Summer is here, and so is summer reading. I decided to take little break from my normal fashion posts and share some of my favorite books I’ve read recently. Okay, well maybe not necessary read, but listened to on Audible. I am a HUGE audible fan. I do a lot of reading and writing for my profession and sometimes it’s nice to take a break from the written word. It’s hard for me to sit down and find time to read for pleasure with work and the blog, so Audible is a great. Like podcasts, I can listen during times I can’t physically read like sitting in traffic or getting ready to go out. It’s also a great way to pass the time doing mundane chores like cleaning, cooking, or laundry. Sometimes I turn on an Audible novel when I am cleaning my room and before I know it, I am so engrossed in the story I don’t even remember cleaning!
Even though it’s nice pass the time during daily activities, Beach and poolside reading/listening is by far my favorite. To me, there is nothing more relaxing than basking in the summer sun with the warm sand beneath my toes totally immersed in a good book! It’s one of the few times I can just completely tune out the world and transport myself somewhere else.
The only difficult thing I find with “reading?” Picking out a good book! I find it’s like trying to pick out a movie on Netflix or deciding what you want to order from Postmates. You’ll waste time scrolling through the unlimited options, but you can’t settle on anything. Pretty soon you abandon the decision and go to bed, or just eat what’s in the fridge.
I’ve read many books (good and bad) over the last couple of years, and spent hours poring over countless synopses and reviews. SO, I thought I would save you the misery and compile a list of my top 10 favorite summer beach reads for you guys. Whether you like mystery, romance, historical fiction, there is something for everyone on this list!
Mysteries
#1 The Perfect Couple by Elin Hilderbrand
“A wedding on Nantucket is cancelled when the bride finds her maid of honor floating face-down in the Atlantic on the morning of the big day.”
This book is the quintessential guilty pleasure, beach-read you won’t put down until its finished! It’s on pretty much every “summer beach read” list for a reason.” Don’t get me wrong, it’s easy and fun, but still has substance. It’s filled with interesting, dynamic characters tied up in a clever whodunit. The Nantucket summer setting makes this a read, perfectly paired with a chilled glass of rose under a beach umbrella.
#2 Behind Closed Doors by B.A. Paris
“Everyone Knows a couple like Jack and Grace. He has looks and wealth, she has charm and elegance. You’d like to get to know Grace better. But it’s difficult because you realize Jack and Grace are never apart. Some might call this true love. Others might ask why Grace never answers the phone. Or how she can never meet for coffee….”
Get ready for a dark, psychological thriller that will have you on the edge of your seat! It’s been compared to Girl on a Train, but don’t go in expecting a similar plot. The only thing the books really have in common is they both keep you guessing what happens next. Sometimes you may find yourself annoyed with Grace’s choices and actions, but that won’t stop you from rooting for her every step of the way.
#3 The Broken Girls by Simone St. James
“The Broken Girls is a dual-timeline story centered around two separate murders decades apart near a boarding school in small-town Vermont. Fiona, a journalist, is determined to find out the truth about her sister’s murder twenty years ago, A shocking discovery during the school’s renovation unearths long-buried secrets, secrets with the power to endanger Fiona and those she loves.”
This haunting supernatural thriller is a page-turner! It’s a suspenseful story filled with plot-twists that has all the elements of a great mystery. If you scare easily like me, this book is best read at beautiful beach surrounded by lots of people. It’s worth the fright though, as it is ultimately a riveting story about the powerful bonds of sisterhood and friendship that can never be broken.
#4 Run Away by Harlen Coben
“She’s addicted to drugs and to an abusive boyfriend. And she’s made it clear that she doesn’t want to be found.Then, by chance, you see her playing guitar in Central Park. But she’s not the girl you remember. This woman is living on the edge, frightened, and clearly in trouble. You don’t stop to think. You approach her, beg her to come home. She runs.“
Harlen Coben is one of my favorite mystery writers. I’ve been reading his books for years, and Run Away does not disappoint. While the rest of the books on this list have female protagonist, this one centers around Simon and his relationship with his wife and daughter. You can’t help falling in love with Coben’s male protagonists and their will to stop at nothing to protect the ones they love.
Historical Fiction
# 5 Necessary Lies by Diane Chamberlain
“After losing her parents, fifteen-year-old Ivy Hart is left to care for her grandmother, older sister, and nephew, as tenants on a small tobacco farm. As she struggles with her grandmother’s aging, her sister’s mental illness and her own epilepsy, she realizes they might need more than she can give.”
This book’s synopsis didn’t capture my attention, but the raving reviews and rating it has on Goodreads did, so I gave it a chance. Let me tell you, it BEYOND EXCEEDED every single expectation and is one of my favorite books I’ve read in quite some time! It sheds light onto the little publicized dark history of America’s Eugenics Sterilization Program in the 1960’s and what little rights families on welfare had at this time. The heartfelt story of these amazing characters will NOT disappoint.
#6 Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate
“Twelve-year-old Rill Foss and her four younger siblings live a magical life aboard their family’s Mississippi River shantyboat. But when their father must rush their mother to the hospital one stormy night, Rill is left in charge – until strangers arrive in force. “
This book has a lot of the same themes as Necessary Lies and equally as good! It’s a fictional story based on the notorious Georgia Tann, who stole children from poor families and sold them through the Tennessee Children’s Home orphanage she ran for over 30 years! Don’t let the dark plot fool you, it’s an uplifting story that will remind you that you can separate families, but you can really never tear them apart.
#7 We Were the Lucky Ones by Georgia Hunter
Inspired by the incredible true story of one Jewish family separated at the start of World War II, determined to survive and reunite – We Were the Lucky Ones is a tribute to the triumph of hope and love against all odds.”
This is a classic WWII holocaust novel, but not at the same time! We obviously all know that the entire World was at war, but this book will make that fact resonate, and have you up at night contemplating the long- term impact and ramifications it had on lives for years to come. You will be mesmerized by each family member’s individual journey of survival and their will to reunite, no matter what.
ROMANCE
#8 Next Year, in Havana & When We Left Cuba by Chanel Cleeton
“After the death of her beloved grandmother, a Cuban-American woman travels to Havana, where she discovers the roots of her identity-and unearths a family secret hidden since the revolution.”
Having a grandmother who was born in Cuba, I naturally gravitated toward this book. The author does a wonderful job of drawing parallels between the intertwined lives of the Perez family women and how the revolution altered the course of their lives and future generations forever. It’s an important history lesson told through a romantic story. The beautiful vivid depictions of Cuba will have you romanticizing the past of the troubled island and have you asking yourself, what could have been?
When We Left Cuba continues the Perez story focusing on Beatrice who is determined to get retribution against Fidel for tearing apart her beloved country and her family’s exile . It follows her adventurous journey after leaving Cuba that includes spying for the CIA, after falling in love with the a man she knows she can never be with. Both novels also qualify as historical fiction, each are equally wonderful and make for perfect beach reads that will transport you to tropical locales.
Modern Fiction
#9 Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
“The book tells the story of a single mother, Mia Warren, who moves to the suburbs in Ohio with her teenage daughter, where they become involved with Elena Richardson and her picture-perfect family. When old family friends of the Richardsons attempt to adopt a Chinese-American baby, a custody battle erupts that dramatically divides the town — and puts Mia and Elena on opposing sides. Suspicious of Mia and her motives, Elena is determined to uncover the secrets in Mia’s past. But her obsession will come at unexpected and devastating costs.”
I wasn’t sure what to expect from this book, because I didn’t think I could relate to the story or any of the characters, but I quickly learned I didn’t need to personally identify with the characters to understand their motives and the subsequent series of events that follows. It’s a well-crafted story that reminds us that we can’t control our lives and those around us, and that sometimes, the best way to keep get what you want, is to let go.
#10 Where’d You Go Bernadette by Maria Semple
“An Agoraphobic architect and mother named Bernadette Fox goes missing prior to a family trip to Antarctica. Narrated through a series of documents with the occasional interlude through her 15-year-old daughter Bee, the book tells a story about a family coming to terms with who they are, and the power of a daughters love for her mother.”
This is one that I continued to pass over for awhile. I read all the glowing reviews, but the synopsis didn’t intrigue me. Finally, my mom read it and convinced me to give it a try. Once chapter in, I couldn’t stop! It’s a creatively narrated, absurd modern, American satire, filled with perfectly flawed characters that will have you laughing one second, and crying the next! It’s also being made into a major motion picture starting Cate Blanchett later this year, so read it before it comes out in theaters!
Shop my Summer Beach Read Picks!
You can connect with me on Goodreads here to learn more about my favorite books and swap titles!
Wherever your summer travels may take you, I hope you find time to relax on a beach somewhere with one of these books, or any other book! Do you have a favorite beach read I need to read or think I need to add to the list? Let me know in the comments below!
