It’s hot, and that’s an understatement. I have been oscillating between wanting to take a long nap or perpetually immerse myself in a pool. But I must work to survive so that hasn’t been possible. So, I’m looking forward to the weekend when I can lounge around in a kaftan, sip on some cold coffee, the glass clinking with ice, and perhaps read a book uninterrupted. I want distraction and I have some good books in mind. Here are three summer reads that will take your mind off the scorching heat. People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry The first time Poppy meets Alex she never wants to see him again. But as all great love stories go, they soon become friends and develop feelings for each other. Fast forward more than a decade later and Poppy is a travel journalist in New York and Alex is a teacher in their Ohio hometown. Despite being in separate places, the two have managed to reunite every summer for 10 years for a grand vacation. But they haven’t done so in two years, since their trip to Croatia when something happened. Poppy misses Alex and convinces him to join her for one more trip to save their friendship. ‘People We Meet on Vacation’ has the cliché friends-to-lovers trope but it’s a fun read because of Henry’s witty writing style.

 The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren

Olive has never liked Ethan, the brother of her sister’s fiancé. So, when everyone, except her and Ethan, gets food poisoning at her sister’s wedding, she finds herself with quite the dilemma – pose as her twin sister and go on the all-expenses-paid honeymoon to Hawaii with Ethan or let her archenemy go on his own. Ethan and Olive agree to act like a newlywed couple to avoid charges of fraud, but it doesn’t take long for them to actually start having feelings for each other. ‘The Unhoneymooners’ is a cute rom-com that will often have you in splits. The banter between Olive and Ethan is hilarious and endearing at the same time.  The Duke & I by Julia Quinn ‘The Duke and I’ is the first book in the Bridgerton series. Daphne Bridgerton is the eldest daughter of the Viscount, but the fourth of her eight siblings. Despite knowing most of the young eligible gentlemen in London, she is unable to get in a relationship with anyone. Her eldest brother’s best friend, Simon Bassett, the Duke of Hastings, has no interest in marriage or what the society has to say. The duo decides to fake a courtship. This way Daphne can be viewed as desirable, and Simon can avoid all the mothers who are pushing their daughters at him. It sounds like a great plan, but what they never factor in is that they might fall in love. Read the book for the fun banter and superb historical references and scenes.