Ever since I was a little kid, I was obsessed with reading books. I remember I used to make my parents take me to the book store so I could get a new book instead of something normal kids got like toys. Call me what you want, but there's definitely a joy I get from reading that has carried over into adulthood for me. 

One of my favorite parts about summer is the endless lounging at the beach/by the pool to not only work on my tan, but to get into a good book (perhaps with a cocktail on the side). When it comes to reading, I definitely like something either suspenseful (think Gone Girl/The Girl on the Train), something relatable (I don't like reading time pieces -- I just can't get into something that happened during the civil war era), or something funny if I'm going the non-fiction route (I like to laugh, ok?). 

Scroll down to see my top ten page-turners you need to bring with you down to the beach/out to the pool this summer. Perfect for this long 4th of July holiday weekend we have coming up!

1. Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty: I'm sure many of you have already seen the HBO show with Reese Witherspoon and Nicole Kidman that was based off of this book, but I highly recommend reading this anyways! First off I love this author and every book I have read of hers has been hilarious, suspenseful and I tell myself ok, just one more chapter when I read her. Big Little Lies is probably my favorite though. It's told from the point of view of three different characters and switches off every chapter so it keeps things very interesting. It's about the lives of very different women who are friends and are bound together by having their children attend the same school in a nice, beach front town in Australia. Little do they know dark secrets about each other's past which ultimately culminates in revealing a murder that is foreshadowed at the beginning of the book. 

2. In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware: Ok, so this isn't necessarily a murder mystery like Big Little Lies that's also peppered with some humor so you can get some laughs in while trying to figure out who's been killed. This book is straight up suspenseful and had me a little scared at some parts! I really like this author's style of writing because it's very detailed, almost to the point where I felt like I was there in the story and could picture everything to a T. It's about a bachelorette party at a cozy cabin in the woods gone terribly wrong. (Side note to myself: do NOT have my bachelorette party out in the middle of nowhere LOL).

3. The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena: Another suspense novel, but this one is about a couple that goes to a dinner party at their neighbors next door, and with their babysitter canceling on them last minute, decides to just pop over every 30 min to make sure their baby is OK with the baby monitor on them as well. Of course said baby goes missing, and the entire book you're trying to figure out who did this and what the motive was. This was definitely a page turner for me (I even took this book with me on the treadmill), and had tons of plot twists to keep me going WTF to myself.

4. The Girls by Emma Cline: I know I said I don't like time pieces, but this one is an exception for me. It takes place in 1960's California and is about a teenage girl that becomes mesmerized with a group of girls she sees in the park one day. As the main character befriends these girls, she also becomes drawn into a cult these girls are part of and the charming yet manipulative man that's leading them. Kind of creepy but also really interesting as you wonder what some teen girl would be thinking to join a cult and commit violent crimes. 

5. It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover: This is definitely a more emotionally-charged book about love and relationships so it's a nice break from all the murder and suspense novels I've been reading. I really like Hoover's style of writing -- it's easy to read and well-written so you feel like you're right there in the storyline. Without giving too much away, it's about a woman who's caught between two relationships in her life; one with the guy she's currently dating, and one with her first love that makes a reappearance in her life. You're not going to laugh through this one but it's definitely a page turner.

6. The Hating Game by Sally Thorne: This one is your classic chick-lit, rom-com type of novel but it's a really fun and light read. It's about two coworkers who work in a corporate office together and act like they hate each other but deep down it's obvious there's sexual tension and feelings there. It had me actually LOL-ing and parts where the inner romantic in me was gushing. 

7. Unravel by Calia Read: Omg you guys, this book is SO good...I literally couldn't put it down. It's about a girl that gets admitted to a psych ward and you're trying to figure out why she's there. It shifts between past and present and touches a lot on the relationship the main character had. It's part romance, part thriller, and definitely kept me on my toes. Also warning: it has a lot of sex scenes. Not tacky 50 shades style, but still. You've been warned. 

8. The Good Girl by Mary Kubica: This is another suspense novel but it's so creepy because it's about a one night stand where the guy ends up kidnapping the main character! it's narrated from the perspective of said girl that gets kidnapped, the girl's mother, the detective assigned to the case, and the kidnapper himself. The different perspectives definitely helped build the suspense of the storyline and the author's way of unfolding the story kept me wondering what happens next! I definitely am happy to see she has other books out that I can add to my reading list.

9. The Regulars by Georgia Clark: I've never read anything else by this author but I really liked this book so I hope to read more by her. This one is about three best friends in their mid-twenties who are trying to make it at their corporate jobs, make it work at online dating, and trying to over come their quarter-life crises (OK, relatable much?). BUT then they come across this potion that makes them magically super-model gorgeous and how their lives change is definitely interesting and hilarious to see play out.

10. What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty: I started this list with this author and I'm ending it with this author cause she's seriously one of my favorites to read! This book is about a 39 year old mom who falls during a spin class and wakes up thinking she's ten years younger than she actually is! Her whole life is completely different and it's funny to see how people react to her and all the changes her life has gone through in the past 10 years that she's completely oblivious to. It's a funny and sweet story about family, relationships and love.

What did you guys think? Any good reads I need to add to my to-read list? Let me know!

XO,

Jasmin