Top Summer Beach Reads to Dive Into This Season: Over 65 Book Recommendations!
- Erika Doty
- Jun 13, 2025
- 3 min read
Summertime is here. And even if you don't have plans to visit a beach this summer, sometimes we crave a good "beach read" - something fluffy, easy, and just GOOD to help us relax and escape...and maybe pretend we're sitting on a warm beach and that cabana boy is heading this way with that ice-cold cocktail...
...ahem...
As I was saying... Babble has curated a list of top "beachy" reads that will help you escape the kids, the headlines, and the heat this summer.
(These are listed in no particular order.)
Authors You Can't Go Wrong With
No matter what book you select by one of these authors, you're bound to find a well-written and fun story.
Beach Read 
People We Meet on Vacation 
Great Big Beautiful Life
The Five-Star Weekend 
The Hotel Nantucket
The UnHoneymooners 
The Paradise Problem 
The Soulmate Equation 
Love & Other Words
Note: I literally read Love And Other Words on a beach in the Bahamas. It was perfect.
Out of the Clear Blue Sky 
Look on the Bright Side 
Pack Up the Moon
Out of the Clear Blue Sky is hilarious! Almost all of her books include a dog in some way, which I love. I included my favorite Higgins book here: Pack Up The Moon. This is an absolutely beautiful love story, but it is tragically sad. So if you're looking for just lovey, dovey fluff, this isn't for you. But if you're looking for a book that will have you laugh out loud, ugly cry AND believe in love again - this is a great book!
Every Summer After 
This Summer Will Be Different 
Meet Me at the Lake
The Love Haters 
The Bodyguard 
How to Walk Away
Carrie Soto is Back 
Malibu Rising 
Daisy Jones & The Six 
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo 
One True Loves 
Atmosphere
The Long Game 
The Spanish Love Deception 
The American Roommate Experiment
Feel Good Reads
The Guncle 
The Idea of You 
Seven Days in June 
The Wedding People 
Nora Goes Off Script 
Role Playing
Birding With Benefits 
Maybe Once, Maybe Twice 
The Love Hypothesis 
Pineapple Street 
Summer Fridays 
Georgie, All Along
Romantic Comedy 
One Day in December 
Next Year in Havana 
Mary Jane 
Tom Lake 
The Patron Saint of Second Chances
The House in the Cerelean Sea 
Remarkable Bright Creatures 
Lessons in Chemistry
Non-Fiction
Yes! Even non-fiction can help you escape.
I'll Have What She's Having 
Life Will Be the Death of Me 
Are You There Vodka? It's Me Chelsea 
Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang
Looking for a good laugh? You seriously can't go wrong with any Chelsea's books.
If you're a foodie, or Italian, or BOTH! (like me), you'll love Taste by Stanley Tucci. So many of these stories and dishes (the book includes recipes!) reminded me of my crazy Italian family...and made me miss our big, fun dinners together.
Wild by Cheryl Strayed gets a lot of attention (I mean, Reese Witherspoon starred in the movie!). But I actually liked this one better. Similar story, but loved the way this was written and her adventures.
Young Adult
The Cheat Sheet 
You Have a Match
These come highly recommended by my 16-year-old daughter.
My Two Cents
When it comes to summer beach reads, a lot of people recommend Abby Jimenez books. I read Just For The Summer (part of a series), and though it had that beachy, love story vibe, it also included some pretty heavy subject matter that I just wasn't in the mood for. Good book. Talented author. But I'd take any recommendations of her books with a little caution if you're truly looking for fluff to "vacation" into.
Same goes with Jennifer Weiner. I've read Big Summer and That Summer. Good author. Good stories. But both books had some heavy subject matter that punched me between the eyes (for example, That Summer focuses on a rape that happened at a summer beach party). So, yeah. Just proceed with caution.
Murder/Mystery/Who Done It
Let's face it. We don't always want the fluffy love stuff. There is something about reading a good mystery when the sun is shining and the birds are singing. Maybe it's balance? Either way, here's what we recommend:
The Paris Apartment 
The Hunting Party 
The Midnight Feast 
The Guest List
The Last Mrs. Parrish 
Stranger in the Mirror
First Lie Wins 
The Club 
The Silent Patient
The Couple Next Door 
Sometimes I Lie 
The Unwedding 
Never Lie
Happy reading!
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