8 New Best Summer Beach Reads of 2023
Vacation is the perfect time to catch up on your reading. There are no deadlines, fewer distractions, and the weather’s perfect for stretching out in the sun and enjoying a lighthearted romance. To that end, we’ve compiled a list of the best beach reads of 2023 in order of release. If you’re not able to travel this summer, then these books also double as a destination in a book. From Tanzania to a fashion house in Rome, these stories feature lush settings – and even lusher romances – that will totally transport you, whether you are reading from the beach half way around the world, or the comfort of your own couch!
Jana Goes Wild by Farah Heron
Available at:
Publication date: May 2, 2023
After a lifetime of presenting herself as perfect and polished, Jana Suleiman uses a destination wedding in Serengeti National Park as the perfect excuse to break out of the mold in front of almost everyone she knows—including her daughter’s father, a former flame she hasn’t forgiven for a lie he told almost six years ago. But as Jana breaks out of her shell, she’s also breaking down the careful walls she built up against her ex. It’s a second-chance romance with an immersive setting and lots of wildlife. And a fun bit of bonus content: Heron has a whole section of her website dedicated to recipes from her books.
Meet Me at the Lake by Carley Fortune
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Publication date: May 2, 2023
Fortune debuted last spring with a bang, so this book has been pretty highly anticipated. Two strangers spend a whirlwind twenty-four hours together. They promise to meet in the same place one year later—and the guy doesn’t show. Almost a decade later, Fern’s never quite forgotten him. But when they’re unexpectedly reunited, he’s not the carefree young artist she remembers. Things get complicated. As with Fortune’s first novel, it’s set around an idyllic lake in Ontario, Canada.
Seven Rules for Breaking Hearts by Kristyn J. Miller
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Publication date: May 16, 2023
When one half of a singles podcast decides to accept a sponsor’s offer for an all-expenses-paid wedding on Catalina Island, effectively shattering their online image, the maid of honor and co-host is left to flounder. In the two weeks leading up to her best friend’s wedding, Margo grapples with her ideas of love, commitment, and the future—and finds herself entangled with the best man along the way. The bulk of the story takes place during the destination wedding on an island off the coast of Southern California. You can find a book club guide, cocktail recipe, and other downloadable content on Miller’s website.
Same Time Next Summer by Annabel Monaghan
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Publication date: June 6, 2023
Second-chance summer romances are having a moment. This one focuses on an engaged woman who, when visiting Long Island to tour a potential wedding venue, bumps into the guy who broke her heart when she was seventeen. It’s a nostalgic story about first loves and self-discovery. You can order a signed copy with a tote and cocktail recipe through Athena Books.
Ciao for Now by Kate Bromley
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Publication date: June 6, 2023
A late-twenties design student lands a coveted summer internship at a fashion label in Rome and winds up competing with her coworkers for a job back in New York. But when the grumpy guy she spilled her coffee on turns out to be the son of the professor she’s staying with, things get a little tense. Cue enemies-to-lovers shenanigans in Italy. It’s like The Lizzie McGuire Movie meets The Devil Wears Prada.
Wanderlust by Elle Everhart
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Publication date: July 11, 2023
A lethargic magazine writer wins a trip around the world over a radio show, but there’s a catch—she has to take the trip with a random contact from her phone. Even worse when the contact turns out to be the uptight man she ghosted after a night on the town. She resolves to turn her writing career around by writing a series of articles about their adventures . . . and embellishes their relationship along the way. But before long, the fictional world she’s created is bleeding over into the real one.
The Summer Girl by Elle Kennedy
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Publication date: July 18, 2023
Aptly titled for a summer read, The Summer Girl is the third installment in the Avalon Bay series. It centers around a college student who returns to the resort town where she spent her childhood summers after her grandmother decides to sell the family hotel. To ring in her twenty-first birthday, she searches for a summer fling—and gets shot down by a local sailing instructor and infamous playboy. It’s a will-they-won’t-they story with Kennedy’s trademark steamy writing.
With Love, from Cold World by Alicia Thompson
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Publication date: August 1, 2023
You’re probably thinking: a cover with snowflakes? In summer? But the setting of this one is really fun: a winter wonderland theme park in humid Orlando, Florida. With Love, from Cold World introduces us to the park’s uptight bookkeeper and her push-and-pull dynamic with her fun-loving, blue-haired coworker. Their rivalry ramps up when they’re asked to come up with a plan to generate more business. Barnes & Noble is selling a special edition with an exclusive cover.
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