It’s my favorite time of the year — the time where I share the books that I think are THE newer & best beach reads for 2023.
After our trip to Italy this spring we are hanging a little low this summer but with plenty of day trips to the beach (and maybe even a short trip to Jamaica for Will and I). Regardless, I know I will be doing all the outside reading full of frothy summer reads no matter where I am.
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 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 2023
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
Top Beach Read Picks For 2023
These are the beach reads that will most definitely be going into my beach bag/are part of my summer reading plans this year!
Meet Me At The Lake by Carley Fortune – Out Now
Perfect for readers who: want summer vibes (lake setting!), nostalgia, longing and second chance romances
Every Summer After shot to the top of my go-to beach read recommendation last year and this atmospheric sophomore novel is a must for your beach bag if you enjoy romance and lakeside settings.
An instant connection and life-changing day spent together prompted twenty-somethings Fern and Max to make a plan to meet a year later at Fern’s family lakeside resort.
When Max is a no-show on the date they are supposed to meet a year later, it changes the trajectory of Fern’s life and she has never quite gotten over it.
Now, 10 years later, Fern has returned to the family’s lakeside resort after her mother’s death and is desperately trying to keep it going. And then in walks Max — 9 years too late and not quite the same man she met all those years before.
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.
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.
The True Love Experiment by Christina Lauren – Out May 16
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 a new Christina Lauren release 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.
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 is a bit Game of Thrones meets Sarah J. Maas with a bit of dark academia.
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.
If you like contemporary fiction to be at the top of your summer reading list
Maame by Jessica George – Out Now
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’ve 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 – Out May 9. 2023
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 2023 Adult Fiction Books
The Daydreams by Laura Hankin – Out Now
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.
Hayley Aldridge Is Still Here by Elissa R. Sloan – Out Now
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.
If you like your beach bag to be filled rom-coms and romances
Check out more new & upcoming romance and rom-coms to add to your list!
Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld- Out Now
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.
Once More With Feeling by Elissa Sussman – Out May 30, 2023
Perfect for readers who: love a good celeb romance (esp if you were glued to Justin and Britney back in the day) or can’t get enough of pop culture/examinations of pop culture
A friends to lovers meets enemies to lovers romance? Plus set in the world of mega pop-stardom and, in the present day sections, Broadway with a dash of a celeb love triangle? It’s everything I need for a good juicy pool-side read. And it’s in paperback which is my favorite beach read format to throw in my beach bag.
Katee used to be a mega pop-star dating a popular lead of a boy band until she blew up her career and love life with one unforgettable night with another member of the boy band who has been her friend/crush since their theater camp days. Now, after living a normal life out of the spotlight, she’s offered a career re-building opportunity with a starring role on Broadway — the catch being that Cal, her childhood friend and crush, is the director.
Same Time Next Summer by Annabel Monaghan – Out June 6, 2023
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.
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 thriller beach reads!
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.
Bad Summer People by Emma Rosenblum – Out Now
Perfect for readers who: love domestic suspense dramas a la Liane Moriarty with a heavy dose of badly behaving rich people (White Lotus, Desperate Housewives). Especially for you if you’ve enjoyed books by Mary Cobb
I’ve already established that these types of domestic suspense dramas are my beach read thrillers of choice and honestly the worse behaved the characters the better. It just feels right to escape like that with my summer-time reads because I KNOW they will keep the pages moving at a breakneck speed and fully allow me to drift away from reality.
Set in a wealthy beach community, with plenty of secrets and scandals to go around behind the perfect facade, the ultimate scandal unfolds at the beginning of the book with the discovery of a dead body on the boardwalk and turns the summer upside down in this small community.
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 – Out June 13, 2023
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
One of my most anticipated new thriller books for 2023 for 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.
If a lighter historical fiction is your idea of a good beach read
Hotel Laguna by Nicola Harrison – Out June 30, 2023
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.
Did You Hear About Kitty Karr? by Crystal Smith Paul – Out Now
Perfect for readers who: devoured The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and other glamorous/juicy multi-generational family sagas that flit from the past to the present as the generational family secrets reverberate there
Get lost in this Old Hollywood-set beach book in 2023 — a book that brings that glamour and juiciness of Evelyn Hugo mixed with The Vanishing Half’s exploration of race, privilege and family.
Long held family secrets and revelations are unearthed when a silver screen icon dies and leaves her estate to 3 Black sisters and a journal of Kitty’s — that chronicles her childhood in Jim Crow South through her time as a woman in Hollywood — and find out their shocking connection to the starlet and the secrets she held close about her identity.
If Young Adult Books Are Staples In Your Beach Reads Rotation
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.
Her Good Side by Rebekah Weatherspoon – Out May 30, 2023
Perfect for readers who: fans of the fake dating trope and sweet YA romances like those from Jenny Han & Morgan Matson
Romance author Rebekkah Weatherspoon’s YA romance debut!
Two awkward teens, both striking out in the romance/dating department lately, decide to fake-date in order to get some experience and confidence for their next attempts at dating. And their scheme seems to be working in many ways but soon gets confusing as fake romance blurs into real feelings.
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 – Out now
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
Book Lovers by Emily Henry- Out now
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
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 – Out June 7
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 – Out Now!
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
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
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
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
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
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
You May Also Like: Books For Bridgerton Fans
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
What new beach read books would you add to this 2023 summer beach reading list??
Need some other summer reading ideas?
Catch up on your this year’s book to movie adaptations while on vacation
Armchair vacation to Italy with these books set in Italy!
Get lost in the setting of one of these summer camp books!
Or maybe you are looking for new YA books written by Black Authors.
Need a bingeworthy YA book series?
Best Book Club Books: Ultimate Guide
My Favorite Audiobooks I Recommend The Most
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Bev says
So many wonderful books! thanks for the list – will definitely be reading a few of them!
When I read your info and the first part of your post, I was struck by the similarity of you and my daughter. Bioth new mothers, both babies named Riley (your daughter)/ Riely (my dau’s son), and you both cooling off/summering in your backyard kid pools!
Hena Tayeb says
These all look great.. going to add some of these to my TBR.
Andrea C says
I had no idea Jennifer Weiner had a new book! I am so excited to check it out. I was so happy to come across this list! I think it’s a great idea to have books set aside as “beach reads.” My beach read recommendation is 100% “ENDLESS: A Less Than Zero Rockstar Romance” by Kaylene Winter (https://rockerromance.com). This was such an addictive fun & sexy read and I think you would really enjoy it. I love a contemporary romance novel with a “tortured/damaged” leading male with a heart of gold (lol… I can’t help it!). Ty comes from a rough childhood and is now the lead singer of a popular band. He meets Zoey, educated bookworm who comes from a totally different world from him and they have a fiery (but QUICK) romance before he goes on the road and she heads to school. She knows that she has to end things because she has to stay focused on her career in law but instead of talking to him about it she ghosts him… this is obviously super damaging for Ty and he goes on a bit of a bender (sex and access) on tour until they reconnect 8 years later. I don’t want to give away the whole plot but I am sure you can guess their reunion is a bit of a rollercoaster and there are a lot of dramatic twists and turns. This is book 1 of the series and I can’t wait to see what happens next. Happy summer reading everyone! Stay safe
booker talk says
I’m going no further than my garden either ! I don’t tend to change my reading interests according to the seasons but you’ve persuaded me that Last Train to Key West would be a good choice – I’ve twice booked a holiday in that part of Florida and had to cancel so at least if I read the book I can feel a bit closer to actually getting there
Hasini @ Bibliosini says
I love how long this list is! Such good options and an endless selection! Thanks, Jamie! 😀
Jamie says
You are welcome! I really had to narrow it down too because it was even longer lol