Our Favorite Beach Reads for Your Next Getaway

When it comes to vacation, there are two types of people. The movers and shakers, who love to explore and are always up for adventure… And the type who prefer to sit in the sun for 8 hours straight with a rum runner in one hand and a good book in the other. Spoiler Alert: I’m the second type. Claire here, coordinator of LIY Reads + Content Creator here at LIY! From the airport to relaxing poolside, here are our favorite books to get lost in! If you’ve got a getaway on the calendar [or are in need of a tropical escape], we’ve rounded up 15+ Beach Reads for Your Next Vacation!

PS. If you’re a lover of great books and even better community, join our LIY Reads Virtual Book Club with over 20K members! Happy reading, friends!

28 Summers

If you’re looking for an easy read that will suck you in instantly, this one is it. It’s about a young girl and boy who meet for the first time in Nantucket over Labor Day Weekend and continue to spend Labor Day Weekend together for the next 28 summers. There are many life changes that happen in between their meet-ups which keeps the storyline interesting. 

Paradise Trilogy

The ultimate “take me on vacation” trilogy, while this one has been around a few years, but I finally got to read all 3 this past year and gosh, I was hooked from chapter 1 of the first book. It’s all about a family who loses their father and husband unexpectedly which results in a wild ride of learning about a secret life he had been living for years. There are a lot of twists and turns, unexpected romances, and jaw dropping “I didn’t see that coming” moments!

Big Summer, Jennifer Weiner

Steph here! Quite possibly my favorite beach read of all time! I loved that it was Summery focused book, and the story ebbed and flowed and kept me pulled in like a strong tide.

The Summer Place by Jennifer Weiner

We’re considering changing the LIY Book Club name to the Jennifer Weiner Fan Club… kidding! However, we do love just about everything she writes. This was another LIY Reads book club pick (that we adored!), and the beach setting is perfect for your next vacation read!

Beach Read, Emily Henry

The name could not possibly be more fitting! This book is everything you would expect out of a beach read – light romance, quick to read, and the scenery for reading on the beach is perfect. I did find it to be a tad predictable, but also didn’t really mind it for this purpose!

The Wife Upstairs

I didn’t read as much as I planned this year – oops (this is me every year) but we did read this book as part of our LIY Book Club and it drew me in so quickly! It keeps you guessing throughout the book and there are twists and turns that you don’t see coming – highly recommend!

Lucky

Lucky is full of twists and turns and I’m only about half way through and I am truly rooting for the main character ‘Lucky’.  I am hooked and intrigued to find out what lies ahead.  Running from the law, wanting questions of the past answered, and ultimately finding happiness.  Oh and then there is this: What would you do if you had a million dollar lottery ticket and couldn’t cash it in?  Would you consider yourself ‘Lucky?’

L.A. Weather

Lisa here! This book had me sucked in from the get go. This is a wonderful story about the strength of a family and through its ebbs and flows and highs and lows: the love remains. Raw and real and how family secrets can either destroy a family or become the best thing that ever happened.  And along the way, how the weather can affect everything in one’s life. I loved it! So many great story lines through the beautifully written characters.

Reckless Girls // The Unhoneymooners

• Reckless Girls – Rachel Hawkins is one of LIY’s favorite authors! Reckless Girls is about a group of friends who travel to an infamous deserted island by boat. Upon arrival, they meet other travelers and begin to question who they can really trust – including each other. It’s a quick read and the tropical setting makes for the perfect book to pack on vacay!
• The Unhoneymooners – If you know Christina Lauren, you know her writing is laugh out loud funny and you’ll absolutely fall in love with the characters. The two main characters, Olive and Ethan, are sworn enemies… and also happen to be the Maid of Honor and Best Man in Olive’s sister’s wedding. When the entire wedding falls ill to food poisoning, except Olive and Ethan, they decide to use the non-refundable honeymoon trip to Hawaii together. And well, you can probably guess the rest. 😉

Meant to Be by Emily Giffin

It took me less than 2 days to devour this book — if you haven’t read it yet, DO. It will suck you in immediately!

Malibu Rising

Heather here! This is a great quick read! It’s all about the family drama of 4 siblings in Malibu. If you want to read about some family drama then this one is for you!

People We Meet On Vacation

This was a fun one to read while on vacation! Two best friends who always vacation together until something drives them apart. After a few years apart they go on another vacation to mend their friendship. -Heather, LIY Ambassador

The Single Wife, Ella King

Steph here! The Single Wife, Ella King – I love Liane Moriarty and I’ve heard great things about Elin Hilderbrand – so when I read that Ella King is a cross between the two, I hit checkout on the Kindle version of The Single Wife immediately! It was a fairly quick read with just the right amount of keeping me guessing and pulled in without making it impossible to focus on anything else!

Every Summer After by Carley Fortune

Love, love, LOVED this one! Every Summer After is about Percy, who returns to the town she spent many summers in as a teen, at her family lake house. It’s been years since she’s seen Sam, her first love, but their connection is still undeniable. It’s a nostalgic romance about first loves and whether connection can be stronger than mistakes of the past. A cute, quick read!

The Only Survivors by Megan Miranda

Coming soon! I was lucky enough to get my hands on an early copy of The Only Survivors and couldn’t put it down! The story is about a group of friends who meet at the beach house every year on the anniversary of “the accident” – it’s tradition. The entire book has such an eerie tone and everyone is suspicious. Add this one to your “To Read” list, coming April 11th!

Dreamland by Nicholas Sparks

Not your typical Nicholas Sparks novel! This book takes place in St. Pete Beach, FL [fun for a vacay read!] and has a plot that’s totally different than anything I’ve read by Nicholas Sparks before. The novel introduces two very different characters with two very different storylines, that will have you wondering “how in the world are these two people connected?!”.

The Villa by Rachel Hawkins

“Inspired by Fleetwood Mac, the Manson murders, and the infamous summer Percy and Mary Shelley spent with Lord Byron at a Lake Geneva castle––the birthplace of Frankenstein––The Villa welcomes you into its deadly legacy.” Rachel Hawkins does it again! The Villa is a duel timeline slow-burn thriller that takes place at the infamous Italian Villa. It has a unique plot that will leave you wondering who to trust!

More Beach Reads We Love:

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