It\u2019s my favorite time of the year \u2014 the time where I share all my favorite beach reads recommendations focusing in on new beach reads for 2025 and the books that were the highlights of my beach reading from last summer.<\/p>\n
We\u2019ve got an exciting summer already shaping up that starts with a family trip to Germany for two weeks plus many poolside reading sessions and day trips to the Jersey Shore. <\/p>\n
I just know that, regardless of where I\u2019m at \u2013 whether it is lounging on the beach or just enjoying the sunshine from my backyard \u2013 I have a rotation of frothy summer reads to suit whatever mood I\u2019m in.<\/p>\n
Summer is my favorite season for reading since I love to be outside and I love making my summer reading lists & guides every year \u2014 definitely feels like a throwback to all the years in school when I\u2019d excitedly dive into the school summer reading list. Though I feel like my list is a bit more fun!<\/p>\n
If you\u2019ve poured over my beach reading lists before you know that, while I think ANYTHING<\/strong><\/em> can be a summer read\/beach read and it\u2019s super subjective based on what you like to read, there are certain types of books I personally gravitate to during beach reads season.<\/p>\n For me it is those light & easy reads<\/a> of all genres, romance novels<\/a>, books set in a summery destination, fast-paced thrillers that I can\u2019t put down and just anything<\/em> super juicy and unputdownable. <\/p>\n I know I\u2019m not the only one that gravitates to those type of books when they are looking for good books to read on the beach. So just know that my lists tend to revolve around those particular vibes \u2014 from the frothiest of frothy reads to books that fit the vibe but pack a little more substance and everything in between.<\/p>\n Wanna catch up on my past beach reads posts<\/em>? Check out 2023\u2019s post<\/a>, 2022\u2019s post, 2021\u2019s post<\/a>, 2020\u2019s post<\/a>, 2019\u2019s post<\/a>, 2018<\/a>, 2017\u2019s list<\/a>, 2016\u2019s list <\/a>(if you search hard enough you can find some REALLY old ones but the posts are really ugly haha)<\/p>\n Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links which means that if you click on a link and purchase something I\u2019ve talked about or recommended, I\u2019ll receive a very small percentage of the sale. Please see my disclosure policy<\/a> for more info<\/em><\/p>\n Love supporting independent bookstores but prefer to shop online?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Being a part of the book community for so long has made it really important for me to support indie bookstores as best I can. Bookshop.org<\/a><\/strong> and LibroFM<\/a> <\/strong>have made that easy for me when I can\u2019t get there in person. I love supporting my indie bookshops of choice with my LibroFM<\/strong> audiobook subscription<\/a> and when I order physical books from Bookshop.org<\/a><\/strong> to my doorstep. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n At A Glance<\/strong>: If you are looking for a just delightful rom-com that ACTUALLY understands the art of the rom-com, escape into this one \u2014 I BEG YOU!<\/p>\n A jaded host of a romance hotline gets a call from a young girl, on behalf of her mother\u2019s lackluster dating life, and when the conversation goes viral everyone\u2019s lives change as the public becomes invested in helping Lucie love.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n At A Glance<\/strong>: Carley Fortune is an author who is synonymous with summertime reading for me and I\u2019m excited that we get to return to Barry\u2019s Bay and spend some time with Charlie. <\/p>\n I\u2019d imagine you CAN read this one without having read Every Summer After but 1) that book is too good not to read it and 2) you\u2019ll understand Charlie more having read that and I think you\u2019d do yourself a disservice. <\/p>\n Anyways, looking forward to my most anticipated beach read for this summer and to see Charlie\u2019s HEA with Alice \u2013 a photographer who is taking a break from her life\/career with her grandmother at the lake \u2013 and to just be transported back to Barry\u2019s Bay in the summer.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n At A Glance<\/strong>: I can always count on Linda Holmes for a light and easy summer read that is romantic, smart and has lots of heart!<\/p>\n This one is about a podcast producer who reluctantly agrees to host a podcast centered around her dating life as she follows the advice of a relationship coach\/influencer and goes on blind dates \u2014 something she\u2019s only doing to basically save a friend\u2019s job especially since she\u2019s sworn off love after last relationship.<\/p>\n But just as she\u2019s ready to embark on this journey of 20 blind dates for public consumption, she has a chance encounter with a man that she can\u2019t stop thinking about.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n At A Glance<\/strong>: If in beach reading seasons past your beach bag was filled with Emily Henry\u2019s latest release or The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, I think Emily Henry\u2019s latest should be on your list again.<\/p>\n This one is classic Emily Henry but it has an added Evelyn Hugo-esque layer that unravels parallel which brings the two romance leads into each other\u2019s orbits. I was satisfied with this blend even though it wasn\u2019t fully<\/em> a romance nor fully a more literary, Evelyn Hugo-esque drama.<\/p>\n The basics of it: Two writers end up in competition with one another for the chance to tell the story of a reclusive heiress, who hasn\u2019t been seen in years, but was at one time on the front page of every newspaper and tabloid thanks to her famous, scandal-filled family and her own love story.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n At A Glance<\/strong>: Annabel Monaghan has become another go-to favorite to read in the summer in the past couple years! Seriously, go check out This Time Next Summer and Summer Romance which bring the vibes for sure.<\/p>\n A former child actress, trying to expand her career and shed the awkward teen sitcom role she\u2019s known for, has been faking-it-until-she-makes-it and flies a little to close to the sun with her mantra when she tells a lie to get her project greenlit. <\/p>\n Now, working with a difficult cinematographer that doesn\u2019t always see her vision, she must get a famous pop star (who was her first kiss!) to agree to write the original song for her project that she lied about having on board already \u2014 even though they haven\u2019t spoken in decades. <\/p>\n To try and make her lie a reality, she\u2019ll have to spend a week with her frustrating co-worker in his hometown to gain access to his \u201cin\u201d for the pop star\u2019s festival performance.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n At A Glance<\/strong>: This is the ultimate type of vacation read for me when I\u2019m craving romance \u2014 a bantery rom-com with a sun-drenched setting that is delightful and beyond bingeable. <\/p>\n Felix and Hope both find themselves reluctantly on a luxury cruise and a meet cute leads to a vacation fling to make the trip more bearable for both of them. But as real feelings beyond the trip start to arise, drama arises and the two finds themselves stranded on land and forced to work together to get back home.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n At A Glance<\/strong>: I have a feeling this is going to be THE beach read romance of the year!<\/p>\n It\u2019s about childhood best friends who get creative to keep in touch, after their friendship becomes long-distance, and plan to be each other\u2019s platonic wedding date every summer. But this summer\u2019s wedding is different as the friendship is ruined \u2013 after a line is crossed during one wedding season \u2013 and they\u2019ll have to fake their friendship for her sister\u2019s wedding at their shared family summer house. <\/p>\n It\u2019s told in the present and past as it takes readers through the wedding seasons they spent together \u2013 including the one that broke everything \u2013 leading up to the summer that could be the last one spent together.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n At A Glance<\/strong>: If you enjoy settling in with a good family drama on the beach, check out this story of siblings who had an unconventional upbringing as a family of surfers and have been reunited after their father passes away where they must reckon with their childhood and a long-buried secret. <\/p>\n I also recommend this author\u2019s book Summer Hours<\/strong> which I was recommending a lot a few years ago for people looking for a good beach read!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n At A Glance<\/strong>: Sarah MacLean is one of my all-time favorite authors of historical romances and I\u2019m so excited for this departure into a contemporary story that leans into a family story with romance and a idyllic summertime setting. I\u2019ve read many a Sarah MacLean on the beach but I have a feeling this is going to be the ultimate beach read for 2025.<\/p>\n An estranged daughter heads to her family\u2019s private island after the shocking death of her father with intentions of paying her respects and leaving \u2014 only to find out that her father\u2019s will has forced her dysfunctional family into a week-long game of tasks to follow in order to receive their inheritances.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n At A Glance<\/strong>: I read this one during a cold, dreary weekend but it totally transported me to Capri and is exactly the type of book I\u2019d pack for the beach or vacation when I want something that isn\u2019t TOO light and frothy but that will still be absorbing and bring the drama, the atmosphere and the intrigue to keep those pages turning.<\/p>\n A wealthy woman\u2019s death below the cliffs of Capri, ruled accidental despite the suspicion on the family, brings the family together to Capri every year on the anniversary of her death. <\/p>\n When the family comes together for the 30th anniversary of that tragedy, they are shocked at a surprise that awaits them that will turn this family reunion upside down and unearth long-kept secrets.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n At A Glance<\/strong>: I was hooked from the beginning of this one with the hostage situation unfolding, entangled in the mystery and unanswered questions of it all which fueled the middle and the ending brought breakneck action had me in a chokehold and stressing in the end.<\/p>\n It\u2019s my favorite kind of suspense\/thriller to read on the beach \u2014 well-paced and kept me moving even when we weren\u2019t in the throes of the thrilling parts because of the lingering mystery and well-placed twists\/revelations. Not an earth-shattering read but a perfect one to escape with when you want that type of read.<\/p>\n I don\u2019t want to say too much but a woman\u2019s life changes when a hostage situation unfolds in the city and her husband turns out to be the suspected gun man but only she knows about the cryptic note that he had left for her that morning.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n At A Glance<\/strong>: This one will be a read that you fly through poolside and will be shocked at just how fast you devoured it. Smart, thrilling and darkly comedic!<\/p>\n An overqualified SAT tutor who hasn\u2019t lived up to her potential finds herself on the run and wanted for murder when she shows up at a client\u2019s house to a scene of dead bodies and a woman being held captive in the house. <\/p>\n She makes a split second decision to help the woman which catapults the two women together on a road trip to evade the police and survive until she can prove her innocence and find out what happened in that house before she showed up.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n At A Glance<\/strong>: When I first saw this cover and read the synopsis I was like \u201cgod, this is giving me vibes of Katherine St. John\u2019s books.\u201d <\/p>\n Her books have been some of my favorites to read AND recommend for beach reading season and after a little digging I found that indeed Katherine Wood IS<\/em> indeed Katherine St. John (and she did have a new book out last summer that I missed as KW!).<\/p>\n This one is another juicy suspense novel with a setting to match about a woman who is forced to help her ex find out who is trying to extort him \u2013 who is probably amongst them at his estate \u2013 or he will release some skeleton\u2019s in her closet that could be very damaging for her.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n At A Glance<\/strong>: Last summer I was devouring Jo Piazza\u2019s The Sicilian Inheritance and this summer I\u2019m excited to be captivated by this juicy murder mystery\/thriller about the dark world of social media and tradwives. <\/p>\n Struggling magazine writer and mom Lizzie is surprised when her estranged best friend \u2013 who disappeared after graduation and later emerged as a popular influencer with a different name \u2014 calls her up with a life-changing business proposition for an exclusive interview and a chance to see her keynote a high profile influencer conference. <\/p>\n But things turn deadly, before she can even really reconnect and find out why she reached out, when Bex and her children are missing and her husband is found murdered at their ranch.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n At A Glance<\/strong>: I will absolutely be throwing this book in my bag since Sarah Morgan\u2019s The Book Club Hotel was a perfect winter read<\/a> and I believe in her ability to transport me to an idyllic English lakeside resort in summertime based on that experience!<\/p>\n This one is about a famous actress who flees her life, in light of a scandal and things unraveling for her, and seeks sanctuary at the lakeside resort owned by her estranged best friend that she ghosted years ago. <\/p>\n Female friendship, forgiveness, fresh starts and more \u2014 sounds perfect to me especially with the setting!<\/p>\n CURRENTLY ON KINDLE UNLIMITED<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n At A Glance<\/strong>: Kristy Woodson Harvey has been a staple for me the past few years during beach reading season ever since I read Feels Like Falling and then made my way through The Summer of Songbirds (summer camp setting<\/a>!) and last year\u2019s A Happier Life (Stars Hollow vibes<\/a> but beachy!!). This one is highly anticipated for me!<\/p>\n A husband\u2019s alleged white collar crime flips a woman and her teen daughter\u2019s lives upside down. Soon they find themselves being taken in by a community of moms \u2013 a group highly gossiped about in their small coastal town \u2014 and try to get back on their feet as the gossip mill churns and she tries to prove her husband\u2019s innocence. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nIf you want a romance or rom-com for your beach bag, try:<\/h2>\n
![\"Book](\"https:\/\/www.perpetualpageturner.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/first-time-caller.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\nFirst-Time Caller by B.K. Borison
Out Now<\/h3>\n
\ud83d\udc91 rom-com<\/strong>
\ud83d\udca1 inspired by Sleepless in Seattle (one of my faves of all time!!)<\/strong>
\ud83d\udc95 he\u2019s jaded x she\u2019s a hopeless romantic
<\/strong>\ud83d\udcde romance hotline radio show setting<\/strong>
\ud83e\udd1d viral meetcute<\/strong><\/p>\n![\"Book](\"https:\/\/www.perpetualpageturner.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/one-golden-summer.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\nOne Golden Summer by Carley Fortune
Out Now<\/h3>\n
\ud83d\udc91\ud83d\ude02 <\/strong> romance with humor and good banter<\/strong>
\ud83d\udccd very vivid<\/strong> lake setting during the summertime<\/strong>
\ud83d\ude0a summertime nostalgia<\/strong>
\ud83d\udc6b friends-to-lovers & forced proximity<\/strong>
\u270d\ufe0f bucket list-esque element
<\/strong><\/p>\n![\"Book](\"https:\/\/www.perpetualpageturner.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/back-after-this.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\nBack After This by Linda Holmes
Out Now<\/h3>\n
\ud83d\udc91 romance\/romantic comedy<\/strong>
\ud83c\udf99\ufe0fset in the world of podcasting<\/strong>
\ud83e\udd1d meet cute
<\/strong>\ud83d\udc95 dating in the modern age<\/strong><\/p>\n![\"Book](\"https:\/\/www.perpetualpageturner.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/great-big-beautiful-life.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\nGreat Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry
Out Now<\/h3>\n
\ud83d\udc91 the essence of a Emily Henry romance but more<\/strong>
\ud83c\udf0a coastal setting<\/strong>
\ud83d\udcb0 famous\/wealthy family drama with tons of secrets
<\/strong>\u270d\ufe0f romance between writers vying for the same job<\/strong>
\u2600\ufe0f sunshine\/grump vibes<\/strong><\/p>\n![\"Book](\"https:\/\/www.perpetualpageturner.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/its-a-love-story-scaled.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\nIt\u2019s A Love Story by Annabel Monaghan
Out May 27th, 2025<\/h3>\n
\ud83d\udcbc \ud83d\udc91 workplace enemies to lovers<\/strong> romance <\/strong>
\ud83c\udfa5 film industry<\/strong>
\ud83c\udfd6\ufe0f summer in Long Island<\/strong>
\ud83d\udc6a delightful family element<\/strong><\/p>\n![\"book](\"https:\/\/www.perpetualpageturner.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/total-dreamboat.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\nTotal Dreamboat by Katelyn Doyle
Out June 24, 2025<\/h3>\n
\ud83d\udc91 rom-com<\/strong>
\ud83d\udea2 set on a Caribbean cruise<\/strong>
\ud83e\udd1d meet cute<\/strong>
\ud83d\ude05 forced proximity
<\/strong><\/p>\n![\"Book](\"https:\/\/www.perpetualpageturner.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/friends-to-lovers.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\nFriends to Lovers by Sally Blakely
Out July 22, 2025<\/h3>\n
\ud83d\udc91 rom-com<\/strong>
\ud83d\udc6b childhood friends to lovers<\/strong>
\u2600\ufe0f summertime Oregon coast setting<\/strong>
\ud83d\udc70 wedding season<\/strong>
\ud83e\udd29 for fans of Christina Lauren, Emily Henry and Annabel Monaghan<\/strong>
\ud83d\udd8a\ufe0f dual narrative of past wedding seasons & present day
<\/strong><\/p>\nIf you want a family drama for your beach bag, try:<\/h2>\n
![\"Book](\"https:\/\/www.perpetualpageturner.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/the-califronia-dreamers-scaled.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\nThe California Dreamers by Amy Mason Doan
Out Now<\/h3>\n
\ud83d\udc6a dysfunctional<\/strong> family drama\/secrets<\/strong>
\ud83c\udf0a California beachy setting<\/strong>
\u23f1\ufe0f 1980s + present day storylines<\/strong>
\ud83d\ude99 character-driven<\/strong> <\/p>\n![\"Book](\"https:\/\/www.perpetualpageturner.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/these-summer-storms.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\nThese Summer Storms by Sarah Maclean
Out July 8, 2025<\/h3>\n
\ud83d\udc69\u200d\ud83d\udc69\u200d\ud83d\udc67\u200d\ud83d\udc66 contemporar<\/strong>y family drama with some whiffs of a Succession-esque vibe meets The Inheritance Game<\/strong>
\ud83c\udfd6\ufe0f private island off Rhode Island in the summertime<\/strong>
\ud83d\udc91 romance sub-plot<\/strong> (contains some steam)<\/strong>
\ud83e\udd10 juicy family secrets<\/strong>
\ud83d\udcb0 1% type family full of dysfunction
<\/strong><\/p>\nIf you want a page-turning thriller or mystery, try:<\/h2>\n
![\"Book](\"https:\/\/www.perpetualpageturner.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/saltwater.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\nSalt Water by Katy Hays
Out Now<\/h3>\n
\ud83d\udd0d slow burn murder mystery meets twisty family drama<\/strong>
\ud83e\udd10 long-buried family secrets<\/strong>
\ud83c\uddee\ud83c\uddf9 atmospheric Italian setting<\/a><\/strong>
\ud83d\udcb0 wealthy family
<\/strong><\/p>\n![\"Book](\"https:\/\/www.perpetualpageturner.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/famous-last-words.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\nFamous Last Words by Gillian McAllister
Out Now<\/h3>\n
\ud83d\udd0d suspense<\/strong> & mystery with plenty of domestic drama<\/strong>
\ud83e\udea2 twisty<\/strong>
\ud83d\udc95 a \u201chow well do you truly know the ones you love?<\/em>\u201d vibe
<\/strong><\/p>\n![\"Book](\"https:\/\/www.perpetualpageturner.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/killer-potential.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\nKiller Potential by Hannah Deitch
Out Now<\/h3>\n
\ud83d\udd2a thriller on the more literary side but still compulsively readable<\/strong>
\u2620\ufe0f\ud83d\ude06 dark comedy<\/strong>
\ud83d\ude97 outlaws on the run (very Thelma and Louise)<\/strong> for murder<\/strong>
\ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\ud83c\udf08 queer<\/strong>
\ud83d\udcac social commentary
<\/strong><\/p>\n![\"Book](\"https:\/\/www.perpetualpageturner.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/sunburned.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\nSunburned by Katherine Wood
Out July 1, 2025<\/h3>\n
\ud83d\ude2c juicy suspense<\/strong> thriller<\/strong>
\ud83d\udd12 locked room with plenty of suspects<\/strong>
\ud83c\udfd6\ufe0f splashy St. Barth\u2019s & yacht setting<\/strong>
\ud83e\udd10 lots of long-buried secrets & betrayals<\/strong>
\ud83d\udcd6 page-turner that starts out a bit slow burner but then heats things up
<\/strong><\/p>\n![\"Book](\"https:\/\/www.perpetualpageturner.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/everyone-is-lying-to-you.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\nEveryone Is Lying To You by Jo Piazza
Out July 15, 2025<\/h3>\n
\ud83d\udcd6 can\u2019t-put-down thriller<\/strong>
\ud83d\udcf1 dark side of social media influencing<\/strong>
\ud83d\udc69 the world of tradwives<\/strong>
\ud83d\udd2a murder & dark secrets
<\/strong><\/p>\nIf you want a contemporary or general fiction read, try:<\/h2>\n
![\"Book](\"https:\/\/www.perpetualpageturner.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Other-peoples-summers-scaled.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\nOther People\u2019s Summers by Sarah Morgan
Out Now<\/h3>\n
\u270d\ufe0f contemporary fiction\/\u201dwomen\u2019s fiction\u201d<\/strong>
\u2600\ufe0f lakeside summer setting <\/strong>
\ud83d\udc6d story of female friendship
<\/strong>\ud83e\udec2 themes of forgiveness & healing<\/strong>
\ud83d\udd0d self-discovery & fresh starts<\/strong><\/p>\n![\"book](\"https:\/\/www.perpetualpageturner.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/beach-house-rules.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\nBeach House Rules by Kristy Woodson Harvey
Out May 27th, 2025<\/h3>\n
\ud83d\udc6d friendship & community\/found family<\/strong>
\ud83c\udfd6\ufe0f beachy setting (coastal NC)<\/strong>
\ud83d\udd75\ufe0f a dash of mystery<\/strong>
\ud83e\udd29 for fans of Elin Hilderbrand<\/strong><\/p>\n
![\"Book](\"https:\/\/www.perpetualpageturner.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/salty.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n