The summer slow down is on its way and what better plan could there be than to find some water and flip open a new book? The ultimate beach read is a swoon-worthy romance that melts your sunscreen or a nonstop, page-turner thriller you can’t wait to pack in your carry on. These are fast-paced reads with heart and simmering stories that transport you to another place. Check out the Best Beach Reads of 2024!
First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston
Reese Witherspoon’s first pick of the year was a thriller readers went nuts for. This book hit #1 on the New York Times bestseller list and has been met with major reader praise (33K 4.5 star reviews and climbing). If you missed the first wave of excitement, now is the time to catch up on this cat and mouse game where Evie Porter assumes a fake identity and infuses herself into the life of her mark. Only this time, her job is complicated because Ryan has gotten under her skin.
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A Love Song for Ricki Wilde by Tia Williams
From the NYT bestselling author of Seven Days in June comes another beautiful book celebrating Black love. In this modern day fairytale set in Harlem, Ricki is the whimsical, artistic daughter of an Atlanta dynasty family who finds herself in New York. Swept away by the music and magic of Harlem, Ricki encounters a handsome stranger that will throw her life off balance.
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In a Not So Perfect World by Neely Tubati Alexander
Take a book-cation to Turks and Caicos in this all-expenses-paid resort romance by an author Emily Giffin calls “a writer to watch.” With the fake dating and one-bed tropes we all love, In a Not So Perfect World is as breezy as the beach itself. Sloane is an aspiring game designer with a big job opportunity on the line. Charlie is her recently dumped neighbor holding a nonrefundable trip that was intended for his ex. So they whisk away together for a totally platonic getaway… or so they say.
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This Could Be Us by Kennedy Ryan
Don’t miss the book Emily Henry calls “heart-searing, sensual, and life affirming.” In her latest book, bestselling author Kennedy Ryan, introduces us to Soledad Barnes. A perfectionist, planner and all-around domestic goddess whose life has just crumbled. Unexpectedly single and driven to keep a roof over her daughters’ heads, the last thing she needs is a man. But when a forbidden, irresistible one comes into her life, she has to contend with whether or not she can let someone new in.
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Christa Comes Out of Her Shell by Abbi Waxman
From the author of The Bookish Life of Nina Hill, comes a delightful tale of an introvert thrown into the spotlight. Christa has been living a happy, quiet life studying snails when her presumed-dead father reemerges and the spotlight is turned on her family. As questions swirl about his survival from a plane crash and Christa gets closer to her best friend in ways neither of them can deny, she has to contend with the truth about her father while trying to keep her own life in balance.
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A Game of Lies by Clare Macintosh
From the #1 New York Times bestseller, comes a reality show-set game of survival, lies and deception. Dropped into the Welsh mountains, seven strangers have a secret and the game is to keep it. If another player discovers their hidden truth, not only are they eliminated, but their dirty laundry is aired on TV for all to see. When one of them disappears and Detective Ffion Morgan is brought in to investigate, she knows she is contending with liars and getting to the bottom of a murder is going to mean finding the truth when no one wants it to get out.
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Funny Story by Emily Henry
The queen of the beach read is back with her next swoon-worthy, banter-filled romance. Set in the gorgeous Waning Bay, Michigan, Daphne has recently been dumped by her fiancé Peter who has fallen for his childhood best friend. Stranded in a town where she knows no one, she rooms with her ex-fiancé’s new fiancée’s ex. Both equally heartbroken, but total opposites, during a day of drowning their sorrows they hatch a fake dating scheme. But there couldn’t possibly be real feelings forming between Daphne and Miles, could there?
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Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth
Three sisters have never stopped hearing about how fortunate they were to be taken in by their foster mother Miss Fairchild after they were rescued from family tragedies. But their life on the farm with Miss Fairchild wasn’t as idyllic as everyone was lead to believe. The girls make their escape and never see the caregiver again, but when a body is found at the Fairchild home, the sisters are back in the spotlight and possible suspects.
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Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez
This book was the most recent Good Morning America book club pick and quickly soared to #1 of the NYT bestseller list. Justin is cursed. Every woman he dates finds their soul mate after they break up with him. And now it’s all over Reddit. When Emma slides into his DMs, suffering the same issue, they decide to fake date, break up and hopefully end their losing streak. But could the scheme actually lead them to finding what they’ve both been looking for?
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This Summer Will Be Different by Carly Fortune
From the #1 New York Times bestseller of Meet Me at the Lake, comes the next shorefront novel we can’t live without. Lucy thinks she just had a meaningless (hot) summer time fling while on vacation at Prince Edward Island with one of the locals. She soon discovers that Felix, is actually her best friend’s younger brother. Each summer she allows herself the tryst, but keeps her heart out of it. Now she is forced to spend time helping her BFF through a tough time, but it may be even harder to help herself resist Felix.
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How to End a Love Story by Yulin Kuang
This debut author is hardly new to the romance scene. Yulin Kuang is screenwriting both Emily Henry adaptations for Beach Read and People We Meet On Vacation and directing the former. In her new release, Helen Zhang is a bestselling author whose books are being adapted for the screen. The problem? Grant is a writer on the project who is intimately tied to a tragic event in Helen’s past. As the two work together they must contend with the shared tragedy while trying to ignore the blossoming feelings.
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The Guncle Abroad by Steven Rowley
Everyone’s favorite gay uncle returns from the author who also brought us the NYT bestselling book The Celebrants. In book two of The Guncle series, Patrick O’Hara returns. Five years after being the caretaker to his niece and nephew, their father is getting remarried. His career as an actor has never been better, though his love life is on simmer. When his family needs him again for the Italy wedding, Patrick answers the call, contending with the kids’ disapproval of the union, a rivalry with their soon-to-be lesbian aunt and his sister flirting her way through the guest list.
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Lies and Weddings by Kevin Kwan
From the international bestselling author of Crazy Rich Asians comes the next installment of the insanely wealthy elite. Rufus Leung Gresham is the son of a former supermodel whose wealth has diminished, threatening the family’s position in society. His marriage could pull them out of their predicament, but the lineup of upper class women are in direct competition with his heart, that belongs to the humble girl next door. Will he save his family or choose his own happiness?
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I’m Mostly Here to Enjoy Myself by Glynnis MacNicol
If you’re seeking a nonfiction book that still feels like an escape, this is the pick for you. When March 2020 struck, 48-year-old unmarried, childless Glynnis found herself alone in her Manhattan apartment for sixteen months. In 2021, she left for Paris in search of some much needed pleasure and joy.
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The Midnight Feast by Lucy Foley
From the author of one of Reese Witherspoon’s 2023 picks, The Guest List, comes the next twisty thriller you won’t want to miss. The Manor is a glamorous retreat that’s not entirely embraced by the local community. There’s something in the woods and the attempts to privatize the beach have been met with contempt. But when on the first weekend open, a fire starts and someone dies, there’s nothing but questions about what has transpired inside those walls.
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I Curse You With Joy by Tiffany Haddish
Celebrity memoirs are the new airport magazine. And this summer, comedian Tiffany Haddish is hitting the shelves with her new book after her big hit The Last Black Unicorn. This collection of personal essays looks at the highs and lows of her life before she was an A-lister. Providing advice and reflection on all that it took to know herself and show up 100% as Tiffany.
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The Pairing by Casey McQuiston
From the author of the smash hit, Red, White & Royal Blue, comes a fresh European food and wine romp you won’t want to miss. Theo and Kit broke up on a flight to their dream trip in Europe. Despite years of being friends, crushes and lovers, they now no longer speak. But the trip that never was has an expiration date on the voucher and they both unwittingly book a trip. Unhappily reunited, they enter a hookup challenge and though the wine is amazing and the food is unbearably good, neither can deny the lingering feelings rising up.
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