You simply must bring the best beach reads of all time on your beach vacation!
To curate this timeless list of the best beach reads from my catalog of 1,000+ books read, I focused on this criterion for good vacation reads: light, escapist, immersive, and intriguing. This great book list spans genres from contemporary romance to historical fiction, fantasy, chick lit, thrillers, young adult fiction, and more!
You’ll plan accordingly for your limited time at the seaside with these unputdownable books. Let’s “dive” in!
Best Beach Reads of All Time: Reading List Cheat Sheet
TOP PICKS
The best beach reads are Beach Read by Emily Henry, a spicy enemies to lovers romance with a lake setting; Every Summer After by Carley Fortune, a nostalgic friends to first love at the lake romance; and The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han, a clean Young Adult love triangle at a beach house that appeals to all ages.
See the full book list on Youtube:
Romance (Mostly Spicy)
- Beach Read by Emily Henry
- A Court of Thorns and Roses series by Sarah J. Maas
- Every Summer After by Carley Fortune
- Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
- The Idea of You by Robinne Lee
- It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover
- Just For the Summer by Abby Jimenez
- The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
- The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han (Young Adult; clean romance)
- The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren
Light Mystery or Thriller
- The Housemaid by Freida McFadden
- The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave
- The Perfect Couple by Elin Hilderbrand
Other Women’s Fiction
- The Hotel Nantucket by Elin Hilderbrand
- Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid
My Reviews of the Best Beach Novels For Your Vacation
Read these books in The Literary Lifestyle’s Summer Reading Challenge.
A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
A Court of Thorns and Roses is one of the hottest-selling books of the past decade, thanks to a resurgence of interest on BookTok and Bookstagram.
It begins as a loose re-telling of Beauty and the Beast in a mystical faerie land, then expands into an addictive fantasy series about love and war. It’s as good as everyone says it is!
Related Posts: ACOTAR Spicy Chapters | Best ACOTAR Quotes | ACOTAR Bookmarks
Beach Read by Emily Henry
In Beach Read, a rom-com writer and a high-brow writer spend the summer at neighboring beach houses, where they challenge each other to write a book opposite of their norm.
As they battle the demons in their pasts and struggle in their careers, they also go on cute little “research projects” (a/k/a dates) that keep the summer romance afloat.
It’s one of my and many other readers’ favorites from her immensely popular catalog.
Related Post: Emily Henry Books Ranked | Emily Henry Books
Every Summer After by Carley Fortune
Every Summer After is a small-town romance novel set during six summers. Teenagers Persephone and Sam fall madly in love. Then, something tears them apart.
Years later, when Persephone returns, she must determine how she feels about him now, after so much time has passed.
This sweet romance is beloved because it so emotionally captures the nostalgia of first love and the hope of second chances.
Related Posts: Every Summer After Summary | Carley Fortune Books
Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
In Fourth Wing (Book 1 in the Empyrean series), Violet Sorrengail’s mother orders her to seek entry into the dangerous and deadly Riders Quadrant at Basgiath War College.
Violet is petite and frail, so she’ll have to fight extra hard to survive, especially since people like the powerful Wingleader Xaden Riorson have it out for her.
Circumstances may bring them closer than they ever thought they’d be. Even if you don’t often read fantasy, you can’t miss it.
Related Posts: Fourth Wing Series | Fourth Wing Review | Fourth Wing Spicy Chapters
The Hotel Nantucket by Elin Hilderbrand
The Hotel Nantucket is one of the best books by Elin Hilderbrand, the “queen of the beach reads.” It’s about the summer when a haunted old hotel is restored to the epitome of luxury and the staff who aim to get it a coveted “5 keys” rating.
The storyline follows drama and love amongst both the staff and the guests throughout the Summer, and there are even some twists!
Reading Tip: As a bonus, there’s an amazing guide to Nantucket at the end.
Related Posts: The Hotel Nantucket Book Club Questions | Elin Hilderbrand Books in Order
The Housemaid by Freida McFadden
In The Housemaid, Millie is elated when Nina and Andrew Winchester hire her to be their live-in housemaid and caretaker to their daughter, Cecelia — even after the groundskeeper warns her of danger lurking inside.
Behind closed doors, Nina and Cecelia are difficult to deal with, but Andrew seems increasingly more attractive to Millie. Indeed, this crush becomes dangerous.
This is the kind of book that pulls you right out of a reading slump and makes you feel like you can tackle reading no matter what’s happening in your life.
Related Post: The Housemaid Book Review
The Idea of You by Robinne Lee
The Idea of You is about a single mom who falls in love with a young celebrity pop star (similar to Harry Styles) after taking her daughter to his concert.
It’s a steamy, escapist, and even emotional romance read that readers love to devour, so there’s no better place to do it than on the beach. Even as someone who doesn’t like a whole lot of “spice,” I loved it!
It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover
It Ends With Us is Colleen Hoover’s most popular book. Lily Bloom started a floral business when she met Ryle Kincaid, a stunning neurosurgeon. But Lily’s past protector, Atlas, re-emerges in her life, and the relations among all three become explosive.
While this Colleen Hoover book takes a much darker turn, it remains a highly engaging (and important) book.
Related Post: It Ends With Us Series | Colleen Hoover’s Spicy Romance Novels
Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez
In Just For the Summer, every woman Justin dates finds her soulmate just after breaking up with him. He meets Emma, who is similarly “cursed.” Together, they create a plan to date each other as a summer fling, so they can go on to live happily ever after with someone else.
They connect deeper than expected over their “mommy” issues. However, the chaos left by Emma’s mom may be too complicated to make the plan work.
This escape read features my favorite couple in Abby Jimenez’s books. They are quirky, lovable, have great chemistry, and support each other through difficult life issues.
Related Posts: Just For the Summer Book Review | Abby Jimenez Books Ranked
The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave
In The Last Thing He Told Me, a man disappears after leaving a note to his new wife: “Protect her” — his 16-year-old daughter. When his boss is arrested for fraud and FBI agents appear at her home with questions, she realizes her husband may not be who she thought he was.
She and her rebellious stepdaughter pursue the truth about his past while attempting to build a new future in this suspense-filled tale of twists and turns that will keep you guessing.
Related Post: The Last Thing He Told Me Book Club Questions
Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Malibu Rising is on fire — literally. By the end of the 24-hour day on which the Riva family’s 1983 “end of summer” bash takes place, their Malibu mansion has gone up in flames.
Famous musician Mick Riva’s four children are dealing with drama (mostly in their relationships), from the surfer-supermodel to the championship surfer, the renowned photographer, and the adored youngest child.
This sets the stage for one explosive night.
Related Posts: Taylor Jenkins Reid Books | Taylor Jenkins Reid Books Rated
The Perfect Couple by Elin Hilderbrand
The Perfect Couple is a light thriller book that feels like summer. As you try to solve whether the death was an accident or murder (and if so, whodunnit?), you also learn the secrets of all the major players. So much drama and intrigue!
The bride and groom may not be the “perfect couple” after all. You probably won’t correctly guess the ending, either!
Related Post: The Perfect Couple Reviews
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Reader favorite The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo is a light-hearted book I read on the beach myself.
It’s the beloved old Hollywood life story of the famous actress Evelyn Hugo and her seven husbands. But trust me when I say that’s only the beginning. There’s a surprising twist in the novel’s main narrative that will hook you into this gossipy guilty pleasure.
The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han
The Summer I Turned Pretty follows teenage “Belly” as she, her single mom, and her brother visit their shared beach house with her mom’s friend and her two sons, Conrad and Jeremiah.
It’s about how a young teen starts to bloom from that awkward stage to that “getting noticed” by boys stage. But, as life in the beach house takes a difficult turn, the course of Belly’s teenage life forever changes.
If you like dramatic and angsty new adult romance books, you are bound to enjoy this series, which is popular on TikTok.
Related Post: The Summer I Turned Pretty Books
The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren
The Unhoneymooners series is one of the best love stories because it will remind you of your favorite romantic comedy movies.
As Olive spends her twin sister’s wedding day with the unlikeable best man, Ethan, the remainder of the wedding party gets food poisoning. What remains is an all-expenses-paid honeymoon that the happy couple is too sick to attend.
So, Olive and Ethan begrudgingly head for paradise together. The time they spend together isn’t all bad after all! It’s one of the most fun books I’ve ever read.
Recap
BEST BEACH READS OF ALL TIME
Get started with these three beach bag essentials:
- Beach Read by Emily Henry
- Every Summer After by Carley Fortune
- The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han
remember, it’s a good day to read a book. – jules
Thank you for this wonderful list! I just ordered 3 of your recommendations. Looking forward to reading them during my vacation later this month. Glad I found your site!
I hope you love reading them on your vacation! Thank you for taking the time to let me know and share such a sweet comment too.
I started listening to Pretty Things. I definitely would say The Unhoneymooners would make a great beach read!