The concept of a “Beach Read” may have been popularized in the 1990s by women’s magazines touting the best books to lounge waterside with, but its origins can be traced back to the Victorian Era.
Originally marketed to the upper class, assumed to be white men, summer reading was born when the wealthy began traveling from the city to popular resort locations like the Catskills to escape the sweltering months. These readers were above novels. They instead read poetry and political newspapers, serious materials only the well-off could understand, obviously. Back then, this pastime was called summer reading. It was an activity, not yet a label. By the mid-1800s, it had grown in popularity enough to inspire publishers to market certain books as such. One of the first instances being a collection of ocean-themed poetry, A Book for the Sea Side. A few decades later, after the cost of printing decreased and travel became more accessible, summer reading diversified. The so-called intellectuals fumed but it didn’t stop publishers from meeting the new demand, creating summer reading lists that appealed to their growing readership, mostly women. These women wanted poetry, yes, but they also wanted romances, sweeping literary novels, and everything in between. And it’s this ravenous appetite for immersive stories that finally diversified the now-called “Beach Read”.
Today, summer reading is less about the genre and more about the experience. Is it immersive? Does it pulse with the heat of the sun? Does it sweep you away to a new destination? And most importantly, is it enjoyable? Is it what you want to read in that exact moment?
Here are our picks for this summer’s ultimate “Beach Read”:
1. Puck by Samantha Allen
In search of a beach read that’s just plain fun? The author of Patricia Wants a Cuddle and Roland Rogers Isn’t Dead Yet is back with a spicy modern take on A Midsummer Night’s Dream, this time with Puck as a queer, nonbinary reality TV producer responsible for the hit dating show that brings couples on the rocks face-to-face with their exes. Puck thrives when in control, which makes them a perfect fit for their job but not so much for what comes next–their best friend gets engaged, inviting all the guests to a lavish resort in the Appalachia forest, and Puck discovers that their friend might have chosen the wrong person. Puck sets out to right their friend’s wrong. Of course, all good enemies to lovers romances only work with a love interest who, in this case, is determined to see this wedding go through. What unfolds is a delicious and hilariously chaotic story involving two charming, albeit controlling, weirdos.
2. Night Objects by Eli Raphael
If you, like me, enjoy something with a little suspense while lounging by a lake or sitting in a shaded park, may I introduce you to Eli Raphael’s debut, Night Objects. Set in rural Washington State, the novel follows Lenny Winter, a fifteen-year-old aspiring astronomer who, after an unimaginable tragedy, finds herself on a remote island, at a boarding school for the Pacific Northwest elite. She knows she doesn’t belong, but loneliness has a way of clouding her better judgement, and that longing overrides her ability to maintain a safe distance from those who have the money to avoid the trouble that comes with being careless. This is how Lenny finds herself in the middle of a murder investigation that will force her to reckon with what she thinks she knows, and who she believes she is. Night Objects is a gripping slow burn, a coming-of-age story that reminded me of the emotional unfolding of The God of the Woods by Liz Moore.
3. The Shampoo Effect by Jenny Jackson
How could we not include Jenny Jackson’s latest, given that a bikini cladded woman is literally lounging on the beach? She’s on her phone but for the sake of these book recs, let’s assume she’s more of an eBook gal. The “shampoo effect” is a real phrase, referring to the residual effect of a substance, and how if during the comedown, one wished to re-retain their buzz, all they’d have to do is sip on a little something, et voilà, drunk again. This describes the enmeshed Massachusetts friend group Caroline Lash finds herself in when she’s awarded a writing residency in the small town and falls in love with Van, one of the locals. They’re a perfect pair, yet Van’s friends don’t want to see it that way. To them, she’s an outsider, standing in the way of Van’s true love, who is – surprise! – also a part of their friend group. It’s messy and surprising, funny and heartfelt. The Shampoo Effect is a satisfying portrait of long-term friendship, what can curtail it, and what can sustain it.
4. Nerve Damage by Annakeara Stinson
For those of you looking to bring a book akin to Whidbey or A Novel Obsession to the beach, check out Nerve Damage by Annakeara Stinson, a novel inspired by the author’s and others’ real-life experiences. It centers on Clarice in the aftermath of a breakup. It was supposed to be simple, a clean before-and-after. Then came the texts and the calls, the emails and the sightings, all from different accounts and numbers and locations. She obtains a restraining order, then a one-way ticket from New York to Los Angeles. She feels safe there. That is, until the restraining order expires and Clarice thinks she’s spotted her ex across a crowded bar. This time, Clarice takes matters into her own hands. The stalked becomes the stalker, and what follows is a propulsive commentary on the psychological impact of this kind of sustained harassment, and the lack of legal support surrounding it.
5. Some People by Parini Shroff
Next up from the author of the hit debut, The Bandit Queens, is an absolute stunner that is equal parts moving and funny. Some People centers on two unlikely characters, an injured mother (Malti) and her soon to be ex-son-in-law (Nathan), who find themselves living under one roof when the person who binds them together is busy pursuing her graduate degree abroad in India. You might be thinking, “Wow, what kind of daughter wouldn’t come to her mother’s aid?” But the real–dare I say more revealing– question we should be asking, is why? What happened in her childhood that led her to choose not to drop everything in the name of family? And this is the question that our two leads must work to understand over the course of Malti’s rehabilitation. The environment is frosty, the dynamic sharp, but that discomfort is precisely where they’re going to find the amends they need to make. Some People is an entertaining example of how people can change for the better, all they have to do is want to.
6. The Children by Melissa Albert
Well, well, well, if it isn’t Melissa Albert’s adult debut, The Children. A novel that follows the two estranged adult children of a celebrated author who must contend with their mother’s legacy and the adored fantasy series she created, starring, well, themselves. What we have here is an eerie, spellbinding novel that tackles memory, battles with trauma, and joins the very real, very current conversations around beloved authors who reveal themselves to be more like the villains in their stories than the heroes we rooted for in our young age, at times even related to. With captivating prose, Albert takes gentle care of the characters as they navigate coming to terms with their reality. The Children is a beautiful and thought-provoking read, the kind you’ll need a minute to recover from before picking the next book up from your thoughtfully curated–or maybe not so thoughtfully–reads list? Sometimes an unplanned TBR holds the best surprises–vacation stack.
7. Girl’s Girl by Sonia Feldman
One of the most anticipated books of the season, Sonia Feldman’s debut is a sapphic, Midwestern coming-of-age that feels like a hazy, hypnotic summer day. Mina is our lead. We’re with her at fifteen, during a pivotal summer with her two best friends. When a single kiss upends their group dynamic, they are thrusted into fragile, unknown territory during a time when life feels simultaneously too short and too permanent. We meet Mina again as an adult, as she reflects on that season of longing, female friendship, and intimacy, tracing the events of her past to better understand her present. It’s a charged journey, and one that captures modern girlhood in all its heated and intoxicating glory. Feldman puts words to the complicated, deeply felt experience of that delicate age, when everything feels too much and our world too small. Girl’s Girl is honest and sharp, a heated novel that pulses on every page. It’s sure to consume you.
8. Soft Spots by Leila Renee
I’m a sucker for a debut at any season, but especially this summer because Leila Renee’s finally hits shelves. Soft Spots is a coming-of-age story that follows Robin, a recent college graduate who lands a teaching job at a dysfunctional high school. There, she navigates the students, her colleagues, and Naomi, the roommate her teaching program has paired her with. At first, the position feels like an opportunity to distance herself from the parents she is no longer in contact with. The newfound breathing room is a chance to start anew, to make friends and, fingers crossed, find peace. But loneliness persists, and when devastating news from home penetrates her new life, she is forced to reckon with her decision to separate from her family. With dark humor and insight, Soft Spots is a stunning work of compassion, one that casts a light on the reality of estrangement, both the good and bad side of it.
9. Give Me Everything You’ve Got by Imogen Crimp
When it comes to summer reading, I love a story that unfolds like a fever dream. The kind of book that feels like sitting out in the sun too long. Imogen Crimp’s sophomore novel captures that hazy and heated, quintessential summer experience. Give Me Everything You’ve Got is a seductive, gothic tale about Ruby, a young filmmaker who is invited to finish her screenplay at Ellen’s summer home, a famous feminist director known for mentoring up-and-coming women in the industry. It’s a grand house, secluded in the country and surrounded by a picturesque landscape. And for Ruby, it’s a dream come true. Until Ellen’s reputation is put under a microscope when she’s called out for appropriating someone else’s story. Ruby’s focus is interrupted further by Ellen’s daughter, Lara, whose presence casts a spell too powerful to ignore. As the days go by, the house shapeshifts from an idyllic retreat to a haunted mansion that unsettles not just Ruby but also the reader. Crimp’s latest novel is an intoxicating tale that examines power and feminism in modern Hollywood.
