The Perfect Beach Reads
Top Summer Picks
Every Summer After by Carley Fortune
After Persephone Fraser made the biggest mistake of her life a decade ago, she feels like she can never go home, but when she receives an urgent call that sends her racing back to Barry’s Bay, she has no choice but to encounter Sam Florek, the man she never thought she had to live without. For six summers, she’s spent her time working in Sam’s family restaurant, and the two were inseparable before everything fell apart. Now Persephone is back and forced to confront the decisions she made. Six summers to fall in love. One moment to fall apart. A weekend to get it right.
The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren
Olive has always been unlucky in every aspect of her life. Her identical twin, Ami, was the complete opposite, though. At least until Ami’s entire wedding party gets food poisoning from a bad batch of shellfish, leaving only two lucky people unaffected, Olive and her sworn enemy Ethan, the best man. Now there’s a free honeymoon to Hawaii up for grabs, and Olive and Ethan take it. The two are determined to avoid each other at all costs as they head to paradise, but when Olive runs into her future boss, a little white lie she tells him suddenly becomes much bigger. Now Olive and Ethan have to pretend to be newlyweds, and she almost feels…lucky.
The Villa by Rachel Hawkins
Emily and Chess were inseparable as kids, but as they grew older, they drifted apart. So when Chess suggests a girl’s trip to Italy, Emily jumps at the opportunity. As the two stay in the Villa Aesta’s in Orvieto, Emily digs into the dark and complicated history, discovering the murder of 1974. She begins to think that Pierce Sheldon’s murder wasn’t just a tale of sex, drugs, and rock and roll gone wrong, but something more sinister was at play. As secrets come to light and tensions grow between the two best friends, it looks like the Villa will claim another victim before the summer ends.
The Layover by Lacie Waldon
Ava Greene has one trip left before she hangs up her wings as a flight attendant and settles down in life. And she plans to enjoy every second of it until she finds out Jack Stone, the former pilot who played a vital role in the most humiliating night of her life, is on her flight. Luckily she never has to see him again after they land. But when their plane encounters mechanical issues and a quick stop in Belize turns into a weekend layover, Ava is stranded in a luxury resort with him. Yet the more time she spends with the former pilot, the more she begins to second-guess everything she thought she knew about him and everything she thought she wanted in life.
Young Adult Trending
Those Summer Nights by Laura Silverman
After shattering her ankle during a bad soccer play, Hannah’s dreams of joining an Olympic team were shattered. A year later, Hannah has a new job at the local entertainment complex. Now, she has to navigate life with her shattered dreams, an ex-best friend, a flirty co-worker, and her brother’s best friend while competing in the annual Bonanza tournament with her co-workers.
Five Survive by Holly Jackson
When Red and her five friends are in an RV on their way to the beach, their RV suddenly breaks down, leaving them stranded in the middle of nowhere. And as the tires are shot out, one by one, the six friends realize that someone in the RV has a secret that a sniper is willing to kill for. Tensions grow as the friend group tries to figure out who the intended target is and get help, but in the end–only five survive.
Love and Gelato by Jenna Evans Welch
When Lina’s mother’s dying wish is for Lina to know her father, she is forced to pack up and spend her summer in Tuscany. But when Lina is given a journal that her mother kept when she lived in Italy, Lina uncovers the magical world of secret romances, art, and hidden bakeries. As she follows in her mother’s footsteps, along with the ever-so-charming Ren, they discover a secret that will change everything she knows about her mother, father, and even herself.
The Summer of Broken Rules K.L Walther
Meredith Fox has been going to Martha’s Vineyard every summer for as long as she can remember, but this summer is the first one back since her sister’s death. On top of that, her entire extended family will be gathering at the Vineyard for her cousin’s wedding. Unfortunately, Meredith’s long-time boyfriend just broke up with her, leaving her dateless. But her family’s annual game of assassin is the perfect chance to honor her sister’s legacy. When she forms an alliance with the cute groomsmen, she risks losing the game and her heart.
Kids Summer Picks
The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
Weird things keep happening to Percy Jackson. He could have sworn his pre-algebra teacher turned into a monster and tried to kill him, his best friend was keeping secrets from him, and he saw his Latin teacher wielding a bow. When his mom finds out, she ships him off to a summer camp, Camp Half-Blood, for demigods, where he learns that he’s not only a child of a God but the son of Poseidon. When Percy is accused of stealing Zeus’s lightning bolt, he sets out on a quest, with the help of a satyr and a daughter of Athena, to find the bolt and stop a catastrophic war from breaking out among the Gods.
The Tail of Emily Windsnap by Liz Kessler
Despite Emily Windsnap living on a boat for 12 years, her mother has always been anxious to keep her away from the water. But when her mother finally caves and allows her to take swimming lessons, Emily makes a startling discovery about herself, she was a mermaid. As Emily searches for answers that come in the form of a mysterious father, mermaids that study shipwrecks at school, and Neptune, who rules with an iron trident, she discovers why her parents were so desperate to keep her away from her true nature.
A Dolphin Wish by Natalie Grant
On a three-night stop in San Diego, the nice weather is precisely what Mia, Maddie, and their little sister, Lulu need from their crazy life, but when they overhear animal handlers at Watery World talking about how the animals keep escaping their habitat, the girls can’t resist the challenge. They embark on another journey with the help of their nanny, Miss Twist, as they explore the educational amusement park to search for clues on how or who is helping the animals escape. While solving the mystery of the escaping animals, the three sisters learn important lessons on friendship, truth, and much more.
Keeper of the Lost Cities by Shannon Messenger
Twelve-year-old Sophie Foster has a secret. For as long as she could remember, she could read minds. A strange power that she desperately keeps hidden, but her whole world is flipped upside down the day she meets Fitz, a mysterious boy who can read minds too. Suddenly he whisks her away to a foreign world that she is now forced to call home, but not everyone wants Sophie there. Some secrets are buried deep within Sophie’s memories, secrets about who she really is and why she was hidden among humans, secrets that some would even kill for.
Written by Carlie Renee
