Weâre getting more hours of sunlight and the days are getting longer, which can only mean one thing: Beach and pool days are just around the corner. For some of us around the country, itâs already warm enough to head to the beach, while others are waiting for temperatures to rise a bit more. Either way, one of the best ways to unwind is to enjoy the sounds of the water, grab a great drink, and dive into a totally immersive read.
Whether you like thrilling mysteries, steamy romance novels, or a bit of captivating fiction, weâve got you covered with book suggestions that will take you away from reality for a bit. Get totally into the mystifying, lovelorn, exciting, and poetic lives of perfect strangers in these 20 beach and pool reads that will help you unwind all summer long.
âSeven Days in Juneâ by Tia Williams
This is a highly anticipated steamy romance that youâll likely not want to end. A story of âlove found, lost and found againâ begins with Eva Mercy and Shane Hall meeting as teens for a weeklong affair. When they meet again in New York City, "Eva is a bestselling erotica author and Shane is a literary darling." Find out if theyâre able to make a relationship work or if their dark pasts will get in the way. (Release date: June 1)
Seven Days in June (Amazon, $27)
âAccidentally Engagedâ by Farah Heron
This engaging romantic comedy will have you laughing off your beach chair as Reena and Nadim pretend to be a couple thatâs madly in love in order to win a baking show. If you havenât had enough bread-baking and eating in the last year, this may be the perfect combination of romance and delicious doughy treats! Accidentally Engaged is also a great exploration of personal growth and cultural and familial expectations.
Accidentally Engaged (Amazon, $16)
âFirst Comes Likeâ by Alisha Rai
Beauty influencer Jia is all business as she looks to conquer the internet and then the whole makeup industry. But when sheâs sidetracked by an international star that slides into her Instagram DMs, Jia is caught up in a catfishing situation. She is devastated and the Bollywood star Dev is totally confused. But when sparks start to fly between the two, they both wonder if itâs all meant to be.
First Comes Like (Amazon, $16)
âParty of Twoâ by Jasmine Guillory
In this fifth part of a series (a New York Times bestseller), you might want to go back to books one through four before getting wrapped up in this juicy read. When Olivia Monroe moves to LA to start her own law firm, romance is the last thing sheâs concerned about. But a chance meeting at a hotel bar with a handsome stranger turns into a whirlwind affair that gets everyone talking â he just happens to be hotshot Junior Senator Max Powell. Grab this saucy tale while sipping on a cocktail.
Party of Two (Amazon, $16)
âThe Proposalâ by Jasmine Guillory
We couldnât leave this other New York Times bestseller by Jasmin Guillory off the list. The Proposal (also a Reese Witherspoon X Hello Sunshine Book Club Pick), is a smart and witty romp about what happens when a public proposal at a Dodgers game for freelance writer Nikole Paterson by her man bun-wearing actor boyfriend doesnât turn into a happy ending. After dating for five months, saying no wasnât the hard part for Nikole, but having to face a stadium full of disappointed fans is where the story really picks up, though some Amazon reviews said it was "predictable."
The Proposal (Amazon, $15)
âLove Your Lifeâ by Sophie Kinsella
Ready to take that thirst for romance overseas? Two Londoners who have a whirlwind romance at a writers' retreat in Italy get a large dose of reality when they return to rainy England to resume their everyday lives. Was it just the alluring Mediterranean coast ambiance that made them so compatible? This is the perfect novel for a warm day under a beach umbrella.
Love Your Life (Amazon, $28)
âWaiting for a Scot Like Youâ by Eva Leigh
In this third book in the series, we find bold and beautiful widow Lady Beatrice also depressed and repressed as she and Major McCameron go on an ill-fated road trip across England. After their carriage crashes and a stuffy village forbids them to dance, the lady and the major wind up in an inn with just one bed. Hmm, we wonder what happens nextâŚ
Waiting for a Scot Like You (Amazon, $8)
âRosaline Palmer Takes the Cakeâ by Alexis Hall
Reviews say this âhilarious and heart-warmingâ yet âgroundingâ read is a âmasterfully writtenâ romantic comedy. Wow! After dropping out of college to raise her daughter, Rosalie is on the brink of financial disaster ⌠until she lands a spot on a beloved baking show. Romance sets in when sheâs wooed by a suave, well-educated guy, but also a shy electrician who makes her second-guess some long-held beliefs.
Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake (Amazon, $16)
âThe Girl in the Mirrorâ by Rose Carlyle
If you love suspense, lust, and greed â well, reading about it â then this No. 1 international bestseller is the book for you. Always jealous of her âperfectâ twin sister, Summer, Iris heads out to help her sister sail the family yacht. When Iris gets mistaken for her by Summerâs handsome husband she decides not to correct him, and the journey takes more chilling twists and turns than anyone could have imagined.
The Girl in the Mirror (Amazon, $28)
âThe End of Herâ by Shari Lapena
You wonât want to put this one down. Just imagine having the perfect husband, the perfect home and the perfect twin girls, but then someone enters your life and makes you second-guess everything you thought was real and true. When a woman from her husbandâs past life shows up with some disturbing accusations about her husband and his first wifeâs death, Stephanieâs world gets turned upside down. Was it truly suicide ⌠or was it murder?
The End of Her (Amazon, $27)
âThey Did Bad Thingsâ by Lauren A. Forry
If fast-paced thrillers are your thing, then try this one by Lauren A. Forry. With flashbacks of their time shared in a London home, five university students are the ones who know the truth about their sixth roommate who was found dead the morning after their annual end-of-year party. Though police ruled it an accident, someone knows the truth and is still out for revenge.
They Did Bad Things (Amazon, $26)
âGod Save The Queens: The Essential History of Women in Hip-Hopâ by Kathy Iandoli
The history of hip-hop culture has, by-and-large, been told through the lens of the male artist, writer, historian, but not any more. From Queen Latifah to Meg Thee Stallion, this hip-hop history tells it from the ladies' point of view. At long last, from issues of gender, money, and sexuality to violence, body image, and more, God Save the Queens is an important work of music journalism that at last gives influential female artists the respect they deserve.
God Save The Queens (Amazon, $17)
âHome Bodyâ by Rupi Kaur
If your idea of a beach or pool read is some thought-provoking poetry, pick up Home Body. The No. 1 New York Times bestselling author (her two previous collections of poetry are Milk and Honey and The Sun and Her Flowers) Rupi Kaur has recently released her third book of poetry, and each raw and authentic passage deals with the struggles of family, love, and self-acceptance.
Home Body (Amazon, $17)
âThe Gunkleâ by Steven Rowley
An unexpected tragedy turns a favorite uncle of a young niece and nephew into their full-time caregiver. This warm and humorous novel tells the story of a once-famous sitcom star â their gay uncle Patrick or âGunkleâ â who is challenged as he gains custody of the kids who are dealing with grief. A sweet tribute to love, patience and family, The Gunkle will make you laugh and cry. (Release date: May 25)
The Gunkle (Amazon, $27)
âThe Indenticalsâ by Elin Hilderbrand
If youâre experiencing a bit of cabin fever from this past year, this book aims to transport you to seaside Nantucket and Marthaâs Vineyard where thereâs some gossip brewing. This is the beachiest of juicy summer reads about two estranged sisters forced back into each otherâs lives by tragedy. One reviewer on Amazon called it a âgrown up take on The Parent Trap.â
The Identicals (Amazon, $17)
âOne Year of Uglyâ by Caroline Mackenzie
This is an interesting story woven around an extended refugee family and an unsavory character. Set in Trinidad in 2016, which was just before the recent influx of Venezuelan refugees into Trinidad, this fun and fresh story has all that you need in a beach or pool read: a dysfunctional family and messy romance.
One Year of Ugly (Amazon, $26)
âThree-Martini Lunchâ by Suzanne Rindell
Told through multiple perspectives, this Mad Men-era tale takes readers through the cutthroat Manhattan publishing world. Itâs there that three young, ambitious people meet and âas they reach for what they want, they come to understand what they must sacrifice, conceal, and betray to achieve their goals.â
Three-Martini Lunch (Amazon, $16)
âTwo Can Keep a Secretâ by Karen McManus
This YA suspense novel has just the right amount of intrigue to keep the attention of adults. As the saying goes, âtwo can keep a secret if one of them is dead,â but thereâs also the fact that secrets are meant to be shared. Plus, thereâs a small town called Echo Ridge where secrets about a homecoming queen are just waiting to be revealed.
Two Can Keep a Secret (Amazon, $11)
âLittle Fires Everywhereâ by Celeste Ng
You may have already seen the Hulu adaptation of this bestseller starring Reese Witherspoon and Kerry Washington in 2020, but if you havenât, maybe read the No. 1 New York Times bestselling book by Celeste Ng first. In Little Fires Everywhere, youâll be on the edge of your seat (or beach towel) as you follow the âintertwined fates of the picture-perfect Richardson family and the enigmatic mother and daughter who upend their lives.â
Little Fires Everywhere (Amazon, $17)
âSuch a Fun Ageâ by Kiley Reid
Yet another New York Times bestseller, this debut novel by Kiley Reid tackles race and privilege and is all at once timely, poignant, funny, disturbing, and surprising. Set around Emira, a young babysitter, and her well-meaning employer, Alix Chamberlain, these two women's lives become entangled in the most unlikely of ways.
Such a Fun Age (Amazon, $17)
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