Need an entertaining YA read to get you through the summer months? We’ve got recommendations for every taste – romance, sci-fi, mystery, fantasy and more.

The Cousins by Karen M. McManus

Cousins Milly, Audrey and Jonah have been invited by their rich and estranged grandmother to spend the summer at her island resort. Their grandmother disinherited her own children – their parents – many years ago, so the teens are curious to meet the mysterious Mildred and to find out what really happened. What the cousins uncover on the island is a seething mass of family secrets – with twists and revelations at every turn.

If you’re looking for an escapist summer read, this gripping mystery from a bestselling author features drama, an inheritance up for grabs, a holiday locale and a web of lies.

The Love Curse of Melody McIntyre by Robin Talley

Melody McIntyre is a stage manager extraordinaire who also happens to fall in love during every production she manages – she’s the queen of the showmance. But when her tech team convinces her that these relationships are curse-level disastrous, Mel agrees to forgo love to ensure the success of her school’s upcoming production of Les Mis. Mel is confident about remaining crush-free, but she hasn’t counted on Odile Rose, a rising star in the wider acting world, auditioning for the musical.

Sweet, funny and full of on-stage and off-stage drama, this gorgeous romance is the perfect summer entertainment.

These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong

It’s 1926 in Shanghai, and a blood feud between the Chinese Scarlet Gang and the Russian White Flowers turns the streets of Shanghai red. Enter Juliette Cai and Roma Montagov, heirs to the two rival clans and ex-lovers who share a complicated and devastating history. Though it’s the last thing either wants, the two are forced to work with each other as their city is enveloped by a mysterious contagion that causes its residents to go mad.

A truly unique historical fantasy debut, this retelling of Romeo and Juliet delivers thrilling action, romance and power-mongering in spades.

Aurora Burning by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff

Get back together with Squad 312 for the second book in the action-packed The Aurora Cycle space opera series. Squad 312 are reeling with grief and racing to keep Auri safe while she masters her powers - all while being pursued by Syldrathi warriors keen to get Kal back among their ranks, the Global Intelligence Agency and the destructive Ra’haam.

If you like action, romance, sharp dialogue, fantastic character development and, it must be said, the kind of cliffhanger ending that will make you swear, you will not be able to pick up a more enjoyable book this summer.

Super Fake Love Song by David Yoon

When self-proclaimed nerd Sunny Dae meets fellow Korean-American Cirrus Soh, he can’t believe how cool she is. So when Cirrus mistakes Sunny’s older brother Gray’s bedroom – with its electric guitars and rock posters – for Sunny’s own, he ‘accidentally’ tells her he’s the front man of a rock band. Before he knows it, Sunny is so deep in his lie that he can’t see his way out. And it’s only a matter of time before it all comes tumbling down.

If you’re looking for a genuine belly laugh this summer, then this witty and empathetic novel about identity, authenticity, coolness and fitting in will charm your socks off.

The Erasure Initiative by Lili Wilkinson

Set in a remote tropical location, this gripping thriller-with-smarts is a surefire holiday read. Cecily wakes up on a self-driving bus with no memory of how she got there or who she is. The six other passengers are in the same predicament. When a series of ethical tests begin, based on the classic Trolley Problem, tensions mount quickly among passengers, and it becomes clear that there are real stakes in this experiment. Secrets emerge, memories return, and people’s real personalities shine through.

Claustrophobic and very compelling, you will not be able to close The Erasure Initiative once you get started.

Dash and Lily’s Book of Dares by David Levithan & Rachel Cohn

The small screen adaptation is all over Netflix, so it’s time to read or re-read this modern YA classic. It’s Christmas-time and loveless Lily, on the advice of her brother, leaves her red notebook on the shelf at The Strand bookshop. The book, and the dares inside it, have Lily waiting for the right guy to come along. When Dash finds her notebook, he’s up for the challenge, and the two teens send each other on a romantic scavenger hunt all across Manhattan. But are they brave enough to find out if they have the same chemistry in person? Keep it seasonal and heartfelt (and if we’re in the middle of a heatwave, perhaps imagine what a snowy Christmas really feels like).

If you’ve already read this gem, then turn to the follow-up, Mind the Gap, Dash and Lily.

Plus, one to look out for early next year…

Furia by Yamile Saied Mendez (released on 6 January 2021)

Camila Hassan lives a double life. At home in Rosario, Argentina, she is a careful daughter, living with her narrow-minded mother and abusive father. On the futbol field, she is La Furia, a powerhouse of skill and talent. When her team qualifies for the South American tournament, Camila dreams of getting a scholarship to a North American university. But her old flame Diego is back in town, and Camila feels torn between her passion for football and her love for Diego.

If your ideal summer read is a feminist coming-of age-story, with an ambitious young woman fighting to follow her dreams, then pick this up as soon as it comes out.