Summer is around the corner, with the 2021-2022 LSHS school year coming to a close and taking its final bow. Seniors, juniors and sophomores alike are all going on break and taking a much deserved rest from school.

Along with summer comes the sun, and the tide washes in some free time. Reading is a great way to vacation, with each book whisking away its reader to a new story swimming within the pages.

Summer reading also keeps your mind engaged and keeps comprehension skills fresh over the long break. And the summer reading program is returning to Sno-Isle Library patrons.

And whether students choose to participate in a reading program or not, summer of 2022 has plenty of anticipated book releases to look forward to. Or, students can choose to dive into some tropical themed novels, or still-fresh favorites, perfect for the summer atmosphere.

Some recommendations include:
Note: Each review featured below is quoted from Goodreads, one of the most popular websites for choosing and finding reviews for books, infamously known as the most brutally honest opinions out there. Every reader has their own opinion, and may differ from person to person. Each review also features an age rating/audience.

Heartstopper
by Alice Oseman

Age rating: 12+

Goodreads review: 4.5/5 stars

Genre: romance/realistic fiction

Heartstopper by Alice Oseman is a bestselling, heartwarming LGBTQ+ graphic novel, focused on two boys named Nick and Charlie and their story of falling in love. It’s a heartwarming romance, with beautiful illustrations, and features LGBTQ+ representation of many different identities. The novel focuses on exploring gender identity and sexuality, and Oseman does a great job of including LGBTQ+ characters as main parts of the story, instead of pushing them to the side like so often seen in the media.

Recently, Heartstopper got its own Netflix adaptation, and now is the best time to pick up the first novel. This is the first part of a multiple-book series, and Heartstopper #1 features chapters 1-2. Heartstopper is <a target=”_blank” href=”https://www.webtoons.com/en/challenge/heartstopper/list?title_no=329660&page=1″>also featured on Webtoon</a>, an online site for comics, webcomics, and manga.

We Were Liars / Family of Liars
by E. Lockhart

Age rating: 13+

Goodreads review: 3.76/5 stars

Genre: thriller

We Were Liars is a thrilling and sophisticated suspense novel, focused around a group of four friends during their summer on a private island. The story itself is a strange masterpiece, something that the reader has to piece together themselves.

The tone of the book is dramatic, and the reader should go in blind to fully experience and understand the true plot of the novel. The author’s tone follows the pace of the story, and those who enjoy thriller novels should definitely consider picking this up. Family of Liars, released on May 3rd, 2022, and just in time for summer, acts as the prequel to We Were Liars.

However, Goodreads have very mixed opinions about this novel. The main character, who the reader views a majority of the novel from, is one of the main reasons for the lower star rating.

“While not a literary masterpiece by any means, We Were Liars is definitely interesting. You’re left at the edge of your seat as clues are revealed about the mysterious event that left Cadence and the Sinclair family in shambles. The major plot twist at the end caught me by surprise,” sophomore Natalie Mccullough said.

The Inheritance Games
by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Age rating: 13+

Goodreads review: 4.24/5 stars

Genre: mystery/realistic fiction

The Inheritance Games is a thrilling mystery, focused around character Avery Grambs. Avery was left an inheritance by billionaire Tobias Hawthorne, and must move into his mansion in order to claim her part. Unbeknownst to her, the mansion is filled with puzzles, riddles, traps, and codes, bearing Hawthorne’s personal touch.

Furthermore, the house is also occupied by the 4 Hawthorne grandsons, all with varying opinions of Avery. Grayson thinks she must be a conwoman, and Jameson views Avery as his grandfather’s way of having one last hurrah. The Inheritance Games is the first of a three book series, followed by The Hawthorne Legacy, and the newest novel releasing this summer on August 30th, The Final Gambit.

“I thought it was good, but at the same time, it felt like there were too many mysteries going on at once. The first book was more mystery oriented, and the second was more romance,” sophomore Katie Cook said.

Then There Were None
by Agatha Christie

Age rating: 13+

Goodreads review: 4.27/5 stars

Genre: mystery/suspense
Then There Were None is a thrilling mystery that follows the story of 10 strangers, all invited as weekend guests to a private island off the coast of Devon. All 10 have a wicked past, and secrets they wish to keep buried.

One by one, each guest is picked off, and everyone is left to wonder: who’s behind the murders? Is it someone amongst them, a guest gone wild? Or is there a stranger lurking about, sticking to the shadows? And, as the mystery unravels, each guest discovers they were all invited for different reasons. And their host is nowhere to be found.

The murders also follow a specific pattern, laid out by a poem that hangs in each of their rooms- <a target=”_blank” href=”https://cahighways.org/wordpress/?p=3151″>“The Ten Soilder Boys.”</a> Time’s running out, and they can’t get off the island, and must work together to catch the culprit before the weekend is up.

“I thought it was good. It was well-paced, I thought the ending was kind of chaotic, but in a way that summed it up well,” sophomore Chloe Swartz said.

Other recommendations

Malibu by Taylor Jenkins Reid: historical fiction

Skin of the Sea by Natasha Boewn: fantasy

Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo: romance/historical fiction

Legendborn by Tracy Deonn: fantasy/realistic fiction

Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen: romance

The Fear by Natasha Preston: mystery/thriller

The Matchbreaker Summer by Annie Rains: romance/coming of age

If any of these books sound interesting, they are available to check out either at LSHS or Sno-Isle Libraries. Sno-Isle is in direct partnership with LSHS, and students have the whole library system at their disposal with their student numbers. To check inventory at either LSHS or Sno-Isle, check out LSSD Libraries to check the LSHS catalog, and <a target=”_blank” href=”https://www.sno-isle.org/”>Sno-Isle libraries’ online </a>website to check Sno-Isle’s catalog.