The Best Beach Reads for Summer 2024
A whole genre of books, named for getting sucked in while your toes are digging into the beach sand. But alas, with work and parenting and taking out the trash and all the other responsibilities that don’t let up just because the month is July, beach reads don’t always find us on the beach. So even if your summer looks more like perching up at a pool, or stealing snippets of time between making dinner and putting the baby to bed, these “beach reads” are guaranteed to hook you from page one. Because no matter where you are, we all deserve a good summertime story.
Funny Story by Emily Henry
The Queen of Rom-Coms is back just in time for summer! Daphne winds up stranded in Michigan when her fiancé leaves her for his childhood best friend, Petra. Who else can understand Daphne’s new predicament better than Petra’s own ex-fiance, Miles?
Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez
Justin and Emma are both cursed: no matter who they date, as soon as they break up, their exes immediately go on to meet their soul mate. Hoping to break the curse, they hatch a plan to date each other. What’s meant to be a summer fling turns into much more when they start catching feelings too serious for something meant to be just for the summer.
One Italian Summer by Rebecca Serle
Katy is devastated when her mother, Carol, dies suddenly, right before a planned trip of a lifetime to the Almafi Coast. Carol visited the summer right before meeting Katy’s father, and they’d always planned to return together. Crushed, Katy goes on with the trip and is stunned when Carol reappears, tanned, healthy and 30 years old. Weird right?
Such a Bad Influence by Olivia Muenter
Hazel is the daughter of a Youtube influencer, and the big sister to Evie, a mega-popular lifestyle influencer, yet she finds herself disillusioned with the whole “family business.” That doesn’t mean she doesn’t feel protective of her baby sister, who seems to have everything, including a rabid following of people who just want something from her. When Evie disappears mid-livestream, Hazel finds herself on a mission to save her internet famous sister.
As the first generation of Mommy Blogger babies reaches adulthood, this book especially piques my interest!
The Sicilian Inheritance by Jo Piazza
Everything is falling apart in Sara’s life - her business, her marriage - when her beloved Aunt Rosie suddenly passes away, leaving Sara devastated. But thanks to Aunt Rosie, Sara embarks on a journey to Sicily where she finds herself tangled in a decade’s old murder mystery. Twisty with a side of Italian scenery.
This Summer Will Be Different by Carley Fortune
If Anne of Green Gables didn’t give you the fever to visit Prince Edward Island, this beach read will! Lucy visits the island for a summer vacation when she meets Felix, and sparks immediately fly. The only problem? Felix turns out to be her best friend’s little brother, and they vow to never repeat their first meeting. Spanning years of summer vacations to the island and chemistry that cannot be extinguished.