My Top Five Wednesday Rewind post for today is intended to be about books that double as great event themes. I mean, who wouldn’t love a Warcross themed party—Mario Party and rainbow hair extensions for all!

The T5W group encourages us not to manipulate topics for the sake of potential future topics. However, as I was scrolling through archived topics for this month, Books as Events caught my attention and had me thinking in a different direction. If you guys have been following Fangirl Fury for a while, you’ll know that summer is my favorite season and I’m always on the hunt for summery contemporaries. Today, I’m going to be giving you book recommendations based on 5 summertime events.

Weddings- I’ve experienced plenty of weddings through YA, but I’m actually attending my first one this summer.

Save the Date by Morgan Matson- Yes, Save the Date has not come out yet (1 more week to go!), but I have no doubt that I’ll love Morgan Matson’s latest book about a girl and her family’s disastrous wedding weekend.

Once & For All by Sarah Dessen- Any Sarah Dessen book is the perfect read for summertime, but what better way to get ready for wedding season than reading a book about the daughter of a wedding planner??

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han- To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before is one of my all-time favorites for a ton of reasons, but I just love the sweet and romancey vibes of this one. Not to mention that a wedding may or may not pop up in one of the latter installments.

Holiday Barbeques- Inspired by Memorial Day and Fourth of July here in the US, keep your reading life filled with fireworks, festivities, and fun

This Is What Happy Looks Like by Jennifer E. Smith-Ellie’s sleepy beach town in Maine comes to life in the summer, especially on the Fourth of July. Not to mention the fact that Graham Larkin is in town filming a new movie, and the starlet only has eyes for Ellie.

The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli– I remember that Molly’s town holds a celebration for Memorial Day or July 4^th. Either way, The Upside of Unrequited has plenty of cute, swoony vibes *looks at Reid* and also features a summer wedding. Instead of a summer near the shore, Molly spends the summer working at a baby store with the shy, adorable Reid and looking up the best cookie recipes on Pinterest.

Bonfire & S’mores Nights– Summer nights are perfect for catching up with friends (or a new book, of course) or starting a summer romance.

The Names They Gave Us by Emery Lord- If you need a good excuse to sob your heart out, pick up The Names They Gave Us. The book follows Lucy’s summer as a camp counselor for kids with tough pasts, and Lucy herself is going through a tough time, with the reappearance of her mom’s cancer.

Tash Hearts Tolstoy by Kathryn Ormsbee- While Tash Hearts Tolstoy does delve into the romance department, there’s a huge emphasis on friendship, as Tash works on her web drama with her best friends. And it takes place in the summer before they head off to college!

Summer Days and Summer Nights edited by Stephanie Perkins- I feel like I’m cheating a bit, since summer is directly mentioned in the title, but Summer Days and Summer Nights is the perfect read of the season, from late night movie shows to days spent in the arcade and more.

Sleepovers-Give me all the female protagonists and friendships with late night Gilmore Girls marathons and ice cream, please

All of This is True by Lydia Day Peñaflor- If you and your friends find yourselves alternating between Big Little Lies and Gossip Girl rewatches, this one is for you. All of This Is True is told through interviews and excerpts from Fatima Ro’s latest novel, as Lydia unravels what it’s really like to be best friends with your favorite author.

A Girl Like That by Tanaz Bhatehena- A Girl Like That features strong, female characters, and it’ll keep you and your friends up late into the night talking about it.

My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick- My Life Next Door was my favorite summery contemporary back in 2015, and it made me wish that I had the Garretts (including Jase) as neighbors.

Beach Days- While the perfect beach read doesn’t have to take place there, why not read in the near-same setting as your characters?

The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han- This Jenny Han trilogy takes place at Cousins Beach, where it isn’t summer for Belly without Conrad and Jeremiah by her side.

Second Chance Summer by Morgan Matson- Morgan Matson is another QUEEN of summer contemporary, okay? Another read that will leave your book filled with tears, the book follows Taylor and her family’s last summer at their lake house in the Poconos Mountains.

Girl Out of Water by Laura Silverman- Girl Out of Water takes readers FROM the sunny beaches of Santa Monica to Nebraska for the summer. Turns out that an amazing summer CAN happen away from the beach. Apologies from this shore girl.

Top 5 Wednesday is a collaborative group of book bloggers from various platforms who love sharing lists on Wednesdays. The T5W group can be found here on Goodreads.

Have you read any of the books above? Share in the comments!