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Quick answer: If you loved Summer Sisters, read Judy Blume's Summer Sisters, Wifey and Forever, then Kristin Hannah's Firefly Lane, then Ann Brashares's The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, and Liane Moriarty's Big Little Lies and Iris Rainer Dart's Beaches. All are emotional stories of female friendship.
Judy Blume's 1998 adult novel follows two women friends from childhood to middle age. These picks share its warmth and honesty.
Table of Contents
Quick Picks at a Glance
| Book | Author | Ages | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Summer Sisters | Judy Blume | Adult | grown-up Blume |
| Wifey | Judy Blume | Adult | adult fans |
| Firefly Lane | Kristin Hannah | Adult | lifelong friendships |
| The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants | Ann Brashares | Teen | friend-group stories |
| Forever | Judy Blume | Teen | first time |
| Tiger Eyes | Judy Blume | 12 and up | grief and healing |
| Big Little Lies | Liane Moriarty | Adult | readers who want drama |
| Beaches | Iris Rainer Dart | Adult | friendship across decades |
| Something Borrowed | Emily Giffin | Adult | love triangle |
| The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo | Taylor Jenkins Reid | Adult | readers who like life stories |
| Circle of Friends | Maeve Binchy | Adult | Irish friendships |
| Tara Road | Maeve Binchy | Adult | house swap |
| My Brilliant Friend | Elena Ferrante | Adult | friendship epics |
| Garden Spells | Sarah Addison Allen | Adult | Southern magic |
| Along for the Ride | Sarah Dessen | 13+ | readers who like slow summers |
1. Summer Sisters by Judy Blume
Two friends share summers on Martha's Vineyard for decades. Blume's adult novel about friendship and desire.
Best for: grown-up Blume.
2. Wifey by Judy Blume
A bored suburban wife looks for more. Blume's first adult novel, funny and frank.
Best for: adult fans.
3. Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah
Two best friends grow up together from the 1970s to the 2000s. Emotional and long.
Best for: lifelong friendships.
4. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares
Four friends share a pair of jeans through one summer apart. A classic for friendship and growing up.
Best for: friend-group stories.
5. Forever by Judy Blume
A teenager navigates first love and sex. Honest and classic.
Best for: first time.
6. Tiger Eyes by Judy Blume
A girl moves to New Mexico after her father's murder. Grief, family and a first romance.
Best for: grief and healing.
7. Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty
Parents at a school in Australia have secrets that come out after a trivia night ends in death. Sharp, funny and dark.
Best for: readers who want drama.
8. Beaches by Iris Rainer Dart
Two women's friendship is tested by fame and illness. Emotional and classic.
Best for: friendship across decades.
9. Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin
A woman falls for her best friend's fiance. Light and easy.
Best for: love triangle.
10. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
A reclusive Hollywood star finally tells her life story to a young journalist. Glamorous, emotional and full of secrets.
Best for: readers who like life stories.
11. Circle of Friends by Maeve Binchy
Two friends grow up in an Irish village and then in Dublin. Warm and old-fashioned.
Best for: Irish friendships.
12. Tara Road by Maeve Binchy
Two women swap homes and lives. Moving and humane.
Best for: house swap.
13. My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante
Two girls grow up in postwar Naples. Intense female friendship drives the first Neapolitan novel.
Best for: friendship epics.
14. Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen
A family in a North Carolina town has a garden with magical plants. Gentle and charming, with no vampires.
Best for: Southern magic.
15. Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen
Auden spends a summer at the beach and learns to be young. Cozy and thoughtful.
Best for: readers who like slow summers.
How We Chose These Books
Every pick is a real, widely available book that shares something specific with Summer Sisters: its tone, its themes, its pace or the kind of characters it puts at the center. We mixed well-known favorites with a few less obvious titles, and we noted who each book suits best so you can match it to the reader. Where a book belongs to a series, we list the first volume so you can start at the beginning.
If you are not sure where to begin, start with the first three picks in the table: they are the closest match to Summer Sisters. The rest of the list moves further out, so it works well once you know which part of the original you liked most.
How to Choose
For friendship stories, read Firefly Lane or Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. For nostalgia, try Forever or Tiger Eyes. For heartfelt contemporary fiction, pick Big Little Lies.
Related: 15 Books Like The Summer I Turned Pretty You’ll Love: Summer Love Triangles and Coming-of-Age Romance · What Age Is The Summer I Turned Pretty Appropriate For? A Parent’s Guide
Frequently Asked Questions
Who wrote Summer Sisters?
Judy Blume, in 1998.
Is it for teens?
No, it is an adult novel.
What is it about?
Two friends and their summers on Martha's Vineyard.
Which book here is best for readers who like slow summers?
Try Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen, which suits readers looking for readers who like slow summers.
Which book here is best for Southern magic?
Try Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen, which suits readers looking for Southern magic.
Which book here is best for friendship epics?
Try My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante, which suits readers looking for friendship epics.
Which book here is best for house swap?
Try Tara Road by Maeve Binchy, which suits readers looking for house swap.
Which book here is best for Irish friendships?
Try Circle of Friends by Maeve Binchy, which suits readers looking for Irish friendships.
Which book here is best for readers who like life stories?
Try The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid, which suits readers looking for readers who like life stories.