12 Summer Books for Your Beach Bag
Books to read when you’re pretending you’re on vacation (but actually just have the AC cranked ddown)
Midweek Musings is a cozy mix of book recs, library lists, and reading reflections. Thoughtful updates I’d share at a playdate or while browsing the shelves with a friend.
Maybe you’re not jetting off to the coast this summer. Maybe your suitcase is still in the garage and your plans involve a pool float, a popsicle, and ignoring your inbox. That counts. That’s rest.
Whether you’re beach-bound or just staying horizontal on the couch with a cold drink and zero guilt, I’ve rounded up the kind of books that feel like vacation. Breezy, dramatic, a little bit sun-soaked, and impossible to put down. Think, breakups and makeups, sisters and secrets, hotel lobbies and lakefront mysteries. Some are feel-good, some are messy, all are ideal for reading in a towel after a shower that turned into an entire evening.
Books that say “Out of Office” (even if you’re still very much in it)
One Golden Summer by Carley Fortune
Teenage love, second chances, and a familiar yellow boat that stirs up everything Alice thought she left behind. Set on a lake, made for reading with wet hair and bare feet.
Read if you like: Sweet Home Alabama, tender reunions, or first love that still matters.
These Summer Storms by Sarah MacLean
Two exes. One wedding. And a whole lot of unresolved tension under a very expensive tent. Set over one chaotic weekend at a high-society summer wedding, this one’s full of sharp banter, forced proximity, and enough longing to fog up your sunglasses.
Read if you like: The Wedding Date, old flames with unfinished business, and enemies-to-lovers with high emotional stakes.
Leave It to Us by A.C. Arthur
Three sisters inherit their grandma’s beach house and immediately disagree on what to do with it. Family tension, renovation chaos, and a dash of sisterly nostalgia.
Read if you like: Sweet Magnolias, complicated sisters, and a summer house full of memories.
The Wedding People by Alison Espach
She books a solo stay at a fancy hotel and accidentally gets wrapped up in someone else’s wedding. Strangers, secrets, and unexpected connection.
Read if you like: hotel bars, found family, and rom-coms where everything goes off-script.
Hotter in the Hamptons by Tinx
After a PR disaster, NYC it-girl Lola escapes to the Hamptons, only to discover her rival is now her neighbor. It’s giving revenge dress meets beach read.
Read if you like: enemies-to-lovers, summer scandals, and stylish reinventions.
The California Dreamers by Amy Mason Doan
Surf vans, old photographs, and a family that blew up after one perfectly-timed photo. Emotional, cinematic, and made for reading in big sunglasses.
Read if you like: Daisy Jones & The Six, retro vibes, and stories about siblings who get a second chance.
Summers at the Saint by Mary Kay Andrews
A woman with one summer to save her hotel, uncover a long-held secret, and maybe fall in love again. Think: pink walls, beach cocktails, plot twists.
Read if you like: Schitt’s Creek energy, second chances, and coastal glamour with grit.
Swan Song by Elin Hilderbrand
Nantucket drama meets small-town mystery. A luxury beach house burns down and the police chief has three days ‘til retirement. Messy in the best way.
Read if you like: big secrets in small towns, beachy intrigue, and Knives Out with salt air.
Summer Sisters by Judy Blume
The OG messy friendship novel. Rich girl. Regular girl. One unforgettable summer that changes everything. Still hits.
Read if you like: Little Fires Everywhere, layered friendships, and summer growing pains.
The Summer Place by Jennifer Weiner
One beach house. One messy family. And a wedding that brings everyone’s secrets bubbling to the surface. Set in Cape Cod, this one blends humor, heartache, and sharp observations about motherhood, marriage, and the things we carry.
Read if you like: multigenerational chaos, Parenthood energy, and summer weddings with emotional baggage.
Same Time Next Summer by Annabel Monaghan
Sam’s got a fiancé, a steady life in the city… and a first love who just showed up at her family’s beach house. A quiet, tender romance about timing, healing, and the kind of love that never really lets go.
Read if you like: The Summer I Turned Pretty, wistful reunions, and kissing on the dock at sunset.
Summer on Highland Beach by Sunny Hostin
A deeply rooted family legacy set in a historic Black beach town. Past and present collide in this emotional, layered summer story.
Read if you like: The Vanishing Half, multigenerational stories, and summer with soul.
If you're looking for more summery book energy, I shared a list of my favorite Elin Hilderbrand books and how I ranked them.
So whether you're headed to the actual coast or just cranking the AC and pretending your bedroom is a breezy beach cabana, these books are here to help you unplug, unwind, and get delightfully lost for a while.
Let me know what you're reading and if one of these makes it into your weekend plans, I want to hear about it.
See you Friday, and until then, may your pages turn fast, your snacks be cold, and your summer feel just a little bit softer.
The Second Act is an entirely reader-supported publication written and created by Danielle Wraith. Click here to subscribe or gift a friend a subscription here (if a friend sent you this —tell them thanks!). Anything you want covered? Questions? Reply with a comment below! You can also find me on Instagram. Please come say hi!