“I like to travel in the summer, which is why I read.” I saw that anonymous quote on-line recently and loved it! Summer reads can be such a wonderful way to escape.

Whether you are relaxing on vacation or simply lounging during a hot day at home, cracking open a captivating book can be just what you need. Young Adult (YA) books are a great choice too. They often read at a quicker pace so in a sitting or two, you will have the satisfaction of turning that final page! 

I just devoured a couple of enticing YA books that took me on some very interesting travels. The first is a new mystery titled Liar’s Beach by Kate Cotugno. It’s inspired by Agatha Christie’s The Mysterious Affair at Styles and is a very fun take on her famous Poirot detective series. Cotugno moves the action from First World War England to Martha’s Vineyard. Set in contemporary times, the characters are now friends and siblings from a New England Prep School and the detective is a curious and eccentric young woman.   

The story begins with (Michael) Linden being invited to spend the summer at his wealthy schoolmate, Jasper’s, beachside home called the August House. Linden is not like the others; he did not grow up in this upper-class world but is trying his hardest to keep that part of himself hidden. He is not the only one with secrets and after a horrible accident occurs at a pool party one evening secrets start to reveal themselves. Helping to bring these facts to light is Holiday Proctor. Holiday runs with this elite crowd but it turns out is also an old friend of Linden’s…or Michael as she knows him. Michael’s mother was the housekeeper to Holiday’s family, and she has known him since they were children. 

Holiday promises to keep Michael’s secret and not reveal his true identity, however, she also desires a partner in crime. Having loved mysteries since childhood, she is keen to figure out what is really going on here and ropes Michael in too. Of course, as often happens in tales such as this, everything that at first appears picture perfect is most certainly not! As Michael remarks: “August House was never entirely still. There was always someone awake, someone restless. Someone watching or listening.”  The cliff hanger finale makes one hopeful that this will indeed become a mystery series. 

My second summer pick, Friends Like These by Meg Rosoff, depicts a fish out of water situation as well, however as opposed to a mystery, this is a coming-of-age tale. During the summer between graduating from high school and heading off to college, the main character, Beth, travels to New York City for an internship at a celebrated newspaper. Growing up in a Rhode Island suburb, this is Beth’s first time in New York, first time away from home and she experiences many other firsts as the book proceeds.   

One of my favourite aspects of the book is how atmospheric Rosoff’s writing is; she immediately immerses the reader in the sweltering heat of June 1983, and for anyone who has lived in a city and experienced the oppressive nature of summer temperatures you will relate.  “Forged in the flame of a New York City summer,” Beth does a lot of learning and growing over the course of this tale as she experiences a new city, explores the complexities of friendships and works her dream summer job. Along for the ride are three other interns, flamboyant Edie who becomes fast friends with Beth, preppy Oliver and ambitious Dan. The stories and dramas of all these characters as well as several others intertwine as the weeks of the summer fly by. 

Readers might want to be aware that Rosoff does touch on darker elements such as suicidal thoughts, sexual assault and the AIDS epidemic, which is certainly relevant given the time period of the book. Overall though, it is a page turner about a young girl just learning to figure things out. The transition from teenager to adulthood is a fraught one but as Edie likes to impart: “My mantra is, you have to start somewhere.” By the end of the book as Beth transitions to college, she takes this to heart and realizes that there really is no truer statement. Sometimes it is as simple as that…you have to start somewhere. You might want to start your summer reading with one of these great picks!