reading challenge

This post contains affiliate links

Grab a crisp cold glass of Sauvy B, curl up in your lounge chair or on the beach and get ready to get lost in 12 of the best summer beach reads. These books will instantly transport you to breezy beaches, idyllic islands, and are filled with family drama, sizzling romances, thrilling suspense or inspiring stories of finding yourself.

12 Summer Beach Reads To Get Lost In

Hotter in the Hamptons by Tinx – At first I chose this book just for the title and the cover. Lola is a NYC “It girl”, living the life of fashion and an influencer. After experiencing a public downfall of her career, she flees to the Hampton’s to escape it all. However, she finds her neighbor there is non other than her rival who is responsible for her career flop and slowly finds herself captivated.

One Golden Summer by Carley Fortune – From the author who wrote “Every Summer After” and “This Summer Will Be Different”. This is a sizzling romance that takes place on a beautiful lake.

Beach House Rules by Kristy Woodson Harvey – The reviews say if you are a fan of Elin Hildebrand or Jennifer Weiner, then you will love this story of friendship and family.  Charlotte’s husband is arrested by the FBI and she finds herself locked out of her house with her daughter. They go to stay at a friend’s Bed and Breakfast in a gossipy community of mostly single mothers in North Carolina.

Salty by Kate Meyers coming out June 25, 2025 – Get ready to be transported to the Caribbean seas on a private yacht. Helen and Denise are two clashing sisters who haven’t seen each other in two years. After having a fall out with her job, Helen decides to board Denise’s ship and go out together on a charter for a sketchy real estate development family who destroyed their family home.

Sunny side up by Katie Sturino (to be released June 24, 2025) – Sunny Greene is thirty-five, recently divorced, facing the looming prospect of going solo to her little brother’s wedding, and currently trying to find anything plus-sized in the Bergdorf Goodman swimsuit department that doesn’t make her want to cry. She decides it’s now or never. Sunny has her PR empire, her gorgeous Chelsea apartment, her two dogs, and her loyal best friends. Maybe it’s time to just love her body and accept herself for who she is. With a new commitment to confidence, her journey begins. Who says a plus-sized divorcee can’t put herself first, feel beautiful, and date up a storm?

The Last Ferry Out by Andrea Bartz – This one is a Reese’s Book Club pick. Abbey goes on a trip to the tropical island that was the scene of where her ex fiance mysteriously died. There she meets some other travelers and begins to realize that maybe his death wasn’t an accident at all.

These Summer Storms by Sarah Maclean (to be released July 8, 2025) – I just pre-ordered this one, I can’t wait! This family drama takes place in an idyllic island off of Rhode Island. Alice has been estrange from her family for a few years, but after her father dies, she heads back to the family home to pay her respects. However, her father, being as manipulative as he was, has stated in his will that each of his children must spend a week at the family estate and complete their assigned tasks to receive their inheritance.

Salt Water by Katy Hays -a twisty, seductive thriller that takes place in Capri, Italy. In 1992, Sarah Lingate is found dead below the cliffs of Capri, Italy, leaving behind her three-year-old daughter, Helen. Despite suspicions that the old-money Lingates are involved, Sarah’s death is ruled an accident. And every year, the family returns to prove it’s true. But on the thirtieth anniversary of her death, the Lingates arrive at the villa to find a surprise waiting for them—the necklace Sarah was wearing the night she died. Haunted by the specter of that night, the paranoid, insular Lingate family begins to crack, and Helen seizes the opportunity with the help of Lorna Moreno, the family assistant. But then Lorna disappears, and the investigation into Sarah’s death is reopened. Everyone who was on Capri thirty years ago remains a suspect—Helen’s controlling father, Richard; her rarely lucid aunt, Naomi; her distant uncle, Marcus; and their circle of friends, visitors, and staff. Even Lorna, her closest ally, may not be who she seems. As long-hidden secrets about that night boil to surface, one thing becomes clear: Not everyone will leave the island alive.

Atmosphere: A love story by Taylor Jenkins Reid (coming out June 3rd, 2025) –  This is the latest from Taylor Jenkins Reid, the author of “The 7 Husbands of Evelyn Hugo”. Joan is a physics and astronomy professor who has been obsessed with space all her life. She is chosen from a pool of applicants to be one of the first women to go to space on a mission. She begins training at the space center where she meets the pilot and the other members of the mission. As the mission is set to take place, it all changes in an instant. I can’t wait to read this one.

The Book Club for Troublesome Women by Marie Bostwick – if you love historical fiction this one is filled with female friendship. Housewives in a suburban neighborhood in Virginia start a book club but soon they become so much more as they start to share secrets, tears, laughs and triumphs.

Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry – this one has a coastal setting, a love story, and a wealthy family full of secrets. The latest from Emily Henry and it’s also a Reese’s book club pick.

Parent’s Weekend by Alex Finlay – This would be my pick to close out summer. Five families get together for dinner on Parent’s Weekend before they send their kids off for their first year of college. As the parents dine, their children never show up to dinner. At first they think it’s college kids living their college lives but as hours tick by they realize there may something more sinister.

Happy Reading!!!

Catch up on some of my other favorite summer reads from summers past here.

Sign up below for more of my favorite book suggestions and never miss a post