Must-Read Books For Newlyweds

By Janecia Britt

Whether you’re looking for new books to pack for your honeymoon or you’re prepping for your first full summer as a married couple, slower summer days are the perfect time to catch up on some reading. These books for newlyweds will appease all of your newly married instincts, from a thoroughly modern nesting tome to some lightweight beach fiction to a fun journaling project.

1. One Question a Day for You & Me: A Three-Year Journal by Aimee Chase

File this one under gorgeous journaling. This beautifully designed book challenges couples to each answer the same question every day for three years. The questions themselves are simple (ex: “What do you want to do together on a sunny afternoon?”), but the intent is more complex. Over time, couples create a meaningful relationship ritual while documenting how their marriage is evolving with one of the most interactive books for newlyweds.

2. An American Marriage by Tayari Jones

There are a few things we never disagree with Oprah about, and books are on that list. This story of newlyweds in Atlanta torn apart by a wrongful conviction was selected for Oprah’s Book Club and received a personal nod from the talk show queen.

3. The New Bohemian: Come Home to Good Vibes by Justina Blakeney

Now that the wedding’s over, it’s time to unpack all the woven planters you registered for and nest a bit. This zenned-out guide was authored by the woman behind the popular Jungalow website and aims to help anyone create the ultimate boho chic vibe in your home — complete with crystals and “spirit environment” advice — will help you turn your condo into a relaxing oasis.

4. Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage by Alice Munro

As fiction books for newlyweds go, this short story collection is the perfect lightweight companion to the beach or the pool. Dive in with any of these stories about the seemingly mundane lives of women in rural Canada and you’re sure to be rewarded with hours of easy going entertainment. If you’re really craving more Alice Munro, one story from this collection was adapted into a movie starring Kristen Wiig.

5. Home by Carson Ellison

If words aren’t your thing, no worries because illustrated books for newlyweds abound. Home is a colorful and playful imagining of what home means for different people and animals. Though not explicitly for children, this is a perfectly appropriate book to file away for a future baby’s library.

6. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

No summer books for newlyweds list would be complete without something from the original queen of romance, Jane Austen. Pride and Prejudice is one of her most beloved stories, detailing the unlikely relationship between a wealthy, but stuffy Mr. Darcy and the comparatively free-spirited Elizabeth Bennett whose embarrassing family unknowingly scares off potential dates. If this story sounds familiar it may be because you read it in high school English, or because it was the loose basis for Bridget Jones’s Diary by Helen Fielding.

7. The Book of Unknown Americans by Cristina Henríquez

This novel follows the Riveras family from Mexico to Delaware as they move further north to find treatment for their daughter’s brain injury. Once settled, the parents realize their busy work schedules have kept them from noticing a burgeoning relationship between their daughter and a neighbor boy, which doesn’t sit well with either family.

8. The Marriage Journal by Jeremy and Audrey Roloff