5 Books To Put On Your Summerween 2026 Reading List

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If you've ever craved the spookiness of books like Ray Bradbury's "Something Wicked This Way Comes" or Stephen King's "The Shining" all year round, then Summerween is the event for you. While the idea of bringing the autumnal holiday into the warmer months really only gained widespread popularity online in 2024, the digital book community has been celebrating summer with lakeside thrills and campground kills for a long time. In fact, online creators Gabbyreads and Oliviareadsalatte felt so inspired by a graphic featuring the phrase that they created an annual readathon back in 2020.

Gabbyreads has continued hosting the weeklong event every July, sharing reading prompts and social media ideas for content creators and casual book lovers alike. So, whether you're preparing to join in on reading sprints or wanting to add some thrillers to your Jenna Bush Hager-approved list of summer romances, the warmer months are a surprisingly great time to conjure up the Halloween spirit. Any thriller or horror title can be added to your Summerween TBR, but there are some elements that make for a standout pick.

For one, books set during the summer or that take place in warm or tropical climates are an obvious plus. Campground or nature-based locales are reminiscent of summer-ready horror film classics like "Friday the 13th" and "Sleepaway Camp," while lakes, beaches, and general getaways are rife with summery scare potential. Given that these genres are associated with dark themes and depictions of violence, readers are encouraged to consult triggering warnings as needed.

Riley Sager has quickly become a mainstay of the contemporary thriller genre, with his 2022 title "The House Across the Lake" offering just the right vibes for a Summerween reading list. The twisty novel centers around Casey Fletcher, a celebrity who decamps to her family's luxury lakehouse in Vermont after a bout of negative press coverage. After she rescues her neighbor Katherine from drowning in the lake, Casey begins to realize that the relationship she's been spying on isn't as faultless as it initially appeared from her view across the lake.

Fans of this thriller emphasize the fun and entertaining reading experience, explaining that what starts out as a slow burn eventually spins into unexpected and ridiculous directions. "It has every thriller trope, every like classic thriller trope in here," BookTuber Hailey Hughes said. "It just, like, camp-ifies it, okay. It takes everything up to 100." The unlikeable main character won't appeal to every reader, but the voyeuristic "Rear Window"-inspired aspect and the unreliable narrator make for standout elements. Overall, while this Sager title is pretty divisive among readers, the cabin and lakeside setting make it an especially appealing choice for the summer months, even if you're required to suspend your disbelief.

For fans of young adult book picks that even adults can enjoy, "Delicious Monsters" by Liselle Sambury promises to bring majorly haunted energy to your summer vacation this year. The 2023 horror novel centers around two women preoccupied with the same mysterious mansion. While the supernaturally-gifted Daisy moves to northern Ontario when her mother inherits the summer house from her childhood, Brittney investigates the mansion 10 years later, wanting to debunk her abusive mother's claims of reformation by uncovering the truth of a Black girl's disappearance.

With the heat of a rural summer and the creepiness of an old Victorian mansion as the backdrop, this YA novel has been repeatedly recommended online as a Summerween read. The story's horror originates from the classic haunted house trope in addition to Daisy's ability to see ghosts, with the Sambury title being compared to classics like "The Haunting of Hill House." Alongside the supernatural scares, readers highlight the compelling exploration of trauma, mother-daughter relationships, and racial injustice as essential elements. So, readers ready to bring a classic — but compelling — haunting into summer should pick up "Delicious Monsters" this Summerween.

Summerween has the opportunity to go abroad with "The Family Holiday" by Shalini Boland on the TBR. The 2022 thriller centers around a house swap gone wrong, with Beth and her family trading in their English cottage for a breathtaking Italian villa. Things starts to sour as Beth receives complaints from neighbors back home and begins to question the real reason Amber Mason wanted to swap her beautiful home. Ultimately, what should've been a picturesque family getaway turns into a bloody nightmare.

In addition to the picturesque landscape of Italy serving as a summer-ready setting, this domestic thriller is praised for being fast-paced and entertaining. It's told through multiple first-person points of view, including those of Beth and Amber. Though some characters trend towards unlikeable, several readers found themselves relating to Beth as a protagonist. With all this in mind, "The Family Holiday" makes for a thrilling addition to any Summerween reading list.

Next, "My Heart is a Chainsaw" by Stephen Graham Jones is a horror novel that easily slots into a Summerween reading list with its lakeside locale and slasher movie homages. When death returns to the Indian Lake, the site of the Camp Blood massacre 50 years prior, slasher enthusiast Jade Daniels identifies a horror movie in the making. The high school senior becomes preoccupied with uncovering the masked killer and cementing a final girl, but she isn't convinced that this isn't exactly what the town of Proofrock had coming.

Having read this title, I know that the summery setting makes it a solid option for Summerween, though the slow burn and distinct writing style won't be for everyone. The Native American perspective is another standout, with topics like sexual abuse, discrimination, and gentrification being explored. Readers should also be prepared for violence and gore, with this 2021 release being a horror novel rather than a thriller. Especially great for those who love old school horror flicks, this Stephen Graham Jones title is definitely one to check out this summer.

Gillian Flynn's "Sharp Objects" ranks among Goodreads user-approved mystery and thrillers, with the 2006 release boasting four stars on the reading platform, with over a million ratings. For journalist Camille Preaker, reporting on the disappearance and murder of two young girls in her Missouri hometown means navigating her strained relationships with her hypochondriac mother and her little-known half sister. As she once again immerses herself in small town dynamics to investigate the mystery, Camille is forced to confront the unanswered questions of her own past.

While the sticky, midwest setting of "Sharp Objects" is perfect for summer, the dark character explorations and chilling mysteries make for an unnerving psychological thriller. This title features elements of the southern gothic genre, such as a focus on the grotesque, the overlap of the past and present, and a central rural setting. I can also personally echo reader sentiments about the strong, vivid writing and compelling exploration of trauma and abuse. Plus, readers looking to continue the Summerween vibes after finishing this pick can check out the Amy Adams-starring adaptation.

To create this selection of Summerween book picks, we searched for horror and thriller books with a variety of summer-oriented locations and settings. Recommendations from book creators, online listicles, and my personal library were used to source titles, while reader reviews and personal experience were used to narrow the selection and tailor recommendations. Lastly, this list aimed to include a variety of stories, perspectives, and authors.