Books Recommendations based on TSITP Characters
If you’ve ever found yourself scream crying over the Cousins Beach love triangle or mentally journaling like Laurel with a glass of cabernet, this one’s for you. The Summer I Turned Pretty has turned emotional angst into a seasonal sport, and we’re not mad about it. Whether you're Team Conrad, Team Jeremiah, or just Team Therapy, these book pairings channel the core of each character. We matched their chaotic, heartfelt, sometimes delusional energy with reads that get them, and might just get you too. Let’s unpack the fiction behind the fiction.
Laurel
Books: “In Five Years” by Rebecca Serle, “Before I Let Go” by Kennedy Ryan
Laurel is the emotionally layered mom we all wish we had, equal parts composed and unraveling, with a pen in one hand and a glass of red in the other. These two novels reflect her quiet strength, her grief, her capacity to hold love and loss in the same breath. In Five Years mirrors her struggle with letting go of what life “should’ve” been, while Before I Let Go captures the type of tender, complex, grown-woman love Laurel is slowly learning to believe in again.
Taylor
Books: “This Summer Will Be Different” by Carley Fortune, “With You Forever” by Chloe Liese
Taylor is a firecracker in a halter top, always ready with a plan, a comeback, or a complete emotional spiral. She craves summer flings but low-key wants soulmate energy. This Summer Will Be Different is the chaotic summer romance she thinks she’s built for. And With You Forever? That’s her arc, learning that soft doesn’t mean boring, and emotional safety is sexy. Basically, it’s Taylor if she went to therapy and got the guy.
Steven
Books: “Only When It’s Us” by Chloe Liese, “You Again” by Kate Goldbeck
Steven is the loveable smartass who pretends he doesn’t care but is absolutely spiraling inside. He’s got college-boy energy with moments of surprising emotional depth. Only When It’s Us fits his banter-heavy love language and low-key golden retriever vibes. You Again mirrors the way he stumbles into deeper connection, almost despite himself. Both books are for people who think they’re too busy for love, and then get totally wrecked by it.
Jeremiah
Books: “Daydream” by Hannah Grace, “Anywhere With You” by Ellie Palmer
Jeremiah is sunshine in human form. Flirty, loyal, slightly chaotic, and the first to cannonball into your heart. He’s the guy who makes friendship bracelets and means it. Daydream perfectly captures his golden-boy-with-emotions energy, and Anywhere With You is the road trip romance he deserves—free-spirited, sincere, and full of “wait, are we in love?” moments. Basically: these are the books that would soundtrack his Instagram highlight reel.
Belly
Books: “Beach Read” by Emily Henry, “Love and Other Words” by Christina Lauren
Belly is in her main character era, even when it’s messy. Her world is all about longing, miscommunication, and moments that feel like movie montages. Beach Read taps into her inner romantic cynic trying to write her own happy ending, and Love and Other Words captures the weight of first love…messy, magnetic, and impossible to forget. Both books remind us that growing up is hard, especially when your heart is always two steps ahead.
Conrad
Books: “Happy Place” by Emily Henry, “The Seven Year Slip” by Ashley Poston
Conrad is the brooding poetic type who feels too much and says too little. He’s emotionally constipated, yes, but also deeply in love in a way that breaks you a little. Happy Place is his inner monologue, pretending he’s fine when he’s absolutely not. The Seven Year Slip mirrors his emotional time-traveling tendencies: stuck between past pain and future possibilities. If you’ve ever wanted to fix a fictional man, these books will validate your instincts and your delusions.
