Is It Getting Hot in Here?: 13 Summer Romances Turnin’ Up the Heat 

Ali Hazelwood’s books contain all the research one might need to figure out what makes the perfect STEaMy rom-com. Elsie is a theoretical physicist who supplements her paycheck as a fake girlfriend. That all goes awry when she meets the ever-frustrating older brother of her favorite client… who also happens to be standing between her and her dream job. It’s more than just a hypothesis when we say that if you loved her other books, you’ll thoroughly enjoy Love, Theoretically.  

Pack your bags and prepare yourself for a trip plagued by Murphy’s Law. When Cassidy and Luke boarded their cross-country flight in Charlotte, NC as strangers, there was no way of knowing what awaited them. From a redirected flight to rental cars and train rides, everything seems to be going wrong on their journey, and there’s more than just the adventure going off-the-rails. Even with lots of detours, we know that this book will get to its destination — it has the map to your heart after all.  

Take to the road along with a cynic, a romantic, and the ashes of an elderly woman in Mrs. Nash’s Ashes. When flights are grounded, Millie finds her mission to reunite her elderly best friend with her former lover all in jeopardy, and her acquaintance Hollis doesn’t see it going well, especially since Mrs. Nash is kind of… dead. But as they travel together, Millie suspects she might be growing on Hollis — and that this might not just be about Mrs. Nash’s love story. A charming romance that reminds us that the journey does matter, Sarah Adler’s debut is perfect for fans of Sarah Hogle and Emily Henry.  

They say to never vacation with your ex, but what if it’s a destination wedding with everyone you know? When Jana travels to Serengeti National Park, her fellow bridesmaids devise a list to help Jana go wild and to seem unaffected by her ex’s presence. But as she lets down her guard, it gets harder to stifle her attraction to him — even as she still hasn’t quite forgiven him for his lies. Crackling with chemistry, Jana Goes Wild is perfect for fans of Abby Jimenez. 

With its unforgettable meet cute, fans of Katherine Center will be thrilled to pick up Summer Reading. When a snarky dyslexic chef travels to Martha’s Vineyard for the summer after getting passed over for a promotion, she meets the town’s interim library director, a man on a quest to find his father. As the two spend time together to help each other out, a summer fling starts to bloom. Add this book to your tote bag for the perfect beach read! If you’re looking for even more to add to your tote, check out Jenn McKinlay’s guest post about books set in Nantucket.

A story of second chances and changing dreams, Meet Me at the Lake is an emotionally layered romance that will require a tissue box nearby. When one chance encounter leads to an entire day spent together and a pact to reunite a year later, Fern doesn’t expect Will to stand her up… but he did. Now, a decade later from their introduction, he steps back into her life as she’s reeling from the death of her mother, but he’s different — and hiding something. The quintessential summer read, Carley Fortune’s latest will capture your heart and be the book you want to share with all your friends.  

We’re going back in time and to the future in this new time-travel romance from Ashley Poston. While reeling from her beloved aunt’s death, Clementine moves into her late aunt’s apartment… only to find a strange man in the kitchen. Clementine has been carefully guarding her heart, and he’s exactly the type of man she would have fallen for… except for the fact that he lives seven years in the past. Ashley Poston is a master at creating magical romances with pining for days, and The Seven Year Slip is no exception. 

A tender read of an unlikely love story and truly embracing yourself, Practice Makes Perfect is another book from Sarah Adams set in Rome, Kentucky. The small town and Audrey Hepburn-themed romances first captured our hearts with When in Rome, but this story of a florist taking dating lessons from the town’s temporary bad boy (and bodyguard for Annie’s soon-to-be sister-in-law) has us head over heels. Sweet and steamy, this is the perfect read for anyone who has ever felt confined by other’s perceptions.  

Tessa Bailey is known for her steamy rom-coms heavy on the com, and the follow-up to Secretly Yours fits that bill perfectly. Natalie needs a husband to access her trust fund to finance her new business venture; August needs help turning his failing vineyard around, so they enter into a tentative agreement — a temporary marriage. Filled with their unmistakable attraction, witty banter and lots of spice, Tessa Bailey fans will not be disappointed by Unfortunately Yours.  

Perfect for fans of Lynn Painter, Seven Rules for Breaking Hearts is a romantic romp that takes readers on an Island getaway. Commitment-phobe Margo’s podcast is put in jeopardy when her best friend/co-host decides to get married. As a last-ditch effort to please their listeners, she decides to break all her dating rules using her old high school rival as her subject. But as we all know: rules are meant to be broken, and love never plays by them.  

Christina Lauren has once again written a brilliant love story that you won’t be able to put down. When a bestselling romance novelist realizes that she hasn’t been walking the walk, Fizzy begins a soul-searching escapade. It’s that journey — and her worries for the audience — that leads her to say yes to Connor, a documentarian tasked with producing a reality dating show. While Fizzy tries to find love in front of the cameras, it’s what’s going on behind the scenes that will leave you swooning from the first page to the last. 

Filled with 90s nostalgia and a laugh-out-loud romance, The First Date Prophecy is inspired by the authors’ own love story. An aspiring writer struggling with both her career and romance meets a former child star ready for a relationship, and they hit it off. But when they receive a psychic’s prophecy that is equally exciting and foreboding, they start soul searching. This joyful tale is perfect for fans of books by Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka.  

Elissa Sussman returns with a show-stopping romance spotlighting a relationship that straddles two timelines. In one, pop star Katee Rose is slowly falling for her friend and her boyfriend’s fellow band member, Cal Kirby. In the other, she’s left her pop star days behind and finds herself reluctantly working alongside Cal — who she hasn’t spoken to in years — to bring a Broadway show to life. With feelings resurfacing, this book is perfect for anyone who loves musicals, boy bands, and second chances.