Discover the best books about summer romance for seasonal beach reading this year. There are sweet and spicy books for both young adults and adults to devour. These love stories will make you feel whimsical in this lighthearted time of year when anything can happen, including sparks of love. Let’s get literary!
Best Books About Summer Romance for Young Adults and Adults
TOP 3 PICKS
28 Summers: an epic, decades-long “same time next year” romance set on Nantucket
Beach Read: The title says it all!
Just For the Summer: faked dating balanced perfectly right in a lake setting
This list of books about summer love is exactly that. It includes books about finding a passionate romance during the fleeting and fun season and seeing whether it can survive by fall.
It includes summer romance novels that offer escapism in beachy small towns and vacation spots, YA summer romance books about first loves that evoke a sense of nostalgia and the carefree spirit of youth, and even scandalous “same time next year” summertime romances.
For Young Adults
- Love and Gelato by Jenna Evans Welch
- The Summer of Broken Rules by K.L. Walther
- The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han
For Adults
- 28 Summers by Elin Hilderbrand
- Beach Read by Emily Henry
- The Blue Bistro by Elin Hilderbrand
- The Comeback Summer by Ali Brady
- Every Summer After by Carley Fortune
- Just For the Summer by Abby Jimenez
- Same Time Next Summer by Annabel Monaghan
- Summer Fridays by Suzanne Rindell
- Summer Romance by Annabel Monaghan
- The Summer of Songbirds by Kristy Woodson Harvey
- This Summer Will Be Different by Carley Fortune
- Well Met by Jen DeLuca
Reviews of My Favorite Summer Love Books for Beach Reading
Read these books for The Literary Lifestyle’s Summer Reading Challenge
28 Summers by Elin Hilderbrand
28 Summers has it all: a preppy Nantucket setting. It’s light but still has substance. It has well-drawn-out characters and realistic (yet clever) dialogue. Lastly, it’s compulsively readable.
It’s a summer romance novel about two people, Mallory Blessing and Jake McCloud, who decide to have a “same time next year” meeting that lasts each Labor Day weekend over the course of, you guessed it, 28 Summers. Naturally, this becomes more complicated with age, marriage, and kids.
While I can normally be critical about books that glamorize affairs, this book did it in a really smart way. It showed that all relationships are different and complex.
Finally, my favorite part was that each “year” included a rundown of all the pop culture items we were talking about at the time.
Related Posts: Elin Hilderbrand Books Ranked | Elin Hilderbrand Books in Order
Beach Read by Emily Henry
With a title like Beach Read, it’s easy to say this is one of the best beach reads for a lazy day in the sand.
It’s the story of two different writers: January, a bestselling romance writer who has stopped believing in love, and Augustus, an acclaimed literary fiction author.
As they spend three summer months at neighboring beach houses, they challenge each other to beat their writer’s block by writing something different. Augustus will write something upbeat, and January will write a great American novel.
To help each other achieve their goals, January takes Augustus on romantic field trips, and he takes her to interview surviving members of a backwoods death cult.
Meanwhile, they both also must cope with painful pasts and the fact that they are falling for each other.
After a few years, this remains one of my favorite of all of Emily Henry’s books. I especially loved all the little “research” dates January and Augustus went on.
Related Posts: Best Emily Henry Books | Emily Henry Books in Order
The Blue Bistro by Elin Hilderbrand
Going into The Blue Bistro, I only knew it occurred at a Nantucket restaurant. I was not expecting the emotional ride this book took me on!
Adrienne lands an assistant manager position during the last summer the acclaimed restaurant The Blue Bistro will be in business. In the span of three months, she starts dating her boss, Thatcher Smith, but there’s a third wheel in this relationship—Thatcher’s business partner and lifelong friend, Chef Fiona, who is hiding a very big secret.
The descriptions of the food in The Blue Bistro were nothing short of tantalizing, from the full menu of farm-fresh delights to the daily tomato specials.
The restaurant environment feels so real and alive that you can envision yourself actually working there, from the bustling bar to the melodic piano and the ocean views.
I was fully immersed in The Blue Bistro, and I know that many avid fans of Elin Hilderbrand’s books consider this book her best.
The Comeback Summer by Ali Brady
What I loved about The Comeback Summer is that it wasn’t just your average steamy romance novel. Besides exploring second-chance romance and finding real love, it also tackled everything from self-actualization in your career to sister drama.
Hannah and Libby are running their grandmother’s PR agency. It’s about to close when a self-help guru / potential client challenges them to complete a challenge to crush their comfort zones.
This means Hannah must go out on dates, and Libby must compete in a race. Things get complicated when Hannah’s first love shows up and when Libby pretends to be Hannah on a dating app.
Plus, this witty, charming, and multi-layered summer romance novel has even more drama and romance to uncover.
Every Summer After by Carley Fortune
Every Summer After has become one of the most widely beloved modern romance books because it so emotionally captures the nostalgia of first love and the hope of second chances with likable characters.
This small-town romance novel is set during six Summers in Barry’s Bay. There, teenagers Persephone and Sam fall madly in love. Then, one Thanksgiving, something happens that tears them apart—seemingly for good.
Years later, though, when Persephone returns for Sam’s mother’s funeral, she must determine how she feels about him now, after so much time has passed.
This insanely popular book balances many elements of a great book just right, from friendship to love, angst, and family drama. It totally lives up to the hype!
Related Post: Carley Fortune’s Books in Order | Every Summer After Summary
Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez
Just For the Summer proves that Abby Jimenez can continue to deliver everything her readers love.
Every woman Justin dates finds her soulmate just after breaking up with him. In a twist of fate, he meets Emma, who is similarly “cursed.” Together, they create a plan to date each other and break up, so they can go on to live happily ever after with someone else.
They connect deeper than expected over their “mommy” issues. But, the chaos left by Emma’s mom just may be too complicated to make the plan work.
This novel features my favorite couple in Abby Jimenez’s books. They are quirky, loveable, have great chemistry, and support each other through difficult life issues. There is also one spicy scene for steamy romance lovers!
It’s great for those who like a little bit of realistic drama in their escape reads.
Related Post: Just For the Summer Review
Love and Gelato by Jenna Evans Welch
Love and Gelato follows a teenage girl on a summer adventure. Pursuing her mother’s dying wish, she tries to find her father, and upon discovering her mother’s journal, she learns a life-changing secret.
It’s filled with romance, mystery, and a cute Italian suitor. This young adult novel is also a charming read for adults. However, the Netflix adaptation did not do this fun book justice, so read it and skip watching it!
Related Posts: Books Set in Italy | Books Set in Florence
Same Time Next Summer by Annabel Monaghan
Same Time Next Summer is about a woman whose seemingly perfect life is disrupted when she unexpectedly runs into her first love during a visit to her family’s Long Island beach house.
Despite being engaged to her doctor fiancé and having a career in Manhattan, her surprise encounter stirs up old feelings and memories, including why they parted ways.
She grapples with the undeniable connection and is forced to reassess her life. It’s a super satisfying seasonal read that captures the magic of first love.
The Summer of Broken Rules by K.L. Walther
The Summer of Broken Rules was inspired by Taylor Swift’s songs!
Meredith is a teen coping with the loss of her beloved sister when she visits the family’s Martha’s Vineyard island farm for a week that will culminate in her cousin’s wedding.
Prior to the wedding, the family plays a competitive game of Assassin and, in an attempt to win it all in memory of her sister, Meredith forms an alliance with a cute groomsman named Wit.
But it’s not all fun and games when their adventures around the island stir up romantic feelings.
It’s filled with all those warm and fuzzy feelings of lighthearted young summer love.
Reading Tip: If you liked The Summer of Broken Rules by K.L. Walther, you’d like the young adult summer romance books Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen, Love and Gelato by Jenna Evans Welch, and The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han.
Related Posts: Books Set on Martha’s Vineyard | Taylor Swift Book Recommendations
Summer Fridays by Suzanne Rindell
Summer Fridays takes the reader back to New York City in the early 2000s. Sawyer is an engaged aspiring writer who works in publishing. Her fiance has been spending long hours at work with his female colleague, which makes Sawyer and the colleague’s boyfriend, Nick, suspicious.
Over emails, Sawyer and Nick grow to like each other, and they begin spending their “Summer Fridays” around town. Not only do they have to figure out whether their spouses are cheating, but whether what they really want is each other.
It felt so refreshing to bookishly travel back to a time when people wrote back and forth to each other with so much meaning. And, of course, New York City was the perfect backdrop for this. The story remains light and engaging throughout, but you do need to be okay with reading about cheating.
Summer Romance by Annabel Monaghan
The title of this one says it all. Summer Romance? Yes, please!
Everything is going wrong in Ali’s life, as a single mom and divorcee whose mother had died, when her dog claims a man for her — by peeing on him.
Since summer romances are so light and non-committal, she takes a chance. As they each help each other through some “hard stuff,” though, she starts falling hard.
This book balances the light and heavy sides of life just right. The heavy stuff makes the couple feel real, and the light stuff makes the book feel romantic. It’s not spicy, and it’s super breezy to read.
The Summer of Songbirds by Kristy Woodson Harvey
The Summer of Songbirds has all those nostalgic summer camp vibes. It mixes the depth of real-life drama and conflict with the lightheartedness of a top beach read.
Three decades prior, June developed Camp Holly Springs into a summer retreat for girls, including her beloved niece, Daphne, but now its future is at stake.
Meanwhile, Daphne and her old Summer camp friends Lanier and Mary Stuart are still in touch, navigating all of life’s “hard things” together as adults.
Lanier is engaged, but she is tempted by an old flame. Daphne is keen to a business secret about Lanier’s fiance that she can’t tell. At the same time, Daphne herself reignites the spark of an old flame (Lanier’s brother), which is a relationship Lanier has not been keen on.
These conflicts, along with the demons of addiction and the hardships of single parenthood, come to a head when the women unite to save the camp.
It’s not as dark as it may seem. The characters and their friendships feel both real and mature. These are women used to coping with “hard things” together, and they do so as they work on their love lives.
The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han
The Summer I Turned Pretty begins a trilogy that 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.
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 YA romance books, you are bound to enjoy it.
Related Post: The Summer I Turned Pretty Books
This Summer Will Be Different by Carley Fortune
This Summer Will Be Different transports the reader to Prince Edward Island for a picturesque love story with countless nods to Anne of Green Gables.
Years ago, while visiting her best friend Bridget’s beach house, Lucy had an electrifying rendezvous with Bridget’s brother, Felix. The problem? Bridget specifically forbade Lucy from falling in love with him. Over the years, their chemistry remains both palpable and secret.
Now, Bridget is getting married, and she frantically calls Lucy and Felix to the beach house just days before the wedding to help her cope with her own secret. Lucy and Felix must confront their feelings again.
This book made me want to jump on a plane! Beyond the perfect setting and lovable couple, there is also a good deal of spice for the steamy romance readers out there.
Well Met by Jen DeLuca
In Well Met, a young and single Emily’s sister becomes injured in an accident, she moves to her small town for the summer to help her recover.
She ends up volunteering for the local Renaissance Faire alongside her teenage niece. There, she meets and falls for the leader, who has a complex history with the Faire.
It’s cozy and sweet, yet also unique. I loved the quirky vibes of the Faire!
Recap
From sweet young adult stories to spicy adult novels, the best books about Summer romance will heat up your season in the sun.
TOP 3 PICKS
Get started with my favorite books on this list:
- 28 Summers by Elin Hilderbrand
- Beach Read by Emily Henry
- Just For the Summer by Abby Jimenez
remember, it’s a good day to read a book. – jules
How about a book with by person of color, say Sonny Hostin or Mia Sosa?