The pollen is falling, the flowers are blooming, and that can only mean one thing: Beach read season is here!
I am counting down the days until the May 27 release of my new novel, Beach House Rules, a Full House meets Gossip Girl tale in which a mother-daughter duo learns to rely on a community of women after their life is upended by the arrest of their husband and father. It’s my dishiest novel yet, with a glamorous beach setting, sparkling new friendships, fraught family dynamics, a dash of romance, plenty of skeletons in everyone’s closets … and an anonymous gossipgram account (@junipershoressocialite!) commenting on it all.
Until then, this year’s spring and summer titles are so exceptional, it’s hard to even play favorites. But here are seven can’t-miss, sunny new novels that will snuggle in perfectly between your fluffiest towel and your highest SPF! Happy reading!
Jane and Dan at the End of the World by Colleen Oakley
Jane and Dan have been in a rut for years … And, unbeknownst to them, it’s only going to take one night — and a hostage situation at the restaurant where they are celebrating their anniversary — to get them out of it. This fun, inventive and fast-paced novel will keep you turning pages in the sand and maybe even leave you feeling a little better about the state of the world.
The Wandering Season by Aimie K. Runyan
Veronica Stratton, a specialty food broker in Denver, is coming fresh off a bad breakup and excited to spend the holidays with her tight-knit family. But when her younger sister Avery offers DNA kits for everyone as a gift, the peaceful celebration turns into a family reckoning. Veronica was adopted and had guessed the truth a while back, but her parents had never volunteered it. Armed with nothing but a list of city matches for her DNA results, Veronica heads off to see the places her ancestors came from — and learn about herself in the process.
The Page Turner by Viola Shipman
A romance writer trapped in a family of highbrow literary publishers, a big family secret and a black sheep’s chance to have her moment in the sun … Can a summer novel get any juicier than that? The Page Turner takes us behind the curtain of the publishing world and reaffirms the value of reading, no matter the type of book the reader loves, with all the feels and some twists and turns to boot. Don’t miss this one!
Catch You Later by Jessica Strawser
Best friends Lark and Mikki know there’s more to life than working the night shift at the highway travel stop, going nowhere fast. So when Mikki hits it off with a good-looking customer on his way to a destination beach wedding, she impulsively agrees to be his plus one … never to return. Years later, Lark is finally getting her life back together when she comes face to face with the man who drove Mikki away, reigniting the search. As the story unfolds in dual timelines, readers get to ride along on Mikki’s road trip and fill in the missing pieces with Lark. The result is half mystery, half friendship story and wholly unputdownable.
Mansion Beach by Meg Mitchell Moore
With a delectable Block Island backdrop and secrets galore, Meg Mitchell Moore’s modern-day retelling of The Great Gatsby is high on my list of summer recommendations. Love triangles, old friends returning in a new way and women on the verge of losing everything — or having it all — combine to create a book I couldn’t get enough of. Mitchell Moore is one of my summer staples, and this beach season is no exception!
The Shoulder Season by Kelly Simmons
It has been 20 years since Caroline has been to Nantucket Island. Probably because it was where her life changed forever after a brutal attack. Will a news story she’s interviewed for spark more clues for the inexperienced police department? Or will she have to solve it herself? Find out this Spring Break season as you’re flying through the pages!
At The Island’s Edge by C. I. Jerez
An Iraq War veteran returns to Puerto Rico to reconnect with — and confront — the past in a heart-wrenching novel about duty, motherhood and the healing power of home. Sergeant Lina LaSalle retreats to her parents’ house in Puerto Rico, where her son, Teó, thrives under her family’s care. Lina finds kinship, too — with a cousin whose dreams were also shattered by the war and with a handsome and caring veteran who sought refuge on the island and runs a neighborhood bar. But amid the magic of the island are secrets and years of misunderstandings that could erode the very stability she’s fighting for. Hope lies on the horizon, but can she keep her gaze steady?
No matter which ones you choose, these titles are guaranteed to make your sunny reading season even brighter!
