The 19 Summer Books That Are Must-Brings for Your Next Beach Vacay

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Is summer really *summer* without a classic paperback novel? (Quick answer: it’s not). Somethin’ about the hot temperatures, long sunsets, and outdoor greenery just makes you want to curl up by the beach and read. Or, relax in the park with a book (and rosé) in hand.

Perhaps it’s the endless happiness and joy of summer that brings out your inner book lover. Maybe, it’s the abundance of free time, where you can quietly escape your world and enter another. It can also be that reading in the summer hits different. Whatever the case, your TBR list probably needs an update now that summer is reaching its halfway mark. And as a book fiend who reads at least one to two books per week, I have a running list of must-reads, didn’t finishes, and just-okays sitting in my Notes app. Below, find my personal summer book recs, packed with a variety of genres from memoirs to science fiction stories.

Good Fortune by C.K. Chau

Since we’re all obsessed with historical romance rn (thanks Shonda), why not curb your addiction with a Pride and Prejudice retelling, but make it cultured? In C.K. Chau’s debut novel, we have Darcy Wong, a property owner of the rundown but beloved community center in Chinatown, NY. The previous owner’s daughter, Elizabeth, isn’t too happy that their safe haven is being used for profit, so she decides to fight against the snobby, arrogant investor to get what is rightfully theirs. If only she could also fight her romantic attraction to him too.

Release date: Out now

A Likeable Woman by May Cobb

You can’t close summer without a murder mystery. Fans of Desperate Housewives and Devious Maids will love this thriller about a young wealthy woman named Kira who returns home to her affluent Texas town decades after her mother was mysteriously murdered. Kira is hesitant to return—can’t blame you sis—but her grandmother’s constant pleas eventually weigh her down. On the bright side, at least her childhood crush Jack is single and down for a summer fling. Oh, but then there’s her mom’s unpublished memoir and a couple of other secrets that are tied to her murder.

Release date: Out now

You're Not Supposed to Die Tonight by Kalynn Bayron

I first wrote about this YA horror novel in my best LGBTQ+ books of 2023 and I still stand by my decision. Here, we have camp counselor Charity Curtis whose summer is turning out to be the best. She’s got her girlfriend Lexi, the job of her dreams, and the lead role at the camp’s slasher play. But then co-workers start disappearing, bodies are dropping, and what was supposed to be a season of fun has now turned into a survival of the fittest.

Release date: Out now

Bad Summer People by Emma Rosenblum

Summer is the season of scandal in this Gossip Girl turned White Lotus debut novel. Everyone in the rich, beach town of Salcombe, Fire Island is a horrible person. But none of them are murderers….right? Someone is. But just who’s cold enough to commit such an atrocity?

Release date: Out now

Happy Place by Emily Henry

You may have seen Booktokers rave about this second-chance romance, and for good reason. Harriet and Win were once college sweethearts in love but as the years passed, the lovebirds slowly separated into strangers. When the ex-couple receives an invitation to their friend’s yearly vacation, the two put on a front and pretend to be lovers. It may only be for a week, but a lot can change in seven days.

Release date: Out now

Don't Call Me Home by Alexandra Auder

The daughter of Andy Warhol’s fave muse, Alexandra fondly remembers growing up in the infamous Chelsea Hotel. With a mother with a vivacious attitude and a father with workaholic tendencies, childhood was unpredictable and inconsistent. Sometimes, her mother would drag her up and down the country or leave her at her conservative grandparent’s house for weeks. Alexandra doesn’t recall much normalcy in her childhood years, only chaos and mayhem like raising her baby sister or spending nights with her mother at East Village clubs. In her debut novel, the singer, songwriter, and actress describes the absurd, bizarre, but ultimately charming moments of her extraordinary childhood.

Release date: Out now

Tell Me Everything by Minka Kelly

Euphoria actress Minka Kelly’s highly anticipated memoir has dropped, and it’s the top must-read in my Notes app. Kelly may be known for her TV appearances (Friday Night Lights, Titans, Almost Human, and so on) but her formative years? Who she *actually* is rather than the people she plays on-screen? That wasn't public knowledge until she shared it all—the good and bad—in this page-turner.

Release date: Out now

The Duchess Effect by Tracey Livesay

When Tracey Livesay dropped American Royalty, the romance girlies were in a chokehold. (Me. I am a romance girlie). So, you can expect the sequel, The Duchess Effect, to be just as invigorating if not 100% more. The book starts right off with Duchess and royal Prince Jameson’s relationship, which has *just* entered the spotlight. It’s great that the pair don’t have to sneak around anymore, but not all is well when you’re dating a royal, especially when you’re an American Black rapper.

Release date: Out now

The Brightest Star by Gail Tsukiyama

A fictionalized biography of the first Asian American star, The Brightest Star follows ambitious Wong Liu Tsong who strives to become an actress. It doesn’t matter that she’s the daughter of immigrants who own a laundromat or she’s an Asian woman instead of white and blonde, Tsong will be a star.

Release date: Out now

The Daydreams by Laura Hankin

Historical fiction books have the *best* stories. You saw it with Daisy Jones & the Six and you’ll see it again in this Laura Hankin page-turner. The Daydreams follows four former reality stars who reunite for the first time in thirteen years. Expect lots of scandalous secrets, drama, and OMG moments in this fictitious exposé.

Release date: Out now

The Blonde Identity by Ally Carter

If the name Ally Carter sounds familiar to you, it’s because she’s the mind behind the Gen Z beloved book series, The Gallagher Girls. And she’s coming back with a new franchise that’s coincidentally also a spy action-adventure story. Unlike her YA series, The Blonde Identity isn’t for preteens but for the former fans of The Gallagher Girls who have matured and moved on to more adult-like (re: smutty) bodies of work. The soon-to-be-released rom-com takes inspo from Mr. & Mrs. Smith and Sara Shepard’s The Lying Game to tell a story about a woman with amnesia who discovers her missing identical twin sister is a rogue spy and is thrust into a search journey, aided by a handsome but grumpy secret agent.

Release date: August 8, 2023

Shark Heart by Emily Habeck

The synopsis of this love story is a bit odd, but it’s also a sweet and heartbreaking tale highlighting the hiccups of marriage, motherhood, and grief. Lewis and Wren are newlyweds when their future is interrupted by a death sentence: Lewis will slowly turn into a great white shark. He’ll retain his consciousness and memories but his physical body will be that of an aquatic carnivore. Wren struggles to accept her husband’s inevitable transformation, but when Lewis’ carnivore nature triggers her repressed trauma, Wren finds herself living through her childhood pains while also coping with the demise of her own marriage.

Release date: August 8, 2023

All-Night Pharmacy by Ruth Madievsky

Madievsky introduces a compelling and mysterious story about a young woman who follows her sister to a Los Angeles bar patronized by energy healers and Hollywood misfits where they’re offered a handful of unidentified pills. The pair undergo a drug bender filled with mysterious happenings and risky, sexual interactions. It’s not the weirdest evening for the sisters who often engage in toxic behaviors, but when one of the sisters disappears, the night of simple fun doesn’t feel so harmless anymore.

Release date: Out now

One of Us Is Back by Karen M. McManus

The finale in the One of Us is Lying trilogy is coming in late July. Two years since the first and second novels, and the Bayview Crew is home for the summer, hoping to put Simon’s murder and the copycat incident past them. But Bayview will always be Bayview, and someone is harboring secrets deadly enough to kill someone (again).

Release date: July 25, 2023

Palazzo by Danielle Steel

One day, 23-year-old Cosima Saverio wakes up as an orphan, the CEO of her family’s haute couture Italian leather brand, and the overseer of her family’s palazzo in Venice. It doesn’t help that her sister, Allegra, survived the car accident that killed their parents and is riddled with scars and a spinal injury. Then, there’s her brother, Luca, who’s only interested in wild parties and pretty women. Cosima is struggling under the pressure of everything until Oliver Bayard, the founder of a French handbag company, comes and helps Cosima take the reins of her company, family, and house. But when Luca risks the hard work Cosima has put in for fifteen years, she’s left questioning: will she let her unyielding loyalty to her brother ruin them all or will she take charge of her own destiny?

Release date: Out now

Carrie Soto Is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid

If you’re not reading Taylor Jenkins Reid, whatchu doing?? JK, but not. Carrie Soto is a former tennis champion who, at the age of 37, comes out of retirement. Doesn’t matter that her body doesn’t move the same or that it’s been six years since she’s competed, Carrie will regain her stolen record. Even if that means training with Bowe Huntley, the man that got away.

Release date: Out now

The Only One Left by Riley Sager

Riley Sager’s latest murder mystery is a doozy. It’s 1929 and Lenora Hope is accused of murdering her sister. Though she walks away free, her reputation doesn’t bounce back from the accusations. 60 years later, an elderly Lenora is confined to a wheelchair and is rendered mute, using a typewriter to communicate with her new home health aide Kit McDeere. One night, Lenora writes to Kit that she’s ready to tell her story. But as new details are revealed about that night in 1929, Kit starts to suspect that Lenora isn’t as forthcoming as she claims to be.

Release date: Out now

The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston

Book publicist Clementine might have found “the one” after a year of dating safely and keeping her heart close. But her prince charming isn’t exactly what she expected. I mean, he’s her roommate, which isn’t ideal but not a dealbreaker. Appearance-wise, he’s great! Sexual prowess? Like a lion. There’s just the teeny tiny issue of him existing seven years in the past. 🙃

Release date: Out now

In the Likely Event by Rebecca Yarros

This military romance novel isn’t out yet, and it already has over a thousand five-star reviews. If that doesn’t move you to read this page-turner, idk what will! (Chile, it’s moving me—I’m ordering from Amazon rn). Izzy Astor and Nate Phelan are strangers who are sitting next to one another on a plane when it goes down in the Missouri River. Years passed since the flight accident and Izzy has gone into politics while Nate is a decorated veteran. The two can’t forget about their undeniable connection (love a trauma bond <3) and if the timing was right, maybe something could have happened. But the timing wasn’t right. That was until Nate is tasked with protecting Izzy’s life in a high-stakes opp in Afghanistan. Now, there’s another opportunity to survive a disaster and possibly fall in love.

Release date: August 1, 2023

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