sad girl summer reading list | thrillers, horror & lit fic book recs for summer 2026

Added: 2026-06-01

[00:00:00]This video is kindly sponsored by Squarespace. Hey guys, it's Haley and welcome to another video.

[00:00:11]Today we are going to be diving into my summer 2026 book recommendations. These are going to be all genres, thrillers, horror, lit fic, some romanceish, some fantasy, magical realism stuff. We have really just the whole gamut of books that give me like sad girl summer.

[00:00:34]Okay, I don't mean that all of these books are sad. I mean that these are books for emo introspective girly pops such as myself. But before we get into the book wrecks, I do want to thank the sponsor of today's video, which is Squarespace. If you've never heard me talk about Squarespace before, they basically help you build your website from acquiring your domain to launching your website and finding and keeping customers. I own a small business, if you didn't know, and I actually do host my website for my business through Squarespace. They're amazing. I have never claimed to be good at graphic design or marketing. I'm actually really horrible at those things, and I don't want to hire a whole team. I'm just a onewoman operation. So Squarespace made it super easy for me to just use their tools and templates. They have very simple drag and drop tools that make your website absolutely beautiful. They also have custom widgets so you can use exactly what you want on your website.

[00:01:35]You can sell things, take donations, have an appointment scheduler and a calendar. I love that Squarespace connects to Acuity so my clients can directly book on my site. They help you build exactly what you need for your business. And then when you launch with Squarespace, they actually have already built in SEO terms into the fabric of your site. So, you're going to be pushed to your ideal market and find your ideal customers. If you are a small business owner or you are ready to launch whatever project you need a website for, definitely use Squarespace. It is the simplest way to build a website and you can get 10% off when you're ready to launch with my code, which is just my name, Haley Hughes. Don't forget to check out Squarespace down below. Use my code, Haley Hughes, for 10% off. And thank you so much to Squarespace for sponsoring this video. And now, let's go ahead and get into the summer Rex. I want to start out with a thriller. This is one of my favorites from last summer.

[00:02:37]If you didn't read it last summer, now is the perfect time to read it. And that is The Compound. Oh my god, this was one of the easiest five-star reads I've ever read. I kind of want to reread it again this summer. Also, if you're a fan of Love Island, I know that is starting back up. I've never seen it, but it's kind of got Love Island vibes because we're basically following 10 singles, 10 women and 10 men who are going on this reality show called The Compound. And it's not really about the reality TV show drama, although there is some of that. It's a very eerie, horrifying, almost like dystopian situation that these people are put in where it's framed as a dating show, but it's kind of turning into a Lord of the Flies psychological torment experience. It is so crazy. Y'all know I love a thriller with heavy commentary, and this has amazing commentary. It reads like a sociology study, but it's also a thriller because over the course of the show, people are dropping dead in the compound, and we kind of have to figure out who is taking them out. Is this a ploy for someone to win the show, or is it a little bit more sinister? We're observing all the social dynamics in this group. And we're waiting for the next twist to hit in the filming of the show. It's got amazing summer vibes.

[00:04:07]Obviously, it's got the vibes of like an eerie Love Island. So, they're like by the pool in this beautiful villa. Dot dot dot. It's very summer fun, but with that edge of sociological introspection.

[00:04:21]Very, very cool. Absolutely love it.

[00:04:23]Easy, easy. Five star. Next up, I have a romance recommendation for you. And I'm not the biggest romance reader, so I feel like this is a pretty good wreck. I read a lot of romance that I just really don't care about at all. It's kind of giving fluff and I wouldn't actively like recommend it to y'all, but when I read this one, I was obsessed with it.

[00:04:44]It is Same Time Next Summer by Annabelle Monigan. This is about a girl who is engaged and she is trying to figure out where she wants to have her wedding. Her parents are attached to this summer home that they have on Long Island in New York. And they're trying to convince her to have her wedding on Long Island. So, she ends up going with her fiance. And while she's there, she sees her old flame from summer's past in high school, and she starts to doubt if she should get married to the man that she's engaged to or if maybe there's some unfinished business with him. It's honestly less of a romance, and there is absolutely no cheating, which I loved.

[00:05:23]It's more of her just being introspective about herself and what she wants. Going back to like the root of who she was as a child and how she's lost touch with that version of herself as an adult. It's very light, fun, and summery. It has amazing beachy atmosphere, and it's just so easy to read. I literally read this in a matter of hours on the beach, and it was the best ever. But it's also got some real depth to it. I love a romance book that's centered around our main female character and her journey rather than like a love story. So, if you want to desenter the male experience in your romance books, but you also want a cute little romance, this is the perfect read for you. Next up, I have some horror for you. This one I just read and I'm [ __ ] obsessed with it. This is another easy easy five star. I finished it and I immediately called my partner and I was like, I have to tell you the entire plot of this book from start to finish because it was [ __ ] nuts. And that is Tradife by Saratoga Schaefer. I read their debut last year and I thought it was fine. It was like um the serial killer support group book or whatever. I thought it was okay. This one though, don't judge this one based off that one because I wasn't obsessed with that. And I am obsessed with this. This is incredible. If you have a hangover from yestery year and you want something kind of similar, I think this is better. It's about a trad wife influencer who can't get pregnant. So, she's living this idyllic Instagram perfect life. She's serving her husband. She has these conservative ideals. She's a perfect woman. Except so much of her identity is attached to providing this man with a child and she's unable to do that. So, what does she do? She speaks into a weird haunted creature demonpossessed wishing well and she's like, "Here's my penny. I'm throwing it in and wishing for a child." And the devil's like, "Oh, you want a child? I'll give you a child." And it's basically like if a trad wife influencer was trying to hide the fact that her baby is the spawn of Satan.

[00:07:44]It is hilarious and amazing in all the best ways. I love the empathy that this book is written with for our main character specifically. Obviously, I am no trad wife, okay? I did not think that I would resonate with this main character at all. I was kind of just looking forward to laughing at her. And I was so surprised the rich feeling of empathy and understanding that I had for our main character halfway through the book, but then also by the end of the book, her character arc is just so powerful. It reminded me a lot of Night [ __ ] And I think I read Night [ __ ] in the summer, so it just feels like a really summery book to me. So then this also feels summery to me. I don't know.

[00:08:25]I think the idyllic setting definitely lends itself to me being like, "Oh, you should read this in the summer." I don't really know why. I'm trying to come up with an excuse why I'm recommending this for the summer. I just think you should [ __ ] read it cuz it came out recently and it's [ __ ] awesome. So, if you have some traveling to do this summer, might I recommend Sky Daddy by Kate Folk? Oh my gosh, I read this one on a plane and I absolutely loved it. I mean, there is a lot of talk in here about plane crashes and really odd content going on between a woman and planes because this is about a woman who's sexually attracted to aircrafts, but I loved it. It's unhinged and hilarious.

[00:09:09]Honestly, it kind of goes nowhere. Like, it's kind of plotless. We're basically just following a woman who wants to have sex with a plane and she's struggling in her social life and her dating life obviously because she has deeper relationships with planes than humans.

[00:09:23]She's just a funny, quirky character to follow and her little antics just cracked me up. It was the best way to pass like a quarter of my international flight that I took last summer. If you want something really entertaining and topical to read during your summer travel plans, Sky Daddy perfect weird girl lit thick right here. If you are looking for that, look no further. Next up, let's talk about another thriller, The Wrong Daughter. This is a slightly more literary thriller. I felt like it had really pretty writing and really beautiful descriptions of settings.

[00:10:00]That's why I would recommend it for the summer. Like there's beautiful, beautiful scenery in this book.

[00:10:05]Ultimately, this is a kidnapping thriller. We follow a girl who has survivors guilt because when she was a child, someone broke into the house when the parents were gone for the evening and kidnapped her little sister in front of her. She was frozen and couldn't do anything. She also couldn't identify the kidnapper because he was wearing a mask.

[00:10:27]And so, she's lived with this guilt her entire life. But now, years later, her sister has been returned. This is the moment that the family has dreamed of, basically since she went missing, is getting her back. But she comes back feeling off. We're not sure if this is truly the kidnapped girl. We're trying to figure out what exactly happened. And the daughter that originally witnessed the kidnapping has some secrets of her own. It has some really amazing twists.

[00:10:58]Like I said, really gripping, immersive atmosphere. It just feels like the perfect juicy summer thriller. I want to talk about more, but I don't want to give it away. I gave it four stars, so just go in knowing it's a Haley approved thriller. Next up, we have Cersei by Maline Miller. This is kind of like a Greek mythology retelling. We are learning the story of Cersei. If you don't know about Cersei, she's basically the mythological witch of Greek lore.

[00:11:33]And she rivals the powers of the gods, even though she is not a goddess herself. This is intimidating to Zeus.

[00:11:40]So, he banishes her to an island, and she basically has this witchy island where she lures people in, and she has all these run-ins with all of the mythological characters from Greek history. It is so good. I love history with a modern feminist lens and this one just feels really immersive. I feel like I got to know who Cersei is on a deeper level outside of just the mythology that I learned growing up. I took 8 years of Latin and Greek mythology in school and still I felt like this book was teaching me things, new perspectives on an old story. It also has the like Greek island atmosphere. Perfect for summer. If you want something a little bit more historical or fantastical, this is perfect summer reading. And that was another five star. Like that was so good. I also read it in Greece. So I do think that led to my enjoyment of the book. Let's get into some more horror. I have Breathe In Bleed Out by Brian Macaulay. This is about a girl who just got out of a relationship and it was a harrowing ordeal. Okay. Have you ever heard of those things where it's like a man ditches a woman on a hike? There's like a certain term that we have for these men now. I don't remember it right now, but it's like basically guys who take women out on this intense physical hiking trip and then abandon them there.

[00:13:09]That type of thing ended up happening to this girl. I'm not going to give away exactly what happens because there is a twist to that, but basically she survives the ordeal and her friends are like, "Listen, girl, you've got to reset. You've got to get out of here.

[00:13:25]We're going to take you to Joshua Tree to this amazing meditative yoga retreat and it's going to be so it's going to be so Ohigh California.

[00:13:37]It's going to be so spiritual girl." So that's what they're doing. And then people start getting picked off one by one at this retreat. It kind of gives the yoga death scene in in a violent nature, which is one of my favorite modern slashers. This has that energy to a tea. It's like if a beautiful idyllic summer getaway full of influencers got ravaged by a masked killer, and we are trying to figure out who is doing it all and rooting for our main character to survive. Very straightforward, fun, topical slasher. Loved it. Four stars.

[00:14:16]Jumping back into some lit fic. I have The Wedding People by Allison Esbach.

[00:14:21]This one again, beautiful, amazing, idyllic summer atmosphere. Takes place at this beautiful hotel and our main character books a room there so she can end her life. She is going through a divorce. She's losing her home. She basically has no social life and she's like, "Well, this beautiful hotel, I've wanted to stay at it forever. And if I'm going to take myself out, I guess I might as well go broke with this one beautiful night in this hotel." And the first night, well, the only night that she's there, she ends up meeting this bride who is having her wedding at the hotel, opening up to her. And the bride basically tells her, "You cannot kill yourself until after my wedding is done because I will not have my wedding week ruined by a suicide at my wedding hotel.

[00:15:07]Absolutely not." And she kind of agrees to hold off on ending her life and thus blooms this unlikely relationship between our depressed main character and our bride character. And they are such great foils of each other. They both have amazing arcs over the course of the book. I absolutely sobbed reading this.

[00:15:30]I thought it was phenomenally done. I laughed. I cried. I felt so much. I loved the summery East Coast atmosphere.

[00:15:38]It was just beautiful in every sense of the word. Another solid five-star for the sad girls who still want summery atmosphere. Next up, I have a thriller to talk about, and this is Sun Damage by Sabine Durant. In this book, we're following a couple scammers. They go from destination to destination, all these amazing international places where rich people spend a lot of money on vacation, and they scam rich people out of their money. But one of the people in the duo is this girl, and she's like, "Listen, I don't want to be teamed up with this guy anymore. He's giving me sketchy vibes. He seems dangerous. I'm going to be my own solo scammer. So, she gets into a hairy situation trying to get away from him and now he is chasing after her. So, it's kind of like this game of cat and mouse where she is trying to scam her way across Europe, stay out of this man's clutches, and also live this beautiful, amazing life of her dreams. It mostly takes place in the south of France. Again, gorgeous, beautiful summer atmosphere. I also read this one on the beach and it was a perfect beach read. It's scandalous.

[00:16:51]There's rich people drama. It has great twists. I flew through it. Highly recommend. Also, if you don't like a super like dark, intense, gory thriller, this would be great for you because it's not really scary. There's not really like killings that happen. It's very drama forward for a thriller. But I do like really dark thrillers and I still enjoyed it. So, it's kind of a thriller for everyone. Next up, I want to recommend Exalted by Anna Dorne.

[00:17:18]Honestly, all of Anna Dorne's books would work for this recommendation. I just think Anna Dorne's entire backlist is perfect to read in the summer. She writes queer stories about really interesting, kind of unlikable women, and they're all set in LA. There is gorgeous sunny Los Angeles atmosphere, weather, palm trees, gorgeousness all steeped through every single one of her books. It is juicy, delicious, yummy. As soon as spring and summer come around, I know I am reading Anna Dorne and Exalted would be a great one. We follow two women who are verging on spiritual psychosis by engaging with astrology content online. They both are learning to identify themselves, develop their identities through what their horoscopes are telling them. It is so funny. It's so dry. It's the perfect summer read for an introspective, spiritual, self-aware girly. I tabbed the [ __ ] out of it because I just absolutely loved it. I got such a kick out of it. I love Anna Dorne's writing style. And the bomb that was dropped at the end of this book, like in the last 30 pages, actually made me burst out laughing and simultaneously want to throw up. And I threw the book across the room at the wall because I literally could not believe what I just read. It's so crazy, so gross, so funny, so me. Like, as I was reading every other paragraph, I was like, "Me, me, me." I just feel so incredibly seen by Anna Dorne. She is one of my favorite authors of all time. I will read anything she writes. And if you're going to read her, do it in the summer. Also, I feel like I should mention American Spirits. This is her new release and it is completely based on a fictionalized version of Lana Del Rey. It's basically like what if one of Lana's crazy fans became her personal assistant. Yeah, it is amazing. Phenomenal. Another five star. I don't remember if I said, but I gave Exalted five stars. I gave this five stars. I gave everything by Anna Dornne five stars. Amazing Malibu, beachy atmosphere, perfect of the summer, drama, self-aware. Like, it's just she's incredible. I'm going to never ever ever until I die stop singing Anadorn's praises. So, just read it.

[00:19:43]I've got another thriller for you and that is Copycat by Alex Lake. I loved Copycat. I read it last summer and this was another just perfect poolside drama forward thriller. We are following a girl who one day is scrolling on Facebook and she's like that's funny.

[00:20:04]That profile is me. And this is not just like a catfish account. This profile looks like her. It's her name. It's a photo of her. There are pictures of her kids and her house and her husband and dinners and events that she's gone to.

[00:20:19]but she hasn't taken any of these pictures. So, not only is someone impersonating her, but they seem to be stalking her as well. And that stalking ramps up and up and up and up over the course of the book as we try to figure out who the hell is stalking this woman and why? What do they want from her? I was engrossed from the first page. It takes place on the east coast mostly in the summer, so it has a great summery atmosphere, but it's also got a fast-paced, heartping feel. I loved the twist. It got really dark at the end. It was exactly what I wanted for a poolside summer thriller. Solid four stars. Yet another thriller for you. I have Before We Were Innocent by Ella Bur. This is a story of three girls who traveled for the summer to Mkos. They are best friends taking their senior trip after they graduate high school together.

[00:21:17]Three girls go on the trip and only two return. Years later, secrets are coming out about the death of one of the girls and the two remaining women have to reconnect and go over what happened on that fateful trip. It has very strong like Y2K Euro summer nostalgia vibes.

[00:21:40]three teenage girls in the early 2000s trollling around the streets of Mkos.

[00:21:45]Like, yes, please. That is the summer thriller vibe that I want. And then the present- day story line is in LA, so it's very beachy West Coast. And ultimately, this is about female friendship. Yes, it's a murder mystery.

[00:21:59]Yes, we're trying to uncover all these secrets and lies and what happened, but we're also really closely examining the dynamic between this trio of girls and now the duo of women that they've grown up to be and how each of them has been changed by losing the third member of their trio. It's emotional enough to be really interesting, but not too heavy to not be a really great beachread. Solid four-st star thriller. I do have one YA recommendation to give you and that is The Summer I ate the rich. I freaking loved this book. This is about a girl who works for a catering company for the summer trying to save up and go to college. She is not wealthy. She is from a black family and she gets put in this like white people, rich waspy kind of world. So, she's making all of her observations about these people, and she feels this rage brewing inside her because everything is just so unfair and unjust. Like, she's looking at all the white kids around her being like, "Why do y'all just get handed this [ __ ] and I have to work my ass off?" And so, she decides to take that out on the rich people that she is serving. And there are some cannibalistic um things going on here. I'm not going to give away exactly what happens, but if you like cannibalism and eat the rich vibes, you're going to love this little YA horror thriller. Also, very, very early on in the book, our main character witnesses the murder of this like prominent white businessman, and you can imagine the implications of a little black girl witnessing something happen to this prominent white man. So, we have that story line, a lot of social commentary. I loved the twist and just like the dramatic irony in this book. I thought it was so satisfying and it's a very like rich east coast summery setting. So, it's a perfect summer read for the socially conscious thriller reader. My last recommendation that I have for you guys is a classic. It's one of my longtime favorites and that is Death Valley by Melissa Broder. This is kind of lit fick, kind of horror. We are following a woman who recently lost her father and in the wake of her grief, she ends up taking this trip to Death Valley to the desert and she is just walking around trying to reenter herself after feeling so destabilized. She ends up on this like hiking trail and she sees this massive cactus. Something about this cactus calls to her and she ends up crawling inside it and basically going on this psychedelic soul journey inside the cactus. It is [ __ ] It is so weird. It is so emotional. I sobbed reading this book. It just feels like grief. Like reading this book feels like grief. I love the arc of our main character over the course of the book.

[00:25:12]She learns a lot about herself in this damn cactus. I'm going to tell you, it's so weird. It's so jarring. Also, this book just feels hot. Like, I can only imagine reading this book next to a pool while my skin is literally burning off my body and the pool water is nearly like boiling. Like the point in the summer where the pool starts to feel like bath water. That's when you should read this book. So, so, so good. And that's going to be it. That's going to wrap it up for all of my summer book recommendations for 2026. I hope you guys enjoyed these wrecks and got a couple good ones to add to your summer reading list. Thank you so so much for watching this video and hanging out with me. If you enjoyed, go ahead and give it a like and subscribe to my channel if you haven't already. Don't forget to go down below and check out Squarespace.

[00:26:02]Remember, you can get 10% off with my code. And as always, don't forget to go to therapy and read a book this week. I will see you guys in my next video. Bye.