I think I speak for most book fanatics when I say that our dream summer beach trip is reading on a blanket in the sand or under an umbrella. You may not be a huge fan of dipping your toes in salty water or building sand castles, but in you’re anything like me, you want to live vicariously through stories of characters who do.
I have six amazing beach reads you can take to the beach this summer! If you are craving summer romance and heartfelt beach moments, these books are must-reads.
1. People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry
Simply but, a story of two besties who have been on summer vacations together for almost a decade. Poppy and Alex are polar opposites, yet somehow sparked a friendship through a ride-share. Poppy is a wildchild with a fierce wanderlust; Alex is timid, an inoodrsman. Every summer they go on a week-long vacation together. That is until two years ago, when something ruined the friendship, and all future vacations were cancelled indefinitely. Poppy doesn’t want things to end this way, so she reaches out and persuades Alex for a final vacation.
When they meet up again, the elephant in the room is suffocating. They must clear the air and tell their truths. Are there deeper feelings at work?
2. Beach Read by Emily Henry
Ready for a literal beach read? The title is pretty self-explanatory. A moving story of two writers experiencing a love trope for themselves. Who doesn’t love a book about authors who write books?
January Andrews: A romance novelist who enjoys writing happily ever afters.
Augustus Everett: A fiction writer who enjoys killing off his characters, more of a realisitc ending.
January and August are neighbors on a three-month beach house vacation. Both broke and having intense writer’s block, they agree one evening to get out of their writing rut. They start working with the each other’s writing styles. Augsustus will be writing a romance trope, while January goes for a realistic sad fest. Are these two polar opposites up to the task?
As they explore several places for inspiration, they definitely won’t fall for each other…
3. The Summer of Broken Rules by K.L. Walther
A summer wedding, an annual game, and one complex situation. If you are interested in a cat and mouse concept, love, and competition, you’ll look forward to Meredith’s story.
Meredith Fox is headed to Martha’s Vineyard for her cousin’s wedding. She’s still been dealing with her sister’s death. To add icing to the cake, she gets dumped by her boyfriend weeks before the wedding.
However, Meredith is looking forward to the annual assassin game, the one her family gets competitive every year. Her target: the groomsman. While she competes for the prize, she can’t help but slowly fall for him. Will she lose the game—and her heart—in the process?
4. The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han
Let us all praise To All the Boys I Loved Before, and get ready for a slice-of-life story where family, friendship and finding one’s self will have you smiling ear to ear.
Belly measures the quality of summer, through the good, bad, adventure and magic. She’s a summer fanatic. But one summer, she finds herself without a beach house with Susannah, Jeremiah, or Conrad. This is terrible yet a wonderful summer can sprout from the nonexistent sand. With big changes along the way, it can put things into place, and maybe, just maybe, be exactly what Belly needs.
5. The Beach House by Jane Green
A book about having second chances? Yep, that’s the perfect book to read in the sand!
Nan Powell is a sixty-five year old widow. With a wild spirit and freedom in her soul, she lives in a beautiful Nantucket home by the beach. When money starts running low, she offers summer rentals to visitors in order to save her house. Soon she builds friendships, gets close with family, along with the laughter, loud noises, and tears. Everything seems to be coming together when her son comes home, until an unexpected visitor turns the house, and Nan’s life, upside down.
6. The Salt House by Lisa Duffy
The sun may beat down on your face, but fresh cool tears may also relax you. A book about heartbreak, family, and the intersections of love and grief.
Hope and Jack Kelly live on the coast in Alden, Maine. They are in wedded bliss: their lobster business up and running, and their kids and the new renovations of The Salt House, their dream home. However, their picturesque lives come to a halt when their youngest daughter passes away.
As the years pass, Hope and Jack’s marriage starts to crumble. Hope keeps staring at the ashes of her daughter, and Jack becomes a workaholic who neglects his wife. Their other two daughter, Jess and Kat, can’t come to terms with their sister’s death. Everything changes when a business rival, Ryland Finn, threatens Jack’s fishing territory. Together, they can either unite the family bonds or break them.
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