17 Beach Reads That Are Perfect for Your Summer Vacation—Including Recs from Bookfluencer Tina of 'TBR, etc.'
"Summertime and the livin' is easy," the song goes. And it's never more true than when you grab a summer beach read and find somewhere comfy to sit and dive into the story. Looking for a new page-turner? We've got you covered.
With tales of beach towns, ocean liners, Hawaii, Greece and other faraway places, these books are perfect for airplane, poolside or staycation reading.
We also have captivating stories recommended by the beloved Instagram account @tbretc, including thrillers, hilarious essays and more.
So, get ready to add to your own "TBR" list as your browse these fabulous options!
Here at Parade.com, we're all about sharing products we love with our audience. When you make a purchase on an item seen on this page, we may earn a commission, however, all picks are independently chosen unless otherwise mentioned.
Related: 11 New Romance Books for Anyone Who Loves Love
Top 5 Summer Books of 2023 from Tina of "TBR, etc."
We're thrilled to hear from Tina from @tbretc on Instagram, who shares her amazing book recommendations with her 31k IG followers every day. You can also follow her on TikTok and listen to her podcast Book Talk, etc. Here are her top five recs:
Adrift by Lisa Brideau
Adrift: A Novel
A woman wakes up on a boat in the middle of the Pacific Ocean with no memory of who she is or how she got there. All she has is a note that says, “Start over. Don’t make yourself known. Don’t look back.” So she has to decide if she’s going to listen… or risk everything to figure out her true identity.
The author works in sustainability policy- and I love that she was able to give us a realistic outlook about what MIGHT happen if we don't do anything about climate change, mixed in with this page-turning thriller.
The Senator’s Wife by Liv Constantine
The Senator's Wife: A Novel
This book opens with a bang- literally, as tragedy strikes within the first couple pages of this book. This is a paranoia thriller set in a wealthy neighborhood in DC, where a woman with chronic illness begins to suspect her live-in nurse is out to get her.
Drowning by TJ Newman
Drowning: The Rescue of Flight 1421 (A Novel)
If you couldn’t look away from the Titanic submersible story, then Drowning is for you. It’s a cinematic thriller about a plane that sinks to the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean and an urgent rescue mission to try and save the 12 passengers that are still on board. This story is claustrophobic and tense with just enough backstory about the characters to keep you invested.
Farrell Covington and the Limits of Style by Paul Rudnik
Farrell Covington and the Limits of Style: A Novel
A funny and heartfelt love story that incorporates real LGBT history that takes place over the course of 40+ years. Farrell’s one-liners literally made me LOL- which doesn’t happen often when I am reading!
Quietly Hostile by Samantha Irby
Quietly Hostile: Essays
Speaking of books that made me laugh, I cannot recommend Quietly Hostile by Samantha Irby enough. Her collection of witty and relatable stories will both gross you out and make you feel seen, sometimes within the same essay.
Related: How to Read 'The Summer I Turned Pretty' Author Jenny Han's Books in Order
12 More Summer Beach Reads
Looking for more reads? We've got you.
The Celebrants by Steven Rowley
Five college friends reunite in Big Sur decades after they graduate to hold a living “funeral” for one of their own, fulfilling a pact they made following the sixth member of their gang’s suicide just before graduation. While previous living funerals have focused on supporting their pals during difficult times, this time one member is keeping a secret that will change all their lives going forward. The Celebrants (G.P. Putnam’s Sons) offers the combination of tears and laughs fans of Rowley, author of The Guncle, have come to expect. $19, amazon.com
The Cuban Heiress by Chanel Cleeton
An heiress with more than her share of secrets, a jewel thief and a gunrunner all board a luxury cruise leaving New York for Havana in The Cuban Heiress (Berkley). Set one year after the Cuban Revolution in 1933, each of the characters on the ocean liner plans to use the journey to partake in a criminal exercise, but as it becomes clear that their lives are in peril, they team up to get justice. $16, amazon.com
Excavations by Kate Myers
Myers transports readers to an archeological dig in Greece in her debut novel, Excavations (HarperVia). When a group of women discovers an unusual artifact that could flip our understanding of history upside down, they’re forced to put aside long-simmering resentments to take down the dig’s head archeologist and expose the truth. This one will have you packing your bags for Greece as soon as you finish it. $28, amazon.com
Graceland by Nancy Crochiere
Olivia, an over-the-top soap star, her people-pleasing daughter, Hope, and Dylan, her pink-haired teenage granddaughter, drive to Memphis in this hilarious road-trip comedy. Olivia dreams of seeing Graceland, Elvis’s famous mansion, but Hope fled the city 18 years earlier after promising never to reveal the identity of her child’s father. The three women’s return to Memphis exposes long-held secrets, launches a media meltdown, and tests the bonds of family. Humorous and heart-warming, Graceland (Avon) will leave readers smiling. $19, amazon.com
Hotel 21 by Senta Rich
Noelle is the model hotel maid—she’s practically invisible to guests—except for the small problem of her kleptomania. She takes “souvenirs,” like lipstick or a hair clip, from the rooms she cleans. But when she starts work at her 21st hotel, Noelle finds herself wanting to befriend her new coworkers, and starts to wonder what it would take to stop hiding herself from the world. Fans of Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine won’t want to miss Hotel 21 (Union Square & Co.). $17, amazon.com
Hot Dog by Doug Salati
An adorable wiener dog struggling with a hot, sticky summer in the city gets to escape to the beach in Hot Dog (Knopf). With brightly colored illustrations and almost-poetic text, this Caldecott Medal winner will entertain both kids and adults desperate for a break from the heat. For the best experience, pair with a bowl of ice cream. $16, amazon.com
Hula by Jasmin Iolani Hakes
Hakes, a native Hawaiian, shows readers a side of the state tourists typically skip in Hula (HarperVia). Set in Hilo, Hawai'i, the sweeping saga depicts the lives of three generations of women in the Napuka family. An attempt by the youngest Napuka, Hi‘i, to become the next Miss Aloha Hula forces the family to confront their past—and the history of their community. Fans of family dramas like Black Cake or Pachinko won’t want to miss this one. $21, amazon.com
An Island Princess Starts a Scandal by Adrianna Herrera
Visit Paris during the 1898 World’s Fair with An Island Woman Starts a Scandal (Canary Street Press). Manuela del Carmen Caceres Galvan, a lesbian artist, travels to Paris hoping for one last taste of adventure before she marries a man to improve her family’s financial standing. Manuela offers to sell the Duchess of Sundridge Cora Kempf Bristol the land she needs to finish a railroad if the businesswoman will take her to Paris’s hidden gems. But, as the two spend more time together, their relationship deepens and they consider if the scandal it would cause is worth the happiness it would provide. $17, amazon.com
The Nigerwife by Vanessa Walters
Anyone who binged White Lotus will want to put The Nigerwife (Atria) at the top of their summer reading list. When Nicole Oruwari married her Nigerian husband and became a “Niger Wife,” she traded in her humdrum London life for the glamour of Lagos. The cracks of her seemingly perfect life start to show when she disappears from a boat trip. With authorities reporting no leads, Nicole’s auntie Clementine flies to Niger to find her niece—and expose dark secrets along the way. $20, amazon.com
Save What's Left by Elizabeth Castellano
After Kathleen Deane’s husband tells her he wants to end their 30-year marriage, she flees to Whitbey, a small beach town her childhood friend Josie has always described as idyllic. When she arrives, though, Kathleen realizes that Whitbey is far from the perfect small town she envisioned. Revealing the truth about living in a tourist town, Save What’s Left (Anchor Books) is a delicious read, perfect for the beach—or the couch. $24, amazon.com
Super Bloom by Megan Tady
Treat yourself to a trip to the spa with Super Bloom (Zibby Books). Massage therapist Joan Johnston is grieving and deep in debt when Carmen, an eccentric romance novelist, offers to pay her for intel on what it’s like to work at a spa. Joan reluctantly says yes, and her secret mission sparks a new passion for writing. But after Carmen learns of Joan’s manuscript and angrily steals it, the massage therapist sets out to get it back. A charming mix of humor and heart. $15, amazon.com
With Love, From Cold World by Alicia Thompson
Escape the heat by reading With Love, From Cold World (Berkley, out August 1), set in an Orlando amusement park that’s always a winter wonderland. Lauren Fox goes through the motions doing her job as a bookkeeper for the theme park, while her coworker Asa Williamson goes above and beyond for Cold World. When their boss challenges them to come up with ideas to attract more visitors, they are surprised by the heat sparking between them. $17, amazon.com
Next: 20+ Must-See Destinations for Book Lovers To Transport You to a Whole Different World
