Summer is one of the best seasons for books and with so many fantastic new releases coming out this year, we’ve rounded up the best beach reads of summer 2020. From thrilling page-turners to sweet reads and hilarious new stories, these books deserve a place on your summer #TBR.

What You Wish For by Katherine Center

School librarian Samantha Casey loves her life and job. But when a man from her past, Duncan Carpenter, shows up at the school where she works as the new principal, things quickly turn to chaos. Having once loved Duncan from afar as a young woman, she finds that he’s a different man now – a rule-enforcer who’s hellbent on keeping the school in line. If she wants to save her school and her job, she’ll have to form a new bond with Duncan, a man she once admired.


The Vanishing Sky by L. Annette Binder

It’s 1945 in Germany and despite the fact that World War II is finally coming to a close, Etta worries about her sons who were both dragged into the war. When her eldest Max returns from fighting on the Eastern front, Etta immediately realizes everything about him has changed and he’s not in a good place. Meanwhile, her youngest Georg, who was attending a school for Hitler Youth, has decided that he wants no part in the war anymore and begins a dangerous and long journey back home.


Perfect Happiness by Kristyn Kusek Lewis

Charlotte McGanley’s life changed after publishing her bestselling book Perfect Happiness. Now a guru for all things happiness, she feels adrift as she herself is more miserable than ever before. Finding herself unable to help her daughter through her teenage struggles and unable to connect with her husband, Charlotte realizes it’s time to hit refresh and be the woman her family needs most. This new novel asks tough questions about family and explores what happens when you try to re-connect with the ones you love most.


The Half Sister by Sandie Jones

After losing their father, Kate and Lauren make it a priority to meet for lunch every week and keep in touch. But all of that changes when a woman, Jess, shows up with the results of a DNA test claiming she’s their half sister. As they get to know one another better, they begin to unravel family secrets, and secrets of their own, that will shatter the image of their perfect family and leave them with more questions than they started with.


Pizza Girl by Jean Kyoung Frazier

Pizza Girl follows the life of a pregnant 18-year-old pizza delivery girl in Los Angeles. Grieving the loss of her father, not wanting to be around her mother and boyfriend and sick of her job, she throws herself into the life of stay-at-home mom, Jenny who depends on weekly pizza deliveries to keep her son happy. As the narrator finds herself perfectly distracted by Jenny and her family, the two become ensnared in each other’s lives – a friendship that ultimately ends in heartbreak.


One Perfect Summer by Brenda Novak

Serenity Alston didn’t have high hopes when she took an at-home DNA test. But when she gets the results back, she learns she has two half-sisters she didn’t know existed. Overnight, she begins to question everything she’s ever known about her family and is desperate for answers. Connecting with these new sisters, the three agree to get to the bottom of the family mystery together at a cabin in Lake Tahoe. It’s here that the three come to terms with their lives, their family history and the future ahead of them.


If You Must Know by Jamie Beck

Sisters Amanda and Erin could not be more different if they tried – Amanda is the ultimate rule follower and Erin is a bit of a wild child. Both living in their hometown of Potomac Point, their everyday lives are uprooted when family secrets are revealed and they’re left to deal with the fallout. Now, these two sisters will have to learn to trust one another and reveal all of their secrets if they want to put their family back together.


Perfect Tunes by Emily Gould

Fifteen years ago, Laura moved to New York to pursue her dream of recording her first album. Just as she begins to book shows, she meets a fellow musician who she falls madly for despite their turbulent relationship. Now, a single mother, Laura devotes herself to her teenage daughter and her career as a songwriter for her famous best friend. Ready to close the book on her past and give up her musical dreams once and for all, her daughter and best friend refuse to let Laura give up on her music aspirations.


Sex and Vanity by Kevin Kwan

Lucie Churchill always denied having feelings for George Zao. Having met during a vacation, Lucie will never forget the kiss they shared in the ancient ruins of a Roman villa. Now, years later, Lucie is engaged to another man and living an enviable life. But all of her best laid plans are ruined when George reappears in her life while weekending in East Hampton. Finding herself drawn to George, Lucie begins to spin a web of lies that will affect everyone around her.


The Heir Affair by Heather Cocks & Jessica Morgan

Rebecca “Bex” Porter and her new husband Prince Nicholas barely made it through their wedding after a major scandal was exposed. Escaping London while the dust blows over, everyone in the world has their eyes on the new royal couple and most of them are angry at them. Just when Bex and Nicholas think things are getting better, they’re called back to London due to a new crisis and as they step into their new roles, they find that the stress will affect their marriage and their family in extreme ways.


Summer Darlings by Brooke Lea Foster

Heddy Winsome’s life changes when she becomes a nanny for an extremely wealthy family living in Martha’s Vineyard in 1962. It’s not long before Heddy gets caught up in the glamorous new world she’s found herself in. But things begin to fall apart for Heddy when her academic scholarship gets revoked and she’s no longer able to return to school after the summer. Aware that she needs to make a new plan for her life, she dives headfirst into the social circles of Martha’s Vineyard and soon learns that wealth and glamour don’t always guarantee happiness.


The Girl from Widow Hills by Megan Miranda

As a young girl, Arden Maynor left her home in the middle night, sleepwalking in the midst of a horrible rainstorm. Later found alive and holding onto a storm drain, she became a legend in town. Growing up being known as “the girl from Widow Hills,” Arden eventually escaped the town and changed her name. But now, with the twentieth anniversary drawing near, she’s reminded of her past and begins sleepwalking again… until she wakes up one night in her yard, a dead body at her feet. Suddenly, she’s thrust back into the spotlight again as they try to figure out what really happened.


A Star Is Bored by Byron Lane

When Charlie Besson walked into his assistant interview with superstar Kathi Kannon, he didn’t know that it was a meeting that would change his life in such tremendous ways. Getting the job, befriending Kathi and finding his way in Hollywood, it’s not long before Charlie must decide whether he wants to stay on the sidelines or chase after his own dreams of stardom.  


You Had Me at Hola by Alexis Daria

Soap opera actress Jasmine Lin Rodriguez is finally getting her public image back after a messy breakup and has just moved back to New York for a new job. Starring in an upcoming bilingual rom-com, she’s ready to take control of her career and be a badass. But all of that changes when she meets her co-star Ashton Suárez. While neither Jasmine or Ashton want to be distracted by a new romance during the filming of the movie, they can’t help but fall for one another. But when the media begins to zero in on them, they find themselves doing everything in their power to save their careers and their relationship.


Real Men Knit by Kwana Jackson

Jesse Strong would do anything for his adoptive mother, Mama Joy, so when she passes away, he vows to continue her legacy. Having just unexpectedly lost their mother, Jesse’s brothers believe that they need to close and sell their mother’s knitting store. When the store’s part-time employee, Kerry, hears of Jesse’s plan to keep the store, she joins his efforts and creates a brand new vision for the store that will help business. As Kerry and Jesse continue to spend time together, they find the chemistry between them impossible to ignore and Kerry must decide if Jesse is the right man for her after all.


The Secret Women by Sheila Williams

Elise, Carmen and DeeDee all have one thing in common: they’ve recently lost their mothers. Realizing they’re all going through something similar, they become friends and agree to sort through their mothers’ belongings together. But when the innocent chore reveals old letters and diaries, the three women find themselves now responsible for age-old secrets that will change their lives indefinitely. Moving on and armed with new knowledge about their moms, it’s together that these three women find comfort, hope and closure.


The Guest List by Lucy Foley

In The Guest List, readers get a glimpse at a wedding from hell. When a rising television star and his magazine publisher fiancée invite guests to an island for their wedding, it comes with plenty of drama and jealousy. With the groomsmen playing drinking games and a bridesmaid who ruins her dress on purpose, these problems become the least of the couple’s troubles when someone turns up dead.

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