2026 Summer is approaching!! 💕

I hope you are just as excited for the sun as I am, and I am so looking forward to long days spent by the lake with a book in my hand.

We all know that summertime is all about cheesy romance novels, the kind where two people meet by chance and not only discover who they really are through the other person, but also unravel life lessons that lead them to a new life.

For the past few weeks, I’ve been longing to re-read some of the classics. This summer, I’m going to read old romance novels, and on my list I’ve included some of my all-time favorites along with a few I’ve regretfully never read and cannot wait to read for the first time.

My goal this summer? To read as many classic romance novels as I can from June through August.

I have seven books on my summer reading list, along with the Anne of Green Gables books.

Altogether that makes fifteen books for my summer reading list!

Summer officially starts on June 21st and ends September 22nd, so that gives us three good months of sappy reading before we get to switch gears and start our spooky TBR for the year.

I’m hopeful to read everything on my list, plus a small handful of books I’m sure I’ll add along the way. Although summertime can be busy, with everything between all the outdoor activities, the fairgrounds, and ofc spending more time with family/friends while the weather is so nice outside, I always find time in between since I carry a book with me almost everywhere.

I would love to know what you’re doing differently this summer, or if you’re sticking to an age-old reading plan that works for you. Here are the books I have on my summer reading list this year, in no particular order:)

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

This little book was handed down to me by my older sister, and I read it in my early teen years. I had a version with pictures spread throughout the novel, all sketched out in black and white.

My sister had taken some crayons or colored pencils and colored in some of the pictures, and I remember each of the sisters had their own colors that they would wear, and she always kept each image exactly as the girls were shown on the cover.

Jo had yellow, one of the girls had blue, and I think another had a pink dress and blonde hair and one of the sisters may have been wearing green. If I am remembering, it has been so long! I gave that same copy to one of my little sisters, and I hope that one day she’ll pick up the copy and enjoy it as we did.

Maybe she will even add in a little more color, like I did after my sister gave it to me<3

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott is a story of love, grievance, hope and friendship.

It takes on the tale of four sisters who learn about love and life through each other, and their own journeys and relationships as they grow older and while some things try to take them apart, their sisterly relationships only grow deeper and stronger.

While there is a tragedy that left little old me crying, it is an amazing novel that I would recommend to anyone (especially young girls growing into their own little woman).

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë

I’ve never read Jane Eyre, but I’ve heard of it many times. It’s a lovely autobiography, set in the Victorian era about a woman who learns about love and how to manage the changes in her life.

Originally an orphan, Jane finds herself working for a wealthy man with a secret: Edward Rochester. She works as a governess in Thornfield Hall and looks after Adele, the daughter of one of Rochester’s mistresses.

As her time at the manor goes on, she falls deeply in love with Rochester, and over time he falls for her as well.

However, on the day they are to be wed, Jane learns a dark secret that lies just a few floors abover her and she flees the manor, not knowing who to trust or what parts of her heart to keep.

She meets another gentleman and hesitantly follows him as he offers her a position and asks for her hand in marriage. While she doesn’t marry him, she does by a twist of fate find herself in front of Rochester once more, only now things are very different.

The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton

This story follows FMC Lily Bart, a stunning woman who has deeply rooted ties with her family and society, however, at 29 she is still not yet married.

Lily finds herself living with her Aunt, and spends a lot of her time at Bellomont, an out-of-town estate and struggles with her own gambling addiction while attending the parties held at Bellomont.

However, two things are increasingly important for Lily: wealth and finding a suitable husband.

As she learns about the stock market and turns down marriage offers from men of little to no wealth, Lily learns to navigate complicated relationships revolving around money and wealth.

Lily finds herself running from one complicated situation to another, but is determined to have all of her debts paid and to find a man that is worthy of her and can offer her an extravegant future.

Still, things don’t end so well for Lily, as sometimes it isn’t the wealth that counts, but the relationships that we keep around us that can determine the fate of our lives.

Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen

Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen is one of my most favorite tales of all time. I watch the movie endlessly, and will never tire of it.

The story follows Elizabeth Bennet and her sisters as they find love for the first time, but while Lizzy’s sisters are finding their own love story, Lizzy is caught up by a man that she is sworn to hate for all eternity.

Mr. Darcy is an easily despisable man (just not in my books) who seems overly prideful (handsome) and falls for Lizzy almost as soon as he first sees her, though he tries to ignore his feelings.

Both Lizzy and Mr. Darcy come from two different worlds, as Mr. Darcy is incredibly wealthy and Lizzy is well below his status.

Lizzy finds him nearly intolerable, and it’s not until after she discovers his true feelings for her that she begins to realize that despite the judgement she feels towards him, she may be in love with him as well.

 Far From Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy

Spirited young Bathsheba Everdene ventures to a large estate and takes up farming, where she catches the interest of three incredibly different suitors.

Bathsheba imagines how her life could be with each suitor, and while she must make a decision, she learns a lot about life, and love, along the way.

Each of the three men represents different ways in which young people find themselves consumed by and trapped in love. You have the best friend, Gabrial Oak who has honest and pure intentions but is well below the status needed for Bathsheba’s hand.

And then you have Boldwood, who is the picture perfect match for her. Everything is right on paper, but his love for her began on unstable grounds.

He quickly becomes obsessed with Bathsheba, and the love he has for her only grows, but will his love for her stand the test of time?

The final suitor represents the sparks of a new love; enchanting Sergeant Troy, and not much is known of his intentions with Bathsheba, yet he is a smoother talker than both Boldwood and Oak.

A Room With A View by E. M. Forster

There’s a 1985 adaptation of the novel, and since I haven’t watched it yet I’m going to read the book first and then have the movie to look forward to after (a lot of times the books are so much better, but I have high hopes for this one!)

The story is set in Edwardian England, and follows a woman named Lucy who has her future mapped out for her, including a betrothal to Cecil Vyce, a conventional man that she holds no true feelings for.

However, her trip to Florence, Italy shows her adventure and a new love and makes her question her role in society, and the choices we make. She easily falls for a man named George, who is spontaneous and loves her passionately.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream by Shakespeare

I remember how I used to love this movie, and although I read Romeo and Juliet, I never got the chance to read A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

I love the fairies, the magic, the enchanted forest. It’s a dreamy fairytale with so many twists and turns in the story, following a love triangle between Hermia, her best friend and their two lovers.

With the King of Fairies, sprites, spells and magic potions all taking a place in this love story, there is so much to entertain.

Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery

There are eight main books in the Anne of Green Gables series, along with many adaptations, shows, and different movies.

I’ve seen the 1985 movie adaptation and I’m in love with it, highly recommend 10/10

In the first book, there are two siblings known as the Cuthberts, who are both unmarried and only getting older.

As they run a farm and need the extra help, they decide to adopt an orphan boy to assist on their farm and to also help someone in need and offer him a family.

However, the town does not think the Cuthberts are fit to raise a child, and while at the orphanage Mr. Cuthbert is brought a girl instead of a boy by mistake.

Anne is an incredibly spirited, talkative young girl who easily wins over the heart of Mr. Cuthbert and is brought back to his farm.

Throughout the story, Anne is involved in many dramatic events, with many of them revolving around her natural red hair (which she can’t stand being teased for) and her imagination.

She accidentally dyes her hair green, gets her best friend drunk while trying to make a non-alcoholic cordial, and sets out on a boat that later sinks in the lake, leaving her to be rescued by a man that she is ultimately in rivalry with but falls for in the end.