Lets do a summer recap!

evemrileyauthor
3 days ago
3 min read

I can’t quite believe we’re already here - the end of summer. It feels like I blinked in June and suddenly woke up in September. Maybe it’s because the days were packed, yet for once I gave myself permission to slow down and notice them. Anyway, I thought I’d take you along for a little recap of what I got up to before the leaves turn golden and the nights creep in earlier.

First up - Italy ☀️🍝

Yes, I joined the ranks of the cliché summer holidaymakers, but honestly? I regret nothing. Gelato on cobbled streets, coffee so strong it practically woke up my ancestors, and my family trailing behind me as I insisted, we had to stop at “just one more” unique clothing shop. I’ve been before, but each trip feels like a first. This time I actually managed to sit still for long enough to people-watch in a piazza, which for me is basically research in disguise - I’m always stealing mannerisms for characters.

Hand holding "The Summer I Turned Pretty" book by Jenny Han. Background shows similar books on a shelf. Light, summery cover design.

Summer reading

Back in the UK, I slipped into something a little more teenage heartbreak and sunshine: I picked up The Summer I Turned Pretty before watching the new episodes. Yes, I read it on purpose so I could yell at the TV later when they inevitably changed something. It’s such a nostalgic read - the kind of book that made me remember being fifteen and convinced the world revolved around a single glance at a boy across the beach. Highly recommend if you want to be transported straight back to awkward summers and saltwater-soaked memories.

Street performer on a unicycle entertains a large crowd in a busy city street, surrounded by historic buildings. Audience watches excitedly.

The Fringe

Another highlight was a spontaneous weekend in Edinburgh during the Fringe Festival. I knew that August was going to be a particularly busy month, so I hadn’t planned on going, but the lure of street performers, late-night comedy shows, and the chance to eat my bodyweight in street food was too strong to resist. Genuinely, there’s something completely different about the city in August - the cobblestones packed with people from all over the world, music floating out of every other doorway, and that dizzying feeling of 19 oddly dressed adults pushing leaflets into your hands. I came home exhausted, a little broke, but absolutely buzzing.

Scotland

And then - Scotland. My old faithful. This summer I made it over to Mull, which, believe it or not, even though I've visited countless times, will always feel like I haven't properly explored. It’s ridiculous really - I’ve lived in Scotland most of my life, and still, every time I venture somewhere new it feels like opening a fresh book. The colours of the harbour, the way the light plays on the water, the feeling that time moves just a little slower there - it all made me fall in love with my own backyard again.

Coastal village scene with colorful houses by a rocky shore, clear turquoise water, and people walking on the beach under a blue sky.

Of course, because it’s me, it wasn’t all quiet reflection and wholesome scenery. I managed to get hopelessly lost on a “short walk” that somehow turned into a minor expedition (I swear the map lied). At one point, I found myself ankle-deep in a bog while sheep gave me the side-eye, and I realised Scotland will forever humble me no matter how long I’ve lived here.

Other summer highlights?

Discovering a new obsession with iced oat lattes, which I’m now convinced are the only acceptable way to survive a rare Scottish heatwave.

Finally tackling the chaos that is my bookshelves, which mostly involved moving piles from one corner to another before giving up and ordering yet more books. (Honestly, it’s a disease at this point. A very enjoyable one.)

Attempting yoga on the beach while on holiday, which looked far more graceful on Instagram than it felt in real life. Sand in your hair is not the glamorous look influencers promised me.

Spending one particularly rainy Saturday curled up with notebooks, scribbling down plot ideas for upcoming projects - some of which might even make it into a book one day, if I can read my own handwriting.

So, yes, summer has been full - of travel, of books, of family, and of those little messy moments that never make it into the photo albums but are secretly the best bits.

Now it’s time to swap iced coffees for hot chocolates, sandals for boots, and beach reads for cosy autumnal stories. I’m ready.

Love, Eve 💛