Better late than never, but, hey summer’s not over yet! I’ve had this sitting in my drafts for a little bit (back when most of these ARCs had not been released), but summer procrastination is real, y’all. So, without further ado, welcome back to Miranda’s Book Nook as I share some new summer 2022 book titles that I can’t get enough of and that should be on your radar this year. Happy reading!

Fireworks by Alice Lin

This book is described as a K-Pop teen rom-com, which already has my heart. It gives me girl-next-door meets Shine by Jessica Jung vibes to create an all-around adorable, sweet and wholesome YA romance read.

Here, Lulu is 17 and getting ready to head off to college after one final summer at home. However, she doesn’t expect her neighbor slash childhood best friend Kai (Kite) to return home after several years away, where he’s been working in South Korea as a K-Pop superstar. Lulu’s equally starstruck about seeing her former friend, post-stardom, and rekindling their all-encompassing friendship. What she doesn’t expect is that there may be some unexpected types of feelings brewing underneath the surface.

It’s super, super cute and sweet, innocent too. The main character is so authentic, real and raw, and together Lulu and Kite make a super-cute and sugary-sweet pair.

Rating: Four Stars

Available: Now

Meant to Be Mine by Hannah Orenstein

I’ve savored Hannah Orenstein’s previous novels and even by the plot summary alone, I knew this one was primed to fit right in.

Here, Edie is a native New Yorker, millennial and fashion stylist who grew up believing in the concept of true love and soulmates. In fact, it’s an old wives’ tale that her beloved grandmother Gloria had predicted the date she would meet her future husband — and then the dates for every single family member. Edie has long known her date fell on June 24, 2022, at the age of 29. On that day, she was flying to attend her twin sister’s surprise engagement. So, when she sees that a handsome indie musician, Theo, is sitting beside her, she’s ecstatic thinking this is fate. However, fate comes at a price when deep down her gut thinks something is off.

While it’s a romantic love story on the surface, it ended up primarily being a women’s fiction story that highlights other types of love too, and for that, this read had my heart. It was about more than just finding romantic love but also about family and traditions. As someone who lost a beloved grandparent, parts involving Edie and her grandmother hit very close to home, so potential trigger warning there.

I was truly intrigued by the premise, captivated by the writing and just instantly — and I do mean instantly — hooked. It’s fun, cute and so darn enjoyable that I just needed to keep reading and could barely put it down. Loved this one!

Rating: Four Stars

Available: Now

The Heart of the Deal by Lindsay MacMillan

This was a cute, fun and emotional women’s fiction read that I could barely put down. Any twentysomething or millennial who’s navigating a work-life balance in New York City can relate to Rae’s story because it’s so timely and authentic.

Here, Raelynn “Rae” is a Wall Street banker, who’s feeling adrift in both her career and potential dating prospects by the age of 25. Realizing her biological clock is ticking faster, she vows to get married by the age of 30 so she has time to have multiple children. However, life is what happens when you’re not making plans? I think I read that somewhere. Anyway, so with her encouraging group of friends, she starts swiping on dating app after dating app not really meeting any real contenders until Dustin comes along. While she thinks he’s another poetic soul trapped in a finance suit, she can hear wedding bells chiming in the distance, though his story is a complicated one — and his future is uncertain.

It’s more a women’s fiction novel than a straight-up, true-blue romance just since it’s not all hunky-dory about love, but hey, life’s not always like that either. It’s the tale of a hopeless romantic who learns to stop chasing expectations and live in the moment. Even more so, I really liked its honest and vulnerable account about a woman chasing her dreams even if there are no set plans to get you there.

Content Warning: Mentions of depression, mental illness, and self-harm

Rating: Four Stars

Available: Now

The Sizzle Paradox by Lily Menon

After devouring the author’s previous YA and adult romances, I was instantly intrigued by her next novel’s premise, especially with a woman in STEM protagonist, fresh off of the success of The Love Hypothesis. Told in dual perspectives, there are so many good friends-to-lovers slash forced proximity tropes at play.

Here, Lyric is a Ph.D. candidate studying sexual chemistry in romantic partners though hasn’t had any worthy options in her own love life. To complete her thesis, she needs a personal connection to connect to her “sizzle paradox” and so, she enlists her BFF and roommate Kian’s help. Kian, for his part, is an engineering doctoral student with a lengthy dating record as he offers to tutor Lyric in all things love to better apply it to real suitors. However, as one can expect, their fake-dating scenario opens up their eyes to something that they didn’t see before after years of platonic friendship.

True to Menon’s style, it is full of well-written and compelling language, yet something was just off for me. Maybe that it was very, very, very sweet, like, saccharine almost. That being said, it is a cute and fun romance that’s you’ll particularly enjoy if you liked The Love Hypothesis or The Roommate.

Rating: Four Stars

Available: Now

How to Fake It in Hollywood by Ava Wilder

Told from dual first points of view, this romance novel weaves compelling accounts with a fake dating story at its finest.

Here, former teen starlet Grey Brooks is desperate to keep her career afloat after her long-running series ends. In order to secure a life-changing audition for a big-time role, she agrees with her publicist to enter into a fake relationship with another star: Oscar winner Ethan Adkins. Ethan, for his part, has been disgraced and reclusive after his public divorce and sobriety struggles. If he wants to get his next film financed, he needs a PR makeover, STAT. Enter: the perfect fake relationship agreement, signed contract and all. Though, it’s apparent that these two have some sizzling chemistry that becomes too hard to just fake their way through.

It’s a cute, fun romance with some spicy content, however, it is not one I’d read again and again. One and done is perfectly satisfactory for me. It’s fine. The epilogue feels cute, HEA-worthy that makes me smile, and more importantly, earned after all these two flawed characters went through to get it.

Rating: Four Stars

Available: Now

Love & Other Great Expectations by Becky Dean

I didn’t have any preconceived notions of this book before I started reading other than it looked like a sweet YA novel, it was set in the UK (my Kryptonite) and it potentially had a bookish theme per the “Great Expectations” part of the title.

Here, Britt is a California-based high school senior who is solely focused on her budding soccer career and future collegiate scholarship. However, an unexpected ankle changes everything and forces her suddenly change course. Luckily, she gets the chance to head to England for 10 days this summer and compete for a life-changing prize that could cover the tuition she needs for school. The catch? It’s a literary-inspired scavenger hunt and she’s not the best in English class. Ever-competitive and in need of the cash, Britt signs up and is on her way. Then, she bumps into bookish and British Luke who takes a liking to her, even offering to join her time along the way.

Well, I was immediately drawn into this story, so richly told with such an authentic, vulnerable and relatable MC in Britt. It is completely, totally, wholeheartedly cute, fun and bookish, which just stole my heart. It’s a travel book with a bookish quest, like yes please, I want one too! (Seriously, I want to be in her shoes so bad, I’m literally living vicariously through this book.) I’m so into this read from its unique and fun premise to its compelling language that makes it unputdownable. It’s just so so so cute, fun, enjoyable and sweet. I just feel so warm and happy right now.

Rating: Five Stars

Available: Now

Lucie Yi Is Not a Romantic by Lauren Ho

By the summary and the cover alone, I was curious about this women’s fiction novel. I was intrigued by this pragmatic yet authentic main character, so much so that I didn’t want to put the book down and just wanted to find out what would happen next!

Here, Lucie is a business consultant based in New York City, who is tired for waiting for the perfect partner, but she wants a baby. So, she looks into a coparenting website to find a stranger partner. (Think Tinder but for finding a platonic coparent.) Collin ticks all of her boxes and then some, but she’s unsure if her conservative family back in Singapore will approve. Once the pair learn they are expecting, they decided to move back to Singapore to be closer to family. And as expected, the family’s not on board. And then, there’s Mark: Lucie’s ex-fiancé who reappears in her life as unresolved feelings bubble up.

This read has a compelling hook, full of rich language that pulled me in and intrigued me. I dug it, I think that’s fair to say. It does read quite quickly that I hardly noticed the novel’s sheer length. It was definitely difficult to put down, I was completely sucked in. It’s compelling yet authentic and fun — with a dash of romance.

Rating: Four Stars

Available: Now

How Maya Got Fierce by Sona Charaipotra

After devouring Sona Charaipotra’s novels with Dhonielle Clayton (Tiny Pretty Things, Shiny Broken Pieces, and The Rumor Game), I was instantly excited about her next YA novel — especially considering it was described as Younger meets The Bold Type. As a fan of both those shows and a magazine alum myself, that storyline already won me over.

Here, Maya is a 17-year-old farm girl, set to attend “Cow Camp” outside NYC for the summer. The camp, an agricultural training program for aspiring farm managers, is not what Maya would prefer to be doing. She would much prefer traipsing around the city and working as a magazine staffer for her beloved Fierce magazine. While staying with her older cousin Roop, Maya discovers her cousin’s girlfriend actually works at the mag! It seems like fate when Maya is offered a chance to visit the fashion closet and apply for a coveted internship — which she miraculously got. The twist? It turns out she wasn’t hired as an intern but a full-fledged assistant editor because no one knows she’s still in high school. Considering this is her dream, Maya starts to live a double life to balance an adult job and her teenage reality.

The book, much like a diverse adaptation of the short-lived Jane By Design, was so enjoyable and fun. It had so much compelling language that drew me in, desperate to learn how this average teenager could make it as a legit magazine editor. Alongside a precious summer camp-esque romance, it’s an authentic coming-of-age tale of empowering young women. So captivating.

Rating: Four Stars

Available: July 12, 2022

Accomplished by Amanda Quain

First things first, I love a good Pride & Prejudice retelling or contemporary adaptation, and this one hit that sweet spot. Imagine Pride & Prejudice but in a contemporary, YA setting and told from Georgiana Darcy’s perspective, and she was a marching band-playing, fanfiction-writing misfit and I’m into all of it!

Here, Georgiana “Georgie” returns to her boarding school junior year after an incident with Wickham nearly threatened expulsion and all she wants to prove is that she can live up to the Darcy name and her big brother Fitzwilliam’s legacy. To get Fitz off her back while she tried to do just that, she comes up with the ingenious idea to distract him with love and decides to secretly play matchmaker between Fitz and Lizzie Bennet. This book has such funny, witty language that just pulled me in from the start. Very, very cute.

Rating: Four Stars

Available: July 26, 2022

Thank You for Listening by Julia Whelan

Rating: Four Stars

Available: August 2, 2022

Advance reader copies of the books listed were provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.