movie:

The Alchemyst

By Michael Scott

If you love campfire tales:

Fallen

By Lauren Kate

How to Hang a Witch

By Adriana Mather

If you just need a good classic in your life:

I Am the Messenger

By Markus Zusak

Unbroken (The Young Adult Adaptation)

By Laura Hillenbrand

The Face on the Milk Carton

By Caroline B. Cooney

Rumble Fish

By S. E. Hinton

Which paperback is perfect for your summer? Tell us in the comments below!

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**If you binged Season 2 of 13 Reasons Why:**