Finals are done, the couch is fluffed, and every category on Netflix has never looked so promising. And while working those doubles means more to put in the bank for those late-night diner runs (or bar-hops), nothing quite says summer like a relaxing day at the beach with the ocean as your backdrop. Or park it in the backyard on a beach towel because you deserve quiet hours in the sun, too. Add to the ambiance with a cocktail and a good book to make it a summer to remember. Or not because, ya know, alcohol.
Bookstores and the library can sometimes be intimidating when you have no idea what you want, so make sure you’re picking up a 5-star book based on your cocktail of choice:
Hurricane: ‘Rebel of the Sands’ by Alwyn Hamilton
Photo by Abigail Wilkins
One of this year’s most-anticipated Young Adult books was Rebel of the Sands, which was set against magical desert lands. It takes two unlikely characters and puts them in a hurricane of a plot, in the best way possible. Sweet and light and packed with bursting flavors, a good ole’ Hurricane takes you to a different world, much like the whimsy of this YA fantasy.
Photo courtesy of @bookish_jen on Instagram
Dark n’ Stormy: ‘The Girl on the Train’ by Paula Hawkins
Photo courtesy of @bon_appetit_les_amis on Instagram
Nothing is darker or stormier than this summer’s Gone Girl, The Girl on the Train. This dark rum and ginger beer cocktail is needed after a long day of reading this thriller. You won’t want to put this novel down that has you guessing at every page. A unreliable narrator calls for an unpredictable drink.
Photo courtesy of @mishazal on Instagram
Cosmopolitan: ‘A Court of Thorns and Roses’ by Sarah J. Maas
Photo courtesy of @valentina_durbano on Instagram
Seductive, old school, and ordered everywhere you go, a Cosmo is a drink you stand by and commit to full-heartedly. So is this Beauty and the Beast retelling that is A Court of Thorns and Roses, which will pull at your heart strings and make you run to the bookstore for the sequel. But you won’t run, because like sipping on a Cosmo, you like savoring the good stuff.
Photo courtesy of @bittenbybooks on Instagram
Piña Colada: ‘Balancing in Heels’ by Kristin Cavallari
Photo courtesy of @charlotterandau on Instagram
If you like piña coladas and getting caught in marathons of Laguna Beach, then the sweet coconut, rum, and pineapple drink is perfect for a beach bum type of book. K Cav may not be on reality TV any longer, but she’s still stirring the pot with old secrets. An easy read makes sipping your paradise-infused cocktail even easier.
Photo courtesy of @kristincavallari on Instagram
Vodka Martini: ‘Me Before You’ by Jojo Moyes
Photo courtesy of @innertruthmassage on Instagram
You’re no softy, and nothing keeps you from reading the summer’s most controversial, tearjerker novel. Drawn to hype and anything with shock value, you soak up the no-nonsense cocktails and books in life, like the classic Vodka Martini. Equal parts vodka and dry vermouth, and Me Before You, equal parts sad and disputed. You enjoy life shaken, not stirred.
Photo courtesy of @bella_bless12 on Instagram
French 75: ‘The Conspiracy of Us’ by Maggie Hall
Photo courtesy of @amethyst.owl on Instagram
This drank has everything you’ll need to feel as unstoppable as main character Avery West. Set against the backdrop of Paris including a dash of romance and schemes, the plot’s action goes with the cocktail’s gin and champagne, with enough twists that accompany the tang of lemon, and lovable characters for that sprinkle of sugar.
Photo courtesy of @penguinteen on Instagram
Moscow Mule: ‘#GirlBoss’ by Sophia Amoruso
Photo courtesy of @earlsdadeland on Instagram
A long day after being a #girlboss at your internship requires the stylish cocktail of ginger beer, vodka, and lime in everyone’s favorite copper mug. Equal parts on trend and just plain good, #GirlBoss by Nasty Gal CEO’s Sophia Amoruso will accompany your summer perfectly in all its empowering memoir glory.
Photo courtesy of @ninavanlunteren on Instagram
Sex on the Beach: ‘Red Queen’ by Victoria Aveyard
Photo courtesy of @fornix.x on Instagram
You need a book to fly through and devour in one sitting, just like our favorite alcoholic-that-doesn’t-taste-like-alcohol beverage, Sex on the Beach. With enough vodka and peach schnapps to last you several Thirsty Thursdays, you’ll have a hangover that lasts almost as long as the book hangover you’ll get after finishing this Dystopian cliff-hanger.
Photo courtesy of @thebooksbuzz on Instagram