10 Beach Reads To Get On Your Summer Book List!

Beach Read [beech read] noun. a book, usually fiction, that one might enjoy during a vacation or a day at the beach because it is engaging, entertaining, and easy to read.

In actuality, a beach read is simply the book you happen to be reading while you're trying to escape from your home or enhance your vacation.

Take an early splash into Summer with a fun new read! We’ve compiled a list of books for every reader, whether you’re looking to read about a cute Summer fling or want a thriller to keep you on your (sandy) toes. Take a mental trip to Martha’s Vineyard, Nantucket, Greece, or Summer camp when you pick up one of these books!

1. The Summer of Broken Rules by K.L. Walther

Meredith returns to Martha’s Vineyard for a big family wedding for the first time since her sister has passed away. With her family having the long-running tradition of playing assassin, she’s easily distracted from her boyfriend who recently dumped her, and has a new target: a groomsman. She won’t let herself get sidetracked in the game, or her love life, but as the week goes on, she starts to fall for him, which might end up losing her both the game and her heart.

2. The Perfect Couple by Elin Hilderbrand

This Nantucket-based thriller starts with a tragedy: everyone in the Winbury-Otis wedding party is suddenly a suspect after a body is found in Nantucket Harbor just moments before the big day. The groom's affluent parents are throwing an extravagant ceremony at their seaside mansion, and this event is sure to be a memorable occasion. The chief of police learns more about weddings than he anticipated as he speaks with the groom, the bride, the groom's well-known mystery author mother, as well as a member of his own family. P.S.: A TV adaptation starring Dakota Fanning and Nicole Kidman is slated to hit Netflix!

3. Alex, Approximately by Jenn Bennett

This YA novel is reminiscent of A Cinderella Story and makes it the perfect choice for a film lover. “Mink” and “Alex” have chatted with each other in an online film community for months, but when Bailey “Mink” Rydell moves in with Dad, who lives in the same coastal California town as her chat room crush, she’s unsure if she should reveal herself. Bailey keeps her location and new job at the local museum a secret, along with her new rival, security guard Porter Roth. However, real life is far messier than in the movies, particularly as Bailey learns how to navigate love, hatred, and these new feelings surrounding Porter. As the Summer progresses, Bailey is forced to decide whether to risk an imperfect reality with Porter or hold onto a romantic online ideal with “Alex”.

4. Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid

A spectacular celebration is thrown by 4 well-known siblings to mark the end of Summer. But in a span of 24 hours, their lives will be permanently changed. Malibu Rising is set in August of 1983 and follows the children of famous singer, Mick Riva. The 4 siblings are talented surfers: Nina, also a supermodel; brothers Hud and Jay, one a published photographer, the other a championship surfer; and their youngest sister, Kit. Nina’s not looking forward to the party after a public divorce from her pro tennis player husband, Hud has a confession to make to his brother who he’s inseparable from, Jay can’t stop thinking about a forbidden romance, and Kit has invited a guest without anyone’s approval. The Riva mansion will have caught fire before dawn, as the celebration will become totally out of control by midnight. The narrative of Malibu Rising revolves around a single, life-changing night when each member of the family must decide what to keep and discard from their loved ones who helped shape them.

5. Summertime: A Fake Dating Hollywood Romance by Willow Aster

A recent graduate, Summer, decides to spend the Summer with Hollywood's most sought-after director — also known as her father. But when he gives her a job on his set, her dream of a carefree break before starting adult life is ruined. As an errand girl, most of the time she’s a gofer, caving into any desire of Hollywood's IT guy, the flirty superstar Liam Taylor. Liam always wants what he can’t have, which is Summer, but she finds his bad boy demeanor repulsive. And then there's her dad's young, talented assistant director, Hudson Callihan. He fulfills every need she could possibly have for a guy. They embark on a secret relationship that‘s under fire when she’s forced into a fictitious relationship with Liam in an attempt to lessen his scandalous image. Who knew she’d have to make such an important choice when this was just supposed to be a Summer of fun?!

6. Rules of Summer by Joanna Philbin

This 2-book series follows 17-year-old Rory as she’s hired to be an errand girl for the affluent Rules family that owns a waterfront mansion on the beach in East Hampton. Other employees advise her not to interact with the family when she first arrives, but when she befriends the family's daughter, Isabel, she’s dragged into the country club scene and let in on secrets she’s not sure she can keep. But could Rory's friendship with Isabel be in jeopardy because of her own Summer romance? And can the idealized world of the Rules ever be the same if long-kept family secrets come to light?

7. Famous in Love by Rebecca Serle

Although this may not take place in the Summer, the Idyllic landscape of Hawaii will give you that same feeling. Famous in Love follows teenager Paige Townsen as she’s plucked out of her small town to star in a major blockbuster movie based on a best-selling book series. In only one month, Paige is spending quality time with her co-star Rainer Devon, one of People's Sexiest Men Alive, and has left the sleepy streets of her hometown for a bustling film set on the shores of Maui. Paige's wild new life, however, takes a turn for the worse when problematic actor Jordan Wilder is cast as the other member of the film's well-known love triangle. This story showcases the ins and outs of fame, as Paige has to come to terms with her identity and her desires in front of a global audience.

8. Wildfire by Hannah Grace

This spicy Summer romance follows 2 college students who reconnect as Summer camp counselors just days later. After a one-night stand, the last thing Aurora expects to see when she shows up at her beloved sleepaway camp is the guy who never even asked for her for her full name, Russ. Wanting to work over the Summer in order to get away from their difficult family circumstances, imagine the surprise when they learn they’re in the same bunk. Russ is aware that he will have to return to school before the Summer is over if he violates the camp's severe "no staff fraternizing" rule, but Aurora has never shown much concern for the guidelines. Will they be able to live together in harmony? Or did they ignite a fire they can't put out after their one night together?

9. Before We Were Innocent by Ella Berman

This book is split between 2 timelines, 10 years apart. After spending a sun-filled Summer in Greece 10 years earlier, best friends Joni and Bess were found not to have been involved in Evangeline's death, but the media didn’t agree. In the present day, Joni is a motivational speaker, while Bess tries to get as far away from humanity as possible, and it comes close to working. That is, until Joni finds herself involved in a crime that resembles the one she was originally in, and Bess has a choice to make when Joni asks for her help. Will the two of them go back and re-live that night and finally expose what really happened?

10. The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han

Want to look into the book series that inspired the beloved TV show of the same name? It’s a must-read. The 3-book series follows 16-year-old Belly, who is caught in an unexpected love triangle between her two family friends, brothers Conrad and Jeremiah. While spending the Summer together, like any other year, the two boys have served as brother figures, crushes, and everything in between. So, the more that things change over the course of one Summer — a horrible and glorious Summer — the more things work out as they should have all along.

Happy reading!