Have you been in a bookstore lingering by a shelf of beauties when suddenly, there, you see it? That gorgeous cover and its near magnetic pull inching your fingers closer and closer to what must be the best plot ever as you calculate your ever growing TBR and your fingers close around the edges of The Book.

“YOU are coming home with me,” you say to your new friend of 300-something pages.

This is a list of THOSE books. We’ve rounded up the top six paperbacks of the summer!

1. Turtles All the Way Down by John Green

If you’re having trouble waiting for the Looking for Alaska Hulu mini series to come out in October, we have your John Green fix right here. Turtles All the Way Down is now in paperback! This stunning tale takes an unflinching look at OCD and the everyday struggles of living with mental illnesses. In his long-awaited return, John Green shares Aza’s story with shattering, unflinching clarity in this brilliant novel of love, resilience, and the power of lifelong friendship.

2. Seafire by Natalie C. Parker

In case you missed it, Seafire got a glow up and we’re IN LOVE WITH IT. Welcome to the world of Seafire. A warlord killed Caledonia’s parents and kidnapped her brother. Now, on the deadly Bullet seas, Captain Caledonia Styx and her all-female crew are ready for revenge.

AND the sequel Steel Tide is coming this September (and with it, sweet, sweet revenge.)

3. Darius the Great Is Not Okay by Adib Khorram

At last, the gorgeous paperback of this gorgeous book is coming! Adib Khorram’s debut is the story of Darius, who doesn’t think he’ll ever be enough, in America or in Iran. But then Darius meets Sohrab when when Darius visits his grandfather in Iran for the first time, and they find an immediate connection over everything from their shared love of playing soccer to their openness with talking about their feelings—in a way that teenage boys aren’t always encouraged to do. This book is so full of love and we can’t be excited enough for its comeback in paperback!

4. I Am Still Alive by Kate Alice Marshall 

This jaw-dropping story of survival and revenge in the unforgiving Canadian wilderness will keep you on the edge of your SEAT.

Jess is alone. Her cabin has burned to the ground. She knows if she doesn’t act fast, the cold will kill her before she has time to worry about food. But she is still alive—for now. Jess, must survive. She has to. She knows who killed her father…and she wants revenge.

5. Lies you Never Told Me by Jennifer Donaldson

Talk about a plot twist. This book is all kinds of didn’t-see-that-coming.

Gabe and Elyse have never met. But they both have something to hide. Told in parallel narratives, this twisty, shocking story shows how one bad choice can lead to a spiral of unforeseen consequences that not everyone will survive.

6. The Strange Fascinations of Noah Hypnotik by David Arnold

From the bestselling author of Mosqiotoland and Kids of Appetite, comes the story of sixteen-year-old Noah, who is hypnotized and quickly realizes nothing in his life is the same. We love this wonderfully obscure book, and cannot get over its new paperback cover!

Did you know August is Romance Awareness Month? Here are some of our fav romance recs!