Books That Will Make You Want to Jet Off to Europe This Summer

After months and months of waiting and counting down the days on our calendars, summer is finally here and binge-reading season can commence. I don’t know about you, but with summertime comes two of my favorite activities: reading and traveling, preferably at the same time. There’s nothing like the feeling of picking up a new book and diving head-first into a new story while on a beach somewhere abroad. 

As a lifelong bookworm, my favorite books that I usually devour in one sitting happen to be historical fiction novels set abroad. There’s something about traveling vicariously through fictional characters that ignites my travel bug like nothing else. 

If you’re not looking to spend money on plane tickets this summer, I’ve compiled a list of books that will allow you to travel in your dreams. Here are my summer 2022 book recommendations that will inspire you to hop on the next international flight: 

Juliet by Anne Fortier 

Truly one of the most beautiful books I’ve ever read, I can’t recommend Juliet by Anne Fortier enough.  Fortier hooks her reader with an iron fist and refuses to let go. Set in Siena, Italy, protagonist Julie Jacobs travels to Italy following her Aunt Rose’s death to find the hidden treasure that her mother left for her. I can guarantee after you finish this book, you’ll be on the next flight to Italy. 

One Italian Summer by Rebecca Serle 

One Italian Summer by Rebecca Serle is another type of love story, albeit a different kind of one. After losing her mother Carol just prior to their highly-anticipated mother-daughter trip to Positano, Italy, Katy is completely lost. Despite her grief, she ventures to the Amalfi Coast and meets a thirty-year-old version of her mother. On her trip Katy gets to know her mother and makes the reader fall in love with Italy, and her relationship with her mom at the same time. Make sure to have a box of Kleenex and a bottle of wine next to you when you read this heartbreakingly beautiful book.  

One Night on the Island by Josie Silver (Ireland) 

Need an escape to a remote Irish island with a quaint luxury cabin and not much in the way of civilization? Look no further, One Night on the Island by Josie Silver will make your wish come true. Silver’s novel follows protagonists Cleo Wilder and Mack Sullivan, who are both looking to escape their realities and find solace alone in Ireland. With the classic “close proximity trope,” readers watch these two lost souls find each other and find themselves. A touching novel that questions the idea of home and what it means to us, Silver will inspire you to run (not walk) to Ireland as soon as possible. 

How to Stop Time by Matt Haig (London, England) 

How to Stop Time by Matt Haig combines some of my favorite genres- historical fiction, romance, and time travel. When reading this book, you not only get to travel the world, but you get a two-for-one deal and are lucky enough to walk through the ages and experience life in Elizabethan England, Jazz Age Paris, and more through the eyes of protagonist Tom Hazard. A man on a mission to avoid falling in love, readers follow Hazard through time and experience love, loss, and life through his ancient eyes. Set to be adapted for film starring one of my fav Brits, Benedict Cumberbatch, read the book while you have the chance, and experience the magic that is Matt Haig’s writing.  

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon (the Scottish Highlands)

Although Sam Heughan is particularly dreamy in the TV adaptation of Diana Gabaldon’s renowned fantasy series Outlander, the first book is captivating in a completely different way. A fantastical adventure filled with passion, romance, and magic, the beginning of the Outlander series is a tale for people of all ages, backgrounds, and beliefs. Set in the Scottish Highlands in both 1945 and 1743, Gabaldon allows readers to leap through time and dive head-first into history alongside World War II nurse Claire Randall, who desparately tries to find her way back to her own time despite all obstacles in her way. Read Outlander and explore the Scottish Highlands in two vastly different time periods. 

I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith (Suffolk, England) 

Believe it or not, I read I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith while on vacation in Santorini in the summer of 2018  and listened to Destiny’s Child’s greatest hits the whole time and strangely, it totally worked. Set in Suffolk, England in the 1930s, this coming-of-age story follows the adventures of Cassandra Mortmain and her family as they face poverty living in a dilapidated castle in the English countryside. A riveting tale of a teenage girl’s tumultuous journey to adulthood, I Capture the Castle is the kind of book you only experience once in your life. 

The Spanish Love Deception by Elena Armas 

A rom com that took Booktok by storm, The Spanish Love Deception by Elena Armas will have you craving tapas and sangria instantly. Catalina Martín, worried about attending her sister’s wedding back in Spain without a date (after lying to her family about having an American boyfriend), decides to bring her work colleague, Aaron Blackford, as her fake-date. In her hilarious book Armas takes her readers on a journey to Spain and makes them laugh and cry at the same time.