Summer has arrived, and with it comes a fresh stack of stories to sink into as the days stretch long and golden. Whether you're traveling, taking time off, or finding moments of rest between work and family, these five titles offer rich journeys across language, culture, and identity. One even publishes simultaneously in English and Spanish.

📘 The Grand Paloma Resort by Cleyvis Natera

Publishes August 13, 2025 (August/Ballantine)

Over the course of one hurricane-threatened week, the staff of a luxury Dominican resort are pushed to the brink after the disappearance of two local girls. At the center of this gripping novel are sisters Elena and Laura—two hotel workers navigating simmering family tensions, power dynamics, and the illusion of escape in a paradise built for tourists.

Cleyvis Natera, author of Neruda on the Park, crafts a layered narrative about sisterhood, ambition, and the quiet rebellions of working-class women. A lush and suspenseful summer read. 

🌟 So Many Stars by Caro De Robertis

Published May 13, 2025 (Algonquin)

Through the voices of 20 trans, nonbinary, genderqueer, and Two-Spirit elders of color, Caro De Robertis assembles an emotional and powerful oral history. These narrators—many of them Latine—share stories of joy, first love, exile, activism, and survival across continents and decades.

Spanning the AIDS crisis to current political battles, this book is both a preservation of history and a love letter to the next generation of queer youth. Urgent, radiant, and deeply human. 

📖 The Cemetery of Untold Stories by Julia Alvarez

Published April 2, 2024 (Algonquin)

In her latest novel, literary legend Julia Alvarez creates a mystical "cemetery" where characters from abandoned stories continue to live and grow. A Dominican writer, having donated her unfinished manuscripts, finds that her creations are not quite ready to be buried.

A meditation on storytelling, memory, and creative freedom, Alvarez’s metafictional narrative is a tender exploration of what happens when we relinquish control of our stories—and who gets to tell them.

📚 ¡Ándale, Prieta! by Yasmín Ramírez

Published April 2022 (Lee & Low Books)

Growing up in El Paso, Texas, Yasmín Ramírez was raised by her fierce and loving abuela, Ita. In this memoir, she traces a childhood shaped by discipline, resilience, and cultural pride.

Ramírez’s writing brims with affection and humor as she explores family, grief, and identity on the border. A heartfelt debut that reminds us how the people who raise us also shape the stories we carry forward.

Which one will you read first? Let us know and share your favorite summer titles with us!

Happy summer reading! 📚