What To Read Next Based on Your Favorite Summer Movie
It’s impossible to name the best thing about summer. Between the beautiful weather, vacation getaways, and countless outdoor adventures waiting, picking a favorite is hard. But one thing is sure: The season brings some of the year’s BEST movies. Whether it’s a new high-flying superhero action flick or a gripping historical drama, summer movies are second to none. If you’re a movie lover hunting for your next great read, we’ve got you covered. From Michael B. Jordan’s nail-biting historical smash hit Sinners to Ana de Armas’s John Wick spinoff, Ballerina, here are a few book recommendations based on your favorite summer movie that’ll kick your summer reading into overdrive.
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Add to BookshelfSinners
This Cursed House by Del Sandeen
Like the Smokestack Twins, Jemma Barker leaves Chicago and heads south to start a new life. Set in 1960s New Orleans, Jemma is a Black woman hired by a wealthy family who’s convinced only she can break their curse. Much like Sinners, this novel blends ghostly suspense with deeply rooted historical trauma. Its haunting atmosphere, Southern Gothic tension, and layered exploration of race, family ties, and the supernatural make it perfect for anyone craving a dark read that doesn’t shy away from harsh historical truths.
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Materialists
The Partner Plot by Kristina Forest
Lucy Mason and Violet Greene are two FMCs with one thing in common: They’re putting romance in the backseat and focusing on their careers. When Violet runs into her high school ex, Xavier Wright, she parties it up — and ends up with a ring on her finger! When the two realize the benefits of staying married to their careers, they play the part. Old sparks fly anew as they play the part of a happy couple. Full of fun and sweet moments, this second-chance love story has no shortage of swoon-worthy scenes and unforgettable side characters.
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F1: The Movie
Cross the Line by Simone Soltani
The adrenaline-fueled racing scenes and behind-the-scenes drama in Brad Pitt’s film are ever-present in Soltani’s debut novel. Dev Anderson is a hotshot driver with a messy public image. Willow Williams is a recent college grad desperate for a job. Oh, and she also happens to be Dev’s best friend’s little sister. The two agree to help each other out. Like the film, the book illustrates the personal cost of competition and ambition. With its off-track tensions, chemistry-filled romance, and witty banter, this high-stakes, slow-burn romance is everything a racing fan could want and more.
Get more Formula 1 romance with book two of the Lights Out series, Ride with Me.
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Ballerina
The Unraveling by Melanie Hamrick
Melanie Hamrick’s glamorously dark novel echoes Ballerina’s haunting beauty and raw intensity. In a world that demands perfection and punishes weakness, Jocelyn Banks, an American dancer on hiatus in London, is thrust back into the fiercely competitive world of elite ballet. Like Ana de Armas’s Eve Macarro, Melanie is driven and balances grit with grace. Sultry and suspenseful, the novel explores the psychological toll ambition can take on even the most talented artists.
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Jurassic World Rebirth
Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton
Before you sit back and enjoy Scarlett Johansson and Jonathan Bailey in the seventh installment of this iconic dinosaur franchise, go back to the novel that started it all. Nominated as one of America’s best-loved novels by PBS’s The Great American Read, Crichton’s skillful storytelling shows the dangers of science advancements when left unchecked in the modern world. It will leave you wondering, just because something can be done doesn’t mean it should be.
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How to Train Your Dragon
A Fate Forged In Fire by Hazel McBride
Perfect for fans of Rebecca Yarros and Danielle L. Jensen, this epic fantasy combines dragons with feminine rage and delivers it with intensity and heart. Like Hiccup, Aemyra is an unlikely hero — raised in the shadows, but deeply connected to dragons through a sacred bond that challenges everything her world believes. The novel showcases themes of identity, rebellion, and forging your path even when the world says you don’t belong. With heart-pounding action, immersive world-building, and a slow-burn romance, this Celtic-inspired fantasy promises nonstop adventure and romance.
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$28.99Buy from Other Retailers:
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28 Years Later
The End of Men by Christina Sweeney-Baird
A lethal and mysterious virus has broken out in Scotland, affecting only men. The pandemic’s result? A world of only women. Named one of The Wall Street Journal‘s Best Science Fiction Books of the Year, this dystopian fantasy imagines a society without men, no husbands, brothers, fathers, or sons, and how the women left behind rebuild. From politics to family structure, everything has changed. Chilling, reflective, and refreshing, Sweeney-Baird’s novel is nothing short of remarkable.
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Superman
Superman: Dawnbreaker by Matt de la Peña
There’s no better way to follow James Gunn’s highly anticipated take on the Man of Steel than with a Superman origin story. With his signature immersive prose, Newbery award-winning and #1 New York Times bestselling author Matt de la Peña delivers a bold coming-of-age tale of the most iconic comic book superhero of our time. Clark Kent has always been different — stronger and faster than anyone else. But when people start disappearing in Smallville, he must stop hiding and save the small town from the evils hiding below.
Keep the action going: Catch the rest of the DC Icons series!
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Freakier Friday
Like Mother, Like Daughter by Kimberly McCreight
This twisted mystery from the New York Times bestselling author of Reconstructing Amelia reflects the heartfelt exploration of mother-daughter dynamics that’s key in Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis’s iconic movies. With a propelling plot and no shortage of suspense, the story centers around Cleo and her mother, Kat. When Kat suddenly disappears, it’s up to Cleo to discover what happened, only to find her mother has a darker past than she ever thought possible. Like Freakier Friday, this thriller dives into themes of identity, empathy, and the generational baggage that binds us. It’s perfect for fans of Greer Hendricks and Ashley Elston.
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M3GAN 2.0
Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro
Like M3GAN, Klara is an Artificial Friend doll. She spends most of her days in the store quietly observing shoppers’ ins and outs, hoping that she’ll be chosen one day. Named one of President Obama’s favorite books of 2021, Kazuo Ishiguro’s award-winning novel imagines the pivotal role artificial intelligence can play in our futures. This dazzling story, with thoughtful and elegant prose, explores human fears and the value of being loved through a unique and unforgettable narrator.
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