The Best NEW Contemporary Romance Novels for Summer 2024

This post may contain affiliate links. If you choose to purchase something I have shared, I will earn a small commission...at no extra cost to you! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Grab your beach bag, a tropical drink, and a little SPF, because we are talking all about summer reads today! It is already about 400 degrees here in Florida so Summer has fully parked her beautiful self here for the next 4-5 months! The books I am about to share with you are absolutely BEGGING to be added to your Summer TBR. Today I am going to share with you the BEST NEW Contemporary Romance Novels that are MUST READS for Summer 2024! Are you ready? I am! Let’s chat!

This Summer Will Be Different by Carley Fortune

I am starting us off with This Summer Will Be Different by Carley Fortune. My gal, Ms.Fortune is the reason that I started reading Contemporary Romance novels. I fell head over heels in love with her book Meet Me at the Lake and went into a search and destroy mission for all things romance. I loved her previous books so much that I pre-ordered This Summer Will Be Different…and proceeded to DEVOUR it in 2 days.

This was the perfect coastal summer romance. Carley is the master of the Then and Now timelines in her books. She flawlessly shifts back and forth between past and present and creates such a seamless story. I also adore her writing, her character development, and her dialogue!

The setting of This Summer Will Be Different is perfect. Prince Edward Island with coastal breezes, beach walks, and lots of sunshine. It is the perfect book to tuck into your beach bag this summer. I think you will love it! 5 stars!

Goodreads Synopsis

This summer they’ll keep their promise. This summer they won’t give into temptation. This summer will be different.

Lucy is the tourist vacationing at a beach house on Prince Edward Island. Felix is the local who shows her a very good time. The only problem: Lucy doesn’t know he’s her best friend’s younger brother. Lucy and Felix’s chemistry is unreal, but the list of reasons why they need to stay away from each other is long, and they vow to never repeat that electric night again.

It’s easier said than done.

Each year, Lucy escapes to PEI for a big breath of coastal air, fresh oysters and crisp vinho verde with her best friend, Bridget. Every visit begins with a long walk on the beach, beneath soaring red cliffs and a golden sun. And every visit, Lucy promises herself she won’t wind up in Felix’s bed. Again.

If Lucy can’t help being drawn to Felix, at least she’s always kept her heart out of it.

When Bridget suddenly flees Toronto a week before her wedding, Lucy drops everything to follow her to the island. Her mission is to help Bridget through her crisis and resist the one man she’s never been able to. But Felix’s sparkling eyes and flirty quips have been replaced with something new, and Lucy’s beginning to wonder just how safe her heart truly is.

One Last Summer by Kate Spencer

Next up we have One Last Summer by Kate Spencer. Sending a huge thank you to the publisher for sending me an advanced copy of this one to check out. This was my first Kate Spencer novel and I really enjoyed it! This had so many nostalgic summer camp vibes for me. I never went to sleep-away summer camp, but we did spend some time at the camps of friends and family and this book brought back lots of those memories.

This book was a super fast and fun read. It was full of friendships, flirtatious competition, reminiscing, and reevaluating life’s decision. I loved the summer camp setting in this one. There is something about a summer on a lake that is just perfection. 4 stars! One Last Summer publishes on June 11th.

Goodreads Synopsis

From the cohost of the award-winning Forever35 podcast comes a dreamy, laugh-out-loud summer romance that asks: What do you do when the life you’ve planned isn’t what you’ve dreamed?

Clara Millen’s life is spiraling out of control: her dream job is a nightmare, she’s resoundingly single, and it’s been years since she’s taken some time off. Thankfully, the last problem she can fix—this year she’ll join her friends on their annual summer vacation to their beloved childhood sleepover camp for a much-needed escape.

But when Clara arrives at Pine Lake Camp, she faces yet another unwelcome change: the owners are retiring and selling the property. The news turns her plans for revelry into a night of reminiscing . . . and prompts a surprise heart-to-heart between Clara and Mack, her old camp nemesis and constant competitor, who’s still just as annoying (and annoyingly handsome).

Soon the campfires aren’t all that’s throwing off sparks. And when one wildly passionate night turns into two (then too many to count!), Clara begins to wonder if she and Mack could have a future together. But when Clara’s boss finally offers her everything she’s worked so hard for, Clara will need to decide if the life she’s always wanted is the life that makes her feel truly alive

Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez

Abby Jimenez is one of the G.O.A.T.’s of the Contemporary Romance world. She can write one heck of a novel and Just for the Summer was incredible. This was one of my choices for my Book of the Month box last month and let me just tell ya that I added this puppy to my cart so fast. I adore her writing, her characters, the romances…all of it.

For starters…this book was laugh out loud hysterical. There were so many scenes…many involving the Toilet King billboard…that had me absolutely cracking up. Next…the book boyfriends. She can also write the heck out of a mail main character. Justin was the ultimate in sweetness and boyfriends and husbands of the world should take notes. I also love the heartwarming elements that she weaves into her stories. This was just the perfect summer read! 4.5 stars!

Goodreads Synopsis

Justin has a curse, and thanks to a Reddit thread, it’s now all over the internet. Every woman he dates goes on to find their soul mate the second they break up. When a woman slides into his DMs with the same problem, they come up with a plan: They’ll date each other and break up. Their curses will cancel each other’s out, and they’ll both go on to find the love of their lives. It’s a bonkers idea… and it just might work.

Emma hadn’t planned that her next assignment as a traveling nurse would be in Minnesota, but she and her best friend agree that dating Justin is too good of an opportunity to pass up, especially when they get to rent an adorable cottage on a private island on Lake Minnetonka.

It’s supposed to be a quick fling, just for the summer. But when Emma’s toxic mother shows up and Justin has to assume guardianship of his three siblings, they’re suddenly navigating a lot more than they expected–including catching real feelings for each other. What if this time Fate has actually brought the perfect pair together?

Funny Story by Emily Henry

Speaking of G.O.A.T’s of the Contemporary Romance world…meet Emily Henry. You may have heard her name a time or two. I was SO excited to get a copy of Funny Story for Mother’s Day. My middle-daughter heard me talking about it and told the hubby. I was so surprised and then proceeded to tell them all to get lost so I could read in peace. Mostly kidding…but seriously…this book was AMAZING!

Emily Henry is the master of witty banter. The dialogue is always top notch in her books and Funny Story was perfectly done. Endearing characters, a clever storyline, absolutely hysterical, a side of spice…she knows what she is doing. I absolutely adored Miles and Daphne. I promise that this book will have you laughing and leave you feeling all warm and fuzzy. 5 stars!!

Goodreads Synopsis

Daphne always loved the way her fiancé Peter told their story. How they met (on a blustery day), fell in love (over an errant hat), and moved back to his lakeside hometown to begin their life together. He really was good at telling it…right up until the moment he realized he was actually in love with his childhood best friend Petra.

Which is how Daphne begins her new story: Stranded in beautiful Waning Bay, Michigan, without friends or family but with a dream job as a children’s librarian (that barely pays the bills), and proposing to be roommates with the only person who could possibly understand her predicament: Petra’s ex, Miles Nowak.

Scruffy and chaotic—with a penchant for taking solace in the sounds of heart break love ballads—Miles is exactly the opposite of practical, buttoned up Daphne, whose coworkers know so little about her they have a running bet that she’s either FBI or in witness protection. The roommates mainly avoid one another, until one day, while drowning their sorrows, they form a tenuous friendship and a plan. If said plan also involves posting deliberately misleading photos of their summer adventures together, well, who could blame them?

But it’s all just for show, of course, because there’s no way Daphne would actually start her new chapter by falling in love with her ex-fiancé’s new fiancée’s ex…right?

The Rule Book by Sarah Adams

Technically this isn’t a brand new book. It released in April, but I am still including it! I think it would make an incredible summer read so we are just gonna roll with it, m’kay! This is actually the second book in this series…The Cheat Sheet was book number 1. And in true Kelly fashion…I still haven’t read book 1…but it still flowed easily without having read the first book. I actually did the same thing with one of Sarah Adams other series!

The Rule Book was absolutely awesome. The chemistry was off the charts amazing. I was rooting so incredibly hard for Nora and Derek. The cutest most adorable couple ever. Derek was kinda perfect and I was cheering so hard for him to be happy! Such a creative, fun, and easy read. Would be the perfect addition to your summer TBR! 4.5 stars!

I absolutely adore Sarah Adam’s books. If you haven’t read the When in Rome series…you must. Practice Makes Perfect is one of my all-time fave books. You can check out my review here.

Goodreads Synopsis

College exes break all the rules when they reunite years later in this enemies-to-lovers, second-chance romance, the highly anticipated companion novel to the viral TikTok sensation The Cheat Sheet.

Nora Mackenzie’s entire career lies in the hands of famous NFL tight end Derek Pender, who happens to be her extremely hot college ex-boyfriend. Nora didn’t end things as gracefully as she could have back then, and now it has come back to haunt her. Derek is her first client as an official full-time sports agent, and he’s holding a grudge.

Derek has set his sights on a little friendly revenge. If Nora Mackenzie, the first girl to ever break his heart, wants to be his agent, oh, he’ll let her be his agent. The plan is simple: make Nora’s life absolutely miserable. But if Derek knows anything about the woman he once loved—she won’t quit easily.

Instead of giving in, Nora starts a scheme of her own. But then a wild night in Vegas leads to Nora and Derek in bed the next morning married. With their rule book out the window, could this new relationship save their careers and spark the romance of a lifetime?

The Paradise Problem by Christina Lauren

So apparently I am the only one in the entire world who didn’t know that Christina Lauren is, in fact, 2 people. This was my first book by Christina Lauren and holy moly it will NOT be my last! I absolutely LOVED LOVED LOVED The Paradise Problem. Please go read this book.

I have so many thoughts about this book. First of all…the setting of this story is perfection. I want to be taken to a secluded tropical island immediately. Please and thank you. Next…the chemistry. The chemistry was absolutely amazing between Anna and Liam. The spice…she was a spicy one. As I have mentioned before…I don’t understand the chili pepper rating system…but the pepps be pepping in this one. Next we have the humor. This book was a complete riot…like laughing out loud funny in so many spots.

The last thing I want to talk about in this book was the amazing cast of characters. There were characters that I absolutely loved. But…it was the hideous train wreck of a family that added so much enjoyment to this story. The Weston family is comprised of some of the most hideous and abhorrent characters I have ever had the pleasure to read about. I mean this in the very best way. They were so delightfully awful that it made for incredible reading. It’s like reality TV where some of the people are so bad but you just can’t stop watching. It was perfect and I loved every page. Dysfunction at it’s finest!

5 enormous stars

Goodreads Synopsis

Christina Lauren, returns with a delicious new romance between the buttoned-up heir of a grocery chain and his free-spirited artist ex as they fake their relationship in order to receive a massive inheritance.

Anna Green thought she was marrying Liam “West” Weston for access to subsidized family housing while at UCLA. She also thought she’d signed divorce papers when the graduation caps were tossed, and they both went on their merry ways.

Three years later, Anna is a starving artist living paycheck to paycheck while West is a Stanford professor. He may be one of four heirs to the Weston Foods conglomerate, but he has little interest in working for the heartless corporation his family built from the ground up. He is interested, however, in his one-hundred-million-dollar inheritance. There’s just one catch.

Due to an antiquated clause in his grandfather’s will, Liam won’t see a penny until he’s been happily married for five years. Just when Liam thinks he’s in the home stretch, pressure mounts from his family to see this mysterious spouse, and he has no choice but to turn to the one person he’s afraid to introduce to his one-percenter parents—his unpolished, not-so-ex-wife.

But in the presence of his family, Liam’s fears quickly shift from whether the feisty, foul-mouthed, paint-splattered Anna can play the part to whether the toxic world of wealth will corrupt someone as pure of heart as his surprisingly grounded and loyal wife. Liam will have to ask himself if the price tag on his flimsy cover story is worth losing true love that sprouted from a lie.

The Rom-Commers by Katherine Center

Ok, I am taking some liberties here. My last pick is The Rom-Commers by Katherine Center. Technically speaking…I haven’t read this book yet. I know, I know…I can’t recommend a book without reading it. But…but…it’s Katherine Center. I mean, come on.

I am happy to report that I DO have this book on it’s way to my house right now. It was a June Add-On for Book of the Month and holy pickles did I add the book to my cart so fast! I have been looking forward to this book for SO LONG. I adore Katherine’s books. The only reason I didn’t pre-order this book was because I had a suspicion that it was going to be included in BOTM. I am kinda surprised it wasn’t one of the main picks…but thats ok. I am thrilled that it is on it’s way and I will be able to read it soon.

Her writing is always immaculate…characters, dialogue, heart, funny…all the things. I will be back ASAP with a review!

The Rom-Commers publishes June 11th. You can pre-order a gorgeous book with sprayed edges on Amazon!! Or, you can grab it as an Add-On over at Book of the Month. If you are new to Book of the Month you can snag your first book for $5 with my referral link!

Goodreads Synopsis

She’s rewriting his love story. But can she rewrite her own?

Emma Wheeler desperately longs to be a screenwriter. She’s spent her life studying, obsessing over, and writing romantic comedies―good ones! That win contests! But she’s also been the sole caretaker for her kind-hearted dad, who needs full-time care. Now, when she gets a chance to re-write a script for famous screenwriter Charlie Yates―The Charlie Yates! Her personal writing god!―it’s a break too big to pass up.

Emma’s younger sister steps in for caretaking duties, and Emma moves to L.A. for six weeks for the writing gig of a lifetime. But what is it they say? Don’t meet your heroes? Charlie Yates doesn’t want to write with anyone―much less “a failed, nobody screenwriter.” Worse, the romantic comedy he’s written is so terrible it might actually bring on the apocalypse. Plus! He doesn’t even care about the script―it’s just a means to get a different one green-lit. Oh, and he thinks love is an emotional Ponzi scheme.

But Emma’s not going down without a fight. She will stand up for herself, and for rom-coms, and for love itself. She will convince him that love stories matter―even if she has to kiss him senseless to do it. But . . . what if that kiss is accidentally amazing? What if real life turns out to be so much . . . more real than fiction? What if the love story they’re writing breaks all Emma’s rules―and comes true?

Happy Reading!

These are just a few of the amazing new Contemporary Romance titles. I have so many more on my personal TBR.

What is on your Summer TBR? Have you read any of these or have any of them on your radar??

Happy reading!