It’s my favorite time of the year — the time where I share all my favorite beach reads recommendations for both new beach reads for 2024, faves from the last year and the ones I’m ALWAYS recommending.
We’ve got a packed summer already shaping up that starts with a solo trip for me in May and ends with a huge family beach trip in August — with a resort trip and days at the pool in between.
I just know that, regardless of where I’m at, I have a rotation of frothy summer reads to suit whatever mood I’m in.
Summer is my favorite season for reading because I LOVE reading outside (we got a hammock last summer!) and I love making my summer beach read lists & guides every year — definitely feels like a throwback to all the years in school when I’d excitedly dive into the school summer reading list.
If you’ve read my beach reading lists before you know, while I think ANYTHING can be a summer read/beach read and it’s super subjective, there are certain types of books I personally gravitate to during beach reads season — light & easy reads of all genres, romance novels, fast-paced thrillers that I can’t put down and just anything super juicy and unputdownable. And I think I’m not the only one that sees those type of books when they are looking for good books to read on the beach.
Wanna catch up on my past beach reads posts? Check out 2023’s post, 2022’s post, 2021’s post, 2020’s post, 2019’s post, 2018, 2017’s list, 2016’s list (if you search hard enough you can find some REALLY old ones but the posts are really ugly haha)
Best Beach Reads For 2024
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links which means that if you click on a link and purchase something I’ve talked about or recommended, I’ll receive a very small percentage of the sale. Please see my disclosure policy for more info
My Top Beach Read Picks For 2024
These are the beach reads that will most definitely be going into my beach bag/are part of my summer reading plans this year!
Funny Story by Emily Henry
Out Now
Perfect for readers who: love faking dating hijinx, want that perfect blend of lightness & substance
Emily Henry has become my go-to beach read author and I find myself saying “you can’t go wrong with any Emily Henry books” when asked for beach reading recommendations.
This one is about a woman whose almost-husband ends things because he finds himself in love with his childhood best friend still. Reeling from the break-up, she finds herself in an interesting housing situation and ends up becoming roomies with Petra’s ex-fiance who was also left in the dust.
As they find friendship and attempt healing from their breakups, they also find themselves hatching a plan that involves giving the illusion of them being together for the summer. Soon these opposites will find they have out they have more in common than their shared breakup and desire to save face.
Just For The Summer by Abby Jimenez
Out Now
Perfect for readers who: don’t mind a little emotional heft that is well-balanced within the pages of their rom-com
Few do it as well as Abby Jimenez in my book — she so effortlessly blends heavier things with the airy lightness of a good rom-com. It makes for a perfect read to pack for the beach — it reads with ease and emotional brilliance.
An online meet-cute between two people feeling cursed in the dating department, as their exes always go on to meet “the one” after they break up, who hatch a plan to spend the summer together to reverse the curse by dating and then breaking up with hopes they’ll both now go on to find their soulmate.
You can guess the faux dating plan doesn’t go according to plan, eh?
Colton Gentry’s Third Act by Jeff Zentner
Out Now
Perfect for readers who: love a good story about second chances and redemption
Jeff Zentner is one of my favorite authors ever and this is the type of summer reading for people who want a book they won’t be able to put down but also still want something GORGEOUSLY poetic writing-wise.
Country singer Colton Gentry was enjoying a soaring career in music and everything falls apart when, unmoored in grief after losing his best friend to gun violence, he speaks a bit of his mind on stage and it is not well received.
With his marriage and career taking a major hit, he heads back to his Kentucky hometown where he finds a chance at starting over and a second chance with his first love.
Get the hottest books of the year for WAY less!
New books can get so expensive! One of the ways I save, besides my library, is by subscribing to Book of the Month — a monthly book subscription devoted to serving up the must-reads of the year at a cost less than what you’d get elsewhere. I love making my selection each year. Read my review of Book of the Month for more info.
This Summer Will Be Different by Carley Fortune
Out Now
Perfect for readers who: love a good forbidden romance; summer romances that span years
I’m excited for a new Carley Fortune — Ever Summer After is my most recommended beach read for the last few years and, while I didn’t love it as much as that one, I did like Meet Me At The Lake enough as far as beach reads go thanks to its setting.
Her newest summer read has readers heading to Prince Edward Island in the summer! It’s about a girl who has a summer fling with a local while on vacation but, when she realizes it is her bff’s little brother, they vow to never let it happen again — which is easier said than done every year she returns to the island.
But this year the temptation proves to be even harder when the two reunite, even when they have a bigger crisis at hand, as she unexpectedly heads to the island to help her bff in crisis just before her wedding is supposed to happen.
As they try to figure out and fix the situation, they struggle to find a solution to their own situation that has been brewing for years.
The Sicilian Inheritance by Jo Piazza
Out Now
Perfect for readers who: are looking for a page-turning family saga with a mystery
I’m reading this one right now and I’m kind of sad I didn’t save it for my upcoming beach vacation!
It’s got an incredibly vivid setting (Sicily) that the author really transports you there (both in the past and present) and a super compelling family saga & mystery that is uncovered with a shocking secret and turns a family history on its head.
It’s about a woman whose life is a mess and her beloved Aunt has just died and left a request for her — a request that sends her on a trip to Sicily to inherit a plot of land that’s been in the family and dig a bit into her family history.
While she’s there, things get tricky with the inheritance and she uncovers a shocking family secret which has her setting out to find out what really happened to the family matriarch (whose perspective we also get in some chapters).
If you like contemporary fiction to be at the top of your summer reading list
Summer Romance by Annabel Monaghan
Out June 4
Perfect for readers who: love heartfelt stories of self discovery with a hearty & sweet dose of romance
If you’ve followed my beach read recommendations lists before, you know Annabel Monaghan is always on it and for good reason!
This one is about a single mom whose life is a mess. Struggling with the grief of losing her mom a couple years ago and the pain of her husband leaving, she has not felt like herself in a long while.
When a flirty meet cute at the dog park provides just the spark she needs to claw her way back, she leans into the summer romance and a fresh chance to find herself and rediscover herself in whats been lost.
I love a good story about finding yourself again after a period of feeling lost — something I definitely can relate to more recently in my own life.
Expiration Dates by Rebecca Serle
Out Now
Perfect for readers who: are looking for a generally lighthearted quick read
I love Rebecca Serle’s books for summer — I just fly through them! This one, like many of her others, is a women’s fiction read with a dash of magical realism and romance. As per usual, there’s always a cool premise and something thought-provoking (but not overly when I’m trying to relax at the pool!).
The premise this time? It’s about a woman whose dating life is a bit interesting — she receives (from the universe) a piece of paper with a name and the duration of the relationship she’ll have with that person.
But, when she receives just a name on a paper with no expiration date, things get complicated even though this should mean he’s the one. Could the universe have gotten it wrong?
Summers at the Saint by Mary Kay Andrews
Out Now
Perfect for readers who: are looking for a truly easy beach read full of a little bit of everything (drama, romance, mystery)
Fans of White Lotus (especially season 1), if you need a fix this summer — check this one out. You’ll be instantly transported to the family-owned tropical resort, the Saint, and all the drama to go with it. Gave me White Lotus x Dirty Dancing meets an Elin Hilderbrand novel.
It’s about a woman, widowed after a tragic accident, and now she must try to restore and keep afloat The Saint hotel that she inherited from her late husband. Not an easy task between her late husband’s family making trouble for her, financial woes, secrets from the past and a shocking murder in the present.
Serendipity by Becky Chalsen
Out June 4, 2024
Perfect for readers who: love summer vacations with friends (or at least reading about them)
This one is about a woman who left everything behind — including love and a bff — to pursue her screenwriting dreams in Hollywood and who has now returned home after five years.
As she makes her way back to her old life, she’s invited by her old friend group to join in on their summer beach rental on Fire Island — an invitation that not everyone is as excited about including her ex-bff — giving her a chance to see if there’s a chance to move forward through the old wounds left behind.
It’s multi-POV so it’s not just about Maggie (the one who left) but also her former bff Liz (and her high school sweetheart fiance) and Maggie’s former boyfriend with the rest of the friend group as secondary characters.
Margo’s Got Money Troubles
Out June 11, 2024
Perfect for readers who: are looking for something smart and funny
This humorous and heart-warming book is about a young single mother (thanks to a brief affair with her college professor) whose life is a mess as she tries to manage adulthood, new motherhood and trying to scrap together money to support them.
With her estranged father – an ex pro-wrestler- showing up in her life when things are about to hit rock bottom, she uses this chance for free childcare and decides to experiment with making quick some quick money as an OF content creator where she finds unexpected success that could change her life.
A Happier Life by Kristy Woodson Harvey
Out June 25, 2024
Perfect for readers who: love small Southern seaside town settings and family mysteries
Keaton, a woman with her own personal drama, has been sent to North Carolina to sell the 200 year old family home she just found out about. Nobody has lived in the home since the day her grandparents died and everything was left as it was on that day.
As she settles into her temporary home and meets the residents of the town (some who knew her grandparents), she gets to know a little more about the grandparents she never met and realizes there is a lot more to the day they allegedly died in a car accident as secrets unravel and people talk.
We also get the POV of her grandmother from years before — famous in town for her dinner parties — as Keaton unravels the mystery and real truth to their disappearance.
If you like your beach bag to be filled rom-coms and romances
The Paradise Problem by Christina Lauren
Out Now
Perfect for readers who: a good marriage of convenience; the perfect beachy destination in their summer reading
In college, for housing reasons, Anna and Liam get married — a marriage that was supposed to dissolve after graduation. Fast forward years later, starving artist Anna finds out that legally they are still married and Liam needs her to play the part of wife (at his sister’s destination wedding) in order for him to get his massive inheritance.
Birding With Benefits by Sarah T. Dubb
Out June 4, 2024
Perfect for readers who: are looking for a quirky rom-com featuring 40-somethings
Listen, maybe it’s because I’m closer to my 40’s than I’d like to admit but why am I obsessed with birds now?? Is that a rite of passage? I spend so much time outside watching the birds and especially the ones who have nests on our front and back porch.
I digress but immediately I was like “oooh birds” when I saw this books and realized “wow 10 years ago I would have never been this excited about birds” soooo.
Anyways, this one is a quirky romance between a 40-something divorcee who agrees to — as a favor to a friend — to play the role of partner for a man in need of one for an even.
Only to realize that “partner” didn’t mean fake girlfriend and the social event is actually a birding competition in the Arizona wilderness where she is “partnering” as his team-mate.
Fun little “oops” meet cute of sort with a fun twist on fake-dating.
Say You’ll Be Mine by Naina Kumar
Out Now
Perfect for readers who: love a great fake engagement/dating plot with a great slow burn romance
This was the perfect book for me to read whilst on vacation this month! It was an easy read with great characters, chemistry and internal conflicts the characters were dealing with. Plus I really loved that, through the characters, we experienced some Indian culture and traditions.
It’s about two people who reluctantly meet through their Indian parents matchmaking efforts and realize a limited-time fake engagement would suit them both for different reasons.
For Karthik, it would get his mom off his back so he can take a breather from the fruitless setups as he has no plans to get married. For Meghan, she’s in need of a date to accompany her to the wedding of her best friend and secret crush who asked her to be his best man.
It’s got the beloved “one bed” trope and the best sort of slow burn romance and self-discovery to really make you root for these two.
Bride by Ali Hazelwood
Out Now
Perfect for readers who: were lugging the Twilight books to the beach back in the day and now, as adults, love a good spicy romance books
The sun isn’t going to be the only thing making you sweat out there on the beach if you pack this paranormal romance in your bag — I’m KNOT kidding. (That miss-spelling was intentional – if you know, you know).
This one was SO fun and reminded me how much I really do miss reading paranormal romance.
It’s about the arranged marriage, part of the terms in a peace-keeping alliance, between the only daughter of a Vampire leader who has been lived with humans most of her life and an Alpha Werewolf.
But she has her own secret reasons for accepting this arranged marriage and it has nothing to do with the politics and peace between these mortal enemies.
Not in Love by Ali Hazelwood
Out June 11, 2024
Perfect for readers who: love a good STEM workplace romance/rom-com
A biotech engineer for a food science company has her very stable and content life turned upside down when an investment company starts an aggressive takeover of the startup she loves so much — a business deal led by a man she just went on a very short date with before it was interrupted.
Enemy lines have been drawn in the fight for the tech start-up but their feelings haven’t gotten the memo as neither of them have been able to stop thinking about the interrupted date and, even given the circumstances, the tension has only grown between them romantically just as much as the corporate tension has.
If you like your beach bag to be filled with sizzling thrillers & mysteries
Page-turning and twisty these reads are — sure to keep your attention while relaxing all summer long whether at the pool, the beach or in bed after a long summer’s day.
Check out this year’s new thriller books for even more page-turning thrillers and whodunits.
First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston
Out Now
Perfect for readers who: love a good cat-and-mouse thriller that is well paced and fun
I absolutely raced through this book and the fact that it had short chapters definitely added to it what made it so bingeable — which for me is often so nice when I’m selecting a good summer beach book.
I don’t want to say too much plot-wise but it’s about a woman who is a con artist who works for a mysterious boss. Her latest identity/persona and job has her playing girlfriend to man who she starts to feel a little too at-home with as she awaits her actual assignment.
That is until someone rolls into town — raising ALL the stakes — claiming her ACTUAL identity and threatening both this current job and the potential future of reclaiming her old identity one day.
Listen For The Lie by Amy Tintera
Out Now
Perfect for readers who: want to have the absolute best time while also reading about an unsolved murder
I would have gotten sunburned if I read this book on the beach because there would have been absolutely no way I could have stopped reading if I started it on vacation. Would have lost all sense of time and place as I was absolutely sucked into this mystery and the darkly humorous voice of the main character (and main suspect) in the midst of it.
Lucy has no idea if she killed her best friend or not on that fateful night of her murder 5 years ago. She has no memory of the night or the events that led to it but everyone believes she did it and being covered in Savvy’s blood didn’t help her claim innocence.
She left her small town and her past after all that and is now only back at her grandmother’s request for her birthday. As if being home wasn’t hard enough, now there is a true crime podcaster digging around for his podcast asking questions and digging things up.
But Lucy wants to know the truth about Savvy’s murder — for better or worse — so she agrees to talk to him and gets pulled into the investigation not knowing what it could uncover about her or her small town.
Every Time I Go On Vacation Someone Dies by Catherine Mack
Out Now
Perfect for readers who: love a humor-filled mystery on the cozy side (with a great setting!)
What says beach reading like a fun vacation mystery set in Italy??
It’s about an author who is on her book tour in Italy when things go awry when it starts to look like someone is trying to kill her and her ex (who also is inspiration for her book’s character and who she wants to kill off since he keeps blackmailing her). As she tries to survive her book tour, she also must work to solve these potential murders.
The Resort by Sarah Ochs
Out Now
Perfect for readers who: love a vacation thriller set in a sun-drenched place
This is the perfect juicy vacation thriller to indulge your sun-soaked brain cells in at the beach — full of dark secrets, an idyllic setting and a gripping plot that will have you seriously struggling to find a good chapter to take a break on to reapply that sunscreen.
Oh and did I mention — murder in paradise?
It’s set on a remote island in Thailand at a resort that is more off the beaten path where many expats live and adventurous travelers come to play.
It’s focused on two women — one an expat dive instructor, the other a guest who is a social media influencer — both who have secrets/pasts they’ve run from and would prefer them to stay hidden.
The darker side of paradise is revealed with a murder and everyone is a suspect — especially when so many are holding their own secrets tight to the chest.
It’s not entirely light and breezy as things are revealed (definitely check trigger warnings if you have any concerns) but this proved to be what I look for in a thriller beach read.
One Perfect Couple by Ruth Ware
Out Soon
Perfect for readers who: love a suspenseful tale of survival
This one wasn’t exactly what I thought it would be (anticipated more psychological thriller-y and twisty) but I couldn’t put this survival thriller down on my flight to Denmark recently.
A Love Island Games-esque reality show that turns quickly into an unhinged & murder-y Survivor episode (with no Jeff Probst!) after a storm leaves the reality TV contestants stranded.
The ending fizzled out a little for me but ultimately this is a great pool-side companion if you love reality tv antics, survival of the elements and people on a remote island and something page-turning.
If a lighter historical fiction is your idea of a good beach read
The Beautiful People by Michelle Gable
Out Now
Perfect for readers who: are looking for a lighter historical read full of famous faces and posh settings
A failed debutante wanting to rebuild her life becomes the assistant to THE photographer of Palm Beach’s socialites/famous set and is swept up in the jet-setting, glamorous inner circle — notably in a friendship with popular socialite and fashion designer Lilly Pulitzer.
I don’t want to spoil all the famous faces you’ll see but it’s a fun romp in the 1960’s full of glitz & glamour, drama and scandal.
Husbands and Lovers by Beatriz Williams
Out June 25, 2024
Perfect for readers who: have devoured Taylor Jenkins Reid’s latest books as well as The Paper Palace (one of my favorite complicated summer love stories in recent memory)
If you haven’t read Beatriz William’s historical fiction books before or aren’t keen on historical in general, this is a great introduction as it contains both a timeline in the past (1950’s Cairo) and more present day timelines — all woven together around a mysterious family heirloom and a mother’s search for a donor to save her son.
You’ll get caught up in the incredible stories of two women who just jump off the page in Mallory and Hannah as well as the mystery bit that unravels and the stories of their lost loves.
Faves From Last Year
Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros – Out Now
Perfect for readers who: devoured ACOTAR on the beach (or anywhere)
Romantasy is my new favorite genre these days and if you don’t mind lugging a thick fantasy romance to the beach, check out this new series starter that was SO MUCH fun to read last year.
Read it this summer and now you actually get to have the sequel handy!
This one is about a 20 year old woman who has been ordered to join the brutal and competitive war academy for dragon riders instead of pursing her dream of being a scribe. Totally unprepared and with quite a few obstacles in her way, she must survive the deadly trainings (as well as the other students) as she tries to prove she is worthy — all while war rages outside and she suspects leadership is withholding some secrets.
P.S. If you love ACOTAR check out this guest post Sarah did on ACOTAR’s release day back in 2015.
You May Also Like: Books To Read After Fourth Wing
The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston – Out Now
Perfect for readers who: love a high concept love story, love a good starcrossed lovers story
If you read The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston, you know she can pull off a more high concept romance. Don’t be scared if at first, with the premise, you are like “I am not going to be able to suspend my disbelief.” I promise, just crack open the book and a cold beverage — you’ll be fine.
Imagine you meet the perfect man — the only catch is that he lives seven years in the past. I mean, talk about bad timing — amirite? That’s the premise and I promise you — it delivers.
An overworked book publicist, who has been grieving her beloved aunt, has kept her head down and created a perfectly planned future. That future hits a snag when she falls in love with her temporary roommate she finds standing in her kitchen one day — in the kitchen of the apartment her aunt has always said is magical — and realizes he’s actually living seven years in the past.
Happy Place by Emily Henry – Out Now
Perfect for readers who: love romances with emotional depth (and palpable summertime settings)or who really enjoyed Carley Fortune’s Every Summer After
The ultimate vacation read for me — while I didn’t devour this on the beach or poolside, I listened to this book on the plane to and from Italy this Spring (and randomly at times while I was there) and it was everything I needed to read on vacation from its atmospheric and transporting setting to the second chance romance to the fun group of friends and feelings of nostalgia.
Maybe my favorite Emily Henry yet which is saying something because I’ve loved them all and heartily recommend them as perfect rom-com/romance beach reads. I’m not even a huge second chance romance lover and I couldn’t get enough of this one.
A second chance romance about a couple who has recently (and without telling anyone) broken up and called off their engagement and are forced to pretend to still be together when their long-time friend group goes on, what they find out is, their last summer they are able to all get together at the Maine cottage that has been a decade-long tradition. They’ll have to fake it in between old memories, nostalgic haunts and bubbling, unresolved feelings that threaten to spill forward.
Maame by Jessica George
Perfect for readers who: love a good coming of age story about that transformative time in your 20’s and don’t mind maybe shedding some tears on the beach (though fyi some of the story deals with loss/grief of a parent if that is a trigger)
One of the top books I read in 2023 and one that hit me on such a personal level. While maybe not typical beach read fare, this contemporary coming of age story is heartfelt, funny and one that you will easily get lost in because the main character’s voice is so strong. It’s just a delightful gem of a book that deserves a spot on beach reading lists if you are a reader who wants a book that isn’t necessarily super light and is such a powerful, thoughtful read.
The Comeback Summer by Ali Brady
Perfect for readers who: love heartwarming women’s fiction with a dash of romance in it
Ali Brady’s The Beach Trap was one of my favorite beach reads last year so this is an instant add to the beach bag. A feel good story of sisterhood, love and a summer of self discovery!
Two sisters, desperately trying to keep the PR firm they inherited from their grandmother afloat, catch a break with a potential new client that could turn it all around. The only catch? The client is a self help guru who will only hire them if they complete a twelve week challenge all about getting outside their comfort zone.
Wanting to land this client and save their grandmother’s legacy, the girls set out on their summer challenge that will stretch them more than they could imagine and test the relationship (and also bringing old and new love their way).
You May Also Like: Most Anticipated 2024 Adult Fiction Books
The Daydreams by Laura Hankin
Perfect for readers who: can’t get enough of nostalgic & gossipy reunion specials IRL or juicy fictional celeb/musician books
With this one think a little bit more of a lighter Daisy Jones-esque read meets The OC (if it was more musical a la Glee or High School Musical).
The stars of a popular teen show from the early 2000s — rocked by a scandalous implosion and cancellation of the show– coming together for the first time 13 years later for a reunion special that will either be a chance for redemption or a chance at further scandal and mess.
P.S. Books Like Daisy Jones & The Six
Hayley Aldridge Is Still Here by Elissa R. Sloan
Perfect for readers who: want celeb fiction that is juicy and page-turning but also thought-provoking and critical towards the darker sides of celebrity and the industries that cultivate it.
Inspired by Britney Spears and her fight against her conservatorship (as well as others like Amanda Bynes), this celeb fiction follows a child star turned former Hollywood-It girl fighting back against the conservatorship that has dictated her life for the past decade and allowing her very little freedom. The story weaves together her fight as well as her retelling, to her daughters, the story of her rise to fame and descent into the conservatorship she’s fighting.
Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld
Perfect for readers who: are seeking smart and funny romantic comedies that feel a little more on the literary side but still very much classic rom-com vibes
Reminds me of all the classic rom-coms I grew up loving and actually funny — this exudes everything I love about the rom-com genre and love stories and pays homage to it all. There’s so much to love in this book and will be an absorbing book for the beach with memorable characters, plenty of lols and incredible writing.
A writer for a SNL-type comedy show is jaded when it comes to love/romance and has sworn it all off — choosing to focus more on her career and non-romantic relationships. That is until a dreamy pop sensation is a guest on the show and the spark feels like it goes far beyond their professional collaboration which challenges all her assumptions surrounding love, men like him and if things like this only happen in fiction.
Same Time Next Summer by Annabel Monaghan
Perfect for readers who: love second chance romances, nostalgic summer stories and completely devoured Every Summer After/Happy Place
Another author who gave me a really good beach book last year (Nora Goes Off Script) is coming out with what looks to be a perfect summertime beach read, how lucky am I!
It’s about a woman who, while returning home to tour possible wedding venues near her family’s Long Island beach home, has her perfectly planned and predictable life shaken when she finds out that her childhood love (and breaker of her heart all those years ago) is also home to play a music festival. When all their past memories vividly rush back and their connection seeming to be as easy as ever, she starts to question the trajectory of her life and who she has become versus the girl she was the last time they were together here.
Stone Cold Fox by Rachel Koller Croft – Out Now
Perfect for readers who: want a juicy thriller on the beach full of badly behaving rich people
I don’t know what it is about grift/con thrillers that has been my favorite type of thriller beach read lately but they are really what is bringing the perfect sizzling beach read vibe when it comes to the thrills.
This one is about a woman who has conned all her life alongside her mother and decides — in order to leave that life behind forever — she’s going to grift one last time to land herself the heir of one of the country’s wealthiest families. The only thing standing in her way is a friend hellbent on not allowing this match to happen turning into a dangerous cat-and-mouse game.
The Chateau by Jaclyn Goldis – Out May 23, 2023
Perfect for readers who: love a good locked-room whodunit with a luxurious setting
A group of 4 women are invited, by the grandmother of one of the girls, back to the Provence chateau where they spent time when they all studied abroad during college 20 years before — a sudden and surprising invitation but a dream trip nonetheless.
As the women descend on the chateau, an impending big announcement from their hostess never happens when the woman is found dead after a night of celebration. The shocking murder renders everyone suspects and things get even more sinister when an Instagram account pops up threatening to spill their secrets.
You Can Trust Me by Wendy Heard
Perfect for readers who: love to get in a fast-paced and fun thriller and those who can’t get enough of fictional grifting
This fast-paced psychological thriller will be a must-read beach read for your summer vacation — compulsively readable and taut suspense.
Two best friends have been conning and scamming their way through the elite of sunny California. But when a big catch is reeled in, in the form of a billionaire and philanthropist’s invite to his private island, one of the girls accepts an invite while the other waits for the spoils of the trip.
But that never comes as her friend never comes back and has basically disappeared prompting her to head to the island to find out what happened after all.
She Started It by Sian Gilbert – Out June 13, 2023
Perfect for readers who: love sipping a daiquiri beach-side while reading a juicy revenge story
This one delivered on its promise of twisty summer goodness in a beachy setting to boot.
A group of childhood best friends who have drifted, but still remain bonded by their secrets are surprised when they get an extravagant invite to a Caribbean bachelorette party by another in the group who, by social media appearances, seems to be living quite the posh life but whom they haven’t spoken to in some time. The women accept the invite for a Caribbean getaway but soon the party takes a sinister turn turning up some of their darkest secrets.
Hotel Laguna by Nicola Harrison
Perfect for readers who: are looking for historical fiction beach read and who love historical stories featuring strong & independent women finding their way in a world that wants to put them in a box
Historical fiction is a genre I love so much but it’s often hard for me to find historical fiction beach reads that don’t depress me/feel too heavy mood wise or that are too literary I can’t slip into them easy when my brain is needing something a bit lighter and page-turning. But a really good historical beach read can bring exactly what I need to enjoy the genre amidst the rom-coms and juicy thrillers in my bag.
Set in the sunsoaked coast town of Laguna Beach, it’s about a woman who came from the midwest to Calfornia to do her part in the war efforts, becoming one of the many Rosie the Riveters building bombers for the military, and who now post-war must figure out what’s next for her life that doesn’t involve going back into a traditional woman’s role when her dreams are much bigger.
Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute by Talia Hibbert- Out Now
Perfect for readers who: love a good friends to enemies to lovers book
Talia Hibbert is one of my all-time favorite romance authors and her YA debut is making a big splash this year!
Academic rivals and former friends are forced to work together at an outdoors survival program and the stakes are high in the form of a university scholarship. As they try to repair their relationship for the sake of survival on this adventure, the good memories they shared start to resurface and could be just the spark the two need.
You May Also Like: Best YA Summer Romance Books
The Best Beach Reads From The Past Couple Years
Not looking for a brand new release from 2023 but still want a newer beach read to get lost in this summer? Check out one of these perfect beach books from the past couple years that have been favorite beach reads that I can’t stop recommending.
Every Summer After by Carley Fortune
I can’t enough of books that are set during summer and I always wind up throwing them in my beach bag first every year! Especially books that are told throughout the course of many summers as well as the present day — like this book. And this one was PERFECT.
When Sam and Percy meet the first summer at the lake, they become inseparable for the next six summers as friendship blossoms into something more. But, now, a decade later and Percy hasn’t been back to the lake since the summer she made a mistake that led her to never coming back or ever seeing Sam again.
But now, all these years later, Percy heads back to the lake for the weekend to attend the funeral of Sam’s mother and confront all she ran away from all those years ago.
Perfect for readers who: grew up devouring Sarah Dessen books on the beach (this isn’t YA but so that vibe of SD and or even The Summer I Turned Pretty but grown up!) , love messy & emotional romances, are fans of second chance romances
P.S. Check out this list of books like The Summer I Turned Pretty if you want more of this vibe!
Book Lovers by Emily Henry
So many summers in a row Emily Henry has given me the most perfect summer time reading material and I am not shocked that this was another slam dunk in the beach reading department!
A cutthroat literary agent agrees to go with her sister to a small town in North Carolina (the setting of a romance novel from one of Nora’s clients and that her sister loves) for a month-long sister vacation to get away from the city for a bit and hopefully get out of the ruts they are in.
Her break from the city takes an unexpected turn when she runs into her rival – a brooding editor back in the city whom she can’t stand and who passed on that same romance novel years ago.
Entertaining a list of things to do that her sister came up with while they are there and a string of unexpected situations arising, she finds herself constantly being thrown together with her rival and realizes they have more in common than the books they both love so much.
Perfect for readers who: love romcoms, adore the rivals turned lovers romance trope, like books about book people, love a strong sisterly sub plot
One Italian Summer by Rebecca Serle
Perfect for readers who: don’t mind a side of emotions with their beach read, are seeking vivid settings, love mother/daughter stories, enjoyed Faye Faraway like I did, are in need of an armchair vacation
This book absolutely transported me to Italy and really got me with those food descriptions! It also made me a wee bit emotional on a personal level considering a big chunk of the story is about the main character working through the grief of losing her mother on this trip they were supposed to take together. A trip that there is no way her mom should be there but there her mom is – albeit her younger self.
Suspend that need to know why or how that could happen and you’ll enjoy this Italian summer escape and one woman’s journey through grief and learning more about her mother’s story and history she wasn’t aware of.
P.S. Check out this list of books set in Italy for more Italian set books!
One of my favorite way to get through my never-ending list of books to read:
Audiobooks are HUGE in helping me find time to read all these books and LibroFM is my preferred audiobook service. They are THE best audiobook subscription, hands down. Get 2 audiobooks for the price of 1 here! Check out my review of LibroFM for more info.
Cover Story by Susan Rigetti – Out Now!
Perfect for readers who: were enthralled by Inventing Anna on Netflix, love a fresh format (told in diary entries, media clippings, etc.)
Definitely inspired by Anna Delvey and all the scammer/grifter stories out there (Elizabeth Holmes & and Caroline Calloway also come to my mind), this read is the perfect escape to get lost into whilst on vacation or at the beach as you read about a young woman who gets entangled in the glitz and glamour of her newfound friend’s life — a life that isn’t entirely as it seems as the cracks start to expose things.
The Unsinkable Greta James by Jennifer E. Smith – Out Now!
Perfect for readers who: love stories of self discovery, family and grief with a side of a romantic elements and adventure
One of my favorite books of last year — compulsively readable! A perfect setting to escape into (Alaska), a tender-hearted meet cute and a poignant look at the shared grieving experience of those left behind.
It’s about Greta, a rising indie music star whose career is hanging in the balance after an onstage meltdown that went viral after the death of her mother, who ends up taking an Alaskan cruise with her father — a trip that her mother and father were supposed to take.
Greta and her father don’t get along very well and that relationship has become even more fractured since her mom has died which makes this trip fraught with tension along with the baggage they are both bringing — their grief as well as Greta’s attempt to outrun her heartbreak and humiliation and potential nose-diving career if she can’t get it together. This trip could either destroy what little relationship the two have left or heal it.
As the adventure gets underway, Greta meets a man who is dealing with his own life upheavals. The encounter, along with spending time with her dad, will help lead Greta to what comes next for her.
Nora Goes Off Script by Annabel Monaghan
Perfect for readers who: loved Evvie Drake Starts Over or The Overdue Life of Amy Byler, are looking for something feel-good and uplifting
Straddling the line between contemporary women’s fiction and rom-com, this one is about a divorced romance channel screenwriter and mom who writes the best script of her life about her absolutely disastrous collapse of her marriage and ends up having this biographical script picked up to be a major motion picture.
This turn of events might just what she needs to help her reclaim her life and find love when the leading man of the movie asks her to stay at her home for a week to escape reality for a bit (and he’ll pay handsomely).
The Beach Trap by Ali Brady
Perfect for readers who: enjoy heartwarming family stories with a side of romance
Fifteen years ago, Kat and Blake become fast friends at summer camp — until they realize they are actually half-sisters and the secret crumbles the friendship. Now, their dad has died and given them a joint inheritance of a dilapidated beach house in Florida.
The estranged sisters have conflicting views on what to do with the house but reluctantly agree to renovate the house together all summer. The summer brings clashing opinions, summer romances and coming to terms with the secret that broke everything so many years ago.
This is truly one of the best vacation reads ever!
How To Fake It In Hollywood by Ava Wilder
Perfect for readers who: love fake dating tropes, enjoy your romances & rom-comes to also pack an emotional punch
A talented Hollywood starlet, looking to keep her career afloat after her long-standing teen soap drama ends, agrees to her publicist’s scheme to enter into a fake relationship with a reclusive A-lister who needs the PR stunt for his own reasons after personal hardships had him pull away from the industry.
The Lying Club by Annie Ward
Did you love Big Little Lies? If so, pack this one up in your beach bag! This suspenseful read will suck you into a story of revenges, webs of lies, and murder all tied to an elite private school — all unraveled through the POV of three different women involved in the scandal in some way.
I also think this one would make a perfect summer book club pick, honestly! Entertaining, drama-filled and still giving enough to talk about.
Perfect for readers who: blew through Big Little Lies on the beach, are looking for books with lots of twists and turns, like their books with high drama
One Of Us Is Dead by Jeneva Rose – Out Now!
Desperate Housewives + all your favorite catty, messy reality shows mixed with the thrills of a domestic housewife thriller book is the vibe here.
Told through multiple points of view of the women of the affluent Buckhead neighborhood, secrets and revenge collide and someone won’t make it out alive. Is it the former queen bee and wife of a politician who has been dumped? Is it the woman who replaced her? The woman who has been waiting to take the queen bee crown? Or is it the one who knows all their juicy secrets?
Perfect for readers who: love shows like Desperate Housewives, looking for a “popcorn thriller” filled with messy drama & juicy secrets, enjoyed The Hunting Wives, enjoy the Rich People Behaving Badly & Possibly Murdery trope
On Gin Lane by Brooke Lea Foster – Out May 31
Set in the 1950’s, it’s about a young socialite who is whisked way to the Hamptons (Southhampton) by her fiance where he bestows a gift upon her — he has opened a glamorous beach-side hotel in her honor for them to also stay in every summer. The generous gift is clouded by her upbringing in the Plaza hotel but she tries to shake it off and embrace her new summer life until tragedy strikes on the opening weekend of the hotel and unravels her view of her future.
Perfect for readers who: love a glitzy beach-side setting, are looking for a page-turning historical as there is a mystery element, love a good story about self-discovery especially in an era like the 1950’s
This Golden State by Marit Weisenberg – Out Now!
Poppy has only remembered a life on the run with her parents and never staying in one place. With so little answers about who they are, her curiosity gets the best of her and she sends in a DNA test – a decision that will threaten her family’s very anonymous life.
Perfect for readers who: are looking for something absolutely page-turning that will keep you guessing the whole time, love a thriller/mystery that is equal parts coming of age story, couldn’t get enough of the family drama story of the show Ozarks
Lease On Love by Falon Ballard – Out Now!
A down on her luck young woman + an innocent mix-up between a dating app and an app for finding a roommate while a little drunk equals possibly a new chance at love in this new rom-com.
Perfect for readers who: love a slow-burn romance, are looking for lighter read, enjoyed The Flatshare
You May Also Like: Books For Bridgerton Fans
The Wedding Season by Katy Birchall
This one toes the line between rom-com and women’s fiction and will be a perfect book for the beach as it is equal parts funny and vulnerable as we dive into the main character’s journey.
It is about a recently jilted bride who, this summer, was already booked to attend seven weddings in one summer (her own was to kick off the wedding-filled summer) and, in light of the fact she wants to do anything BUT attend a ton of weddings by herself, her friends try to distract her with a series of outrageous and fun challenges to complete at each event!
As the wedding season actually turns out with her having some fun and finding some healing with the help of her people, she finds reason to keep her heart open and accept the detour her love story has taken.
Perfect for readers who: are looking for classic (British) rom-com vibes but with a bit of emotion at times as it is also about a healing journey, slow-burn romance lovers, fans of Mhairi McFarlane or Bridget Jones’ Diary, are looking for a non-steamy romance
The True Love Experiment by Christina Lauren
Perfect for readers who: love binge watching dating reality shows (or just love a good rom-com to read on the beach)
Christina Lauren books always are top beach books for me so naturally, if you didn’t get to this one when it came out, it should have a coveted spot in your beach bag this summer.
This one will absolutely wrap you up in the story of a romance author, in need of her own real life romance and a way out of her career funk, who gets roped in to a reality tv show to help her find her own true love by an aspiring filmmaker who is being forced into creating a hit reality show.