Bestselling Author Elle Kennedy’s Favorite Summer Romances
If you’re anything like me, there’s just something about summer that makes you want to slow down, grab a good book, and get lost in a love story. When I wrote Love Song, which hit bookstores today, I didn’t just want to create the perfect summer romance—I also wanted to continue the legacy of the Off-Campus characters while giving their story new meaning through the next generation. That connection between past and present became a really important theme in the book, especially in Blake and Wyatt’s relationship. Watching them navigate their emotions, history and expectations is what makes their story feel real and relatable.
My own love for romance novels started when I was a teenager, and it’s something that’s stayed with me ever since. Just like the stories that first made me fall in love with the genre, these books capture the magic of a classic love story—perfect for reading under the sun. Here are a few that truly put the “summer” in summer romance.
- Love & Other Words by Christina Lauren
- Call Me by Your Name by André Aciman
- Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
- We Were Liars by E. Lockhart
- Lies and Weddings by Kevin Kwan
- Everything I Know About Love by Dolly Alderton
- Modern Lovers by Emma Straub
- Just for Summer by Abby Jimenez
- Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
- Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Love & Other Words by Christina Lauren
The theme of first love and reconnecting with someone from your past is so much of what drives Blake and Wyatt’s story, and I love how that can be explored in other ways, like with Love & Other Words. Each book focuses on characters who are forced to confront their unfinished feelings and the possibility that the right person might return at the wrong—or maybe exactly the right—time.
Call Me by Your Name by André Aciman
There is no feeling like an Italian summer, and the slow, quiet love story between Elio and Oliver feels like the golden, quiet moments that make it so special. Like Love Song, this is a romance that doesn’t shy away from the hard parts of love.
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
This is the classic love story—need I say more? I think every romance writer is inspired by Mr. Darcy.
We Were Liars by E. Lockhart
I love psychological thrillers and mysteries, and I always recommend We Were Liars for summer because it wraps its suspense in the guise of a glittering private island vacation. I draw so much of the below-the-surface thoughts and feelings of my characters from thrillers, because things are never as they seem from the outside, even in a romance.
Lies and Weddings by Kevin Kwan
Lies and Weddings is the kind of book you sink into for pure fun. Kevin Kwan serves up outrageous wealth, messy family drama and a wedding guest list packed with billionaires and royalty, but at the heart of it is a surprisingly sweet love story about choosing the life you actually want. It’s glamorous, funny, a little chaotic in the best way and exactly the kind of escapist read summer calls for.
Everything I Know About Love by Dolly Alderton
This book captures the intensity of your twenties and all the messy, emotional ways we learn about love along the way. I love how honest and funny Dolly Alderton is about friendship, heartbreak and the moments that stay with you long after they happen. It’s a reminder that love stories don’t always look the way we expect them to.
Modern Lovers by Emma Straub
Modern Lovers shows the complexity of time passing and the complicated history between generations. Not your traditional summer love story, but I love the exploration of what love can be at different times and circumstances in life. It’s something I get the privilege of doing with Off-Campus, as I’ve stayed with the characters through so much of their lives, now into this second generation.
Just for Summer by Abby Jimenez
I love a romance that starts with a slightly ridiculous premise and turns into something real. In this book, two people decide to date and break up to cancel out their bad luck in love, only to find themselves catching real feelings along the way. It’s funny, heartfelt and the perfect kind of summer escape.
Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
Summer isn’t always just fun—and I know I like to create a space for my characters to reflect, change and maybe find something unexpected (and hopefully romantic). Outlander does just that. It’s a wonderful depiction of love growing from vulnerability and uncertainty, where emotional risks and impossible decisions lead to deeper connections and lasting love.
Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Who doesn’t love a story of yearning, longing and what-ifs? Music always makes me think of summer, and weaving those threads through Love Song was huge for me. The way music says so much that the characters might not be able to say themselves is what makes Daisy Jones and the Six dramatic and addictive—just like the songs.