Your All-Canadian Summer Reading List

It isn’t summer, for me at least, until I’ve devoured an entire book on whatever dock, deck or patch of grass I’m lucky enough to park myself on—and I wish you the same idyllic experience. These 10 Canadian page-turners, from cozy mysteries to cottage romances to a zany murder plot that screams Lifetime miniseries, are perfect contenders for this season’s TBR pile.

Widows and Orphans by Kate Hilton and Elizabeth Renzetti

The murder of an anti-vaxx wellness influencer at a woo-woo self-actualization summit kicks off the second smart whodunnit in the Quill & Packet series. Journalist Cat Conway chases the story as her small-town newspaper careens toward closure and her narcissistic mother harbours a life-changing secret. Out now.

Detective Aunty by Uzma Jalaluddin

Kausar has a knack for noticing details that others have missed. When her daughter, Sana, is accused of murder, the 57-year-old widow leaves her solitary life in North Bay, Ont., behind and returns to Toronto, a city she fled years earlier after a family tragedy. There, against Sana’s wishes, she starts chasing clues that might help exonerate her. Sure, this cozy mystery is ostensibly about murder, but it’s also about finding community and starting a new chapter. Out now. 

Off Menu by Amy Rosen

After inheriting some money from her beloved Bubbe, 27-year-old Ruthie quits her dead-end day job and enrolls in culinary school. In between nights out with her BFFs and mastering bouillabaisse and Paris-Brest, she cooks up some romance with a potentially too-good-to-be-true classmate. Told in Bridget Jones’s Diary-style entries with delectable food writing, you’ll root for Ruthie to figure out a recipe (sorry, had to) for happiness. June 17

The Retirement Plan by Sue Hincenbergs

After Marlene’s husband dies following a gruesome run-in with a garage door—leaving her with a life-changing insurance payout—her long-time friends Pam, Nancy and Shalista start plotting similar fates for their own husbands. Little do they know that the guys also have a scheme on the go. Set aside any doubts you might have about the far-fetched plot and enjoy the wild ride of this twisty, hilarious novel. Out now.

Palm Meridian by Grace Flahive

It’s the year 2067. After a terminal cancer diagnosis, 77-year-old Hannah—who lives in a retirement residence for queer women in what remains of the state of Florida—opts for a medically assisted death. Sounds grim, but our plucky heroine has no time for tears. Instead, on her last night on earth, Hannah throws herself one hell of a party and desperately hopes her ex-lover Sophie, who we get to know in a series of poignant flashbacks, shows up. June 10.

One Golden Summer by Carley Fortune

One Golden Summer marks a return to Barry’s Bay, the setting of Carley Fortune’s first bestseller. Type-A photographer Alice decides to escape to the lake with her 80-year-old Nan. (She’s healing from a breakup; her Nan from a broken hip.) There she encounters Charlie Florek, the sexy playboy brother from Every Summer After. You might have an inkling how this story ends, but that doesn’t make getting there any less satisfying. Out now.

The Summers Between Us by Noreen Nanja

Forced to work through her HR-mandated vacation, Lia decamps to the family cottage. There she trades glitzy dates with a fellow Muslim lawyer for coffees on the dock with Wes, the high-school boyfriend she hid from her parents—and starts to wonder who she’s living her life for, herself or her family? Out now.

From the Rez to the Runway by Christian Allaire

Growing up on Nipissing First Nation, Christian Allaire read Vogue, watched Fashion Television and longed to leave small-town life behind. After journalism school in Toronto, he moves to NYC and works his way up to a dream job at Vogue, where his reporting brings international attention to Indigenous fashion. This candid memoir about overcoming adversity, chasing ambition and turning dreams into reality is an absolute delight to read. Out now.

Look Ma, No Hands: A Chronic Pain Memoir by Gabrielle Drolet

Imagine being a writer who can no longer type. That’s what happened to Gabrielle Drolet after she started experiencing sharp twinges of pain in her fingertips. Those twinges evolve into a host of debilitating symptoms that forces Drolet to learn to write through tedious voice-to-text software (“Hey comma what are we doing for dinner tonight”). Here, she details her quest for relief as she navigates work, dating and IKEA furniture assembly—all without losing her sense of humour. May 20.

The Maid’s Secret by Nita Prose

The final instalment of the bestselling mystery series toggles between a present-day heist drama in which Molly appears on an Antiques Roadshow-style TV show, and an epic love story from her beloved Gran’s past. It’s not a spoiler to say that both Molly and Gran’s stories end on satisfying and very sweet notes. (Keep a tissue in hand for the final scene, sob!) Out now.

Plus Five Other New Novels To Add To Your List

Don’t Let Him In by Lisa Jewell

The romance scammer at the heart of this propulsive page-turner will make you deeply suspicious of anyone you—or your friends—ever date again. June 24.

Consider Yourself Kissed by Jessica Stanley

A simultaneously heart-wrenching and heartwarming novel about what happens when you put your own career aspirations aside to support your partner’s and raise a family. May 27.

What Will People Think? by Sara Hamdan

Mia works in media by day and—unbeknownst to her Palestinian-American grandparents, who raised her—as a comedian by night in this funny dual-timeline novel about identity and family secrets. May 20.

The Names by Florence Knapp

A Sliding Doors-like exploration of the three alternative versions of the lives a mother and son can live—depending on which name she chooses for him. Out now.

Maggie; Or, A Man And A Woman Walk Into A Bar by Katie Yee

After the unnamed main character’s husband reveals he’s having an affair—over dinner at an all-you-can-eat buffet—she’s diagnosed with cancer and names her tumour after the other woman. I devoured this quirky survival story. July 22.

Find more of our favourite books of 2025.