33 New Books To Add To Your Beach Bag For Summer 2022

My Top Beach Reads For 2022

These are the beach reads that will most definitely be going into my beach bag/summer reading plans this year!

Every Summer After by Carley Fortune – Out May 10

Book Lovers by Emily Henry- Out May 3

Two 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

The Shore by Katie Runde – Out May 24

Okay as much as I typically gravitate towards something lighter for beach reads there is always a spot in my beach bag for a more literary/contemporary family drama that will induce tears (along with big ol’ sunglasses to hide my crying eyes). This one, with its Jersey Shore setting and sounds of the summer mixed with a family going through a really hard time, is one that piqued my interest immediately.

It tells the story, from the POV of the mom and her daughters, about a family going through the unthinkable (and sadly something I went through with my mom’s brain tumor/cancer) — the husband and father of the family is diagnosed with a brain tumor. Throughout the summer, they navigate change, grief, impending loss and unearthed secrets.

I honestly get chills thinking about this one and think about my own last summer I had with my mother in her brain cancer fight and the just absolute cognitive dissonance that went on for me when I was navigating, as a 20 year old, the fact my mom was actively dying with pool parties and “summer fun”. WHEW BOY.

Perfect for readers who: won’t find a sadder read a beach read buzzkill, enjoy slice of life family novels, are looking for something a little more on the literary side

This Time Tomorrow By Emma Straub – Out Now

A family drama with a dash of time travel and 90’s nostalgia about a woman who, on her 40th birthday, is facing the impending loss of her father and wakes up the next morning in her bedroom on her 16th birthday in the same house with her vibrant, healthy father. With a chance to possibly do it all again, would she make different choices? Could she save her father?

I loved this book so, so much. Reminded me of another one that I loved Faye, Faraway. I cried a bit and found it very thought-provoking.

Perfect for readers who: family dramas, books with time travel elements, father-daughter stories,

One Italian Summer by Rebecca Serle – Out Now!

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.

 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

The Love of My Life by Rosie Walsh- Out now!

What would you do if the love of your life wasn’t exactly who you thought they were? 

That is exactly what happens when Leo, an obituary writer, is tasked with writing for the love of his life – a renowned marine biologist who is still alive. As he does research for the obituary, he suddenly finds out that he does not know the woman he loves at all.

Part contemporary family drama, part mystery/thriller and part love story. I don’t want to say too much – go in not knowing too much!

Perfect for readers who: love a book that is a mashup of genres, aren’t dissuaded by a little bit of a slow start that will then have you tearing through the pages, love good twists and turns, love a good domestic family drama with a side of mystery

Cover Story by Susan Rigetti – Out Now!

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.


Perfect for readers who: were enthralled by Inventing Anna on Netflix, love a fresh format (told in diary entries, media clippings, etc.),

Counterfeit by Kirstin Chen – Out Now

This one looks like a fun page-turner to get lost in! I mean — ” a story of two Asian American women, former classmates in college, who band together to grow a counterfeit handbag scheme into a global enterprise–an incisive and glittering blend of fashion, crime, and friendship.”

The storytelling is bound to get you wrapped up in this scheme as most of it is revealed via a confessional of sorts with Ava, a suburban mom who is struggling on many fronts, telling the story to a detective of how she came back into contact with her friend and got caught up in this illegal yet lucrative scheme selling counterfeit handbags.

Perfect for readers who: enjoyed books like Finlay Donovan or Dial A for Aunties, looking for a fast-paced read

The Unsinkable Greta James by Jennifer E. Smith – Out Now!

One of my favorite books of the 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.

Perfect for readers who: love stories of self discovery, family and grief with a side of a romantic elements and adventure

Nora Goes Off Script by Annabel Monaghan – Out June 7

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).

Perfect for readers who: loved Evvie Drake Starts Over or The Overdue Life of Amy Byler, are looking for something feel-good and uplifting

Gilt by Jamie Brenner- Out June 21

Set in the 1990’s and the present day, this tells the story of the women in a (fictional) famous family high-end jewelry dynasty and the hidden past that could topple it all.

Three sisters torn apart over a family jewel and, many years later, the orphaned daughter of one of them who is making her own way in the jewelry world but is also on a quest to take back her mother’s diamond (and maybe even come for more!) by reconnecting with her estranged aunts.

With New York’s Fifth Avenue and Provincetown settings, this juicy family drama will be the perfect vacation read to sweep you up in the glitzy world of jewelry and family secrets.

Perfect for readers who: love books by Elin Hilderbrand or Jennifer Weiner, lovers of lighter family dramas, enjoy sister stories

What Might Have Been by Holly Miller – Out Now!

This one is about a Sliding Doors-esque novel about a woman at a crossroads in her life and has to choose between finally going for her dream of becoming a writer and exploring a new love or moving to London to revive her career and see if she can rekindle things with The One Who Got Away. In alternating chapters, we see how her life plays out if she stays or goes as both choices will change her life in big ways.

Perfect for readers who: enjoyed Maybe in Another Life by Taylor Jenkins Reid or the concept in The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

The Beach Trap by Ali Brady – Out Now!

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!

Perfect for readers who: enjoy heartwarming family stories with a side of romance

Reckless Girls by Rachel Hawkins – Out Now

A sun-drenched suspense novel set on an isolated island (with a dark history) and strangers with secrets when a group of random travelers land on this secluded paradise which soon starts to unravel when a mysterious lone sailor shows up on the island also.

Perfect for readers who: love a “locked door” mystery but it’s an island, are in search of a quick escapist/”popcorn” read, want summer vibes with the setting, don’t mind thrillers that are a bit implausible at times

The Night Shift by Alex Finlay – Out Now

I could not put this thriller down!! A perfect thrilling book to get lost in while on the beach or vacation as it is compulsively readable and has these perfectly short chapters perfect for binge reading on the beach.

New Years Eve 1999 a massacre, killing the teens working their shift, occurs at a Blockbuster Video leaving only one survivor. 15 years later, another attack happens at an ice cream shop leaving only one teen survivor who heard the same words uttered by the killer.

Three people, with different motives, work together to solve the crime and find out if the murders are connected (the original suspect had fled and never was seen again) or if there is a copycat killer.

(I will say the synopsis lead me a bit astray thinking there would be much more 90’s/Y2K nostalgia to get lost in but not so much — still an enjoyable book nonetheless but I was really excited for the setting)

Perfect for readers who: are looking for a fast-paced mystery thriller, are into thrillers with multi-POVs, like cold case mysteries, enjoyed Final Girls by Riley Sager

The Lying Club by Annie Ward – Out Now!

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

My Summer Darlings by May Cobb – Out May 17

I find Mary Cobb’s thrillers so far to be the ultimate fun beach read thriller that I just eat up — just juicy and drama-filled. If you enjoyed her debut, definitely check out this summer blockbuster book!

In this one, we are introduced to three life-long best friends (and suburban housewives in an idyllic Texas town) who find their lives and friendship turning upside down when a mysterious and rich new neighbor snakes his way into their lives.

Perfect for readers who: love soapy and over-the-top thrillers, fans of domestic/”neighborhood” thrillers, watched and loved Desperate Housewives and similar shows, are fine with thrillers with a little bit of steam, enjoy Colleen Hoover’s books,

You’re Invited by Amanda Jayatissa- Out August 9

Crazy Rich Asians meets Lucy Foley’s The Guest List in this thriller about a woman gets invited to her estranged best friend’s Sri-Lankan wedding-of-the-year and is shocked to find she is marrying her ex boyfriend. She heads to the wedding with one mission: to stop this wedding! But when the bride goes missing, the jealous ex-girlfriend sure makes a good suspect and the evidence is starting to mount to support her as suspect number 1!

Perfect for readers who: like juicy drama-filled thrillers, enjoy books that explore female friendships

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

Funny You Should Ask by Elissa Sussman – Out now!

Told alternating between the past and the present, this one is about a young journalist who gets to interview an up-and-coming Hollywood heartthrob and the two spend a life-changing weekend together and the interview catapults her career (as well as his) leaving a wake of rumors about the two long after they part ways.

Ten years later, and a whole lot of messy life lived in the meantime, the two are reunited after all those years for a second interview bringing back all the feelings and truth of that whirlwind weekend.

Perfect for readers who: love a good Hollywood celeb falls for “normal” person trope, looking for a more emotional romance tone versus rom-com (a mix of women’s fiction and romance to me honestly), enjoy second chance romances

The Wedding Season by Katy Birchall – Out May 3

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

Something Wilder by Christina Lauren – Out May 17

This one is so different than their previous romances and romcoms but if you’ve ever thought I’d really love it there was a little more adventure (a la National Treasure) and shenanigans in my romance novels — look no further for a beach reading escape that will have you turning the pages. You’ll have to suspend your disbelief for sure but it will be a fun ride.

A (fabulous) second chance romance + western adventure where everything goes incredibly wrong.

Perfect for readers who: are down for a romance with an adventure element and a hint of mystery, fans of Christina Lauren who will follow them down whatever writing paths they will go

You Made A Fool Out Of Death With Your Beauty – Out May 24

Akwaeke Emezi is known for their literary fiction and this latest title from them is more of the adult romance vein in a genre-busting sort of way. If you are open to a romance that is going to be a bit messier with a forbidden romance element and a profound exploration of grief, definitely check this one out.

5 years after the death of her husband, Feyi is throwing herself back into the dating world in a non-serious, Hot Girl Summer hooking up type of way.

A steamy encounter changes the course of her summer in a life-changing way and has her whisked off to an island with a potentially new beau, and his famous chef father, and career opportunities dangling in front of her. Things are going well until she finds her eyes wandering towards someone who is definitely off limits.

Perfect for readers who: are fine the forbidden romance and age gap tropes, like unconventional romances, appreciate messy characters figuring this out, looking for some spice, are looking for a book with Black queer characters (the main character is bisexual as well as another character and her best friend is a lesbian)

A Caribbean Heiress in Paris – Out May 31

Is your idea of a perfect beach read a steamy historical romance novel that is witty, bold and perfect for Bridgerton fans? Don’t miss this one – you won’t be able to put it down!

This one is about a Dominican heiress trying to sell her rum and expand her family business at the 1880’s World Fair in Paris, after the passing of her father and running into a snag in getting her inheritance, and the charming Scottish earl who seems eager to help her as the two enter into an advantageous marriage of convenience to further their own businesses.

Perfect for readers who: loved Bridgerton and are looking for diverse historical fiction and a Kate + Anthony dynamic but not set during Regency times (Belle Epoque era)

A Proposal They Can’t Refuse by Natalie Cana – Out June 7

This one is about rom-com about a Puerto Rican chef and an Irish American whiskey distiller, former childhood friends turned enemies, forced into a fake engagement by their scheming octogenarian grandfathers who threaten to sell the building that houses both family businesses unless they marry. When they scheme to outsmart their grandfathers to get what they want, the only con that happens is the one their hearts pull when feelings start feeling real.

Perfect for readers who: love fake dating tropes & second chance romances, enjoy foodie romances

How To Fake It In Hollywood by Ava Wilder – Out June 14

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.

Perfect for readers who: love fake dating tropes, enjoy your romances & rom-comes to also pack an emotional punch

If a lighter historical fiction is your idea of a good beach read

The Liz Taylor Ring by Brenda Janowitz – Out now!

Three adult siblings struggle about what to do with the much-loved diamond ring, an heirloom thought to be long lost, that belonged to their mother as a gift from their father – a ring reminiscent of the one Richard Burton gave Liz Taylor and has now unraveled some family secrets upon it being unearthed.

The story is told in the past and the present from multiple perspectives as we see the love story (and tumultuous times) of matriarch and patriarch of the family as well as what the ring means to each of the kids. 

Perfect for readers who: love a good family drama/saga that isn’t TOO heavy, enjoyed Malibu Rising or Last Summer at the Golden Hotel, enjoy a multi-perspective family saga that dips in the past and present

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus – Out Now!

Fans of offbeat comedies and quirky characters — check out this book about a woman in STEM in 1960’s who takes a sharp career detour, after tirelessly trying to make it in her male-dominated field, as a cooking show host and uses it as way to challenge the status quo and inspire the women watching.

Perfect for readers who: love shows like The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel or Mad Men, enjoy offbeat humor and a quirky lead a la Where’d You Go Bernadette or Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine, love a good feminist book

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

Mustique Island by Sarah McCoy – Out May 10

Set in the 1970’s on an exclusive island visited by the likes of Mick Jagger and Princess Margaret, a divorced former beauty queen and her two wayward daughters arrive on the island to start over again on this sun-drenched island full of celebrities and where there is more than meets the eye.

Perfect for readers who: like their historical fiction with an edge of feeling like thought-provoking women’s fiction (lighter historical content), are looking for a sun-drenched Caribbean escape, love a good mother-daughter story, enjoy books from Taylor Jenkins Reid

Check out: New & Upcoming Historical Fiction

One True Loves by Elise Bryant – Out Now!

It’s the summer before freshman year of college and, always pretty sure of herself through high school, Lenore Bennett is not feeling as sure of anything — especially as she head to college undeclared.

But before she heads off to school, her family is headed on Mediterranean cruise where she finds herself stuck with the son of her parents new friends on the cruise, a golden boy with a life plan, for the duration. As they get to know each other, she just might start to piece together some of the answers to what she wants her future to look like.

Perfect for readers who: are looking for a sweet summer-set YA romance perfect for fans of Morgan Matson and Stephanie Perkins, love being whisked off on a vacation via your current read

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

When You Get The Chance – Out Now!

Emma Lord’s books have always been such solid reads for me in the contemporary YA space and this one was no exception! SO FUN!!

It’s a Mamma Mia inspired book about a girl with Broadway aspirations, raised by her single dad, who really needs to get her dad on board with her plan to leave home to attend a theater program that could be a stepping stone to her dreams.

Between butting heads with her dad and battling her annoyingly cute drama club rival, she finds a tab open on her dad’s computer that sends her on a mission to find her birth mom using clues from her dad’s Livejournal from 2003 to find potential candidates.

Perfect for readers who: have loved Emma’s previous books, love fun contemporary YA books that are big-hearted, are theater geeks

The Counselors by Jessica Goodman – Out May 31

A summer camp-set thriller about three long-time best friends — Goldie, Eva and Imogen– who met at an elite sleepaway camp and are set to reunite this summer for their first year as counselors. When a dead body, one whom Goldie knows very well, shows up in the lake Goldie realizes she isn’t the only one coming into this summer with secrets.

Perfect for readers who: love thrillers by authors like Karen McManus and Megan Miranda, fans of murder mysteries with a thoughtful examination on female friendship

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Zyla & Kai – Out June 7

A YA romance with a hint of mystery, this one had me turning the pages to find out where the heck Zyla and Kai went and why.

Zyla and Kai appear to run away together during a school trip. Everyone is confused because they broke up months ago so why would these two run away? The story chronicles their love story from how they met the previous summer, flipping to the present where they are missing, and eventually culminates to WHY and where they are.

Perfect for readers who: like romances with an air of mystery, are looking for stories of stirring first love, are seeking a romance featuring Black protagonists

The Edge of Summer by Erica George- Out June 14

This is like the epitome of YA beach read type books I love in the summer — a contemporary YA romance with some self-discovery and a need for some tissues. One of those books that shows side-by-side the beauty and tragedies of life that can co-exist at the same time.

This one is about a young girl who experiences the loss of her best friend and is determined to complete the list of things they wanted to do the summer before college together — including a marine biology internship on Cape Cod.

As she grieves and tries to heal during this summer of new beginnings and saving humpback whales, she finds herself distracted by a local lifeguard who she catches feelings for but proves to mix up her priorities of the summer.

Perfect for readers who: love books from Morgan Matson and Sarah Dessen, love contemporary YA romances about first love and loss

All That’s Left In The World by Erik J. Brown – out Now!

Nothing gets me tearing through the pages than a post-apocalyptic novel! This one is a YA post-apocalyptic survival novel, with a queer romance, about two boys who have which features two boys whose lives collide when they make up the small percentage of people who have survived a superbug that has killed 80% of the world and are trying to figure out what comes next to survive. Witty, humorous and romantic in addition to being a story about survival and loss. Really balances it well!

Perfect for readers who: are looking for something more high concept, fans of Adam Silvera

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What new beach read books would you add to this 2022 summer reading list??

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Catch up on your 2022 book to movie adaptations while on vacation

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