Beach Reads
July 3, 2024
by Mai El Mokadem
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1. People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry
“I wish I could bottle this moment and wear it as a perfume. It would always be with me. Everywhere I went, he’d be there too, and so I’d always feel like myself.”
Ten summers, ten adventures. Poppy, a nomad at heart, and Alex, a homebody by choice, defied the odds as best friends. Until a fight shattered their laughter. Now, stuck in a rut, Poppy proposes a risky solution: one last trip to fix everything. Can they rewrite their story in a week, or will the truth tear them apart forever?
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2. By Your Side by Kasie West
“Even though I knew this might end in heartbreak, that he might make my life scary and complicated and unpredictable, I knew I couldn't let him walk away. Because I knew he'd also make my life happy and comforting and full.”
Autumn unexpectedly gets locked in the library for a weekend with Dax, a boy she knows little about beyond his bad reputation. As they're forced to coexist, a surprising connection blossoms between the unlikely pair. But Autumn's old life threatens to pull her back, and her newfound feelings for the loner Dax might not survive the return to normalcy. This story explores what happens when you fall for the one person you least expected.
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3. Death By Bikini by Linda Gerber
“Sometimes the truth is so ugly you have to close your eyes to see it.”
Aphra's got it all: sun, secrets (courtesy of the rich & famous who vacation at her family's resort), and zero love life. Enter Seth, a guarded hottie whose arrival coincides with a murder. Is he trouble, or just the distraction Aphra craves? This one is for the thrill-seekers, but it still maintains a lighthearted, romantic tone.
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4. Audrey, Wait! by Robin Benway
“You have to turn it up so that your chest shakes and the drums get in between your ribs like a heartbeat and the bass goes up your spine and fizzles your brain and all you can do is dance or spin in a circle or just scream along because you know that however this music makes you feel, it’s exactly right.”
One teen's life is turned upside down when her ex's breakup anthem becomes a viral sensation, thrusting her into unwanted fame. Audrey just wants to be a normal high school girl, but the paparazzi, tabloids, and the internet are determined to make her a rock goddess. A more musically-inclined read, this book might induce some groovy moves.
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5. The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren
“I can appreciate my body in a bikini and still want to set fire to the patriarchy.”
Chronically unlucky Olive dreads her twin sister's wedding. Stuck with her sworn enemy Ethan, Olive's luck takes a turn when they're the only ones immune to food poisoning – and offered a free Hawaiian honeymoon. Forced to pretend as a couple, Olive uncovers a surprising feeling: maybe, just maybe, her luck is finally changing.
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6. Moonglass by Jessi Kirby
“I read once that water is a symbol for emotions. And for a while now I've thought maybe my mother drowned in both.”
When Anna's family moves to the beachside town where her parents' memories linger, she must confront the secrets buried along the shore. Torn between a new summer romance and uncovering her family's painful past, Anna finds that the tides of her life are impossible to ignore. For those who crave a bit of tears by the beach (we don’t judge), this one is a bit of a tear-jerker.
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7. How to End a Love Story by Yulin Kuang
“You don't have to be completely healed to be everything I want. To be mine. I want every part of you, you silly infuriating woman. I love the parts of you I haven't even met yet.”
Bestselling author Helen is thrilled to score a coveted TV writing gig - until she realizes her new co-worker is Grant, the man she hasn't seen in 13 years since a tragic accident changed their lives forever. As they’re forced to work together, the simmering chemistry and unresolved feelings between them threaten to boil over.
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8. It Happened One Summer by Tessa Bailey
“You can be as high maintenance as you want, honey. But I'm the only one who does the maintenance.”
Piper Bellinger, an LA socialite with a reputation as a wild child, finds herself sent to a small Washington beach town to manage her late father's dive bar after her stepfather cuts her off. There, the pampered city girl clashes with the gruff, bearded local sea captain Brendan, who doubts she'll last in their humble town. Despite their differences, an undeniable attraction simmers between Piper and Brendan. The protagonist finds herself torn between the pull of her old life and newfound feelings for the rugged local…