National Beach Day
Some books are made to be read with sand between your toes and sunscreen in your eyes—the kind you can’t put down even when your stomach’s growling and your shoulders are starting to crisp. Fun, flirty, and utterly unputdownable, a good beach read should leave you as sun-warmed and giddy as the perfect summer fling.
For me, a perfect beach read has three essentials:
Vibe: It has to feel like summer—whether it’s set on the coast or just soaked in that warm, fizzy energy.
Pacing: I want chapters short enough that I can pause to reapply SPF or watch a pelican dive without losing the thread.
Payoff: A swoony romance that makes me sigh into my beach towel and delivers an emotional punch that lingers past sunset.
One of my earliest memories is moving from North Carolina, where there was snow on the ground, to the Florida Panhandle, where the sand was the exact same color. My parents were so excited to show us the white beaches near our new home. I was five, and the beach has been my happy place ever since.
So, in honor of National Beach Day, here are three of my favorite “read in the sun, get a little sandy, maybe swoon out loud” romances:
Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez, narrated by Christine Lakin & Zachary Webber — Jimenez writes lake life and summer love like she’s bottling sunshine. This one’s got small-town charm, sizzling chemistry, and enough heart to make you cry into your beach wrap.
Beach Read by Emily Henry, narrated by Jula Whelan — The title says it all. Banter, longing, creative rivalry, and Julia Whelan narrating? It’s basically a literary beach umbrella.
The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren, narrated by Cynthia Farrell & Deacon Lee — A sunshiney enemies-to-lovers fake honeymoon in Hawaii with laugh-out-loud banter and just the right amount of spice. You will not want to get out of your lounge chair.
Whether your “beach” is a coastline, a lake dock, or a blow-up kiddie pool in the backyard, the right book can make it feel like your own private paradise.
Your turn: What’s in your beach bag this summer? And if it’s Book Lovers by Emily Henry for the fourth time, no judgment—we can be towel neighbors.
