It’s the beginning of summer, which means it’s the perfect time to catch up on all the reading you didn’t have time to do during the semester. With school consuming your life, it’s hard enough to find time to do the assigned reading. So, you can pretty much forget about reading for pleasure. Now that it’s summer, and you’ve got all the time in the world to read whatever you like, you might not know where to start.

When I don’t know what to read next or find myself in a “reading slump,” I always turn to series. In fact, some of my favorite books are parts of a series because of the emotional connections to the characters and the typically fast-paced and suspenseful plots. Some of the best series, I think, are in the YA genre: they’re interesting, fun, and thoughtful, and perfect for summer pleasure reading.

Here are some of the best YA series to get into this summer:

1. Throne of GlassSeries by Sarah J. Maas

This fantasy series is not only full of beautiful magic but amazing characters, including a strong female protagonist who doubles as an assassin and—well, no spoilers. The story of Celaena Sardothien follows her journey in a competition in which she competes against other criminals to become the King’s Champion. As the only girl in the competition, things get complicated. What I love about this series is that Celaena is written as a “strong female character” in that she can fight with the men and win, but she is also very feminine. In Sarah J. Maas’s words, she’s just as capable of dressing up in a pretty ball gown as she is of kicking butt. I think this kind of character is really important because it shows girls can be strong and still be “girly.” Also, the relationships in the book are very well done, and the writing is absolutely beautiful!

2. The Selection Series by Kiera Cass

This series is kind of like a mix between "The Bachelor" and the biblical story of Esther (which was actually inspiration for the story). Thirty-five girls enter a competition to win the heart of Prince Maxon, but the winner doesn’t just get an engagement ring; they get to be the queen of an entire country. While this series can be kind of silly, I love it because it’s sweet, and it plays with the struggle between settling with what you have and realizing your potential. Also, it plays on political aspects as well. These are the perfect beach reads, and you can binge the whole series because the last one, "The Crown," just came out this month!

3. The 5^th WaveSeries by Rick Yancey

This series follows the story of Cassie, a young girl who is trying to survive the apocalypse. Aliens—or, “the Others” have been attacking the earth one “wave” at a time—darkness, destruction, infection, you get the point. The first book in this series has been made into a movie (trailer) which came out back in January. So, if you liked the movie, or want to be ready for the next one, you should check out the books! Plus, the last one, "The Last Star," comes out on May 24, 2016!

4. The Winner’s Curse Trilogy by Marie Rutkoski

I just started this series recently, but it has quickly become one of my absolute favorites. It follows the story of Kestrel, the daughter of an army general in a country called Valoria that has a habit of conquering other countries. At the beginning of the first book, Kestrel buys a slave who was a citizen of the conquered country in which she lives. Throughout the story, Marie Rutkoski plays with so many ideas regarding what makes up culture, history, and what justifies war through the relationship between Kestrel and the slave. Not only that, but Kestrel is a strategist and extremely clever, which makes reading about her so much fun. The writing is so beautiful and thought-provoking that you won’t be able to put this series down.

5. The Wrath and the Dawn Series by Renee Ahdieh

Though I haven’t personally started this series, I’ve heard nothing but good things about it, and it’s been in my To-Read Pile for a long while now. A retelling of the classic tale “One Thousand and One Nights,” this series is about Shahrzad, a young girl living in a kingdom ruled by a treacherous, murderous king who takes wife after wife, only for each of them be murdered soon after they arrive. When Shahrzad’s best friend falls victim to this treachery, she vows to be his next wife to get revenge. However, once she arrives, she finds out there are more secrets and lies in her kingdom than she ever imagined. Not only does this series sound incredibly intriguing, but it was on the New York Times’ Best Sellers List for quite a while, and the second book debuted on the List!

6. Snow Like Ashes Trilogy by Sara Raasch

This series is about Meira, who is one of eight survivors of the kingdom Winter. Throughout the story, she and the other survivors must find a way to rebuild their kingdom in the midst of threats, attacks, and lack of an heir to the throne. It has magic and love and surprises and adventure—all the things that make up a great story. I love this story because of all these things, and because it deals a lot with identity and how to build your own identity even in the face of fear and tragedy. Plus, the third and final book will be released this fall. So,d now is the perfect time to jump on board!

7. A Court of Thorns and Roses Series by Sarah J. Maas

Sarah J. Maas brings all her beautiful writing we loved in Throne of Glass to this newer series, which is a retelling of the classic “Beauty and the Beast” fairytale. It follows the story of Feyre, a poor girl who finds herself a captive of a “Beast” from an enemy land. Maas pulls some really interesting twists in this series, such as twisting Disney’s portrayal of Belle as a bookish girl and portraying Feyre as illiterate. There are other great tweaks to Disney’s version of the story, but… no spoilers. This series is great because of the talent Maas has with storytelling. The second book, "A Court of Mist and Fury," was just recently released, as well!

8. The Raven CycleSeries by Maggie Stiefvater

Spoiler alert: one of the boys dies. Just kidding, that’s not really a spoiler since we’re told that from the very first page. But how does he die? And why? That’s what we don’t know. The four boys, and Blue Sargent—the one girl in the group and the daughter of a psychic—are on the search for an ancient Welsh king because they believe he can grant them one wish. This series is full of magic and mystery and adventure, and Maggie Stiefvater is such a brilliant storyteller and writer. The conclusion to this series, "The Raven King," came out recently, so this is another series perfect for binge-reading!

All of these series are brilliant in different ways, and they’re all perfect for summer pleasure reading because they’re fun, smart, and thought-provoking. Whichever you may choose, I hope you enjoy!