Summer isn’t over yet—it’s not!! We still have some summer left to savor and if you are looking for a few more titles that have a summer feel, that are hard to put down, then you have come to the right place!
The following are a list of historical fiction titles that I think make for five star summer reading. It should be noted that my main criteria for what makes a five-star read is how well it holds my interest. All of these titles captivated me from beginning to end and I hope that they will do the same for you!
We Came Here to Shine by Susie Orman Schnall
Take a step back in time into New York City as the city hosts the 1939 World’s Fair. We meet Max, a student journalist who instead of getting the summer working for the New York Times, is stuck covering the fair—something she is less than excited about. Furthermore, she find that as the only woman journalist, she is expected to do administrative work instead of the journalism she so desperately desires. She can’t help but try to take the situation into her own hands and try to bend the rules a bit….
Vivi is an actress who just got demoted from starring in a lead role in Hollywood, to being transported back to New York where she is from, to star as the lead swimmer in the synchronized swimming show. But Vivi has secrets that could ruin everything if they are found out. She has a brother-in-law she must stay away from at all costs—what will happen if he finds out she is the lead in the swimming exhibit at the World’s Fair?
As these two women meet and become friends, they find that they may have skills that can help each other—if they are willing to humble themselves enough to take the other’s advice.
Daughters of Nantucket by Julie Gerstenblatt
Take a step even further back in time in the history of Nantucket and find yourself deposited on Nantucket’s shores when it was still a thriving whaling community. Eliza is the wealthy wife of a whaling campaign—or at least she is doing her best to look the part of a wealthy whaling wife. Her husband’s last voyage returned home without much to show for his years at sea and his return is delayed this time by causes that he won’t disclose to Eliza. Suddenly Eliza finds herself wondering if she would have been better off marrying her old beau who has made a reappearance in her life.
Maria is the curator of the athenaeum. She longs to preserve the history of this island, and from places around the world, but the fire that breaks out on the island of Nantucket threatens everything she holds dear.
Lastly, but not least, we meet Meg. Meg is a free woman of color, about to give birth, and trying to move their store to the main street of Nantucket—but they have an uphill battle in front of them. When Meg goes into labor on the night of the fire, she wonders if she will lose her firefighter husband, her baby, and their store all in one night.
The Cuban Heiress by Channel Cleeton
This is Ms. Cleeton’s newest work of historical fiction: Elaina is onboard a luxury cruise liner heading from New York to Cuba—and she is pretending to be a dead woman. She must get to Cuba before someone else does—her very life depends on it.
Katherine is onboard with her fiancé—but he mustn’t find out who she really is. When Katherine starts to befriend a handsome passenger also on board, she finds her guard starting to slip—what will happen if this stranger uncovers her true identity and realizes what she is also about? Keeping this stranger at arm’s length becomes even harder when she needs someone to help her dispose of a dead body…
Daughter of the Pirate King by Tricia Levenseller
This was a delightful little foray into a world of young adult historical fiction fantasy. Slightly outside of my normal reading zone, this story still has many elements of historical fiction to it, and doesn’t get too fantastical!
Seventeen year old Alosa, daughter of the most powerful pirate in the world, has been captured. Well, actually she has allowed herself to be captured—she is on a secret mission. There are three pieces of an ancient map that will lead to treasure beyond imagination and Alosa has reason to believe one of the pieces is aboard this ship. Alosa must act the part of a prisoner while she endeavors to search the ship. However, this simple mission starts to get complicated as Alosa starts to develop a connection with her captor and the first mate of the ship, Riden. Will he discover her secret as to why she isn’t more worried about her current predicament? And will her feelings make it hard for Alosa to complete her mission?
The Secret Book of Flora Lea by Patti Callahan Henry
It is World War II and sisters Flora and Hazel are being evacuated to the English countryside during operation Pied Piper. To comfort her five year old sister, 14 year old Hazel invents the world of Whisper Wood for her sister. Whisper Wood is a world all their own, a safe place for them to retreat to during these scary and unknown times. They tell no one of this magical world they have discovered in Whisper Wood. They are enjoying life in the country with the family they are stationed with when disaster strikes and Flora disappears.
Twenty years later Hazel still hasn’t forgiven herself for her sister’s disappearance. She is still in contact with the private investigator trying to locate her lost sister—Hazel refuses to believe that Flora is actually gone, despite the body that was found which appears to have been her Flora. Then one day while working her job in a rare book store, Hazel comes across an original manuscript—one to a book called Whisper Wood. Hope is reignited in Hazel and renews her efforts to find her sister. Along the way Hazel learns that sometimes to find peace means pursuing our hopes, and other times coming to peace means letting go.
Disclosure
Please remember that this post contains affiliate links; that means if you click on the link, I will make a small commission at no extra cost to you. It’s a way to support my blog! I will only ever share an affiliate link if I love the product and think that you just might love it too!
Other Posts You May Enjoy:
5 Star Summer Reads of 2021
End of Summer Historical Fiction Round 2021
Books to Finish Up Your Summer with in 2022