Sizzling Romance, Eerie Mystery, Twisty Thrills: The 13 Best Beach Reads to Devour This Summer!
Brimming with effervescent charm, fast-paced mystery and more, this buzzy list has something for everyone!
Longer days, warmer weather, weekends spent by the pool, lake or ocean (or relaxing in the A/C!)…there are endless reasons to love the summer season. Our favorite way to spend a sunny day? Sinking into a really good book. But searching for the perfect summer book or “beach read” might look a little different depending on the reader. For some, a beach read is a breezy, lighthearted story or an on-theme romance that transports them to a small coastal town. For others, an ideal beach read is one packed with page-turning suspense and mystery. To help you find the perfect one for you, we gathered up a variety of the best beach reads (so far!) of 2025. From rich dual-timeline historical fiction to thought-provoking novels, heart-fluttering romance and more, there is truly something for everyone.
Continue scrolling for 13 of our favorite beach reads just in time for summer vacation! We guarantee that no matter which genre you decide on, these stories will transport you. Want to escape to St. Tropez and London and choose between two charming suitors? Pick up Emily Everett’s All That Life Can Afford. More in the mood to take off on a heartwarming road trip? Try The Road to Tender Hearts by Annie Harnett.
Keep reading for the rest of our summer of 2025 best beach read recommendations!
‘Far and Away’ by Amy Poeppel
This novel about friendship, family and travel is perfect for fans of Nancy Meyers’ The Holiday. Lucy is a Dallas, Texas-based mother whose son ruined her hometown for her, thanks to a senior-year prank gone wrong. Greta is based in Berlin, Germany, but her husband, Otto, recently announced they were moving to Texas for his job. After being connected by a mutual friend, the two women swap houses, and that’s when the chaos kicks off. As Greta tries to adapt to Lucy’s high-tech suburban home and Lucy struggles to settle her 3 kids in a foreign new city, hilarity ensues. A wonderful story of second chances and starting over.
What readers are saying: “I loved this book so much. It was heartwarming, hilarious and filled with characters I couldn’t help but root for.”
‘Summer in the City’ by Alex Aster
From bestselling author Alex Aster comes a swoon-worthy summer love story set in New York City. Elle is a screenwriter currently suffering from writer’s block. In an attempt to get over it she returns to New York City and ends up living right next door to her former lover, Parker Warren, who just happens to be a billionaire. Soon, the two begin to fake date, going on adventures all over the city so Parker can look good during his company’s acquisition. But what happens when their ‘fake’ attraction to one another becomes real? This novel is perfect for fans of enemies-to-lovers and opposites-attract.
What readers are saying: “Summer in the City is a witty, funny and fun summer adventure. Full of the catchiest one-liners and references to pop culture and just a fun time. It will make you want to run to New York City this summer and fall in love with some handsome billionaire.
‘Our Last Vineyard Summer’ by Brooke Lea Foster
This dual-timeline novel, set in 1965 and 1978, is a must-read for fans of historical mysteries. Following the death of her father, Betsy receives a call from her mother saying she needs her and her sisters to return to their home on Martha’s Vineyard right away so they can sell it. Upon her arrival, Betsy learns that she not only has to deal with her strained family relations but also with her former lover.
What readers are saying: “Brooke Lea Foster’s Our Last Vineyard Summer is a quiet powerhouse of a novel—deeply atmospheric, emotionally resonant and steeped in the history and heartbreak of generational womanhood.”
‘What Kind of Paradise’ by Janelle Brown
This propulsive novel features Jane, a teenager who has spent her whole life living off the grid with her dad in Montana. But when she discovers he hasn’t told her the whole truth about her background—right after he makes her an accomplice to a violent crime—she runs away to San Francisco in search of the truth. As she digs into her dad’s past, she starts questioning everything she knew as she builds her own life.
What readers are saying: The author magnificently builds suspense and slowly peels away the layers of family secrets like an onion. This isn’t just a mystery or thriller in the usual sense; it’s really about how our parents’ choices impact our lives far into the future and whether we can ever escape them. The premise is utterly unique and executed well.
‘The Safari’ by Jaclyn Goldis
In this unputdownable tale, Odelia, a wealthy widow marrying a much younger man, invites her adult children and her best friend to South Africa for a luxury safari to celebrate the union. When she turns up dead before the wedding, everyone suspects her son, Sam, who swears he’s innocent. As the family grieves, evidence comes to light casting doubt on Sam’s guilt and leaving the rest of the family wondering what really happened—and if anyone is safe.
What early readers are saying: “When a wealthy, dysfunctional family gathers at a luxury African safari, a surprising murder wrecks their plans. This locked room murder mystery had lots of characters with tons of secrets, intrigue, tension and unreliable narrators. I found the book totally addictive!”
‘Culpability’ by Bruce Holsinger
This thought-provoking page-turner (out July 8) tells the story of the Cassidy-Shaw family, who are involved in a fatal car accident. As the investigation unfolds and the police question exactly what happened—and determine the role of the car’s AI-driven safety features—every member of the family reveals secrets that make them each feel they’re at least partly to blame for it. A compelling look at morality and how technology is changing every aspect of our lives.
What early readers are saying: This is such a bingeable book! It captured my attention from the opening moments of the book and kept reeling me in every step of the way.
‘Sunny Side Up ‘by Katie Sturino
Fans of Jennifer Weiner and Sex and The City will devour this heartwarming and hilarious debut novel from MEGABABE founder Katie Sturino. This body-positive story about Sunny, a newly divorced plus-sized NYC career woman who is doing her best to make her work and personal dreams come true, has all the ingredients for a perfect, feel-good beach read.
What early readers are saying: “What a debut! Sunny Side Up is a refreshing, feel-good read that blends humour, heart and a powerful message of self-acceptance.”
‘Tell Them You Lied’ by Laura Leffler
This page-turning debut novel follows Anna and Willow. After meeting in art school, Anna finds herself fascinated with Willow and soon even considers Willow her muse. Flash forward five years in the future, and Willow has turned mean. Desperate to get her friend back, Anna stages a mugging that is supposed to end with Willow crying in her arms, but fate has other plans, and soon Anna learns that Willow has gone missing. Can Anna find her before it’s too late? Only time will tell.
What early readers are saying: “Dark, twisted and layered with secrets, this domestic thriller went above and beyond. From the complex group dynamics to the overt manipulation and unbridled deceit, the mind games being waged were simply sublime. Overlaid on top of this well-utilized motif was a spine-chilling plot that had me questioning every morally gray character in this realistic yet unhinged tale.”
‘Till Summer Do Us Part’ by Meghan Quinn
Steamy, flirty and fun…this novel from bestselling author Meghan Quinn has it all. Desperate to impress her boss at her male-dominated job, Scottie Price accidentally tells everyone she’s in an unhappy marriage. Thankfully, her boss has a solution: His wife is a couples therapist and would love to help Scottie and her husband. The only problem? Her husband doesn’t exist. That is, until Scottie’s best friend’s brother, Wilder Wells, agrees to step in and act the part. Next, Wilder signs them up for an eight-day couples retreat with all of Scottie’s coworkers. What could possibly go wrong?
What early readers are saying: “This book is everything I love about Meghan Quinn. Her stories are SO fun, quirky, comical, but mostly, the raw emotion and connection between her characters, with a healthy dose of spice. I absolutely loved Wilder and Scottie!”
‘All That Life Can Afford’ by Emily Everett
This lyrical coming-of-age debut novel by Emily Everett is a Reese’s Book Club pick filled with Austenian flair, sweeping settings and a complex cast of characters. Anna first fell in love with London reading books at the library when she was just a girl. But when she arrives in London after college, she’s struggling and barely making ends meet. Then she meets the glamorous Wilders, who fly Anna to St. Tropez to tutor their daughter. Here, she encounters two handsome young men and is whisked into an elite world.
What readers are saying: “My book club recently chose this novel about love, ambition and England’s upper-crust society, and I have to admit I savored every page of this Cinderella story sprinkled with Jane Austen nods!”
‘The Page Turner’ by Viola Shipman
Desperate to hide her romance manuscript from her literature-loving parents, Emma Page heads to her family’s cottage. While there, she discovers a secret that could destroy her family’s legacy and their business, The Mighty Pages.
What readers are saying: “As soon as I heard bestselling author Mary Kay Andrews describe this read as ‘a dishy inside look at the world of publishing,’ I was sold. Emma was such a relatable character and I was fascinated by the dynamic between her and her family and the bookish themes throughout the story.”
‘The Road to Tender Hearts’ by Annie Hartnett
At 63, PJ Halliday thinks the best of life is behind him: The divorced million-dollar lottery winner drinks too much, is estranged from his grown daughter, Sophie, has had three heart attacks and hasn’t left his hometown in decades. Then, just as he plans a cross-country road trip to find an ex-girlfriend, he learns he is the guardian of his brother’s two grandchildren—kids PJ has never met—so he makes the unlikely decision to bring them on the road with him, Sophie and a stray cat.
What readers are saying: This book is a must-read! It’s like a warm hug, a good laugh, and a breath of fresh air all wrapped up in one.
‘The Summer We Ran’ by Audrey Ingram
This dual-timeline story asks the eternal question, “Does your past define your destiny?” The plot bounces back and forth between the summer of 1996, when Tess Murphy, a teen whose mom is working as a chef at a wealthy woman’s estate, falls in love with Grant Alexander, the rich boy next door, and 2021, when Tess and Grant find themselves running against each other in the election for Governor of Virginia. A tale of past secrets, shocking betrayals and lost love.
What readers are saying: “I was drawn to this by the stunning cover, but I quickly got lost in the dual-timeline love story. I loved the drama of the political race, the teen love story and the secrets throughout.”
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